Gold-Rush
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EQII summertime Gold Rush offers members special bonuses [Updated]
Yesterday the gold rush began in EverQuest II, and it's going to last all summer long! From June 21st through September 21st, SOE is offering a special promotion for EQII players with Gold or Platinum memberships. During this time, all players who have the paid membership will have access to a special new skill entitled Gold Rush. Once each day, eligible Norrathians will be able to activate this spell and get the following bonuses for the space of four hours: a +15% increase to coin loot, a +5% increase to mount speed, and a +10% boost to AA, combat, and crafting XP. Gold and Platinum members who log in anytime this summer will find the spell automatically slotted on their hotbar (if they have room) or in the spell book under abilities. Bronze or Silver members wishing to take advantage of these bonuses can do so by upgrading to Gold at any point during the event. [Update: Producer Holly Longdale tweeted that as of the 6/25/13 patch, all Platinum members could also use the buff.]
Patch 5.3: New Battleground Deepwind Gorge
The battleground is set in a relatively large map, reflective of its 15v15 size, with three mines in a north-south line across the middle. From the top to the bottom of the map, they are the Pandaren Mine, the Center Mine, and the Goblin Mine. The Alliance base is at the eastern end of the map, with the Horde starting at the western end. There is only one graveyard on either side. As can be seen from the screenshot in the header image, there's a pretty open central run from the Alliance to the Horde bases, both of which look down on the Center Mine, which is indicated by the vertical beam of light in the middle of the image, and in the middle of the map!
World of Warcraft patch 5.3 rushes into a new battleground
With the World of Warcraft community adjusting to life after patch 5.2, Blizzard is revving up the engine to patch 5.3. The public test realm patch notes have become available, although the patch itself is not yet on the PTR. Patch 5.3 looks to be a boon to PvP players, as it'll kick off a brand-new battleground: Gold Rush. Gold Rush takes place in Pandaria's Valley of the Four Winds and has both factions fighting for control over mines. Other content coming in 5.3 is a new arena called Shado-Pan, four scenarios, heroic difficulty levels for scenarios, and adjustments to loot rolls. Our sister site WoW Insider has the full patch notes, so go check 'em out!
Goldrush: Another new datamined battleground?
The good folks over at Adriacraft have been busily mining through the data in the Patch 5.2 PTR, and unearthed another new battleground map! Adriacraft's Stevan informed us that this map is currently titled Goldrush BG, which, given the titles of Eye of the Storm (Netherstorm BG) and Gilneas BG for, well, Battle for Gilneas, it seems relatively likely that this is another new battleground map. Looking at the map itself, which Adriacraft have provided an overhead screenshot of, this seems like a far smaller map than the previously datamined Defense of the Alehouse. It's likely for 10 or so players, and appears to have, or intend to have, two bases, as well as at least two resource nodes. Given the name of the battleground file, it's possible that these are gold mines, but from the map there are three small golden bits in the middle, also visible at five seconds into the video, so perhaps it's a spawning node capture. Stevan also informed us that there are human models in the patch 5.2 PTR files, and therefore speculated that this battleground could have NPCs in it, bringing gold to players, who might have to defend resources that allow the NPCs to carry out their task. Or, to bring my own speculation into it, perhaps there are mines or nodes that can be captured, which permit players to ferry gold back and forth, and the NPCs mine up the nodes or gold. Naturally, this is datamined information, and should be treated accordingly, not as confirmation of any new element of the game. But, it's fun to speculate, and encouraging indeed to see new PvP content appearing in the patch 5.2 PTR. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Cowboy up with Red Dead Redemption's multiplayer modes
Honestly, Rockstar didn't even really need to do anything new with the multiplayer in Red Dead Redemption -- we would have been happy to simply see our childhood cowboy shoot-em-up battles reenacted in shiny HD. But it looks like they went ahead and surprised us anyway. As you can see in the new trailer above, every battle starts out with a Mexican standoff, with the winner getting a head start on the map. The reworked Dead Eye system is available in multiplayer, too, letting you paint targets and then unleash a hail of gunfire. And bringing in old-school cannons and a turncrank gatling gun is a nice, old (olde?) Western touch, too. All of those tools are available across multiple modes, including normal and team deathmatch, and a few capture-the-flag variations based on bags of gold: Hold Your Own is standard CTF (on a large scale in some maps), Gold Rush gives multiple bags to chase around, and Grab the Bag has everyone going after just one. All of the modes grant progression across weapons challenges, with golden guns serving as the ultimate reward. And here we thought it was fun just chasing the other kids around the living room pointing our fingers at each other.
