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Instagram rolls out paid badges to all US creators
Instagram is expanding the availability of Badges to all eligible creators in the US.
The exquisite art and subculture of Def Con’s (unofficial) badges
A series of tweets sent me and other Def Con attendees scrambling to get to the Caesers Palace pool as quickly as possible. I cut short a conversation, shoved my gear in my bag and ran out of the press room without an explanation. I was after a piece of art. A piece of tech. But mostly I was excited about adding to my growing collection. I was on the hunt for Puffy, one of dozens of unofficial Def Con badges available for sale at the annual hacker conference from build-teams from all over the world. It's a piece of electronics shaped like a fish, and I decided I must have it.
The incredibly intricate badges of Def Con
Three days before the 24th annual Def Con hacker event, badge designer and builder 1o57 (aka Ryan Clarke) had a problem. "The lion's share of the 20,000 badges showed up this year not programmed," he told Engadget. He gathered up a team and they went into "hell mode" to hand-program blinking pieces of electronic riddled with cryptographic puzzles.
Foursquare is bringing mayorships back for Swarm
When Foursquare split its app into two separate services, Swarm and Foursquare, some users were unhappy that their favorite gamification elements had been nuked. If you were checking in with Swarm, for instance, it was no longer possible to unlock badges and compete for mayorships with the entire community. Well, it seems Dennis Crowley's startup is finally relenting and giving the people what they want. The company says global mayorships with be added to Swarm "soon" and that henceforth, all check-ins will count towards them. While badges are still noticeably absent, Foursquare is rolling out 100 new stickers which users can add to their check-ins, photos and messages. Will it be enough to win back those that checked out after the Swarm-Foursquare split? Maybe not, but at least the company has recognised what made Foursquare such a hit in the first place.
WoW Archivist: Warlords of Draenor hates The Burning Crusade
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? In many ways, The Burning Crusade was the birth of modern WoW. Most of TBC's innovations are still going strong in WoW today and have been ever since their introduction. Looking back, it's striking how many key features of WoW were absent in classic, only unveiled during the game's first expansion. Even more striking, however, is how many of these innovations Warlords of Draenor seems poised to undo. Just as Garrosh will undo the transformation of Draenor into Outland, Warlords seeks to unravel most of what Blizzard innovated during TBC. The next expansion will take us through a portal into a very different WoW. Archivist has now covered all the major patches of The Burning Crusade: patch 2.0.1, patch 2.0.3, patch 2.1, patch 2.2, patch 2.3, and patch 2.4. Now it's time to review the expansion as a whole -- and explore how Warlords will make most of TBC's innovations disappear into the nether. Dawn of the quest hub The idea seems so obvious it's hard to imagine that classic WoW actually didn't have quest hubs, at least not in the strict sense. WoW was the first MMO to promote the idea of leveling mainly through quests rather than grinding mobs. So Blizzard had no model to look at when they were designing the original quests. In classic WoW, quests were put into the game wherever the developers thought they made sense, mostly from a lore perspective. Quests didn't necessarily guide you through a zone area by area. Quests were scattered, and their objectives were, too. They weren't breadcrumbs -- they were meant to be discovered. They didn't hold your hand -- they sent you on an adventure, like it or not.
The Daily Grind: What's the niftiest MMO character title you've ever earned?
I don't usually bother with the achievement metagame in MMOs or anywhere else. Checking off a bragging-rights checklist generated by a studio whose entire goal is to waste as much of my time as possible is just not my idea of fun. But I make exceptions, chief among them being character titles. If a game is going to give me an awesome title for doing something bizarre like eating 36 Eggs and Onions, Delicious Crispy Bacon, Hobbiton Omelets, and Complete Hobbit Breakfasts, then by golly, I'm going to do it just for the giggles and wear that silly title with pride. Besides, it sounds delicious. What about you readerly types? Do you also collect titles rather than minipets and scouting badges? And more importantly, what's the niftiest title you've ever earned? 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!
Girl Scouts could get very own video game badge, STEM-approved
Girls are gamers, too -- and not just the Nintendogs type. Though video games have commonly been ascribed a boys' club distinction, the Girls Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and Women in Games International are looking to undo that widespread misperception. Working in conjunction with E-line, the publisher behind the government's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiative, the two groups are seeking to create a nationally recognized video game badge; a first for the Girl Scouts. Guidelines for the proposed badge are still in process, with WIGI molding requirements to fall neatly in line with the STEM program, even going so far as to use the same development tool, Gamestar Mechanic. If and when the program gets final approval from the Girls Scouts of America, it'd be the third such video game badge available to our nation's young troopsters, as both the Cub and Boy Scouts currently offer one. So, no Rosa, it would seem the Girl Scouts do need those stinkin' patches.
