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Israeli cable TV provider tries its hand at streaming games on demand
Although it won't beat OnLive out the gate -- assuming that company sticks to its winter 2009 target date -- Israeli cable TV provider Hot has unveiled its plans to provide streaming games on demand, with all the processing power done server-side so you can keep that weak cable box as is, thanks to technology from local company PlayCast. A trial program is in the cards for 1,000 customers, with access for everyone coming in early 2010. If this screen shot's any indication, it's not exactly looking to stream Crysis -- if anything, we're expecting something more comparable to what we saw on our last visit to Holiday Inn, which is still infinitely better than the nonexistent streaming gaming options our cable TV companies are currently offering stateside.
Tuesday's in-game fixes
We love in-game fixes, right? Blizzard blue poster Bornakk has announced a couple new in-game fixes. The updates are as follows:First, the nerf to the Paladin's Vindication talent that set the Pally community on fire yesterday is now live. The nerf removed stamina and intellect from the 20% reduction that Vindication gave. All other primary statistics are still affected by Vindication.Secondly, Maim, Bash, and Hammer of Justice will no longer cause a player's spell to be interrupted when they're immune to stun. They will still interrupt the NPC's spells however.There have been a handful of other hot fixes that we've covered the past few days, and those are recapped after the break.
E3 2009: Impressions of Heroes of Telara
To be honest, when the Heroes of Telara trailer first released, much of what we heard was "been there done that" from readers and friends. "Fantasy has been done to death" was another. That's why we were glad to see the game actually in play behind closed doors this last week at the Trion World Network space at E3. While we only saw a pre-alpha copy of the game (and would point out that it's what they used for the trailer) it's certainly raised our interest over the initial impression we had. In motion, Heroes of Telara actually made some of us of think of an updated, shinier version of Guild Wars in terms of very pretty and highly-detailed stylized (yet somewhat realistic) graphics. As was explained to us by Chris Mancil, the Director of Community Management for Trion, one of the largest things that they feel will set Heroes of Telara apart from many others is that they are working to keep the game server-based. Their plan is to attempt to keep most of the "action" server side as is possible so that they can add new events into the game without having to send along enormous patches to players all the time. All assets will still reside client side, but they'll be able to manipulate game-play by telling the client to modify where things spawn, how things interact, and the like. From little things like different vendors having sales to large zone-wide events, it will allow them to change anything and everything on the fly and make Heroes of Telara feel more like it's taking place in a living, breathing, dynamic world that players will want to "live in, explore, and play." %Gallery-64646% %Gallery-64649%
Belkin justifies $30 for a pillow, calls it CushDesk
If you're still up for spending unnecessarily these days, Belkin has the perfect excuse to blow 30 bones on a couch pillow replacement. The oddly, almost comically named CushDesk, is nothing more than a sophisticated lap cushion with a somewhat sturdy top that acts as a portable tabletop for your molten-hot laptop. It's available in a number of soothing hues, and while it's fully compatible with mobile PCs and Macs up to 17-inches in size, we're still waiting to hear back about compatibility with UMPCs, MIDs and Linux-based netbooks.
Friday's in-game fixes
Self: "Self, I wonder if there's any more in-game fixes for today."Self: "I don't know Self, let me go look."Self looks around.Self: "Why look at that self, there is!"It's not weird that I'm talking to myself in a disconnected third person voice, is it? Perhaps all these fixes are getting to my head.The changes announced late last night are not as prevalent as other days, but are still important none the less. Some of the more interesting fixes for today include: The damage of XT-002 Deconstructor's Gravity Bomb ability has been reduced. The trash mobs before XT-002 Deconstructor have gone through additional changes that should make them a little easier to get through. The Rogue talent Savage Combat should now properly be removed after leaving an arena match. The full list of changes after the break.
