Kategorie: PC

How to create Favorite Instagram Filters in Photoshop

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With some time and an eye for washed out aesthetics, however, you can use Photoshop to recreate some Instagram filters. We analyzed six filters and took a stab at replicating them in Photoshop, and the results were surprisingly close to the originals.

If you’ve ever wanted to give your crisp DSLR photos a retro feel, take these steps to mimic some of Instagram’s popular filters. The advantage of doing so in Photoshop is that there is also room for creativity, so you can customize your own filters with just a few clicks.

1. Amaro

1. First, increase the brightness and contrast of your picture. Do this by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.

2. To add a soft yellow light, create a new fill layer over the photo. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Play around until you find a good shade, or you could just enter the shade I used in the hex color code field: #f4eabd.

3. Click OK. While you still have the layer selected, click on the dropdown menu right above it and select „Multiply“ instead of the default of „Normal.“ This will add a soft light over your photo as opposed to an opaque layer.

4. Next, open up the Levels menu. You can do this with Command / Ctrl + L, or you can go toImage > Adjustments > Levels. In the dropdown menu for „Channel,“ select „Blue.“ Increase the Output Levels at the bottom of the menu from 0 to 117 by dragging the left slider towards the center of the spectrum. This will add a blue tint to the photo.

5. From here, I had to make some more minor adjustments by decreasing the Contrast a bit more to give it a faded look.

6. Next, open up Color Balance with Command / Ctrl + B, or Image > Adjustments > Color Balance. Make sure the radio dial below is set to „Midtones.“ Play around until you have a good blend of colors, but I chose to increase my Red, Green and Yellow levels.

7. Finally, save the image as is and reopen it up in Camera Raw to add a vignette frame. You can do this by exiting out of the current window, then going to File > Open. Select the correct file, then select „Camera Raw“ in the „Format“ dropdown menu.

8. Once you have the file open in Camera Raw, select the Effects menu on the right-hand side of the editor. Make sure that „Highlight Priority“ is selected in the „Style“ dropdown menu. Move the „Amount“ slider left to make a black vignette around the edges of the photo. Once you’re satisfied with the vignette, move the „Highlights“ slider to the right so that the vignette will not affect the highlights as much. Click „Save Image“ once you’re done.

2. Nashville

1. To mimic the soft purple tint of the Nashville filter, open up the Levels menu with Command / Ctrl + L or Image > Adjustments > Levels. Select „Blue“ in the dropdown menu for „Channel.“ Increase the Output Levels at the bottom of the menu from 0 to 58 by dragging the left slider toward the center of the spectrum.

2. To soften the blue tint a bit, add a new layer of light yellow by going to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. The hex color #f6ddad adds a peachy tone to contrast the blue.

3. Next, increase by Brightness and decrease the Contrast by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.

4. Change the Color Balance with Command / Ctrl + B, or Image > Adjustments > Color Balance. Increase the Cyan, Green and Blue levels.

5. If the color is still not quite right, change the hue with Command / Ctrl + U, or Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. I moved the Hue slider just a bit to the right to emphasize the blue a bit more.

6. From here, I went back and adjusted the Color Balance a bit more by moving all sliders just a bit to the right for the final result.

3. Sierra

1. To replicate the faded look of Sierra, adjust the Curves of the photo with Command / Ctrl + M, or Image > Adjustments > Curves. Move the left point of the curve directly up the y-axis.

2. Adjust the levels with Command / Ctrl + L, or Image > Adjustments > Levels. Select „Red“ in the „Channel“ dropdown menu and increase the Output Levels to 21 by moving the left slider toward the center.

3. Increase the Contrast by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.

4. Adjust the channels by going to Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer. Select „Green“ in the „Output Channel“ dropdown menu and move the Green slider to the right, giving the photo less of a green tint.

5. Save the image as is and reopen it in Camera Raw to add a vignette frame. You can do this by exiting out of the current window, then going to File > Open. Select the correct file, then select „Camera Raw“ in the „Format“ dropdown menu.

6. Once you have the file open in Camera Raw, select the Effects menu on the right-hand side of the editor. Make sure that „Highlight Priority“ is selected in the „Style“ dropdown menu. Move the „Amount“ slider left to make a black vignette around the edges of the photo. Click „Save Image“ to save the final result.

4. 1977

1. Adjust the Red Output Levels of your photo to replicate 1977’s warm tone. Do this with Command / Ctrl + L or Image > Adjustments > Levels. Select „Red“ in the „Channel“ dropdown menu, and then increase the Output Level by moving the left slider at the bottom of the menu toward the center of the spectrum.

2. To counter with Blue for a purple tone, select „Blue“ in the „Channel“ dropdown menu and move the left slider just a little bit toward the center.

3. Increase the Brightness and Contrast of your photo by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.

4. Fine-tune the colors of your photo with Command / Ctrl + B or by going to Image > Adjustments > Color Balance. Make sure the radio button is set on „Midtones“ at the bottom of the menu. Increase the Red, Green and Blue levels.

5. Finally, adjust the overall Levels of your photo with Command / Ctrl + L or by going to Image > Adjustments > Levels. Keep the „Channel“ dropdown menu selected at „RGB“ and move the middle slider slightly to the right. This will emphasize the shadows of your photo even more.

5. Brannan

1. Brannan adds a gritty, dramatic look to your photo, and to replicate this, you need to increase the Contrast of your photo. Do this by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. I pushed my Contrast slider all the way to 100, but adjust your photo as you see fit.

2. To add to the dramatic effect, adjust your levels with Command / Ctrl + L or by going to Image > Adjustments > Levels. Move the middle slider slightly to the right. This will darken the shadows of your photo.

3. To add a warm yellow tint, add a new fill layer. Do this by going to Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Choose a light, warm beige color, or just use the hex color code I used: #eddd9e. Click OK.

