GDC 2009 San Francisco, Friday Updates

If your life revolves around making video games, then you would be in San Francisco this week.  The annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (http://www.gdconf.com/) is THE major event for the game development industry.  GDC is five days of educational sessions, specialized summits, networking events, and expo & career pavilions.

On the final day at GDC, the show continues with lots of activity in the Career Fair.  With the continuing bad economy and poor job outlook, there were many people visiting all the exhibiting companies with resumes and demo reels in hand.  While there were many companies looking for new talent, then number of openings appears to be small.

Many of the final lectures and sessions were very full as the conference attendees eagerly rush to take in a final chance to learn from the many experienced speakers before the close of the show.  As the show ended, hundreds gathered in the main lobby of the convention center reluctant to see this year’s GDC end.

Some things that caught our attention today were:

Hi-Rez Studios gave the first hands-on demonstration of its spy-fi action MMO Global Agenda.  Guests experienced fast-paced combat, in both PvE and PvP missions, using stations within the Hi-Rez exhibition booth and playing real-time with remote players.

“Our combat system was inspired by modern multiplayer shooters”, says Executive Producer Todd Harris. “But in addition to firearms, we’ve added melee, hundreds of other high-tech player-usable devices, and jetpacks! We find it a refreshing change from the standard tab-targeting found within fantasy MMOs and we’ve been thrilled to see the reaction from others here at the show. And while we think our combat system is a major differentiator, we’re equally excited about the RPG advancement system and the opportunity for player-groups to compete for territory control.”

Booth guests also got a taste of Global Agenda’s sophisticated, face-customization system and the introductory game sequence in which the player’s special agent character escapes from the clutches of an oppressive world government called The Commonwealth.

“Players begin as a fugitive”, Todd says. “But after choosing a class and advancing their agent skills via PvE or PvP missions, they encounter other groups within the world and choose which ones to align with. We expect most players will eventually participate in our Campaign mode which allows player groups to acquire territory within the world, construct facilities, defenses, and bases on that territory, produce resources, and engage in the player-driven drama to dominate a region.”

Hi-Rez Studios also announced that they are still accepting applications toward their upcoming closed Beta. Players looking for a refreshing take on the MMO genre were encouraged to apply at http://www.globalagendagame.com.

Calling all superheroes and supervillians… City of Heroes Content Update Issue 14 is officially making its debut via the game’s open beta session. In Issue 14, players will have an opportunity to create and give feedback on one of the most in-depth player created mission systems in an MMO to date! The Mission Architect game system is a robust new system that allows players to literally design their own missions for the game, determining details ranging from environments, mission objectives and enemies, to the written fiction and character dialogue. With Mission Architect, players will also be able to share their creation with the entire City of Heroes community as everyone’s story/mission masterpieces will be available in-game for fellow gamers to play and rate - and the higher the rating, the more benefits and rewards players will experience.
City of Heroes Issue 14 was developed by NCsoft NorCal in Mountain View, CA. In addition to the launch of Issue 14, NCsoft will be releasing City of Heroes Architect Edition for both PC and Mac in mid-April, a retail product featuring Mission Architect alongside other content updates.
For more information, please go to the official City of Heroes site at http://www.cityofheroes.com/news/news_archive/issue_14_open_beta_begins.html

The iPhone OS 3.0 news from Apple unlocks many more opportunities for innovative game development for the iPhone. Social Gaming Network has been planning for this moment for years and made huge strides with existing releases to achieve exactly what consumers have craved – and now Apple is responding. SGN has already pushed the boundaries with games for iPhone creating seamless game experiences across platforms. SGN games that monetize through virtual goods with unique pricing structures evocative of the in-app purchasing capability just announced in the iPhone OS 3.0 Software Developer Kit are already available for iPhone including Mafia: Respect & Retaliation, Agency Wars and a proven model (fluff)friends on Facebook.
Shervin Pishevar, president and CEO of SGN, states: “This is a pivotal moment that SGN has been waiting for. Our vision for offering our engaged audience unique and immersive games is further being realized with this announcement from Apple. It will unleash a tremendous amount of creativity and incredibly engaging experiences for consumers around the world from the developer community. SGN is uniquely positioned moving forward to deliver even greater experiences for consumers and go even further with Apple’s announcement of the new OS 3.0.”
Synergies between SGN’s suite of games that have already delivered on Apple’s vision with iPhone OS 3.0 include:

-      A vision of creating immersive games with robust user pay models. From the beginning, SGN recognized that the only viable model would have to generate revenue from both advertising and user pay for in-game items or advantages. SGN’s recent releases for iPhone including Mafia: Respect & Retaliation, Agency Wars and i(fluff) all feature pricing structures that enable users to buy new levels. Now with the convenience of purchasing new levels of content built into the iPhone OS, the possibilities for future games, enhancing games and making game play even more advanced are incredibly exciting.
-      SGN is positioned to excel at an even faster pace with over 10 million users of games such as iBowl, iBasketball, iBaseball, SGN Golf, Mafia: Respect & Retaliation, Agency Wars, iFun, and i(fluff) on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Apple has confirmed with this announcement that sales are more than 30 million for iPhones and iPod Touch. Given these statistics, SGN games are already on one in three devices.
-      With iFun, released in November, using the accelerometer technology in the iPhone, SGN could link the handset to a computer via wireless or 3G connection, making the iPhone into a Wii-like controller for the game. This convergence will continue to develop and become increasingly seamless. With new Bluetooth connectivity, SGN games can potentially be played on other Bluetooth devices, linking players seamlessly wherever they go literally across any platform.
-      SGN has leveraged the convergence paradigm giving users the ability to play games either on mobile devices or on a PC (through social networks). SGN believes in creating high quality games with engaging play that will captivate and connect friends and family. SGN is bringing the vision of the social graph to gaming ever closer.

For more information on Social Gaming Networks products, go to http://www.sgn.com

That’s it for now from the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.  We will be following up our coverage throughout the year with reviews and updates of other news and products we found at the show.

—Harvey Lee

View the original article here

Serial communication appliance for Scada systems

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jan 21, 2011IPC hardware manufacturer Lanner Electronics has released the LEC-3010, a small form factor serial communication appliance built for Scada systems.

It features six serial ports, four GbE LAN ports and utilises Intel Atom N450 CPU.

The LEC-3010 was designed for easy installation and minimal upkeep, according to Lanner.

It was also designed to meet the need for cost-effective, highly adaptive small form factor IPCs in Scada communications applications.

The LEC-3010 is DIN rail-mountable and can rotate along its DIN-rail attachment.

Ease of access was a key consideration in the design of the LEC-3010 and other features that highlights this are the Compactflash socket and easily readable LED lights.

The Compactflash card can be removed from the system without opening the chassis and the LED lights clearly display information about the COM and LAN ports.

There are a total of six serial (COM) ports and four GbE LAN ports along the front face.

The serial ports are connected via phoenix contacts that screw down to ensure a steady connection.

The COM ports can send and receive signals using RS-232/422/485 protocols.

Switching between these signals can be achieved onboard through the hardware autoflow control.

The RJ-45 LAN ports all use Realtek network controllers.

The rugged LEC-3010 can withstand high-temperature variation, features a cable-less interior and wide power-input range.

When utilised with industrial components (Compactflash and memory), the LEC-3010 can run in conditions ranging from -20C~55C.

The cable-less and fan-less design ensure product longevity by eliminating the two main reasons for IPC malfunction.

The appliance can support direct current of +12~36V inputs.

The product is built around the ultra-low-power-consuming Intel Atom N450 CPU and can hold up to 2GB of memory through a single Sodimm slot.

Other communication features include: two USB 2.0 ports; Dido port and VGA display port.

There is also an onboard watchdog timer.

This platform is compatible with both Windows and Linux operating systems.

Back to top

View the original article here

European Carbon Trading System Pulled after Fraud

The European Union's carbon trading system has been taken offline following a serious security breach.

The system will be offline for "at least" another week, an EU spokesperson said. It is the world's largest emissions trading system by volume transacted.

The EU took action after it discovered that emissions allowances worth 7 million (£5.9 million) had been stolen from an account based in the Czech Republic. It is understood that the cybercriminals have also hacked into accounts in Austria, Greece, Poland, and Estonia.

The EU branded the move to take the system offline as a "transitional measure." It was a response to "recurring security breaches," it said.

Part of the security problem could be that some EU member states have declined to pay for what they call expensive changes mandated by the commission. Nevertheless, those changes were ordered after the EU discovered last year that hackers were accessing carbon allowance lists.

"The incidents over the last weeks have underlined the urgent need for all registries to ensure that these [security] measures are speedily implemented," the EU said.

The system would not be brought back online until member states agree that a "minimum" level of security has been agreed, the EU said.

Mark Darvill, a director at security firm AEP Networks, agreed that it was right for the EU to ensure member states protect their registries with the right security. HE added: "It's simply not enough for the European Commission to ensure that its own trading platform is protected with the highest levels of security."

View the original article here

Adesso ARC-1100 Vista Remote

The only thing wrong with using your PC and Windows Media Center as for watching movies, listening to music, or watching TV is that using a wireless keyboard and mouse to control your TV and media isn’t the best experience. 

