| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Appholes | ||||
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Appholes!
I know it's not gaming but it had to be said!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Blizzard killing 25 man raids in Cataclysm!
I run a 25 man raid guild on an Oceanic server. We have to have 3-4 sub ins due to lag issues and other things, like the fact that some fights need 2 tanks and others need 3. If Blizzard run with the idea posted in the forums on 27 April (and re-posted below), I can see it killing our 25 man raids.
I like the 10 vs 25 man loot but this new idea has problems. For example if we have the same lockout for 10 and 25 man and we want to work on a new 3 boss encounter, on the first night if we don’t have 25 online we can go and do 10 man raids instead but the 2nd night if we do have 25 online but we saved to 10 on that first night, 5 people would have to sit out while 20 get to be in 10 man teams! It's no good the other way around either. If we start with 25 on the first night and then don't have 25 on the 2nd night ... more problems. Even if you have the same raid ID for 10 / 25 man you will still have the problem of having to sit out up to 14 players if you are 1 player short. Ridiculous!
Having 10 / 25 on separate lockouts gives us something to do on off nights on our main toons. Some people do not like having to tank if their main is a healer or dps. This will either force people to have multiple alts and not give them the options they currently have for their main characters.
Separate lockouts gives us more content for no extra effort from the devs. As it is now we have raid content for 3 nights of the week only, that’s with 25 on 2 nights and a 10 man on 1, leaving 4 nights of dancing in Dalaran, looking for something to do on your main.
Separate lockouts gives us more content for no extra effort from the devs. As it is now we have raid content for 3 nights of the week only, that’s with 25 on 2 nights and a 10 man on 1, leaving 4 nights of dancing in Dalaran, looking for something to do on your main.
We're continuing to refine the raid progression paths in Cataclysm, and we'd like to share some of those changes with you today. Please enjoy!
The first of the refinements being made is that we're combining all raid sizes and difficulties into a single lockout. Unlike today, 10- and 25-player modes of a single raid will share the same lockout. You can defeat each raid boss once per week per character. In other words, if you wanted to do both a 10- and 25-person raid in a single week, you’d need to do so on two different characters. Normal versus Heroic mode will be chosen on a per-boss basis in Cataclysm raids, the same way it works in Icecrown Citadel. Obviously the raid lockout change doesn't apply in pure Icecrown terms though, as this change goes hand-in-hand with a few other changes to raid progression in Cataclysm.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Depressed gamers everywhere - get over yourselves!
Over the last couple of weeks I have noticed, as I've read over the blogs in our RSS feeds, that a lot of people seem to be bored with WoW, or have complaints about things that Blizzard are doing. Even the podcasters are literally depressing to listen to!
"it sucks to pug" ... "nobody is friendly in raids" ... "everyone must min/max and it's no fun" ... "the game is too easy" ... "that mount should not be for sale" ... "vote with your wallet, don't support Blizzard"
Frankly, I am absolutely sick of it! Of the complaining ... not the game. These kids complaining about their pugs and raids need to get off their fat arses and do something else if they're not having fun! If you don't like the group you're raiding with ... find a new one! Don't like that mount that Blizzard is selling, well, you don't need to frakin buy it! No one is holding a gun to your head!
For me, the guild I run has a blast raiding. Quite often we've literally had to take a five minute break due to too many people being in fits of laughter. Sure, we're not the best raiding guild on the server, but we don't care. None of us ever need to worry about pugging 5-mans because we do it in groups together. People just expect entertainment, friends and fun to be handed to them on a silver platter. You have to find it and help make the game fun. If your GM is a dick wad, start your own guild ... set a laughter rule ... kick the qqing elitist jerks out and get back to what this game is all about ... having fun. And if it's not fun, don't blog about it, just walk away!
"it sucks to pug" ... "nobody is friendly in raids" ... "everyone must min/max and it's no fun" ... "the game is too easy" ... "that mount should not be for sale" ... "vote with your wallet, don't support Blizzard"
Frankly, I am absolutely sick of it! Of the complaining ... not the game. These kids complaining about their pugs and raids need to get off their fat arses and do something else if they're not having fun! If you don't like the group you're raiding with ... find a new one! Don't like that mount that Blizzard is selling, well, you don't need to frakin buy it! No one is holding a gun to your head!
For me, the guild I run has a blast raiding. Quite often we've literally had to take a five minute break due to too many people being in fits of laughter. Sure, we're not the best raiding guild on the server, but we don't care. None of us ever need to worry about pugging 5-mans because we do it in groups together. People just expect entertainment, friends and fun to be handed to them on a silver platter. You have to find it and help make the game fun. If your GM is a dick wad, start your own guild ... set a laughter rule ... kick the qqing elitist jerks out and get back to what this game is all about ... having fun. And if it's not fun, don't blog about it, just walk away!
Monday, April 19, 2010
How not to apply to a guild!
OlgariusRulezAll — April 07, 2010 — This is my application for the best guild in Durotan-US. I play the hardest class in WoW. My rotation consists of 17 buttons non macro'd, including mongoose bite. Pal Talk me at: OlgariusRulezAll6767.
Friday, April 16, 2010
150 active WoW blogs and counting!
Just added some new WoW feeds to Gaming Face. We are up to about 150 active WoW blogs. The feed is updated about every 15 minutes, so for the latest news in the WoW blogosphere, check out wow.gamingface.net or click the GF WoW Feed up the top. If you run a WoW or MMO blog and we're not linking you, please let us know.
Come in Spinner! Celestial Steed Mount
Blizzard just added 2 new items to the pet store The Blizzard Pet Store has just been updated with a couple of fun new choices that you can get for your characters. Continuing in the theme of cute, miniaturized bosses, we have Lil' XT, and the Celestial Steed is the first-ever mount to be available through the service. Of course, the Pandaren Monk, Lil' KT, and the Wind Rider Cub and Gryphon Hatchling plushies are still available there as well.
Head over to the Pet Store to see what's available.
At the time of posting I was in Position 80368 and have to wait over 5 hours! So let's look at that for a sec 80,000 x $25 = $2,000,000 in sales in line at this time!
For all you non WoW players this is a digital ingame item, it’s a flying horse for your Avatar to fly around on.
Yes it’s a sexy mount but wow ... someone a Blizzard is getting a pat on the back right now!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Supreme Commander 2 - the Prequel in Design
I have no doubt that Supreme Commander 1 was one of the best RTS games of the last five years ... sorry, not was but still is. The expansion for it, Forged Alliance added the extra features to the game that gave it a new life. So, I was quite excited when I saw that Supreme Commander II was being launched this month. To top it off, Steam even put it on special for the pre-orders. What a bargain! But after a really dodgy product launch, the reality hit ... this was in no way shape or form a Supreme Commander 2. It's a sequel only in story but not in maps, gameplay, graphics or anything else. As I played the first missions I was baffled as to why the graphics were not as good as in Supreme Commander 1. Jumping into skirmishes, I discovered that the maps were not even a quarter of the size of those in number 1, or the expansion. None of the maps require any type of naval units either. The maps included with the game are designed in a way where you can't do anything physically practical with the ships or the ocean. There are no island maps (etc).
So, what would drive a developer to release a game that's not as good as its prequel? Why would you dumb down a game? Take out features? The answer of course is ... console. Supreme Commander II was designed for console gamers. It was dumbed down so that it will run on the Xbox. I am not dissapointed that they made a console version of this game but I am dissapointed that they tried to release this as a sequel on PC. Give me this new story line on the old engine and allow me to use all the maps from the first game and the add-on. Give me back all of the glorious graphics that made Supreme Commander 1 a truly brilliant game. If I was able to return this game, I wouldn't think twice about doing so. Unfortunately, Steam doesn't allow for refunds. I guess that's why they had it on special for pre-orders. Once the word got out about how crap with game is on PC, no one will want it. But hey ... If you're looking for an RTS game on a Xbox, this game could be fun ... but it's only a shadow of what number 1 was on the PC.
So, what would drive a developer to release a game that's not as good as its prequel? Why would you dumb down a game? Take out features? The answer of course is ... console. Supreme Commander II was designed for console gamers. It was dumbed down so that it will run on the Xbox. I am not dissapointed that they made a console version of this game but I am dissapointed that they tried to release this as a sequel on PC. Give me this new story line on the old engine and allow me to use all the maps from the first game and the add-on. Give me back all of the glorious graphics that made Supreme Commander 1 a truly brilliant game. If I was able to return this game, I wouldn't think twice about doing so. Unfortunately, Steam doesn't allow for refunds. I guess that's why they had it on special for pre-orders. Once the word got out about how crap with game is on PC, no one will want it. But hey ... If you're looking for an RTS game on a Xbox, this game could be fun ... but it's only a shadow of what number 1 was on the PC.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
StarCraft(r) II: Wings of Liberty(TM) Beta Test Invitation!
