events
Latest
Developer keynote at the CoX Meet n' Greet
The culminating event of the City of Heroes/City of Villains Meet n' Greet Friday night was a keynote presentation by the developers where they gave attendees a sneak peak into future content. We were hoping for a huge announcement of sorts, but instead received a couple small announcements. Initially the Executive Producer for CoX, Brian Clayton, began by giving players their first look at the City Vault. These are the customizable web pages that will soon be available for every player and supergroup. There is a huge amount of information on these pages, and some in the audience seemed unhappy that all their enhancements and abilities would be viewable by their PvP opponents. Players were invited to come up to the stage and have their characters plugged into the database to see what their pages will look like.
Impressions of the CoX Meet n' Greet
Friday night as promised Jonathan Northwood and I traveled over to the Milpitas Dave and Busters for the first City of Heroes/City of Villains Bay Area Player Meet n' Greet. Winter has finally come to the bay area, and so the first stop after the ID check at the door was the coat check. From there we were able to see a long line of gamer types snaking down the hallway and knew that we were among friends. The evening was even better than I expected to be. Normally I feel very uncomfortable at functions such as these, but last night, surrounded as I was by lovers of NCsoft games and an incredibly accessible dev team, I felt right at home. Each player that arrived got three raffle tickets along with their badge. The white one was good for a t-shirt at the end of the night, the blue for a chance at raffled off goodies. And then there was the red ticket: Every player that brought a picture of their character entered a raffle for the chance to have their character sketched by comic book savant David Nakayama. What I didn't realize when I heard about this prize, was that he would be drawing about 20 throughout the night. Indeed, David was still sketching when I stopped by to say hello at the end of the evening.
Massively at the CoX Meet n' Greet
It's a busy day here at Massively. Not only are we bringing you the latest from the Independent Game Conference, we will also be your eyes and ears at tonight's City of Heroes/City of Villains Bay Area Player Meet n' Greet in Milpitas, CA. The evening proves to be an intimate affair where 200 lucky players will get the chance to talk with the NCsoft developers about all our favorite cape-related topics. But just because you can't be there physically doesn't mean you won't be able to experience the event. Massively's own Johnathan Northwood and I will make sure you don't miss a thing.On that note, are there any burning questions you have about Issue 11 or anything else about the game for that matter? We're representing you the readers tonight, so if you would like us to ask the developers anything, drop a question in the comments section. I myself have been dying for tidbits about their next expansion. What would you like to know as we meet and greet the CoX developers?
Tchurvul and Derneal battling openly in DDO
I don't even play the game, but I am digging the work of the live events team over at Dungeons and Dragons Online. Last time we heard that Emerald Claw smuggler Derneal was seen carrying some suspicious cargo around Sorrowdusk Isle, and it appears players did their job well there, because the Emerald Claw has been scattered to the wind. Unfortunately, desperation has driven Derneal and his former partner, Tchurvul, into open battle on the streets of Stormreach, and the live events team is warning players to watch out for their fighting. Reader Schad, who tipped us off to both of these events, says that this means an even bigger live event is probably coming soon.At a time when quality live MMO events are few and far between, it's awesome to see the game that's based on good ol' pen and paper roleplaying pulling off fun stuff like this. It's too bad there's not a wiki around anywhere tracking the entire campaign for players just getting started...
Dreamhack leveling contest
As Massively reported a little while back, Dreamhack, which bills itself as "the world's largest computer festival," will be hosting some pretty awesome WoW contests this year. The party kicked off today in Sweden, and Blizzard Europe recently posted some details on the contest they'll be running. The task is to see how high you can level in 20 minutes, using a new character of any race and any class.Signups started at the Extreme Masters booth in Hall C at 4:00 PM CET, which was two hours ago (10 AM EST), and will go until 8 PM CET today and tomorrow at times to be announced. Qualifier times and rounds are also TBD, and the finals will be held Saturday from 7 PM to 9 PM CET at the Extreme Masters booth. Is anyone at Dreamhack or going to be attending? Will you compete? Also, if you are at Dreamhack, word on the forums is that both Vaneras and Thundgot are hanging out at the Blizzard/Intel booth in hall C (is this the same as the Extreme Masters booth?), and will be pleased to chat with you.
Extra Legends of Norrath drops, new cards this weekend
SOE is promoting its new-ish Legends of Norrath online card game with the not-cleverly-named "Legends of Norrath Promo Weekend." The event begins at 2:00 PM PST this Friday (November 30th) and ends at 11:59 PM PST on Sunday (December 2nd).Players of the game both new and old will "enjoy an increased rate of card pack drops." Additionally, two nice new cards called "Laricel the Gatekeeper" and "Skyshield Maiden" will be obtainable only this weekend. So if you're a hardcore collector in the game, you'd better get to playin'! If you're not already familiar with Legends of Norrath, it's a trading card game playable inside EverQuest and EverQuest II as well as on its own through the Station portal. Players can receive special drops in both games that add cool new cards to their decks. Think of the card game in Final Fantasy VIII, only, y'know ... less lame.
