Duncan Mackenzie

Testing

Duncan Mackenzie — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:35:00 GMT

fdfg

Russian Sand Sculptures

Duncan Mackenzie — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:34:00 GMT

this is my awesome soapbox video, note the video id in the text below

See this video on MSN Soapbox

yay, that was great!

embedding a Soapbox video

Duncan Mackenzie — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:27:00 GMT

See this video on MSN Soapbox

This is a soapbox video

Importing a Soapbox video into on10.net

Duncan Mackenzie — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:16:00 GMT

Just a quick test of embedding a Soapbox video using a Silverlight player

Testing out an embedded poll

Duncan Mackenzie — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:02:00 GMT

TechNet Edge launches!

Duncan Mackenzie — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:49:00 GMT

We recently launched a site, TechNet Edge, that is aimed at IT Pros ... you should check it out if that is your thing :)

Windows Live Writer 1.0 released, learn all about it here!

Duncan Mackenzie — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:54:00 GMT

Ever since its first beta release in August 2006, I've been a big fan of Windows Live Writer. Windows Live Writer is a fully featured Windows blogging client with support for spell checking, WYSIWYG editing, picture uploading and custom plug-ins (with a full SDK). In addition to the expected Windows Live Spaces support, it also supports a ton of other blogging engines including a generic metaweblog api setting that I can use to blog on both on10.net and duncanmackenzie.net!

With the 1.0 release it seemed like a good time to learn a bit more about this app, so I sat down with Becky Pezely from the Windows Live Writer team and got all the details. Check out the video for yourself, learn all about this cool product, then scoot over to download the 1.0 version. Don't stop there though, check out all the great plug-ins available for Windows Live Writer and if you are a Flickr user, make sure to grab Tim Heuer's Flick4Writer plug in (that I mention in the video) and insert your flickr photos into Writer with the greatest of ease!

XBox Info in a Silverlight based Vista Sidebar Gadget

Duncan Mackenzie — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:36:00 GMT

Our very own Adam Kinney, the designer/developer who was the team lead building on10.net, has just released a cool new Sidebar Gadget for Windows Vista. You pop in the Xbox gamertags of your friends, or just people you'd like to keep track of, and there you go!

Check it out on his blog...

My side job as Xbox Dad

Duncan Mackenzie — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:42:44 GMT

A few weeks ago I published another Xbox Dad article onto Xbox.com, Harry Potter Mania.

The job of writing for Xbox.com is a fun little bit of moonlighting for me, keeping my hand in the writing business as it were. My columns often end up being essentially game reviews, but from the point of view of my personal experience with the game and the game's suitability for kids. You won't see any review scores here, I'll leave that to the bulk review sites like IGN and GameSpot, and you'll probably notice that I'm fairly positive about every game I cover. That is partially a result of who I'm writing for (it wouldn't be appropriate for the Xbox.com site to bash a game), but it is also a result of carefully choosing the games I cover. I'm aware of the political problems that would result from me bashing a game, so if I don't like a game then I don't want to talk about it in my column. I cover games that I think are overall good for kids (of different ages, depending on the game) and if I have some issues with the game, I make sure to mention them right in the article (I thought the way Leonardo's swords were used in TMNT was a bit violent for the target age, for example). In the long run though, I hope to start covering more general gaming topics that are of interest to parents, starting with a discussion of my gaming past coming up in the next column!

Halo 3 Video Documentary: Et Tu Brute

Duncan Mackenzie — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:03:00 GMT

This video went up a few days ago onto the marketplace, but here it is for those of you that don't have a 360 or just would rather see it on your PC/Zune/iPod/PSP...

Here is the official description (from Major Nelson's post):

"In the second Bungie “Vidoc” we take a long hard look at the ferocious new antagonist for Master Chief, the Brute. Now that a tentative alliance has formed between Humans and Elites, the fighting focus of Halo 3 switches to the monstrous Brutes. These tenacious foes have improved graphically with the advent of the Halo 3 engine and the power of the Xbox 360, but more importantly, their tactics, weapons, vehicles and AI have all followed suit, making the Brutes the worthiest opponents the Chief has ever faced. See how the designers, artists and programmers set about the herculean task of replacing a fan favorite – the mighty Elite – with an unforgettably ferocious adversary. See how Brutes behave in packs and as individuals with brilliant new animation and AI. Take a first look at the new Brute graphics, weapon and armor designs and finally, get the first ever public glimpse at Halo’s legendary Campaign.