Yep thats right they are out and I just got it in the mail!
Congratulations, this is your invitation to the beta test for Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™! You are receiving this email because you attended a special Blizzard Entertainment event, participated in a related contest or promotion, or have otherwise been selected to join the beta-testing process. This email contains your beta key along with instructions on how to get started.
As a beta test participant, you’ll have the opportunity to experience the multiplayer gameplay of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and explore the social-networking, matchmaking, and other new features of Blizzard Entertainment’s revamped Battle.net® online-gaming service. Throughout the StarCraft II beta test, you’ll be able to take part in cooperative and competitive battles as the terrans, protoss, and zerg -- and at the same time, you’ll be helping test the stability of the Battle.net service and fine-tune the game balance prior to launch. The developers look forward to hearing your feedback and seeing you on Battle.net!
I'm off to PLAY!!! will report back soon!
Congratulations, this is your invitation to the beta test for Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™! You are receiving this email because you attended a special Blizzard Entertainment event, participated in a related contest or promotion, or have otherwise been selected to join the beta-testing process. This email contains your beta key along with instructions on how to get started.
As a beta test participant, you’ll have the opportunity to experience the multiplayer gameplay of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and explore the social-networking, matchmaking, and other new features of Blizzard Entertainment’s revamped Battle.net® online-gaming service. Throughout the StarCraft II beta test, you’ll be able to take part in cooperative and competitive battles as the terrans, protoss, and zerg -- and at the same time, you’ll be helping test the stability of the Battle.net service and fine-tune the game balance prior to launch. The developers look forward to hearing your feedback and seeing you on Battle.net!
I'm off to PLAY!!! will report back soon!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Make-A-Wish Foundation Receives $1.1 million donation from Blizzard Entertainment
February 17, 2010 08:30 AM Eastern Time
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® Receives $1.1 Million Donation from Blizzard Entertainment
Contribution to Help Grant the Wishes of Children with Life-Threatening Medical Conditions Around the World
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Make-A-Wish Foundation today announced a $1.1 million donation from Blizzard Entertainment, a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software. The donation is based on 50 percent of the total sales during November and December 2009 of a special in-game pet, the Pandaren Monk, for Blizzard's award-winning, massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft®.
“This generosity is helping us bring hope, strength and joy to children when they – and their families – are facing an unimaginably difficult time in their young lives.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 16, Blizzard made the presentation during a special ceremony at the company's headquarters in Irvine, Calif. Blizzard invited 15 wish children who are also gaming enthusiasts and their families to enjoy an exclusive learning experience with the World of Warcraft development team, including an inside look at how the game is created.
“We've had a long relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and we're proud to support the priceless work they do for children,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This donation also reflects the spirit and generosity of our players – their enthusiasm for World of Warcraft and for supporting a good cause made this possible.”
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The World of Warcraft Lich King Figure by DC Direct - UGO.com
What you see here is the first image of the Lich King figure for the World of Warcraft collectibles line by DC Direct. read on : The World of Warcraft Lich King Figure by DC Direct - UGO.com
Global Agenda just took a headshot form Kyle Bennett
I had a bit of a look some weeks ago at Global Agenda, a new MMO from Hi-Rez Studios. Too be honest, the first thing I thought was that it looked a lot like Tabula Rasa ... and that was enough to keep me away. I have no idea why some developers beat a dead horse. How many times do you need to see Si-Fi FPS style MMOs fail?
But to see developers take on a failed idea and then let bad community managers or developers say stupid things to its community, amazes me. I get how hard it is developing a game but if you have no fracking idea what you’re talking about, don’t talk to your community!
Kyle Bennett, the owner of the hugely popular hardcore PC hardware review site, HardOcp.com said:
“What has me a bit riled up is that Hi-Rez Studios is locking out the users of Eyefinity,TripleHead2Go, and SoftTH from enjoying their hard earned computer hardware when it comes to playing Global Agenda.”
Read on and see why it’s dumb to piss off your community!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
What to do, where to go in SWG
When I logged in, I found most of my houses in the game had been packed up. This was a feature Sony introduced a while ago to clean up some of the abandoned houses throughout the Galaxy. Unfortunately, for players coming back, this means that the first hours of their gameplay involves unpacking houses and sorting out where all of their stuff is. For me, this took about 2-3 hours of gameplay.
While I was unpacking my house I got whispers from old guild members and got invited back into my old guild that I had founded five years ago. The current guild leader gave me some gameplay hints and told me what I needed to do for the new content in the game.
The new heroic dungeons that were introduced in a recent patch involve simple quest lines to give access to these instances. Apparently there are five heroic instances in total and the guys in the guild told me about the improvements you can make to your character. But after showing them what I had, so far as geared was concerned, we discovered that there wasn’t much I would need to be competitive. So after three years, SOE have managed to provide little to no improvement to characters, apart from their appearance. It really seems like SWG is more like a World Sim than an Epic heroic adventure. It’s more about setting up houses, cities and communities than epic battles against epic villains.
For me, the first time around, I loved it and levelling my characters was enthralling. The first time you discover new worlds were good times ... exciting adventures. But when you get asked to go to the same place to do similar quests over and over again, it gets boring real fast. There are only so many times you can be expected to kill the same NPCs for a loot item.
Good luck Sony. I don’t think I’ll be hanging around – but thanks for the free re-trial!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
WoW Lady Deathwhisper 25 man raid guide by Gamingface.com
Another WoW ICC 25 man raid guide from us here at gaming face.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Raiding etiquette
You know, I don't ask a lot from my raiders.know the strats of the bosses we are fighting ... come prepared with flasks, food, what ever else you might need during the raid and listen to the raid leader. It really annoys me when you spend two and a half hours for a couple of nights trying to progress through a new boss and it becomes extremely obvious when someone asks a really stupid question, that they haven't read a strategy. These people think it doesn't become obvious about who does and does not know the fights and who does and who does not lie when they get asked if they have read the strategy and watched the video guides. I would have asked maybe four or five times over the last week if everyone had read the guides and watched the videos. When you get no reply you just presume everyone has done the minimum expected research. What these people don't realise is that all the raid leaders notice when people ask obvious questions that are explained in every guide - that they have not read the strategy and then have not done their research and they have lied to the raid. These people then wonder why they get put on standby for future raids. My advice to any raider is to be honest. If you've read the strategy but don't quite understand it, ask questions. If you have read the strategy and it was four weeks ago and you've forgotten exactly how it goes, ask for a re-cap. If you have not read it at all, don't try and wing your way through, ask to have the fight explained or ask for time to go and read the strat. Attempting to wing it through will only get you caught eventually. Although it might not matter too much in pugs, in the guild scenariojavascript:void(0), it's definitely going to piss people off.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The MMO report!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Mangros ICC Raid Boss fight quick links!
Lord Marrowgar - First boss in ICC Lower Spire
Wowwiki: http://www.wowwiki.com/Lord_Marrowgar
Wowhead: http://www.wowhead.com/?npc=36612
Tankspot: http://www.tankspot.com/forums/f206/59646-icecrown-lord-marrowgar.html
Gamingface: http://www.gamingface.com/2010/01/wow-25-man-icc-raid-lord-marrowgar.html
A dodge-the-flame, omgkillthestuneffectbeforeitkillsme, whirlwind fight. Be prepared with macros for instant target switching.
Lady Deathwhisper - 2nd Boss in ICC Lower Spire
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wow armory update and 3d model Viewer
looks like Blizzard have been working hard giving the armory new fetchers Flash 3d model of your toon on your blog anyone? want to show off your new gear?
3D Model Viewer
Every character profile now has a 3D model viewer that displays the character in his or her currently equipped gear, and accurately displays the character's physical features, hairstyle, and helm/cloak display as they appear in-game. Mousing over the character model window brings up a control panel with the following controls :
* Camera controls: To rotate the camera around a character, click and hold the left mouse button while moving the mouse left and right, or click the arrow buttons in the top left of the window. To zoom in and out, use the mouse wheel while hovering over the character window, or click the zoom buttons in the top left of the window. To move the character within the frame, right-click and drag the character in the window (or on the small square in the bottom left corner of the window).
* Animations: Each character has a selection of animations that they can perform. Use the arrows next to the animation's name to cycle through them. The available animations are determined by the character's class and currently equipped weapons.