SLusic.com: a guide to music in Second Life
I was wondering when something like this would happen, and here it is: SLusic.com is a website that boasts a ton of features for fans of live music in Second Life. It's professional-looking site, with easy navigation and a ton of handy links along the top to help you with searching for activities revolving around your favorite musician. Included in these links are Videos, Charts, Events, Blogs, Photos, etc.An intriguing feature to this site is the ability to listen to music, right there on the front page, which is arranged according to who's on the Top 10 Charts. There's also a Downloads section, where you can purchase music at the by-now standard iTunes price of US$0.99 per song. This is an excellent companion to the other SL-supporting, resident-run sites out there, and I have to thank Hollywood Ron of the Flektor Development Blog for the tip. There is more going on in Second Life than the mainstream media gives it credit for; go check this stuff out![Thanks, Ron!]
Race to Kunark with bonus XP Sundays
Our favorite events are ones that net us heaps and loads of experience points. What could be better than that? You have fun, and you become more powerful so you can have even more fun. It's a win-win situation. So we want to point out to all the EverQuest II players out there that SOE is running a bonus-XP event called "Race to Kunark."Players will receive 50% more experience than normal in both PvE and crafting "from midnight to midnight pacific time" on the two Sundays preceding the expansion's launch -- November 4th and 11th. This is a pretty nice boon for adventurers looking build up in so they can vanquish all the new monsters. So if you're an EQ2 player, make plans to order some pizza and start grinding this Sunday. Oh, and check out our overview of what Rise of Kunark has to offer if you're in the dark.[Via Stratics]
Officers' Quarters: Reinforcements
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.According to the latest additions to the patch 2.3 notes, obtaining all the available bag slots for your guild bank will cost you exactly 16,111 gold. So it's no wonder people are concerned about recruiting these days (though in fairness I received the e-mail below prior to any guild bank info going public). But seriously, somebody has to cough up all that cash . . .Hi! I have read through your officer's quarters blog since day one and have enjoyed a lot of helpful information from each episode. I know you have touched on guild recruitment in the past, but I think it was a more direct response to a, in my opinion, small demographic of Wow guilds. I am the recruitment officer for a guild (shameless plug incoming: <Malleum Majorem> Lightning's Blade server -- www.malleum.com) and we are working VERY hard to get our second Kara group running in order to get into 25-man content. The biggest problem we are having is getting people to join. I think every guild, aside from the huge "everybody knows they are the best" guilds, has this same issue. We work hard to get people into the guild that share the same goals and philosophies. I have been broadcasting in the recruitment channel for weeks and it seems I get 1-2 people a week who ask questions. We consistently do all of Kara (except Illhoof and Nightbane, still earning those) every week. Do you have any fresh ideas or inner thoughts that can help me and my fellow recruiters around Azeroth get the numbers needed for progression? Thanks eternally :)-Evean<Malleum Majorem>
Sony's newest PS3 model: PS3 Chocolate
It seems as if Sony has yet another low-budget PS3 model in the works - only this time it's made completely of chocolate. Sony unveiled a stack of 150 PS3s along with a giant Sixaxis controller during Eurochocolate in Perugia, Italy recently. Eurochocolate is an annual nine-day event for chocolate connoisseurs the world over, and features food tasting, competitions and all sorts of other stuff people like to do with chocolate.However, the revelry quickly turned to shock when, after the unveiling, several people, who we assume were riotous Xbox 360 fanboys, rushed the stage and trampled Sony's hard work. Due to this diabolical act of terrorism, attendees were treated with free chocolate PS3s. Reports from people on scene claim the PS3 Chocolate disappointingly lacked the internals to support backwards compatibility like Sony's other new system.
AzerothCross hits EU Doomhammer on Saturday
Those crazy Europeans and their in-game events! Last time they were partying with a Naked Troll (and I heard that was extremely popular and crazy), and this weekend they're at it again-- a guild on EU Doomhammer named Malfunction is hosting the AzerothCross, a running/boating/flying naked race from Hammerfall to Orgrimmar. It's going to be tough, too-- they're planning on running under Blackrock Mountain and by Stormwind, and PvP flags must be on for the entire thing.Hope it goes well-- I heard the Gutrot party made the server do a few flips, so hopefully they'll take it a little easier this time. Then again, they're offering 500 gold as a prize, so odds are the thing will be packed.The event starts up at 15:30 server time on October 13 (this Saturday). As always, if you go, take lots of pictures, and feel free to post them online and send us the URL. Always cool to see gigantic player-run events like this in game-- if only Blizzard's servers felt the same way.[ via IncGamers ]
Brewfest celebrated in World of Warcraft
We're suckers for Bavaria, so if we can't go to Oktoberfest, we're going to enjoy "Brewfest" in World of Warcraft. So grab yourself some Löwenbräu, or Paulaner if you prefer, plop in front of your computer and get ready to eat some virtual pretzels and win some lederhosen.You can check out WoW Insider for suggestions on how to get the most out of your Brewfest holiday. The general information is that the event runs from Oct. 2-16. There will be complimentary mugs to get your avatar nice and sloshed, then you can purchase "Eyesight Enhancing Romance Goggles" to find the perfect mate at the festival. There will also be ram racing, mystery hunts and you can even be hired to advertise the event in major cities. All of the events will net you tickets that you can trade in for the fabulous prizes above. Happy Brewfest to those in Azeroth![Via WoW Insider]
Mario & Sonic Olympic events revealed
Mario and Sonic will soon put their bitter 16-bit rivalry aside, sharing screen time in Sega and Nintendo's 'Bizarro World' collabo, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. With the release for the Wii just a couple of months away, Sega has released details concerning the game's 20 authentic Olympic events, as detailed below: Fencing - Individual epée Archery Shooting - Skeet Gymnastics - Trampoline Gymnastics - Vault Field - High Jump Field - Pole Vault Field - Long Jump Field - Triple Jump Field - Javelin Throw Field - Hammer Throw Rowing - Single Sculls Table Tennis - Singles Aquatics - 100m Freestyle Aquatics - 4x100m Freestyle Track - 110m and 400m Hurdles Track - 4x100m Relay Track -100m and 400m In addition, Sega has revealed that the game will include 16 different characters, 8 from Mario's universe, and 8 from Sonic's, and like in Mario Kart, the characters will each be broken up into different classes, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Knuckles and Bowser will be part of the Power class, making them ideal for events requiring the kind of strength that only a anthropomorphic lizard and echidna can muster. As always, Mario will be balanced all around, as will Sonic's Amy, while Sonic himself will obviously dominate the Speed class alongside our dark horse prediction, Yoshi.
