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Five reasons patch 5.2 will pull you back into WoW
So you quit playing WoW. That's okay: we understand. All of us here at WoW Insider have been playing the game an awfully long time, and we know it can get old sometimes. Once you've played through all the content and there's nothing but the same dailies and the same raids over and over again... well, there's only so many times you can go through the same content before it starts to lose its shine. We don't judge. However, even if you've moved on to new games, Blizzard's latest content bonanza might be enough to come back to WoW (at least for a little while). So let's talk about why patch 5.2 is worth coming back for. A huge array of new content with Isle of Thunder and Throne of Thunder We'll start with the obvious: patch 5.2 introduces a brand new zone to explore. The Isle of Thunder will unlock in stages as players on your realm complete daily quests (not unlike the Isle of Quel'Danas in The Burning Crusade). Would-be heroes join forces with one of two new factions, The Kirin-Tor Offensive (Alliance), led by Jaina Proudmoore, and Sunreaver Onslaught (Horde), led by led by Lor'themar Theron. And though we know new factions and their associated dailies sound like yet another grind, the new faction quests will at least be fun the first time. And, as with all factions, with reputation comes reward, and we're pretty sure everyone enjoys new loot.
Patch 5.2 guide to the Throne of Thunder
The Thunder King is risen! Today, hordes (and alliances) of characters are flocking to the Isle of Thunder to take part in the hotly-anticipated new content. Many of you will be jumping straight into the new raid as well, and in the spirit of being prepared, WoW Insider has got you covered. Check out our Throne of Thunder write-ups and go in swinging! Jin'rokh the Breaker Horridon Council of Elders Tortos Megaera Ji-Kun Durumu the Forgotten Primordius Dark Animus Iron Qon Twin Consorts Lei Shen The ultimate last boss of 5.2, Ra-den, is locked behind a heroic-mode defeat of Lei Shen and that encounter remains a closely-guarded secret -- for now. Happy patch 5.2 everyone, and happy raiding!
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Patch 5.2 and warrior gear part 1
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host. Gear constantly changes. Every major patch, there's new gear to drool over and want. For the next few weeks, I'm going to look at the gear we're getting in patch 5.2 from the Throne of Thunder, Oondasta (holder of the greatest loot table in the universe), and Nalak. We'll also take a look at Shado-Pan Assault, Kirin Tor Offensive, and Sunreaver Onslaught gear. This means we'll be looking at gear with a wide variety of item levels, from the 522 of the world bosses and normal mode Throne of Thunder to the 476 of some of the faction gear. Also, although I won't be covering the items here, transmog minded warriors should take a look at the return of these Burning Crusade blacksmithing models. These weapons won't be an upgrade for you in almost all cases, but they're a welcome addition to our cosmetic arsenal. Now, to discuss gear.
The Queue: Tyrannosauridae
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Matthew Rossi will be your host today. The Tyrannosauridae are among the most famous dinosaurs in the world today on the strength of their most recognizable member, Tyrannosaurus Rex, but there's a great deal more to them than that one (admittedly magnificent) dinosaur, and since World of Warcraft loves to shovel in the tyrannosaurs every chance it gets (from King Mosh to Oondasta) I decided to take this flimsy pretext and run with it. Descended from small ancestors like Xionguanlong baimoensis, the tyrannosauridae eventually became the dominant large carnivore of the late Cretaceous in Asia and North America. Members of the coelurosauria, the species of the tyrannosauridae were all fairly large predators themselves. Interestingly, other species in the coelurosauria include modern birds. Indeed, current thinking indicates that it is possible that all of the coelurosauria, from raptors to tyrannosauridae, might well have had feathers.
The Queue: Hints of the next expansion
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. The television series above had a seriously depressing series finale. dark panda asked: This has probably already been requested, but with the announcement of Dinomancers in Patch 5.2, when are we going to get some Dino-Riders or Dinosaucers themed Queues? This was the best I could do. Sorry.
