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The Summoner's Guidebook: Following the League of Legends metagame
One thing that pops up a lot in the comments of the Summoner's Guidebook is how you readers like to play outside the metagame. There's nothing wrong with experimenting with new builds or compositions, and with over a hundred different champions, League of Legends has a lot of room for experimentation. However, the established metagame is the way it is for a reason. People played the way they thought was best, and through collaboration, determined what strategies worked the best. Laning champions in their current "accepted" positions has evolved over the few years since LoL's release. Choosing to play a composition outside the metagame is always a gamble. You're trading stability and familiarity for a gimmick, and that can backfire. Playing in the established metagame is a statement that you want to let skill be the deciding factor in battle and that you can handle silly tricks like moving the duo lane or running a heavy kill lane on bottom. On the other hand, unorthodox positioning of champions can be an asset, since the initial unfamiliarity of whatever composition you've run can lead to mistakes on the enemy's part. As little mistakes can easily snowball on the Fields of Justice, playing a gimmick is all about making the most of those kinds of openings. This week, we'll talk about some common choices for unorthodox lanes and also how you can deal with them.
One more Diablo III console development job opening for 2011
At this point, the "Diablo III is probably coming to consoles" thing is like a joke without a punchline. We just keep building and building on the premise, but there's no release in sight. Still, Blizzard keeps giving us material for the setup, this time in the form of another job posting on Gamasutra for a Console Network Senior Software Engineer. In English, Egon? According to the job listing, "this position is responsible for ensuring the best implementation of sophisticated networking systems on consoles." Last time we checked, Diablo III game director Jay Wilson said "we don't want to announce something until we're sure." Blizzard sure does hire a lot of people without being sure!
One Shots: Squish
Yesterday we featured a more obvious case of getting plastered on an MMO character; today we feature a screenshot that apparently also features another drunken night of shenanigans, courtesy of Dartanis in World of Warcraft. It's also perhaps a good object lesson for those who think that every group of dwarves you meet in a pub isn't up to shenanigans of its own. Confused? We'll let him explain: "Waking up after a long night of drinking with some dwarf friends, I found myself in an unlikely, and unfavorable, place. If you are reading this letter, I, Dartanis of the Wildhammer, am a boot stain on the foot of a 60-foot golem." Oops. From the most epic dungeon runs to the silliest, we love to see what you're up to in your MMO of choice. We just need you to send those screenshots in! Email them to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post them out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit for sending it in. Couldn't be easier! %Gallery-85937%
One Shots: Two-for-one
It's becoming a fairly regular thing to hear from readers who take part in Massively Mob MMO group nights. We had a few readers who sent in screenshots this week, but rather than give you static shots of Guild Wars characters as with the last two weeks, this time we're going to show off a lovely image of fireworks captured by Mikey (aka Ocholivis). We also got a report back from Blah, as well. Thus, we're going to mix it up and use the lovely Guild Wars screenshot from Mikey with Blah's description of the evening's shenanigans -- a two-for-one treat! "This time around we were up and ready to move on from the pre-searing area. Rubi reminded us that Simon and Garfunkel would forever be associated with cleavage. "Eyes up here, mister!" was her response to one of the guild members checking her out. We had a special surprise in realizing that one of our members in the vent server, Dusty, was actually Vork from The Guild (not really, but we're pretty much running with that anyway). So the guild finally moved on to post, and were greeted by members of TTYN. They handed out plenty of free weapons, materials, cash, and seasonal potions to anyone willing to take them. They insisted it was just to clear out their storage, but it was obviously their good nature. Oh, also, we have a cape now. It looks like a hamburger, but it's not..." Are you part of the Massively Mob? If you'd like to give us your perspective on the events of the evening, then why not grab a screenshot and send it in. All you have to do is email your image to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and your tale of shenanigans. It could wind up on One Shots! %Gallery-85937%
One Shots: I shall call him Mini-me
It's April Fool's day, and that means there's all manner of craziness going on across the MMO landscape. From bogus upcoming features and races being touted, to crazy in-game shenanigans, our team is out hunting it all down to document for posterity in an upcoming April Fool's Day roundup posting. That said, today Alex was early on the ball this morning and sent us a screenshot of the craziness going on in Guild Wars. Not a regular Guild Wars player who can spot just what's wrong with this picture? Have no fear -- Alex also sent in a note to explain! "This is my character Necromas Darklight having a little fun with the April Fool's event. They made it so that when in towns and outposts, all the player models were scaled down to minipet sizes and all the minipet models were scaled up to regular sizes. I know it doesn't sound like much but it's gotten everyone running around and meeting up for little parades and celebrations and even thrown the minipet trading market into a frenzy. For this shot I just decided to keep it simple and show off my 'miniature' lich. Sometimes it's just little things like this that go a long way to keeping me interested in the game and having fun." If you notice something odd in your favorite MMO today, feel free to send in a screenshot to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com too. If we get enough, we might run them in a special April Fool's gallery showing off all the different things that went on today! If not -- we'll probably just show them off over the next few days for those who missed out on the events. Be sure to add in your name, the name of the game, and a description of the shenanigans too. Either way, we'd love to have your tales of tomfoolery! %Gallery-85937%
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment refused requested board changes
The last thing we'd heard from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, they were filing for Bankruptcy protection, and were attempting to sever all ties with Gary Whiting, Chairman and CEO of the company. However, according to a filing unearthed by Martuk over on the Ten Ton Hammer forums, it would appear that their motion to remove him -- and the restraining order against him -- were denied by the courts. Rumors of financial mismanagement and all manner of shenanigans by Whiting and others have been rumbling around for quite some time. Thankfully, the court did see fit to intervene insofar as to require both parties to name two people they would recommend for receivership -- in essence, someone to protect the company from any further wrongdoing. The question now becomes how this is going to play out in terms of the future for Stargate Worlds, considering what is becoming of the court battle and the seeming rancor between parties involved. We'll be sure to keep you up to date as the story progresses.
