locations
Latest
Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals Voss
The looks we've gotten inside the planets of Star Wars: The Old Republic paint a number of different pictures, but for most of them the conflict is fairly cut-and-dry. There are objectives for Imperial Sith forces or the Republic, but there haven't been things that are external to both forces. But Voss, the latest world revealed, is a bit different. There is already an intelligent species living there, and they face utter annhilation even as both the Empire and the Republic try to curry their favor. The eponymous Voss are isolated against the other natives, the Gormaks, and have been fighting a long and losing war in which Gormak assaults have all but destroyed them. But the reclusive Voss are powerful natural Force users, an asset to either major galactic power. Both are trying to gain the allegiance of these potentially powerful allies, even as they stare one another down. The possibility for diverse adventures are obvious -- do you try and talk the Voss into helping your faction? Wipe out the Gormak? Attack your enemies when they're distracted? Ensure that if you don't get the aid of the Voss, no one does? The full reveal talks more about what looks poised to be a divisive part of Star Wars: The Old Republic, whatever path you would take.
No launch DLC for Blur, but there will be plenty
Blur has been in development at Bizarre Creations for at least a year now, and probably even longer, but in all of that time, no one in the studio has worked on any DLC, according to lead designer Ged Talbot speaking to MTV Multiplayer. While the title does have some in-game pre-order bonuses ready to go, there won't be any launch DLC, so you'll have to be satisfied with the 50 cars and 30 racing locales coming on the disc for a little while. But Talbot does say that Bizarre will be releasing additional content soon after the game goes on sale, and that "it's always been a massive part of the strategy to support the game with DLC." Your late '92 baby blue Subaru might not be in there right now, but just be patient, baby -- it's coming for you.
The Daily Grind: What location is vital to the game?
When you play a game for any length of time, you get used to where things are. World of Warcraft players can navigate by the Stormwind Cathedral or the Orgrimmar Bank, Final Fantasy XI players can set their sights on the crags or Delkfutt's Tower. But sometimes, as has recently happened in Everquest II, there's a significant loss to those important locations. Something disappears, something is destroyed or moved or otherwise lost, and the entire game world feels a bit smaller for the loss. And even though part of you knows they're just backdrops, even if you don't give the slightest whit about the game's setting, you can't help but feel a bit smaller for what's been lost. The entire premise of the upcoming World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is the idea that the locations you're familiar with can be changed irrevocably, and that it's a significant event when it takes place. What part of your favorite game do you think is iconic and necessary for the feel and setting of the game world? Is it one of the more common points of congregation for low-level characters, a high-level haunt, or just a familiar and cherished region?
The Daily Grind: What areas do you hate?
There may be better litmus tests, such as simply askiing, but you can generally tell if someone has played Final Fantasy XI by their reaction when someone mentions dunes. In Vana'diel, there is only one region known as the Dunes, and it is hated. Plagued with goblins whose sole purpose is to blow up low-level characters, ghosts that flay you alive with AoE spells fueled by nuclear energy and hate itself, and roaming bands of clueless players, the zone is not well-loved. All of the above might not be so bad, except that it's the most likely leveling spot for ten long levels. Good luck completing that level band without dying and losing some of your progress toward freedom several times. While.not every game has a zone that causes some players to swear they will never return, they all have regions we'd as soon forget. What spots in your favorite game do you try to avoid? Did they feature really bad design, annoying enemies, or confusing layout? Was it an area devoted to an awful grind or series of truly obnoxious events? Or were they just spots soured by so many bad experiences that you can't separate them from the aggravation?