* Capture pose: If you are logged in, you can set the default pose of any character on your account. Use the camera and animation controls to create a pose, then click the save icon to set it as the default. All visitors to the character's profile will then see the character in that pose.
* Play controls: The rewind, pause, and fast forward buttons allow you to fine-tune a pose for a character.
* Fullscreen mode: You can view the character in a fullscreen display against a selection of backgrounds. All controls will continue to function in fullscreen mode.
* Embed: You can embed a standalone, interactive version of the character's model viewer in a compatible website, such as a social networking site, guild website, or forum.
* Options: Extra options include selecting a background in fullscreen mode and toggling the display of a character's helm, cloak, or tabard.
(At this time it looks to be bugged in some browsers like Google chrome but is working fine in IE and Fire Fox.)
Character and Calendar Feeds
You can export your character information and calendar events to other websites and applications using the Armory's new customization tools. These features can be accessed through a logged-in character profile or through the Armory's main navigation menu.
* Character Activity Feeds: ( Check me out )
Each character's activity feed shows the most recent in-game actions of the character that can be recorded by the Armory. These include achievements, boss kills, item acquisitions, and more. Character feeds can be customized using our customization tool, then exported as RSS feeds to your RSS reader of choice. Refer to the Character Feed FAQ for more details.
* Player Calendar Feeds: Another new Armory tool allows you to export in-game player calendar data to online calendars such as Google Calendar. The tool can aggregate up to five characters on your account in a single feed, and is automatically synched with the characters' in-game player calendars. Refer to the Calendar Feed FAQ for more details.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Blizzard authenticator the newest hacking tool!
The hacking happened, in both instances, 15 min after Blizzard tech support closed down for the day, giving the hacker 12 hours to clean out the account. Putting an ingame ticket in is a waste of time as you get no reply for over 24 hours.
Do we not pay Blizzard enough? What will it take to get support during prime time gaming hours? How can a hacker attach an authenticator to an account so easily? Why are you not required to confirm this action by email or even have a window of 12/24 hours that would give the user time to secure their account?
There are lots of things Blizzard could do to stop this but do they want to stop it? Getting hacked is a sure way to convince a player to get an authenticator! If you don’t have an authenticator by now and you play WoW, you are mad, you will be hacked, it’s just a matter of time!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
WoW 25 man ICC Raid Lord Marrowgar Guide
After breaching the fortress, players will face a legion of undead guards directed to repel any invaders. Commanding the defenders is Lord Marrowgar, a monstrosity fused together from the bones of the undead. This is our 25 man raid guide video for the fight.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Single core CPU PCs are obsolete!
"The Force Unleashed requires a dual core processor with a Radeon HD 2900 or GeForce 8600 or better. Please check system requirements before purchasing."
I know dual and quad core CPUs are faster in a lot of things but this is the first time I have noticed a game that "requires a dual core processor". I'm in the middle of fixing my kids' PC that has a 2.66GHz AMD FX-55. For most games it is still fine; it will play all the cool FPS games but it is 5 years old! It's good to see games taking advantage of multi core processors and not holding us back because people want to still use PCs that are 5 years old! Time to upgrade kids! When this game first came out on the PS3 I was pissed off because it was another game us PC gamers missed out on. Now don't get me wrong, I have a PS3 and I love it, it's just that I cannot stand playing FPS style games on it. FPS is still far superior on the PC than any console. Give me a mouse and keyboard any day! The Force Unleashed was the first Star Wars game that I have never bothered to finish (apart from that Rebellion game years ago-did anyone play that?) and this game was about the Rebel logo I have tattooed on my right arm! Now it's on PC, I know I'll finish it and I wont have to fight with a dumb interface on a bad controller that is fine for racing games and arcade games, but SUX for FPS!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Avatar - a unique experience
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
WoW, week one of 3.3
So we're coming to the end of the first week of the new patch. I've had a lot of time to play around with the dungeon system and see all the new Boss that are available in Ice Crown. Unfortunately, the first week of a patch is always chaotic. People are having lag issues, unable to get their mods working, and the servers are constantly being retsrated. We were only able to get tow uninterupted days this past week where we could actually raid. Due to the fact that we're working on totally news bosses, by the time you get through explanations of the fights to 25 people and everybody knows that they're doing, you really don't have a lot of time to kill stuff!
The guild I'm in was able to kill the first boss on 25 man and didn't get an uninterrupted chance on the second boss all week. What we ended up having to do was to run a 10 man a little bit later after Blizzard had solved their server crashing issues. Out 10 man group was able to easily kill 3 of the 4 bosses in Ice Crown and I must say, the gunship battle is brilliant.
The pug system in this patch, with the cross server looking for group, seems to be working really well. I've managed to at least get one dungeon in a day to ensure that I get my two emblems of frost. You get a strange mix of people in this cross server looking group. Some people just don't say a word, they just jump straight into killing stuff. It's kind of an eerie atmosphere to be in. My hunter has crazy dps and is able to pull most undergeared pugs through things really quick. I ended up pet tanking most of VH today due to the tank having full blues and no chance in holding threat off me, even just auto-shotting. If you're not using the looking for group pug system, you should be. Yes, you will get a couple of idiots in there and yes, there is some fine tuning to be done, but it's a great way to get your alts or even mains, geared up with 245 gear thanks to the emblems of triumph that drop off every boss.
The guild I'm in was able to kill the first boss on 25 man and didn't get an uninterrupted chance on the second boss all week. What we ended up having to do was to run a 10 man a little bit later after Blizzard had solved their server crashing issues. Out 10 man group was able to easily kill 3 of the 4 bosses in Ice Crown and I must say, the gunship battle is brilliant.
The pug system in this patch, with the cross server looking for group, seems to be working really well. I've managed to at least get one dungeon in a day to ensure that I get my two emblems of frost. You get a strange mix of people in this cross server looking group. Some people just don't say a word, they just jump straight into killing stuff. It's kind of an eerie atmosphere to be in. My hunter has crazy dps and is able to pull most undergeared pugs through things really quick. I ended up pet tanking most of VH today due to the tank having full blues and no chance in holding threat off me, even just auto-shotting. If you're not using the looking for group pug system, you should be. Yes, you will get a couple of idiots in there and yes, there is some fine tuning to be done, but it's a great way to get your alts or even mains, geared up with 245 gear thanks to the emblems of triumph that drop off every boss.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Fix your WOW Lag NOW
I know some people hate going to sites like wowinterface but this is a must have script for all WoW gamers!
Download the script!
What does it do?
Leatrix Latency Fix will reduce your World of Warcraft latency significantly by increasing the frequency of TCP acknowledgements sent to the game server. For the technically minded, this is a script which will modify TCPAckFrequency.
You will also see reduced latency in other online games such as Aion, Warhammer and Lord of the Rings. The average reduction in latency (based on feedback from comments) is 66%. Click the Change Log tab above to see a summary of player feedback.
System Requirements
Leatrix Latency Fix is supported on these operating systems only.
Macintosh users should read the relevant section in the FAQ below.
Download the script!
What does it do?
Leatrix Latency Fix will reduce your World of Warcraft latency significantly by increasing the frequency of TCP acknowledgements sent to the game server. For the technically minded, this is a script which will modify TCPAckFrequency.
You will also see reduced latency in other online games such as Aion, Warhammer and Lord of the Rings. The average reduction in latency (based on feedback from comments) is 66%. Click the Change Log tab above to see a summary of player feedback.
System Requirements
Leatrix Latency Fix is supported on these operating systems only.
- Windows XP (SP2 or higher)
- Windows Vista (SP1 or higher)
- Windows 7
Macintosh users should read the relevant section in the FAQ below.
Blizzard makes it hard for hardcore players - thanks!
After playing WoW for a few years, you get to realize that you can't have grand plans on patch day, especially when it comes to raids. People become reliant on mods and patch day always seems to be a lot more laggy than any other day. Not to mention the bugs you have to overcome.
One of the first things I did in game was to check out the new 5 man dungeon. I didn't even bother with normal mode and went straight to heroic. The new 5 man drops 232 loot in heroic and 219 in normal mode. But heroic is not for the feint of heart. If you're a fresh 80 you're not going in there on heroic mode any time soon. I was surprised and pleased at the same time at the difficulty of heroic mode of this dungeon. It provided a challenge, even to players in 245 gear. Something I hadn't seen in a 5 man in a long time.
