Titanfall Message Board older than one year ago

Indie developers Scary Mostro 'n Section Studios launched their Kickstarter campaign for t' The Death today. The game combines beat-em-up 'n arcade shooter elements together, as players control one a two warriors that be dashing towards one another, hacking away at everything in their path. As t' The Death's story goes, the warriors killed each other 'n be now stuck in The Crawl, a purgatory-like world between life 'n death.

The two studios be led by developers with a deep history in the industry, with t' The Death's game design 'n engineering coming from Scary Mostro's Todd Alderman 'n Francesco Gigliotti. Both Alderman 'n Gigliotti be credited as lead designer 'n engineer respectively at Infinity Ward on the Call a Duty series, 'n later worked on Titanfall for Respawn Entertainment. Likewise, t' The Death's art direction comes from Section Studios Creative Director Cecil Kim, visual development lead for God a War 3.

t' The Death be in development for PC, Mac 'n Linux with early access tentatively planned for August. Scary Mostro 'n Section Studios be seeking $400,000 by February 19 t' fund it be development.

We've got another slew a great deals today, including a pre-order a Game a Thrones Season 3 for $40. As always on Amazon, ye won't be charged until the bottle a rum ships, won't pay tax depending on yer state, 'n pillage pre-order price protection. We've got lots a games, PC parts, 'n more for ye today, so pillage reading. [Amazon]Read more...

Remember that sweet-looking custom Titanfall gamepad Owen told ye about yesterday? ye can lock yours up on Amazon right now for 65 bucks. [Amazon]Read more...

Will Mad Catz accessories give ye the edge in Titanfall? We take a look at five new peripherals.

Titanfall on PC will not support mods or offer any map editor tools t' players at launch. Respawn Entertainment co-founder Vince Zampella confirmed as much on Twitter, though he did say that the studio "will have t' evaluate after launch."

Former Infinity Ward heads Jason West 'n Vince Zampella be dismissed by Activision in early 2010, spurring a lengthy legal battle between the duo 'n publisher. The two would quickly go on t' form Respawn Entertainment, partner up with EA 'n begin work on Titanfall.

Titanfall launches on March 11, 2014, exclusively for the Xbox 360, Xbox One 'n PC. While Titanfall will remain exclusive t' these platforms throughout the lifetime a the game, Respawn has said it plans t' develop games for PS4 down the line.

"Not at launch for sure, will have t' evaluate after launch." Vince Zampella a Respawn Entertainment, responding t' a tweet about whether Titanfall's PC version would have any modding support.Read more...

They’re just showing off now, right? Roll on March 2014.(more…)

We knew that Microsoft be aggressively promoting it be cloud-gaming services for the Xbox One. We knew that meant that games like Titanfall will benefit from everything from more on-screen computer-controlled characters 'n stabler connections because a it. Now comes news that those dedicated servers will be free t' all developers.Read more...

I’m going t' start off with Titanfall by giving ye an insight into, I admit, me unimpressive journalistic methods. Being old-school I attend events with a notepad rather than an iPad, 'n while playing I dash down a few notes by hand – weapons, levels, how it feels, those kinds a things. Afterwards these disconnected scrawls jolt the memory as I’m writing, 'n a preview appears. Right now I be looking at the page a me notepad reserved for Titanfall, 'n it’s only got three words on it. “Just *crag*ing amazing.”

Let me explain why that be.

(more…)

Titanfall has taken the gaming world by storm. Every time I've gotten me hands on Respawn Entertainment's latest game I experience something new. it be a game that be fresh, yet familiar t' fans a Call a Duty who might be yearning for more out a their first-person shooters. it be not easy breathing new life into a genre that hasn't had much innovation in the twilight a this console generation. Titanfall certainly has it be work cut out for it.Read more...

At least not right now. Developer Respawn Entertainment warns that any sites offering a Titanfall beta be despicable shams 'n players best hop in a mech 'n run far, far away from them.

"t' help keep our fans safe from scammers, please note that all sites advertising Beta access be 100 percent scams," Respawn tweets.

We understand the insatiable desire t' play Titanfall as soon 'n as often as possible: We got our hands on it at Gamescom 'n had a blast playing around with it be team-based combat, mechs, guns 'n jet packs. Just cool those jets, for now.