Some of the early dedicated Media PCs came with remotes and some laptops still do, but since virtually every PC sold these days comes with a version of Vista that includes Media Center, there are way more media-capable PCs out there and not many remotes among them.

Adesso, who makes a variety of inexpensive but good quality input devices has stepped up to with the Vista Remote to provide an inexpensive solution.
The remote comes boxed with a USB receiver, the remote, batteries and a very brief manual.  It’s simplicity itself to install: put in the batteries, plug the receiver into a convenient USB slot, wait the couple moments it takes Vista to recognize the device, and your good to go.  No additional setup is needed. 

The remote has a large, green button to start Media Center and a set of dedicated buttons to control Media Center functions at near the top.  Below those buttons are the standard play controls, Play, Pause, Record, Fast Forward, etc.  At the bottom are the standard TV controls: digit buttons, volume and channel controls, etc.

Right in the center is a multi-directional circular pad which serves as mouse controller and which includes buttons above and to the left and right, which serve as a right and left mouse button.  A short press moves the mouse cursor slowly and a longer press accelerates the cursor across the screen quickly.  The pad has a very nice feel to it and responds smoothly in every direction and is surprisingly comfortable to use. 

The controller works very well with Media Center, but many of the controls work well with the normal Vista desktop.  The mouse, volume controls and mute do exactly what you’d expect when on the desktop.  The channel up and down buttons work to scroll the active window.  This means that web surfing or controlling a presentation using the remote is simple.

This can be a bit quirky, since in Word, for instance, some of the dedicate buttons map to odd formatting commands.  But I suppose that if you’re trying to do word processing with a remote, you deserve whatever you get.

Adesso claims a 10 meter range.  It worked fine across the full length of my livingroom and into my office.  It also was powerful enough to bounce to the receiver from just about any angle, which makes me confident that the placement of your PC isn’t going to be critical.  Even when I put the remote under my heavy sweatshirt and pointed it at the receiver from 10 feet away, the controller worked fine. 
Even though it works well, it’s not perfect.

The IR sensor’s cord is only about 5 feet long, which means that if your PC doesn’t have USB ports on the front you may need to use a USB extension to be able to place the receiver in a useful location.  It is also very light and lacks any rubber feet, lip, or other structure to keep it in place. When I first tried using the remote I thought the IR signal was very poor when, in fact, the receiver had simply slipped to an odd angle and wasn’t “seeing” the remote.  Not a terrible problem, since a piece of sticky foam tape would keep it from moving around.

The remote itself is a little lightweight and doesn’t feel terribly sturdy compared to the remote for a TV or DVD player.  It feels well made enough and is comfortable in your hand, but nonetheless the light weight makes it feel somewhat toy-like.

Since it isn’t programmable, you’ll still need to have you remotes for your other devices handy, so it’s not an all-in-one solution.

All of these criticisms are pretty minor, though, for a remote that costs less than $30 dollars and does just what it promises.  I’d definitely recommend it if you use your PC as a Media Center.

—Tucker Hatfield

http://www.adesso.com
$29.99

View the original article here

Gutsy Hacker Sells Access, Info

Artwork: Diego AguirreWant access to the administrator accounts to the U.S. Army or Italian government websites? Maybe you're just looking for personal information hacked from .edu websites. Either way, it can apparently all be yours for a price.

Imperva, a data security firm, discovered a hacker is selling alleged access to military, government and educational sites across the globe. Prices range from $499 for U.S. military websites to $55 for MySQL root access to the State of Michigan website.

Hacker's alleged conquests (click to enlarge screen)Imperva also reports that the hacker is selling personal information from the hacked websites at $20 for 1000 records. The hacker provides screenshots to prove access to personal information and access to the admin interface at a major university.

Imperva thinks the hacker was able to gain access through a code injection technique.

"The victims' vulnerabilities were probably obtained by SQL injection vulnerability automatic scanner and exploited in automatic manner, as the hacker published his methods in a post in some hacker forum," Rob Rachwald wrote in a post on the Imperva Data Securities Blog. (Good thing these guys are keeping an eye on the seedy underbelly of the Web.)

Former Washington Post reporter, Brian Krebs thinks the hacks are legit.

"I've seen some of the back-end evidence of his hacks, so it doesn't seem like he's making this up," he writes on his KrebsonSecurity blog.

Thanks to a few mostly-unaltered screenshots from Krebs' blog we are able to see the hacker is making more services available to those willing to pay.

The hacker will also "hack a normal website," scan a site for vulnerabilities for $2 and give you 3MB of random hacked accounts for $65. Check out the screenshot below to see his or her full portfolio of offerings.