iPad devsugar: Moving beyond your 50 promo codes
iPadpalooza is in full swing. If you're like a lot of devs, you're quickly moving through (if not past) your 50 promo code limit per application version. If marketing now is important to you, don't forget that you can gift applications through iTunes. After all is said and done, this will cost you 30% of the price. Apple will return 70% of the cost back to you at the end of the month because you are basically buying from yourself while making sure that Apple gets its cut. Gifting applications offers a reasonably cost effective way to expand your marketing beyond complimentary promo codes. Keep this option in mind as the iPad App Store gold rush gets underway.
Rumor: Tekken 6 PSP adds Story modes for Lars and Alisa
There may be extra incentive to check out the PSP version of Tekken 6, as Siliconera reports the handheld port will feature story modes for newcomers Lars and Alisa. The news originally fought its way onto the net via online retailer Rakuten, but the page has since been pulled, with no new listing surfacing. The PSP port will also apparently replace the console version's Scenario Mode with Gold Rush Mode, where each fight earns the player money to customize their character. Many of you may have noticed the game failed to meet its October 27 release date, just as we thought it would -- several retailers now peg down the US release for November 29, while it looks like Japan will have to wait until January 14, 2010.
Why the App Store is working just right
Edible Apple has an interesting analysis up about this Newsweek article claiming that App Store developers aren't getting rich. Newsweek basically claims that all those success stories we've heard about App Store developers have a darker side: if they aren't already buried in costs from developing that hit app, they're desperately scrambling to rise above the noise and get another one's sales up on the App Store. [For a similar perspective to Newsweek's, check out this post from Ged Maheux at the Iconfactory.] Edible Apple replies that that's true, but a closer inspection of the numbers shows that these devs are actually making plenty of money -- while their costs are going higher than they expected (one example has a developer paying over $100,000 to make $200,000) there is still money to be made. What developers are actually discovering, says Edible Apple, is that the App Store isn't a gold rush -- it's a business. That's an interesting point. In the beginning, the App Store was a gold rush -- you could hack together a fart app and come up with a few month's worth of beer money over night. But with almost 100,000 apps, it's a different ballgame. You either need to come up with an original idea that people are interested in, or polish an existing idea until it shines so bright it's unavoidable. And as Edible Apple says, that's actually a good thing. There is money to be made in the App Store these days -- multiple developers have proven that already. It'll take work and luck to do it, but isn't that the case with any successful business?
Comic-Con 2009: Thar's 'Gold Rush' in that thar Uncharted 2 video
Much to our relief, the great Gold Rush of Aught-Nine will not be spent sifting through a day's worth of meager mine pickings and cursing the celebratory eruptions echoing from upstream. (Darned Jarvis, ye lucky ol' snaggletooth.) No, we'll be hiking up our trousers for a much more rousing mission, hauling tail from a hail of bullets as we simultaneously pillage the old world of yummy treasure with our friends. Oh, and murder lots of pirates Serbian militia dudes ... with our friends.Above, Uncharted 2's "Gold Rush" co-op mode is revealed. Watch as Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer narrates the action -- and his own grisly demise -- from the Comic-Con show floor. Additionally, we've contacted Arne to verify whether or not Gold Rush will make it into the upcoming multiplayer demo. We'll let you know just as soon as he respawns.
