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By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET PASAY, Philippines -- Under absolute secrecy, online game publisher Level Up! snuck into the first person shooter genre and finally introduced its first FPS title, K.O.S.: Secret Operations during its annual Level Up! Live competition. K.O.S. (Kill On Sight) is developed by Korean firm YNK Interactive, the same company that created Rohan Online, which LU is also publishing in the Philippines. The game is still in its worldwide beta testing stages, with the Philippines' beta test period starting in December. With most online FPS games using their own game engine, K.O.S. uses Valve's Source Engine, which is most prominently used in the widely popular shooter Counterstrike Source. K.O.S. is a straight forward shooter with players choosing a one of two teams. The main mission is to beat the competing team in different modes. There are different character types who are actually of different nationalities (North and South Korean, Russian, Japanese, Taiwanese and American). Each character possess different attributes that allow them to carry specific types of weapons such as sniper rifles, assault rifles, heavy artillery, and pistols. The characters also have certain skills that improve their performance in the game. LU CEO Jane Walker said in an interview that the company chose K.O.S. due to its lower computer requirements as well as its proximity to the gameplay and style of Counterstrike, which was once the most popular FPS played in Internet cafes. Walker said that despite being late in the FPS genre, she is confident that the FPS market in the Philippines is still large enough for a new title. K.O.S. will compete with existing online FPS titles such as WarRock from Amped, Special Forces from MyGame, and most recently Operation 7 by E-Games.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET SINGAPORE-- Gamers usually question the capabilities of all of the latest operating system and the new Microsoft operating system Windows 7 was of no exception. Its predecessor, Windows Vista, came under a lot of fire when it was first launched as it caused certain games to crash largely due to backward compatibility issues, later improved as more game developers applied the necessary patches to run games on Windows Vista. Still, gamers preferred even the much older Windows XP to run the latest games primarily because of compatibility and lesser system resource requirements. Microsoft offered multiple pre-launch builds of Windows 7 prior to the official launch on October 22. Various software development firms, including game firms, created applications on top of the new OS. Even while Windows 7 is a leaner and faster upgrade from Vista, game developers are still hoping to prevent the same concerns with Windows 7. Only a few game developers announced they are fully supporting Windows 7 even as Microsoft promised that games developed on Vista will run on the new OS. In addition, much olders games on Windows XP will also run on Windows 7 through an XP emulation feature. Compatibility During the launch of Windows 7 in Singapore, Microsoft executives and one startup game developer showcased how games could be run on Windows 7. Microsoft Asia Pacific Support Group Head Howard Lo insisted that if a game runs on Windows Vista, it should run on the new OS. He showed the first person shooter Crysis from Electronic Arts running on Windows 7. Lo said many of the graphics card manufacturers have collaborated with Microsoft to come up with compatible drivers. In fact, Windows 7 already most of the necessary drivers for graphics cards, therefore there would be little need to update drivers. But gamers do not want to take chances so manufacturers also made sure they are ready. A quick view of the websites of Nvidia and rival graphics card maker ATI showed they already have both the 32-bit and 64-bit drivers for Windows 7, essentially ensuring all gamers that there are no longer operating system compatibility issues. "Microsoft made sure that it is working closely with all user segments, including game developers so that by the time Windows 7 came out gamers can start playing," Lo said. He added that Windows 7 already has DirectX 11, the latest application programming interface (API) for third-party developed multimedia applications. Touch screen gaming With the compatibility issues on the sideline, Microsoft is putting new efforts to make Windows 7 a good gaming platform. Just like the motion-sensitive features in Nintendo Wii and the upcoming Xbox 360 Project Natal, Microsoft is looking at the multi-touch capabilities of Windows 7 to be the next big thing. In fact, a game developer has shown how multi-touch gaming can be done. Singapore-based startup game developer Touch Dimensions demonstrated their game entitled Autumn Dynasty, a real-time strategy game that required players to just touch the screen rather than using a mouse and keyboard. In addition, the game also reads other objects that touch the screen, in this case, a Chinese calligraphy brush, which is used like a mouse in selecting troops and directing their directions of attack. The use of the player's hand only comes in when trying to move the map to a different area, as well as expanding or contracting the size of the map. While the game is still on its beta tests (the company only started in September), the multitouch gaming concept is showing some promise. For sure, this will create a new experience for PC gamers.

