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[6/16/13] - HF News - Printable Version

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[6/16/13] - HF News - Oak - Jun 17, 2013

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The edition you are currently reading is the 147th full edition. To read any older editions of HF News, please go here.

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Gaming Group Legacy Changes
Gaming group Legacy has announced they will be changing into "The Lannisters", which is named after the Game of Thrones show. The short description on the official thread for now reads, "A Lannister always pays his debts." By that this may be a marketing group, but we'll just have to wait and see. The group leaders are Vinnie', Apple J4ck., and Stay Plural.

ShareCash Filter Lifted
Omniscient has unfiltered the often-dodged filter of ShareCash. You're now able to use the word "ShareCash" without having to modify it as many once did, often naming it "ShitCash," "$hareCash," or "Sh@reCash." This should help people with discussion revolving around PPD, as ShareCash, although disliked by many, is a valid and reputable location for PPD use.

Official Group Legion is Recruiting
Official group Legion, founded by Αnonymous, is now recruiting. If you think you might be interested in joining the group, you can go to the recruitment thread by clicking here.

Four Members Chosen for Saged's Mentoring Program
As some of you may have already seen, Saged has started a mentoring program last week, which received a lot of attention. For those who don't understand, this isn't for the official Mentor group; this is just a personal mentoring program for Saged to lead. These are the members who Saged picked for the first round: MuzzyHF, Vitafortis, Peter L, and Froggy. You may read the official thread by clicking here.

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User News
Soulmate reached 20,000 posts.
[ M ], Darkwin & Odd Future reached 1,000 reputation.

Repfucks
  • мr. X was repfucked for Ban Evasion. This is now the largest repfuck in Hack Forums history thus far at 3300+ reputation gone.
  • CopperCab””” was repfucked.
  • Lαvαη was repfucked for Ban Evading.
  • #Skyline was repfucked for Harassing Members.
  • Frohe was repfucked for "Harassing Members and Attempting to get them Rep Fucked"

Bans
Awards
  • Tᴇɴᴀxɪᴜᴍ donated for the Rich Bitch award.
  • Corso was awarded the White Hat Helper with the reason: "You're a big help to many members."
  • Bullet. requested that his Militant and Youtube awards be removed.
  • Tᴇɴᴀxɪᴜᴍ donated for the Brony award.

Group Leadership Changes
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Recruitment Thread - Legion Recruitment | Official Group Recruitment - Αnonymous - The official Hackforums usergroup Legion has opened its doors for recruitment.
Lounge Thread - Great idea or terrible idea? <Hitch hiking to visit HF members> - Bandors - It's not too often that a Hackforums member is willing to travel to visit other members, so wish Bandors the best of luck while he plans his trip.
 

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Interview - Kray (Click to View)

Interview - 1n9i9c7om ツ
(Click to View)

* - Oak - Jun 17, 2013

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Xbox Exclusive Games Shown @ E3
So far, eight Xbox exclusives have been announced with 36 cross-platform titles. Below is a list of Xbox Exclusive Games.
- Dead Rising 3
- Forza Motorsport 5
- Halo
- Killer Instinct
- Minecraft: Xbox ONE Edition
- Quantum Break
- Ryse: Son of Rome
- Sunset Overdrive
You can view the full list of announced games here; (link)

New Xbox 360 Model Revealed, Free Games
Microsoft announced a new model of the Xbox 360. It is smaller, quieter and sleeker than previous models. The new model is now available in the United States, UK, Canada and Australia. The 4GB model will be $199.99 while the 250GB model will price at $299.99. Along with this announcement, Microsoft said Xbox LIVE Gold Members will receive two free games per month. Fable 3 was recently made free on Xbox LIVE, with Halo 3 and Assassins Creed 2 becoming free sometime in July. Microsoft also announced that hundreds of games are still on the way for the Xbox 360.

Project Spark Announced
Microsoft announced Project Spark, a new sandbox title for Xbox ONE and Windows 8. Project Spark allows anything to be created in-game, from environments, to characters and enemies. You can even create while playing. Creation can be assisted by Kinect or even Xbox SmartGlass, though it's not required. In the Project Spark demo during the Microsoft Media Briefing, it shows one player fighting against enemies, while the other is creating the environment to benefit the first player. It's a very new experience coming to Xbox ONE and Windows 8, however a release date has not been announced. 

Xbox SmartGlass and Xbox LIVE
It's clear that Xbox LIVE is a very good online service, but it gets even better! Xbox SmartGlass is natively built into Xbox ONE, allowing for more features and benefits. You can also view instant, realtime stat comparisons on Xbox SmartGlass. Microsoft also said that there are now 300,000 Xbox LIVE servers, which is a massive increase from 15,00 previously. 