Cheyenne files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, severs ties with Gary Whiting
Anyone who has been keeping an eye on the situation surrounding Stargate Worlds, Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and related publishing company FireSky, knows that there's been trouble brewing for some time. We've seen struggles to get funding, employees going unpaid, lawsuits for unpaid bills, and some of the studio's main names leaving the building. Still, they just released the FPS based on the work they'd been doing for Stargate Worlds, called Stargate: Resistance. The hope was that S:R would give Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment a much needed cash infusion. Now, news has come to light that not only has Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, but they've also severed all ties with Gary Whiting -- former Chairman and CEO of CME. Add to that, the shareholders and Cheyenne Mountain have joined forces against Whiting in civil case (CV2010-003106) filed in Maricopa County, naming many other ventures including the curious "interactive social network," MMOGuls Inc. as co-defendants, in a civil complaint "alleging various wrong doing against the Company." A statement detailing the company's current status was posted today to the Stargate Worlds forums. We've included it behind the break for those interested. In the meantime, let's hope that the change in leadership, combined with a reorganization under Chapter 11, and the release of Stargate: Resistance proves to be the boon that Cheyenne Mountain needs to get back on track -- and into the black.
Rumor: Apple developing second tablet device, made from unicorn tears
Just when you thought Apple tablet rumors were dead -- because, you know, they kind of announced one already -- another has emerged like a zombie rising from its grave to feast upon the brains of gullible fanboys. You may want to grab your salt shakers and wash its grains down with a stiff shot of whiskey for this one though. TechCrunch (a company familiar with tablet devices *wink*) is reporting that Apple may be hard at work developing a second tablet device - this one more computer than consumer device, said to be bigger and badder than its recently announced sibling. TC's MG Seigler claims to have "heard" from second-hand sources (I didn't realize Goodwill sold rumors) that iPad Maxi will feature a more robust software stack with more in common to the desktop flavor of OSX rather than iPhone OS, and powered by Intel's Atom processor. Before the iPad was revealed last week, rumors circulated for a long time that Apple might be working on two different sizes for the screen of the device. Some had the device as small as 7″, others were saying it would go up to 10.6″. (The actual size of the iPad is 9.7″.) But the information we're hearing is that Apple is thinking much larger for another version of the product, maybe all the way up to the 15.4″ size that it currently uses for one version of the MacBook Pro. Aside from the fact that Apple is now rolling its own chips, and hence no longer requires Intel's power-sipping Atom processor, why on earth fragment and possibly cannibalize your product line with TWO competing products that essentially attack the same markets from two different points? It isn't in Apple's nature to throw pasta at walls in hopes something adheres. Did we learn nothing from Steve's mobile device chart last week? He clearly outlined where the company has positioned iPad: as a tweener, straddling the iPod and Mac segments -- serving a role that Netbooks have failed to fill. So where does this fella fit in? And pray tell, how would strapping OSX to Netbook hardware (ala Atom) make it comparable in terms of features and performance to a MacBook? This rumor does not compute. Believe it? Neither do I. I call shenanigans.
NES emulator on the App Store? Not anymore.