Filipino game development companies continue to show resiliency amid the economic crisis rocking the industry. During the recent Games Conventions Asia 2009, a group of Filipino developers showed what they can do for foreign companies looking to do some outsource stuff. Paul Gadi, a member of GDAP, joined a plenary discussion with other developers on developing for the Apple iPhone. In a short interview back in Manila, Gabby Dizon, the President of the Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP) said their group met with several other Asian gaming organizations to discuss various topics involving their industry, primarily the effects of the economic crisis. Dizon, who also heads his own game development company called Flipside, said GDAP met with members of the Asian Games Association to talk about each others’ experiences and how they could help each other go through this global economic crisis, among other things. Member countries of this group include Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, New Zealand, Australia and China. A few representatives from the European Game Developers Association were also present. Dizon said outsourcing is a major topic during the meeting. Outsourcing is a common approach for game developers as it builds international networks and technical capabilities. But Dizon also said some companies are trying their hand in creating original intellectual property, something that he did when he worked for Filipino game development firm Anino Entertainment. As the global economic crisis is unfolding, GDAP’s membership is also growing. There are now 13 members. Some of the new members are also going into various aspects of game development, including motion capture and game testing. “It’s great that we have additional members and this will only continue to grow in the next year,” Dizon said. As a final note, Dizon stressed that no game studio in the Philippines closed shop even during the crisis. “I'm sure that each company still has challenges ahead but I think overall we will still see growth for the game industry for this year and next.” -- Alexander Villafania

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET Mobiusgames, the online gaming division of Digital Media Exchange (DME), has launched Season 4 patch for its flagship title MU Online. The patch is a sudden jump from the current Season 2 of MU Online. The patch would have several new features including a better laid-out user interface, new quests, a third wing for each of the character classes, a new female character for the Summoner class, 48 new items and weapons, among others. Along with the launch of the new patch, Mogiusgames will also be holding game spormos, such as an upgrade system and a raffle that could win players new weapons and armor. These will run from September 15 to October 15.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET SINGAPORE - By all accounts, this year’s Games Convention Asia is toned down as there seems to be fewer participation of gaming companies, perhaps affected by the weak global economic crisis that detracted people from spending. The annual event – already in its third year – was organized by the Leipziger Messe International (LMI) Asia, whose parent company operates the Games Convention in Europe. Citing a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LMI CEO Wolfgang Marzin said Asian gaming companies were indeed affected by the economic crisis, like other industries in the region. According to Marzin, global consumer spending has lessened on all games, be it console, handheld, PC and online games. But Marzin also said Asian firms are more resilient against the effects and will see some growth in the coming years, again citing the PricewaterhouseCoopers report. The PricewaterhouseCoopers report said the global trend for the gaming and digital entertainment market for the year will remain weak until 2010 but will only start to pick up by 2011. But the report also pointed out that the Asia Pacific region will be among the fastest growth areas for gaming and digital entertainment, growing 4.5 percent every year and reaching US$413 billion by 2013. Consumer spending on gaming and other firms of digital entertainment is forecast to grow at least 7.1 percent every year. Hybrid games, anyone? Even with lesser game time for people, there is still demand for innovation in the game development industry. One of the big topics in this year's Games Convention Asia was developing hybrid-type games that combined elements from established genres. For example, titles developed by Gas Powered Games combined elements of role playing and strategy. These include “Supreme Commander” and “Demigod.” Gas Powered Games Founder Chris Taylor said having innovations in the gaming business keeps people interested to try out new titles, while trying to compare these existing and familiar genres. Such interest fuels better innovations from the developers, fueling more interest from players, which effectively makes the game development business more profitable. “Players might get bored with the same old gaming style. They have to be interested in something new. But developing a new type of game isn’t easy, nor does it come cheap," Taylor said. "But the outcome, especially if the product is a hit, is as much a reward already for the developer,” he added. Gaming's newest platform One platform that has seen an explosion in demand for gamers and game developers alike is Apple's iPhone device. Even Filipino game development companies are starting to create games for the iPhone. Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP) Board Member Paul Gadi became part of a panel discussion on the iPhone as a gaming platform during the GCA. He noted that more than just the fancy features of the iPhone, its unique touch screen and motion sensitivity makes it appealing as a gaming platform. He also said the iPhone’s development software kit is friendly enough for developers to create games. Filipino developer Anino Games is one of the local companies that are hoping to jump into the iPhone development bandwagon. It created the game “Turbo Subs” that already became a hit on the iPhone. Not surprisingly, Anino was the first game development firm in the Philippines focusing initially on the PC. Console power Gaming consoles are a good measurement for the success of gaming. The higher sales of consoles means the industry is doing well. But having a regional office solely dedicated to one console means the device also has a huge potential beyond current sales. Erik Ford is the senior marketing manager for Microsoft’s Southeast Asian Entertainment and Devices Division, which sells games for Microsoft Windows as well as the Xbox 360 console. Ford said that sales of the console have grown steadily in the Southeast Asian region, despite problems with piracy of Xbox 360 games. In particular, Asian traffic in the Xbox Live network has also grown to 269 percent (he would not give exact figures). Ford noted that the growth is due to the availability of online components of many of their games, which required the use of an original game. “Xbox Live is a critical differentiator versus competition. It also makes people value original games because they can go online and play with their friends,” Ford said. Reinventing Lara Croft Even with different platforms vying for the attention of gamers, development firms shall and always will be primarily content developers working on products that can be delivered to any platform. The choice of which platform to bring their games has many factors, one of which is the potential for the market. One icon of the gaming industry that has spanned different platforms and crossed to different forms of media is buxom game character Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series. But after more than 10 years, questions linger if Lara Croft has still more going on for her. In an interview, Ian Livingstone, president of Tomb Raider series creator Eidos Interactive said they are looking at ways to innovate Lara Croft and continue making her appealing to her old fans as well as new ones. “It can be in a different platform like the iPhone but what’s important is how Lara Croft can continue engaging the player,” Livingstone said.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net SINGAPORE - Nobody gets tired of a good racing game especially if it gives the player total control over the entire car's functionality. At the 2009 Games Convention Asia (GCA) in Singapore there was a deluge of racing sims that undoubtedly tried to outdo each other both in the gameplay and graphics. Two of the racing sims were Turn10's much-anticipated Forza 3 Motorsport for the Xbox 360, which is considered perhaps as the most realistic racing simulator for the console. Forza 3 is being put in the same plane as the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 for the PlayStation 3. The Microsoft Xbox booth at the GCA was huge and featured no less than a dozen Xbox 360 consoles featuring the latest games. The most notable, of course, was the Forza 3 set up that included a racer seat, a wireless steering wheel and three LCD screens. The widescreen TVs are best used for the in-car view, which lets the player see the car's dashboard and virtual steering wheel. In an interview, Turn10 Content Director John Wendl said the new in-car view would give hard-core racing simulation fans the closest they could get to a real driver experience. Aside from the new view, he said the company made Forza 3 even more realistic by adding new tire physics that will make the car go on a roll; the game also has 10 times the number of polygons to make the cars more realistic; players can also paint the cars; and there are new cars in the game such as the Audi R8 (the same one driven in the Iron Man movie). Wendl also noted that the game will be compatible with the new Fanatec ultrarealistic racing wheel, which will compete with Logitech's G25. The Fanatec controller will have 900 degree turning radius, a clutch, and an H-shift. But Turn10 only showed the demo version of Forza at GCA, with only about a dozen cars and three tracks. Nevertheless, the experience of driving the R8 using a steering wheel was something new. Not to be outdone, Electronic Arts doubled up its efforts by showcasing Need for Speed Shift (NFSS) and Need for Speed Nitro (NFSN), two games targeted at different audiences and different consoles. The NFSS is for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows while the NFSN is for the Wii. EA overhauled the gameplay for NFSS and made it more realistic than the arcade racing style that the series is known for. A professional mode is available to make the game more realistic and as such, would require an ultra-realistic steering wheel such as the Logitech G25. Of course, the arcade racing style is still there and would only require a controller, which would not make a player feel any better than if he had a steering wheel. Too bad they didn't' have that in GCA. Still, the graphics for NFSS is equally impressive and the audio - provided there is an available surround-sound system - gives players the closest they could get to be inside a racing car. One nifty addition to NFSS is the blurred vision whenever a driver hits a wall or bumped by another car. This makes the player feel like a nauseous driver after a bad crash. NFSN, on the other hand, goes back to the series' arcade roots. Because it is only available on the Nintendo Wii console and DS handheld NFSN can be enjoyable to younger people. The graphics for this game is cartoony with real-life cars simulated to look like they came out of a drawing. Controlling the cars are nowhere close to the real thing. As it is, NFSN is more of a kiddie game than for the serious gamer. The racing game genre is getting a little crowded these days especially with some of the major game developers getting into the fray. The upcoming Gran Turismo 5 will essentially fuel the competition among racing game developers. The GCA is but one of the places where these companies will try to outpace - if not outrace - each other. Obviously, the racing simulation market will continue to grow and for sure, the realism will increase.