collections
Latest
New collection tracking feature on Wowhead
Our friends at Wowhead hav just announced the launch of a new site feature that should make many players very happy indeed: a collection tracker! You can now use Wowhead to track your characters' possession of pets, mounts, titles, achievements, and recipes. The new feature was green lit thanks to the popularity of their recently-implemented quest-tracking feature, which has been a big hit. The new collection tracking feature includes options to exclude items that fall into certain categories -- the example used by Wowhead is that of pets only available from WoW's Collector's Editions. In this way you can hide any items you may not be interested in pursuing, either by blanking out entire categories of items (i.e. exclude anything Horde-exclusive), or you can manually select individual items to exclude as well. Hop on over to Wowhead's announcement page to check it out!
eBay introduces celebrity-curated collections, expands same-day delivery
Starting today, eBay is introducing a new feature designed to streamline your shopping experience: curated collections. Basically, curators handpick products from eBay's database and arrange them into collections; as part of the initial push, the company is including a few relatively big names among its list of "expert curators" like Solange Knowles, Pharrell Williams and Kelly Oxford, with the best of the best featured on the new eBay Today page. You'll also be able to customize your profile by following your favorite collections, users and interests. Additionally, eBay announced in-store pickup for select retailers (only Toys R Us and Best Buy to start) and the expansion of its same-day delivery service, eBay Now, to 25 markets by the end of 2014, including Chicago, Dallas and London. And if you're as busy as a bee, you'll be happy to know that scheduled delivery is coming at some point in the near future. For more info, check out the press release after the break.
iOS-only Boxes app adds eBay support, private and public boxes, and barcode scanner
If you're a collector, there comes a time when you have to face the sad reality that part of collecting is keeping track of your collection, and selling off the excess. Boxes is an iOS-exclusive app that does just that, offering a powerful cataloging tool with photos that allows you to document and organize your collection. It even allows you to make wish lists so you can find things other users are selling. Now the app has been updated to include integration with eBay so you can quickly and easily sell your goods on one of the web's most popular marketplaces. It's a wise move for the cataloging tool. Imagine browsing through a list of your Beanie Baby collection one day only to realize you've got three of the legendary "Millenium" (sic) bears. Now with a simple swipe of your finger, that bear is a part of the marketplace, putting money back in your pocket. The updated app also introduces a new Private Info Area so users can keep track of important details about their collections like receipts, warranty information, place of purchase or any other detail that might come in handy. As someone who has kept track of where exactly he bought specific pieces in his vinyl collection, this sort of fine-tooth nitpicking is a welcome feature. In a move that's sure to end up being useful following a natural disaster or house fire, the app has introduced a barcode scanner that allows you to track each objects UPC code, serial number, model number, SKU, etc. Finally Version 1.2 adds Public Boxes, allowing you to explore what other Boxes users have in their collections. You can find the update in the App Store for free.
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's customization cash kitty
It's a hard thing to admit when you're wrong. But I admit that I was wrong about Star Wars: The Old Republic Update 2.1: Customization. Even as late as last night on The Republic, I believed that things like the new Appearance Designer might not cost players Cartel Coins to use, but now that the update has arrived, I admit that is certainly not the case. Had I known that it would cost CCs to so much as use the Appearance Designer, I would be in the camp of players upset about this update containing only Cartel items. If you define an expansion or DLC as additional content that costs money, then that is exactly what this update is. I'm not against BioWare making money, and to be completely honest, I'm not upset about the company making money on many of these items. Perhaps through my own misunderstanding, I feel a bit cheated with the update. Let me break down the Update 2.1 items for us. I'll point out the good and the bad, and maybe you will understand my perspective, even if you don't agree.
Collect all the things in Star Wars: The Old Republic's 2.1 patch
The downside of picking up some special items and drops in Star Wars: The Old Republic is that a lot of them are limited. Sure, you might be able to buy Revan's Mask, but you have to decide which of your characters will get to wear it. But that's changing in patch 2.1. A recent interview sheds more light on the upcoming Collections system, which will allow you to unlock items you have obtained on one character for repeated access. Once you've obtained an item on a character, that item will be marked in your collection, allowing you to recreate that item for that character. Pay a few Cartel Coins and that item unlocks for every character in your account, including characters on other servers. The system will include mounts, armors, and pets, with more room for special promotions and the like in the future. So now you don't have to worry about who gets the special mount -- everyone can get the benefit.