This place is big. To overcome the size and the time it takes, Blizzard separated it into 3 different wings, so you don't need to spend hours clearing the whole place out, you can just choose a wing and go for it, although you will need to unlock every wing initially. When it came to raiding Ice Crown last night, I was not surprised to find several of our main raiders having problems logging in or having add-on issues. With all the issues last night, we only managed to get 2 tries in on the first boss and called the raid for some 5 man fun to allow people to sort out the issues they were having.
One of the first things I did in game was to check out the new 5 man dungeon. I didn't even bother with normal mode and went straight to heroic. The new 5 man drops 232 loot in heroic and 219 in normal mode. But heroic is not for the feint of heart. If you're a fresh 80 you're not going in there on heroic mode any time soon. I was surprised and pleased at the same time at the difficulty of heroic mode of this dungeon. It provided a challenge, even to players in 245 gear. Something I hadn't seen in a 5 man in a long time.
This place is big. To overcome the size and the time it takes, Blizzard separated it into 3 different wings, so you don't need to spend hours clearing the whole place out, you can just choose a wing and go for it, although you will need to unlock every wing initially. When it came to raiding Ice Crown last night, I was not surprised to find several of our main raiders having problems logging in or having add-on issues. With all the issues last night, we only managed to get 2 tries in on the first boss and called the raid for some 5 man fun to allow people to sort out the issues they were having.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Fall of the Lich King ... when the servers are up!
Since I had all my new swag I thought I would give the random hero a go. It took about 4 minutes to get a full group and the ready check popped up. I was ported into Hero Violet Halls, whoot! Violet Halls is one of the easiest and quickest heroes out there. The pug blasted through it. We all had a lot of 245 gear so it was super easy! We got our 2 badges of frost and zoned out. I noticed that I didn't have my add-ons turned on and I wanted to get right into the new 5 man and check it out! So I logged out, checked all my add-ons were up to date and I logged back in ...
Disconnected from server...
And I logged back in...
Disconected from server...
And I logged back in...
Disconnected from server...
And I logged back in...
Disconnected from server...
And I logged back in...
Disconnected from server...
And I logged back in...
Disconnected from server...
So I checked the WoW forums only find 1000s having the same problem. Seems I got lucky the first time I logged in.
It's 2 hours later, the servers are still offline, the official WoW site is going up and down and there is no sign of when the servers will be back. Let's hope they get it fixed soon. We know they are doing what they can so just hang in there people!
Downloading now World of Warcraft Client Patch 3.3.0: Fall of the Lich King
WH00T now I have something to do in WoW!
Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Halls
Looming over the stark wastes of Northrend, Icecrown Citadel awaits those who would see the Lich King and his Scourge brought low and the threat they pose wiped from the face of Azeroth. The heroes who venture within will face some of the greatest horrors yet seen. But before you burst into the front gate of the citadel, an alternate means of entry beckons. Journey through three separate wings of the new five-player dungeon, Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Halls, and follow Jaina Proudmoore or Sylvanas Windrunner into the Lich King's domain.
Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Throne
All across Northrend, many battles have been fought against the vile Scourge. Countless lives have been lost since the Alliance and the Horde first reached these frozen wastes, but the champions of Azeroth continue to march forward -- and Icecrown Citadel, the cornerstone of the Scourge's power and the home base of the Lich King, is their final target. Tirion Fordring and the Argent Crusade have forged an accord with Darion Mograine and the Knights of the Ebon Blade to form the Ashen Verdict. This coalition's strongest combatants, along with the champions of the Alliance and the Horde, will lead the charge against the citadel. In the new Icecrown Citadel raid dungeon, Azeroth's mightiest will face terrifying challenges before ascending to the Frozen Throne, where the Lich King and his runeblade, Frostmourne, await to deliver the heroes to their deaths....
Cross-Realm Dungeon Finder
The Dungeon Finder is now available, providing players with quick and easy access to five-player parties. This feature connects all realms within a battlegroup using an advanced matchmaking system, making it easier for players of all levels to find a dungeon group. In addition, players can reap additional rewards through the Dungeon Finder by choosing the Random option, which is available to both pick-up and pre-formed groups. Check out the User Interface section for more details.
Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Halls
Looming over the stark wastes of Northrend, Icecrown Citadel awaits those who would see the Lich King and his Scourge brought low and the threat they pose wiped from the face of Azeroth. The heroes who venture within will face some of the greatest horrors yet seen. But before you burst into the front gate of the citadel, an alternate means of entry beckons. Journey through three separate wings of the new five-player dungeon, Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Halls, and follow Jaina Proudmoore or Sylvanas Windrunner into the Lich King's domain.
Icecrown Citadel: The Frozen Throne
All across Northrend, many battles have been fought against the vile Scourge. Countless lives have been lost since the Alliance and the Horde first reached these frozen wastes, but the champions of Azeroth continue to march forward -- and Icecrown Citadel, the cornerstone of the Scourge's power and the home base of the Lich King, is their final target. Tirion Fordring and the Argent Crusade have forged an accord with Darion Mograine and the Knights of the Ebon Blade to form the Ashen Verdict. This coalition's strongest combatants, along with the champions of the Alliance and the Horde, will lead the charge against the citadel. In the new Icecrown Citadel raid dungeon, Azeroth's mightiest will face terrifying challenges before ascending to the Frozen Throne, where the Lich King and his runeblade, Frostmourne, await to deliver the heroes to their deaths....
Cross-Realm Dungeon Finder
The Dungeon Finder is now available, providing players with quick and easy access to five-player parties. This feature connects all realms within a battlegroup using an advanced matchmaking system, making it easier for players of all levels to find a dungeon group. In addition, players can reap additional rewards through the Dungeon Finder by choosing the Random option, which is available to both pick-up and pre-formed groups. Check out the User Interface section for more details.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Grow up Australia, Some games are 18+
It’s coming up to Christmas. A lots of kids in Australia will be getting new video games under their Christmas tree. But some mums and dads are going to be in for a real shock when they see what their kids have to do in the games they got their innocent little ones for Christmas!
As a father of three I use ratings to judge what is ok and what is not, and if it's rated M 15+ I would expect it to be ok or just on the “mature” side for a 14/15 year old and no problem at all for a 16 year old, right? Wrong !!!
Let’s look at the ratings in Australia:
Advisory
The classifications below are advisory in nature—they do not impose any legal restrictions on access or distribution of material.
E (Exempt from Classification) - These films may be sold without a specific classification. The assessment of exemption may be made by the distributor or exhibitor (self-assessed) without needing to submit the product for certifying by the Classification Board. Only very specific types of material (including educational material and straight records of artistic performances) can be exempted from classification, and the material cannot contain anything that might lead to an M rating or higher [1]Self-assessed exempt films cannot use the official marking, although it is advised that films and computer games that are exempt display “This film/computer game is exempt from classification”.
G (General) — These films and computer games are for general viewing. However, G does not necessarily designate a children’s film or game as many of these productions contain content that would be of no interest to children.
The content is very mild in impact.
PG (Parental guidance recommended) — These films and computer games contain material that may confuse or upset younger viewers under 15. Before the 2005 coloured rating scheme was brought in, the original description was "Parental Guidance is recommended for those under the age of 15." This description may be found on older DVDs and video tapes.
The content is mild in impact.
M (Recommended for mature audiences) — These films and computer games contain material that requires a mature perspective, but is still not enough to be deemed too extreme for younger players. This classification was formerly known as M15+, but was changed to simply M to distinguish it from the higher (and restricted) rating of MA15+. The description originally had "Recommended for Mature audiences 15 years and over", though like the above PG rating, the description dropped the 15. This description may be still founded on older DVDs and video tapes. This is the highest unrestricted rating.
The content is moderate in impact.
MA15+ (Mature Accompanied) - The content is considered unsuitable for exhibition by persons under the age of 15. Persons under 15 may only legally purchase or exhibit MA15+ rated content under the supervision of an adult guardian. This is a legally restricted category.
, 
, 
, 
and 
are the current game ratings. Games cannot be given the adult ratings 
or 
, instead they will be Refused Classification (Banned) and cannot be sold. Refused Classification games may be edited and resubmitted by their developers to garner an MA15+ classification. People under 15 are not permitted to purchase or rent films or video games classified MA15+ unless they are accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
The content is strong in impact.
R18+ (Restricted) - People under 18 may not buy, rent or exhibit these films.
The content is high in impact.
X18+ (Restricted) - People under 18 may not buy, rent or exhibit these films.
This rating applies to sexual content.
Films rated X18+ are currently legally available for purchase in only the ACT and the Northern Territory. However these films may be legally purchased from interstate via mail-order. Enforcement is relaxed and most adult shops carry extensive stock of X18+ material.
