Tag: Online »

A new update just released for The Battle of Polytopia (formerly Super Tribes), which introduces online multiplayer. For all the fans of Midjiwan’s lite take on Civilization, this is certainly welcome news, but playing online isn’t as easy and straightforward as it could be. Luckily, we’ve gone ahead and figured out the best way to start hopping online and playing against people. Check out the tips below:

Pay to play

Although The Battle of Polytopia is a free-to-play game, you can only unlock access to the game’s multiplayer mode if you’ve made at least one purchase in the game. If you’re not sure if you want to shell out just to play online, no problem! You can test out The Battle of Polytopia as much as you want offline for free before deciding whether you want to dive into an online competition or not.

Funcom's upcoming Lego Minifigures Online that we told you about at the beginning of this month was demoed extensively at GDC 2014, focusing in particular on the previously yet-to-be-seen Pirate World.

The game is going to feature a large number of playable characters, this time being the standard Lego Minifigures rather than the licensed famous characters seen is many of Lego's other games. The ability to unlock different characters and use them to play through the countless adventure maps and battle bosses is definitely the main allure to this game; each character has its own set of special abilities for you to play with.

The game is planned to be available as a public beta sometime this summer and is going to see a release this "fall." As for pricing, Lego Minifigures Online is going to be free-to-play, but there will almost certainly be in-app purchases to more quickly unlock those bags of characters. While you wait, be sure to check out the previously-unreleased screenshots of the game's Pirate World below.

Today 5th Planet Games is taking down their rather cool iOS MMO, Legacy of a Thousand Suns, and replacing it with... Legacy of a Thousand Suns??

Indeed, the developer is pushing out the old version of their game for a new one (an entirely new download, not an update) that supports cross-platform play. So now users will be able to enjoy their space adventures at home on Facebook or on the go through their iPhone! The catch is that player data from the original iOS version will, regrettably, be lost in the transition. It's an unfortunate problem, but 5th Planet hopes to lessen the sting a bit by offering a special Starter Pack - which includes a fair amount of new gear and consumables - to all players who install the game within the first 30 days.

Those out there who are familiar with Apple's movements around this time of year will know that we're just a few days out from Apple's annual one-day only Black Friday shopping event. Set to kick-off this Friday, November 29, the day will mark one of the only times in the year that Apple offers significant discounts on its many hardware products - both online and through its physical retail stores.

While specifics on what hardware we might expect to be discounted come this Friday are still a little sketchy, we can take a quick look at the company's Black Friday events held in previous years for clues as to what type of discounts shoppers should expect to see emerge towards the end of this week.

Last year for example, we saw the firm drop its iPad with Retina Display by a cool $41. Meanwhile, the iPod touch 4th Generation was slashed by $21, the iPad 2 saw an average drop of $31, and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display was available for $101 less than its usual retail price.

[image credit: MacRumors]

As significant as some of the above discounts may sound though, Apple is almost always beaten in its online holiday discounts by third-party vendors. One of those third-party vendors is Target, who will be offering shoppers a free $75 gift card with any purchase of Apple's iPad mini ($279), and the chance to bag themselves a free $100 gift card with the purchase of any iPad, (including the iPad 2 - which starts at $399), when doors finally open this Thursday. The retailer will also be offering $30 gift cards for those who purchase the iPhone 5S (staring at $180) with a 2 year contract.

Retailer Walmart will be running a similar promotion, seeing all shoppers receive a free $75 gift card with the purchase of either an iPhone 5C ($45, with a 2 year contract) or iPhone 5S ($189, with a 2 year contract). Meanwhile, if you opt to buy Apple's original iPad mini (without “Retina” display), you could even grab yourself a free $100 gift card.

The last of the biggest retailers - Best Buy - will be offering Apple's iPhone 5C for the lowest upfront cost we've been able to find at just $48 (a $51.99 savings). The firm will also be slashing the cost of Apple's just-launched 16 GB iPad Air to $450, providing a super-neat saving of $50.

Other smaller retailers, such as RadioShack, will open their doors at 8AM. The purchase of Apple's iPhone 5S, (starting at $200 with a 2 year contract), will see you receive a free $50 gift card, while opting for the iPhone 5C - (starting at $50 with a 2 year contract) - will also see you receive a free $50 gift card. Pick up an Apple TV for $100 on your way and you'll get a free $20 gift card. Plus, those looking for some extra in-store credit to spend on even more Black Friday deals will probably appreciate the chance to bag a $10 RadioShack gift card with the purchase of any $50 iTunes Card. Those looking for some added protection to add to their iOS devices might also be pleased to hear that RadioShack will be offering 30% off all Zagg Screen Protectors, and a further 10% off all Otterbox cases.

Sam's Club will be opening its doors for black Friday super-early, this year. 7 AM to be exact. If you get down there quick though, you might just be able to bag yourself a few $100 iTunes Cards for $79.88 each.

The lowest prices for iOS devices available for Black Friday 2013 are listed below.