4. While you still have the fill color layer selected, select „Multiply“ in the dropdown menu right above it and decrease the Opacity from 100% to 59%.

5. Adjust the Curves of your photo to add a faded effect. Do this with Command / Ctrl + M or by going to Image > Adjustments > Curves. Move the left point along the y-axis so the output is close to 45.

6. Save the image as is and reopen it in Camera Raw to add a vignette frame. You can do this by exiting out of the current window, then going to File > Open. Select the correct file, then select „Camera Raw“ in the „Format“ dropdown menu.

7. Once you have the file open in Camera Raw, select the Effects menu on the right-hand side of the editor. Make sure that „Highlight Priority“ is selected in the „Style“ dropdown menu. Move the „Amount“ slider left to make a black vignette around the edges of the photo. Click „Save Image“ to save the final result.

8. If you still need to adjust your photo, reopen it up as a JPEG in Photoshop. To further emphasize the faded look of Brannan, go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation to decrease the Saturation slightly by moving the Saturation slider to the left.

9. Finally, you can increase the Brightness and Contrast of the photo by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast for a final touch.

6. Hudson

1. To replicate Hudson’s blue-toned filter, adjust the Levels of your photo by increasing the Blue Output Levels. Do this with Command / Ctrl + L or by going to Image > Adjustments > Levels. Select „Blue“ in the „Channel“ dropdown menu. Increase the Output Levels by moving the bottom left slider toward the center of the spectrum. Move the left slider of the Input Levels slightly toward the center as well.

2. Increase the Brightness and Contrast of the photo by going to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast.

3. Adjust the colors with Command / Ctrl + B or by going to Image > Adjustments > Color Balance. Move the sliders to increase the Green and Blue outputs.

4. Save the image as is and reopen it in Camera Raw to add a vignette frame. You can do this by exiting out of the current window, then going to File > Open. Select the correct file, then select „Camera Raw“ in the „Format“ dropdown menu.

5. Once you have the file open in Camera Raw, select the Effects menu on the right-hand side of the editor. Make sure that „Highlight Priority“ is selected in the „Style“ dropdown menu. Move the „Amount“ slider left to make a black vignette around the edges of the photo. Click „Save Image“ to save the final result.

Official Source: http://mashable.com/2013/10/20/photoshop-instagram-filters/

20/10/2013
Bound By Flame three new screenshots and Trailer revealed

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The bestiary in Bound by Flame has some amazing, impressive and unique creatures that have been created and brought to life by the talented Spiders teams, and the images released today provide a glimpse of what’s in store: here we see the game hero and his companions confronting formidable enemies like the Bone Golem, the general of the armies of the Living Dead and the terrifying Lich.

Bound by Flame uses the combat system designed for Mars War Logs, the previous Spiders RPG where the highly dynamic and tactical approach to the combat proved a real hit with players, but goes further and offers players even greater variety and tactical depth in battles. This has been made possible by the richness and originality of the game bestiary, where every creature has attacks, special skills and, in particular, behavior that is unique to them, forcing the player to adapt his tactics and combat style depending on the composition of the groups of enemies he encounters.

This, combined with the wide range of attacks available to the player, the use of magic and some impressive combat animations (seen recently in the first video teaser), make the battles in Bound by Flame both tactically complex and spectacular.

Official Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kGYT4O6jiPY

http://boundbyflame.com/

19/10/2013
Batman: Arkham Origins Wii U and PC disc version delayed in Europe

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Bad news we have here, it seems that the European owners of a Wii U or the PC users who wanted to get the new Batman: Arkham Origins on disc will have to wait until November 8 to get their hands on it. This is what Warner Bros has revealed on a recent interview by Eurogamer. The 3DS version of Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate will also be delayed to this date.

Here’s the Eurogamer post about it:

Warner Bros. has told Eurogamer that Batman: Arkham Origins‘ Wii U and physical PC versions will arrive in Europe on 8th November, a fortnight later than the game’s launch on other platforms.

Strangely, the same isn’t true elsewhere. In North America, the game’s worldwide release date – next Friday, 25th October – applies across every version.

It’s unclear what the difference is in Europe.

PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions will still arrive next week in the UK, Warner Bros. reassured. So too will the PlayStation Vita version of Arkham Origins: Blackgate, a spin-off developed by the ex-Metroid Prime devs at Armature Studios.

But the 3DS version of Blackgate is also going to arrive late in the UK – again, on 8th November.

Finally, it’s worthwhile noting that there’ll be another difference between the US and UK’s Wii U editions of Arkham Origins – the price. North America will get a discounted RRP due the Wii U version’s lack of multiplayer mode. No plans have been announced for a similar discount in the UK – in fact at many retailers, the Wii U version is the most expensive.

Official Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-10-18-batman-arkham-origins-pc-wii-u-versions-will-launch-two-weeks-late-in-europe

19/10/2013
Dark Matter now on Steam and GOG

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Developed by InterWave Studios and published by Iceberg Interactive this horror survival side-scroller named Dark Matter has arrived on Steam and GOG, and is available for Linux, Mac and PC for just $15 excluding the 10% off launch offer (You get the three versions at once).

For all of you than didn’t know the game, it is a tactical 2.5D adventure set in an abandoned spaceship full of alien enemies where you have to go trough 14 levels using you 4 weapons and the different ammo types for it.

The Endeavour was a deep space exploration vessel, tasked with exploring an anomaly at the edge of our galaxy. A year into its mission, after a confusing burst of static about ‘light’ and ‘angels’, the Endeavour was never heard from again. Now, almost seventy years after that final transmission, you emerge from cryosleep to find the Endeavour a dying wreck, wedged in the ring of alien machinery that orbits the anomaly.