RC (Refused Classification)
Films which are very high in impact and/or contain any type of violence in conjunction with real sexual intercourse are rated Refused Classification by the OFLC. Films which may be Refused Classification include content that:
The PC and console games industry, one of the biggest adult entertainment money makers, has no adult classification. The highest you get is M15 +. WTF?!
What is happening in Australia is that games that are 18+ in other countries like the UK, US and New Zealand get pushed through as 15+ in Australia. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the perfect example of this. It’s 18+ in the UK, New Zealand and other countries and M15+ in Australia. Call of Duty: is a massive title world wide and to ban it would cause uproar so it’s easier to give it a 15+ and deceive parents into thinking its ok for their kids for Christmas. Don’t take my word for it, judge for yourself. Warning, this video may be disturbing to some people.
What happens when they ban a game? Most of the time all banning a game will do is drive people to Warez, hacker and pirate sites and with a game like COD MW2, hackers will end up with thousands of unsuspecting Aussies willing to download their key logger and viruses just to get the game the rest of the world can pick up in any shop. And when looking for the hacked game they will also find other games or movies that they may have happily paid for if they where not driven to the hackers’ site in the first place.
The only logical solution is to have an adult 18+ rating. Banning or outlawing something just drives it underground and puts money in the hands of hackers and pirates and drives consumers to untrustworthy sites.
Only having a 15+ rating is not helping parents to choose suitable games for their kids.
Parents look at M15 and compare it to movies. I’ve seen a mum buy a copy of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) for her 12 year old, commenting to the sales rep that her son watches 15+ movies all the time. There is no way in hell GTA should be played by a 12 year old! The Australian government is putting disturbing content in the hands of miners. Content that was never made for them and is classified 18+ in other countries.
http://www.growupaustralia.com/ has a petition for Australia to get an 18+ classification. So if you’re a parent who does not want your child playing games that where clearly designed for adults and not kids, or if you’re an adult that wants the freedom to play games that where designed for adults without having them butchered to a shell of what they were just so a 13 year old can play a game that was never designed for them them, please head over there and singe it. Or contact:
South Australian Attorney-General, Hon. Michael Atkinson MP
GPO Box 464
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Phone: (08) 8207 1723
Fax: (08) 8207 1736
Email: attorney-general@agd.sa.gov.au
As a father of three I use ratings to judge what is ok and what is not, and if it's rated M 15+ I would expect it to be ok or just on the “mature” side for a 14/15 year old and no problem at all for a 16 year old, right? Wrong !!!
Let’s look at the ratings in Australia:
Advisory
The classifications below are advisory in nature—they do not impose any legal restrictions on access or distribution of material.
E (Exempt from Classification) - These films may be sold without a specific classification. The assessment of exemption may be made by the distributor or exhibitor (self-assessed) without needing to submit the product for certifying by the Classification Board. Only very specific types of material (including educational material and straight records of artistic performances) can be exempted from classification, and the material cannot contain anything that might lead to an M rating or higher [1]Self-assessed exempt films cannot use the official marking, although it is advised that films and computer games that are exempt display “This film/computer game is exempt from classification”.
G (General) — These films and computer games are for general viewing. However, G does not necessarily designate a children’s film or game as many of these productions contain content that would be of no interest to children.
The content is very mild in impact.
PG (Parental guidance recommended) — These films and computer games contain material that may confuse or upset younger viewers under 15. Before the 2005 coloured rating scheme was brought in, the original description was "Parental Guidance is recommended for those under the age of 15." This description may be found on older DVDs and video tapes.
The content is mild in impact.
M (Recommended for mature audiences) — These films and computer games contain material that requires a mature perspective, but is still not enough to be deemed too extreme for younger players. This classification was formerly known as M15+, but was changed to simply M to distinguish it from the higher (and restricted) rating of MA15+. The description originally had "Recommended for Mature audiences 15 years and over", though like the above PG rating, the description dropped the 15. This description may be still founded on older DVDs and video tapes. This is the highest unrestricted rating.
The content is moderate in impact.
[edit]Restricted
By contrast, the classifications below are legally restricted—i.e., it is illegal to sell or exhibit materials so classified to a person younger than the respective age limit.
MA15+ (Mature Accompanied) - The content is considered unsuitable for exhibition by persons under the age of 15. Persons under 15 may only legally purchase or exhibit MA15+ rated content under the supervision of an adult guardian. This is a legally restricted category.
, , , and are the current game ratings. Games cannot be given the adult ratings 
or 
, instead they will be Refused Classification (Banned) and cannot be sold. Refused Classification games may be edited and resubmitted by their developers to garner an MA15+ classification. People under 15 are not permitted to purchase or rent films or video games classified MA15+ unless they are accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.The content is strong in impact.
R18+ (Restricted) - People under 18 may not buy, rent or exhibit these films.
The content is high in impact.
X18+ (Restricted) - People under 18 may not buy, rent or exhibit these films.
This rating applies to sexual content.
Films rated X18+ are currently legally available for purchase in only the ACT and the Northern Territory. However these films may be legally purchased from interstate via mail-order. Enforcement is relaxed and most adult shops carry extensive stock of X18+ material.
RC (Refused Classification)
Films which are very high in impact and/or contain any type of violence in conjunction with real sexual intercourse are rated Refused Classification by the OFLC. Films which may be Refused Classification include content that:
- Depict, express or otherwise deals with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified.
- Depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult a minor who is, or who appears to be, under 16 (whether or not engaged in sexual activity).
- Promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence.
The PC and console games industry, one of the biggest adult entertainment money makers, has no adult classification. The highest you get is M15 +. WTF?!
What is happening in Australia is that games that are 18+ in other countries like the UK, US and New Zealand get pushed through as 15+ in Australia. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the perfect example of this. It’s 18+ in the UK, New Zealand and other countries and M15+ in Australia. Call of Duty: is a massive title world wide and to ban it would cause uproar so it’s easier to give it a 15+ and deceive parents into thinking its ok for their kids for Christmas. Don’t take my word for it, judge for yourself. Warning, this video may be disturbing to some people.
What happens when they ban a game? Most of the time all banning a game will do is drive people to Warez, hacker and pirate sites and with a game like COD MW2, hackers will end up with thousands of unsuspecting Aussies willing to download their key logger and viruses just to get the game the rest of the world can pick up in any shop. And when looking for the hacked game they will also find other games or movies that they may have happily paid for if they where not driven to the hackers’ site in the first place.
The only logical solution is to have an adult 18+ rating. Banning or outlawing something just drives it underground and puts money in the hands of hackers and pirates and drives consumers to untrustworthy sites.
Only having a 15+ rating is not helping parents to choose suitable games for their kids.
Parents look at M15 and compare it to movies. I’ve seen a mum buy a copy of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) for her 12 year old, commenting to the sales rep that her son watches 15+ movies all the time. There is no way in hell GTA should be played by a 12 year old! The Australian government is putting disturbing content in the hands of miners. Content that was never made for them and is classified 18+ in other countries.
http://www.growupaustralia.com/ has a petition for Australia to get an 18+ classification. So if you’re a parent who does not want your child playing games that where clearly designed for adults and not kids, or if you’re an adult that wants the freedom to play games that where designed for adults without having them butchered to a shell of what they were just so a 13 year old can play a game that was never designed for them them, please head over there and singe it. Or contact:
South Australian Attorney-General, Hon. Michael Atkinson MP
GPO Box 464
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Phone: (08) 8207 1723
Fax: (08) 8207 1736
Email: attorney-general@agd.sa.gov.au
Thursday, December 3, 2009
New Razer community site in Australia starts with a bang!
Listen up Razer fans! If you love Razer as much as we do then come and tell us all about it Here
Razer’s line of peripherals has been developed by gamers, for gamers. From programmable keyboards and mice, to the most advanced headphones and speaker systems, both MMO and FPS gamers are catered for.
Proudly sponsored by Razer’s Australian distributor Audion, Razer Gamer is the ONLY place online where you can find out the latest news relating to Razer products in Australia.
To kick things off we are giving away a great Razer gaming pack to one lucky winner. All you have to do is sign up to our forum, and come up with a uniquely Australian slogan for our blog and post it in our forums. The slogan can be no longer than 10 words and must be relevant to Razer.
The person who is judged to have come up with the best slogan will win a Razer prize pack consisting of Razer DeathAdder (RAZ014), Razer Lyocsa Backlit Keyboard (RAZ081), Razer Moray Plus (RAZ098) and the ExactMat Bundle Pack (RAZ101).
