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Storyboard: Dark past of infinite darkness
There's no reason in the world that the idea of a dark past needed to become a cliché. I mean, it has; there's no denying that. Do a shot every time you find a character with a dark past and you'll have alcohol poisoning inside of half an hour. (Do two for every character whose past is dark and mysterious and you can just call an ambulance before you start.) But it's one of those things that's been cast into the realm of the cliché before its time -- it's a legitimate element to constructing a character that's become overused. Of course, it's been sent to the horrid land of the cliché by people using it poorly and overzealously. You can still make an interesting and nuanced character with a dark past, but you have to do so with a gentle hand. You need just enough dark past that it's interesting but not so much dark past that it gets obnoxious or silly.
Embrace the darkness with City of Heroes' Issue 22
City of Heroes players better prepare themselves for another descent into the realm of Dark Astoria because in the upcoming Issue 22, Paragon Studios is sending them right back to the twisted realm. Of course, there's a catch: Dark Astoria is being twisted and transformed "into a Level 50 Incarnate co-op zone, with missions that can unlock Incarnate abilities for both Heroes and Villains." But high-level Incarnate players aren't the only ones getting goodies in Issue 22; a new low-level trial -- morbidly titled Drowning in Blood -- is also being introduced in the update. And who could forget the new powersets? Not us! Controllers and Dominators are being given access to the Darkness Control main powerset as well as the Darkness Affinity and Dark Assault secondary sets (for Controllers and Dominators, respectively). For the full preview of City of Heroes' Issue 22, just click on through the link below to the game's official site.
City of Heroes Issue 22 update features heaps of new content
Paragon and NCsoft have officially announced the latest update for the long-running City of Heroes superhero MMORPG. Issue 22: Death Incarnate is the title's first major content drop since the free-to-play conversion, and new endgame trials, costumes, powers, and VIP items are on the way. Chief among the updates are tweaks to the Dark Astoria zone (it becomes a Co-op Incarnate Zone tailored for level 50-plus heroes). Also noteworthy is the new darkness power set for Controllers and Dominators, which should cause a cackle of glee for those of you who relish summoning spectral minions and commanding shadows. There's also a new trial called Dilemma Diabolique in which heroes and villains must join forces to take down the evil sorceress Diabolique before she makes good on her nefarious plan to rule the world. And that's just the tip of the new content iceberg. More info on Issue 22 is available at the CoH website. [Source: NCsoft press release] %Gallery-9156%
This new Darkness 2 trailer is impressively gross
For the most part, we as a culture have become desensitized to the ridiculous level of extremely graphic, realistic violence pervasive in most forms of entertainment media, which is why we're so damn impressed by how incredibly disgusting the latest trailer for The Darkness 2 is. Watching a man's spine and skull get ripped out through his scrotum (by chattering tentacle creatures, no less) wasn't really something we had planned on doing today, but there you go. While you check out the trailer, we're going to go cleanse our palate with something a little less violent, like Mortal Kombat.%Gallery-137848%
Spiritual Guidance: Progression vs. farm, identifying the right raid spec
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. Dawn Moore covers healing for discipline and holy priests, while her archenemy Fox Van Allen handles the shadows (and laundry.) Dawn also writes for LearnToRaid.com, produces the Circle of Healing Podcast. Not a raiding tier goes by where the forums aren't littered with posts from novice healing priests asking why some well-known priest from some high ranked guild doesn't have a cookie cutter talent spec recommended by the community's leading theorycrafters. The post always goes something like this ... "I looked up Lawliesthesiaspec from on the armory today and I just don't understand why she took three points in Inner Sanctum and only two points in Twin Disciplines. Shouldn't she max out Twin Disciplines for the extra healing? Am I doing something wrong? Should I copy that?" Sometimes there is an amusing theory about why the priest has taken the talent, or an accusation that the player must be terrible at the game. Whatever the tone of the post, the question is ultimately rooted in the inability of many players to identify one talent spec from another. Today I intend to fix that so you're all prepared for Firelands in a few weeks.