Dark Matter is a 2.5D side-scrolling survival horror game, set in a derelict spaceship besieged by a sinister alien presence, and infested with deadly parasites. As the Ensign, you must explore fetid hallways and abandoned facilities, scavenging for parts and blueprints, expanding your arsenal to up to four deadly weapons and freely customize each to fit your combat style against intelligent, reactive enemies. Dark Matter delivers a hard-hitting take on the survival horror genre in deep space, with a heavy emphasis on tactical combat and exploration.

Official Source: http://www.gog.com/game/dark_matter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbPirB-DGRk&feature=player_embedded

http://store.steampowered.com/app/251410

19/10/2013
Ubisoft was worried that GTA V, Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty would hurt Watch Dogs

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According to Wedbush Securities‘ analyst Michael Pachter, the delay to Watch Dogs from November 2013 to Q2 in 2014 is likely to have been influenced by the crowded release schedule and the huge success of Grand Theft Auto V:

„We believe that management was also concerned about the strong competition for wallet share Watch Dogs faced at the holidays from Grand Theft Auto V, Battlefield 4, and a new Call of Duty, among others,“ wrote Pachter in a note released yesterday.

He added: „Grand Theft Auto V is only adding to industry uncertainty, as while it is bringing many previously-disconnected gamers back to the market, it also has achieved record-breaking sales that have tapped a certain percentage of gamer holiday spending months ahead of time.“

Whatever the reason, he believes Ubisoft made the correct decision:

„Given next-gen uncertainty and this very strong slate of competitors, we believe the two aforementioned delays were the right decision,“ he wrote.

He added: „By releasing Watch Dogs in Q1:15, Ubisoft has given its developers the opportunity to fully maximize the game’s sales potential in FY:15 and build a lasting franchise that the company could use to offset any future weakness for its established key franchises (displayed most recently by the disappointing Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist).

„We are somewhat concerned about competition in Ubisoft’s Q1, however, with games like EA’s Titanfall, Activision’s Destiny and Microsoft’s Halo 5 all targeting the same launch window. We don’t think it is important that Watch Dogs (or any of the other three games) launches in Q1, and we expect all of the game publishers to behave rationally when setting release dates to avoid competition wherever possible.“

Official Source: http://www.videogamer.com/xboxone/watch_dogs/news/ubi_worried_gta_5_battlefield_4_and_call_of_duty_would_hurt_watch_dogs_says_pachter.html

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=698743

17/10/2013
The Elder Scrolls Online: Character Creation video released

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Do you like Elder Scrolls saga? Then you may like to be part of the beta testing of the new game, Elder Scrolls Online. You can do it just singing up in the link below (Mac, PC, PS4 or Xbox One). While waiting for the beta to arrive, you can watch this new trailer that shows you how to create and customize you own character.

Creating your character is an important part of The Elder Scrolls Online, and we want to provide you with the tools you need to create the hero you want to play. Discover some of the customization options you’ll have in this video, and find out more about ESO at elderscrollsonline.com.

Official Source: http://elderscrollsonline.com/en-uk/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Qr4KnUSGOtI

17/10/2013
Windows 8.1 now available to download

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In case you didn’t know, Microsoft starts rolling out Windows 8.1 today.

The OS update should start appearing in the Windows Store as a free download for all existing Win 8 users. Those using Windows 7 or previous versions, will have pay the same price Microsoft was already charging for Windows 8: $120 for the standard version, and $200 for Windows 8.1 Pro.

The new features? Here they are:

Start the way you want. The Start screen in Windows 8.1 is more customizable than ever with new tile sizes, new background designs and colors – allowing you to make the Start screen on your device unique and personal to you (you should see some of the color combinations I’ve come up with for my Start screen!). You can also choose how you start your Windows experience – at the Start screen or the desktop. The Start button is back. And there is an improved Apps view that allows you to see all your apps the way you want.

Multi-tasking is even better in Windows 8.1 – you can now have up to four apps side by side with flexible windows sizing for each app on the screen. At a minimum, I usually have 3 apps snapped side by side on my devices doing various things like email, listening to music and browsing the web. We have also improved multi-monitor support in Windows 8.1 allowing users to view their desktop or apps from the Windows Store on any or all their monitors.

Bing Smart Search is the easiest way to find what you are looking for and to get things done. Built for touch, swipe or type from the Start screen and Smart Search will find what you need – whether it’s a document on your PC, a photo album in the cloud, your favorite app, or a website.

Windows 8.1 comes with new and improved Microsoft apps and services– available right out of the box and right from your Start screen. Skype is there for instant messaging and catching up with friends and family. We’ve updated the Mail app (well, more like over-hauled) to make email easier – for both personal and email and work email. Two new Bing apps are introduced in Windows 8.1 called Food & Drink and Health & Fitness along with updates to the News, Weather, Finance, Travel and Sports apps. Xbox Music has received a big update for Windows 8.1, and you can watch TV and movies with Xbox Video. And Windows 8.1 comes with Internet Explorer 11which is optimized for touch and brings speed boosts and synchronized browsing history, favorites, and settings across all of your Windows 8.1 devices.

SkyDrive

Speaking of synchronizing – Windows 8.1 also comes with deep and improved cloud integration with SkyDrive. Your files are always accessible across all your devices. With SkyDrive smart files, you can create, edit, save and share files anywhere, anytime and your files are always with you, both on and offline.

Windows Store

And the Windows Store has been redesigned in Windows 8.1. With the “New & Rising” section it is now easier to stay on top of the hottest and newest apps to hit the Windows Store. Plus, the Windows Store has a live tile too! The Windows Store will also now provide you with personalized recommendations – powered by Bing. And apps are now updated from the Windows Store automatically by default so you will always have the best and newest versions of your apps. Look for new and updated apps including Adobe Photoshop Express, Box, Evernote, Facebook, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and NOOK, for Windows 8.1. And more to come!

