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Social features added to Battle.net desktop client
Our friends over at Adriacraft have had the chance to test a newly datamined version of the battle.net desktop client. They have various in-depth screenshots on their article, but it looks like the current friends list has undergone a needed overhaul. You can now add and remove friends, report other players, accept and decline friend requests, and see recommended friends, which are friends of friends. Although you can't see an actual chat window in any of Adriacraft's screenshots, you can see that there are the options to edit "toast" settings, including messages, which implies that chat, or at least notifications of messages received, could be coming soon to the desktop client. There is also the option to remember status, but before we get excited about offline mode finally arriving, remember that there are already statuses in battle.net -- away, busy, etc. There is, however, an image of the user being offline, but this could just be because he wasn't logged in when it was taken. If you are concerned by any of this, or feel that you would not want the friends of friends option, setting up parental controls on your account can be an excellent way to tailor battle.net communications to your personal preference. You can disable it, or even selectively disable various elements, including parental controls.
Breakfast Topic: Further discussion of cross-faction raiding
Matthew Rossi recently discussed the possibility of cross-faction raiding. Those ideas always generate heat worthy of further discussion, so that's exactly what we'll do this morning. With Real ID, the impending BattleTag system, and the increasing prevalence of social media usage in the World of Warcraft community, it's highly unlikely that all of your friends are on the same faction. In both the real world and the virtual, it has become easier and easier to meet people on the other side of faction lines. Even if all of your friends are on the same faction right now, who knows if that will remain true? You meet new people every day. It doesn't feel good to meet a new coworker, find out they play WoW, only to learn they're on the opposite faction. You'll never be able to play together. Well, you can, but you sure need to jump through a lot of hoops to do it ... like ditching your main character. The social landscape of the game has evolved, but the binary faction lines remain static. Why not allow cross-faction raiding? I'm not calling for the abolition of a two-faction system entirely. Two independent stories for each faction still makes sense. The conflict between the Alliance and the Horde is still a part of the world we play in. However, if players are on our Real ID or BattleTag friends list, we must know them well enough that those faction lines don't matter. Why continue to use those faction lines in content where they are unnecessary? Some raids do have unique content based on faction, that's true. It would be weird to fight for the Alliance as a Horde player in a raid such as the Argent Tournament, wouldn't it? I'm sure some creative Orb of Deception kludge could overcome that obstacle. What say you, WoW Insider?
Blizzard announces new Battle.net BattleTags
Blizzard has just announced and posted a FAQ about its upcoming Battle.net feature BattleTag, a feature separate from Real ID that connects players across all of Blizzard's games with a screen name rather than your own full name. BattleTags seems to be Blizzard's response to the community's privacy issues with Real ID, in which many players want to make new connections with people they meet in game but are not willing to share so much personal information. BattleTag will eventually have access to all of the grouping and queuing features that Real ID users currently have access to. Not only will your BattleTag be your identifier across Blizzard games, but it will also be used as your forum handle on the community websites. These handles are not unique, so you could potentially have the same name as someone else, but you'll have an identification number that appears after your name in your profile so that people can find you and send you messages. BattleTags do not interrupt your Real ID friends or any other feature. Again, BattleTags are optional, and you are still able to post on the forums using your World of Warcraft characters or StarCraft II account. BattleTags are rolling out soon in the Diablo III beta and will be available for everyone at a later date. Personally, this is exactly what I wanted from Real ID, now pared down to a manageable, private screen name. My real friends can stay on my Real ID list, and my online friends, guildmates, and other people can use my BattleTag. This new feature is a great response to players' concerns, and I cannot wait to try it. Hit the jump for the full FAQ and learn all about BattleTags.
Ubisoft founds motion picture division, vows to keep Jake Gyllenhaal working
Quick show of hands: how many of you like playing video games? And how many of you would like to watch movies based on video games you've played? No doubt slightly more sophisticated market research went into Ubisoft Motion Pictures, the game maker's unique approach to adapting games like Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell for film and TV, meaning we'll finally see movies about assassins. Last year's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time film grossed $335 million worldwide, surely thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal's smoldering yet boyish intensity, and the French game publisher clearly wants a bigger slice of Hollywood pie -- it also recently bought visual effects studio Hybride Technologies. You might as well get in line now for Battle Tag: The Movie.
Ubisoft's Battle Tag lands at the FCC, we're already out of breath
Remember when we just about passed out from exhaustion following a rather short demo of Ubisoft's nouveau laser tag setup? Well, judging from its appearance over at the FCC, it looks like the RFID-packing Battle Tag is ready to play. Unlike some of our more fruitful dives into the commission's archives, this one doesn't uncover a whole lot about the product that we didn't already know. Internal photos show an RFID reader, used to communicate with ammo packs for reloading, and a thorough examination of the game's user manual revealed the accompanying software is compatible with Windows only. So, no, we won't be exposing any big secrets here, but for laser tag aficionados, whoever they may be, today is a good day. A Battle Tag setup for two is now available via Ubisoft for $130.
Ubisoft's Battle Tag launches assault on Texas tomorrow, Canada next week
One of Ubisoft's more bizarre products at E3, Battle Tag, finally has a release date. In Texas and Canada. And, as of writing, only Texas and Canada. Ubisoft's self-described "hybrid" toy/game lets you recreate a laser tag experience at home, but with a number of game-inspired twists. There are health packs, ammo crates, and multiple game modes, customizable via an included PC app. For more info on how the setup process works, check out our video preview. The two player "Starter Pack" will be available for $129.99. The Canadian release is set for November 22, exclusively at Zellers and on Ubisoft's official website. Texas will serve as a "test release" for the US market, with fifteen Toys R Us stores in Houston and Austin to begin selling the toys tomorrow. Ubisoft has created an action-packed trailer of lots of people having fun with the Battle Tag gear, which we've embedded after the break. Provided you live in Texas or Canada, and have lots of money to spare, maybe you'll be able to join in on the fun as well. Call your local store to see if it's one of the fifteen. %Gallery-107787%
Preview: Battle Tag
Okay, it's definitely not a video game. However, Ubisoft's Battle Tag is a lot of fun. Basically, it's Ubisoft's game-inspired take on laser tag. Like in laser tag, you'll have to suit up and aim an electronic gun at vests worn by your opponents. There's a good deal of customization of which you can take advantage, and the Battle Tag software makes it easy to register the guns and various "power-ups." (The software is currently PC-only, with the possibility of consoles and mobile later down the line.) For example, if you want to get more ammo for your gun, you can place various ammo boxes throughout your environment. Tap the gun to the plastic ammo box, and your gun registers more ammo. Low on health? Do the same thing. There are specific "targets" you'll be able to place throughout the environment as well. Using the software, you'll be able to customize your own game type, while tweaking play time, player health, etc. Unfortunately, we weren't able to properly test the range of the Battle Tag system at Ubisoft's press area. That's something we hope to rectify once Battle Tag ships later this year.
Ubisoft announces Battle Tag (which is not a video game)
The capabilities of modern consoles are constantly expanding but "laser tag scorekeeper" is one we never expected. Ubisoft just announced Battle Tag for this year, a game-- err ... application that keeps track of a laser tag game you play with included blasters and hit-detecting vests. Near as we can tell, it's a real laser tag game, but your expensive game console (platforms are unannounced) keeps score for you. Kentia Hall: Gone but not forgotten.