Patch 4.2: Skarr and Karkin are hunters' newest pet taming challenges
We've already previewed the first 8 new, rare hunter pet taming challenges that are coming in patch 4.2, but Blizzard was not yet done adding to the list! Two new hunter taming challenges have appeared on the PTR -- Skarr and Karkin. Skarr is an obsidian black cat with glowing eyes and what appears to be a molten temper. He lives on some floating rocks beyond Fireplume Peak in the Molten Front and requires some tricky jumping to get in range to tame. Since flying mounts are not usable in the Molten Front, you had better put those Super Mario platforming skills to work. Skarr's attack start off weak but ramps up over time, so you had better get moving.
Patch 4.2 New Hunter Pets: All 8 rares found
Yesterday, I found Ahnka, the spirit tiger roaming the Regrowth looking for trouble. The stalwart hunters at the Petopia forums have found all of the new tameable hunter pets coming in patch 4.2 to the new daily questing hubs, The Molten Front and The Regrowth. The eight new pets include two spirit cats (Ahnka and Magria), a spirit owl (Ban'thalos), and five uniquely colored lava spiders from the Firelands (Solix, Skitterflame, Kirix, Anthriss, and Deth'tilac). Each of these creatures provides a unique challenge to the hunter trying to tame them. Taming one of these unique creatures will be a mark of prestige to the hunter toting them around, not only for their rarity. Some of the lava spiders have some pretty tricky mechanics; Deth'tilac, especially, feels like a marathon. Here's a compilation of all of the new eight hunter rare taming challenges coming in patch 4.2.
Know Your Lore: The sources of magic, part 2
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. What are the kinds of magic we see in the Warcraft setting? Well, for starters, there's the magic performed by practitioners of the Holy Light, most priests and paladins. This magic comes from the same source as the power the naaru draw from and seems inherent in all living things. Then there's the somehow related shadow magics of shadow priests, which the naaru also tap into during their life cycle. Warlocks also seem capable of touching upon this shadowy magical energy, as do necromancers to varying degrees. This magic seems to derive from a clash of cosmic forces of light and darkness. However, these are hardly the only forces of magic in the cosmos of the Warcraft setting. Mages tap into the magic that suffuses the material plane, which is generally known as arcane magic and which is the power the original Well of Eternity drew from the Great Dark Beyond. Arcane magic is the closest we get to morally neutral in the setting, but it does pretty much whatever the person using it can figure out a spell to make it do. This makes it incredibly seductive, and those who learn it often become obsessed with it. Its lure is so strong, in fact, that it even draws the attention of the demons of the Burning Legion. And the Legion is hardly without magic of its own.
Behind the Mask: From the shadows, I come
There have been a lot of updates to Champions Online recently. The dev team has really focused on putting out small bits of content at a rapid pace, including a new costume pack, the Light Speed travel power, and two big updates to the Darkness and Gadgeteering frameworks. The Void, the first of CO's premium archetypes, basks in the twilight and wields the power of darkness. She came with a big update to the Darkness framework as a whole, and we'll cover all the changes to her sexy powers this week in Behind the Mask.
Spiritual Guidance: Starting a shadow priest from scratch
Like all shadow priests, Fox Van Allen is a resilient sort. He has few weaknesses: accidentally dropping Shadowform by casting a holy spell; the silver arrow from the far upper left room in level 9; and his own gargantuan ego. By comparison, Dawn Moore's weaknesses include scratchy sweaters, Shadowfiend bites, and the nasty case of the sniffles she gets when the thermostat dips below 67. The Sunday edition is all about warmth, hugs and kisses. Today is Wednesday. It was a cold December day when the respawn timer ticked, creating the most elite shadow priest to ever grace the Wednesday version of Spiritual Guidance. "Surely, he'll make a fine holy spec priest one day," the nurses assumed. "Such fortitude! And, why look, he can cast Smite already!" "In between sips of milk, of course." "Of course." Those of us who already made the journey from level 1 to level 80 no doubt have some mixed feelings about the earliest, most formative years of our shadow priest. Heck, even mages, balance druids, elemental shaman, warlocks know the same pain. Starting a new caster can be a repetitive experience. The good news, of course, is that World of Warcraft is revitalizing the leveling process in Cataclysm. They're giving us Shadow Orbs and refurbishing our talent tree to make shadow priests feel more like shadow priests. That's great. I can't wait for the change. But still, if you haven't started a new priest in the last few months, you may have missed some of the more recent changes to the leveling process. It really is better now, and I can honestly say there's been no better time to start a priest. Why wait until Cataclysm? (And don't you dare say because you want to roll a gnome.)