From AAA shooters t' indie samurai battles, this be what t' put on yer radar.

This be Co-Opinion, where two Joystiq editors play a game 'n discuss their experience. This edition focuses on a Gamescom 2013 hands-on session a Titanfall, from developer Respawn Entertainment. Richard Mitchell: So, Alexander 'n I got t' play the PC version a Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall at Gamescom. Let's pillage one thing out a the way right now: We both had an absolute blast. Personally, I be already very interested in the game, 'n I be keen t' see if it be blend a infantry mobility 'n large scale mech combat would really work.

But ye, Alexander, went into it without many expectations, right? Alexander Sliwinski: I had no clue what t' expect. I'd obviously followed the news 'n background details on Titanfall, but I knew nothing about the feel a the game going into it. I knew it be a shooter 'n I knew it had mechs. However, I be not expecting the level a locomotion given t' the Pilots 'n the diversity a experiences available in a match.

Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall won six awards at E3, besting all competition in every category it be nominated for in the E3 2013 Critics Awards. Titanfall be the first game t' win six awards in the history a the E3 Critics Awards, snatching Best in Show, Best Original Game, Best Console Game, Best PC Game, Best Action Game 'n Best Online Multiplayer.

Tearaway won Best Handheld/Mobile Game, while Supergiant Games' Transistor be honored with the Best Downloadable Game award. Need for Speed: Rivals drove off with Best Racing Game, NHL 14 snagged Best Sports Game 'n Best Social/Casual Game went t' Fantasia. The rest a the awards can be seen in the full list past the break.

Respawn engineer Jon Shiring has posted a lengthy article explaining how Titanfall will benefit from using Microsoft's Xbox Live Cloud servers, contrasting the experiences found using player-hosted online games - featured in many console games today - versus expensive dedicated servers. Speaking with both Microsoft 'n Sony t' find an inexpensive way Respawn could have "potentially hundreds-a-thousands a dedicated servers," it be Microsoft that offered a solution with it be Azure cloud system. "The Xbox group came back t' us with a way for us t' run all a these Titanfall dedicated servers 'n that lets us push games with more server CPU 'n higher bandwidth, which lets us have a bigger world, more physics, lots a AI, 'n potentially a lot more than that," he wrote.

"With the Xbox Live Cloud, we don't have t' worry about estimating how many servers we'll need on launch day. We don't have t' find ISPs all over the globe 'n rent servers from each one. We don't have t' maintain the servers or copy new builds t' every server," explained Shiring. "That lets us focus on things that make our game more fun. 'n best yet, Microsoft has datacenters all over the world, so everyone playing our game best have a consistent, low latency connection t' their local datacenter."

Recent changes t' Xbox One's digital rights management plans aside, the company be going ahead with a $700 million expansion a it be Iowa data center, which will be used t' support Xbox Live 'n other services. t' read all the technical 'n business reasons Respawn be going with Microsoft's Azure system, head on over t' the company site.

