theblog
Schedule!
2008-10-10 5:26 PM PDT
This weeks schedule entry is even greater than usual for me. There's actually just one thing in the calendar at the moment, so it means that I really don't need to work that hard with this post!
I'm pretty sure this is just because some big events just ended, and the US guys (I work from Europe) haven't had the time to add more events to the calendar (I hear that we have an upcoming event in a game called Nostale. But if it isn't in the calendar, I don't write about it). But, none the less, I need to get some time to rest as well, and this is a great time!
So, let's get it over with.
October 13th
Xfire Release 1.99
Monday night means the release of the new Xfire version, 1.99. I'm not sure about you, but for me, it feels like version 2.0 isn't far away. And now I'm just speculating, but a new version number like that could mean some really, really big things.
It also could not, but I don't know. I need to try and squeeze some stuff out of the engineering guys. Better pick up a pizza and some soda so I can try to bribe them. Or perhaps bake some cupcakes. But, this monday is 1.99, so let's not forget about that, I'm pretty sure it will have some great stuff in it.
Better look forward to it!
Read the release notes from the
latest Xfire release.
Have a great weekend, I know I will!
Hans
I'm pretty sure this is just because some big events just ended, and the US guys (I work from Europe) haven't had the time to add more events to the calendar (I hear that we have an upcoming event in a game called Nostale. But if it isn't in the calendar, I don't write about it). But, none the less, I need to get some time to rest as well, and this is a great time!
So, let's get it over with.
October 13th
Xfire Release 1.99
Monday night means the release of the new Xfire version, 1.99. I'm not sure about you, but for me, it feels like version 2.0 isn't far away. And now I'm just speculating, but a new version number like that could mean some really, really big things.
It also could not, but I don't know. I need to try and squeeze some stuff out of the engineering guys. Better pick up a pizza and some soda so I can try to bribe them. Or perhaps bake some cupcakes. But, this monday is 1.99, so let's not forget about that, I'm pretty sure it will have some great stuff in it.
Better look forward to it!
Read the release notes from the
latest Xfire release.
Have a great weekend, I know I will!
Hans
New blog feature! Xfire video of the wee...
2008-10-08 1:51 PM PDT
Greetings!
It's time for another great feature here in the blog, starting this week I'm going to be posting one (or a few) cool videos every Wednesday.
The first video to be featured here on the blog is sort of old, it's from July this year, but I just couldn't help admiring the work gone in to it. Shame he didn't quite make it in time for the big day. This post can hopefully bring some small comfort.
The video lagged a bit for me, but you get the whole idea.
Xfire video of the week - Chain Reaction by [FoRcE]army_guy3
Read the description as well! And, if you have any cool suggestions for weekly vids, feel free to post them in the comments here, and I'll check them out. If you are lucky, you might get to showcase your video here.
Hans
It's time for another great feature here in the blog, starting this week I'm going to be posting one (or a few) cool videos every Wednesday.
The first video to be featured here on the blog is sort of old, it's from July this year, but I just couldn't help admiring the work gone in to it. Shame he didn't quite make it in time for the big day. This post can hopefully bring some small comfort.
The video lagged a bit for me, but you get the whole idea.
Xfire video of the week - Chain Reaction by [FoRcE]army_guy3
Read the description as well! And, if you have any cool suggestions for weekly vids, feel free to post them in the comments here, and I'll check them out. If you are lucky, you might get to showcase your video here.
Hans
Breaking news!
2008-10-06 11:08 AM PDT
It's a pleasure to be able to offer all of you this exclusive interview. After quite a bit of convincing, the Vice President of Engineering here at Xfire, Chris Kirmse, finally agreed to let me ask a few questions.
He's a very busy guy, so I hope that all of you will appreciate this opportunity to hear about what's going on at Xfire.
Enough of my rambling. Let's move on to the interview itself!
First, can you please tell our readers who you are, and what you do at Xfire?