Patch 5.2 PTR: Kill dinosaurs, get fabulous prizes
What's that Isle of Giants all about? Dinosaurs, apparently -- the island is crawling with an assortment of dinos that put Un'goro Crater to shame. But there doesn't appear to be any kind of quest hub on the island as of yet, with one small exception. Hidden in a cave on the western side of the island is a truly monstrous troll who looks like he's seen better days. Dataminers over at Wowhead dug up the details on this strange troll earlier today. Ku'ma is a bone collector. What, exactly, he does with all the bones he collects is unclear -- perhaps he is planning on building one of those fabulous Zandalari boats when he has enough of them. However, you don't really want to ignore Ku'ma or his bone-loving ways, because he has plenty of rewards to offer to those that bring him bones. Lots of bones. What kind of rewards? 10 bones will net you a Mote of Harmony. 100 will net you a Spirit of Harmony. If you get your hands on 1000 bones, you can turn them in for a Spectral Porcupette. And if you have the temerity to gather 9,999 bones ... you're rewarded with a mount. But not just any mount; the Reins of the Bone-White Primal Raptor, which is a dead ringer for the Ivory Raptor from the days of vanilla, long-gone from the game. So just how hard is it to collect these bones? It's not as bad as you'd think. I decided to make a trip to the Isle of Giants to see for myself, and while the larger dinosaurs seem to be pretty daunting, the smaller ones weren't too difficult to solo. Once dead, they dropped four bones -- so gathering isn't quite the painful process that I'd imagined. As it currently stands, getting a mount may take a while. But keep in mind that this is all PTR information, and these amounts may change by the time the patch hits. Regardless of whether or not the amount of bones required is altered, I'm pretty sure I know where I'll be when the patch goes live. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Dinosaurs are now live in Wizard101's Azteca content update
Last month, KingsIsle Entertainment shared the news about an upcoming land in Wizard101 populated by intelligent dinosaurs and littered with ancient temples. Today, that lost world of Azteca has been found, and is now on the live server for players to enjoy. Besides dinosaurs, this content update includes new mounts, gear, pets, another crafting tier complete with new recipes, a higher level cap (90), and many new spells. Adventurers can also explore 13 new zones. To learn more about the update, check out Massively's Interview with Producer Leah Ruben. Don't forget about the patch notes! [Source: KingsIsle press release]
Wizard101 invites us to the dinosaur world of Azteca
While KingsIsle has been heavily focused on Pirate101's recent launch, the studio wanted to send a strong message that it's still fully behind Wizard101 and has a dedicated team working hard to keep improving and expanding the game. In fact, the Wizard101 team is larger now than it was at launch and has a huge announcement to share. So what's the big exciting news of the day? Producer Leah Ruben was bursting at the seams to tell us in three words: "Dinosaurs are awesome!" Actually, the big news is that Wizard101 is preparing to release its ninth new world since launch, a dinosaur world named Azteca. Azteca not only will challenge players to progress through 13 areas but is going to raise the level cap. And the biggest surprise of all? It's going on test servers this week for players to try out. Keep on reading to find out what Azteca is going to do for the landscape of Wizard101!
Alt-week 10.13.12: is the Universe a simulation, cloning dinosaurs and singing mice
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. Are you reading this? Seriously, are you? Sure, we know you think you are, but what if you're just a sub-feature of a complex computer program. A sprite, nothing more than the creation of software. The problem with this question is, how would you ever know? You wouldn't, right? Well, not so fast there. Turns out, maybe there is a way to unravel the matrix (if there is one). It'll come as no surprise, that this is one of the topics in this week's collection of alternative stories. Think that's all we got? Not even close. We'll explore the truth behind cloning dinosaurs, as well a rare performance by singing mice -- all before dinner. Or is it really dinner? This is alt-week.
Alt-week 8.25.12: robotic noses, Nodosaurs and Space X launches again
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. All good things come to an end, they say. Thankfully, most bad things do, too. So while the rest of the world of tech is dealing with the fallout, and possible implications of patent law, over here in the wild party that is Alt, we're fist pumping at all the awesome weekly sci-tech fodder. For example, we've got a robo-nose that can sniff out nasties in the air, a 110-million-year-old footprint found in NASA's back yard, and not one, but two space stories to reflect on. There's a hidden joke in there too, come back once you've read through to find it. This is alt-week.