Frankie gives you more details at Bungie.net"

And for those of you who notice... yes, this was widescreen and yes I cropped it down, but this actually made the in-game footage fill the screen (it was 4:3 in the original video) so I thought it was a better overall result :)

And if you really want the highest quality... you can grab the 6Mbps original as well, 640x360

Halo 3 Commercial up on Xbox Marketplace

Duncan Mackenzie — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 18:46:00 GMT

~~So the~~ ~~Halo 3 'trailer/ad/commercial'~~ went up on the Xbox Marketplace yesterday (after it played during Monday Night Football), so later that night I jumped onto my 360 to download it. Imagine my surprise when I found it that it costs money to download and watch a commercial... 150 points! I think that is only about $1.88 in 'real money', but still... sadly, I might end up paying for it, but I think I'll just wait for someone to upload a high resolution copy up onto the Internets for me... what about you?

Update: Major Nelson's posts about this say it is free and at least one on10 member downloaded it for free as well... so either I was too tired from coding last night and read it wrong or I ran into a momentary glitch.... I'll start pulling my foot out of my mouth now.

You can view the commercial online, if you can't wait to go home and download the 720p version.

Demo: Hooking the Zune up to a monitor in your car

Duncan Mackenzie — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 20:59:00 GMT

Ben Martens, a Microsoft employee and Zune enthusiast sent us over this video of him using his Zune with his Pioneer in-car stereo/navigation system and, being the extroverted type of folks that we are, we thought you might want to check it out.

Want to see something in particular about the Zune? Let us know in the comments and we'll see what we can do!

Superman Returns: Q&A

Duncan Mackenzie — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 21:31:00 GMT

I had quite a few questions about the new Superman Returns game, after I saw the demo so I sent my questions off to Line Producer Matthew Greig on the EA team behind the game... here are my questions and his answers for your elucidation.

The demo for Superman Returns hit Xbox Live a few days ago and I have to admit that I have played it way too many times. For a demo, with only a small number of ‘missions’, it was amazingly fun. My son totally abandoned his Lego Star Wars playing to play through the demo multiple times. Both of us had a few questions for you though, and we really appreciate you taking the time to answer them.

Duncan: Flying is something that is crucial to a game where you are playing as Superman, but in my experience it hasn’t been done all that well in the past. From the demo, flying seems great in SMR… especially the sonic-boom affect that you’d see if you went fast enough for long enough … Can you tell us about the design and gameplay decisions that were made around flying?

MG: Flight was the first mechanic prototyped and implemented during the development of Superman Returns. We've had a 'flyable' Superman for well over 18 months now, and all other controls that followed were built around the flight system. Superman's combat, power usage, superspeed, etc were all based off the implementation of the flight system.

It took many, many iterations to get the flight system feeling just right. Flight is clearly a make-or-break feature in a Superman game, so it was implemented very early on to allow for frequent playtest sessions with all sorts of players (hardcore gamers, comic fans, casual players, etc). Throughout development, nuances were gradually added to give the player a more satisfying flight experience. The subtle leg movements when changing speed, the fluttering cape, the sonic boom, and the particles that trail behind Supes were all additions designed to enhance the flight experience and ensure that players feel connected to the game immediately upon picking up the controller.

Duncan: Another key point of the game that we see in the demo, is that Superman doesn’t really have a ‘health’ bar like in most games, what he has is a bar representing how much damage has been done to the city and to the civilians around him… this seems like a great idea considering Superman is (nearly) invulnerable, making him have a health bar would break with the source material a little too much… Fill us in on the ‘city health bar’, how it works, and how this design changes the gameplay compared to other video games.

MG:When the city takes damage from any source, the Metropolis Health bar will drain. This damage can be caused directly by a villain, fire, etc, or indirectly via the player's actions. If you ram into a building or accidentally light a car on fire, your meter will drain, to reflect the damage inflicted on the city. However, the bar replenishes after performing a heroic act, such as successfully stopping a villain's attack, or rescuing a stranded kitten from a rooftop. Thus the player must balance the dual challenge of minimizing the damage caused by villains, while also completing enough heroic deeds to replenish Metro Health going into the next encounter.

Duncan: In the cinematics and trailers, we’ve see a few of the villains that you’ll have to deal with in the game… Can you tell us who the major villains will be?

MG: The game includes almost every major Supervillain from the comics, in addition to some new Supervillains jointly created by EA and DC. So along with the traditional comic foes such as Bizarro, Metallo, and Mongul, the player will also have a chance to face off against never-before-seen opponents with brand new powers and abilities that must be countered.
One example of an original Supervillain in Superman Returns is Overkhast. He is a quick, shifty fellow, that can pummel the player with energy blasts from a distance.Once angered, Overkhast loses control of his material body, and shifts into a being of pure energy...who also happens to be 100+ feet tall. Each form that Overkhast takes requires a different strategy to beat, which is a common theme shared by all of the Supervillains in the game.

Duncan: How does the timeline of the game match up with the movie?

MG: The game takes place in parallel with the movie, including a period slightly before and slightly after the movie's beginning and end. Some of the events in the game reflect key events from the movie, while others fill in gaps in the movie's timeline.

Duncan: Another question from the cinematics, we see Superman fighting without his costume, in some alien looking location… can you fill us in on what is going on there? Who is he fighting and where!?!?

MG: What you're seeing here is Superman fighting as a gladiatorial contestant on Warworld. Early on in the game, Supes gets captured by Mongul, and is forced to fight in a series of battles to determine the ultimate brawler of all worlds. More specifically, Mongul wants to prove that Superman isn't the ultimate brawler, so he arranges for a collection of nasty opponents to stand between Superman and his freedom from the confines of Warworld. This of course displeases Supes, so he has no choice but to bust some heads in order to secure his release.

Duncan: And finally, I asked my son (who is 6 years old) what he would ask you given the chance and here he goes: Who is that bad-guy style superman that we see in the movie after finishing the demo (Bizarro Superman)? Is he a villain? Do we get to play the game as him? How can we be him, do we have to beat him to unlock him?

MG: Very good question. The bad-guy Superman you see at the end of the demo is indeed Bizarro, who is a major Supervillain the player must confront throughout the game. Bizarro has the power to create genetic mutants, which he can then unleash on the city.

One of the game's coolest features is that you can play as Bizarro after the introductory portions of the game. To unlock him, simply complete the first two chapters, then seek out a Bizarro statue somewhere within in Metropolis (these arespread throughout the city - look for a distinctive blue glow when flying around at street level). Approach the statue, and voila, you are now in control of Bizarro, ready to wreak havoc on every thing (and person) in sight..

Duncan: Thanks folks, as you can see we are pretty excited to play the full game now that it has hit the stores!

Run through a full mission in Star Trek Legacy

Duncan Mackenzie — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 23:02:00 GMT

This is more Star Trek Legacy gameplay footage than I think you'll find anywhere on the tubes... a full mission from somewhere later in the single-player storyline of Star Trek Legacy... including Picard, Sisko, the Defiant, the Galaxy class Enterprise-D and lots of exploding Romulans.

(Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my trip to visit Mad Doc Software)

Video Marketplace on Xbox Live now up

Duncan Mackenzie — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 17:19:00 GMT

(from Major Nelson)
...moments ago we flipped the switch and the service is now available for all U.S. Xbox Live members. No dashboard update needed…just sign in to Xbox Live, and head over to Marketplace, then Media and Entertainment. You can also hit it directly from the Media blade->Video Marketplace. If you have any questions, hit this FAQ or this FAQ on the Xbox forums. It’s fitting that on the Xbox 360’s first birthday, it becomes the first gaming console in history to provide HD TV shows and movies directly to your gaming lair....
Full press release here:
Press release (with pricing information) on Xbox.com

Detailed Viva Pinata review up on Unscripted360.com

Duncan Mackenzie — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:22:00 GMT

Around this office we've had mixed feelings about this game, it looks great and it seems fun... but it also seems a bit kid-focused (which isn't really a bad thing, but it doesn't get us as excited as Gears of War, know what I mean?). Now that it is out though, it turns out that almost everyone in the office is talking about getting it and I think that excitement is due in a large part to the reviews we've been reading. Take this review for example, DeaconBlade is a true gamer's gamer so when I can really see the enthusiasm in his writing as he talks about building his garden I just have to take it seriously.

Viva Piñata Review

Skirmish Mode in Star Trek Legacy for the Xbox 360

Duncan Mackenzie — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:40:00 GMT

In this part two of my visit to Boston, Gary Conti from Mad Doc Software walks me through the skirmish mode of Star Trek Legacy... the mode that offers hours and hours (and hours) of replayability and will be the source of all light and joy in my life for quite some time.

Mad Doc Software and Star Trek Legacy

Duncan Mackenzie — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:17:00 GMT

I flew to Boston last week and sat down with Dr. Ian Davis, the Mad Doctor himself, CEO and Founder of Mad Doc Software to talk about their upcoming game "Star Trek Legacy" for the PC and the 360. We chatted about Star Trek games, Artificial Intelligence and Bulldogs... not in any particular order. This is just part 1 of my trip to Mad Doc, more gameplay footage of both the single and multi-player game is coming soon!

eStarling (wi-fi enabled LCD picture frame) now available for pre-order

Duncan Mackenzie — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:51:00 GMT

I've been wanting to buy a LCD picture frame for quite a while, but to be blunt... they've all sucked in various ways. I don't want to have to take it off the wall to hook up a USB cable to my PC... I don't want to have to fill up a SD card and refresh it every once in a while ... and I really don't want to pay a monthly fee to download photos from some online service. What I really want is to just upload my photos to Flickr like I already do... tag them appropriately and have them just show up in the picture frame.

Enter the eStarling, a RSS/wi-fi/email enabled picture frame that has mostly been rumour for the past year or so... the Think Geek page has been showing them as unavailable (even for pre-order) for months and months. But they are available now, pre-order quick before they shut it down! Of course, at $250 ... it isn't quite an impulse buy, but this is definitely the picture frame that geeks have been wanting for awhile.

New Xbox 360 themed backgrounds for your Zune

Duncan Mackenzie — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:25:00 GMT

I posted a on10.net background yesterday, but I also asked my friend Avid from 360Style.net (home of some amazing 360 focused desktop wallpapers) if he could help out. What I was hoping for was some of his great Xbox 360 game focused wallpapers but in the right size for the Zune. Well he really came through, posting twelve Zune wallpapers in one single download. The download includes wallpapers for Viva Pinata, Gears of War, Lost Planet, Rainbow Six, Dead Rising, Call of Duty, Halo Wars, Halo 3 and several that are focused on the 360 itself!

An on10.net background for your Zune

Duncan Mackenzie — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:14:00 GMT

The Zune was officially released today, so I headed on down to EB Games to pick up my pre-ordered device (black... not brown... I guess I'm not cool enough for brown) and the first thing I did was sync over this Zune background image that Adam made for me. It isn't a perfect image, after he made it we figured out that the ideal background image would be 320x320 and arranged to look good cropped for the device (240x320) or for the TV output (320x240).

This background looks great for the vast majority of my usage (my Zune is usually not hooked up to a TV) though, so I thought you might like it as well. Go ahead, download it to your My Pictures folder... your Zune software will pick it up and you can sync it over to use as a background.

VAF Octavio - A High Fidelity Dock for your Zune

Duncan Mackenzie — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:53:00 GMT

Sampy and I managed to score an interview with Philip Vafiadis, founder of VAF Research (makers of high-end speakers, including the Sound Wall!) and he brought along a prototype of a new product: The Octavio 1. Octavio is a high-end set of speakers that includes a Zune cradle on the top so that you can just drop your Zune in and rock away without any hassle. Check out the video to hear about the drivers in this package, the cool one-knob interface, and how this could become the center of your entertainment experience...

For anyone who is wondering, we filmed this about a month ago I believe, so only the prototype was available to demo. The actual product should be hitting stores any day now! Oh, and yeah... the video is a bit quiet, apologies... we tried to go for the nicer location and gave up on some sound quality in the process.

Major Oblivion Update on its way

Duncan Mackenzie — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 21:54:00 GMT

I just saw this today and mm... sweetness. No word on price yet, but that probably won't stop me.

Knights of the Nine features an all-new faction and quests for noble characters and answers many of the questions surrounding the Ayleid ruins found throughout Oblivion. Players can join a new faction and found their own order of holy knights - leading them into battle against a sorcerer-king and his demonic minions while exploring massive dungeons and searching for legendary relics - the holy armor and weapons of the Divine Crusader.

Knights of the Nine will be available through Xbox Live® Marketplace for Xbox 360 and www.OblivionDownloads.com on November 21st.

There is an interview about this update on Killer Betties and a new wallpaper up on elderscrolls.com

Halo 3 Legendary Edition details

Duncan Mackenzie — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:16:00 GMT

Oh my...

the Halo 3 Legendary Edition, which comes packed into a Halo Spartan Mjolnir Mark VI Helmet replica will sell for $99.99.

(from teamxbox.com)

Racing in Style with the Xbox 360 Wireless Wheel

Duncan Mackenzie — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 05:52:00 GMT

Jesse and I visited the Xbox buildings again this week, this time to check out the soon-to-be-released Xbox wheel. Dennis Tom is the Program Manager for the wheel and he told us everything there was to know, including some neat info about the automotive design cues that went into it.

This new controller is sweet... and I've got to say... once you've tried it, going back to driving in Need for Speed: Most Wanted last night without a wheel was truly a disappointing experience (not that I didn't have fun... I beat #10 on the blacklist last night!). I've already started the process of convincing my wife that we need this wheel in our family room, so perhaps by the time it comes out (Dennis talks timelines in the video, but I believe it is in the second half of November) I'll be able to make it happen.

And just like the wireless headset... this will work with your PC as a wireless wheel if you get the wireless receiver...