Xbox ONE DVR, Upload Studio and Twitch
Xbox ONE will have an in-built DVR that allows gamers to record gameplay. The DVR will also be used for achievements, where you can see what you did to get a certain achievement and more. "Upload Studio" is a new feature where gameplay is automatically recorded using the Xbox ONE DVR feature - you can also add voice clips, effects and more. Live streaming is veyr popular... so Microsoft announced a partnership with Twitch. The Twitch service is built into Xbox ONE and allows gamers to stream straight from your console... no other accessories required. Both video and voice is recorded.

No More Microsoft Points on Xbox ONE, Friends List Limit Increased
Microsoft are ruling out Microsoft Points and items will now be purchased using your local currency. You can now know exactly how much items are. During the Microsoft Press Conference, Marc Witton also confirmed that the friends list limit has been increased. However, Marc did not confirm the new limit, or if there is even a limit.

Xbox ONE Family Share Feature
At first, the used games policy was pretty shady. However, Microsoft said that you can nominate ten people to be your "family members", where you can share your games with them via Xbox LIVE. You won't need to give them disks, it's all down on Xbox LIVE. So you can give your "family" access to your shared games library for the to play whenever... as long as no one else is playing it at the same time. “I think the policy makes sense,” Spencer says to Penny-Arcade. “It’s not ten different people all playing the game concurrently, but when you think about a real usage scenario, and we thought about it around a family, and I know certain people will create a family group of people that aren’t all part of the same family, and I do think that’s an advantage, and people will use that. I saw it on NeoGAF instantly, the Xbox Family creation threads, where people said 'Hey be a part of my family.'"

Xbox ONE Launch Price
The Xbox ONE will launch in 21 countries. Xbox ONE is priced at $499 in the US and $599 in Australia. An exact release date hasn't been announced, however it will launch in November 2013 with multiple launch titles and a special Day 1 achievement.

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PlayStation Exclusive Games Shown @ E3
Five PS4 exclusives have been announced with 31 cross-platform titles. A number that is slightly lower than what Xbox announced at E3. Below is a list of PS Exclusive Games.
- Driveclub
- Infamous: Second Sun
- Killzone: Shadow Fall
- Knack
- The Order 1886
You can view the full list of announced games here; (link)

PlayStation Plus Required Online Play
Sony confirmed that gamers need to purchase PlayStation Plus to play games online. It's a system that has worked very well for Xbox, allowing Microsoft to provide better services and outbid for exclusives. Sony said that you can still play single player games without PS+, as well as use all media services. Current PS+ members will have their membership transfered over to the PS4. Sony announced that more Instant Game Collection titles will be available soon and include Don't Starve, Outlast, Secret Ponchos, and DriveClub PS Plus Edition. 

PS4 Region Free
The President of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida announced that the PS4 console will be region free. It was confirmed on twitter after the Sony Press Conference. A region free console allows gamers to  buy games from any region and play them on their console. Buying games from a different region is a very popular move, as you can buy games for much cheaper than in your own region. 

No Restrictions
Sony's press conference delivered many blows to Microsoft throughout the event. Sony made it clear that the PS4 will allow gamers to sell, trade and share PS4 games without restriction and that discs won't be checked by an online system. As an Xbox gamer, I thought their last blow was very funny. Sony introduced a video on how to share games with your friends. It showed how two people can share games in one step. It was a massive blow for Microsoft, however it was very funny.  

PS4 Launch Price
The biggest knockout blow to Microsoft, was the price. Sony announced their new console will launch for $399 in the US and $549 in Australia. The console launches in the US for $100 less than the Xbox ONE, and $50 less in Australia.

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Syria Denounces US' Chemical Weapons Claim
Syria has dismissed “a caravan of lies” that it, as a nation, ever used chemical weapons--after the United States said it would give the rebels “direct military aid.” President Obama made the decision after his administration concluded that Syrian forces had been using chemical weapons. However, Syria’s foreign ministry said the United States had used “fabricated information” on chemical weapons to justify the decision. In the two years of conflict, at least 93,000 people have been killed, said the United Nations on Thursday, at the current rate of 5,000 people per month. More than 1,700 children under the age of 10 have fallen throughout the battles, United Nations officials added.

Edward Snowden is “Banned from Flying to UK”
The UK Government has warned airlines to not allow an ex-CIA employee, who is responsible for leaking secret US surveillance details, to fly in to the UK. A letter with Home Office letterhead was reported being sent to a Thai airport telling carriers to stop Edward Snowden, 29, from boarding any flights. It said, “if this individual attempts to travel to the UK: Carriers should deny boarding.” The letter went on to warn airlines they may “be liable to costs relating to the individual’s detention and removal” if they are to allow him to travel. A charge for such a situation would be £2,000 ($3,130). All of this is only precautionary, as there is no suggestion that he has any intention to travel to the UK. Mr. Snowden’s actions have a divided opinion in the United States; some call him a hero and others are calling for him to be tried for treason.