TUAW loves our iPhones and we love our NES games. We've been convinced for some time now they are two great tastes that would no doubt taste great together. Tonight I settled in to write a post about how exciting it was that you could play old school public-domain and freeware Nintendo games on your iPhone now, thanks to Jonathan Zdziarski and Nescaline, the app he built to do just that. Ah, Kid Icarus and Ninja Gaiden and Zelda and Mario, all my old friends back again (if I had legal licenses to the ROM images, of course). I was excited to relive my pixelated past, but it was not to be. Jason updated his site this evening saying Nescaline had been pulled: Nescaline was removed from the AppStore by Apple at 22:19 PST tonight. I haven't received anything from Apple as to why. I predict they've either proven to be a pushover to Nintendo, who has no valid claim against Nescaline, or decided they really didn't want the ability to play NES games in the AppStore. NESv3 continues to be available in Cydia. Apple's draconian and anti-competitive AppStore practices is [sic] sadly why jailbreaking will always remain a necessity. I was all set to be indignant about this, but then I read the update again. Is it possible that Apple yanked it simply for being available on Cydia? Not being the person at my house who runs a jailbroken iPhone, I don't have any experience with anything being available through Cydia that is also available on the App Store. I know there are those who have been pulled from the App Store for one reason or another and made their way to Cydia, but I can't find any apps that seem to be available in both places. I would like to think this is the issue Apple saw with Nescaline and that's why it vanished, since the "Nintendo's knickers are in a twist" reason seems more heavy-handed. Then again, there's also the "no un-vetted code running in emulation" rule that the C64 emulator ran afoul of previously, which might well be the issue. Either way I'm disappointed: since my phone is not jailbroken I can't just get it from Cydia now that it's gone from the App Store. I do have a couple of long weekends coming though, and Google says it's pretty easy...
FCC responses are in: AT&T disavows any knowledge of App Store internal shenanigans
Engadget got a copy of AT&T's response to the FCC inquiries, and to sum it up: the Death Star finds the FCC's lack of faith disturbing. The telecom giant says that it neither supported not opposed the Google Voice apps for iPhone -- in fact, Apple didn't mention the GV apps to AT&T, nor does Apple typically consult AT&T on App Store approvals. The Apple & Google responses are just coming in now. In a section of the letter that Engadget has posted, AT&T does acknowledge rare occasions where the company has consulted on app approvals with Apple -- but only where an app might be responsible for 'significant network congestion,' like SlingPlayer. Are we to assume from this that any telephony-related geldings or rejections (ahem, no Skype over 3G) are due to Apple acting completely on its own? That's a mite far-fetched, but with any luck we'll be seeing a similar letter from Apple shortly.
Dubious marketing: Microsoft makes DirectX 9 look REALLY bad
Microsoft has been caught using misleading images to promote the power of DirectX 10. Digg user, LtGenPanda, has spotted a Games for Windows Live DirectX 10 product page featuring the dubious marketing images. In order to easily characterize the power of DirectX 10 versus previous versions, Microsoft compared pre-release rendered screens of 2007's Crysis (using DX10) against the 2003 PC release of Halo: Combat Evolved (running DX9). Considering Crysis can also be played using DirectX 9 (albeit at lower quality), we call shenanigans! If the misleading images weren't enough, Microsoft adds some choice words to spin its web of deceit. In regards to the OMGness of DX10, the page reads: "The facial expressions, details of the face, the handle-bar moustache and the glazed looking eyes all add to the realism." Kids, the harsh truth is that handle-bar mustaches will only lead to a loss of friends and respect.
April Fools 09: SOE gets silly
The fun thing about checking out the different pranks and events in SOE's various titles is just trying to chase all of them down. Sure, some of them are patently obvious like the class name changes in EverQuest, but others were a bit more subtle and took some looking to notice. Curious as to the various things we noticed? Have something you'd like to add to the mix of all the SOE April Fools' hilarity? Join us after the break for a quick run-down of what we found.
G4 claims the Trion/Sci-Fi project revolves around Stargate [UPDATED]
While the rest of the MMO community is happily buzzing about what Trion World Network is working on in conjunction with the Sci-Fi Channel, G4's The Feed has come right out and said it: "A Stargate MMO developed by Trion World Network and the SciFi channel is going to be integrated with the Stargate series sometime in 2010."Now, we're not out to immediately call shenanigans on G4, but our interview with Jon Van Caneghem doesn't mention any specific shows, and he should know, so ... where is G4 getting this information? A couple of the commenters for the post have noticed this as well, so we're glad it's not just us.[UPDATE: Our own Mike Schramm, who conducted the interview with Mr. Van Caneghem, had confirmed that this will be a new IP, so that rules out Stargate completely.]
Gamestop shenanigans sell open games as 'new'
Gamestop isn't new to weird shenanigans in their business tactics. In late January, James Munn, over at Aeropause, told the story of a Gamestop employee selling him a "new" game by opening a display box and putting the game disc into it. He was even asked if he wanted it shrink-wrapped, essentially discrediting any item in the store from being truly "new." Now we have a similar tale.After hearing about the awesomeness of God of War II all week from colleagues, a lazy Sunday drive to go pick it up seemed in order. We even called ahead to make sure they had copies and were informed they did. Arriving at the Gamestop store, we went straight to the counter and asked for God of War II. The gentlemen proceeded to ask if there was a reservation, we said there wasn't, and he walked over to the display wall and grabbed the empty box for God of War II. He then walks back behind the counter and takes some discs and the manual from the security case, we immediately realized we were experiencing the Aeropause article.
