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Intel delays its first Arc desktop gaming GPUs until spring
Project Endgame, which offers access to Arc GPUs through the cloud, will arrive later this year.
A first look at Mists of Pandaria professions: Alchemy
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him, tweeting him at @foxvanallen, or sacrificing your first-born to him. One of the most common questions I get as WoW Insider's (other) resident Auction House guru is this: What professions are going to be the best in Mists of Pandaria? Arguably, there's no absolute right or wrong answer to the question -- after all, each profession is going to have its pros and cons. (I like to hedge my bets by giving different alts different professions to have a max level of each profession.) That said, one of my favorite professions for the early days of any expansion is alchemy. It's likely one of your favorites, too, and there's no mystery as to why -- transmutes. In the earlier days of Cataclysm, it wasn't rare to see Truegold sell for more than 1,000 gold apiece. That provided a small profit to any alchemist, but for those lucky enough to see bonus procs, a single transmute could turn a 4,000 gold profit or better. Not bad for about 20 seconds' worth of work. Of course, that was then; this is now. Will alchemy remain as stupidly profitable in the early days of Mists of Pandaria? Only one way to find out -- ladies and gentlemen, it's time to datamine! To the beta!
Celebrate Valentine's Day alone with new Gal Gun demo
Do you have the following three items: 1) a Japanese PSN account, 2) a PlayStation Move, and 3) a complete lack of shame (or roommates)? If you meet all three conditions, a special "Valentines Day Demo" of the pheromone shooter Gal Gun awaits you on February 14. Take advantage of the PS3's region free gameplay and easy downloading of import demos! You know, if that's your thing.First, we suggest seeing if you can get all the way through the new trailer for the self-identified "baka-ge" ("stupid game") without dying of embarrassment.
The Game Archaeologist's excellent EverQuest Online Adventures: The blogger
To tell you all the truth, the comments from last week's initial foray into EverQuest Online Adventures bowled me over -- I truly was not expecting so many players to be so passionate about the game! How cool is that? I hope that some of you send me in your EQOA stories to justin@massively.com so we can include them in next week's column. Today I want to welcome Rick "Stoney" Stonebrook to our neck of the Massively woods. I remember finding Stoney's EQOA blog over a year ago and being so impressed that there was someone out there regularly updating a blog about this low-profile MMO. Stoney agreed to an interview about the game from a player's and blogger's perspective, so here goes! The Game Archaeologist: Please introduce yourself and your blog! Why did you start blogging about EQOA? Stoney: Well, I'm 24 and have lived in a lot of places in the past few years. I adopted the name Stoney when I started the blog, eqoa.wordpress.com, in October 2010. The purpose for the blog was simple: compile as much information about the game as I could find using various search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and YouTube. I hadn't played since 2005 and wasn't familiar with any new content. I had always wanted to return to the game. Thus the blog's goal evolved from a collection of memories to an effort to get people to return.
Gold Capped: Can you ever have too many alchemists?
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aims to show you how to make money on the auction house. Email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! I got an email from Kaefera that got me thinking: I have recently been leveling 9x level 75 characters on my server, to completely abuse professions and make some serious cash. I'm currently giving each of them alchemy, I have 4 transmute specced alchemists so far, currently growing at a rate of an alchemist a week. My question to you is more of a suggestion, what would you suggest to grab as a secondary profession on each of them? I would like something similar to my Truegold, where I can log on once a day on each character, craft/do whatever in 5 minutes, then move to the next. So this is something I've heard before, but more in Wrath of the Lich King, when alchemist cooldowns represented a very serious amount of gold per day. The reasoning was (and is) that if you level a bunch of alchemists, you can log in once a day to each character to use their cooldowns and make disgusting amounts of gold with virtually no effort. The question is, does this still work well enough to justify the investment?