Official Source: http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/17/4847578/windows-8-1-now-available-to-download

http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2013/10/17/windows-8-1-now-available.aspx

17/10/2013
Batman: Arkham Origins TV Spot revealed

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For all of you Batman fans, here is a cool TV spot to celebrate the imminent launch of the new episode of the Batman Arkham franchise. It is about Bruce Wayne/Batman being beaten since he was a child and then counter attacking.

This emotional piece depicts the transformation from Bruce Wayne’s dark childhood to his position as the feared crime-fighting hero.

Developed by WB Games Montréal, Batman: Arkham Origins is based on DC Comics‘ core Batman license and features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.

And remember, the game is already on mobile platforms (iOS, Android) but is going to release on October 25 for for PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 alongside Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate on 3DS and Vita.

Official Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6J4j6fMwIxw

17/10/2013
DIE SIEDLER® ONLINE HALLOWEEN-PARTY ANGEKÜNDIGT

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Exklusive Ressourcen und unheilverkündende Bauwerke halten zu Halloween Einzug

Ubisoft^®und Blue Byte^® bereiten sich auf ein besonders schauerliches Halloween-Event für Die Siedler^® Online vor. Ab dem 15. Oktober werden sich die Spieler an einer großen Auswahl neuer Spielinhalte, exklusiver Gebäude und neuer Buffs erfreuen können. Neben den bekannten Herausforderungen können sich erfahrene Spieler dieses Jahr außerdem einem brandneuen und epischen Bosskampf stellen.

Eine neue serverweite Herausforderung

Die Insel jedes Spielers wird von einem riesigen Golem angegriffen. Die Herausforderung besteht darin, die Kreatur zu besiegen und in die Flucht zu schlagen. Anstatt den Golem mit Militäreinheiten anzugreifen, müssen Spieler Verstärkungszauber (Buffs) produzieren und gegen ihn einsetzen.

Durch den einmaligen Sieg über den Golem tragen die Spieler zum gemeinsamen Server-Erfolg bei, der dann erreicht ist, wenn die Hälfte der aktiven Spieler von Die Siedler^® Online an dem Kampf gegen das Unheil teilgenommen hat. Jeder einzelne Spieler muss den Golem stürzen, um höhere Belohnungen für seinen Server zu erhalten. Der Golem kehrt nach jeder Niederlage erneut mit frischen und gesteigerten Kräften zurück, jeder erneute Triumph über ihn wird mit immer höheren Belohnungen versüßt.

Die Jagd nach Halloweenkürbissen

Eine exklusive Quest-Reihe mit etlichen Sub-Quests wird Spielern die unterschiedlichen Möglichkeiten zeigen, Kürbisse zu finden. Diese können gegen besondere Halloween-Objekte eingetauscht werden wie beispielsweise Dekorationsartikel, Buffs und Gebäude. Dieses Jahr wird ein „Verbessertes Lager“ zum Tausch bereit stehen, welches den Spielern ermöglicht, mehr Ressourcen unterzubringen.

Spieler können kostenlos in die Welt von Die Siedler^® Online eintauchen unter www.diesiedleronline.de

Officical Source: Ubisoft Press Release

15/10/2013
Resident Evil 7 in production since 2012

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Resident Evil 7 has been in production since at least November 2012, according to an ex-costume designer for motion capture and animation studio „House of Moves“.

On her LinkedIn page, ‚Karen Brakenridge‘ stated that she worked as „Costume Designer for the video game Resident Evil 7“ from November 2012 until January 2013.

Well, that part has already been removed, which could mean that Capcom wasn’t too happy with the early reveal.

Since RE6, Capcom has only released Resident Evil Revelations HD, a visually upgraded version of the 3DS title. However, it is yet to officially announce a full sequel.

Official Source: http://gematsu.com/2013/10/resident-evil-7-spotted-on-costume-designer-resume

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/433483/resident-evil-7-development-underway-since-2012-claims-costume-designer/

14/10/2013
ROCKSMITH 2014 EDITION: NEUER TRAILER PRÄSENTIERT DEN SESSION-MODUS

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Ubisoft^® veröffentlichte einen neuen Trailer zu Rocksmith^® 2014 Edition, in dem der brandneue Session-Modus vorgestellt wird.

Im Session-Modus leitet der Spieler eine virtuelle Band, die sich dynamisch an sein Spielverhalten anpasst. Hierbei stehen ihm 70 verschiedene Instrumente zur Verfügung, um die eigene Band zusammenzustellen. Der Session-Modus ist ein etwas anspruchsvolleres Feature, an das aber auch unerfahrene Spieler im Verlauf unterschiedlicher Übungen herangeführt werden. Experten können direkt einsteigen und das gesamte Spektrum des Gitarrenhalses nutzen.

Zusätzlich wird der Session-Modus im Mehrspieler unterstützt, sodass zwei Spieler Seite an Seite spielen und ihr eigenes Band-Erlebnis kreieren können.

Rocksmith^® 2014 erscheint am 24. Oktober für die PS3™, Xbox 360^®sowie für Windows PC und MAC.

Weitere Informationen zu Rocksmith 2014 Edition™ finden Sie unter:

http://rocksmith.ubi.com/rocksmith

Official Source: Ubisoft AT Press Release

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzqAjtWf2k8&feature=youtu.be

11/10/2013
Far Cry 4 is in the works

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In a recent interview that Cliff Martinez did with Lost in the Multiplex, he casually revealed that he is working on the next Far Cry 4

According to VG247:

According to Martinez he is working on “a video game called Far Cry 4,” along with a new TV series from Steven Soderbergh.

Ubisoft has yet to announce the game as being in the works, officially, but considering the success of the last outing, Far Cry 3, it’s not much of a stretch.

Official Source + Full Interview: http://www.lostinthemultiplex.com/extras/features/item/4252-the-soundtrek-interview-cliff-martinez.html

http://www.vg247.com/2013/10/08/far-cry-4-in-the-works-according-to-composer-cliff-martinez-report/

09/10/2013
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z coming to PC (Steam)

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Alongside the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.