Price list for claimed hacking services (click to enlarge)

View the original article here

6W power supply for industrial applications

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jan 21, 2011CUI has extended its low-cost open-frame AC/DC power supply line with a 6W model that is suitable for consumer, industrial and ITE applications.

The VOF series now covers a range of power from 6W through 80W.

All units are said to be highly efficient and offer leakage currents below 0.3mA.

The VOF-6 provides continuous output power, universal input (85-264VAC), and is offered in 3.3, 5, 12, 15, and 24VDC output voltages.

The ultra-compact VOF-6 measures 2.2 x 1.4 x 0.65in.

Protections for over-voltage and over-current conditions are included.

Back to top

View the original article here

GDC 2009 San Francisco, CA Wednesday Updates

If your life revolves around making video games, then you would be in San Francisco this week.  The annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (http://www.gdconf.com/) is THE major event for the game development industry.  GDC is five days of educational sessions, specialized summits, networking events, and expo & career pavilions.

The main part of the show opened today with the Career Fair and Expo Hall as well as more session for Art, Programming, Design, Production, etc.
Also featured today was a Keynote Address from Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo, who spoke about how Nintendo & Independent Developers can both be successful in the same market and how Nintendo’s Star Designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, approaches design and development.

Some things that caught our attention on Wednesday were:

If you are an old gamer like me, then you have fond memories of Lode Runner, a hit game from the 80’s.  Now Tozai Games have brought a greatly updated version to the Xbox Live Arcade for your Xbox 360 game console.  This game is really cool and a lot of fun.
It’s an all-new Lode Runner gold mine: 3D graphics, frenzied 2D action, lodes of modes, 220 levels, multiplayer options, puzzles, a level editor and more! Run, climb, blast blocks, outsmart enemies and grab the gold on your own or with a partner! It’s classic action with lodes of new twists. Battle up to three friends on Xbox LIVE in a frantic game of tag, where the first to die are the first to avenge…as enemies! Survive endlessly spawning foes to earn medals. Create devious levels to challenge the Community. For long-time fans or first-time runners, it’s the mother lode!

Lode Runner legacy: Inspired by the ground-breaking action title, the all-new Lode Runner was recreated block by block for Xbox LIVE Arcade. Just as in the original award-winning game, the new Lode Runner rewards fast, smart and gutsy moves. Preserving the classic style of play was the foundation for creating the definitive Lode Runner experience!
Game modes for everyone: Play expansive single-player and co-op Journey campaigns, frantic Hang On survival challenges, complex puzzles, and a four-player Last Man competition that rewards sabotage, revenge, and outright deviousness.
No player left behind: Revive a fallen teammate and continue play without penalty in Co-op Journey mode, and avenge an untimely death reborn as an enemy in Last Man matches!
New content: Explore five worlds inhabited by unique enemies and featuring special terrain such as avalanche blocks, stalactites and teleports. Blast blocks with bombs and collect energy balls to add lives. Unearth hidden enemies! Transition from one level to the next seamlessly. Master new co-operative play techniques like blasting blocks while riding on a buddy’s head.
Level Editor and Community: Design custom levels for any game mode and environment to challenge your friends. Host Xbox LIVE matches with your own cunning creations or download the coolest custom levels from the Lode Runner Community!

Sony showed a number of current game titles in their booth as well as development tools and technology, but the coolest thing was two of their racing games in TrueHD 3D.  Using a basic pair of glasses, you got a clear, sharp 3D picture on an HD display.  It was impressive.  Too bad it is mainly a technology demonstration at this time and there is no release date or price for it.  Hopefully it will come to your Playstation 3 soon.

If iPhone development is something you are considering, then check out Unity (http://unity3d.com/unity/).  Unity is a complete development environment and toolset for development and publishing.  Versions are available for different platforms such as iPhone, Wii, Online, etc.  The pricing is very reasonable for development tools as a complete set of iPhone development is under $3,000 USD per user.  Prices will vary depending on the exact set of features you want.

And finally, NeuroSky (http://www.neurosky.com/) was showing their brain-computer interface technology.  The NeuroSky Mindset is basically a set of headphones that you wear and while using special software, it allows you to manipulate a game or software program by concentrating or focusing on objects.  The mindset essentially monitors your level of calm or stress and combines that with your level of concentration to control elements of a game.  Of course the technology is not ready to actually allow you to say, drive a car or play a shooting game.  The basic NeuroSky technology is being used in toys such as the Star Wars Force Trainer.  The Mindset will be available this summer and you can check it out on the NeruoSky web site.

Stay turned for more news and products from GDC San Francisco.

—Harvey Lee

View the original article here