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The Soapbox: On MMO negativity
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Last week I was given a link to an op-ed piece at Thade's place, and in lieu of posting a comment there, I figured I'd do it on the Soapbox and hopefully generate some discussion (and traffic) for all concerned. In a nutshell, Thade questions whether MMO pundits actually like MMOs, and he comments on a perceived rise in negativity amongst what are assumed to be fans of the genre. I don't know if the blogosphere has taken a turn toward the negative, but if so, there's a pretty simple explanation for it. The games have changed, and the old guard who grew up with MMOs (and are willing/able to devote time to blogging about them) have to try a little bit harder to enjoy themselves as each new title gets further and further from what they like. That's OK, though, and it's also OK -- and even essential -- for the disaffected to speak up.
Officers' Quarters: When your guild won't recruit
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available now from No Starch Press. While WoW continues to bleed subs, guild leaders and officers everywhere are having a tough time recruiting quality players. In this environment, guilds sometimes find themselves in a permanent state of open recruitment. This week, however, we're looking at the opposite problem: a guild that is permanently closed to new players. A concerned officer wants to know what he can do to change this mentality. Hello Scott, I hope you had a great holiday season. I am an officer in a small guild of around sixty people... Of the sixty members many are alts or inactive with only a handful of active people (around ten). I came to the guild looking for an escape from the sheer number of people I had to deal with in my last two guilds that had 400+ members. For a while everything worked just fine, but in the last few weeks some members have began making requests for recruitment. With the small amount of active players being on at odd hours some new members feel a bit alone and put off and end up leaving. We have a strong desire to make a 10 man raid team but don't have enough geared/leveled/interested people. We are just short of the perfect storm needed to raid with our current members so recruitment seems to be the only answer. The issue is that while I may be all for it, the other active players have issues with recruitment.
Blizzard talks Mists of Pandaria talent tree tweaks
Blizzard lead systems designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street has penned a small novella on the official World of Warcraft website. The subject of the text dump is talent trees, and more specifically, how they'll be affected by the game's upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion. Street addresses 10 of the most common concerns that players have voiced regarding the changes, and some of his answers are more interesting than you might think. As an example, many WoW players have said that the talent revamp will result in fewer choices across the board. Street admits that this sentiment is "ultimately correct," though he does qualify that with an assertion that players will have more choices that matter. Head to Battle.net to read the rest of his explanations.
Sprint to nix 'unlimited' from mobile broadband and hotspot plans in November
We'd heard rumblings that unlimited data for Sprint's mobile hotspot plan was going the way of the dodo, but come November folks, it'll be official. Data sent and received over tethering -- not smartphone usage -- will now be measured against a 5GB cap. The same applies to mobile broadband subscribers, who will lose "unlimited" WiMax, instead having all their bits counting towards 3GB, 5GB or 10GB buckets (as seen above). Going over your allotment in either plan naturally incurs overages, which could get pricey at 5 cents per MB, and worst of all, existing unlimited plans won't be grandfathered in. So, start counting down those last few days of limitless bliss, as you weep peeping the full details that await at the source. [Thanks, Darren]
The Daily Grind: What was the best change made to your favorite MMO?
Change can be a very scary thing, which is why many of us resist it. Yet change is also a regular fact of life in an MMO, and so we're forced to roll with it whether we want to or not. In the space of a single content patch, update, expansion, or even hot fix, our entire virtual world can be turned upside-down. Our class can be nerfed into extinction, game mechanics can change the very way we play, and the world can grow and develop in most unexpected ways. The unknowable power of change is one of the reasons why I love MMOs and why it appeals to so many. So instead of focusing on the negative side of change, let's focus on the upside. What was the best change made to your favorite MMO? It can be anything as minor as a bug fix to something as huge as a full-game revamp. If you had to point to one change as the best idea the devs ever had (or co-opted), what would it be? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: When have changes overwhelmed you?