I am a life-long gamer, starting with the Atari 2600. My brother and I created Meridian 59, the first 3D MMO, back when I was in college; since then I have worked on a few other game projects, before creating the initial idea for Xfire in 2003. I have led the development team for Xfire since then.
You've been with Xfire for quite a while, in what way has it changed during that time?
Xfire has changed immensely since we first started. We have done a new client/server release every 2 to 3 weeks since we started, and we are almost at 100 releases, along with many more web updates. We started with the core features of seeing what games your friends are playing and joining them in those games when possible. We expanded out into features that PC game players want, including multi-language support, skinning, server browsing, in-game messaging, voice chat, chat rooms, screenshot and video capture and browsing, etc.
There are quite a few new things being added to Xfire, such as the broadcast system and the new way the voice chat works, what are your plans for the future?
We are very excited about the broadcast system. It's only an alpha-test right now, but we're building it out to let people share their game playing live with other players. We expect to see some really talented players build up large fan bases over time. I can't wait to see how people use it!
Voice chat is also a very big feature for us. The Xfire-hosted voice servers are in a beta-test right now. We want to make voice chat easy for everyone to use,...
He's a very busy guy, so I hope that all of you will appreciate this opportunity to hear about what's going on at Xfire.
Enough of my rambling. Let's move on to the interview itself!
First, can you please tell our readers who you are, and what you do at Xfire?
I am a life-long gamer, starting with the Atari 2600. My brother and I created Meridian 59, the first 3D MMO, back when I was in college; since then I have worked on a few other game projects, before creating the initial idea for Xfire in 2003. I have led the development team for Xfire since then.
You've been with Xfire for quite a while, in what way has it changed during that time?
Xfire has changed immensely since we first started. We have done a new client/server release every 2 to 3 weeks since we started, and we are almost at 100 releases, along with many more web updates. We started with the core features of seeing what games your friends are playing and joining them in those games when possible. We expanded out into features that PC game players want, including multi-language support, skinning, server browsing, in-game messaging, voice chat, chat rooms, screenshot and video capture and browsing, etc.
There are quite a few new things being added to Xfire, such as the broadcast system and the new way the voice chat works, what are your plans for the future?
We are very excited about the broadcast system. It's only an alpha-test right now, but we're building it out to let people share their game playing live with other players. We expect to see some really talented players build up large fan bases over time. I can't wait to see how people use it!
Voice chat is also a very big feature for us. The Xfire-hosted voice servers are in a beta-test right now. We want to make voice chat easy for everyone to use,...
What's going on in our world?
2008-10-05 3:11 PM PDT
It's schedule time once again, and this time on a different day!
We're going to be switching around a bit during the following weeks, to try something new. The schedule will come out every Friday (not last Friday though, since I was waaaay
too drunk to write a schedule post (Naah, just kidding)).
Mondays will remain the day where we post cool Xfire related stuff. This Monday (tomorrow) we will actually bring you an interview with one of the guys that has been most involved with making Xfire. He has quite a lot of stuff to talk about, and I'm sure you will like what he has to say.
Wednesdays will be a brand new feature, which we call "Xfire video of the week".
We will be going through the user submitted videos and pick one we like. And, we'll give that video a small showcase here on the blog!
Enough of the blogs schedule, let's move on to the big stuff!
October 6th
Xfire insider newsletter
Newsletter time! The Xfire insider newsletter is the best way to find out stuff about what's going on with Xfire (apart from this blog, ofcourse..). Tomorrow, it's time for the latest edition, and as usual, there's a lot of cool stuff to talk about. Make sure you read it!
And, if you aren't receiving it, sign up by clicking the image below.
The Xfire insider
newsletter is awesome.
October 7th
12 days of Twelve Sky ends!
The awesome Play 2 Win action of 12Sky is about to end! If you want to win a Nintendo DS, you'd better hurry up. After October 7th, it's going to be too late!
Tired of your PC? Win a Nintendo DS
in the 12 days of 12 sky-event!
October 13th
Xfire Release 1.99
There's been several new Xfire features added in the last few releases, such as Broadcast, and the new voice chat. What will this release bring? Will the Xfire engineering team be able to keep up the super high pace, or will they make...
We're going to be switching around a bit during the following weeks, to try something new. The schedule will come out every Friday (not last Friday though, since I was waaaay
too drunk to write a schedule post (Naah, just kidding)).
Mondays will remain the day where we post cool Xfire related stuff. This Monday (tomorrow) we will actually bring you an interview with one of the guys that has been most involved with making Xfire. He has quite a lot of stuff to talk about, and I'm sure you will like what he has to say.
Wednesdays will be a brand new feature, which we call "Xfire video of the week".
We will be going through the user submitted videos and pick one we like. And, we'll give that video a small showcase here on the blog!
Enough of the blogs schedule, let's move on to the big stuff!
October 6th
Xfire insider newsletter
Newsletter time! The Xfire insider newsletter is the best way to find out stuff about what's going on with Xfire (apart from this blog, ofcourse..). Tomorrow, it's time for the latest edition, and as usual, there's a lot of cool stuff to talk about. Make sure you read it!
And, if you aren't receiving it, sign up by clicking the image below.
The Xfire insider
newsletter is awesome.
October 7th
12 days of Twelve Sky ends!
The awesome Play 2 Win action of 12Sky is about to end! If you want to win a Nintendo DS, you'd better hurry up. After October 7th, it's going to be too late!
Tired of your PC? Win a Nintendo DS
in the 12 days of 12 sky-event!
October 13th
Xfire Release 1.99
There's been several new Xfire features added in the last few releases, such as Broadcast, and the new voice chat. What will this release bring? Will the Xfire engineering team be able to keep up the super high pace, or will they make...
Voice chat madness!
2008-09-29 4:09 PM PDT
Yo!
I'm back, and this time I plan to spread the word about Xfires brand new voice chat function.
"Brand new"?
Yes, brand new. While Xfire did have a voice chat system before, it was a little bit rough. It had all the data running between the users, and no central server taking care of it all. Using a server means you can get lower bandwith usage, as well as save other system resources. And, it usually speeds things up quite a bit.
The two major voice chat thingies for gamers use servers, and while I'd like to think that Xfire is far superior to any other gamer tool in the world, they sort of have a good point there.
But, enough about that. Xfire just launched the new voice chat system, and as far as I know it should be fully functional. It's still in Beta though, so you should be prepared for some small issues.
Here's a quick guide on how to set it all up.
Make sure to pay attention to the areas inside the red circles (or whatever shape that is). Use "Push to Talk"! People usually don't want to hear you cough, or
be forced to listen in when your mother starts cursing at you for not taking out the trash. Make sure to test what you sound like before you start talking. You don't want to mess up peoples hearing, do you?
Finally, press OK.
You should be all set for voice chat, so you can start inviting your friends to a chat room (right click on them). Once in the chat room, you can start the voice chat madness! For your sake, I hope your friends followed the simple instructions above. If not, be prepared to remove your headphones with haste.
Remember, Xfire can't be responsible for any mental damage you might suffer by hearing your friends talk. Not everyone will sound as cool as their characters look in game. And watch out, you might have a girl among you without even knowing!
Hans
I'm back, and this time I plan to spread the word about Xfires brand new voice chat function.
"Brand new"?
Yes, brand new. While Xfire did have a voice chat system before, it was a little bit rough. It had all the data running between the users, and no central server taking care of it all. Using a server means you can get lower bandwith usage, as well as save other system resources. And, it usually speeds things up quite a bit.
The two major voice chat thingies for gamers use servers, and while I'd like to think that Xfire is far superior to any other gamer tool in the world, they sort of have a good point there.
But, enough about that. Xfire just launched the new voice chat system, and as far as I know it should be fully functional. It's still in Beta though, so you should be prepared for some small issues.
Here's a quick guide on how to set it all up.
