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More iOS App Store anniversary goodies: Angry Birds Star Wars, Dead Space, KOTOR and more
Apple's celebration of the iOS App Store's five year anniversary continues with more free/discounted games with which to smudge up that capacitive touchscreen. In addition to the stuff that was made free yesterday, Chopper, Peggle, Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, Flight Control and Angry Birds Star Wars are now available at no cost. Moreover, the iPad version of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has been discounted to $5, though its mysterious monetary adjustment may not be directly related to Apple's festivities. As a result, there's no telling how long that particular discount will last. Jump past the break for all the applicable iTunes links.
2 crafting professions that won't make you rich
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Check out Fox and Basil's reboot of Call To Auction, and email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! If you're trying to decide which professions to put on your character and you are considering their gold making potential, you'll want to avoid engineering and inscription. While they're not terrible if you consider their stat bonuses, they're not ideal for gold making on many realms. Of course, every realm has its own ecosystem, and as with all advice you'll read from this column, you should check that the assumptions hold for your realm and faction. That said, by far the most common problems I have trouble helping people with are related to these two professions. Inscription I'll start with the one that's going to get me the angry comments first. Inscription has long been touted as a cornerstone of the money making meta game -- heck, it earned my esteemed colleague, Fox, his first million gold on Darkmoon Cards. Before that, we had "glyphsmas" when 4.0 hit and a steady level of demand for glyphs before that. We still have the stupidly profitable fortune card market that lets anyone open a tiny, Blizzard-sanctioned casino. So what's not to like?
The Detonator brings electric biking to bots, looks pretty bomb
Parker Brothers Choppers, responsible for one of several Tron Light Cycle replicas seen recently, is continuing to prove that electric bikes aren't all weedy-looking augmented pedal-powered affairs. This time, it tackled the Detonator concept created by Daniel Simon, a former VW designer who was also in charge of vehicle design for the Tron remake. Wired reports that the $100,000 bike charges in an hour and has an estimated range of around 80-100 miles on a full battery. According to the operations manager at Parker Brothers Choppers, it's "not the easiest bike to ride," though that could have something to do with Simon's original design, geared for non-human droids able to rotate their legs all the way around. Human riders, on the other hand, would likely face some chafing issues.
Wasteland Diaries: Launch 2.0
Fallen Earth is officially free-to-play with patch 2.0. There are very few restrictions on the free accounts, so if you haven't at least tried it out, you really have no excuse. If it's been a while since you've played, you might want to pop in and check it out. A lot has changed, and there's no need to sub up to take a look. The world is pretty well populated now. Even Los Alamos was crowded again, like it used to be over a year ago. The starter towns were packed with new players all running around with their axes and air rifles. The population is certainly healthy at the moment; hopefully it will last. It's been over two years since Fallen Earth went live, and it's also probably been over two years since the wasteland has had so many people in it. LifeNet gear is back in style again. Players are trotting around on "Old Nags," and the Help channel is a fusillade of questions that many of the more helpful and knowledgeable players try to keep up with. I spent a few hours traveling around and watching the crowds. Seeing the swarms of players and the dead mobs littering the desert sand in Sector 1 reminded me of launch day back in September of '09. But the difference is this: There are more players everywhere, which means many of the old players have returned as well. I've noticed some big changes already, and I'll share those with you right after the cut.
Fallen Earth's spiked chopper debuts in new trailer
Why did the Fallen Earth chicken cross the road? To get a closer look at the game's new choppers of course. When we say choppers, we mean badass bikes and not helicopters (although that would be cool too -- chop chop GamersFirst). Anyway, as we reported earlier this week, Wednesday marks the final day to subscribe to Fallen Earth prior to its free-to-play/hybrid makeover, and the faithful will receive a new spiked chopper mount for their trouble. You can take a good long look at the bike -- as well as plenty of post-apocalyptic wasteland visuals and the aforementioned chicken -- in the latest game trailer after the cut.