Apple 'experts' coming to a store near you
Along with the "Geniuses" and "Creatives" currently available at the Apple Store, there's a new type of employee that'll be wandering the store floors. Apple "Experts" are set to debut in about two weeks at retail locations around the country. The men and women selected as Experts will move up into what seems like a more elite sales position, with their jobs being not only to educate the incoming public about everything Macs can do for them, but to "create the next generation of Apple fans" -- in other words, sell as many computers as they can. 2010 should be an interesting year for Apple retail -- not only do they have that prototype store planned in Palo Alto, but they're working on growing some of their locations as well and trying to build up more "flagship" stores like New York's Fifth Avenue store and Chicago's Michigan Avenue location. Sounds good to us; visiting the Apple Store is always interesting, and if they're planning to mix it up even more, we look forward to the surprises. [via AppleInsider]
Upper Deck hosts a Spectral Safari event for the WoW minis game
Haven't gotten a chance to play last year's Game Product of the Year yet? You're in luck -- Upper Deck is hosting another "Spectral Safari" event about a month from now, on March 14th, and you could pick up a Spectral Tiger, one of the hottest TCG items in history. Entry for the big tournament costs $20, but not only do you get to take home a WoW minis booster, but you have a chance to win prizes, and everyone who plays in the tournament will get entered in a contest to have an official mini made of their very own ingame character. That's pretty wild.They've just sent us the list of where the events are taking place, so if there's a tournament going on near you (there are locations all over the world), now's the time to make your plans. The game is a lot of fun -- it's kind of a cross between a turn-based strategy game (in that both players take turns with their characters to move and attack) and Arena battles (in that you move around on a field using the various abilities and weapons available to your character's class). An event like this is a great way to check it out and possibly even win some prizes for playing well.
Upper Deck Day coming February 7-8, 2009
Our good friends at Upper Deck have announced a day of tournaments, demos, and giveaways at a hobby store near you. Upper Deck Day is being held February 7-8, 2009, and the event will feature a WoW TCG beginner's tournament, as well as on-site demos of the new WoW minis game. If you've never played either of these games, this is the perfect chance to check them out -- mark your calendars now, and bring a friend to check out the other ways to play World of Warcraft.They haven't yet released the list of locations for the event, but Upper Deck tends to use the same places most every time, so if they've held a previous event at a store near you, odds are that they'll be there again. Actually collecting both of these games can get pricey (and let's face it, is really only fun if you've got a friend or two to play with often), but that's what makes these events so perfect -- you can get a taste of what the games are like without having to break the piggy bank to pick up all the little doodads.And as always, if you go, be sure to snap some pictures and send them to us. We're always interested in what players of the offline World of Warcraft games are up to as well.
Testing the iPhone's fake GPS
Mac|Life has a pretty neat breakdown of just how the iPhone's faux GPS work (or doesn't work, depending on the situation). Long story short, the Locations feature is pretty darn close-- unless you really do need GPS. On average, it seems like triangulation put the guessed location (represented by the blue pin in the pictures) off from the actual location (represented by the red pin) by about .5 miles.Which is great if you just want to know where you are (which is what it was designed for, obviously). But not so great if you're actually trying to do something you'd need GPS for (like geocaching). Two drawbacks here -- I've been trying the Locations feature around Chicago, and I've found that if I try it more than once, or am moving, the app picks up a little better on where I'm at. Also, I've been in Chicago, and Mac|Life is in San Francisco, so it would be interesting to know how this works out where we might really get lost-- out in the country, farther away from cell towers.Still, while it's not as precise as real GPSers might like, the Locations feature is pretty amazing for what it is. Your iPhone doesn't know exactly where it's at, but it knows close enough to get you where you're going.
NetworkLocation - change settings based on your network
NetworkLocation is a handy utility that allows you to create templates of actions and settings based on (you guessed it) your network location. Like WiLMa and Location X before it, NetworkLocation can set up batches of settings to apply, apps to open and scripts to run, and keep them all accessible at the click of a mouse. It comes with preset actions, such as loading a specific iTunes playlist, setting system volume and connecting to a server, but it can also run AppleScripts, leaving the possibilities wide open. NetworkLocation does all this with a very slick and flashy UI; in fact, it might be too over-the-top for those who just want to get at the meat of automating their system. In fact, the UI is so glammed up that John Gruber had a hard time figuring out how to quit the app. Here's a tip if you're in the same boat, as there are two ways to do it: click on its menubar item, then click on the timer in the window that pops up, and then click the power button that slides out. You can also simply use cmd-q when that timer window comes in to focus. See what I mean about a funky UI?Getting back to this concept of automating all forms of system settings - it's a great one, and I was first turned on to it by Location X (recently Universal-ized), which is still my favorite primarily because it handles all these tasks automatically in the background, based on which network(s) you connect to. There's no need to pop up a window and chose a location - you simply set up your batches of settings, and it gracefully performs your tasks automatically as you move between your home, work and favorite coffee shop's network.But I digress (again) - this is a post about NetworkLocation, as it looks like a capable (though flashy) approach to network-based Mac automation. A demo is available, and a license costs $15.
