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Officers' Quarters: Broken alliances
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.No, this column isn't about one of the most annoying Horde-side quests ever. Seriously, who actually goes back to Badlands -- the farthest possible point in Azeroth away from any Horde zeppelin or portal -- at level 50 to do this one stupid quest with subpar rewards? Does any quest in the game out-level its zone more than this one? OK, so maybe the beginning of this column was about that quest. The rest of it, however, is going to be about ending your alliance with another guild, because that's what this week's e-mail is asking about. Hello Scott:Your Officers' Quarters: Dark pacts [columns] helped our guild a lot. I am an officer of an progressing casual guild. We currently have enough signups that we no longer need an alliance. The alliance guild helped us somewhat in progressing so it's hard to tell them to simply go away since we have enough guild members to fill the raid. My question is how should we approach the alliance guild to peacefully break the alliance and make most if not all the people happy?Thanks,Findra
Ask a Lore Nerd: Nagapalooza
Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, WoW Insider's newest weekly feature column. Have a question about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe? Click the Comments link below, ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer you in a future installment!Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of Ask a Lore Nerd's first installment, we are now a weekly feature! I hope you enjoy it, because it's here to stay. This week we're fielding a large number of questions from a few contributors. A number of you have taken full advantage of this opportunity and posted an avalanche of questions. Good! That's what I like to see! Let's jump right into it, shall we?Matt said: Not a lore question, but lore speculation. Blizzard hinted at a major event would cause the uneasy-peace of Horde and Alliance become not on uneasy. What could cause tensions to rise? Also in the real world alliances crumble, and are reformed. What races of the Horde and Alliance do you see possibly switching sides?Answer: From what I understand, Garrosh Hellscream will be following in his father's footsteps and the good ol' Orcish bloodlust will color his actions in Northrend. Additionally, I'd be willing to bet the Alliance is mighty nervous about the Forsaken's new plagues, considering they had been thoroughly tested on Alliance citizens in the past. The Lich King may also play a substantial role in the rising tensions, playing the two factions off of one another. As far as switching sides, I don't see it happening. If anything, factions would splinter further but not switch sides. The Forsaken and Blood Elves might go off on their own. The Night Elves might go off on their own. Pretty unlikely in both cases.
Need to repair a broken power switch?
For the majority of us, repairing a broken DS Lite (which is a fairly rare thing, unless you happen to be friends with G4 or something) is accomplished through doing nothing more than picking up the phone and calling Nintendo. But, some are more brave than us, taking the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of their precious handheld upon themselves.Enter flickr user shalf, who has a daughter that broke the power switch on her pink DS Lite. Like a good dad, he isn't going to make her wait for the time it takes to ship the handheld to Nintendo and get it back repaired, he's done it himself! And, thankfully, he's taken tons of pictures and placed them on his flickr page for all to see. Hopefully, some of you out there thinking about taking apart your DS Lite can learn a thing or two from his efforts. This isn't the first time we've featured other folks repairing their handhelds. You can check out how to replace a screen here, as well as how to take apart the whole thing here. Heck, you can even make your own Rumble Pak! Some people love the DS so much, they even try to turn other handhelds into one.
World of WarCrafts: The secret of the ooze
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Being a mom of two boys, this is definitely a good recipe to have in my bag of tricks. Slime is ultimate fun, and the ingredients are super cheap. The secret to this ooze is clear glue and a small amount of Borax solution. Here is what you will need: 1/2 cup of clear Elmer's glue 1 cup of water Borax Solution (1/4 cup of water + 1/4 teaspoon of Borax) Food Coloring Skull Optional supplies: Broken Weapon Coins Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-22373% DISCLAIMER: Common sense here; don't eat the slime. Definitely don't eat the Borax.
Mr. Driller Online's lag-tastic online play
We've received some tips indicating that Mr. Driller Online for XBLA is having a problem with the, er, "Online" portion of the gameplay. It seems that while the person hosting an online game is just fine, the connecting player can't drill anything. X3F put together a video of the bug, which we've placed after the break.Another test of Mr. Driller's online capabilities was done today with the same broken result. No word on whether a patch is in the works. Best to save your 800 MS points for the moment, as there's no sense in supporting broken titles. Gallery: Mr. Driller Online (XBLA)
New 'Ask Cryptic' talks class balance
Behold, a new 'Ask Cryptic' is here to appease all who have been awaiting it! It is again time for Cryptic to answer community questions about Champions Online -- this week is especially interesting as we've gotten some fairly insightful answers. Everything from how Cryptic is adapting the Chapions paper and pencil IP to whether or not players can expect custom power animations and the reason why is discussed. Of course, the most interesting question ends up being about the biggest problem facing a game like Champions Online -- class balance. With an open system where players can grab any type of powers they like, a lot of thought has been and is being put into making the game as balanced as possible.