Video: Panasonic's next-gen IPS-Alpha panel is uber quick, dark
We've seen some dark, dark panels in our day, but Panasonic's next-generation IPS-Alpha has us all sorts of hot and bothered. Unlike Pioneer's plasmas of yesteryear, the prototype seen here at CEATEC has wide angle viewing down to an art, and the image quality was simply stunning. Fast moving objects slid in with nary a jagged edge in sight, while the production unit on the left produced a noticable and continual blur. When portraying a pitch black background, it's easy to see just how much darker the IPS-Alpha panel was compared to the next best thing. Have a peek at the video below for a more personal peek, and look forward to us prying out some sort of price and release estimate when the company shows this again at CES. You will have that information at CES, right Panny? %Gallery-74744%
Panasonic's next-gen IPS-Alpha panel is uber quick, dark (video)
We've seen some dark, dark panels in our day, but Panasonic's next-generation IPS-Alpha has us all sorts of hot and bothered. Unlike Pioneer's plasmas of yesteryear, the prototype seen here at CEATEC has wide angle viewing down to an art, and the image quality was simply stunning. Fast moving objects slid in with nary a jagged edge in sight, while the production unit on the left produced a noticable and continual blur. When portraying a pitch black background, it's easy to see just how much darker the IPS-Alpha panel was compared to the next best thing. Have a peek at the video below for a more personal peek, and look forward to us prying out some sort of price and release estimate when the company shows this again at CES. You will have that information at CES, right Panny? %Gallery-74744%
Samsung's SCH-W760 with infrared video conferencing is ready for your parole hearing
We get it. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes when you're staring into the sad abyss of an empty Tennessee fifth, the idea of initiating an impromptu video conference in total darkness seems mighty compelling. That's where Samsung's SCH-W760 with 7.2Mbps HSDPA and front-facing infrared camera can help. It's available now in Korea and could be the difference between making a solo bed-spin performance or 3- to 6-months served at county for violating your restraining order. The choice is yours for KRW580,000 or about 445 of the green stuff.
TUAW Exclusive: Darkness 2.0 First Look
Bjango, developer of the awesome iStat for iPhone, is readying the next version of one of its most successful iPhone apps, Darkness (iTunes link). TUAW got a chance to play with Darkness 2.0, which should be hitting the App Store in the next couple of days, and we explored what is new and improved.Darkness is a world clock on steroids. Not only does it give you the current time for pretty much any city in the world, it also lets you know what time the sun rises and sets, alongside other specific information such as the the phase of the moon.Darkness 2.0 is a complete rewrite, sporting a new interface and some enhanced features. For photographers, Darkness is a really, really useful tool because it tells you where the sun or moon will be at any given time. you can also find out the exact time that solar noon (the time of day when the sun appears its highest) will occur in your location, so you can help plan for the best time to take certain shots.World ClockDarkness offers up a nice way to quickly glance at what time it is in various places all over the world. Sure, the built in World Clock can do the same thing, but Darkness gives you more accessible information (the day for instance) and can access your current location, which is great if you happen to be traveling across timezones.You can also easily choose to view the time in military or 12-hour intervals, and tell at a glance at what time sunrise and sunset is in any given city. You can add your own city from Bjango's large database (more than 8500 cities) or you can enter in your exact coordinates if you live off the grid or something.%Gallery-49386%
Rumorang: Riddick dev helming new Syndicate game
A new report suggests that Starbreeze Studios is working on a new Syndicate game, with Electronic Arts set to publish. Word of the Riddick and The Darkness dev's involvement with the title first made the rounds last October. Possibly related is a new casting call posted on superannuation for actors in an upcoming "futuristic" Starbreeze/EA title called "DART," which according to the post will be set in a "high tech city."Though nothing has been formally announced, sources tell GI.biz that the Syndicate series is behind EA and Starbreeze's mysterious Project RedLime, which was originally referred to as a "classic franchise" for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. While that project was said to be "already deep in development" in February 2008, don't expect to revisit the classic cyberpunk series anytime soon. According to the report, the new Syndicate title won't be released until Starbreeze finishes up its current project based on Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne. Until then, the four gentlemen in the corner giving us the crazy eyes will just have to wait.