Primal Carnage shows off its raptors and trappers
As made evident by the latest trailer above, Primal Carnage continues to embody the bloody fantasies of 10-year-olds everywhere who want to be real, live dinosaurs when they grow up. This look at the game's humans vs. dinosaurs multiplayer combat highlights two of the playable classes that will be available when the game eventually launches: Velociraptors and Trappers.As you might guess, Velociraptor gameplay involves a lot of running, climbing and pouncing on squishy humans and their delicious organs, while Trapper gameplay is focused on disabling dinos with nets and then stabbing them with big ol' knives. The Trapper also has two sizable pistols at his disposal, which may or may not be a match for the adorable "Skreee!" sound the raptors make while pouncing.If your inner child is throwing wild fits, placate them by signing up for the forthcoming beta.
Primal Carnage asks how you like your dinosaur cooked
Primal Carnage isn't just another class-based shooter about gunning down dinosaurs with high-powered weapons. Primal Carnage is about setting dinosaurs on fire with a massive flamethrower, blowing them up with grenades and sometimes putting a chainsaw to a velociraptor's neck, as the above video shows.Primal Carnage is a class-based online multiplayer game where players embody both humans and dinosaurs. The human mercenary classes include the scientist (sniper), pathfinder (scout), commando (heavy), trapper (engineer) and pyro (pyro). The dinosaurs range from T-rexes to the flying Pteranodon, each with their own specialties. Humans are played from a first-person perspective, while dinos are third-person.Primal Carnage is set to launch on PC later this year. It comes from Reverb Publishing and developer Lukewarm Media, an up-and-coming independent studio behind the Crysis mod Light Spire: Fortune's Web.
Go Home Dinosaurs open beta live on Chrome Store
Go Home Dinosaurs entered open beta this week for Google Chrome users. The BBQ tower defense game has players fending off hungry dinos with their gopher troops, all within the comfort of their browser.Better yet, developer Fire Hose Games launched the beta for free. After all, free BBQ is the best kind of BBQ.
Orion: Dino Beatdown lets you shoot dinosaurs in different classes
Nothing in life is so perfect that it can't be improved with the addition of dinosaurs. Imagine Jurassic Park without dinosaurs, or Dinosaur Comics, or your wedding day, for just a few examples. See? Everything is better with dinosaurs.Orion: Dino Beatdown understands this principle perfectly, adding vicious dinosaurs to an otherwise standard class-based shooter. The above video explains how each class can best take down the dinos – but really, it's not as if there's a bad way to play a game with dinosaurs in it.%Gallery-153483%
Drexel University turns to 3D scanners, printers to build robotic dinosaurs
3D printers, 3D scanners and robotics are usually more than enough on their own to get us interested in something, but a team of researchers at Drexel University have played one other big trump card with their latest project -- they've thrown dinosaurs into the mix. As you can probably surmise, that project involves using a 3D scanner to create models of dinosaur bones, which are then reproduced (at a somewhat smaller scale) using a 3D printer. The researchers then hope to use those to build working robotic models that they'll use to study how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals may have moved and lived in their environments. That work will start with a dinosaur limb that they expect to have completed by the end of the year, after which they say it will take a year or two to build a complete robotic dinosaur replica.
iPad 2 gets an $8 million Cretaceous makeover with dino bones, diamonds and gold
In case you weren't aware, Apple's sold a whole lot of iPad 2s, so aside from the couple of bezel color choices or adding a Smart Cover, there's not much you can do to make your tablet stand out from the crowd. Well, now there's another option for the well-heeled gadget lover. Stuart Hughes is back with another custom gadget for the economic elites called the iPad 2 Gold History Edition. It's got a solid gold backside, an Apple logo and home button crafted from a total of 65 flawless diamonds, plus a bezel crafted from Ammolite rock and slivers of thigh bone from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Between all that ice and prehistoric bling, there won't be a problem picking this iPad out of a lineup. What is a problem (for most of us, anyway) is the price: eight million dollars. We dig the dino look and all, but that's an awfully hefty entrance fee -- we'd rather buy a stock slate and take a few dozen trips to the final frontier instead.