Ask most Star Wars Galaxies fans what the problems were with the NGE, and you're likely to get a list that dwarfs most screenplays. But it's hard to argue that one of the major failings was that it was trying to make too many changes to the core of the game in too short a span of time. Even if the changes were good ones -- and many players were of the mind that they weren't -- it was a massive shift in a game without enough time to adapt to all the alterations. Few MMO players would argue that games never need to change, if only to remove parts of the gameplay that are unintentionally broken. But changes that rush on too fast can leave players disoriented, unhappy, and more than a little confused. So when has the pace of change in a game overwhelmed your ability to cope? Was it a major change like World of Warcraft's massive overhaul of the old world, or even something simple but far-reaching like City of Heroes' Enhancement Diversification? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Apple gives in to publishers, changes policy on in-app subscription prices
It looks like Apple has decided to make some pretty major changes to its App Store Review Guidelines -- and, in particular, to its controversial in-app subscription policy. Under the new guidelines, publishers will be able to offer subscriptions to content outside of the App Store, as long as their apps don't include a "buy" button that directs users away from Apple's marketplace. Under the previous version of the policy, which was set to go into effect at the end of this month, app owners offering subscriptions outside of App Store were required to sell equivalent, in-app services at the "same price or less than it is offered outside the app," while giving a 30 percent cut to Cupertino. Now, however, they can price these in-app subscriptions as they see fit, or circumvent the system altogether, by exclusively selling them outside of their apps. Apple will still receive 30 percent of the revenue generated from in-app subscriptions, but won't get any money from purchases made outside of its domain. Theoretically, then, publishers would be able to offer in-app subscriptions at higher prices, in order to offset Apple's share. This is how the new rules are worded: 11.13 Apps that link to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the app, such as a "buy" button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book, will be rejected 11.14 Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content. Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues for approved content that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app. It's important to note, though, that Apple hasn't made any changes to its policy on sharing user information. Publishers had been lobbying to gain access to subscribers' credit card data and other personal information, which they see as critical to applying a TV Everywhere model to online publishing. With today's concessions, though, these demands may become less insistent.
The Soapbox: Debunking the first kiss theory
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. So I owe this week's Soapbox to one of my gaming buddies who recently opined that a lot of older genre fans wear rose-colored glasses. We're a sentimental, eternally ornery, and change-resistant bunch, he said, and we're all searching in vain for that one game that recaptures the magic of our first MMO rodeo. Ordinarily I'd take offense to those labels, but upon further reflection, my pal had a point (though it may not be the one he intended). This "first kiss theory" -- as I'm calling the bundle of nostalgia-related charges often leveled against old-school MMO fans -- is fairly common on massively multiplayer forums. This was the first time I'd heard the theory espoused by someone I knew personally, though, and as a result I spent a fair bit of time mulling it over. Join me after the cut to see why it ultimately doesn't hold water and why, if older MMOers are indeed nostalgic, there are quantifiable reasons for it that has little to do with half-remembered glory days.
Nokia Chairman Jorma Ollila to step down next year, complete exodus of old guard
Anssi Vanjoki, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Symbian, and Qt are all either already departed or on their way out of Nokia. It's of little surprise, therefore, to hear that the company's Chairman, Jorma Ollila, will soon be following in their footsteps and clocking out of the Espoo office for the final time. Ollila has been a member of Nokia's Board of Directors since 1995 and in his present position since 1999, however the recent change in direction and leadership at the company has clearly made it unfeasible for him to continue as Chairman. He's expected to step down at some point next year, with Nokia now commencing the search for his replacement.
Don-8r the panhandling robot set to make the homeless obsolete (video)
Until now, one field has been safe from robotic interference: collecting money on the street. Not for long. A space already overcrowded with guitar playing hippies, dogs in bandanas, and children carrying bright orange UNICEF boxes has a new force to reckon with. It's Don-8r (pronounced "donator," for those who don't speak robot), programmed expressly to collect change and be adorable. University of Dundee student Tim Pryde created the coin-fueled robot to help raise money for charity. It's taken a few spins around the school's campus and has already mastered the three Ps of money collection: politeness, persistence, and performance -- the latter accomplished via color changing lights in its orb-like head. Video of Don-8r doing its thing after the break.
Acer changes its logo, hopes to start afresh
Over in Acer HQ, it's out with the old and in with the new. Having bid ciao to former CEO Gianfranco Lanci, the Taiwanese company is now slapping a fresh coat of paint and a softer typeface upon its corporate identity. The new Acer green is lighter and brighter and the more rounded new shape looks a lot safer for kids to play around with, should the occasion ever arise. We doubt this will make a big difference in the company's push to be "more like Apple," but hey, at least we now have a visual marker to distinguish the products that came before this shift in strategy from those that come after.