Blog Azeroth Shared Topic: World of Warcraft collections
Each week, Blog Azeroth hosts a Shared Topic for bloggers to answer on their own blogs and then link to in the forum. Last week, Noahdeer from Be MOP asked: World of Warcraft has added many different items for players to collect, whether it be collecting pets, mounts, transmog gear or knickknacks about the lore. This week's topic asks what you do collect in the game and what is your prized item from that collection? I don't really collect on purpose. I do collect battle pets, but I haven't tried to catch 'em all, yet. And I like my mount collection, but I haven't camped bosses for hard-to-get ones like real collectors do. However, I have accidentally gathered quite a few objects across my many characters: quest items. I don't like throwing quest items away. What if I go back to do the quest even though I've out-leveled the area ages ago? I might want to go for the achievement some day. And, yeah, some of these items may be obsolete, but do I want to go look up each one to find out? Naw, I just let them get all moldy and mildewy in my bank.
Blake Patterson's Byte Cellar: the ultimate man cave for aspiring geeks
Apple IIGS? Of course. Commodore 64C? You betcha. NeXTstation Turbo Color? Booyah! These three classics are just part of Blake Patterson's tricked-out technology den that's known as the Byte Cellar -- and yes, we're seething with jealousy. Take notes, folks, because this is how it's done. In all, the Byte Cellar currently plays home to 69 computers, video game consoles, PDA's and other noteworthy gadgets. Need to switch between the Atari and the Amiga? Not a problem, as each system is thoughtfully laid out on a workbench that allows one to easily scoot between rigs. Even the walls bleed vintage cred with a Space Invaders motif, rare posters and hardware components from bygone eras. Be sure to take it all in with a panorama photo that's been linked up below, along with a complete list of the equipment currently in Blake's collection. Regardless of whether you agree with his taste in hardware, one thing is for certain: the man must go through a lot of compressed air.
Google Knowledge Graph coming to all English-speaking nations tomorrow, adds lists to results
Google launched its contextual and intelligent search service, Knowledge Graph, only a few months ago. Till now, it's been limited in its availability and, while most nations will still be left out, tomorrow it will be coming to all "English-speaking" countries. The ability to discern your intended search goal and present you with relevant information immediately, as opposed to just a page of links, is the next step in search technology and the secret sauce powering the somewhat creepy Google Now in Jelly Bean. The Graph has also received a few enhancements and tweaks, including the ability to answer queries with collections and lists. So, say you're looking for rides in Disney World, a thumbnail of every attraction will appear at the top in a horizontally scrollable list. How much longer till our Spanish, French or Chinese speaking pals can get in on the action? That's anyone's guess. But, if English is the native tongue of your home, then rest assured your flavor of Google has just gotten a little bit smarter.
Troll shaman proves a lady can never have too many dresses
Although my working file name for this interview was 15Dresses, there are much more than a mere 15 dresses involved here. Asukachan of Al'Akir (EU) has managed to collect -- of all things -- more than 100 dresses since the earliest days of WoW. Now, we've featured collectors and their in-game collections before, from armor set and pet collections to items tied to game lore and even a museum of gray items and assorted oddities. But Asukachan? Asukachan just likes dresses. "I do keep cool items around that I'd like to wear sometime (silly hats from seasonal events, cool weapons and shields, oversized shoulderpads and what not) as well as all my old tier sets obtained while raiding," explains the troll-loving Swedish player. "In the end, it really does add up to a lot of bag and bank space (and a full void storage), but the only collection I feel really serious and passionate about is the dress collection."
Why I Play: The Secret World
I can't stop! No, seriously -- I had delusions of sneaking this article out a week earlier than scheduled, but that involved actually tearing myself away from Kingsmouth long enough to log out and write. And you can see how well that turned out! It's hard enough trying to do so now; every time I think about The Secret World, I want to jump right back in and... um, excuse me a moment, I'll be right back... Hey, I just needed to test something in-game for this article, honest! Though if the test was to be able to log in and right back out of TSW, I failed. I checked what I needed to and thought to myself, "Just five more minutes." Before I knew it, too many hours flew by. And this was not an isolated incident, either. As much as I enjoy playing MMORPGs (anyone who has heard me in a game can attest to that!), it has been quite a while since I truly reveled in my time in game and champed at the bit to get back in when I had to leave. It's no secret that I have been waiting for this game for years now, and I have to say I am not disappointed. Funcom's newest release has truly ensnared me. So what is so compelling about The Secret World? Do you have a minute or five?
Leaderboard: Achievements vs. collections
Some may call them busy work or a fool's errand, but others delight in the additional fluff systems in MMOs that encourage us to take the path less traveled. Two of these systems, achievements and collections, stand out in my mind as the premier ways of encouraging us to game a bit differently. Achievements are ubiquitous at this point, from World of Warcraft to Warhammer Online (and that's just the Ws). Despite usually not offering anything more substantial than a pat on the back and a few numbers for your number collections, they have proved to be an incredibly popular motivator to going outside of your daily routine. Collections are somewhat more tangible: in-game objects that are often hidden for you to seek out, find, and collect all of them for the cool prize on the back of the box. That may be Cheerios, too. Anyway, titles like EverQuest II and RIFT enjoy sending players out on these scavenger hunts, and it momentarily takes our minds off the presence of death and slaughter that permeates everything. So if you had to pick one of these systems as the better motivation to get you out of your comfort zone and try new things, which would it be: achievements or collections?
