In an interview with VG247 Bethesda's Pete Hines revealed that the release of a demo version of id Software's upcoming Rage is very unlikely. The racing and shooting title is set in a post-apocalyptic future and will feature id's signature shooter action as well as a deeper storyline than the company has offered in previous titles.

“It’s something we look at for every game and we do it where possible and where appropriate,” Hines told us in a phone interview today.

“But to be perfectly honest, from a technical standpoint, it isn’t always possible. I don’t see a demo for RAGE on the cards.”

Hines added: “I guess it’s not a zero percent chance, but it’s somewhere down on that end of the spectrum.”

VG247: Rage Demo Not In The Cards

id Software (add to watch list)

Rage: Campaign Edition (add to watch list)

Buy Rage: Campaign Edition

Click to enlarge

CCP Games has posted a new developer blog detailing measures the company is taking to ensure the security of users accounts in the sci-fi MMO, EVE Online. The lengthy post focuses on the problem of email phishing scams and the steps CCP is taking to limit their impact.

This is the first in what will be an indeterminate number of blogs which will be focusing on our ongoing mission to keep your account information secure. I should mention that this particular blog is the vast majority of the security portion of the CSM meeting, which was removed from the meeting minutes in favor of this blog. We also discussed some things forum goers may already be aware of such as the Gawker database hack and the issues we had a few months ago with some packet filtering devices at universities. I've decided to start with phishing because I think it's pretty lame. It's also rather prevalent because it essentially requires zero talent and if left alone can bury your inbox in garbage while the phisher harvests the odd account to convert to cash. As with any of our security efforts, whether it be account security or RMT, our focus will be on increasing the amount of effort required while reducing the profitability of the enterprise. As I've said in a previous blog your stuff has value and is, ipso facto, of value to lazy criminals.

EVE Online Blog: Phishing

CCP Games (add to watch list)

TransGaming (add to watch list)

EVE Online (add to watch list)

Click to enlarge

Frictional Games has published a new blog article featuring information about terrain rendering for an unnamed upcoming project. The blog details the difficulties involved in adding grass and other small vegetation to the terrain, and gives readers a glimpse behind the scenes of game development.

After a little break with updates on the rendering system, holidays and super secret stuff, I could finally get back to terrain rendering this week. This meant work on the final big part of the terrain system: Undergrowth. This is basically grass and any kind of small vegetation close to the ground.

As always, I started out doing a ton of research on the subject to at least have a chance of making proper decisions at the start. The problem with undergrowth/grass is that while I could find a lot of resources, most were quite specific, describing techniques that only worked in special cases. This is quite common when doing technical stuff for games; while there are a lot of nice information, only a very small part is usable in an actual game. This is especially true when dealing with any larger system (like terrain) and not just some localized special effect. In these cases reports from other developers are by far best, and writing these blog posts is partly a way to pay back what I have learned from other people's work.

Frictional Blog: Tech Feature - Undergrowth

Frictional Games (add to watch list)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (add to watch list)

Buy Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Worthplaying has posted a collection of new screenshots from Valve Software's upcoming first person action puzzler, Portal 2. The sequel is due to launch on Mac, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows later this year.

Portal 2 will see players introduced to a host of fresh puzzles, devious new test chambers in never-before-seen areas of Aperture Science Labs and be reunited with GLaDOS, the occasionally murderous computer companion from the original Portal.

Features single and multiplayer co-op modes. The single-player portion of Portal 2 introduces a cast of dynamic new characters, a host of fresh puzzle elements, and a much larger set of devious test chambers. Players will explore never-before-seen areas of the Aperture Science Labs and be reunited with GLaDOS, the occasionally murderous computer companion who guided them through the original game. The game's two-player cooperative mode features its own entirely separate campaign with a unique story, test chambers, and two new player characters. This new mode forces players to reconsider everything they thought they knew about portals. Success will require them to not just act cooperatively, but to think cooperatively.

Worthplaying: Portal 2 Screens

Valve Software (add to watch list)

Portal 2 (add to watch list)

Search for other Mac games news stories or browse our Mac Games News Archive.