Level restrictions hotfixed into Wintergrasp
In an interesting note over the weekend, Bornakk updated the list of recent in-game fixes.The Wintergrasp PvP zone now has two level restrictions in place: You must be level 70 or higher to count towards the tenacity tally, obtain the tenacity buff, and get credit for a victory or defeat. You must be level 50 or higher to be able to use the portal of Wintergrasp. The immediate implications of this is that players cannot leave a low level alt sitting about collecting honor and Wintergrasp marks before level 70. While I don't know anyone personally who has done this, I have heard it talked about around the intertubes a bit.For the majority of us however, this change won't have any real effect. Interesting nonetheless. Don't forget that there are several upcoming changes to Wintergrasp in Patch 3.1; including a world wide timer and a new raid boss.
Sapphiron and Malygos hotfixes
Just in time for everyone's raiding tonight, Lead Encounter Designer Daelo has announced two important hotfixes that have gone live.Sapphiron and Malygos both should now be working as intended.Sapphiron's Frost aura has been hotfixed to return to levels that we've all seen previous to patch 3.0.8. This means there should be 1200 damage every 2 seconds in the 10-man version, and 1600 damage every 2 seconds in the 25-man version. Note however that the tooltip is incorrect, in that it says the damage occurs every second. According to Daelo this will be fixed in the next client patch (and no, there is no indication of when that is).As for Malygos...
MTVNHD's second European invasion detailed
Our ambivalence about its programming hasn't served to slow the progress of MTV International's HD baby, poised to launch in ten new countries by the end of the year. The UK adds MTVNHD on Sky, Israel lights it up on HOT while the Latin American tour kicks off in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Caribbean Islands and Uruguay via DirecTV Panamerica. We already know that's not the end, with France queued up and the network prez noting interest from providers around the world including the Far East. Promising a (not-so) massive 300 hours of original programming commissioned for the next two years, sleep easy knowing repeats of the same old concerts will be available in 1080i no matter where in the world you are.
Lake Wintergrasp Hotfix
Nethaera announced today a hotfix that was applied over the holidays last week. There were issues in Lake Wintergrasp, the level 80 realm PvP zone, that prevented "objects" changing factions. This has now been fixed.This included things like the teleport pads outside the base and several NPCs. Because of this bug people were often times only able to attempt the raid boss once. When the group wiped they went to the teleport pat to zone back in. It didn't work. However now it does, and people can be happy.This comes from a post entitled "November / December Hotfixes," so we're assuming that there'll be more of them on their way. We'll keep you updated.
Mac 101: Active Screen Corners
New to the Mac? Welcome back to our Mac 101 series, which explores the basics of Mac OS X, provides tips and tricks, and dives into key features of Apple's bundled tools. If you've ever had a panicked moment at work when you need to clear your screen quickly (because you're working on a colleague's birthday card, of course!), Active Screen Corners are for you. They can also activate your screen saver, and help you manage Spaces and Exposé. To use Active Screen Corners, first open System Preferences (by selecting it from the Apple Menu). Then, click the "Exposé & Spaces" icon. In the Exposé tab, you'll see there are four corners that you can activate. To use an Active Screen Corner, just move your mouse all the way into that corner. To reverse the action, just move your mouse out of, and then back into, the same corner. For each corner, there are several handy options. Read on to see what you can do with your Active Screen Corners.
15 Minutes of Fame: Phaelia goes Resto4Life
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.On a list of player names that serious WoW hobbyists should know, Phaelia definitely makes the cut. WoW Insider's Dan O'Halloran summed up why in his post last fall outlining druid blogs you should be reading: "Phaelia started Resto4Life.com back in March to educate herself about playing a better healing Druid. Turns out, she's educating the rest of us as well. Her entries delve into the many facets of a Tree Druid's gameplay: Re-evaluating Spirit, mp5 vs. +Healing and Getting More Out of Innervate are just a few of the many treasures to be found on this blog. Updated frequently with a friendly and informative tone, Resto4Life is the Big Red Kitty for Restoration druids." 15 Minutes of Fame visited with Resto4Life's creator, Phaelia of US Scarlet Crusade-A, about the many attractions of the Druid class. 15 Minutes of Fame: How did you get into WoW, Phaelia? Do you come from a gaming background?Phaelia: I started playing WoW during the first open beta. To be honest, I was less attracted to WoW than turned off by the idea of giving over another five years of my gaming life to another game from Sony Online Entertainment. I began my MMO career as a sophomore in college, and while quitting EverQuest 1 left a void in my gaming lifestyle, I knew I didn't want to play another game from the same company. Blizzard turned out to be the breath of fresh air and fun that I was looking for!