Living Elements alchemy transmute proc changed
Patch 4.0.6 brought about an undocumented change to the way transmutation specialized alchemists receive their bonus from the Cataclysm Transmute: Living Elements. Previously, if you were successful with a proc, you would be granted another 13-16 of any volatile. Now, the proc is guaranteed, but you only receive three to four of any volatile in addition to the 14-16 from the original transmute. Blues have commented thusly: RE: Living Elements proc nerfed or bugged? I wanted to hop in and clarify and confirm there was in fact a change that was implemented with the patch that unfortunately did not make the patch notes. The change actually adjusted the return on the transmutes so that you weren't getting spikes in the amount of items you'd get from the transmute. Instead, if you transmute over a period of time, the amount of the transmute return should even out. So basically if you transmute on a regular basis, you should see a more regular return on the transmute vs. a spike in large returns. Transmutation specialists will almost always get a PROC when transmuting living elements. source Essentially, now that the proc is guaranteed, you will be making the same amount of volatiles as you would if you were to proc, but over a longer period of time instead of all at once. Depending on how lucky you are or were, this could mean a lot more or a lot fewer free volatiles from your transmutes. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
Catherine and Gal Gun demos available in Japan this month
If you've got Japanese PSN or Xbox Live accounts set up, they're going to come in handy in the next couple of weeks, as demos for Catherine and ... Gal Gun will be available for download. January 27 will see the arrival of the Catherine demo on both PSN and XBLA, though it won't be available to Silver members until February 3. While Catherine is odd-looking but genuinely, defensibly interesting, you'll just have to pretend you accidentally downloaded the Gal Gun demo from Xbox Live on January 21. "I just picked randomly! I can't read Japanese!" It's "ぎゃる☆がん", by the way, in case you have trouble finding it.
Arcane Brilliance: Professions for Cataclysm mages
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. Except last week, when the holidays aggroed us. But rest easy, we managed to sheep the holidays, so now we can all go ahead and nuke down the rest of the year. As long as nobody breaks it early, our sheep shouldn't expire on the holidays for about 12 more months, give or take. So you're a mage. You have a job, and that job is taking something that was previously intact and converting it into much smaller, bloodier, often frozen chunks of that same thing. You manufacture shattered mobs, and you take pride in your work. But you may also have a side project or two. Maybe you thought to yourself, "Self, perhaps when we aren't making warlocks explode, maybe we should spend our time sewing trousers. Or baking cupcakes. Or making necklaces." Well, your self is right. You should be using your downtime in between vicious warlock kills to learn a side trade. They offer bonuses in the form of cool gear, extra money, and bonus stats, plus a bit of catharsis to help you decompress form all that murder. But which professions should you choose? That's easy: anything but mining. What's that? You'd like a bit more detail? Oh, fine.
Zone location determines Living Elements transmute results
Once a day, resetting at midnight, alchemists at skill level 485 or above are able to transmute Volatile Life into a random other volatile. A little-known fact not documented in the tooltip is that if you perform this transmute in a specific zone, the result will not be random. For example, doing it in Uldum will always yield Volatile Air. This transmute, even when performed in a city, is likely the best use of the shared alchemy cooldown. For a lot of realms, none of the other cooldown-linked transmutes (Truegold, Pyrium Bar, and the pre-Cataclysm stuff) are nearly as profitable as the Living Elements transmute, simply because as a general rule, Volatile Life is always among the cheapest of the volatiles. Transmuting it to just about anything is profitable, or at least not a loss. Now that we can force it, it's going to increase drastically in profitability. Here's the list of locations and what they proc, taken from a blue post about a hotfix: Volatile Air: Uldum Volatile Fire: Mount Hyjal Volatile Water: Vashj'ir Volatile Earth: Deepholm Transmute-specced alchemists also enjoy the chance of a double proc; however, the additional volatiles are completely random. You can force the primary proc but not the secondary bonus. Based on the fairly low drop rate from the Electrostatic Condenser, air will be the way to go for a while. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Gal Gun publisher fighting with Microsoft over panties
According to Andriasang, the countdown to Gal Gun's release has stopped in response to trouble from Microsoft. Currently, the official Gal Gun site, which hosts the countdown, is down entirely. It seems the company finally noticed what, exactly, it was showing off at its TGS booth. Gal Gun's release date was originally set for January 27. "Negotiations have started for the great moral cause (panties)," publisher Alchemist said on the official site, suggesting that Microsoft is objecting to content in the thoroughly objectionable shooter. This should come as little surprise to Alchemist, since the game itself includes a built-in mechanism to hide its contents from others.
