MMORPG.com are reporting that German game developer, SilentFuture, has revived Earthrise, the futuristic MMO that was canceled last February. We are posting the press release in its entirety as it was sent to us.

Here’s the original post http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/loadNews/26469/Revived-by-SilentFuture

Alpha Statement: The new Earthrise

 

The closed alpha stage ONE of Earthrise officially has started. SilentFuture revamped many of the systems used in Earthrise and focused on fundamental factors such as network and server performance. A new network layer was implemented and the Flash based GUI was replaced with a HTML5 one, that enables the players to customize their HUD and implement own functionality.

 

The sandbox gets an overhaul that the player gets a bigger impact. SilentFuture focusing the RPG factor with third person fast-paced action combat. The gameplay gets more cooperative and shooter like.

 

Earthrise will be completely free to play. For the funding of further development of Earthrise SilentFuture will offer micro transactions, that allows the player to personalize and individualize their character without affecting the gameplay. Further there will be service offers like additional character slots. SilentFuture is completely against a “pay2win” concept.

 

The estimated launch date isn’t fixed, as SilentFuture CEO Daniel Schemann explains:

 

“We work hard to bring you a stable release, and we won’t rush and throw it out. Development takes time and when we getting near a possible release we will inform the community. Until this we have the alpha/beta running mostly 24×7.”

 

The Account registration is online and you are able to register to become eligible for selection as closed alpha/beta tester at http://www.play-earthrise.com/account/register

 

NOTE: Registration does not guarantee entry into the Earthrise closed alpha/beta.

 

About SilentFuture UG

 

SilentFuture UG is specialized in the development of Multiplayer Games with a strong focus on MMORPG design and conception. Founded in 2012 by Daniel Schemann and Katharina Weiß, the firm offers the complete palette of online game development and lifecycle services – from market research through project planning and design to customer support.

Cross-posted from Technically Motivated – Original Link. Techie Jinji and Crimsonshade are the same person.

Malware on Android is nothing new. In fact, stories about this very subject can be found on most major news websites or tech blogs on an irregular basis, perhaps approaching once a month if not more. Usually the malware is easy to identify with the right amount of attentiveness, with the wrong developer names, low quality icons or badly written descriptions on the download page being a dead giveaway; and even if you’re foolish enough to download these, the failure of the app to work; or unexpected behaviour while it’s running should usually grab attention. But what if the Malware looks and acts like the official store where you buy the apps in the first place?

This is the latest threat to Android users, discovered by effective Russian security firm Doctor Web. Known as the “Android.DDoS.1.origin” trojan, infected devices can be used for an array of malicious purposes including spamming text messages; and even DDoS attacks. Once installed, the app creates an icon that is an exact replica of the Google Play Store. Clicking it will still send you to the Store, but also activates the trojan, which runs silently in the background. The trojan will immediately try to connect to its Command and Control (C&C) server and if it does, the server operators are sent the victim’s phone number. From here, the virus can receive texts from its operators, which are intercepted so the phone isn’t aware of their receipt, telling it what to do next. These instructions can include a request to start DDoSing; at which point, the malware will spam a given target with quick bursts of data from the infected phone.

The DDoS attacks present a threat to the infected phone’s user, who will find the data limits on their calling plans quickly used up unwittingly and criminally; and if enough phones attack the same location, it can also be bad for the receiving site, which may fail temporarily due to the sudden surge of traffic. Be careful out there!

Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield.

 

Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum.

 

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities

OK, the first thing I can happily say about The Hobbit, is the 169 minutes run time of the film flies by and doesn’t leave you feeling like you missed anything, even the slow character based sections pull you into what is happening, where The Lord of the rings trilogy sometimes failed…  And yes, that’s 169 minutes cinema run time, Peter Jackson has already commented that the extended version will have 20 to 30 minutes extra…  Woah, that’s one hell of a Marathon watch when we have all six films on BluRay huh?

So, lets get down to the bad points, of which there are thankfully very few…  Yes, it was shot in 48frames per second for some of the shots AND was shot with 3D in mind (I saw it in 2D on purpose) and it showed.  There are many set pieces that where obviously shot for IMAX/3D that don’t work so well in 2D, either due to fuzzy picture or camera fly by is just too quick (and usually both at the same time unfortunately), but luckily I found this only happened a couple of times and didn’t really detract from the picture