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.net SINGAPORE – The Philippines recently signed in as one of the first member-countries of the Games Exchange Alliance (GXA). The country is represented by Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP) President Gabby Dizon. The Philippines will be among the 10 countries that will be part of the GXA, which aims to build a network of gaming companies, publishers, and developers across Asia. The other countries are Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam. GXA is an initiative of Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority. It is also supported by about 36 alliances in the gaming industry. GDAP is composed of at least 10 video game development firms in the Philippines. The partnerships were announced by GXA President Aaron Tan during the opening of the Games Convention Asia in Singapore, which runs from September 17 to 2.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET MAKATI, Philippines –Refreshed after months of hiatus Philippine online game publisher E-Games is going on a launch spree with the introduction of two games in a single week. The first game is a major massively multiplayer online game (MMORPG) entitled Runes of Magic, which combines elements from several genres, including World of Warcraft, Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients, and The SIMS. It was launched last September 9, coinciding the date (090909) with a thematic apocalyptic approach. Runes of Magic is developed by Taiwan-based Runewaker. E-Games Vice Products Vice President Heidi Anne Mendita-Garayblas said they are currently opening for alpha testing alpha testing and will have the open beta test in October, with the game to go commercial before the end of the year. The second game would be launched on September 11 and would be entitled Operation 7, the company’s first shooter game. OP7 is currently on open beta testing. During the press conference of Runes of Magic E-Games President Gil Edeza said the new MMORPG would be targeted at new and existing players from their current MMORP line up as well as from competing titles. He notes the game would have the gameplay elements for serious gamers while also being easy for first-time MMORPG players. During a previous press conference Enrique Gonzalez, president of IPVG (parent firm of e-Games), they are looking to strengthen their content divisions, particularly on online games. E-Games contributed P121 million in revenues to IPVG during the first half of 2009, second only to IPVG’s communications division, which contributed P557 million. Overall, IPVG pegged P762 million in consolidated net revenues for this period. Gonzalez also noted that while their communications business remains to be their biggest revenue contributor, online games would be the fastest growing segment of their business.

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET MANILA, Philippines -- New online game publisher Run Up Interactive Inc. is eyeing a bigger share in the casual gaming market, a sector that is seen to be the more appealing and lucrative compared to more serious games. During the launch of its first game in the Philippines, Luna Online, Run Up Operations Manager Kit Chan said the casual gaming market remains to be one of the bigger growth areas in the Philippines, with most online gamers playing casual games. Chan said they are confident enough company also plans to introduce about two more games in the coming months. Luna Online is developed by Korean firm EYA Interactive. Despite its more children’s cartoon graphics, it plays out like a hack-and-slash type massively multiplayer online game. The main focus, however, is more on community building. Players can form up into a “family” composed of a virtual father, mother, and three children. Families can also join up to form larger groups. There is also a farming mini-game in Lune Online wherein families manage a virtual farm to get more powerful rewards or credits. A dating system is also included in the game wherein players can be hooked up with each other based on region, age, likes and dislikes. There are also three character classes, either humans or elves, with different physical attributes. The characters can also show emoticons, some of which can also make characters do certain actions like dancing.

By Alexander Villafania MANILA, Philippines – After months of regional tournaments, eight teams from different parts of the country will be facing off to get a chance to represent the Philippines in the upcoming Ragnarok World Championships (RWC). The teams that will face off on August 21 for the Ragnarok Philippines Championships (RPC) 2009 are Coerce, Finest, Devour, Reunited, Bitzbox, El Cuerpo and Influenza. The national competitions included online server battles, regional tournaments and voting for a wildcard team from other Ragnarok players. The winner in the RPC 2009 will compete in the RWC on November 1 to be held in Japan. The Philippines first joined the RWC in 2007 though the local competitions, conducted by Ragnarok Online publisher Level Up!, has been running for five years. Team Bozanian Beastfighters placed fourth in last year’s RWC, which was dominated by a team from Thailand.