GE's new phase-change based thermal conductor could mean cooler laptops -- literally
It's no secret: if your laptop sits atop your lap for an extended period of time, you're going to get burned -- okay, so maybe not burned, but you're definitely going to feel the heat. Luckily GE has been working (under contract for DARPA) on a new phase-change based thermal conductor that promises to cool electronics twice as well as copper, at one-fourth the weight. The breakthrough means big things for those of us who'd like to make babies one day, but we doubt that's why DARPA's shelling out the big bucks -- the new material functions at 10 times normal gravity, making it a shoo-in for on-board computing systems in jetliners. Using "unique surface engineered coatings" that simultaneously attract and repel water, the new nanotechnology could mean not only lighter, cooler electronics, but also an increase in computing speeds. Goodbye scrotal hyperthermia, hello cool computing! Full PR after the break.
Jon Bon Jovi accuses Steve Jobs of putting a shot through the heart of music
Steve Jobs, according to musical legend Jon Bon Jovi, is "personally responsible for killing the music business." This strident (and economically false) accusation comes from an interview he conducted with Britain's Sunday Times, where he candidly sets out his dismay at this century's move away from music distribution on physical media and toward ubiquitous download portals. Bon Jovi's nostalgia shines through in his detailed account of the "magical" experience of picking up records and enjoying their sweet touch and soothing analog tones -- though we're not sure how he missed out on the fact that CDs, not downloads, were the first to stab a dagger of digital convenience through the hole in his record collection. Still, Bon Jovi thinks Apple's iTunes success is to blame for the loss of our collective innocence and bright-eyed enthusiasm for music. What do you think?
The Daily Grind: What is the next MMO innovation?
Everyone knows how many World of Warcraft clones there are out there, right? "This is just WoW in space." "This is just WoW with tanks." "This is just WoW covered in chocolate." Just after WoW took the MMO world by storm, every gaming company decided that the WoW formula was the only way to make money in the industry. Now, however, we have started to see a move in other directions. But which innovation will come out on top? Some developers have really started to go back to the basics of sandbox gameplay -- like Wurm Online or Minecraft -- or have taken a console approach, like Global Agenda or DC Universe Online. So what do you think will be the next big innovation in MMOs? Will worlds get wider with more depth like EVE times 10? Perhaps they will be come more character-driven and linear like Star Wars: The Old Republic? It's possible that a first-person shooter will be the next MMO wave, isn't it? What do you think developers will make the next big thing? What do you want it to be? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
AT&T tweaking messaging plans, killing some upgrade discounts, raising fees and MicroCell pricing
How on Earth have Verizon and AT&T both decided to kill off their upgrade discount programs within a few days of each other? Hard to say, but we've gotten a little peek at some new policies designed to "streamline" things that are apparently coming into effect next Sunday, January 23rd -- and very few (if any) of them are going to bring a smile to your face. Here's the gist: There'll be a new text package of 1,000 messages for $10 with overage at 10 cents apiece. This compares to 5 cents at the 1,500 / $15 level and 10 cents at the 200 / $5 level. Speaking of those other text packages, they're going away. Both the 200 and 1,500 text plans are goners. Obviously, if you're already on them, you shouldn't be affected -- you just won't be able to select them for new plans or changes anymore. Early upgrade pricing on new iPhones -- the standard subsidized price plus $200 -- will only be available six months into an existing iPhone activation. $50 and $100 discounts on top of subsidized pricing for upgrading customers -- similar to Verizon's recently-killed New Every Two program -- are going away. If you're currently eligible, you'll still be eligible to take advantage through July 23rd of this year. Family plan add-a-line activation is increasing $10 to $36. International voice roaming prices are changing in 117 countries. That's a lot of countries! We're assuming most of those rates are going up, not down, though we don't have details at this point. Calling to Canada is going from 29 cents per minute to 39 cents. The 3G MicroCell is increasing in price from $149.99 to $199.99, which seems like a really bizarre move to us -- hard to say what the motivation is there. Certain "pre-selected" customers will still receive special discount offers for it in the mail, though. Check out full details on the changes in the gallery below. [Thanks, anonymous tipster] %Gallery-114713%