Make sure to pay attention to the areas inside the red circles (or whatever shape that is). Use "Push to Talk"! People usually don't want to hear you cough, or
be forced to listen in when your mother starts cursing at you for not taking out the trash. Make sure to test what you sound like before you start talking. You don't want to mess up peoples hearing, do you?
Finally, press OK.
You should be all set for voice chat, so you can start inviting your friends to a chat room (right click on them). Once in the chat room, you can start the voice chat madness! For your sake, I hope your friends followed the simple instructions above. If not, be prepared to remove your headphones with haste.
Remember, Xfire can't be responsible for any mental damage you might suffer by hearing your friends talk. Not everyone will sound as cool as their characters look in game. And watch out, you might have a girl among you without even knowing!
Hans
Schedule.
2008-09-25 2:03 PM PDT
Go go Power Schedule!
September 26th - October 7th
12 days of Twelve Sky!
Time for some more Free 2 Play action, with some Play 2 Win goodness.
I'm not sure about you. But an awesome game idea like that, and the chance to win a Nintendo DS would do it for me. Sign up for the clan and start playing!
Tired of your PC? Win a Nintendo DS
in the 12 days of 12 sky-event!
October 6th
Xfire insider newsletter
The last edition of the Xfire insider newsletter came out a few days ago, and it was packed with creamy, delicious sauce. I'm already looking forward to the next one, and the good thing is that it's not too far away.
I can't be bothered to write a new
funny text about the Counter-Strike
dude and the newspaper.
October 13th
Xfire Release 1.99
The new Xfire 1.98 barely came out, and they are already planning another one? Sheesh, watch out so you don't burn yourselves out!
I'm willing to be a few bucks it will be packed with super great stuff, and hopefully I'll be able to give you some secrets in a few days. Stay tuned for that.
Read the release notes from the
latest Xfire release.
And, that's it for me, for this time!
Hans
September 26th - October 7th
12 days of Twelve Sky!
Time for some more Free 2 Play action, with some Play 2 Win goodness.
I'm not sure about you. But an awesome game idea like that, and the chance to win a Nintendo DS would do it for me. Sign up for the clan and start playing!
Tired of your PC? Win a Nintendo DS
in the 12 days of 12 sky-event!
October 6th
Xfire insider newsletter
The last edition of the Xfire insider newsletter came out a few days ago, and it was packed with creamy, delicious sauce. I'm already looking forward to the next one, and the good thing is that it's not too far away.
I can't be bothered to write a new
funny text about the Counter-Strike
dude and the newspaper.
October 13th
Xfire Release 1.99
The new Xfire 1.98 barely came out, and they are already planning another one? Sheesh, watch out so you don't burn yourselves out!
I'm willing to be a few bucks it will be packed with super great stuff, and hopefully I'll be able to give you some secrets in a few days. Stay tuned for that.
Read the release notes from the
latest Xfire release.
And, that's it for me, for this time!
Hans
Jippie-yay, it's another sunny release d...
2008-09-23 2:36 PM PDT
Sorry about being sort of quiet the last few days, I'll try to pick up the pace a bit with posting here on theblog.
But, it's time for another Xfire release, and this time I've personally been a part of contributing to the new Xfire, officially named version 1.98.
But. Version 1.98 isn't a good name.
I'd like to call it version Hans instead.
Yes.
That's how big my addition to this release has been.
I'm the one who translated the missing lines of text in the Swedish Xfire version. I also corrected a few old errors and rephrased some stuff, so that it would sound better.
Can you believe it? What I did will forever be etched in the memories of thousands, Nay! Millions, of Swedish Xfire users.
You should try switching to the Swedish version as well, just so that you can behold the art that I've created.
It's just like opera. You don't have to understand what they are singing to be able to appreciate it.
If my Swedish greatness doesn't attract you, there are still plenty of other cool things that are new in this version.
Apart from a bunch of bug fixes and other small corrections, there's also a new feature on its way. We're going to be launching the new Xfire voice chat system in a bit (not sure quite when). Instead of creating a server on your computer and using a lot of bandwidth, it will be going through external servers.