Gal Gun doesn't want you being seen playing Gal Gun
Gal Gun is embarrassing. Ludwig learned this firsthand while playing the Xbox 360 shooting game at Tokyo Game Show. It's so embarrassing that even developer Inti Creates and publisher Alchemist had to acknowledge the fact that players wouldn't want to be seen playing it. The developer has implemented a panic button that instantly puts a fake 8-bit game on the screen, with authentic animations and sounds. This is referred to as a "Mama kita gamen," or "Mom arrived screen," which, oddly, is exactly the nightmare scenario Ludwig envisioned in the preview. Either he tapped into a universal fear of having one's mother see Gal Gun, or Ludwig's coverage inspired this option. In other news, Gal Gun will be released in Japan on January 27. You can go ahead and forget about importing it as a gag gift or an odd conversation piece, because it's going to cost ¥7,140 ($87).
Cataclysm: Alchemy mount hinted at on EU forums
European community manager Ancilorn posted in the Cataclysm forums that there might be an alchemy mount in the future. There are extremely little details for us to speculate on as this could mean something from a flying broomstick to a potion you drink in order to become a mount yourself. However, one thing that we can be sure of is that there is at least talk of doing this, but nothing is certain. We can probably also expect such perks to pop up in other places as all professions are getting a revamp in the coming expansion. And before your fire burns and cauldron bubbles, just remember that we're not even in beta yet and that a lot of things could change. Ancilorn Quote: Goblins should have a ogre as mount. If you have played WC3 the alchemist is riding on an ogre ( but it is the ogre who attacks and stuff ). You can always dream.blah blah blah You mention Alchemist and a unique mount, eh? ;) We may well have a surprise coming in the future for those who dabble in the Alchemy profession. Watch this space! I cannot promise it will be an ogre, though. :P source
Mabinogi's Alchemy update brings in new boss
With the most recent patch to the American Mabinogi servers, Nexon introduced the Alchemist to the world. Since then, players have been pitting their skills in special Shadow Missions against the evil denizens of the Shadow Realm. But now there's a new threat looming on the horizon, bringing with it all new challenges. Added to the game with the update is a special boss monster available to players towards the end of the Alchemist storyline, Claimh Solas, who is described as the "fiercest and most terrifying" of the newly added monsters. Claimh Solas will spawn once a week, on Saturdays, for players to band together into groups and take down in a special arena dedicated to the fight. While he starts out as a dangerous monster, players will have to battle together to weaken him and summon the golden dragon from the Mabinogi: Dragon update to assist them in taking him down. However, he will then respawn in a different form, his demonic wings replaced by swords to be used against his attackers. So if you're one of the many folks hanging out while Mabinogi goes through extended downtime, it's a good time to plan out leveling through the Alchemy story -- or seeing which friends will be around on Saturday, if you're already there. With that said, if you're one of the people who hasn't checked out Mabinogi but this sounds interesting to you, we've included the trailer for the recent Alchemy update behind the break.
Time Is Money: Profit off the Titansteel cooldown removal
Time Is Money periodically allows Basil a place to post inane nonsense and market predictions which rarely pan out. Still reading? Don't say I didn't warn you. As we all read, miners will be able to smelt Titansteel after patch 3.3.3 with no cooldown. What will this mean for you, and how can you make money from this change? Let's start by quickly evaluating the Titansteel production chain. Saronite Ore is farmed by miners Saronite Bars are smelted by miners Titanium Bars are transmuted by alchemists Titansteel Bars are smelted with an Eternal Fire, Earth, and Shadow Where in this do we see people mining Titanium Veins and smelting the Titanium Ore? We don't. Since the cooldown was removed from the alchemist's transmute titanium ability, the ore is no longer worth smelting. Saronite is always cheaper.
Mabinogi adds Shadow Missions
Mabinogi, aside from having a bit of an alphabet soup name, is not a game known for holding things back until the next content update. If they can think of something neat to add in, they'll happily do so more often than not. So it's not exactly a surprise that with their upcoming Alchemist update, focused around (wait for it) the Alchemist, the game will be adding brand-new "Shadow Missions" as well. Meant as a cross between regular party quests and dungeons, Shadow Missions are part of a new struggle against the nebulous Shadow Realm and the inhabitants of Erinn, Mabinogi's setting. The approach might feel a bit like the Skirmish system from Lord of the Rings Online, as you pick your mission from a message board in Taillteann depending on which of several types you feel like undertaking. Once you've chosen a mission, traveling north from town lets you cross over into the Shadow Realm and take part in the battle, either protecting important figures or leading the siege against the dark inhabitants of the area. The official site has a small preview with a list of mission types for what looks to be an interesting addition to Mabinogi's gameplay.