Super Fossil Fighters renamed Fossil Fighters: Champions, new trailer excavated
It looks like Super Fossil Fighters may have been a working title: The latest trailer to be unearthed for Nintendo's archeological RPG (above) refers to the game as Fossil Fighters: Champions. Beyond that, however, it seems that the portable pseudo-Pokemon experience has been left unaltered, and that the series' unique brand of paleontology and necromancy will continue as planned. Fossil Fighters: Champions will bring dangerous, decomposed dinos to Nintendo's DS on November 14.
Chinese robotic triceratops skeleton packs Linux, no horns
FROG (Four-legged Robot for Optimal Gait) has a ways to go before it can become a real dinosaur. The camouflaged robot is a prototype of a triceratops skeleton designed by Dr. Wei Wang and a number of PhD students at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Automation, and is downright timid compared to, say, Boston Dynamics' horn-wielding BigDog robot. It has joint angle sensors, acceleration sensors, a pan-tilt camera, and a number of other sensing devices. The robot has a Linux system inside and communicates wirelessly with a host computer -- though it still requires a plug for power. Dr. Wang hopes that the 'bot will show up in museums or other dinosaur exhibits when it's a bit more complete. He balks at comparisons to our beloved BigDog, however, since it has DC Motors and isn't hydraulic, so don't expect this herbivorous reptile to carry your luggage over rocky terrain any time soon.
Rube Goldberg Machine to set new world record, bring forth apocalypse
If you've never seen the rise and fall of humanity as told by a series of pulleys, levers, and CO2 rockets, now's your chance -- a team of Purdue engineers have built a contraption that not only tells the history of the world through the end of days, but is also a contender for the world's largest Rube Goldberg machine. The Purdue team's "Time Machine" catalogs a history of dinosaurs, war, and rock 'n roll before finally culminating in a cataclysmic inferno and efflorescent renewal in 232 steps -- narrowly beating out the previous record of 230 set by Ferris State University in 2010. Impressive, but not officially the "world's largest" just yet-- the team is submitting a video of a flawless run to Guinness World Records to certify the historic thingamajig, hopefully eking out a victory with its two step lead.
Ultimate Dinopedia brings dinosaurs to life on your iPad
The Ultimate Dinopedia (US$5.99) from National Geographic is a wonderful reference app that will quickly become the go-to source for kids who want to find out everything about dinosaurs. There are other dinosaur apps in the store, but this is by far the most complete and expansive. It started as a hardcover book last year and has since been turned into a terrific iPad app for kids four and older. The app is broken down into three parts: Discovering Dinosaurs, Meat Eaters and Plant Eaters. It's chock full of paintings of many dinosaurs by Franco Tempsesta, and the text was written by "Dino" Don Lessem, just as in the book. (Don even has a dinosaur named after him.) The app covers about 700 dinosaurs. Each dinosaur comes with a button to play a sound of the correct pronunciation of its name, plus much more information. For many dinosaurs, that's all you get, but others have full-page paintings, Dino Stats (which give you info from the overview page) and a paragraph on the story of the dinosaur, which you can either read yourself or have read to you in a slightly sinister sounding narration paired with nice sound effects. Each of these pages have Fun Facts like "Riojasaurus had only five teeth in the front of its top jaw and 24 more behind them. So chances are it gulped down its food and digested plants in its stomach." There's also Picture Info, such as "Riojasaurus fed in the southern forests of Pangea, the single landmark that stretched across the middle of the earth". Along with this, there are 13 very short CGI videos showing a number of dinosaurs in action. The videos certainly aren't up to the quality of Pixar, but they get the job done. The videos are the only part of the app that works in landscape mode. %Gallery-118554%
