iTunes – MMO Fallout

Rift has been at the top of my security hitlist for a couple weeks now, ever since Trion announced the release of Coin Lock, a security feature that, by their own admission, did little to improve security. Rather, in my own suggestions, I have always praised the mobile authenticators, noting that although they are not foolproof, they subscribe to the most pressing issue in account security: distancing the account from the computer, and when dealing with account theft, nothing accessible through the computer should be used. This means nothing sent to emails, dynamic codes, and more.

The Rift authenticator has been available on the Android devices for a while now, with promise that the app would come to iTunes in some fashion. Today, Trion announced that the security app is now available. The Rift Authenticator goes for a whole $0.00 (USD) and works on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, and requires OS 3.0 or higher to install.

The authenticator is easy to set up. Simply install it, head over to riftgame.com, log in, enter the authenticator code you are given, and voila. You are required to answer a secret question to add the authenticator, which will hopefully work to stop account theives from adding their own authenticator to an unprotected account (as was an issue with World of Warcraft).

As for the app itself, you are given a handy meter showing how much time is left before the code is no longer useful. The code changes every 30 seconds, and is 8 numbers long.

Posted from my iPad. For the sake of not-very-funny humor.

screenshot_3_main — Mmm so two dimensional

Undercroft is not a new game, by any means. In fact, it was developed and sold through the Apple store for Ipod/Iphone/Ipad up until last month, for a few bucks. Rake In Grass, the developer, sold the game and IP to another game studio, and I’ll give you one guess as to which studio bought it up (psst. Look at the title.) The app was pulled from the app store and re-released yesterday (the 16th) under Jagex’s branding, completely for free. Considering Undercroft weighs in at 18mb, the game is touted as holding over 20 hours of gameplay, 60 enemies, and over 750 items.

The game plays out like the old faux-3D games many of us used to play before you kids and your true-3D experiences. Players create a party of four adventurers who wake up in a jail only to find that they got drunk the previous night and chased a local peasant woman’s chickens all over town, and you will not be allowed to leave town until you find all of them. Everything is done from first person, and the game plays pretty differently depending on which abilities you choose.

For example, one of my party members is an old woman, who happens to be a priest. I gave her the spells heal and indulgence, the latter of which is an interesting spell because it persuades NPCs that they are sinners, and must pay as a penance. So I approached the woman whose chickens I had potentially killed in a drunken stupor, and made her pay me for her sins. Then I found all the chickens, obtained the reward, and made her pay me again. Afterward, I forced the guard who wouldn’t let me leave town to pay me for his sins.

Hopefully Jagex is working on a sequel/expansion, but until then Undercroft is available 100% free, no charges at all (except the cost of an iPod/iPad).

This game is literally foaming over with nostalgia. If you have an iTouch/ipod/iPad, you should check out this app. But don’t take my word for it, check out the trolls on the iTunes reviews!