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Twitter adds DM share button to iOS and Android
If you're a fan of secretly sharing tweets with your friends via DM, today's your lucky day. The Twitter apps for iOS and Android are being updated with a dedicated Message button for quicker sharing.
Twitter adds desktop notifications to direct messages on the web
Twitter's direct messages via the web just got more useful. Today the social network will start rolling out DM notifications for its site which will be available for everyone by the end of the week. Once it does go live for you, if you have Twitter.com open in a browser tab and get a DM, a notification will appear in the top right corner of your display. The company has really been pushing for the DMs feature to become a full-fledge messaging service to compete with the likes of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. In addition to today's desktop news, it recently removed the 140-character limit from direct messages and in January added group messaging. The company has been in the midst of determining how to attract and keep new users to its service. Expanding one of the core features into something most people use on a daily basis, it might be able to get those users to stick around and actually post status updates.
Twitter removing the 140 character limit from DMs in July
Twitter really wants you to start using Twitter DMs to privately chat with your friends. Of course, when you're chatting with folks, a 140 character limit means you have to span your long messages over multiple posts which sort of kills the flow of a story. But, starting sometime in July, you won't have to worry about that because the company is removing the 140 character limit in DMs. So go ahead, leave long meandering messages to your friends via DMs. The news was dropped by Product Manager for Direct Messages, Sachin Agarwal on the Twitter developer channel. As for regular public facing Twitter, it will still be limited to 140 characters.
You can get Twitter DMs from anyone (if you want)
If you're feeling brave, Twitter is (once again) letting you receive direct messages (DMs) from any old person. As before, you'll have to opt-in by ticking a box in the settings -- but once you do, even folks who don't follow you can send you a note. On top of that, you can now reply to anyone who DMs you, even if they're not a follower. That's a big change from the status quo -- previously, you've only been able to receive messages from people you follow, and send them to those who follow you. To drive home the point, Twitter put a Direct Message button front and center on your contact page for its iPhone and Android apps.
Twitter lets you share public tweets in your direct messages
Well, that was fast. Twitter casually mentioned at its Analyst Day festivities last week that it'd soon give users the ability to share public Tweets in private conversations, and now a new update to its apps and web clients means you can do just that. Either a long-press on a Tweet or a quick pop into the 'More' menu in Twitter's mobile and desktop versions respectively will let you dump that micro-missive into a Direct Message conversation, where it'll pop up in a tiny card for lightspeed perusal. We can hardly contain our excitement either.
Twitter will add video and build more standalone apps
During Twitter's analyst day conference there was also talk about future plans for features and even completely new apps. For one, there's been talk about expanding the use of Direct Messages. The idea would be that you could DM someone a public tweet and have a private conversation about it. The company is also planning to bring real-time video capture and editing to the Twitter platform proper. That means, rather than have to fire up Vine first, you can simply hit record from within the Twitter app to post video. While there are still a lot of questions about what the feature will look like exactly, we do know that it should be a little less restrictive than the six-second Vine service. Though, we doubt you'll be able to shoot a feature length film and share it directly from Twitter.
Ryanair now lets you tweet it for real-time flight updates
When budget airline Ryanair finally launched its first Twitter account, many users wondered if they've finally have an official way to vent their frustrations via social media. Although the company does use @Ryanair to improve customer service, it only serves as a way to update followers, not to interact with them. However, following today's launch of @RyanairFlights, Ryanair has started to engage a little bit more, but only with customers who are interested in receiving real-time flight updates. The automated service asks you to follow the new account and then send it the flight number you want updates for (eg FR102). Ryanair then gets back to you with the status of that particular flight, providing scheduled departure and arrival times, and news of whether it landed early or not. Luckily, you don't have to endure that perky 'on time' jingle if it does.
Massively's first look at sandbox Shards Online
How many games have you played only to find yourself uttering the phrase, "If only I could run my own server"? Chances are, there at least one or two titles you''d love to make into a private playground for select friends using your own personal ruleset. Lucky for you, in Shards Online, you'll be able to do precisely that! Announced last month, this upcoming sandbox by former Mythic Entertainment devs is built on the premise that players will run the majority of the virtual worlds how they want to. Do you want a fantasy world where you can boot those who ruin immersion? You got it! What about the ability to take over mobs and fight the players while spouting personalized comments? Yup, that too. What if you want a hardcore world where survival is for the fittest? Mm-hmm, starving to death is an option, as is permadeath. And how about a world where gameplay unfolds around players as they explore rather than offers questing on rails? That's the theory behind the game. But how do these ideas hold up in practice? Last week I sat down with Citadel Studios co-founder Derek Brinkmann to witness a demonstration of Shards Online and talk all about the plans for the game. And what I saw certainly looks promising! So if this idea tantalizes your gaming taste buds, keep reading to get the scoop. I've even added a teaser video.
Twitter pulls option that let you receive direct messages from any follower
After enabling the feature for just a month, Twitter's decided it doesn't want you to receive messages from any follower without the need to follow back. The Next Web reports that the company has silently removed the checkbox in user settings that enables the option, which we've confirmed in at least five accounts, meaning you'll once again be limited to direct-messaging users that you personally find interesting. Twitter remains quiet on the matter, pointing to previous correspondence that it is always testing new features, but given that it's rumored to be considering a standalone messaging app, we wouldn't be surprised Twitter's much-maligned DM feature is overhauled in the near future.
Sending links inside Twitter direct messages doesn't work if you're unverified (update: a 'technical issue with URLs')
Some Twitter users can no longer send links through the social network's direct message service. According to our early tests, unverified users are the ones seeing the issue, with unverified-to-verified and unverified-to-unverified DMs both affected. Meanwhile, those that are more fair than the others are free to send links privately to whoever they want. We've replicated the issue with several editors, and we've had no trouble sending page links (and, importantly, gifs) on DM to other (verified and unverified) Twitter users. This was across the web browser client, TweetDeck and the iOS app. According to ReadWrite, it was only able to send links to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with all other links bouncing back with an error message. The site reckons it could be a protective measure against spam, which could make sense, following the new ability to receive DMs from people you don't follow -- if you opt-in for it -- which launched this week. Then again, it could just be a bug -- we're receiving mixed reports from readers. Update: We've also got in touch with Twitter, whose spokesperson told us that there is a "technical issue with URLs in direct messages" and well, not much else. It sounds like it's something that's being worked on rather than a new optional measure, although the social network didn't offer a timeframe for when the ability will stabilize. Update 2: For more updates about where Twitter is with this issue, you can check out its direct message support page here. Right now it states: "We're restructuring back-end elements of our direct message system. As a result, users may be unable to send some URLs in direct messages. We apologize for the inconvenience."
WoW Archivist: Memories of Dire Maul
The WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Last week I said we'd be visiting Dire Maul in-depth this week, and we're going to do exactly that. Dire Maul was added in World of Warcraft patch 1.3 all the way back in March 2005. As I pointed out last week, Dire Maul attempted a great number of things that Blizzard has never tried to do since. It was also one of the few instances that was given a lasting relevance throughout an entire expansion phase of the game's life -- from the day it was implemented in patch 1.3 to the final day prior to the launch of The Burning Crusade, players had a reason to venture into the three wings of Dire Maul that wasn't simply grinding for currency. Dire Maul was one of the last bastions of adventure and discovery in our dungeons. That isn't to say all instances afterwards were bad, that's not true at all, but never again did we have a 5-man dungeon that you were free to explore and discover the secrets hidden away in its dark corners. It's a style of dungeon we haven't seen since, and with the prominence of the dungeon finder in World of Warcraft these days, it's one we're unlikely to see ever again.
Snell and McIntosh to share resources without becoming McSnell or SnellIntosh
Not that we could ever afford either brand, but we would have cried if either Snell or McIntosh had been given the axe by D&M Holdings. Instead, the parent company is restructuring things so that the two companies will share resources while still maintaining separate commercial identities -- at least for now. Snell will be getting a brand new facility on McIntosh's campus, and frankly given the ultra-high end markets both brands appeal to, this could be a good union. We've never seen McIntosh speakers in the field, even alongside McIntosh electronics, but we've got a feeling that some Snell models would be right at home in certain posh systems.
Anti-Aliased: Fourth Edition and the Kamehameha Fallacy
I've wanted to do a post on Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition for a while now, but I just couldn't put my finger on what I wanted to talk about with it. The rules are very much made in the vein of World of Warcraft -- you can tell that by just opening up the book, going to the classes and seeing all of the various powers that you can obtain by leveling -- and the whole system feels a bit more MMO-ish than normal. The funny part is, if you're expecting a "D&D Fourth Edition blows" rant, you're not going to get one. Instead, let me entertain your opinions on the way we design our MMOs. This column is dedicated to something I like to call the "Kamehameha Fallacy," otherwise lovingly known as the "Mine's Bigger!!!!!11one" syndrome. This fallacy is the reason you're addicted to MMOs, the reason you hate Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition, and the reason today's MMO leader (World of Warcraft) is doomed to fail all wrapped up into one little ball.
Player versus NPC health
A comment left by Argent on my article about the maximum amount of stamina got me thinking. How does player health stack and scale against NPC health? I quoted 17,500 unbuffed health as a good target for maxed unbuffed stamina, which equates to about 22,000 health fully raid buffed (possibly more depending on group, consumables, and talent composition).So, let's take a look at what some mobs are that have around 22,000 to 23,000 health. Remember, this is as much as a fully equipped tier six warrior will probably have in raid. Archaedas, Level 40 Elite, Uldaman Princess Theradras, Level 51 Elite, Maraudon Timmy the Cruel (Timmeh!), Level 58 Elite, Stratholme Live Highlord Omokk, Level 59 Elite, Lower Blackrock Spire Magister Kalendris, Level 60 Elite, Dire Maul West Maleki the Palllid, Level 61 Elite, Stratholme Undead Novice Astromancer, Level 70, Tempest Keep the Eye (pulled in packs around Solarian) Culuthas, Level 70 Elite Demon, Netherstorm If you want to just go by unbuffed numbers, some famous mobs that have around 17,500 health include:
ReplayTV changes hands again, acquired by DirecTV
DirecTV just did itself a solid and picked up the pre-TiVo DVR company, ReplayTV, from parent company D&M. We don't know what all bundle of valuable time-shifting IP and patents wound up being worth in the form of an acquisition price tag, but it's got to be a pretty penny -- especially to a company like DirecTV, which has watched its peers have a prickly run-in or two with TiVo and its heavyweight "time warp" patent. Something tells us the brand will probably only live on in legacy alone, though. We just can't see much reason for DirecTV to bother carrying on with the half-assed comeback ReplayTV's been trying to make over the past couple of years.[Via Zatz Not Funny]
Phat Loot Phriday: Cruel Barb
Since pretty much all of our phat loot so far has been crazy awesome endgame stuff, I thought it might be nice to take a look at some lower level lewts. And so here's this, a dual sword twink's favorite weapon.Name: Cruel BarbType: Rare One-Hand SwordDamage, Speed: 30-57, 2.80 (15.5 DPS)Abilities: On Equip: +12 Attack Power Usable at level 19, this sword is a no brainer for WSG twinks. It's not the only weapon you could choose to equip your overpowered lowbie with, but with a respectable drop rate, a nice attack power bonus, and the ability to dual wield them for a double bonus, it's an easy choice for any melee class. How to Get It: If you've ever made it past level 20, you've probably already gotten it already. Cruel Barb is dropped by the great Van Cleef (VC, if you're LFG in Westfall), the main boss of the Deadmines, the game's first major instance (can we consider Ragefire Caverns major? I'll let you guys decide that). There's a droprate of around 13%, so if you don't see one after eight runs through or so, you're just really unlucky. Keep in mind that it's BOP, though, so while it's tempting to run your high level alt through Deadmines to get it, you won't be able to pass it off to your twink... unless you bring a friend and have them reinvite you into the instance, of course. Ah, the pleasures of twinking!Auction Price: Would probably be high if you could actually put it on the AH. But instead you'll have to settle for 29s 64c to a vendor-- or just go ahead and DE it. After all, how else are you going to be able to do that +15 agility enchant on both your weapons?