Tecmo Koei has announced that Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z -the cel-shaded Ninja Gaiden spin-off from Team Ninja, Spark Unlimited and Comcept- will be released on Windows PC via Steam in addition to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The game follows ‚Yaiba‘, a ninja brought back to life with cyber technology and seeking revenge against Ninja Gaiden series protagonist Ryu…

“Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is an impressive project led by the expertise of Team Nnija’s Yosuke Hayashi and Comcept’s Keiji Inafune, with the goal of creating a thrilling new experience for fans,” said Amos Ip, SVP and General Manager of Tecmo Koei America.

“We are extremely pleased to offer Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z on PC through Steam, giving us the ability to reach as many gamers as possible with their action-packed creation.”

The game is scheduled to be released in early 2014.

Official Source: http://gematsu.com/2013/10/yaiba-ninja-gaiden-z-coming-to-pc-via-steam

08/10/2013
Sony confirms DS4 will work with Windows PCs at launch

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Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed via Twitter that the PS4’s gamepad will be compatible with Windows for „basic functions.“

In response to inquiries about said functionality, he specifically pointed out that „the buttons and joysticks will work just fine“…

However, there’s no word on whether the drivers will allow PC games to automatically see it as a DualShock 4; as you may know, the DualShock 3 lacks XInput, and Yoshida didn’t elaborate as to whether the DS4 supported it, stating that we should “wait for field report after the launch.”

There you have it.

The PS4 launches on November 15 in North America and on November 29 in Europe.

Official Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/05/sony-dualshock-4-windows-compatibility-Shuhei-Yoshida/

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/05/dualshock-4-will-work-with-windows-for-basic-functions/

07/10/2013
SimCity Offline Mode being explored

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Maxis is finally „exploring“ an offline mode for SimCity, nearly seven months after the online-only simulation game launched to widespread server congestion and connectivity problems.

However, according to the company, larger cities won’t be coming to the game at any point.

Here’s the lengthy post at Maxis‘ official blog:

It’s been seven months since we released SimCity and I wanted to take stock of where we are, respond to some questions and talk about the future.

We’re Listening

First, I want you to know that we are listening to your feedback. We dig deep into the forums, Facebook posts, and Twitter feeds every day to see what players are talking about. There is a lot of feedback and there is a clear passion for SimCity. That’s great to see. And while we appreciate positive feedback, we take very seriously the players who have criticisms. Players have high expectations of what goes into our games and we have an obligation to deliver.

We continuously review this feedback alongside in-game telemetry to help us decide where to focus our game tuning and development efforts. We’ve formed dedicated teams to explore specific features. Some player requests, such as a tool to raise and lower roads, were straightforward challenges. Some of the larger asks, such as bigger city maps and an offline mode, have required more thought and exploratory work.

Seven Months, Seven Major Updates

We’ve released seven major updates in the last seven months, which have evolved the gameplay experience and the core of our simulation. GlassBox powered our first agent based simulation and this system created depth and complexity like we’ve never had before. This opened up a whole new world of tuning and we’ve spent our time making sure that all players, whatever track they take their cities through, are getting a challenging experience. I encourage you to watch Dan’s great talk from GDC 2013 to give you an idea of just how complex SimCity’s system really is.

Traffic was always meant to be a challenge; in fact, many of our team considered traffic to be a strategy game all on its own. But, in reality, traffic was behaving irrationally. We got the player feedback and fixed it. Cars are smarter, buses are more intelligent in their routing, and the new raise/lower tool brought new ways to route traffic throughout the city. Tuning is the life blood of the simulation and we continue to monitor and make enhancements to the way GlassBox responds to our players. Stability and performance increases are also a constant area of focus for us; servers are stable and performance continues to improve on lower spec machines.

We’ve also heard feedback on our strategy and pricing for DLC. My commitment on DLC for SimCity is that we do not force players to purchase game elements that are essentially helping to tune the simulation or fix specific issues. And for that optional content, we always want players to feel like it’s valuable. Along with paid DLC, we’ve also been providing free content. The first two million players received the Launch Park, we recently released new hotels and houses of worship, and we’re planning to release additional free content soon – more region maps, more free buildings and more.

User Generated Content (UGC) Discussions Underway

Maxis has a long tradition of supporting User Generated Content (UGC) and the UGC community. We have begun a discussion with our players with the ultimate goal of giving you space to mod while assuring all our players that the multiplayer gameplay experience is safe and has integrity. It’s difficult to determine what makes a “good” or safe mod and what mods cross the line. Clarifying guidelines for UGC will help players understand where that line is. We want to have an open discussion with our community about what you want out of SimCity and hear your thoughts about UGC guidelines. To join the discussion go here.

Exploration for Offline Mode is Happening

Right now we have a team specifically focused on exploring the possibility of an offline mode. I can’t make any promises on when we will have more information, but we know this is something that many of our players have been asking for. While the server connectivity issues are behind us, we would like to give our players the ability to play even if they choose not to connect. An offline mode would have the additional benefit of providing room to the modding community to experiment without interfering or breaking the multiplayer experience.

Bigger Cities

City sizes have been a constant point of conversation among our players since we released the game. The game’s original design focused on the density of an intimate urban environment. It was about intercity connectivity and the challenge of managing a region of cities instead of one metropolis in isolation. However, we recognize that many players have expressed the desire to build up one big city rather than manage the interrelationship of multiple smaller cities.

We’ve put months of investigation into making larger city sizes, reworking the terrain maps, changing the routing algorithms of our agent-based system and altering the way that GlassBox processes the data in a larger space.