There are several advantages, and as far as I can see, it will make the Xfire voice functions even better.
And, best of all. It's free. An ad in the chat room will be paying for the servers. I can't wait to try it out, It feels like it could be quite awesome!
If you want to see exactly what was changed for this version, check the release notes here.
Hans
But, it's time for another Xfire release, and this time I've personally been a part of contributing to the new Xfire, officially named version 1.98.
But. Version 1.98 isn't a good name.
I'd like to call it version Hans instead.
Yes.
That's how big my addition to this release has been.
I'm the one who translated the missing lines of text in the Swedish Xfire version. I also corrected a few old errors and rephrased some stuff, so that it would sound better.
Can you believe it? What I did will forever be etched in the memories of thousands, Nay! Millions, of Swedish Xfire users.
You should try switching to the Swedish version as well, just so that you can behold the art that I've created.
It's just like opera. You don't have to understand what they are singing to be able to appreciate it.
If my Swedish greatness doesn't attract you, there are still plenty of other cool things that are new in this version.
Apart from a bunch of bug fixes and other small corrections, there's also a new feature on its way. We're going to be launching the new Xfire voice chat system in a bit (not sure quite when). Instead of creating a server on your computer and using a lot of bandwidth, it will be going through external servers.
There are several advantages, and as far as I can see, it will make the Xfire voice functions even better.
And, best of all. It's free. An ad in the chat room will be paying for the servers. I can't wait to try it out, It feels like it could be quite awesome!
If you want to see exactly what was changed for this version, check the release notes here.
Hans
Xedule 3.1
2008-09-17 2:56 PM PDT
We've moved up 1.1 steps from last weeks Xedule, and we're currently at edition three point one. Why the .1, you may ask? The answer is simple. Because I can!
And, it causes chaos in the world, and chaos is wonderful! *evil laughter*
Enough with my plans to conquer the earth, let's move on the the all-important schedule!
September 22nd
New Xfire version
In a few days, Xfire will officially be version 1.98. I still haven't been able to have a look at the beta notes, so I don't know what will be happening with the update, but it's always great when a new version of Xfire comes out, isn't it?
You can read the patch notes
from the previous release
by clicking the Xfire logo.
September 25th - October 7th
12 days of Twelve Sky!
Time for some more Free 2 Play action. We're going to give you twelve fast paced days of 12Sky, a really cool MMORPG that doesn't cost a dime to play.
What? You are asking why you would want to play another unknown F2P game? Simple, you can win a Nintendo DS, and do it by having a lot of fun!
October 1st also means an opportunity for a live chat with the guys and girls behind Twelve Sky. So, in case you need to know something about the available exploits, or how much you can sell gold for, this is your chance to shine!
Twelve sky, for twelve days!
Twelve disciples and the
army of the twelve monkeys.
It's a conspiracy, I tell you!
October 6th
Xfire insider newsletter
I didn't even notice if there was a Xfire Insider newsletter this monday, I guess I was all too busy with playing Warhammer Online. Still, if there was one, it was awesome. If there wasn't one, it would have been awesome!
Still, fact remains. There's another edition of the newsletter on its way, and it's arriving in your inboxes on October 6th.
How great it is with free entertainment! You can go ahead and cancel...
And, it causes chaos in the world, and chaos is wonderful! *evil laughter*
Enough with my plans to conquer the earth, let's move on the the all-important schedule!
September 22nd
New Xfire version
In a few days, Xfire will officially be version 1.98. I still haven't been able to have a look at the beta notes, so I don't know what will be happening with the update, but it's always great when a new version of Xfire comes out, isn't it?
You can read the patch notes
from the previous release
by clicking the Xfire logo.
September 25th - October 7th
12 days of Twelve Sky!
Time for some more Free 2 Play action. We're going to give you twelve fast paced days of 12Sky, a really cool MMORPG that doesn't cost a dime to play.
What? You are asking why you would want to play another unknown F2P game? Simple, you can win a Nintendo DS, and do it by having a lot of fun!