K-MAX unmanned chopper delivers Air Force salute to Afghan danger (video)
It's a year since Lockheed Martin won the contract to provide an unmanned cargo delivery system to the US military and now its first K-MAX helicopter is just about ready for duty. The 6,000-pound RC chopper is scheduled to journey to the manifold fronts of Afghanistan next month, where it'll get busy ferrying its own bodyweight in ammo and supplies to needy anthills up to 200km away. And, if things get too sticky for laptop flying, there's always room for a brave soul to jump in there and grab the controls. You'll find a fresh demo video after the break, plus we've also stuck in that fancy clip from last year to rotor your memory.
Navy blends Jet A and algae-based biofuel, uses it to power Seahawk chopper (video)
Considering that helicopters are entirely dependent on a spinning rotor to remain in the air, an MH-60S Seahawk doesn't exactly seem the most likely candidate for experimental fuel. That didn't seem to stop the US Navy, however, which successfully completed a test flight with a 50 / 50 blend of algae-based biofuel and Jet A (traditionally the flavor of choice for turbine-based aircraft). The mixture used is known as Solajet HRJ-5 Jet fuel, which doesn't quite have the same ring to it as good ole Jet A -- but it does happen to be based on a renewable resource and managed to keep the rotor spinning. There's no word on how much the new fuel costs to produce or when it might be ready for commercial use, but if all goes to plan, we may soon be using the green stuff for more than just sushi rolls and miso soup.
Eurocopter X3 hybrid sets new speed record of 430km/h, readies for next search and rescue mission
See that chopper right there? That's the Eurocopter X3, and as of last week, it can cruise at more than half the speed of a commercial jet. Although the helicopter was striving to hit 220 knots, it actually blew past that milestone to maintain 232 knots (450 km or 279.6 miles per hour) in level, stabilized flight -- a new record for this aircraft. For the uninitiated, the X3 earns its "hybrid" moniker by combining two turboshaft engines that power five-blade main rotor system and two propellers installed on short-span fixed wings -- which, in layman's terms, allows it to hover like a helicopter should while reaching the kind of speeds you'd expect from a turboprop-powered aircraft. (And before you get too excited, yes, this one requires pilots.) While we love the idea of a high-speed joy ride for tourists, this thing will be used for long-distance search and rescue missions, along with border patrol, coast guard duties, offshore operations, passenger and troop transport, and medical evacuation. So no ride for you, but you can get your vicarious thrill anyway with a short, percussion-heavy video after the break.
TUAW's Daily App: Sky Combat
I can't say that I'd call a top-down arcade shooter the best fit for the iPhone's touchscreen, but in the case of Chillingo's Sky Combat, it works. You drag a finger around the screen, guiding an auto-firing chopper through quite a few different maps of various forces, attacking and defending from rockets and constantly grabbing upgrades and score. The graphics are 2D, but it looks great, with plenty of fiery explosions to go along with the realistic vehicles. With a full campaign of ten missions, a single mission mode, an endless mode, three difficulty levels to play with and full Crystal and OpenFeint integration, Sky Combat is packed to the gills with extra features. There's a 1.1 update on the way, and there are a total of four different control schemes, so however you want to play it, you can. It's an excellent game, a more than respectable scrolling shooter for the iPhone and a bargain at just US$0.99. Chillingo has made a reputation for providing great games like this, and I got to see a few more of their upcoming titles at GDC this week. Stay tuned for a preview of those, as well as an interview with the company's executives.
Dell employees arrested for poor decision making skills
Round Rock police responded to multiple 911 calls of a suspicious man carrying two metallic objects inside a building at Dell's HQ campus. The "biker," dressed in all black and wearing a skull mask, was yelling at people to "go to the lobby," according to police reports. The ensuing panic resulted in the arrest of two Dell employees charged with interfering with public duties and deadly misconduct. Now get this: the incident was the result of a marketing stunt gone horribly wrong with the purpose of internally promoting a new product for the Dell Streak tablet "which can interface with Harley-Davidson motorcycles." Because really, leather-clad motorcyclists are constantly complaining about the lack of peripherals for their choppers.