The DS Lite gets repeatedly busted for 'science'
Well, maybe about 40% science and 60% "haha, awesome." A new website called Broken Review puts electronics through a battery of tests (or, rather, the tests are battery) to determine their durability. The first item they experiment on? A poor DS Lite. In the beginning, the tests are simple, everyday situations: how scratched does a DS Lite get in a pants pocket with keys? But in subsequent tests, the DS is beaten, scratched, run over, submerged, and dropped from increasing distances -- on video! It survives for much longer than we expected! This could be very useful if you're planning to throw your DS out a window.
Show and Tell: Things are cracking up all over
Usually, this is a happy space, wherein we show off things we've made or lovingly put together, things that celebrate our gleeful fan-person ways. Today, however, we have a sadder story ... a story about hinge cracks. It's been a while since we talked about crack-related issues, so it seems fitting that when we revisit the issue, we go with something devastating. But wait! We know what you're thinking. This doesn't look so very bad, does it? Head past the break to see the extend of the damage ....Reader Jeff assures us that this DS (which belongs to his younger brother) has been through no particularly heinous accidents or abuse, and it's only been in use for about a year. All we can do is shake our heads. Poor, poor DS. We hardly knew ye.Remember, if you have something to show off (even if it's a little depressing), we want to see it. From crafts to cakes to collections ... whatever you've got, if it has a little Nintendo flavor, we'll take a look. Just take some pictures (or copy your web album links) and send them to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.
DS Daily: Drop it like it's hot
What's the highest height you've ever dropped your Nintendo DS from? Did your handheld survive the fall, despite your negligence? Or did it end up looking like the photo above? Also, how did this unfortunate event play out? Inquiring minds want to know.
Nintendo replaces DS Lite, asks no questions
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Nintendo_replaces_DS_Lite_asks_no_questions'; What's that line from Batman Begins, something like "theatricality and deception are powerful agents" or something? Well, Consumerist reader Mike might not have been deceptive, but he certainly didn't do anything to stop the Nintendo rep from sending him a brand new DS Lite to replace his existing one that was rendered inoperable due to negligence. Nintendo ended up sending his new DS Lite out by 2-day UPS Air, asking that he only send back the damaged DS Lite to them. All of this, considering it was a friend that spilled beer (he wouldn't be our friend after that, as we can't abide by wasted beer) on the DS Lite. Kudos to Nintendo customer service, we suppose, for not inquiring how the unit became damaged and leaping to the rescue, no questions asked.[Thanks, Tracy!]
Chat spam measures shut down multi-line reporting addons
The latest uprising on the forums (seems like there's one almost every day now, doesn't there?) has to do with what seems to be an anti-chat spam measure on Blizzard's part. Players have discovered that multi-line messages don't work anymore, even in guild and group channels. Spammers are very fond of guild or group inviting folks, and then filling their chat window with ads for less-than-TOS-compliant activities, and Blizzard decided to cut those folks off at the pass.Except that we kind of need those messages. Sure, lots of annoying macros use them, but so do legitimate healing and DPS meter addons. So Slouken says that Blizzard will change things, and messages like these "will be allowed in guild chat and private channels with 25 people or less." Which should cover most exceptions-- you'll still be able to show off the meters in guild and raid chat, but then again, you'll still have to be careful about what guild and raid invitations you accept anyway.Thanks, Shilarva!
Wii Warm Up: Replacements
It's time for our irregular check-in: how's things with your Wii? Any difficulties? Broken straps or remotes? Disc read errors? We've certainly seen fewer problems than with certain other systems, but that doesn't mean they don't happen. Share your lamentations and horror stories. Our sympathies are with you.[Image from one early story here.]
EA officially backs off of Mac releases
Shame on you, EA! Shame! Back at WWDC, you promised to release four of your franchise games simultaneously on PC and Mac in July. But July came and went, and we saw (and played) nothing.And now EA has told Apple Insider that Mac faithful shouldn't have held their breath on those promises-- Madden 08 was the big release on Tuesday, but while it did appear on PC, the Mac version has been officially delayed until "September or October" (which means late December, in videogame-release-speak). Additionally, even EA doesn't know what's going on with its own games-- they claim that Battlefield 2142, Command and Conquer 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Need for Speed Carbon are all in stores, but when asked which stores they were actually in, EA didn't have an answer.I can't say I'm surprised-- for all the talk at WWDC, the Mac isn't quite the platform of choice for most game makers, and who knows who would have actually bought any of those games on Mac if they had been released (I wouldn't have). But the fact is that EA stood on stage at WWDC, and got lauded for it. Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk, Electronic Arts.