Two People Killed by Colorado Springs Wildfire
The most destructive wildfire in the history of Colorado has killed two people. Their bodies were recovered from the Black Forest area, where the fire has destroyed nearly 380 homes since it started Tuesday. Approximately 39,000 people have left their homes amid what authorities describe as the "most destructive wildfire in the history of Colorado." The fire has burned 3,150 acres and was 40% contained on Friday. “I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined we’d be dealing a year later with a very similar circumstance.” Sheriff Maketa said.

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Google Loon Balloons!
Google's "Project Loon" is definitely something a little out of the ordinary. It's a plan they've had for a while that has finally come out to the public. Whether you think it's cool, loony or just outright stupid, you can't deny that it's awesome. Google is launching huge (15m/50ft in diameter!), super-pressure balloons into the edge of our atmosphere to provide internet down below. The majority of the world right now is without internet; this will help with communication, especially in times of natural disaster and will definitely help the world be more connected. 

Each balloon will last around 100 days and "orbit" the Earth in an easterly direction. Each balloon with internet connectivity to an area of 40km below. Google says speeds will be around the same as 3G, if not faster.

"The idea behind Loon was that it might be easier to tie the world together by using what it has in common - the skies - than the process of laying fibre and trying to put up cellphone infrastructure" said Richard DeVaul, Google chief technical architect.  

You can read more about this awesome project and track its progress here. What do you guys think of this project? A bit too "out there"? Or totally innovative? I, personally, think it's great seeing such a big company doing something not to maximise profits, but to actually bring the human race closer together and provide a huge aid when communication is critical.

Facebook and Twitter
Hashtags have been around for quite a while. Since the birth of Twitter, people have been hashtagging their lives; ironically or not. Facebook has now finally added support for them! They have said it will offer a "larger view of what's happening" - this would definitely help with ad sales, providing a sort of platform for "real time marketing". A missing feature finally added or just another way to boost revenue: what do you think?

Twitter has boasted about keeping its users' information private with all of this NSA/PRISMA stuff that's been happening, but they will now have to reveal the names of users posting racist tweets after after a court case dating back to October 2012. Anti-semitic comments were made and a French judge ruled that Twitter must hand over the requested data. "Twitter has not made any progress in regards to respecting our country's laws" said John Hayoun, president of UEJF (Union des étudiants juifs de France [Union of French Jewish students]).

Facebook Reveals Information on NSA Data Requests
Facebook has announced that they had received between 9000 to 10000 requests for user data from the NSA in the second half of 2012 alone. Multiple huge companies such as Google and Microsoft have allowed the US government direct access to sensitive user information under a data collection programme we've all heard of by now. PRISM. Is this an invasion of privacy? Maybe, but there are so many different arguments for and against it. Facebook said in a recent blog post, reassuring its users, that this is a tiny fraction of the company's huge userbase; under 1% of their 1.1 billion active users.

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Kanye West and Jay-Z Will Reunite as the Throne 'Eventually'
Jay-Z and Kanye West have recently started contacting each other again about putting out a second Throne album. The first Watch the Throne album dropped in 2011. As of now, Jay-Z has not released an album since four years ago when he recorded his last solo LP, The Blueprint 3. Mike Dean, the co-producer of their 2011 album, has confirmed that there will be a 'Watch The Throne 2' LP in the future.
Jay-Z stated late last year that a second release may come out at some point. Both rappers are currently working on their own albums, but when they're free they'll start collaborating with each other, and get started on the album.

Ariana Grande, Mac Miller 'Make Music All The Time'
For all the fans following the two, they would know that they have a small thing for each other. Although they are not dating, Ariana and Mac's affairs have recently brought them even closer together. The two are now talking about how they produce music together and how they sound lovely in harmony. The latest song the two made, The Way, is currently a hit for both Mac Miller and Ariana Grande fans. Mac constantly tells everyone how he has seen amazing women singers, but not as amazing as Ariana. He hinted that they might be releasing new songs sometime soon. He said, "So we did a bunch of records and we're gonna do more. Um... I don't know if they're gonna make it on this album or it's the next one or whatever it is, but we just make music all the time. That's my homey." The two definitely have some chemistry together considering how long they've been friends. Currently, "The Way" is the lead single off the "Sam & Cat" star's August album, Daydreamin'. There's even more to come from her, so fans are going to be anxious with 'The Way' she can win hearts!