After months of testing, I confirm that we will not be providing bigger city sizes. The system performance challenges we encountered would mean that the vast majority of our players wouldn’t be able to load, much less play with bigger cities. We’ve tried a number of different approaches to bring performance into an acceptable range, but we just couldn’t achieve it within the confines of the engine. We’ve chosen to cease work on bigger city sizes and put that effort into continuing to evolve the core game and explore an offline mode. Some of the experiments we conducted to improve performance on bigger cities will be rolled into future updates to improve overall game performance.

Cities of Tomorrow

Two weeks ago we announced SimCity Cities of Tomorrow expansion pack. You can read more about that here, but what I want to make clear is that we have a separate team working on Cities of Tomorrow. It does not divert attention away from enhancing the core game and finding a way to bring our game offline.

Thank You

Our launch wasn’t what anyone on the team hoped for. We think about this every single day, but we’re proud of how far we’ve come over the past few months.

Like you, I’m a SimCity fan and a passionate gamer. That passion for the original SimCity was one of the influences that led me to study Government in college and to work on Capitol Hill. But my love of gaming drove me from Washington DC to California to join Will Wright’s studio 17 years ago. SimCity is in my blood and if there’s one thing I know about Maxis is that it attracts a certain kind of game maker, those who love simulations and take personal joy in bringing these worlds to life. We’re all passionate about SimCity and we want to make it better.

So that’s the state of SimCity right now and we feel that it’s improving every day. Agree or disagree, tweet me at @EAGamer and let’s get the conversation going.

Official Source: http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/state-of-simcity

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/4/4802548/simcity-may-finally-add-offline-mode-says-maxis

06/10/2013
Valve reveals prototype ‚Steam Machines‘ specs
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Well, today the company has announced the hardware specs to be included within these „boxes“, running the Linux-based SteamOS:
- GPU: some units with Nvidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760 and some GTX660
- CPU: some boxes with Intel Core i7-4770, some Core i5-4570 and some Core i3
- RAM: 16 GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3 GB DDR5 (GPU)
- Storage: 1 TB / 8 GB hybrid SSHD
- Power supply: internal 450 W 80 Plus Gold
- Dimensions: approx. 12 inches x 12.4 inches x 2.9 inches high
* For some context on those dimensions: the Xbox Slim is 10.6 x 10.39 x 2.95 inches. The PS3 Slim is 11.4 x 11.4 x 2.55 inches. This Steam Machine is, within a few inches, comparable to both of those consoles.

No word yet on pricing, but they’ll probably be expensive. However, there will be a variety of options:

Fun with pricing: To get some idea of how much these babies will cost, we’ve put together some sample PCs using PCPartPicker. These are just rough estimates, of course, and they don’t account for costs of the controller and whatever other mark-ups are in place here. We don’t know what kind of motherboards the Steam Machines will use, so we picked appropriate options for each processor. We used 1TB 5400RPM drives here, though it’s possible that some (or all) of the highest-end Steam Machines will use 7200RPM drives. These are also mid-sized (cheap) cases—the Steam Machines will be smaller and prettier.

The highest end possibility here, with a Titan and an i7 CPU, clocks in at around $1,850.

One mid-range option, with a GTX-780 and an i5 CPU, would run you close to $1,350.

The lowest-end (of these high-end machines), using a GTX660 and an i3 CPU, could go for something like $880.

These beta prototypes will be free, of course.

Valve wants to be clear, here: this is going to be pricey. Not everyone will be able to afford one of the highest-end Steam Machines. Not to worry—there will be other options.

Steam Machines – Prototype Details

Hello from the Steam hardware bunker.

Thanks for joining the Steam Universe community group. As we get closer to shipping the prototype Steam Machines and controllers we talked about last week, we’re going to be posting info here about what we’re up to, and give you some insight into the work we’ve done to get to this point.

As we talked about last week, the Steam Machines available for sale next year will be made by a variety of companies. Some of those companies will be capable of meeting the demands of lots of Steam users very quickly, some will be more specialized and lower volume. The hardware specs of each of those machines will differ, in many cases substantially, from our prototype.

Valve didn’t set out to create our own prototype hardware just for the sake of going it alone – we wanted to accomplish some specific design goals that in the past others weren’t yet tackling. One of them was to combine high-end power with a living-room-friendly form factor. Another was to help us test living-room scenarios on a box that’s as open as possible.

So for our own first prototype Steam Machine ( the one we’re shipping to 300 Steam users ), we’ve chosen to build something special. The prototype machine is a high-end, high-performance box, built out of off-the-shelf PC parts. It is also fully upgradable, allowing any user to swap out the GPU, hard drive, CPU, even the motherboard if you really want to. Apart from the custom enclosure, anyone can go and build exactly the same machine by shopping for components and assembling it themselves. And we expect that at least a few people will do just that. (We’ll also share the source CAD files for our enclosure, in case people want to replicate it as well.)

And to be clear, this design is not meant to serve the needs of all of the tens of millions of Steam users. It may, however, be the kind of machine that a significant percentage of Steam users would actually want to purchase – those who want plenty of performance in a high-end living room package. Many others would opt for machines that have been more carefully designed to cost less, or to be tiny, or super quiet, and there will be Steam Machines that fit those descriptions.

Here are the specifications for Valve’s 300 prototypes.

(SEE ABOVE)

As a hardware platform, the Steam ecosystem will change over time, so any upgrades will be at each user’s discretion. In the future we’ll talk about how Steam will help customers understand the differences between machines, hardware strengths and weaknesses, and upgrade decisions.

We aren’t quite ready to post a picture of our prototype – just because they’re not finished enough. Before they ship we’ll let you know what the prototype looks like. And we expect people to redesign the machine, too. Both from a technical perspective, deciding on different components, and from an industrial design perspective, changing the enclosure in interesting ways.