Why I Play: EverQuest II
Because. Remember back when this answer was lobbed at you as the definitive answer (often by moms tired of incessant "why"s or as a precursor to "I said so!")? But since I am not your mom -- and more importantly, the boss isn't about to pay me for a one word article -- let me elaborate, though, I warn you, you may regret it; once I get going I may not be able to stop! Seriously, they had to restrain me from taking over Why I Play. Obviously I broke free mwuahahahaha! Simply put, I love EverQuest II. I log into it daily. Sometimes I don't leave for more hours than I am willing to admit. I can hum the guild hall music from memory. I have a list of things I want to do so long I can't possibly get it all done. All this after taking a multi-year break. Yes folks, I left the game for a long time -- a move I am still kicking myself for. But certain features pulled me back, and let me just say, I am so glad I came back. So why do I play EQII? Where to begin...
15 Minutes of Fame: Come one, come all to the astounding Traveling Museum of Debris
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. Back in October, we profiled triple-threat collector Drrum's coordinated armor, pet, and mount collections, meticulously assembled and screenshot in complementary in-game settings. Last week, we chatted with collector Moonjade of Twisting Nether (US-A), who focuses on items somehow linked to game lore. This week, we complete our trifecta of collectors with an interview with a player who's assembled an actual in-game museum -- yup, curator-led tours and all -- of unusual gray items and assorted oddities. Now, we get crazy emails all the time here at WoW Insider about all sorts of weird things that've been found in game ... but man, I've never even heard of some of this stuff! Pestle, who's also GM of Infinite Asylum on The Scryers (US-A), manages the massive, multi-bank collection via Riplington E. Winchester III, the museum's intrepid gnomish curator character. The list of random items that she sent me is so long that there's literally no reader-friendly way to display it here (let alone the fact that it would take days to slap Wowhead links on all of it); we'll stream it for you in paragraph form just after the jump. For a visual idea of the scope of this massive collection, click through the gallery below before joining us to chat with its curator after the break. %Gallery-129232%
15 Minutes of Fame: No bank dust bunnies for in-game item collectors
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. 15 Minutes of Fame profiled the triple-threat collections of Drrum last fall -- an astounding trifecta of pets, mounts and armor sets painstakingly pieced together and then screenshot to dramatic effect in complementary in-game settings. Amazing stuff. And since cool collections that come in threes seem to be such a good thing, we're bringing you two more profiles of in-game collectors. This week, we'll visit with Moonjade of Twisting Nether (US-A), who collects armor and lore items. Moonjade's impressive collection of lore and legendary items make him a suitable ambassador for an entire subculture of players who collect various sorts of items during their game downtime. Then next week, we'll crank up the specialization rating and round out our trio of collectors with an interview with a collector who actually manages and gives tours of a virtual museum of gray items.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Creature comforts
I've got a problem that nine interventions and three bouts of electroshock therapy have yet to cure: I'm hopelessly addicted to collecting non-combat pets (aka vanity pets) in MMOs. I don't know why that is, exactly, although I've always had a fondness for "fluffy" elements on online games. In my opinion, a lot of what we work for in MMOs is cosmetic anyway -- a really good-looking set of armor, a top-of-the-line mount -- with some piddly stats occasionally making a cameo. (Comment bait? Oh yes, I'm evil that way!) While adding nothing to my combat power nor helping me advance in the game, pets still hold purpose. They are fun to display, particularly if you have rare critters that others haven't seen, and they can give you a feeling of virtual companionship during your journeys. Unlike many collection items, pets have a use -- you can actually do something with them instead of tucking them away where they'll sit collecting pixelated dust. I was pretty pleased to discover that RIFT wasn't going to leave us high and dry when it came to non-combat pets, although it's interesting that they're somewhat harder to come by than in, say, World of Warcraft. If you're like I am, you're scouring the game looking to expand your menagerie, so it might be frustrating to be well on your way to 50 with only a paltry pair of pets to your name. Where is everyone getting all of these? How can I snag a few more? Join me after the jump as we examine six ways to collect crazy critters!