The Resident Evil chopper isn't as violent as it sounds
You might hear the phrase "Resident Evil chopper" and think of some brutal weapon designed to make a zombie into two half-zombies, but it actually refers to the latest spinoff for the franchise -- and the first with the ability to literally spin off. Capcom has partnered with Savage Cycles to produce an officially licensed Resident Evil motorcycle, to be sold in "an extremely limited number." It'll have a bunch of fake weapons and health sprays and stuff attached, and the expected S.T.A.R.S. and Capcom logos. The shot above is of an in-progress model. Capcom didn't mention a price for it, but we suspect that Resident Evil completists unable to let an official piece of merchandise pass are crying right now. Sure, $100 for a Japanese limited edition game or something is doable every now and then, but now you have to buy a vehicle. And if you drive it, it won't be mint condition anymore!
Breakfast Topic: Crafting pride
For some reason, crafting has always been a big part of massively multiplayer games. Maybe it's their quality as loot-collecting simulators, but from the very early graphical MMOs, players have almost always been able to create and modify and trade and sell items of their own. Though we don't talk about it as a mechanic much (you press a button and get what you crafted, what's the big deal), it's certainly one of the main reasons people play World of Warcraft, and the crafting system has come to not only fuel the economy, but has ended up becoming one of the best ways to show off and present your customized character. So our question today is: what's your favorite or most important crafting item? I'm in the middle of leveling my paladin, and he's just now reaching the highest reaches of Engineering, which is a skill I've never leveled up before, but have always wanted to. I haven't gotten together the gold for epic flying yet (well on my way at level 73), but I did make normal flying machine as soon as I could. And my big goal with this character, other than getting him raiding ASAP, is to make the Mekgineer's Chopper -- ever since we first saw it in the early days of Wrath, I've planned to get a character up high enough to make it. I know, I know, I can buy it, but for me it's a crafting thing -- I want to go out, find what I need to find, and craft it with my own virtual hands. Any other crafted items that have you wanting to make something for yourself?
Paul Sr. demonstrates OCC's electric chopper, Fox News seems mystified
Paul Teutul Sr. may not be the most eloquent of men, but he's good at what he does and has developed quite a following both on and off the reality TV circuit. Apparently none of those followers work at Fox News, as he got something of an odd reception when going on air there to show off Orange County Choppers' latest creation: the Siemens Smart Chopper. A different sort of bike than either the Zero S or Brammo we've ridden this year, the Chopper has a 27hp electric motor and a top speed of over 100mph while still managing a 60 mile charge. It sports LED lighting and recycled components to further up its green cred, a combination that seems to, for some reason, raise the ire of the hosts of Fox and Friends. Or maybe they're just trained to always sound loud and incredulous. Decide for yourself in the video after the break. [Via Gizmag]
5 Fingers does iPhone game bundle right
Software bundles are normally things that appear for computers, however, one developer believes that the iPhone deserves the same money-saving offer. The 5 Fingers Bundle [iTunes link] does just that -- it combines five awesome games into one application for one price. While bundles are not something new on the App Store, the implementation of this bundle is something special. The user interface for switching between the different games is amazing, and makes it feel as though there was care taken in creating this bundle. The games included in the batch are: Blackbeard's Assault by Warhorse Games BurnBall by IMS (TUAW Review Here) Chopper by Majic Jungle Software Sneezies by Antair Corporation Up There by Veiled Games It would definitely be neat to see more developers follow this route. You can find more information about the Five Fingers Bundle on their website, or by visiting the iTunes App Store where you can purchase it for $4.99US.%Gallery-47355%
Ulduar on the Patch 3.1 PTR: The Flame Leviathan
The developers sent us for a bit of a loop today, putting an Ulduar boss up for testing with very little notice immediately after PTR maintenance. Matticus, ever reliable, threw together a quick 10-man raid and welcomed me along to try out the Flame Leviathan. Unfortunately, Michael Sacco (who walked you through Hodir and the Iron Council) wasn't able to go with us this time around. I think he did it on purpose so I couldn't make any jokes about his inability to perform, if you know what I mean.The Flame Leviathan is the boss (or one of the bosses) that uses siege vehicles in its encounter in the outdoors portion of Ulduar. For the safety of those that do not wish to be spoiled on anything Ulduar related, I'll put all information on the encounter beneath the cut below.Again, if you do not want to be spoiled, do not click the link below.
The Queue: I have no regrets. Well, maybe one...