All the World's a Stage: So you want to be an Alchemist
This installment of All the World's a Stage is the twenty-sixth in a series of roleplaying guides in which we find out all the background information you need to roleplay a particular race or class (or profession!) well, without embarrassing yourself. Too many people roleplay alchemy as a glorified fast food restaurant, with typical phrases such as, "Would you like some healing potions to go with your strength elixir?" or "If you give me just one more herb I could throw in a mana potion too..." Of course, the game mechanics often put us in the salesman position. Limited supply and demand force us to compete with other alchemists for herbs and customers, so to some extent we may have to deal with the capitalist food chain to matter what we do. But there's so much more to an alchemist than just magical boosts and bonuses! An alchemist has the potential to be the other mad scientist! Why should they let engineers have all the fun? Just because engineers can craft their own vehicles and whatnot doesn't mean that alchemists don't have something (or someone) of their own to experiment on. Today we shall take a closer look at the depths of madness which alchemists are capable of reaching, if only they dig a bit into the unlimited supply and demand of the imagination.
Spiritual Guidance: 17 trinkets for healing raiders
Every Sunday (usually), Spiritual Guidance will offer practical insight for priests of the holy profession. Your host is Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of PlusHeal, a new healing community for all restorative classes. How do you feel about trinkets? This week Matticus will examine a wide variety of trinkets in the game obtainable in Northrend for healers! Trinkets are interesting items. They have different abilities and uses best suited for the situation at hand. Here is the majority of trinkets that I believe us healers would be interested in the most and my initial thoughts on them. I've even recommended a few of them for us Priests!
Age of Conan patch notes for June 26th
The patch notes for today's Age of Conan update are now available, and a few of the fixes that we've seen talked about in recent times have made it in. There's nothing significantly game changing unless you're a Necromancer, or are waiting to get into Alchemy (and it's not the big PvP patch unfortunately) but Funcom's to-do list is now a little shorter. There's also an interesting tidbit about level 70+ solo mobs being "more of a challenge" -- something we'll need to investigate. Here's a rundown of some of the bigger updates: Some of the Necromancer buffs we looked at earlier have been implemented. Changes to Active Blocking: it now has an initial stamina cost, will give a shielding bonus instead of evade chance, and causes a buff icon to be displayed when used. Melee pets will do splash damage. The Black Castle zone in Khopshef Province has been completely redone, and groups around level 30-35 are encouraged to check it out. Solo monsters, minibosses and bosses have been made more challenging for level 70 and up. This does not affect group and raid monsters. You can cast certain spells while mounted again. Alchemists will no longer crash when opening their books, and the previously discussed solutions for this tradeskill's component issues have been implemented.
Higurashi Daybreak battles its way onto the PSP
What makes Higurashi Daybreak so different from other fighting games? Well, 2-on-2 matches are a start, we guess. Take that concept, pull it off of the PC and slap it onto the PSP with 4-player ad-hoc communications, and you've got yourself a handheld party game. This game has been pretty popular in the past, so we're glad Alchemist, the publisher, is bringing it onto the PSP for everyone to enjoy.[via PSPHyper]
Wii Warm Up: When you just can't take any more Dragonball
Don't get us wrong, we used to like Dragonball Z. When we were, like, twelve. But with the announcement of yet another DBZ game coming to the Wii, we can't help but think of all the other deserving anime franchises that could use the gaming treatment. The import Naruto titles on the 'Cube were spectacular, and we hear that the Bleach and Full Metal Alchemist titles aren't half bad.You guys probably watch more anime than us, so which series, no matter how obscure, would you have make its way to the Wii? How about Read or Die, which could make very interesting use of the Wiimote for the various paper-based powers, or maybe Hikaru no Go, as a cool boardgame/RPG tandem title? Come forth, otaku, we summon thee!