Mozilla launches Open Badges 1.0, delivers virtual kudos for real skills
We've long missed the stickers and badges we could wear to show achievements in our childhood, whether it was an A+ in History or our campfire-making chops. Mozilla must miss those too, as it's launching Open Badges 1.0, a spec for proving skills on the web. The approach provides verifiable credentials that are stowed away in a virtual Mozilla backpack and shareable through a number of online avenues, starting with WordPress blogs and Twitter updates. You won't necessarily need to be a web scripting wizard to earn badges, either -- they're available or coming from 600-plus companies and educational institutions that include Disney-Pixar, NASA and the Smithsonian. We're a long way from only having to flash our Open Badges to land a job, but those symbols may be enough to let teachers and coworkers know we're up to snuff for key tasks.
Praetorian invasions hitting City of Heroes
It sure seemed as if the heroes and villains of City of Heroes had repelled the invasion of Praetorian forces. Certainly there had been an incursion, but it looked for a time as if the worst were over. But that's not the case, not even close to the case. Primal Earth's heroes might be striking against Emperor Cole's soldiers in their homes, but the dimensional assaults have only just begun. Starting on May 11th, Praetoria will besiege Primal Earth with intensity, and it's going to be up to players to try to prevent an all-out slaughter. Servers will be assaulted in a steady pattern, with a new pair hit every day during the event's duration. Players who take part in the final event on May 27th will be awarded a special account-wide badge to commemorate the heroes and villains who stood against truly overwhelming odds. If you don't want to be left on the sidelines, take a look at the full list of times and servers and get ready to fight against a bigger invasion than City of Heroes has seen since the game launched.
Weather app uses notifications to display info on home screen
One area that Apple needs to address is the iOS home screen, which uses icons and badges to display information instead of the more informative widgets used by its competitor, Android. While many apps resign themselves to this limitation, a weather app by International Travel Weather Calculator pushes what is possible with a clever use of the iOS notification system. We are all familar with the red iOS badge that displays the number of missed calls or unread emails on your home screen. The Fahrenheit – Weather and Temperature on your Home Screen app takes advantage of this notification system to display the temperature on your home screen. It's a clever use of Apple's built-in system that does not run afoul of the App Store guidelines. The rest of the weather application is feature-rich and includes location-based weather forecasts, support for multiple cities, astronomical data, like sunrise and sunset times, and extra weather information, like rainfall amounts, humidity and wind direction. An in-app upgrade lets you add rain radar, satellite maps and wind charts to the application. The Fahrenheit – Weather and Temperature on your Home Screen app is available for US$0.99 from the App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think.
City of Heroes to celebrate 7th year with special anniversary bonus
City of Heroes is approaching its seventh year of operation, and in keeping with tradition, that means it's time to start the celebration early. This year, though, the team is offering players a little extra incentive to stay subscribed during the lead-up to the date itself. Players who maintain an active subscription from February 1st until April 18th will receive a new badge, a new emote, and a brand-new booster pack to help celebrate their service to (or against) the populace of Earth Prime and Praetoria. Becoming available on April 28th to all players with a steady subscription, the most eye-catching reward is the new Vanguard Booster Pack, which unlocks several of the Vanguard costume pieces and features for all characters on a given account. There's also a new badge and concurrent title "The Constant," and a special chest emblem signifying the long road the game has walked. City of Heroes players can take a gander at the official announcement and start looking forward to the full anniversary celebration, which seems to be ramping up early this year.
Halloween comes to City of Heroes
Most people look forward to Christmas for presents, but City of Heroes players look forward to Halloween. After all, the celebration of all things ghoulish brings with it the opportunity for players to gain that most coveted of rewards -- an extra costume slot. The Halloween Event has run in Paragon CIty and the Rogue Isles for many years, and this year doesn't just bring the event to the new region of Praetoria, it gives all characters a chance to earn some new badges and take part in some new monster-themed activities. The biggest addition to this year's event is a tip mission that sends you on a seasonally-themed mission arc, which can be started by hunting for tips while wearing one of the many costumes offered through the event. (Other costume powers are confirmed to work too, in case you'd rather be a Rikti.) Of course, the classic elements from years past have remained intact, with players getting a chance to collect special Halloween salvage and build themselves an extra costume slot. Take a look at the event page for a rundown of all the new badges and the event features, and log in to City of Heroes before midnight on October 31st to take part in all the festivities.
The Daily Grind: What's your greatest MMO achievement?
Abraham Lincoln, possibly thinking about World of Warcraft, once said, "That some achieve great success is proof to all that others can achieve it as well." Nido Qubein, who was later pwned by Lincoln in PvP, retorted, "Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people." Achievements: We live to fulfill them. While many MMOs have tacked on an achievement system to motivate us to accomplish bizarre, tough, or unlikely goals, many gamers come up with their own goals all the time. What is your greatest MMO achievement? What are you most proud of accomplishing in your long (or perhaps short) career as an online gamer? Was it a goal that few if any others ever attained? Did you finally cross a finish line you never thought you'd reach? It's OK to boast in the comments today -- actually, we downright demand that you do. Pat yourself on the back and share with us your greatest personal MMO achievement. If it made you happy and satisfied, we want to hear about it! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our 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 The Daily Grind!