WoW Patch 3.1 PTR Shadow Priest changes
The PTR patch notes have hit, and while we don't have the entire spread of changes yet (they'll be coming in waves), we do have a lot of pretty good material to look at. Personally, I think the Shadow Priest changes are pretty great this time around. PvP Shadow Priests might feel a little disappointed, but PvE Priests should be fairly happy with how things are going so far.Even PvP received a few good buffs, but while it's a step in the right direction, it simply isn't enough. It feels as if they're trying to approach some of the big issues carefully, when they really do need to go in there and start making pretty sweeping changes to the PvP-centric talents of the Shadow Priest. A lot needs to change to make the Shadow Priest relevant in PvP again without strapping a Warlock to their hip at all times.Enough of that, though. Let's look into the changes, shall we? Shadowfiend: Health scaling increased. Now receives 30% of the master's spell power. Mana return increased to 5%, up from 4%. The Shadowfiend now receives mana when its melee attacks land, rather than when it deals damage. Movement speed normalized to player movement speed. Tooltip revised.
WoW Moviewatch: Darkness II
There's a lot going on in Darkness II by Erunno. It's a longer, story driven piece. According to the author, this installment is a continuation of the first Darkness. (Thus, "II".)The animation is ample and sufficient for the story-driven purpose of the machinima. While one can always look for more graphic enhancements, sometimes that flash and funk can actually detract from the story that's being told. I think Erunno hit a pretty sweet spot with "Darkness II," by providing a little embellishment (via Model Viewer), but without spending all of his time and energy and on the special effects. I could have used a slightly faster pacing, personally, but that's entirely a matter of my own preference. Some of the dialogue felt a little forced to me, but that was rare. Overall, "Darkness II" is just a fairly high end piece, which I'd recommend checking out.If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
How to make 10,000 gold in a month
I like to have a bit of gold on me at all times. When I see something I want for one of my alts, it's nice to be able to just buy it without thinking about the ramifications for next week's farming and raiding. There's a strategy that I've been using for a couple months now that'll let those that follow it earn upwards of 10,000g a month. To use this strategy, you need to have access to the following: Rare T5/ T6 patterns A steady stream of Badge of Justices or Hearts of Darkness 5 hours a week set aside for hard core farming A second account Those might look like insane requirements to some, and they're not wrong. They are a bit steep. However making this amount of gold should not be easy and be able to be done by everyone. But with that said, it's not too hard to get into a T5 guild these days, and weekly Kara runs plus a few heroics can get you 30+ badges a week.Read on after the break for the complete strategy.
Scientists create darkest material ever
Researchers at a US laboratory claim to have created the darkest material ever; a carbon nanotube which is one atom thick and rolled into a cylinder. For an object to be completely black, it must absorb all the colors of light over every angle and wavelength while reflecting none back, and scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, may have just gotten one step closer. The team built an array of vertically aligned, low-density nanotubes -- rough on the surface to minimize reflections -- and then measured the optical properties. They discovered that the objects very good at absorbing light, while downright rotten at reflecting it, thus creating a new standard for "blackness." In practice, their nanotubes could form a super-black object, leading to the creation of more efficient solar panels or solar cells, or more importantly, a Kuro display that goes beyond absolute black. "They've made the blackest material known to science," Says Professor Sir John Pendry, though Shaft's representatives have called for a recount.
Fanboys fight for The Darkness winners revealed
We're proud to announce the winners of our Xbox 360/PS3 Fanboy The Darkness giveaway. Although Xbox 360 Fanboy dominated with a mountain of entries, we're still glad that the PS3 community stood by this excellent FPS. Here are the winners for Xbox 360 and PS3:Xbox 360Chris BrownDion HarrisJames ParnhamPS3Mike WhitfieldMatt TrujilloCongratulations to all the winners!
