No Single-Player for Command & Conquer: Generals 2 at Release

Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will apparently launch without a single-player campaign, according to developer Bioware Victory.

In an interview with PC Gamer, the company's general manager John Van Caneghem explained that “co-operative and competitive” skirmishes would be the main focus of the title initially, with other modes being added later based on community feedback.

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We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well.

Speaking about the potential of a story campaign being one such mode, Van Caneghem said, "It is something we haven’t announced yet how we’re going to do it." He explained that one of the main benefits of the game being online was that it facilitated the easy testing of new play styles, claiming, "As a live service I think the exciting part is you can try things. You can see what the community wants, you can give it a shot, you can put it up for a weekend and see how it goes, develop towards what the fans like."

While he didn't comment on EA's decision to make the game free-to-play, he did reveal that Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will be the first in a new series of online C&C games that explore the series' history.

"We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well," he said. "Generals 2 was the first one, and it was one of the biggest sellers, as well as the fanbase has been asking for it for some time."

He rounded up the interview by explaining that Bioware Victory is keen for the upcoming RTS game to break onto the e-sports scene. To this end, alongside multiplayer deathmatch and co-operative modes, Van Caneghem claimed that, "We’re really going to run the gambit of what people enjoy in a multiplayer environment.

"I don’t think we’re making a list of the features yet, but I think you can basically make a list of the assumed ones that you’d need to be an e-sports game, and it’s definitely part of the plan," he added.

Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will release as a free-to-play title on PC sometime in 2013, but you can register your interest for the beta now.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and once almost died trying to build a home-made Tesla Coil. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

New iPhone Confirmed for First Nano-SIM, Carriers Now Testing

Back in May, Apple won a hard-fought victory with the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) over the next SIM card standard, commonly referred to as "nano-SIM."

Rivals Nokia, Research in Motion and Motorola Mobility were eager to have ETSI adopt its own standard for a smaller SIM card, but its design proposal proved too radical for the committee, who instead approved adoption of an Apple-designed fourth form factor (4FF).

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While it may seem trivial to most consumers, as manufacturers are forced to include more radios and other components inside their smartphones, the size of a SIM card definitely matters -- and thus the push for a smaller standard that all device makers can adopt.

Apple was among the first to adopt the micro-SIM, which first made its debut on the iPhone 4; the "nano-SIM" is even smaller at 8.8mm x 0.67mm, about 40 percent smaller than a micro-SIM, while remaining backward compatibility with the larger designs.

On top of a recent rumor that European carriers were stockpiling nano-SIMs to prepare for Apple's next iPhone this fall comes a report that appears to confirm that the handset maker will indeed roll out its victorious standard with the so-called iPhone 5.

Photo via CNET

"Multiple carrier sources" have confirmed to BGR that Apple is currently supplying its partners with nano-SIM adapters for testing the cards on their networks, which includes onetime exclusive carrier AT&T here in the United States.

Hard to imagine how they'll reduce the size of a SIM card any smaller than it already is, but Apple is a company known for small products, so if anyone can do it, it's sure to be them...

Source : ign[dot]com