September 10, 2024

Shroud of the Avatar NewsPlayer EventsStars Reach NewsPC Game NewsPC Game Releases

Sep 10

Written By Avatars Radio News Desk

**TOP STORY: Star Trek Online Hosts Starfleet Museum Event**

Written by Alleine Dragonfyre | Reported by Asclepius

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STARS REACH NEWS

Raph Koster, CEO of Playable Worlds and lead designer of the MMORPG Stars Reach, recently shared insights into the game's camera and movement systems. Development has focused on creating smooth, immersive movement, with early prototypes blending RPG mechanics and action gameplay. One key feature is the free reticle system, allowing players to interact with objects while moving.

The team tested this across varied landscapes to refine camera and movement controls. Koster highlighted the addition of a grappling hook, which was initially a tool but was made a default ability because of how fun it was during testing. The grappling hook lets players quickly traverse environments, and it became such a hit with the team that it was included for all players by default. Alongside this, a jetpack-based movement system was developed after months of testing. Stars Reach will offer both free and fixed reticle modes to cater to different gameplay preferences, ensuring a dynamic experience for players.

NEWS IN NOVIA

We regret to report that Chris Spears’ beloved canine family member, Mojito, passed away overnight last week. Chris had this to say on his personal Facebook profile, “Our amazing puppy and Maxine's best friend since birth passed away suddenly last night. No words to express the sadness right now. We miss you so much Mojito. Maxine couldn't have asked for a kinder, more caring puppy dog.” Mojito was also part of the extended Shroud of the Avatar community, with the likeness of Mojito represented in-game as a pet; many feel the loss of Mojito. The staff at Avatars Radio understand the devastation that the loss of a furry family member can bring, and we send our deepest condolences to the Spears family.

Haven Ridge will host a fishing event from September 1st to 30th NBT. Players can compete in four categories: largest combined lava and freshwater fish, largest lava fish, largest freshwater fish, and smallest combined fish. Prizes include Crowns of the Obsidian, gold, trophies, and a Shroud of the Avatar game box set. Fish can be submitted via in-game mail to Lebu Lionheart or the turn-in chest near the main dock. Lava pools are near Kosh Summers Estates or Kiara's Fishing Dungeon.

A new fishing contest is underway, featuring 300 sharptooth catfish trophies crafted by Flair Minamoto. The contest runs until September 26, 2024, and fish will be added to the loot table throughout the contest. Players must loot and turn in trophies for a chance to win. Prizes go to the largest and smallest fish lengths, plus special bounties for specific sizes and dates. Submit trophies via mail or drop-off at Wolves Den. Everyone gets a participation trophy.

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MULTIVERSE NEWS

TOP STORY: Star Trek Online celebrates Star Trek Day, marking the debut of the original series in 1966. From September 5th to 20th, players can explore a virtual Starfleet Museum above Deep Space Nine, featuring iconic ships from the franchise. By visiting these ships, players unlock the title "Historical Documents Expert." A Red Alert event offers in-game rewards from September 12th to 19th. Fans can also watch Star Trek series and movies for free on platforms like Paramount+, Amazon, and YouTube from September 7th to 13th, including episodes of "Strange New Worlds" and classic Trek adventures like Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

SAG-AFTRA has secured interim agreements with around 80 video game projects, ensuring protections for performers’ rights, particularly against AI misuse. This ongoing strike, starting in July, addresses concerns over the use of AI to replicate voice and motion capture artists without consent or compensation. Prominent signers include Studio Wildcard, Little Bat Games, and Tencent’s Lightspeed LA. However, large studios like Activision and EA remain in negotiations after nearly two months of protests. These agreements allow developers to continue production while supporting fair working conditions. SAG-AFTRA aims to protect performers’ digital rights and maintain ethical standards in the evolving use of AI in gaming.

EVE Online has launched Phase Four of Project Discovery, a citizen science project where players help analyze real-world data for cancer research. Since 2020, players have contributed to COVID-19 research using flow cytometry, and now, over 900,000 participants are analyzing blood samples to study immune system diseases, including cancer. Gamers help improve AI models by playing a minigame, advancing medical research faster. This phase introduces new tools for better accuracy and rewards players with in-game items. Creative Director Bergur Finnbogason emphasizes the community’s impact in supporting scientists and encourages more gamers to join the fight against cancer through this initiative. Previous phases have tackled protein mapping and exoplanet discovery.

The Game UI Database recently faced significant downtime after being overwhelmed by a single IP address from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Edd Coates, the database creator, noticed severe lag and worked with server expert Jay Peet to block the offending IP and restore the site. OpenAI’s bots were repeatedly accessing the site, causing disruptions. Coates criticized OpenAI for scraping websites to train its models without transparency or permission. He highlighted this practice's financial and ethical concerns, emphasizing the harm caused to creators and free resources like his database, calling it "essentially a DDOS attack." The Game UI Database is a free online repository of over 55,000 screenshots showcasing user interfaces from nearly 1,400 video game titles.

Roblox CEO David Baszucki announced a goal to reach one billion daily users and handle 10% of global gaming revenue at the Roblox Developers Conference. With 79.5 million active users daily, Baszucki believes partnerships with Google, Sony, and others will help meet the target. Roblox also introduced new features, like revenue sharing for premium games, an affiliate program, and a party tool with voice chat. Additionally, Roblox will expand into music with new charts and collaborations. These changes come amid ongoing scrutiny, including concerns about child exploitation and efforts to balance growth with safety and global inclusivity.