SWG's Community Manager on in-game events
Perhaps you can remember a time when the developers of MMOs were directly involved in player events -- either running them or just attending player-run events. In our interview with him on Massively Speaking, Richard Garriott mentioned a couple of times about hanging out with players as Lord British in Ultima Online. If you recall, Star Wars Galaxies had a whole team, lead by Jason "Pex" Ryan, that was completely devoted to creating and facilitating player events. It may seem that these days are fading with the scripted events common in more recent releases. Lydia "Zatozia" Pope, the newly appointed Community Manager of SWG, hopes to change that. Zatozia has been with Sony Online Entertainment since May of 1999 when her department was still known as Verant. Under the customer service banner, she ran Historical Events for EverQuest. These were live GM-run events that were used to transition EQ from expansion to expansion. She was also a member of the Stormhammer Legends EQ server team, which specialized in GM-run events and storylines specifically for that server. Zatozia is now the Community Relations Manager for Star Wars Galaxies, and we were able to speak with her about her personal plans for the title as well as how the SWG community is affecting other SOE titles. Click over the break to catch the full interview.
Squaring off with SWG's producer, Teesquared
The fans of Star Wars Galaxies are stalwart. Despite all the trouble the game has gone through, it features one of the most active communities in the Sony Online Entertainment library of MMOs. The developers have noticed this and have continued to work diligently on new content for the loyal players. Recently, we took the opportunity to ask SWG's current Producer Tony "Teesquared" Tyson some questions about the present and future of the title. He answered all our inquiries about holiday events, future updates, the Galactic Civil War, and the Trading Card Game. Some exciting things are coming! Follow us after the break to find out what future holds in a galaxy far, far away...
Lost Pages of Taborea: Badge of honor
I've been spending a lot of time lately in Runes of Magic's battlefields and arena. There are a number of these instanced PvP areas and this crafter has been enjoying most of them. The battlefields, arena, and guild siege system all have tasty incentives in the form of points or badges. Basically operating as a form of currency, these PvP rewards can all be spent on a variety of items. If you thought gear grinding or buying purified fusion stones was the only way to improve your character, then think again. If you thought spending diamonds or exorbitant amounts of gold was the only way to improve your pet, then think again. If you thought Kipos had one ugly mug... well, you'd be right. In this article I take a look at a couple alternative forms of currency you can get your hands on and what you can do with them.
Samsung: 'we are prioritizing our Android platform'
Samsung may be one of the big players that Microsoft is pinning its hopes on for Windows Phone 7, but you wouldn't know that from listening to the company at IFA. Speaking to Reuters at the show, Samsung's head of marketing for its mobile division, YH Lee, said flatly that "we are prioritizing our Android platform," adding that, "Android is very open and flexible, and there is a consumer demand for it." Lee further went on to note that the company will continue to focus on its own Bada platform (at least outside of North America), but seemingly downplayed Windows Phone 7 when asked about it, saying only that "there is still some professional, specialized demand there." Ouch. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Samsung also says it's "not seeing visible demand for Symbian."
WoW Rookie: Emblem gear for the fresh level 80
New around here? We've got your back! See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Emblems of this, emblems of that ... What are all these emblems that everyone swears you simply must have once you hit level 80? WoW Rookie's got your back with the basics. An advanced, comprehensive path to the best gear for your class and spec to raid in? No, not really. A down-and-dirty orientation to which of these currencies matters most to you as a new level 80? Absolutely. First, understand this: There's more to gearing at level 80 than emblem gear. Questing, instance drops, reputation gear, BoEs from the auction house and crafted pieces all play a role in your evolving gear set. Get your feet wet with our fresh 80's guide to getting started in 5-mans. If you especially enjoy digging your way through and savoring all the content, if you're a completist or if you're making your way toward raiding at something less than today's typically breakneck pace, you'll want to explore all of these options as you build your character. If you're headed straight for end-game raiding, you'll want to focus on emblem gear. Emblems are probably the single most important tool for vaulting yourself to raid readiness. That's not to say that the other options are without merit; you'll definitely want to shore up your kit with non-emblem items. But emblem gear offers a clear, reliable, seamless path from level 80 right into raiding. Let's see how it all comes together.
The Queue: Elephants
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mike Sacco will be your host today. Re: the title -- unlike them, I do forget. To write The Queue. Wil asked... "Is Blizzard considering making emblems bind-to-account? For someone who's got multiple alts (and intends to level more), this would be a godsend. What would be the pros and cons of such a change?" Blizzard has said that they intend for emblems to be an endgame, character-specific reward. Heirlooms, purchasable with said emblems, are a secondary reward to help your alts get to the point of being able to get their own badges. Will this change for Cataclysm, though? Do we ever really know the answer to that?
Sold out: PAX East 3-day badges
Well, you can't say we didn't warn you. Writing on his Twitter feed, Penny Arcade money man Robert Khoo says that 3-day badges for PAX East have officially sold out. If you missed out, you can still get onto the show floor by buying a single-day pass. Be warned: Only 1,000 passes remain for Saturday, and with a Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast that morning and a Joystiq Podcast Live recording that night, Saturday would be a very bad day to miss. [Thanks, Ben]