October 1st also means an opportunity for a live chat with the guys and girls behind Twelve Sky. So, in case you need to know something about the available exploits, or how much you can sell gold for, this is your chance to shine!
Twelve sky, for twelve days!
Twelve disciples and the
army of the twelve monkeys.
It's a conspiracy, I tell you!
October 6th
Xfire insider newsletter
I didn't even notice if there was a Xfire Insider newsletter this monday, I guess I was all too busy with playing Warhammer Online. Still, if there was one, it was awesome. If there wasn't one, it would have been awesome!
Still, fact remains. There's another edition of the newsletter on its way, and it's arriving in your inboxes on October 6th.
How great it is with free entertainment! You can go ahead and cancel...
Xstatics!
2008-09-16 10:17 PM PDT
Is there anything more fun than math?
I don't think so!
But let's face it, while math can be quite fun, it's usually boring, and sometimes hard to understand.
So, for quite a while now, we have been running a thing we call Xstatics (which I guess means Xfire Statics). Xstatics is where we present some of the numbers on gaming that Xfire generates, in a way everyone can understand.
Let's take WoW for example. It's currently the biggest game on Xfire, and has been #1 for over three years.
We'll compare the numbers from WoW between July and August this year in this example.
Xstatics - WoW - July
Xstatics - WoW - August
What Xfire does is log how many hours people play and in what game (in case you didn't turn it off), and those numbers are then presented for example in your profile. But it's also possible to see how many hours of playtime a game had by adding all the people together.
What we can see above is that World of Warcraft had 369,788 hours of daily playtime in July. It's not exact, but rather an average between all the days of the month.
If we move on to August, we can see a sudden rize in the amount of daily hours. It jumped up with over 50,000 hours per day, which is quite a lot.
Nobody can really tell why there was a big increase, but I'm guessing it might have something to do with people getting back to school/work and needing something to do in the evenings.
I'm thinking that we might see a new game rize up to the top 5 or so, over the coming weeks. Naturally, it's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning that I'm thinking about. What remains to be seen is if it's another flavour of the month, or if it can actually challenge WoW?
Stay tuned for the next update on the XStatics, or even better, check it out for yourself, and you will be able to find out.
XStatics
Hans
I don't think so!
But let's face it, while math can be quite fun, it's usually boring, and sometimes hard to understand.
So, for quite a while now, we have been running a thing we call Xstatics (which I guess means Xfire Statics). Xstatics is where we present some of the numbers on gaming that Xfire generates, in a way everyone can understand.
Let's take WoW for example. It's currently the biggest game on Xfire, and has been #1 for over three years.
We'll compare the numbers from WoW between July and August this year in this example.
Xstatics - WoW - July
Xstatics - WoW - August
What Xfire does is log how many hours people play and in what game (in case you didn't turn it off), and those numbers are then presented for example in your profile. But it's also possible to see how many hours of playtime a game had by adding all the people together.
What we can see above is that World of Warcraft had 369,788 hours of daily playtime in July. It's not exact, but rather an average between all the days of the month.
If we move on to August, we can see a sudden rize in the amount of daily hours. It jumped up with over 50,000 hours per day, which is quite a lot.
Nobody can really tell why there was a big increase, but I'm guessing it might have something to do with people getting back to school/work and needing something to do in the evenings.
I'm thinking that we might see a new game rize up to the top 5 or so, over the coming weeks. Naturally, it's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning that I'm thinking about. What remains to be seen is if it's another flavour of the month, or if it can actually challenge WoW?
Stay tuned for the next update on the XStatics, or even better, check it out for yourself, and you will be able to find out.
XStatics
Hans
Give it up for the Xfire Band
2008-09-15 12:31 AM PDT
We're lucky that we performed in Seattle (at PAX). Otherwise we might have been held responsible for the rain.
And it's fortunate embarrassement never killed anyone.
Incolas
And it's fortunate embarrassement never killed anyone.
Incolas