The competition will run from December 1st 2009 to January 31st 2010, and the winner will be notified via email. All terms and conditions can be found at razergamer.com
So if you want to keep up to date with all the latest on Razer in Australia, including where to buy, events, reviews, videos, special promotions and competitions, come and join all the Razer addicts at http://www.razergamer.com
About Razer Gamer
Razer Gamer is a blog and community portal for users of Razer products in Australia. The guys at Razer Gamer love Razer products and want to share their enthusiasm with the Australian community and also provide the latest information and deals on the products available in Australia.
Enter here
About Audion
Audion Innovision was incorporated in Victoria, Australia in 1987. The company is a master distributor of consumer and IT audio, video and multimedia products to conventional channel distributors, dealers and major retail chain stores nationwide. Audio is a distributor of Razer products in Australia.
More information: http://www.audion-mm.com/
Razer’s line of peripherals has been developed by gamers, for gamers. From programmable keyboards and mice, to the most advanced headphones and speaker systems, both MMO and FPS gamers are catered for.
Proudly sponsored by Razer’s Australian distributor Audion, Razer Gamer is the ONLY place online where you can find out the latest news relating to Razer products in Australia.
To kick things off we are giving away a great Razer gaming pack to one lucky winner. All you have to do is sign up to our forum, and come up with a uniquely Australian slogan for our blog and post it in our forums. The slogan can be no longer than 10 words and must be relevant to Razer.
The person who is judged to have come up with the best slogan will win a Razer prize pack consisting of Razer DeathAdder (RAZ014), Razer Lyocsa Backlit Keyboard (RAZ081), Razer Moray Plus (RAZ098) and the ExactMat Bundle Pack (RAZ101).
The competition will run from December 1st 2009 to January 31st 2010, and the winner will be notified via email. All terms and conditions can be found at razergamer.com
So if you want to keep up to date with all the latest on Razer in Australia, including where to buy, events, reviews, videos, special promotions and competitions, come and join all the Razer addicts at http://www.razergamer.com
About Razer Gamer
Razer Gamer is a blog and community portal for users of Razer products in Australia. The guys at Razer Gamer love Razer products and want to share their enthusiasm with the Australian community and also provide the latest information and deals on the products available in Australia.
Enter here
About Audion
Audion Innovision was incorporated in Victoria, Australia in 1987. The company is a master distributor of consumer and IT audio, video and multimedia products to conventional channel distributors, dealers and major retail chain stores nationwide. Audio is a distributor of Razer products in Australia.
More information: http://www.audion-mm.com/
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
World of Warcraft turns 5 and Warcraft turns 15
OK, now I feel old! I remember Warcraft 1 and II like it was yesterday and my wife can still hum the music from Warcraft II even though she never played the game.
We didn't have a lot but we did have a PC. Fiona, my wife, needed it for her studies and I used it for entertainment from time to time. Back then I spent a lot of time down at my local Archery club and my coach had a 16 year old son, Aaron, that never moved from his PC. We got talking and he showed me this cool game, Warcraft. I could not get how he could spend so much time at his PC when he could be shooting arrows. I got a copy of the game so I could check it out. I was messing around with my 486 SX. I had to upgrade it to a 486 DX just so I could play Warcraft ... then it started.... I was hooked!
And I was about to drive my new wife mad with the music:
From Blizzard:
Over the past 15 years, a lot has changed in Azeroth. Valiant heroes have travelled the length and breadth of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, taken wing in Outland to free the Black Temple from Illidan's clutches, and set sail for Northrend to battle the mighty Lich King. Whether you've been part of the adventure from the beginning or are just getting started now, we're glad to have you with us for the five-year anniversary of World of Warcraft and the 15-year anniversary of the Warcraft series.
To commemorate these milestones, we've just launched the Warcraft anniversary website. There you’ll find video interviews featuring personal anecdotes from some of the shapers of Warcraft, as well as the Battlecry Mosaic where you can show off your faction pride. Visit the anniversary site now!
And who could forget:
We didn't have a lot but we did have a PC. Fiona, my wife, needed it for her studies and I used it for entertainment from time to time. Back then I spent a lot of time down at my local Archery club and my coach had a 16 year old son, Aaron, that never moved from his PC. We got talking and he showed me this cool game, Warcraft. I could not get how he could spend so much time at his PC when he could be shooting arrows. I got a copy of the game so I could check it out. I was messing around with my 486 SX. I had to upgrade it to a 486 DX just so I could play Warcraft ... then it started.... I was hooked!
And I was about to drive my new wife mad with the music:
From Blizzard:
Over the past 15 years, a lot has changed in Azeroth. Valiant heroes have travelled the length and breadth of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, taken wing in Outland to free the Black Temple from Illidan's clutches, and set sail for Northrend to battle the mighty Lich King. Whether you've been part of the adventure from the beginning or are just getting started now, we're glad to have you with us for the five-year anniversary of World of Warcraft and the 15-year anniversary of the Warcraft series.
To commemorate these milestones, we've just launched the Warcraft anniversary website. There you’ll find video interviews featuring personal anecdotes from some of the shapers of Warcraft, as well as the Battlecry Mosaic where you can show off your faction pride. Visit the anniversary site now!
And who could forget:
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
World of Warcraft: Mr. T Commercial - Mohawk Grenade
I can see this driving me nuts in no time. Thank god I'm not spending a lot of time in game right now... I'm dreading trying to do anything on my Auction house alt.....But damn Mr T looks good for his age!
Q. What is the Mohawk Grenade?
A. The Mohawk Grenade is Mr. T's latest invention: an in-game item that, when hurled at another character, gives everyone within the blast radius an instant T-riffic haircut. Don't worry, you and your friends will look gooooood.
Q. Where do I get it?
A. Quit your jibber-jabber and claim your Mohawk Grenades from any of the Night Elf Mohawk NPCs camped outside every starting zone.
Q. What regions are eligible to claim the Mohawk Grenade?
A. North America, Europe and Korea.
Q. Is this a permanent item?
A. Each Mohawk Grenade has five charges before exhausting its power, and you're welcome to claim another once the charges are gone.
Q. How long will the Mohawk Grenade be available in-game?
A. Claim Mohawk Grenades starting November 16th in North America and November 24th in Europe and Korea. They'll be available until... well, until the Night Elf Mohawk decides his work is done.
Q. What is the Mohawk Grenade?
A. The Mohawk Grenade is Mr. T's latest invention: an in-game item that, when hurled at another character, gives everyone within the blast radius an instant T-riffic haircut. Don't worry, you and your friends will look gooooood.
Q. Where do I get it?
A. Quit your jibber-jabber and claim your Mohawk Grenades from any of the Night Elf Mohawk NPCs camped outside every starting zone.
Q. What regions are eligible to claim the Mohawk Grenade?
A. North America, Europe and Korea.
Q. Is this a permanent item?
A. Each Mohawk Grenade has five charges before exhausting its power, and you're welcome to claim another once the charges are gone.
Q. How long will the Mohawk Grenade be available in-game?
A. Claim Mohawk Grenades starting November 16th in North America and November 24th in Europe and Korea. They'll be available until... well, until the Night Elf Mohawk decides his work is done.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
WoW patch 3.3 not too far
It's got to the stage in World of Warcraft where I'm not really doing a lot outside of raiding. I've got three level 80 characters. Two i just really created for the sake of it. I had to play a Death Knight to 80 just to see the story line. My Druid was created purely because my guild needed a tank at the time. I never really got attached to either of them.
My Hunter is my main character. He's a guild leader of a fairly successful raiding guild and he's now at the stage where he needs one single item from 25 main TOC. Due to the week long lockouts it doesn't leave me with much to do for the other six days a week.
This week, for instance, my guild cleared TOC 25 man and 10 man and Onyixa 10 and 25 man in two nights. Each night we spent approximately 2-3 hours raiding. That's not a lot of time when you consider that you've got nothing else to do for the rest of the week in game.
On Sunday night I jumped online and got suckered into doing an OS25 with 3 drakes. The funny thing was, I was still buffed from my Thursday night raid. The raid ends, I log out and don't log back in until the next scheduled raid.
I am exulted with all the appropriate factions. I have all the gold I could possibly want. The only new content Blizzard have added to the game in the last month are vanity pets you have to purchase off the Blizzard store for $10. I really hope Blizzard get their ass into gear and get this patch out really soon.
The PTR is looking good and I'm predicting that they'll release it on their fifth anniversary - 23rd November or very close to that date. Every week that goes by without Blizzard releasing more content leaves me hearing more and more about people getting attached to their Aion characters.