Enter at Your Own Rift: Talking 1.3 with Hal Hanlin
Today we're on the verge of RIFT's third major update's going live. It's a doozy of a patch, too, with a little something for everyone: a raid for endgame players, guild banks for... well, guilds, character transfers for the antsy, and RIFT's second world event for one and all. With Patch 1.3, Trion Worlds puts its money where its mouth is by continuing with its streak of sizable, regular updates. It's a critical patch for some, as it seeks to answer the growing call for more endgame content while an increasing number of players hit 50. Fans of RIFT will most likely welcome the spread of the patch, but detractors will undoubtedly criticize why X was done instead of Y (and don't even get into Z; that letter is nothing but trouble). And above the noise, Trion sails on with apparent confidence and dedication. Even though we got to speak with Trion at E3, I got the opportunity for another pre-1.3 interview with Design Producer Hal Hanlin (which, by the way, is a superhero fake identity if I ever heard one). In this no-holds-barred discussion, we covered the selling points of 1.3, the accusation that RIFT is "dying," and the philosophy behind Trion's rapid stream of content.
Alter-Ego: Spring has sprung
It's been a heck of a week for DC Universe Online. Not only did the team show off the sweet new trailer for Update 4, cool new screenshots, and the drop of the StationPass subscription price, but we've also gotten a surprise late-week patch with Update 3 going live on Thursday rather than on Tuesday like other releases. The patch notes are incredibly long and well-detailed, offering a variety of things from new content to a heaping helping of bug fixes for existing content, powers, and more. With the good in DC Universe Online, of course, comes the bad. Certain powers seem to be having issues, a PvP-flag bug allowing players to drop their PvP flags on PvP servers cropped up (as of this writing, this is reportedly fixed), and chat appears to once again be a cornucopia of frustrating issues. However, rather than dwell on the things that are starting to crop up (and because we're not going to have a solid picture of just what's shaken out of this patch just yet), I thought instead I'd offer an overview of the new spring-themed event for those who are curious as to just what's going on and why this one might well be the best holiday event yet.
Enter at Your Own Rift: A case for player housing
Earlier this week we were treated to the news that Trion Worlds is going to offer free character transfers between "select servers" once Update 1.3 hits. Now, how useful this will be is anyone's guess -- as some have noted, this may just be a clever ploy to redistribute the population from high-pop servers to low-pop ones -- but generally it's been met with applause from the community. I remain impressed as a consumer with how fast and aggressive Trion is pumping out content, and the fact that this is a free transfer once per week is really cool considering how most other subscription MMOs charge for a similar "premium" service. Whatever Trion's motive and however it'll play out, I do know this: The company needs to continue to bring the heat to the competition. It's vital that RIFT distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack in some way, whether it be polish, originality, speed, customer service, or innovation. Today I'd like to make a case for what I think should be high up on Trion's development schedule: player housing. We know it's something the devs have discussed, with some very much for and some very much against, but I'm hoping it's gone past the brainstorming phase. Why should we care about what might seem like fluff? How could housing work in RIFT? Tune in after the jump, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel to find out!
Massively Exclusive: Free Realms' Referee Ruby goes collecting
Last week, we heard from Free Realms' Referee Ruby as she walked us through the serene joy of farming in Free Realms. This week, we're moving away from Farmer Ruby to something a bit more Rubyana Jones, so don your best explorin' clothes and let's go collect some stuff. Yes, the focus this week is on collections. The idea behind collections is fairly simple: As you'd expect, you gather things up and hoard them like a packrat. In the case of Free Realms, you're gathering keys that can be found scattered across the world in Robgoblin junk piles. There are eight keys in every collection. And what's your reward for gathering all of them, you ask? Another key! But this one is different. It's probably magic or something, because it unlocks one of many chests scattered around the world, chests which contains a plethora of stylish clothing rewards. To see the system in action, jump past the cut and spend some time with Referee Ruby as she takes you through it.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Off the beaten path
Conventional MMO wisdom says that one should stick to the roads as much as possible when questing. Roads have become the "safe zone" of online games, a place where mobs are less likely to attack and adventurers are less likely to become lost. RIFT, however, turns this MMO convention on its head and does everything it can to break us of this predictable -- and boring -- habit. For one thing, the roads in RIFT are not safe. At any moment, a rampaging invasion or event boss may be wandering down them, looking for easy prey. I've seen more than one jaded MMO vet express a type of dawning pleasure when this has happened, especially considering the reputation modern games have for coddling their populations. For another thing, there are a lot of incentives to strike off the beaten path and explore the world instead of staring at a packed trail that's been walked a million times before. RIFT encourages players to do so in subtle ways, ways that I deeply appreciate as an explorer type. In today's Enter at Your Own Rift, we're going to look at three reasons that blazing your own way in the wilderness is more fun -- and even beneficial -- than sticking to the highway. Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.
