Back again, it's time to go through the top full-length features of the past week on big sister site Gamasutra, in both feature and news form, plus some GameCareerGuide features du jour.

Even outside our GDC Austin write-ups (not included here), lots of neat pieces debuted on Gama and GCG last week, including some behind the scenes discussions on getting ahead in the game biz, interviews and articles about Dungeons & Dragons and Diablo III, and more besides.

Here's the highlights for the week:

The Road to Diablo III
"Developer Blizzard Entertainment is known for its relentlessly iterative process, which is what leads to the infamous "when it's done" release mentality, and Diablo III is no exception. Gamasutra talks to Blizzard's Julian Love and Kevin Martens about progress and design specifics on the much-awaited game."

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Switching Gears by Allen Rausch
"Changing biz models on a live game is like switching a moving car from gas to electric -- Turbine shares what it learned from taking Dungeons & Dragons Online free."

Gaming the System: How to Really Get Ahead in the Game Industry
"In this article, originally published in Game Developer magazine, pseudonymous developers of all levels share their honest, sometimes cutting thoughts on what it takes to truly succeed in each game industry discipline."

Sponsored Feature: Scaling Ambient Animations for Improved Game Experience
"In this Intel-sponsored feature, part of the Visual Computing microsite, an Intel duo introduce Horsepower, a demonstration of enhanced, multi-CPU specific ambient animation -- with full, redistributible source code included."

Gamescape: A Look at Development in North America's Cities
"Games have undergone a Cambrian explosion of growth and diversification, and Gamasutra takes a look at the various talent pools that have collected across North America -- including Boston, Seattle, Toronto, the Bay Area, Raleigh, and Vancouver -- and discover the exotic life forms that have taken root."

NPD: Behind the Numbers, August 2009
"Gamasutra's latest analysis of NPD's U.S. console retail figures examines hardware prices and key software prospects -- and explains how the industry will likely miss $20 billion in revenue for the year."

In-Depth: The Most Popular Gamer On Facebook
"The draw of socially-networked games is playing with folks you know -- but meet gamer A-ya Chiu, who's had up to 4,500 Facebook friends just to maximize her Pet Society stats, for a look at how it can take over."

Interview: Paradox CEO Wester On Victoria 2's Head-Shaving Profitability Bet
"Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester doesn't think his studio's next game, Victoria 2, will be profitable -- and he's pledged to shave his head if it is. Gamasutra talks to Wester about the bet, the game, and his strategy."

Winning: A Guide to Finding Game Competitions for Independent Developers and Students
"Educator Lindsay Grace takes a look at the competitions students can enter with their games, offering advice on which are good choices and how you can ensure that it's worth your time to make the entry."

Game Narrative Review: Fable II
"We present a comprehensive look at the story of Lionhead's popular and compelling choice-based RPG, taking in characters, situations, and the structure of the narrative itself."