T-Mobile UK cuts 'fair use' allowance to 500MB, sends you home to watch online video
In one of the most insensitive announcements in recent PR history, T-Mobile UK is telling its customers who want to download or stream online video to their mobile devices to "save that stuff for [their] home broadband." The carrier, one half of the UK's biggest operator Everything Everywhere, had up until now offered one of the better monthly allowance deals with a 3GB data consumption limit on Android phones. It still is, in fact, since its new changes aren't coming into effect until February 1st, but come that fateful Tuesday, T-Mo's understanding of "fair use" will shrink down to 500MB each month -- after which point you'll still get to browse the web and email for free, but any video content will presumably be subject to an extra charge. It's not clear how "that stuff" will be handled by T-Mobile once you cross the frugal new threshold, nor is it clear whether customers who signed up for big bodacious 3GB of data will be set free once this new lockdown on mobile video is in effect. Godspeed to you all. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: T-Mobile has responded with a clarifying statement we've added after the break. There will be no surcharges for use over 500MB per month, but once you cross that line, any downloading activity will be "restricted." By which the company seems to mean "restricted to whatever WiFi connection you can scrounge up," because its 3G airwaves will be off-limits.
Skype teases video recording and sharing 'as it happens,' inventing synonyms for 'video calls'
It's hardly a secret anymore that Skype will be making some manner of video-related announcement at CES, but now the company's stepping up the hype offensive with a series of teasing videos and tweets. The common thread between the vids is that they're all shot in remote locations or on the move, eliminating the current PC / Mac dependency for video chat and forcing our minds to consider mobile, perhaps smartphone-shaped, devices instead. What Skype's promising is that we'll be able to share our favorite moments "as they happen," which together with all this video recording stuff seems to point to only one thing: video calling on mobiles. Only mystery left now is which platforms will get it when.
Apple Stores now selling iPad gift cards
Apple has begun selling their signature silver gift cards inside "iPad Gift Card" packaging just in time for the holiday rush. iLounge says that although the cards themselves aren't anything different than the ones I normally get from family as Christmas gifts, they can now be used to purchase an iPad. When I bought my current iPhone I tried to use gift cards and wasn't allowed to do so -- Apple mandated that customers had to use a debit or a credit card -- but I guess this is a change in company policy. I would much rather unwrap an actual iPad on Christmas morning rather than just a gift card, but beggars can't be choosers, can they? If you are traveling to see me for the holidays, I completely understand it would be a lot easier to pack a gift card than an iPad. So you're more than welcome to bring me one if you absolutely have to. I won't mind! [via MacStories]
China launches Chang'e II lunar probe, litters countryside with debris
We'll have to just put this down to a relative lack of experience. China's recent launch of the Chang'e II lunar probe seems to have gone quite alright for the rocket-propelled explorer, but it's been a somewhat bumpier experience for the people down on the ground. The booster propelling the Chang'e II into orbit found its way onto farmland near Jinsha, Guizhou Province, while the satellite's discarded casing crashed down close to Suichuan, Jianxi Province. Thankfully, it seems like neither village has suffered any casualties as a result, though the locals do now have some rather neat, atmosphere-scarred rocket shells to admire. Check out the charred hardware in the gallery below.%Gallery-104158%
One Shots: Born to be wild
As they say, change is inevitable. Not only in life, but also in the MMOs we all know and love. Thankfully, much like photographs, screenshots serve to freeze fun moments in time so that we can recall what things were like. With World of Warcraft set to explode in the upcoming Cataclysm expansion, there are people taking snaps -- or just digging through their folders to find interesting images of what had come before. Today, we have a great example of hotrodding craziness courtesy of one very determined daredevil dwarf named VBOOST. Here's the note we got: "Here is my World of Warcraft toon, VBOOST, on a choppah before they nerfed them (don't get me started) being cheezily metal in the great forge!" Do you have screenshots of your favorite game that you haven't sent in to One Shots yet? If so, why are you holding back? You should gather those up and send them to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We can always use more screenshots to show off! %Gallery-85937%