Rolling restarts
Between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. PDT today (Sunday July 27th) all U.S. realms will be undergoing a rolling restart. Each realm should be down for about 15 minutes, though these things have a tendency to last longer than scheduled.The login announcement tells us that the servers are getting a hotfix applied to them, however there is no indication what the hotfix is for. If anything does happen to extend this restart, you'll see it here on WoW Insider.
Introducing the Orc Defiler
Many Lord of the Rings Online players are looking forward to getting their hands on the new PvMP class, and with the Book 13 patch looming, the details of the Orc Defiler have been spilled in a developer diary. Opening with a little tale designed to set the Defiler mood, and a bit of a serve from the Creep hero Akulhún ("Mordírith's grown tired of you whining wretches and sent us Defilers!"), the diary goes on to explain the abilities that the fungus-and-slime-loving Orc will employ.Defilers will start out with two heal-over-time spells, one ("Fertile Slime") being an instant cast that gives a light heal every 10 seconds with a 1 minute duration, and a stronger one ("Fungal Bloom") with a 2-second cast time, 5 second tick and 30 second duration. Spending some destiny points can earn them a targeted revival spell to resurrect allies, and at ranks 3 and 5 some stronger heals become available.
The best of WoW Insider: April 8-15, 2008
World of Warcraft isn't only the biggest game in the world -- it's also loved by hot and nerdy starlets everywhere. And when you need info about WoW and its Wrath of the Lich King expansion, whether you're Mila Kunis or that fat guy from the South Park episode, there's just one place to go: Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider. Here's a few great links from our site from the past week. News Breaking: Wrath is in alphaWe scooped the dev status of the game's next expansion. Forum Post of the Day: Player tries to scam GM, gets shut downAnd we get a look at just how much information Blizzard has on what you do in game. What we know about Death KnightsEverything that's been released so far about the new class coming in Wrath of the Lich King. Craig Sherman of Gaia Online: WoW is "not a success"How can you have a 10 million player game and still not have success? Ask Craig. Why Mount Hyjal and Black Temple attunements still matterBlizzard has made it easy on raiders progressing upwards, so why should we care about old quests? Features Breakfast Topic: What are you doing with all that gold?Our daily discussion feature wants to know why you've got all that cash. Guildwatch: Drama at the fishing tournamentYep, even the weekly Stranglethorn fishing tourney has its share of drama. Blood Sport: Arena season 4 in early June?Our Arena column attempts to divine the next season opener date. He Said, She Said: Tauren femalesIn a new gender-based debate column, our two columnists talk about the aesthetic beauty (or lack thereof) of some of the player races. Reader UI of the Week: Zerfall of EonarOne of our readers shares his UI and addon setup with us.
Hotfixes for the week of April 7th
Slorkuz, Mr. Blue Poster over on the European WoW forums, gave us a few hotfixes that have been pushed through this week: Shattered Sun Pendants of Acumen and Might will now be triggered only by spells and abilities which cause damage. Shattered Sun Pendant of Might will no longer break crowd control effects such as Scattershot with its triggered effect. Shattered Sun Pendants of Acumen, Might, and Restoration now all have correct range limits. He also tells us the Power Word: Shield sound is a bug, and that it will be fixed in an upcoming patch.