Katy Perry Can't Choose Her Man
Katy Perry is currently having a "tough"  time choosing the man she wants to be with. She's having an on-and-off relationship with male singer, John Mayer and has also had a thing for Robert Pattinson after he broke up with Kristen Stewart a few months ago. Out of the two, she has had a stronger bond with Robert than anyone else; this includes John Mayer. As of now, she's falling for Rob, but John's got the chemistry that is keeping their friendship together and them keeping it strong between the two. Katy and John dated last summer.  They broke up not too long ago, March of this year, to be exact. Overtime, they broke up because Katy felt like John didn't give her enough attention. He was constantly checking out someone else, and she didn't like that. She's caught up with two men right now, and her career will pay the price if she chooses the wrong man. A source stated that "She still feels she's got great chemistry with John, he has been over to her house twice in the past week. She has broken up with him numerous times in the past because he refuses to commit and stop seeing other girls, but, then a few weeks later, she ends up back in his arms - she says it's because they have this crazy connection."

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This is basically my own little corner to type up my thoughts and some standpoints on different topics.
I would like to take this moment to personally thank Retribute for the multitudes of the work he puts into the HF News. Being our proofreader, few mistakes pass his glance and far too many are fixed. He single-handedly revises the entire edition each week, and does so without fail. Much love and respect to this wonderful man, as the HF News relies on his dedication each and every edition. I cannot put enough meaning behind these words, to fully show my feelings for this guy. Thank you, Retribute.

** - Oak - Jun 17, 2013

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"How was your Goodwill Monday? What did you do?"

"My Goodwill Monday wasn't so relaxing. I woke up and got on HF.
I saw the thread and participated in a giveaway for Goodwill Monday.
A good start. I then repped a few HQ members I felt were deserving.
By now it was like noon. I ate some lunch and played a little Xbox, all
while browsing HF. At about 2:30, I got a call from a buddy of mine
asking me to umpire two little league baseball games later that night.
They started at 5:30 so I had to rush into the shower and to the
Goodwill store to get some cheap umpire colored slacks. I can home
to pick up my brother who was playing in those games and got to
working. It wasn't that bad. When I got done, I was paid $70 and
then I went home and died on my bed."
-H²O™

"Good will Monday was rather exiting. I bought pizza for
a few members and I gave out jolly reps to members who were doing
good. Overall the day went rather well, it was great seeing everyone
on HF stopping the general bickering for a day to be able to all happily
hold hands. Even though it was only one day, it was my first good will
Monday and I will always remember it."
-Bandors

"Well what i did was, I woke up and just went on HF for a little while
to see what is going on.. Then i went out for lunch with a few friends
and then i went home and went on HF again and gave out a few reps
because it was good will Monday after posting and watching a few The
Simpsons episodes... I decide to snuggle with Vitani for a little while.
(She is my 9 foot inflatable lioness) after that... I went on HF some
more and checked out a few other sites in the process and then i went
to bed to watch TV and to snuggle with Vitani again and for the spirit
of Good Will Monday... I fucked Vitani... Then went to sleep while
snuggling with her and that is pretty much what i did. ;3"
-N-o-r-d

"On Monday, I actually woke up and browsed HF. I
saw some threads about 'Goodwill Monday', and was like "Mom! lolol,
Apparently HF supports Goodwill"? She was like "That reminds me, you
need new shorts." So, from me reading and telling me mom that, the
day ended up being a stupid shopping day where we went from store
to store. I had a horrible Goodwill Monday, but at least I got some
clothes."
-WaterSpice

The topic for next week is "What is your opinion of the latest E3 and the releases it featured?"

To send in your entries for the next edition, PM Sir.


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HF News Team

* - CyberneticTitan - Jun 17, 2013

Aw yusss. Another wonderful release!

* - Goodies - Jun 17, 2013

Why am I not in the repfucked section :( I had over 500 rep :/

* - SudoFox - Jun 17, 2013

What another wonderful news post. Thanks sir! 🤝

* - Tonight - Jun 17, 2013

Really great edition with all the gaming updates.
Good work.

* - SoldierX - Jun 17, 2013

I can guarantee that this time HF news graphics are by Mr.Bad Meets evil. 😉

Anyways great edition.

#Removed my 100th post ;(

* - Vitani's Mate - Jun 17, 2013

Thanks for the new bro. xD
Gonna read it now.

* - Baghead - Jun 18, 2013

Sick headers BME. Great job news team, and nice job Mark on your hefty article.

* - tr0nix - Jun 18, 2013

Graphics for this edition were outstanding.
Another great edition, thanks Sir.

* - m0n0p0ly - Jun 18, 2013

Looks like a solid edition.
No complaints.

* - Bassin - Jun 18, 2013

Got in the interviews for the first time! Hell yea! And fix that typo under Xbox ONE DVR, Upload Studio and Twitch. Great issue!

* - Tando - Jun 18, 2013

These news submissions are so exciting, there's always at least one fascinating repfuck or site amendment. I applaud every one of you for devoting yourselves week after week to writing up good content, such convenience.

* - Living. - Jun 18, 2013

Great edition, Cant wait for more. Thanks for the read.