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring started with Old Bilbo (Ian Holm) finishing his book and passing it to Frodo (Elijah Wood) to not only read, but add his own story and wonderfully, The Hobbit starts with the beginning of this, Old Bilbo starting the book and explaining to Frodo that he can read it when it’s written and seeing Ian Holm and Elijah Wood reprising their roles was joyous to behold.  The characters gel so wonderfully in this scene.  Of course we also see the destruction of the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor by the dragon Smaug and gives us some important back story for the main dwarf character Thorin (Richard Armitage) aswell and some idea of his personal struggles

but we very quickly move to the past (or is that present for this film?) and meet Bilbo (Martin Freeman) as he is accosted by Gandalf (Ian McKellen) outside the Baggins home…  I found this an incredibly fun meeting, with Bilbo not remembering Gandalf, but remembering his fireworks and Gandalf retailing Bilbo with stories and reminders of heroic and strong willed hobbits he is part of the family line of (including Gandalf making a quip about Bilbo’s mother and how strong willed she was)

We then start to meet the 12 Dwarves of the group.  An incredible line up of actors you would more likely see in BBC television shows and it was fin trying to remember the actors names without checking IMDb on my phone

This is where the story very quickly starts to kick into gear, with Bilbo realising the next morning the group have left and he actually wants to go on the journey and running to catch up with them.  From here there are some wonderful set pieces that really bring us back to thinking of things mentioned in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, like the trolls turning to stone in the dawn sunlight, as Bilbo keeps them busy with thoughts of HOW to cook him, rather than them ACTUALLY cooking him.  How Bilbo and Gandalf came to gain their swords, Sting and FoeHammer and more about the personalities of the main small group of characters

What I really enjoyed was the meeting in Rivendell between the protectors of the world, Gandalf, Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Saruman (Christopher Lee).  This meeting is very potent for the story as it shows they are already aware of the “threat from the north” that is Sauron (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and knowing Saruman is going to betray them, you can see it already happening with his nonchalant response to what has happened to Radagast (Doctor Who actor Sylvester McCoy) and his meeting with the Necromancer (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the ramifications of that encounter…   Radagast is a bit of a surprise though to be honest, not what I was expecting of the character, especially as, although not in the LotR trilogy, Games Workshop worked him into the table top game they did for the first trilogy and from the character artwork and models of him, yeah, Sylvester McCoy‘s version of him, bird poo down one side of his face and crazy demeanor, was different from stoic version the game portrayed, but then again, i guess that’s to be expected

Now, there are a number of encounters in the film obviously, but the main one people will be watching for, is Bilbo’s encounter with Gollum (Andy Serkis) and how Bilbo gained the One Ring…  Considering this whole encounter is enveloped with a desperate struggle above, between the goblins and the companionship of dwarves, the game of riddles is very amusing to watch and we also get to see more of the split personality that Gollum has and that we saw prominently in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Well, I guess you want a score, BUT as this is the first of three parts, I’m not going to put one…  Suffice to say, if you liked the LotR trilogy, you will adore this film and like me, will be eagerly anticipating the second and third parts!  Go see it!

~Lone

The Transformers Universe official site has launched with the news that beta registrations are now being accepted. The first round of beta testing is expected to kick off after the first of the year.

Tim Hodges, Transformers Universe Brand Director commented “We are delighted to be entering the next phase of our launch plans for Transformers Universe and we hope that players enjoy using this new hub for all the latest Transformer Universe news and information. We’re getting closer to unleashing Transformers Universe into browsers so stay tuned for more information and be sure to visit the site and sign up for BETA today”

Register for the beta on the site.

Three membership tiers will be available: free, member and grand master.

The Secret World is abolishing compulsory subscription fees, Funcom has revealed.

Instead of having to pay every month just to play the game, you'll now only need to part with your cash once to buy the title and then select which of the three membership tiers you want: free, member or grand master.

The conversion isn't planned to introduce any restrictions to the game's current content; anyone who opts for the free tier will be able to access every weapon, dungeon and mission included in Issues 1 to 4. The next update, Issue 5, is planned for January and will be provided free of charge to anyone who registers an account before the end of December.

That's not to say subscription options are disappearing entirely, though. Choosing to pay the base amount of $15/€15 a month for a membership will net you an item that doubles XP gains for an hour with a 16 hour cooldown, Bonus Points to the value of $10/€10 every month to spend in the Item Store, a mystery gift on the first patch day of each month and a 10% discount on everything except content packs and other "packs" in the Item Store.

Grand master lifetime members will get all that plus a further 10% discount at the Item Store. Both members and grand masters can use their free monthly Bonus Points to purchase DLC, while anyone who currently still has sub time left will be credited with 1200 bonus points and the XP boosting item.

So what do you think? Will this be enough to revitalise Funcom's struggling MMO, or is another one biting the dust?