AppleCare for iPhone details unearthed
Don't worry, you're not the only paranoid one out there who has yet to grace his / her iPhone screen without squeaky clean fingertips, and thankfully for those who have been losing sleep over how they'd protect their recent purchase, Apple has the answer. As with most other Apple hardware, an AppleCare Protection Plan will indeed be made available for the iPhone, and "will extend the hardware repair coverage to up to two years from the original purchase date." Per usual, the plan must be procured sometime within the first year of ownership, but unique to this one is the "service phone" available for those who've sent their mobile in for repair. This theoretical loaner will run users $29 while their device is being mended, and Apple spells out all the details surrounding data transfers in a handy FAQ. Strangely enough, no definitive price has been announced just yet, but the plan will be available for purchase sometime this month.[Via TUAW]
Smashed iPhone "not so cool looking"
What happens when a shiny new iPhone meets the edge of a table? You guessed it -- that nasty piece of business up above. Fans, we know it looks painful, and haters, we know you're loving it, but we should all have a little sympathy for the unlucky guy who made this mess completely by accident when he tried to answer his phone while it was still plugged in, causing the short cable to whip Apple's glass-screened device right out of his hands. Don't fret too much though, because the kind folks at Apple apparently replaced the smashed phone for free, and as far as we know, the gentleman learned several valuable lessons.[Via Akihabaranews]
Samsung X820 takes a licking and keeps on ticking
Hey Motorola, just because you snapped it doesn't mean you broke it.[Thanks, Bilgin O.]
Roadkill MacBook Pro keeps on keepin' on
Vermont-based blacksmith Jim Fecteau uses his 17" MacBook Pro as a business and teaching tool, and he fully intended to have it handy at a smiths' meeting in Rhode Island... however, one teensy problem, he left it on top of his truck as he drove away from home. Oops. After fruitless searching on the home end, he chalked it up as a loss.Enter Small Dog Electronics, longtime Mac vendor in Burlington, VT. A good Samaritan turned the laptop in and SD contacted Fecteau, who came to pick up the patient. Unfortunately, the laptop had been run over by his trailer, and we all know that's gonna leave a mark. A good chunk of the screen is unusable, and the DVD drive has played its last, but the machine is still operable (!) and could be repaired to full working order. Fecteau would like to go for one of the new Santa Rosa machines, and who can blame him?You can see several more examples of "Mac meets immovable object" physics experiments at Small Dog's 'Maccident' Flickr pool.[via Small Dog Barkings]Thanks Doug
Three-year-old's Tennis tantrum
Brian McConnell left his son, Adam, alone with a game of Wii Sports: Tennis for only a few moments to fetch a drink, but that was all the time the little demon needed. Not even a Wii remote strap could've saved Brian's plasma TV once the three-year-old set his mind on avenging a lost match. Brian came back to the living room to find his £1,000 television ruined, its 42-inch screen bashed by his Wiimote-wielding progeny. Queue up the darth_vader_nooo.jpg images. The forgiving father let Adam off the hook with only a light lecture and a two-week Wii ban. That's a lot more lenient than the hanging, drawing, and quartering punishment one of our NintenDadz would've sought. [Via Engadget]
Three-year old smashes TV after losing Wii Sports
Anti-video game pundits, here is your proof that video games are the violent tools of the devil. After playing outside on the trampoline, UK resident Brian McConnell left his three-year old alone to play Wii Tennis while he fetched the boy a drink. While in the kitchen, Brian heard two loud bangs. He returned to find Adam using the controller to smash the 42-inch plasma TV screen. Needless to say, Adam won't be touching a video game console for a very long time, and his father will be keeping an eagle-eye on the boy from this day forward. Not even a beefed-up wrist strap could have saved this poor TV.[Via Engadget]
WoW Moviewatch: Prophet Velen is defeated!
Once the members of my guild hit 70, we decided to stage a raid to liberate the captive Naaru, M'uru, who is being ripped of his powers by the blood elves to grant the abilities of the light to their blood knights. We thought this was a noble endeavor, but now it seems that there is some speculation regarding the true intentions of the Naaru. Regardless, the revenge of the Horde was just around the corner. The Broken, from the Stormrage realm, have posted their victory over the leader of the Exodar, Prophet Velen. What surprised me was the near complete lack of resistance from the Alliance. Ah well, we had a few quiet raids on Undercity, too, so I suppose it's bound to happen anywhere. Beware, Broken...the Alliance shall retaliate!