As amorphous, mercurial 'n intangible as it be atmospheric namesake, the Xbox One's Cloud be a feature that be hard t' appreciate without a strong example. Luckily, Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment has one — dedicated servers. In an article on Respawn's website, Cloud technology engineer Jon Shiring lays it out plain, echoing the sentiments expressed by company head Vince Zampella during E3 2013. Player-hosted servers, especially for a fast-paced shooter, suck. They suck a lot. Host disconnects, host migration, cheating, bandwidth cap issues — he's got like nine bullet points explaining how horrible it be t' assign a player in a match hosting duties. Dedicated servers, on the other hand, be wonderful. Instead a putting the burden a match hosting on a player, dedicated servers be machines in a hidden magical bunker that only exist t' make the people playing happy. No one's system gets overtaxed. When one person disconnects the match goes on ('n we can all rate that player poorly). On the downside, they cost a lot a money t' run. That be, unless ye're Microsoft 'n made a magic. Microsoft has a cloud service called Azure (it’s a real thing – ye can go on their website right now 'n pay for servers 'n use them t' run whatever ye want). Microsoft realized that they could use that technology t' solve our problem. So they built this powerful system t' let us create all sorts a tasks that they will run for us, 'n it can scale up 'n down automatically as players come 'n go. We can upload new programs for them t' run 'n they handle the deployment for us. 'n they’ll host our game servers for other platforms, too! Titanfall uses the Xbox Live Cloud t' run dedicated servers for PC, Xbox One, 'n Xbox 360. Aha! So the Xbox One Cloud be simply a system for running dedicated servers! But it’s not just for dedicated servers – Microsoft thought about our problem in a bigger way. Developers aren’t going t' just want dedicated servers – they’ll have all kinds a features that need a server t' do some kind a work t' make games better. Look at Forza 5, which studies yer driving style in order t' create custom AI that behaves like ye do. That’s totally different from what Titanfall uses it for, 'n it’s really cool! So it’s not accurate t' say that the Xbox Live Cloud be simply a system for running dedicated servers – it can do a lot more than that. 'n now we be right back where we started, but at least we have an anchor point. If all the Xbox One Cloud meant be dedicated servers, I'd be fine with that. The rest be just glitter 'n sprinkles. Thanks for the clarification, Respawn! Let’s talk about the Xbox Live Cloud [Respawn Entertainment]

Beyond the wall a Titanfall's development lies - well, a bunch a mechs wreaking havoc on each other. it be pretty much the same as the scene on this side a Titanfall development, but the people over there have the power t' make the mechs look like giant purple dinosaurs if they wanted.

I came t' E3 this year in search a good news about the Xbox One. By week’s end, I found a few men able t' tell me some. I’d heard the bad things about the Xbox One—the inability t' lend games discs t' mateys, the requirement for the console t' check in online every 24 hours in order t' play even a single-player game. I’d heard some a this with me own ears. I’d read some a the other unsettling things nearly on the eve a E3 in a series a policy documents by Microsoft that seemed incapable a balancing the Xbox One’s unprecedented new negatives with whatever new positives the machine be going t' bring. On the night a June 10, at a massive E3 conference in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, the head a PlayStation business in America, Jack Tretton, smiled as he delivered a series a announcements about things the PS4 wouldn’t do, things that mapped neatly against things the Xbox One supposedly would do. PS4 wouldn’t check in every 24 hours. It wouldn’t AVAST! ye from lending a game. Tretton received a rousing 'n emotional ovation from the thousands a industry professionals at the PS4 event. A day later, Tretton more or less dropped the mic. Forget the Xbox One, the consensus be. More like: Sony won. But only an hour after Tretton made his announcement, back when the PS4 buzz be strongest, I be entering a Microsoft event five miles away. There I found people who be making games for the Xbox One, people who don’t seem irate about the machine but, rather, seem excited about it. In the days t' come, I’d meet more 'n eventually sit down with Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s head a Xbox game development t' pillage his admittedly biased take. I wanted t' hear the positives, because I could not accept the madness that there might be none. Kotaku: Let's start with something I imagine ye lads think be a positive 'n yet I don't think it be understood by many people as a positive or why it be a positive 'n that be: This be going t' be a console that—for the first time ever among consoles—ye're going t' have t' make an online connection within 24 hours when ye're playing a single-player game. Essentially it be checking in on ye... Phil Spencer, Microsoft Studios: Which would not be one a the positives, right? When ye think about the ecosystem, I would not try t' sell or position t' a gamer that the connection requirements, ['n] t' some extent the bandwidth requirement—though the bandwidth requirement for licensing be something in Kilobytes—the advantages... Kotaku: Would ye not argue that that be one a the big boons? [Spencer laughs. I take that as a "no."] At the Xbox event on the night a the 10th, I run into Ted Price, whose studio Insomniac Games had been PlayStation-only since the late 20th century, until about a year ago. He sits in front a a looping pre-rendered trailer for an Xbox One exclusive called Sunset Overdrive, a—his words—“highly-agile open-world shooter.” Price wants the game t' be updated online regularly, maybe even daily, though he doesn’t want t' commit t' that. He wants the game world t' change. He wants t' offer players new weapons 'n challenges, t' take in player feedback 'n adapt. He wants this even for the undated game’s single-player. He seems t' like the idea a a game that would be checking in online a lot. “When it comes t' our game,” he tells me, “being online be an aspect a playing a game that be constantly updated.” Call the Xbox One anti-consumer if ye will, but it strikes me that Insomniac be about as consumer-friendly as a game development studio gets. They’re constantly reaching out t' the community 'n have done so for years. Maybe they got a sweet deal from Microsoft t' be an Xbox One exclusive, but these gaming nice-lads...they had t' be seeing what others be seeing, 'n yet they weren’t fleeing from Xbox One. Rather, they seemed quite comfortable t' be on Xbox One. I suggest t' Price that his studio might push back t' Microsoft against the 24-hour check-in requirement. “I think they’re getting plenty a feedback from players right now,” Price says. Insomniac could add pressure, I offer. “There’s a lot a opinion out there right now on all these consoles,” he says. “We’re focused on making the games. For us that’s what we do best. Building a world like this 'n building new IP be something that gets us energized.” Spencer: When ye think about the media that ye have available in yer life today, whether it be books, music, video or, frankly, games on any other device, the physical licenses don't exist anymore. What ye're doing now be ye're buying this content which be associated with yer account 'n the device that ye're on. That content moves with ye. it be non-perishable... ye lose the disc, the disc scratches, frankly ye don't care about the disc anymore. The content's associated with ye, yer library roams wherever ye go, ye have access t' it on any machine ye log into, yer family has access t' the full library a content that be available t' ye. We also understand that this be going through a transition for consoles. A lot a other media have already gone through this transition, 'n the advantages for other ecosystems be out there 'n people have voted. There be iTunes songs sold. People do go buy those. But when we go through the transition with games, there's a physical world that be out there today. We want t' make sure we support that...A disc be a good way for ye t' bring a lot a data into yer house 'n install it on yer hard drive. So we want t' support that. Another feature be the secondary market. We wanted t' pillage out there ['n say] we be supporting the secondary market. ye can re-sell yer disc, 'n there's work t' make that happen. it be an important part a the ecosystem today. yer licenses be associated with ye 'n yer account 'n ye're able t' roam that wherever ye go on any Xbox One. ye know what content be available t' ye. As ye look forward 'n ye look at digital ecosystems—we can talk about World a Tanks... World a Tanks be a digital licensed product, as well; it takes advantage a the cloud in interesting ways in gameplay. The game be natively online. But also I can have an account at work—don't tell anybody I play at work—I can go home, I be playing World a Tanks on both machines. I be kind a always up t' date. In our system ye actually would always be up t' date, because the box be actually making sure that ye've got the latest versions a the bits, so when ye sit down 'n click play it be not, let me wait for the new patch... 'n ye can turn that off... the content ye have be always available t' ye 'n up t' date. Kotaku: ye're anticipating that console gamers will be more mobile creatures than they be before? That they'll always be roaming from house t' house 'n box t' box 'n that constant access t' content will feel more relevant? Spencer: I think there be two pivots t' it. One be moving from box t' box, multiple machines in a house. 'n if ye think about a box—I know t' some people out there they like t' make fun a us when we talk about television—but if ye think about a box that be going t' bring unique capabilities t' television viewing, ye can actually imagine a house that has multiple Xbox Ones, over time, connected t' yer TVs. Similarly, when ye go from TV t' TV, ye assume ye can always watch AMC, when ye move around t' different machines in yer home—I be not saying this be tomorrow or even on launch date—we designed the system thinking about long-term. Who knew that Nathan Vella would be at an Xbox showcase last week? He runs Capybara Games, one a the most heralded indie studios out there. The narrative right now be that indies flock t' PlayStation. Vella, who tells me he's cool with all the platforms, be sitting at the Microsoft event, drink in hand, with a trailer a his team's 2014 Xbox One game, Below, on a loop. A little man with a sword 'n a shield battles through massive, beautiful worlds. "We started working on this game [before] Demon’s Souls happened," he tells me. "That game kind a vetted a lot a our beliefs that people be looking for brutal but fair shit." Vella's game be one a the only ones shown for Xbox One that day that doesn't have a gun. It looks like an art project 'n/or a successor t' Capy's gloriously oblique Superbrothers: Sword 'n Sworcery. "Sworcery be about walking; Below be about exploring," he says. "'n while ye’re exploring, ye're surviving, because it’s a difficult game. It’s not a game that’s going t' hold yer hand. It’s not a game that’s going t' tell ye anything. It’s textless. It’s essentially tutorial-less, 'n ye visit Davey Jone's locker a hell a a lot. When ye start exploring, yer goal be t' find everything 'n while ye’re trying t' find, ye’re really just trying t' survive, 'n if ye manage t' survive, there’s an opportunity for ye t' discover a whole lot." He mentions that there will be a "real persistence" t' Below's world, but that "we be being mighty coy about that." His team would be "using the whole suite—'n then some a the whole Xbox One online features." it be a single 'n multiplayer game. This all sounds so nice. He doesn't sound like he be allied with the bad lads. That 24-hour thing not bugging ye? I asked. The trading in thing? "I think for us it’s all about the game," Vella says. "We’re working in a space where we want t' hit a very wide audience 'n Microsoft proved that they could do that with Xbox 360 t' a vast market. Being on a downloadable service alongside Minecraft, that matters a lot. For me a lot a it be about helping t' provide alternate avenues on a platform for gamers t' experience different things." He adds that he liked the competing platforms, too. I can't help but wonder about how a studio as creative as his would take advantage a a console that had t' keep checking in online. Maybe, if creators knew that be a default feature, they'd all do something good with it? [Spencer 'n I discuss the Xbox One's new family sharing option, which lets 10 crew a a "family" share access t' games. This seems t' be the best thing a all the uncustomary new parameters that have been established for this new Xbox. In a family group, the head a household can always play any game; 'n one other member a the family, no matter where they be, can play too.] Kotaku: Can we be in the same family? Spencer: Yeah. Kotaku: What would be the limitation on that? Spencer: [After encouraging me t' check Microsoft's published document on this] I do think that sharing in a family group be an important part a the positives in our ecosystem today...ye don't have t' send in yer birth certificate. ye define what a family unit be 'n the people who connect t' ye 'n how that library works. Kotaku: The 24-hour thing be required in order t' enable this? ye weren't jumping on the opportunity t' argue that the 24-hour thing be a nice thing or a positive thing... Spencer: I just said it be not one a the selling features a the box. t' know that yer licenses be always up t' date, t' know what content be associated with yer account, if ye're going t' support gifting, if ye're going t' support the re-sale a content—because remember, when ye go back 'n sell a disc now, the license be actually associated with yer account, so if ye think through the mechanism, the license has t' pillage disassociated with yer account, it has t' pillage associated with somebody else's account, requires that we actually be able t' check what licenses be available t' ye 'n those be available t' ye wherever ye go. Kotaku: be that something ye could turn off or change if people be in some extreme circumstance where ye know they wouldn't be able t'... the military base be the thing that gets brought up all the time. Spencer: It does. it be a good question for people who be in, I'll call it, a completely disconnected state. Look, ye can imagine, we be trying t' launch a console 'n there be a lot a moving pieces t' it. We want t' be unambiguous t' what our policy be. we be going t' put it up in black-'n-white terms on the website, Xbox Wire. Here's what we be doing. we be taking feedback 'n we be absolutely listening t' what's out there there. But I don't want people t' take that statement t' think that our policy isn't our policy. If ye're in a situation—I'll go t' an extreme—where ye can't connect t' the Internet, ye can't tether t' yer phone, ye have no Internet connection, the Xbox One isn't going t' be the box ye want t' buy. Because the box, it be similar... I be not making fun a anybody else's product, but if ye think about an iPad, if ye could never connect t' the App Store, it becomes less functional, right? So what we be saying be this be a box that be a natively connected box. The features 'n, frankly, the content that be created be expecting an Internet connection. that be where the creators be taking this. One a the buzz games a the show, possibly the Game a E3, be Titanfall, a multiplayer shooter made by a team that previously cooked up Modern Warfare. it be coming t' PC, Xbox 360 'n, most importantly, Xbox One. The development team be called Respawn Entertainment 'n be led by the top people from the Call a Duty studio Infinity Ward. Vince Zampella be the boss there, 'n when I run into the sea dog at his publisher EA's booth in the midst a E3, the negatives a any console be far from his mind. He's showing a hot game that runs on Microsoft's new box. Titanfall be a multiplayer-centric shooter, but not quite the Call a Duty type. Zampella's crew be showing off a seven-on-seven match, but the action be amplified both with the agile mech-like Titans that players can command in the map 'n with hordes a computer-controlled grunt soldiers. These grunts, Zampella explains t' me, be meant t' behave like the AI (artificial intelligence) a the kind a enemies ye'd see in the single-player campaign a a big shooter. Respawn isn't making a single-player campaign for Titanfall. "That’s a 7 on 7 game but it felt vast because there’s AI in there that brings the world t' life," Zampella says, referring t' the Titanfall bout I'd just seen. The AI for the grunts be designed t' run off a Microsoft's cloud servers, a service that the Xbox One maker be offering t' all game creators on the new console. The cloud service isn't the same as the 24-hour check. That check be lightweight 'n once a day, at most. Cloud computing can be constant. A game that uses it might have t' maintain a connection, most likely. Titanfall's use a it wouldn't be a hassle. After all, the game be multiplayer; it needs t' be online just for that, alone. With Zampella there, I sense I can pillage some answers on whether this cloud stuff be really just hype. I mention I'd seen plenty a games that don't use the cloud rendering tons a characters on screen, though maybe not in multiplayer. "It’s better t' do it on the cloud," Zampella said. "It’s more secure. It’s a better experience. It also lets us focus on the experience we’re giving t' ye, the rendering experience, all that power. The more we can offload the better, because then we can do more locally on yer box." In other words, if they calculate the grunt AI remotely, the Xbox One can spend more processing on graphics. it be not just that. The cloud servers, Zampalla said, be "dedicated servers so there’s no host advantage. The game spins up fast." No host system has t' be bogged down with that grunt AI. "When that’s handled on the cloud, now it’s the same experience, it’s not lagging for ye. If I’m the host, 'n I’m calculating AI on me box or if we’re both calculating AI on our boxes 'n we have different things..." That wouldn't be good. The cloud helps. t' Titanfall's busy multiplayer design, perhaps it be essential. Kotaku: It becomes a problem for ye lads, if I could buy a PS4 in the hinterlands with no Internet 'n potentially play some a the same multiplatform games that be released on Xbox One—'n there I be able t' play them without an Internet connection. Spencer: I think the advantage be that designers understand that this be a natively-connected box, 'n things like World a Tanks [being] exclusive on our box be [a sign that] creators understanding the opportunities when ye have a connected device. Vince bringing his game, because he understands the game that he be bringing: I be bringing an online multiplayer game 'n I can fully support cloud, dedicated server, the capability a a connected device. Kotaku: If ye lads have been thinking about this 'n really believe in the online connection, it seems like a misstep t' me t' not be able t' say, ‘we'll be supporting lending on day one.’ It feels like there's some shooting yourself in the foot. Spencer: I'll take that feedback. Kotaku: ye want t' do the lending, it sounds like... Spencer: We do. But we be also trying t' launch 'n we understand feature sets. We've got partners 'n publishers [we] want t' talk t' about how lending be going t' work. We don't dictate pricing t' our partners on our platform. We want t' give them capabilities t' support content 'n business models that they want t' support with their content. It sounds like Sony be trying t' do the same thing. How do we support what our partners want t' do? We want t' have the conversations with them 'n land on a plan. We understand lending 'n the benefits a lending, so, funny videos aside, we pillage it. We want t' make sure we land on the right solution that fits a digital ecosystem moving forward. If ye think about lending in digital ecosystems, it be not something a lot a other people have supported. we be going t' commit... gifting, we said we be going t' support that, secondary market we be going t' support that even though the license be digital 'n it be not as trivial as just handing a disc t' someone else. Lending, we want t' do it, we want t' work with our partners t' make it possible. Kotaku: ye understand, obviously, that because these things exist on discs, it be why it seems so odd that—ye're not launching until November—since I would think I can lend ye this notebook 'n discs, surely I could do the same, but ye lads be saying that ye won't have the lending solution. Spencer: We don't have a lending solution today. Kotaku: ye might have one? Spencer: We don't have a path... I don't want t' make a commitment t' somebody without a plan a record on how that lands. I could over-promise, under-deliver on the features. I don't want t' do that. I want t' make sure. I understand how gifting be going t' work. I understand how the secondary market be going t' work. Kotaku: As ye know, some media outlets can be sensational or extreme—or so I've heard. [This be a self-aware joke, 'n we both chuckle.] A Eurogamer headline, if I remember correctly, said: Microsoft kills game ownership 'n expects us t' smile. Spencer: Yeah. Kotaku: Do ye feel like ye're killing game ownership? How would ye put it? What be ye doing? Spencer: I do not think we be killing game ownership. I think, if I look at other media that I interact with, I think I have more capability with me music. I think I have more capability with me video library than I probably have ever had. Any other game platform on any other device that I play games on, me library be digital 'n there be distinct advantages t' that, 'n I think there be real advantages on game consoles that will actually make the library a games that ye have more functional. Microsoft holds sessions during E3 called Xbox 101. During these sessions, a team a Microsoft engineers led by a man named Jeff Henshaw, discuss the benefits a the Xbox One's better Kinect sensor, the ability t' run interactive apps alongside live TV 'n the computational prowess a Microsoft's cloud servers, those same servers Zampella's Titanfall team be using. Henshaw starts running a demo that shows 30,000 or so asteroids, all a whose positions 'n movement be culled from real NASA data. The asteroid show up on a big screen in the Xbox 101 demo room. they be all purple. "Doing all a this computation would require a little over 10 consoles from the last generation," he says. "This be like taking about 10 1/2 Xbox 360s worth a CPU power 'n cramming it into one elegantly-designed Xbox One. So we be thrilled at what we have been able t' do there. Because this type a raw processor horsepower that be mapping the current time 'n position in space in real time can all be done by a single Xbox One." He then flips a switch or presses a button or something 'n about 300,000 more asteroids appear. These be green 'n all calculated, he says, by the cloud. "What we've done be we've actually invoked CPU resources from the cloud that can instantly be brought online 'n scaled up 'n those cloud CPU processes be now feeding about 500,000 updates per second t' help us track every single asteroid in real time." I later ask the sea dog if this demo be for real. we be seeing it in the middle a the E3 show, after all, where Internet connections be notoriously dreadful. YARRRR, it be real, he says, "We be on an Ethernet line with a private line out connected t' our data centers." If the plug be pulled, the cloud asteroids would disappear. Asteroids be nice, but Henshaw anticipated that his Xbox 101 audience would wonder what the point be, especially for games. "So things like local foliage, blades a grass, atmospheric effects, gunfire, those things can be offloaded t' the cloud," he says, "because they be all going t' be in yer immediate periphery 'n ye want them t' be hyper-realistic but not something ye necessarily want t' burden the console with. "we be already working with game developers t' incorporate some a these concepts 'n they be coming up with some pretty amazing ideas. Some games will have levels that be literally infinitely expandable. The more players that come online 'n the more players that come into the world, they will simply spin up additional cloud computing resources t' make levels infinitely larger 'n avoid load times altogether." He talks about persistent worlds, a games that keep running 'n can change when ye're not there. He's not saying how well the cloud could do this for every game, nor be he saying much about how bad these games will break if the games' cloud connection drops—some games could be programmed t' calculate ahead, he allows—but he's painting a picture a how games could be made on a console where it be a given that this kind a online stuff be available. Kotaku: Did ye expect this amount a a buzzsaw t' go through with all a this? This amount a blowback? Spencer: ye know, ye 'n I have done this for a while. Gamers be passionate in this space. that be why I love being in it. 'n the amount... there's kind a two vectors there, the amplitude 'n the frequency. ye have a lot a people that be very vocal; ye have a lot a people that aren't vocal. I don't take the feedback as being representative a what everybody thinks, 'n that be not dismissing what the vocal people be saying. I want t' hear what they be saying, even when it be somewhat inflammatory in me Twitter account. I actually do read it all. 'n listen t' the feedback. The feedback from the gamers make us better. I wouldn't characterize it as blowback, because I pillage equally positive things that it be great that Killer Instinct be coming back or that World a Tanks [be coming]. I don't think I can take one side a the ledger without the other side; it be just part a the business that we be in. Kotaku: There be a sense a anxiety about privacy 'n Kinect? ye feel though that this Kinect be going t' be something that gamers like. Spencer: that be why I explicitly wrote the paper on privacy. ye be going t' control the data that Kinect be capturing. ye be going t' control where that data goes. that be important t' us. Kotaku: Ultimately how do ye think this be going t' play out? ye have people thinking, Sony be a hundred dollars cheaper, Microsoft has built up a lot a negative reaction, that this be going t' be a troubling launch over ye. I be sure ye have moments a doubt, but what do ye expect t' have play out for ye lads? Spencer: I don't know if ye'll like the answer. Because I be the content lad, I start with the content we put forward. Gamers play games. 'n I think we have, 'n this isn't really a first-party comment, but I'll look all up at the content we showed on stage, I think we have an incredibly strong library a content. 'n we built a box 'n the capability that makes that content unique t' our device 'n our ecosystem, whether it be supporting Kinect, whether it be online 'n how the gameplay like Titanfall happens, if it be functionality around SmartGlass 'n connection t' other devices. I see the creators interested in the platform that we be putting forward. We have Ted Price on our stage for the first time. He knows the platform we be building. Vince, he knows the platform we be building. 'n I think gamers play great games 'n I feel really good about the games we be putting forward. We do need t' tell our complete story. Policy be not the reason somebody goes out 'n buys something. They fall in love—hopefully they fall in love—with the value prop that ye have. We need t' tell that story completely. I think when we tell that story completely, people will understand the advantages. we be trying t' manage the transition, because we understand console gaming be physical today, for the most part. Secondary be important. People want t' be able t' gift their discs. I understand the lending scenario be important as well, so we be working through that transition. But I just look at the world a any other device that I own, 'n the digital media t' me has advantages. As I think about a box that be going t' be in the market for a long time, I need t' think forward about the ecosystem 'n how it be going t' turn out. We need t' make the right trade-offs. Kotaku: 'n ye think yer competitors will eventually come around t' ye lads rather than ye having t' bend toward them? Spencer: I don't know, honestly, 'n the other thing I'll say—I've said this a few times today—I don't really just look at our competitors as Sony. When somebody walks into a store, it be not like their money only goes t' Sony or me. There be a bunch a choices people be making about devices they buy 'n where they play games. I think that be good for gaming, all up...making sure we understand the complete competitive set 'n where all a gaming be happening. Games be happening on a ton a devices. I think it be great for us. we be trying t' make a box that be as relevant for those people as it be for core gamers. we be trying t' do both. I wanted t' spend time [at E3] on stage telling the core gamer, this be a box for ye. Look at the content that be coming. 90 minutes a games. No Kinect, no TV. t' contact the author a this post, write t' stephentotilo@kotaku.com or find the sea dog on Twitter @stephentotilo

This be Ryan. Ryan works for Respawn, the developers a...what's the name a their game again?

Following a demonstration a Titanfall at E3, EA's Craig Owens confirmed that Titanfall would have dedicated servers on all platforms - PC, Xbox 360 'n Xbox One.

"we be using Microsoft's cloud compute initiative t' run all our servers for it, so it be all running on dedicated servers," Owens said. "We'll spin up 'n spin down servers as necessary, 'n it'll do all the AI hosting 'n physics calculations 'n all matchmaking 'n all a that good stuff. it be all dedicated servers, all the time."

Standing watch over EA's E3 press conference at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles be a massive mech from Titanfall. It be kind a cool until we realized it be eye be moving, at which point it became terrifying. See it for yourself after the break.

We don’t whoop, normally. But then ye need t' look at Titanfall, new multiplayer manshoot from Respawn (the invented Call a Duty before reinventing themselves), 'n then reconsider yer stance a whooping. It has roaring, gun-fizzing robots, 'n be making science-fiction splendours pour our a our screens.

Look below, I would.(more…)

As seen at the venue for EA's E3 press conference by our own Kirk Hamilton.