Hotfix roundup for Sunday March 30
Drysc is keeping a post up-to-date of all the latest hotfixes that are happening. Patch 2.4 went live without too much trouble this last Tuesday, yet there is a slow but steady stream of issues popping up in the game. Each morning for the next few days we'll let you know about all the hotfixes that have come out the previous day. You can also check out all of the hotfixes for Patch 2.4.Yesterday's hotfixes include: Reliquary of Souls, Prince Kael'thas, and other bosses now properly cast their spells The time before players with flags in Warsong Gulch receive the Focused Assault and Brutal Assault debuffs has been reduced The timer for Focused Assault and Brutal Assault in Warsong Gulch will now reset whenever both Flags are returned to their bases Of course, if something major comes up, expect to see it covered right away on WoW Insider. Enjoy your patch 2.4 fun! Patch 2.4 sounds great, but what's in it for you? Find out on our Sunwell Isle page where we list the impact on classes, professions, PvP, Raiders and many other playstyles and interests including walkthroughs on the new Sunwell Daily Quests. Looking for more great info? Check out the WoW Insider Directory for the best of our guides and analysis.
Hotfix roundup for Saturday March 29
Drysc is keeping a post up-to-date of all the latest hotfixes that are happening. Patch 2.4 went live without too much trouble this last Tuesday, yet there is a slow but steady stream of issues popping up in the game. Each morning for the next few days we'll let you know about all the hotfixes that have come out the previous day. You can also check out all of the hotfixes for Patch 2.4.Yesterday's hotfixes include: Archmages's Guile, Battle Mace of the High Priestess, Terrok's Gavel, and Sedai's Blade have all been properly changed to Main-Hand Only weapons When taking the flight path from Ironforge to the Isle of Quel'Danas, you will no longer become fatigued and die if you had any buffs active which effect your ability to breathe underwater Looting Bind on Pickup items now properly brings up the confirmation dialog while using the Round Robin looting method Of course, if something major comes up, expect to see it covered right away on WoW Insider. Enjoy your patch 2.4 fun!
Hotfix roundup for Friday March 28
Drysc is keeping a post up-to-date of all the latest hotfixes that are happening. Patch 2.4 went live without too much trouble this last Tuesday, yet there is a slow but steady stream of issues popping up in the game. Each morning for the next few days we'll let you know about all the hotfixes that have come out the previous day. You can also check out all of the hotfixes for Patch 2.4.Yesterday's hotfixes include: Veneratus the Many now spawns correctly. The Horde Spirit Healers in Alterac Valley will once again teleport Horde players to a different graveyard if the current once gets captured by Alliance. Kael, RoS, and other bosses will now cast all of their spells. No more Kael'Thas without birds. Of course, if something major comes up, expect to see it covered right away on WoW Insider. Enjoy your patch 2.4 fun!
Hotfix roundup for Thursday March 27
Drysc is keeping a post up-to-date of all the latest hotfixes that are happening. Patch 2.4 went live without too much trouble this last Tuesday, yet there is a slow but steady stream of issues popping up in the game. Each morning for the next few days we'll let you know about all the hotfixes that have come out the previous day.Yesterday's hotfixes include: Increased Felbound Initiate respawn rate. These are the guys you need in the "Blood for Blood" quest. You can no longer accept the quests given by Magistrix Seyla up in Hellfire Penisula without first compleating "The Missing Magistrix." Thanks to rolling restarts last night, you will now see your server name correctly displayed in battlegrounds. Of course, if something major comes up, expect to see it covered right away on WoW Insider. Enjoy your patch 2.4 fun!
Brutallus encounter hotfix
A few days ago it was reported on the PTR that those dastardly evildoers of dastardly deeds (aka: Warlocks) managed to enslave Brutallus. These vile locks then took their newly enslaved demon out to play. And playing for a creature of pure darkness means letting them wreak havoc onto the unsuspecting citizens of the Isle of Quel'Danas. I would have expected a hotfix to this almost immediately, and some form of public announcement that the bug has been fixed. However as of Saturday at 7 p.m. EST, there has been no such luck. Instead, Blizzard decided to hotfix the Brutallus encounter inside Sunwell Plateau, the new 25 man raid. The hotfixes Blizzard has given the encounter are:
