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Totem Talk: Totem Consolidation and Totem Expansion
If you read the site (and if you don't read the site you're not reading this now, so I suppose it doesn't matter) then you may have seen yesterday's minimalist beta build notes and the relative storm of comments they created. If not, and if you're terribly opposed to clicking a link, I'll go over the basics. See how much I love you? Well, no, not that way. I'm married. Anyway, the basic gist of it is simple enough. In buffing the Stoneclaw totem so that it protects other totems (a clearly PvP oriented buff, as totems are rarely targeted by mob AI) a small problem has been quickly discerned by shamans everywhere. We shamans are very, very fast at seeing potential pitfalls. And this one is a relative doozy. In PvP, you will often drop Tremor Totem, as it is the only way for a shaman to prevent being feared or charmed. If you're not dropping that, you'll probably drop Strength of Earth for the boost to strength and agility, popular stats among the physical DPSers. And recently Earthbind was stated to be getting a buff that clears snares and roots.So far this all looks pretty good, I'm sure. The problem is, these are all earth totems. So if you want to try and shield your precious torso... er, totems... from damage, or keep yourself from being feared all over the battleground or arena, or clear those pesky roots and snares, or buff your friendly face smashers you can't. You can only do one. Which will it be, shamans?So what, you may say? Other classes have to choose which buffs they can have. Warriors can't provide commanding shout and battle shout at the same time. Paladins don't get ret aura and devo aura at the same time. Having to choose what totems you drop is what seperates shaman players from bots that just thunk down the same totems all the time.
Silicon Knights could join a major publisher in the era of consolidation
In the final part of our three-part interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack we discussed the one console future, specifically the topic of consolidation. With companies such as Electronic Arts purchasing developers like BioWare and Pandemic and Microsoft purchasing Lionhead, does Denis Dyack see Silicon Knights joining a major company in the future?"I think I see that for everybody," Dyack told X3F. "I think what is really important for us, more than anything else, is that we're allowed to create great games, grown in the way we want to grow [and] maintain our culture."While Dyack isn't adverse to the possibility he did contend that any thought on the matter now is pure speculation on his part. "Who knows, it's like trying to predict what the weather is going to be like a week from now."
DICE 08: Riccitiello warns against consolidation, says EA 'blew it'
EA CEO John Riccitiello took the stage during the final day of DICE to preach a doctrine of, well, basically: the exact opposite of everything EA has been doing for the past 15 years. In late 1992, EA gobbled up Origin, and then it was Bullfrog in '95, followed by Westwood in '98, and so and so forth, leading right up to the acquisition of BioWare and Pandemic Studios last October. "We at EA blew it," said Riccitiello, speaking to the woeful fates of those early, and once top-tier developers after they became part of the EA 'family.' Lesson learned, apparently.Riccitiello highlighted "creative failure" as the most telling outcome of consolidation (Hello Activision!) and urged the industry to follow examples set by studios like Rockstar, Valve and Blizzard, who have succeeded by remaining autonomous within the corporate umbrella (Riccitiello used the analogy of "city-states"). Overall, Riccitiello's was a promising message of awareness and change from EA -- at the least, reassurance that BioWare will never be relegated to Madden duty under his watch.
Sharp's AQUOS DV-ACV52 HD DVR handles DVD, HDV, and VHS
Sharp's HD DVR lineup has been steadily (albeit quietly) growing for a few years now, and while the company did loose five new offerings in the AQUOS DVR arena earlier this year, the multi-faceted DV-ACV52 has the stage all to itself now. Besides packing a built-in digital TV tuner, 250GB hard drive, and HDMI outputs, this convergence device allows playback and dubbing on a variety of formats including VHS, DVD, or DV / HDV via the i.Link FireWire connector. Other niceties include composite / S-Video outs, optical audio output, and the ability to record one OTA broadcast to the HDD while another goes straight to VHS / DVD. Sadly, we don't envision this Japanese-bound unit ever gracing US shores, but it will be making smiles across the sea next month for around $925.[Via MediaMentalism]
Artemide floor lamp rocks tunes, purifies air
Melding form and function most certainly isn't new, but Artemide's Rigel conglomerate mixed a hint of design with multifaceted charm in its three-in-one device. The floor lamp emits warm, colored light when powered up, functions as a mirror when turned off, and also features a built-in speaker system to boot. Moreover, it also touts an integrated air purifier, but whether you're actually better off without out is certainly debatable. Nevertheless, this stand-up trio of devices could definitely act as a conversation piece, but at a cost of £1,900 ($3,732), you're probably better off buying one of these and pocketing the difference.