So high-powered SteamOS living room machines are nice, and fun to play with, and will make many Steam customers happy. But there are a lot of other Steam customers who already have perfectly great gaming hardware at home in the form of a powerful PC. The prototype we’re talking about here is not meant to replace that. Many of those users would like to have a way to bridge the gap into the living room without giving up their existing hardware and without spending lots of money. We think that’s a great goal, and we’re working on ways to use our in-home streaming technology to accomplish it – we’ll talk more about that in the future.

Stay tuned for some closer looks at the Steam Controller.

Official Source: http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/4/4803446/valve-steam-machine-prototype-hardware-specs

http://kotaku.com/valves-first-steam-machine-prototype-is-crazy-powerful-1441267520?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Twitter&utm_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow
05/10/2013
ASSASSIN’S CREED® HERITAGE COLLECTION FÜR EUROPA ANGEKÜNDIGT

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Ubisoft^® kündigte die Assassin’s Creed^® Heritage Collection exklusiv für Europa an. Die hochwertige Edition beinhaltet die fünf vorangegangenen Assassin’s Creed^®-Spiele und ist ab dem 7. November zu einem empfohlenen Verkaufspreis von 49,95€ im Handel erhältlich.

Die Assassin’s Creed^® Heritage Collection erscheint für Xbox 360^®, PlayStation^®3, sowie Windows PC und beinhaltet:

Assassin’s Creed^®: Der Spieler zückt die Klingen als der syrische Assasine Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad während des Dritten Kreuzzugs.

Assassin’s Creed^® II (Game Of The Year Edition): Der Spieler führt seine Bruderschaft als Ezio Audtiore während der italienischen Renaissance an. In der Edition eingeschlossen ist ebenfalls die Schlacht um Forli und das Fegefeuer der Eitelkeiten als Download-Zusatzinhalte.

Assassin’s Creed^® Brotherhood: Der Spieler gründet seine eigene Bruderschaft in Rom, die dabei hilft, die Borgia-Familie zu stürzen.

Assassin’s Creed^® Revelations: Der Spieler folgt den Spuren des legendären Altaïr in Konstantinopel.

Assassin’s Creed^® III: Der Spieler fordert die Vorherrschaft der Templer während der Amerikanischen Revolution als Connor heraus.

04/10/2013
Apollon, the Futuristic Tablet That Transforms Into a Desktop PC

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We have seen the future of tablets, and it’s the Apollon. Soon, tablets may replace the desktop PC by being able to expand at the push of a button. During normal use, it’s no larger than your standard tablet, and in desktop form, you get a 15-inch, 16:9 ratio, display. The device can switch between both Windows OS and Android.

03/10/2013
Nnooo announces Blast ‚Em Bunnies

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Defend your burrow from a horde of evil bunnies before they take you down!

Pick them off using your carrot rifle, pelt their furry hides with your watermelon pip machine gun or wreak havoc with your runner bean rail gun. Want to destroy as many of their colony as possible? Your turnip mortar will do maximum splash damage.

These crafty cottontails come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them can even fly, so you’ll need every weapon in your armoury to deal with this barbarous band of bitter bunnies. How they became evil, where they came from and who taught them to fly remains a mystery. But there’s no time to ponder these rabbit riddles, just grab your favourite weapon and…Blast ‚Em Bunnies!

Finding it difficult to picture the mayhem? Then check out this video.

„Blast ‚Em Bunnies is a pick-up-and-play endless shooter…with bunnies,“ said Nic Watt, Creative Director of Nnooo. „You have to keep your bunny alive as long as you can. The longer you play, the more difficult survival becomes. But it’s not just your own bunny’s mortality you’re concerned with. You also need to deal with the throat slitter who is holding your baby bunnies hostage. He’ll pop up every now and again with one of your little ‚uns. Kill him quickly and the baby bunny escapes. If you’re not quick enough…well, I really don’t want to talk about it.“

Collect in-game coins to upgrade your weapons and purchase special ammo types such as heat seeking chilli seeds, sticky exploding raspberries and bouncing pumpkin bombs. Shoot crates to activate power-ups and ammo types. Take out the elusive golden bunny to collect a warren-load of cash.

„This game has a very different art style from any other game we’ve made,“ said Watt. „We wanted to give it a cartoon feel that would make great use of the power of PlayStation 4. We’re bringing Blast ‚Em Bunnies out initially on PS4, PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS,“ said Watt.

„We’ll consider other platforms depending on how much evil bunny blood is spilled.“

That’s not all! Nnooo are also pleased to announce that Blast ‘Em Bunnies will be unveiled at this weekend’s EB Expo at Sydney’s Olympic Park, where fans will have the opportunity to get hands on with their latest game for the very first time. Blast ‘Em Bunnies will be playable on PS4 at the PlayStation booth and at Nnooo’s own booth in the Homegrown Gaming area.

Also available to play at Nnooo’s booth will be the 3 Sprockets developed Cubemen 2 for Wii U and ORBITOR by Evil Aliens, two upcoming titles Nnooo will be publishing.

More details on Blast ‚Em Bunnies, including the trailer and screenshots, are available on the Blast ‚Em Bunnies website.

Blast ‚Em Bunnies is expected to be released as a downloadable title on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand in 2014. Price to be announced.

Nnooo acknowledges the support of Screen NSW in the development of Blast ‚Em Bunnies.

Official Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PIMBXp80ppQ

03/10/2013
Battlefield 4 beta bug list released

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Yesterday the open beta for Battlefield 4 was released and, as expected, the game has some bugs. DICE has used the official forum to make a list of known issues so they can fix them all before the game gets released.

The full list below:

PC

– We have received reports of Freezes and Crashes affecting the BF4 Beta client. Our team is currently investigating this matter and we will update you here as soon as we know more.
– If you are affected by a Freeze or a Crash upon joining a game, and the error message “BF4 Beta has stopped working” appears, please make sure your Windows is fully updated and your Graphic card is running on its latest driver. Alternatively, some players using GeForce drivers were able to fix this by downgrading their driver to an earlier version.
– We received report of unusually low performances, and are currently looking into that as well.
– Please note that the Battlefield 4 Beta does not support Win32 and 32 Bit operating systems.
– Video settings may not be saved after rebooting the game.
– The tooltip “E” to enter the Venom is visible at a 400 meter distance.