My Hunter is my main character. He's a guild leader of a fairly successful raiding guild and he's now at the stage where he needs one single item from 25 main TOC. Due to the week long lockouts it doesn't leave me with much to do for the other six days a week.
This week, for instance, my guild cleared TOC 25 man and 10 man and Onyixa 10 and 25 man in two nights. Each night we spent approximately 2-3 hours raiding. That's not a lot of time when you consider that you've got nothing else to do for the rest of the week in game.
On Sunday night I jumped online and got suckered into doing an OS25 with 3 drakes. The funny thing was, I was still buffed from my Thursday night raid. The raid ends, I log out and don't log back in until the next scheduled raid.
I am exulted with all the appropriate factions. I have all the gold I could possibly want. The only new content Blizzard have added to the game in the last month are vanity pets you have to purchase off the Blizzard store for $10. I really hope Blizzard get their ass into gear and get this patch out really soon.
The PTR is looking good and I'm predicting that they'll release it on their fifth anniversary - 23rd November or very close to that date. Every week that goes by without Blizzard releasing more content leaves me hearing more and more about people getting attached to their Aion characters.
Dragon Age Origins - a really good book
Monday, November 2, 2009
Dragon Age Toolset
Bioware seem to have spared no expense with the development of there newest game Dragon Age that will be out on the 4th of November or in 1 1/2 days away if your getting it off steam. One of the many cool things in this game is the tool set for all you moders out there. And this tool set will be very cool for machinima.
Check it out
Check it out
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Happy Halloween!
Smokin weed smokin weed doing coke drinking beers drinking beers beers beers
Saturday, October 31, 2009
New BlizzCast live (and yes it sux)
Episode 11 is live and if you have not read anything online for the last 3 months from Blizzard it might not be a waste of time.
"In our eleventh episode of BlizzCast, we have a roundtable discussion with members of the community team to recap the major happenings, announcements, and other highlights of this year’s BlizzCon. Join our discussion as we relive some of our favorite moments from the show. "
Rob Simpson from the eSports Team voice gives the podcast a football match feel that is just right for a geek gaming podcast ... NOT!
Looking to kill 18:47min click here.
"In our eleventh episode of BlizzCast, we have a roundtable discussion with members of the community team to recap the major happenings, announcements, and other highlights of this year’s BlizzCon. Join our discussion as we relive some of our favorite moments from the show. "
Rob Simpson from the eSports Team voice gives the podcast a football match feel that is just right for a geek gaming podcast ... NOT!
Looking to kill 18:47min click here.
Alpha of Greymane Down Sindragosa on PTR
This has to be one of the best PTR videos I have ever seen. It shows the fight using the default UI so you know what is going on. You get full vent audio and the raid leader is unreal! I wish I had him running my raids. Alpha do a great job together. Kudos to you guys! Looks like a fun fight!
Friday, October 30, 2009
OMG I hate html!
OMG I hate html! I got my hands on the domain www.gamingface.com so I thought it was a good time to re-work all of Gaming Faces. What I have done is move all blogs to here and sorted all the Game and WOW class pages to 1) look the same and 2) load a lot faster and 3) at the same time (I hope) look better!
Just as I got it all looking good I noticed an error with the posting box in the back end of the site. I cannot edit it at this time so I'm stuck with it the way it is ... all thanks to the new blogger Read more feature ...
Just as I got it all looking good I noticed an error with the posting box in the back end of the site. I cannot edit it at this time so I'm stuck with it the way it is ... all thanks to the new blogger Read more feature ...
I still have more work to do on the site but I hope you like it!
Monday, October 5, 2009
OK, bored now ...
With the introduction of TOC, Blizzard gave us a new level of loot - 245. Even the 10 man loot is 232 and most of it is better than the stuff that drops in Ulduar. Now that we've been at TOC for what, 10 weeks? ... we're finding less and less people are needing anything from other raids. Last week, in under 3 hours, on Wednesday night, we cleared TOC, Onyixa and VOA 25. That's all the possible 245 content in ONE night!
Now we've had a few attempts at hard mode TOC but we don't even seem to be able to scratch the surface. being based in Australia on an Oceanic server makes hard mode TOC a bit harder for some, due to lag issues. Rather than the bosses just having more help and doing damage to the tank, they require the riad to move faster. The first boss for instance puts fire on the floor that gives people less than 2 seconds to move out of before they're dead. Considering most of our raid is running at a 350 ping at best, the first second of that fire de-buff is applied before the player even knows it's there. Blizzard really need to keep latency issues in mind when developing hard modes.
So what does a raid group do now that they can clear all new content in one night? Maybe raid just one night a week? The second night we take two groups in for 10 man. Standard 10 man takes less than 45 minutes but it still leaves 5 of our core raiders sitting out. Hard mode 10 man does provide us with a little bit more 245 content but we're finding that it's hit and miss with what bosses you get in faction champions. The last two weeks have not been a problem but this week we had a healing team of Shaman and Druid and for the life of us we could not kill them. Let's hope Ice Crown Cathedral keeps us busy enough that we're not getting bored so quick.
Babblings of a guild leader
One of the toughest things about progressing in any good MMO game is finding the right group of people to get involved with, ie. what guild to get involved with. In WoW, all the cool content with the best loot requires 25 players. You're dealing with people sitting at a computer in all sorts of places, with different circumstances and various personalities. In my guild we have IT professionals, truck drivers, movie directors, housewives, plumbers, students - all sorts. Trying to keep the peace amongst the group is probably one of the hardest things about playing WoW as a guild leader. I find everybody wants power and no on wants responsibility. But a lot of people expect professionally run organisations when it comes to guilds - but they're not willing to put in the work themselves. So where do you draw the line? I know there are professionally run guilds int he US which even have wages for their officers. Our officers get nothing extra - no extra effort points, no gear perks - nothing that a normal raider doesn't get as we try to avoid favoritism. People who raid the most get the most. If we attempt to favor or provide benefits to officers who do extra work, people complain about unfair advantages. If you're thinking about running a guild - don't do it unless you have a good team behind you. And be prepared to be spat on, spammed at, and hated when you don't do things people want. My advice to people who don't like the way a guild is run is to make one yourself and do it your way.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
2 new vanity pets on the PTR
Breanni the little gnome in the pet shop in Dalaran has 2 new pets for us when patch 3.3 hits nothing great but will help people get there pet count up!
Friday, October 2, 2009
World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.3.0
World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.3.0
World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.3.0
The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html
The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/
The Forge of Souls, the first wing of the 5-player dungeon, is currently available for testing.
Additional Icecrown Citadel dungeon and raid content will be made available in future test builds.
Dazed: Creatures attacking a player from behind can no longer cause players level 1-5 to be dazed, and have a reduced chance to cause players level 6-10 to be dazed.
Copied Test Realm characters will no longer be copied with their achievement history in order to better facilitate the character copy process.
Classes: General
Default Equipment: Starting weapons are now more uniform. Rogues now start with a pair of daggers equipped. All other classes except shamans start with a 2-handed weapon equipped and the required skill already known. Shamans start with a 1-handed weapon and a shield, as they benefit more from the shield than they would from a 2-handed weapon.
Glancing Blows: The mage, warlock, and priest classes no longer have an increased chance for their melee attacks to be glancing blows; and the damage penalty due to their glancing blows is the same as for other classes.
Health and Mana Regeneration: These regeneration rates have been increased by up to 200% for low level characters. As a player's level increases, the regeneration rates gradually reduce, returning to normal rates at level 15.
Spell Mana Costs: These costs have been reduced for almost all lower level spell ranks. In general, if a spell decreased in cost with a higher level rank in patch 3.2.0, that spell now has the decreased cost at all ranks. In addition, spells learned before level 20 with reduced cast times and/or durations have even further reduced mana costs, proportionate to their reduction in cast time or damage.
Races: General
World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.3.0
The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html
The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/
The Forge of Souls, the first wing of the 5-player dungeon, is currently available for testing.
Additional Icecrown Citadel dungeon and raid content will be made available in future test builds.
Dazed: Creatures attacking a player from behind can no longer cause players level 1-5 to be dazed, and have a reduced chance to cause players level 6-10 to be dazed.
Copied Test Realm characters will no longer be copied with their achievement history in order to better facilitate the character copy process.
Classes: General
Default Equipment: Starting weapons are now more uniform. Rogues now start with a pair of daggers equipped. All other classes except shamans start with a 2-handed weapon equipped and the required skill already known. Shamans start with a 1-handed weapon and a shield, as they benefit more from the shield than they would from a 2-handed weapon.