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.Maintenance day, maintenance day! One of the best days of the week, or one of the worst? I'll leave that to all of you to decide.Nautical D asked...I stopped playing WoW just before 3.0 patch came out and deleted all my characters and items to make sure I didn't return, is there any way I could get back and start on WotLK without having to roll new chars?
Official site reveals Hog/Chopper gallery
Despite so much hate surrounding them in the beginning, the motorcycle mounts added in Wrath of the Lich King have been a massive hit. They're absurdly expensive, and yet there are tons of them running around. Some people still hate them, but there's plenty of love to go around.Some of that live hit the official World of Warcraft website recently with a huge gallery of Hog/Chopper screenshots, from both factions. My favorite out of them all is the one I used above, because what's more awesome than Tauren in Lumberjack shirts and silly hats? Not much.We also posted a little, much smaller gallery of our own quite awhile ago, you may remember. We took the screenshots in the gallery below during the Wrath beta when the motorcycle still had some pretty funny graphical glitches, so check that out too, if the official gallery isn't enough hog for you.%Gallery-32185%
Vehicle mounts to work more like mounts than vehicles
Here's an interesting mount change -- it probably won't change the way you actually use your mounts, but it is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how vehicles are working out at Blizzard. Zarhym says that in a future patch (maybe as soon as 3.1), all "vehicle" mounts will be changed back into regular mounts. Right now, when you "summon" a flying carpet, it actually shows up as a vehicle to the game, unlike a normal mount, which is basically just an extension of your character. But after the change comes down (whenever that is), summonable vehicle mounts (which may or may not include the Chopper?) will work just like regular mounts.This won't mean much in the actual UI (though it may change where your mount is saved -- I haven't picked up a vehicle mount yet, so I'm not sure if they appear on the mounts screen or not), but what it does mean is that Blizzard is stepping back from the vehicle interface. It's been buggy from the beginning, since beta and even after release, and while it's unlikely Blizzard will remove vehicles from the game, at least for the mount/vehicles, they're planning to go with the old mount code rather than have everyone using the vehicle code for that.Interesting change. Hopefully Blizzard is also still working on tightening up the vehicle code -- it's never fun to jump into a siege tank and then discover that none of the abilities work. But for these mounts at least, they're backing off and going back to the old way. Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.
One of Warhammer's cut classes won't be coming back
Eurogamer notes, from an interview they did with Mythic's Mark Jacobs last week, a reality that may frustrate Orc and Dwarf fans: one of the two remaining 'cut' classes will not be returning to Warhammer Online. In the interview, Jacobs is up front about the reality that either the Dwarf Hammerer or Orc Chopper will not be returning to the game. As he put it, "well, one of them we hope to put back in. I can't tell you which yet, that's a surprise. We're probably going to be replacing one and putting in another class in its place. But we'll be talking about that in a few months."This follows closely on the heels of his announcement last week that the Knights of the Blazing Sun and Black Guard will make a triumphant return to the game in the month of December. The Knight and Guard are tanking classes, and the news of their return is great news indeed. The Hammerer and Chopper are DPS classes for their specific factions. We couldn't get much in the way of information on them for our 'every class explained' guide, but this is what Adam and Josh had to say about them: "The general class role is that of the momentum berserker-brawler. They build up fury, bounce from target to target, destroying all in their paths." Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Touch Arcade interviews maker of iPhone Chopper
Touch Arcade has a nice interview up with David Frampton, author of both the Mac game Chopper and its upcoming port to the iPhone. Apparently the game is feature complete and now in testing, so hopefully it'll be one of the first apps up on the App Store when it arrives, supposedly sometime this month.The game will use the iPhone's accelerometer to control the little helicopter, and Frampton says it's both a blessing and a curse, in that it makes things more fun to control, but the iPhone also has to be held at a certain angle to center it out (they're planning to get around this by adding a way to calibrate it for different playing situations). He also talks about how the iPhone's OpenGL ES version works, and says that, despite our worries about battery life, the iPhone is able to churn out a pretty consistent FPS as well as keeping battery usage fairly low. To be fair, Chopper is probably on the low end of graphics potential, but we'll take any good news we can get here.The game is still on track for a release in late June, and while even Frampton doesn't have details to share about the App Store's launch day, Apple's past support of this title means that if any third party games make it into the App Store, this one will definitely be there as early as possible.