Xbox 360

– Player stats in Battledash may not match the stats displayed on Battlelog.
– You may experience an 8 seconds non-interactive pause, when leaving a Multiplayer session or after pressing Start when booting the game.
– You may be floating if you jump on the bollards.
– Cruise Missiles may not destroy any vehicle dropped by Vehicle Drop.
– The requirements for unlock criteria may not be displayed.
– Two flag icons may appear overlapping on each other at each flag point.
– The first attachment of any weapon that is not unlocked, will be the only attachment shown for the first unlocked weapon.

PlayStation 3

– When you choose to quit during the EOR, you may be able to see “underworld” for 1 second.
– The camera transition before the EOR screen is under water.
– If you destroy an enemy tank near the Flag A, it may trigger the map’s Mini-Levolution event.
– If you quit from the XMB™ menu after the “Press Start” screen, you may experience a forced shutdown.
– The background screen for the losing team during EOR, is placed “under the game world” for Domination and Obliteration game modes.
– The Hit Indicator is not present when shooting at enemies.
– The EOD Bot can’t arm or disarm MCOMs on Rush mode.
– If you disconnect and reconnect your Ethernet cable while playing, the Game may remain in an endless loading loop.
– You may not be able to perform a knife takedown on an enemy using the TAW Launcher.
– If you sign out from PSN while loading into a MultiPlayer server, you may experience an infinite loading screen.
– In the Soldier Progression menu, you may be able to see upcoming vehicle unlocks that will not be available in the Beta.
– You may be able to see several Medals, Ribbons, and Dog Tags in the “My Soldier” menu.

PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

– If you’re disconnected from the EA Servers, the Main Menu tiles remains fixed in the front end.

Official Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-10-02-dice-releases-battlefield-4-beta-bug-list

02/10/2013
First early footage of Mighty No 9

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GRAPHICS ENGINE!

The team has settled on the engine that will power Mighty No. 9, and it isunreal…no, we mean literally, it’s the Unreal Engine from Epic!

For those of you who might not know, this is the engine that built its reputation pushing the cutting-edge graphics in AAA blockbusters like Mass Effect, Bioshock Infinite, Infinity Blade and of course Gears of War — no slouches in the looks department, any of them, right?

Of course, just choosing an engine doesn’t mean our game will look like any of those — and in fact, it won’t, because we will have our own, unique graphical style we are going for with Mighty No. 9 — but it does mean our developers will have access to tools that can push the fidelity, lighting, and overall look of Mighty No. 9 to among the best gaming has to offer!

It also means our team can spend less time worrying about technical mumbo-jumbo, and more time focused on things that really matter to a game like this — like the feel of the controls, the style of a character’s animation, the atmosphere of a level, the balance of Beck’s transformations — the important stuff!

In fact, check out this super-short, super-rough engine test Inti Creates made in just seven days to see if Unreal would be viable for Mighty No. 9. Let’s be 100% clear (caps lock on!): THE GAME WILL NOT NECESSARILY LOOK LIKE THIS VIDEO, MOVE LIKE THIS VIDEO, OR ACT LIKE THIS VIDEO — THIS IS A COMPLETELY ROUGH TEST ONLY, MADE IN LITERALLY ONE WEEK, USING ALL PLACEHOLDER ASSETS AND ANIMATION just to test how parts of the engine work. With no shaders, filters, or even models and key art in place yet, normally we would never show anything like this since it’s not representative of the final game at all, but in the spirit of this Kickstarter in showing how the game is made, even from the very earliest steps, we thought it would still be pretty cool to see a glimpse of Beck moving around in the engine (even if it is a placeholder Beck, moving through a placeholder level with placeholder enemies and animations!).

From: http://MightyNo9.com ! A super-short, super-rough engine test Inti Creates made in just seven days to see if Unreal would be viable for Mighty No. 9. To be 100% clear (caps lock on!): THE GAME WILL NOT NECESSARILY LOOK LIKE THIS VIDEO, MOVE LIKE THIS VIDEO, OR ACT LIKE THIS VIDEO — THIS IS A COMPLETELY ROUGH TEST ONLY, MADE IN LITERALLY ONE WEEK, USING ALL PLACEHOLDER ASSETS AND ANIMATION just to test how parts of the engine work. With no shaders, filters, or even models and key art in place yet, normally we would never show anything like this since it’s not representative of the final game at all, but in the spirit of this Kickstarter in showing how the game is made, even from the very earliest steps, we thought it would still be pretty cool to see a glimpse of Beck moving around in the engine (even if it is a placeholder Beck, moving through a placeholder level with placeholder enemies and animations!).

Official Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UXDiQrgI6M&feature=player_embedded#t=0

01/10/2013
Battlefield 4 beta now available to download

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Starts today!

Attention soldiers! If you are a Premium member of Battlefield 3, have pre-ordered Deluxe Edition of Battlefield 4 or got the Deluxe Edition of Medal of Honor Warfighter, you can NOW download the Exclusive beta for Battlefield 4 just in advance of its start tomorrow.

Origin @OriginInsider

Pre-load is now available for everyone in the Exclusive #bf4beta.

Download now to be among the first to fight on Oct 1.

As for the rest of you, the open beta will begin on October 4th.

Official Source: https://twitter.com/intent/user?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vg247.com%2F2013%2F09%2F30%2Fbattlefield-4-beta-available-to-pre-load-now-starts-october-1%2F&screen_name=OriginInsider&tw_i=384535591167070208&tw_p=tweetembed

http://www.battlefield.com/battlefield-4/faq/beta

30/09/2013