Glancing Blows: The mage, warlock, and priest classes no longer have an increased chance for their melee attacks to be glancing blows; and the damage penalty due to their glancing blows is the same as for other classes.
Health and Mana Regeneration: These regeneration rates have been increased by up to 200% for low level characters. As a player's level increases, the regeneration rates gradually reduce, returning to normal rates at level 15.
Spell Mana Costs: These costs have been reduced for almost all lower level spell ranks. In general, if a spell decreased in cost with a higher level rank in patch 3.2.0, that spell now has the decreased cost at all ranks. In addition, spells learned before level 20 with reduced cast times and/or durations have even further reduced mana costs, proportionate to their reduction in cast time or damage.
Races: General
Thursday, October 1, 2009
WoW's getting a New massive five-player dungeon.
Icecrown Citadel will feature a massive five-player dungeon sprawling across three wings of the citadel's foundation. While the Lich King's attention is focused on the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade ripping through the front gates, players will be tested as they assist Jaina Proudmoore (Alliance) and Sylvanas Windrunner (Horde) in infiltrating the citadel through an alternate entrance.
An epic quest line will present adventurers with the task of weakening Icecrown Citadel's forces, requiring that players defeat the challenges in each dungeon wing before venturing into the next one. Normal and Heroic versions of the dungeon will be accessible to players, although each wing will be considered a separate instance; therefore, on Heroic difficulty, each wing will have its own separate lockout timer. All-new rewards -- including item level 219 (normal) and level 232 (Heroic) loot -- will be offered to those who destroy some of the Lich King's most formidable allies.
Star Wars TOR Beta soon!
"We are excited to announce that we are now collecting information for those interested in applying for the opportunity to test Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. Our goal is to get feedback to help us make the best game that we can.
We will be selecting testers from the Star Wars: The Old Republic community based on various requirements such as systems specifications, age, and region. Because the testing program requires feedback from within the community, you must have an active Star Wars: The Old Republic (“TOR”) community account to participate (no banned accounts). The testing is limited to members who are 18 years of age or older and requires the acceptance of the Game Testing Agreement included in the TOR community sign-up process. Users that meet the requirements of the test and are selected for inclusion in the test program will be contacted via email (so make sure your email address is up to date!).
Game testing for Star Wars: The Old Republic will be rolled out in several phases over an extended period of time. These test phases will begin with smaller, tightly focused test groups, and later tests will expand.
Want to get your name on the list of potential testers? First, make sure you are a registered member of the Star Wars: The Old Republic community. If you’re not already a member, click here to become one today! Be sure to check the box to indicate you are interested in becoming a tester. If you’re already a member, go to the Game Testing Portal to begin the sign up process.
Please keep in mind that there are no guarantees that you will be selected once you have completed the sign up process. For more information about testing Star Wars: The Old Republic, take time to read the Game Testing FAQ.
We look forward to your help in making Star Wars: The Old Republic a success!"
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Onyxia is back on live!
Well boys and girls, Onyxia is back and she is giving away nice lvl 80 245 loot!
You will find her in her old home in Onyxia's Lair, Dustwallow Marsh. There have been no real major changes to her on the test server and it looks like it went live the way she was on the test server.
The only difference from the level 60 Onyixa is that she no longer drops threat and is no longer immune to fire effects and abilities. Deep Breath's cast time has been increased. Onyxian Lair Guards now spawn in phase and Melee can no longer hit Onyxia in Phase 2.
With that said, let's go over the strategy.
Onyxia is still a very easy fight that you can do in about 20 min.
Phase 1: The tank should back her up to the back wall. Healers obviously heal the tank and DPS should stay away from the tail. Phase 2 starts when she gets down to 65% health.
Phase 2: Raiders should group up, get a tank to gather up the whelps and then AoE them down. Once the whelps are down, DPS should get back on to Onyxia who will be moving around the room. Whenever Onyxia spawns a Lair Guard it is advisable to have ranged DPS kill it immediately. The Lair Guards are squishy but they hit melee hard!
When Onyxia emotes for Deep Breath, move away from the front of her to ensure that you are not hit. Often, simply running for the sides of the room will save you! Her flame breath is a cone effect from her mouth.
If you get another wave of whelps, gather and AoE as before. When Onyxia hits 40% she will land for good. She will cast Bellowing Roar immediately upon landing. Finish off whatever adds remain while the tank positions Onyxia (who has wiped threat from phase 1. It's advisable to have a fear ward or a fear break on the tank initially).
Phase 3 is not much different from phase 1 aside from fears, some raid damage from eruption and occasional whelp spawns, which are not too dangerous. She does nothing else special and will die upon reaching 0% HP.
At this time if Reinforced Shadowstrike drops give it to a player that wants Reinforced Thunderstrike as you get a 1 use to summon Reinforced Thunderstrike the Reinforced Thunderstrike that spawns cannot be traded. The the Reinforced Shadowstrike can be traded to a guild member that wants it so you get 2 for 1!
At this time if Reinforced Shadowstrike drops give it to a player that wants Reinforced Thunderstrike as you get a 1 use to summon Reinforced Thunderstrike the Reinforced Thunderstrike that spawns cannot be traded. The the Reinforced Shadowstrike can be traded to a guild member that wants it so you get 2 for 1!
Friday, September 11, 2009
OMG armor penetration for the win ... or is it!?
I've been doing a bit of playing around with spreadsheets and DPS calculators in an attempt to optimize not only my personal raid performance but also the benefits I bring to a raid. These benefits will change from fight to fight and as your gear increases or changes you will find different stats may provide very different results than you expect.
Last night in TOC ten man we had Fordragon Blades drop off Anub'arak. It’s a nice two-hand pole arm but I have Stormrune Edge already, so at first I said, pass, as they're both level 232 items. No one wanted it and it was going to go to an off spec or vender loot. The others players in the raid were telling me that I should take it. They argued that it has more haste and armor penetration and that it was better than Stormrune Edge. Looking at the stats I could see how it might just be better and the hast for Marksman might help too.
After the raid I visited a great online tool for hunters over at FemaleDwarf.com. It's a Hunter online DPS Analyzer and using the analyzer I found out that with my Beast Master spec, Fordragon Blades takes my DPS to 5642.96 and Stormrune Edge takes my DPS to 5662.86. And with Marksman spec, Fordragon Blades takes my DPS to 5812.23 and Stormrune Edge takes my DPS to 5865.30.
Fordragon Blades gave me a 19.9 DPS loss in BM and a 53.07 DPS loss in MM. 53 DPS is a massive loss for a single item!
The Heroic Fordragon Blades (lvl 245) will take my MM DPS to 5866.30, a bonus of 1 dps DPS. Hmm ... not a lot for an upgrade but it looks cool, right?!
As your gear changes so do your requirements. For my hunter, the extra crit on the Stormrune Edge helped my dps a lot more than the haste or armor penetration. When you get in to high end gear you've got to pay attention to diminishing returns and also set bonuses, and what your trinkets proc on. If you use trinkets that have a chance to proc on crit, higher crit may increase the amount of times it procs during the fight. If your 2 set armor bonus lets a special ability crit then that also will get a boost from extra crit. Things are always changing in the game but the devs always seem to want you to balance your stats.
Fordragon Blades gave me a 19.9 DPS loss in BM and a 53.07 DPS loss in MM. 53 DPS is a massive loss for a single item!
The Heroic Fordragon Blades (lvl 245) will take my MM DPS to 5866.30, a bonus of 1 dps DPS. Hmm ... not a lot for an upgrade but it looks cool, right?!
As your gear changes so do your requirements. For my hunter, the extra crit on the Stormrune Edge helped my dps a lot more than the haste or armor penetration. When you get in to high end gear you've got to pay attention to diminishing returns and also set bonuses, and what your trinkets proc on. If you use trinkets that have a chance to proc on crit, higher crit may increase the amount of times it procs during the fight. If your 2 set armor bonus lets a special ability crit then that also will get a boost from extra crit. Things are always changing in the game but the devs always seem to want you to balance your stats.
For BM hunters, attack power is the stat of choice up to a certain level. I seem to have hit the cap where attack power gives me more DPS and I’m now adding AGI. Just because someone in the forums says ... "OMG I do 8kDPS when I stack armor penetration, it owns all!" ... does not mean it will work for everyone. Do not be shy to do some testing for yourself and if you can find a spreadsheet or online tool like FemaleDwarf.com then use it. It will help you understand your class and mechanics of the stats you need!
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