DS Daily: PAX ahoy!
Our own JC Fletcher is out at PAX this weekend, so you can catch him over on Joystiq reporting on everything worth talking about. We're pretty sure he's not there alone (we hear a few people attend), but are you there? If you're reading from your hotel, or somewhere around PAX, we want to know! Have you been before? Would you like to go? And speaking of shows of all types, now that E3 has changed, is there any particular gaming-related event you'd like to attend more than others?
TUAW Tip: Google Calendar works well on your iPhone
Yesterday my co-blogger Dave Caolo was lamenting the fact that there's no easy way to get his iPhone and Google Calendar to sync (although purchasing Spanning Sync is certainly an option). While it is true that the iPhone's Calendar app only syncs with iCal on a Mac (or, via this trick, Entourage as well), I replied to Dave's woes with: who needs sync, anyway?I am a happy iCal/iPhone/Google Calendar syncher, thanks to Spanning Sync, but I realize that one man's cup of tea is another man's grubby water. For those that would prefer to simply stick with Google Calendar for all their calendaring, the service actually scales incredibly well for an iPhone. This isn't an iPhone-specific UI or portal like so many other companies are launching. Rather, it seems to be their streamlined UI designed for most mobile phones. Either way, the list of upcoming events looks great, and all you need to do is visit the standard calendar.google.com on your iPhone to get redirected.
Sleeper Cartel throws second annual Summer Party tomorrow on Perenolde
Sleeper Cartel on Perenolde is a great guild-- they've shown up on Guildwatch more than a few times before, not for drama, but because they routinely put on really cool server events. Their events have a roleplaying flavor, but they aren't really hardcore RP-- rather, they're just a fun way for people to get together and do social things in game.And now, finally, they've told us about one of their events before it's happened, so we can tell you. Tomorrow (still not very much notice, I know), Saturday, August 18th at 7pm server, they're having their second annual serverwide party, and they are throwing quite a bash. Player-run quests, pirate costumes, a player wedding to kick everything off, tons of giveaways, items, fireworks, and they're even giving away a Professor Plum-- yup, one Epic will be handed out to a lucky winner.The whole thing is going to be held out at Fray Island (and probably a few other places around the server), so if you're free tomorrow afternoon, you'll definitely have to check it out. I've been super impressed with everything else SC has done, and I don't expect tomorrow's event to be an exception (and now that I've posted this, they'll probably have more people than they know what to do with). Should be a lot of fun.
BlizzCon: Tales of ticket pick up
It's the day before BlizzCon, and the WoW Insider team got the chance to stand amongst the throngs to get our badges. The challenge was, of course, that the lines themselves were crazy, wondering out the door without much organization. The mood in the convention center can be described as calm expectancy. I expected more excitement, but I think the ordeal of waiting in such long lines wore the excitement right out of us. Tomorrow we'll be out there in line, looking for more shining faces, and bringing you all the latest. For now we sit waiting for the meet up to begin.
No X07, but there will be a UK event
Quick on the heels of Aaron Greenberg's announcement that X07 is dead and will not be happening this year, Microsoft has confirmed with gamesindustry.biz that they have another event scheduled to take its place in the UK. The new Xbox event (name still pending) will be focused towards a UK audience instead of the broad European audience X07 catered to and should take place before Christmas as no specific dates have been announced.It's true, we were a bit depressed yesterday hearing that our X07 went the way of the mullet, but with today's announcement of a replacement event we have perked up a little. Any Xbox 360 event that brings us new announcements, trailers or gameplay makes us happy and we're glad to see Microsoft make an effort to bring such excitement to the UK. Long live end of the year gaming events in Europe no matter where they take place!
Jott2iGTD: Use voicemail to add tasks to iGTD
As many of you know, iGTD is a killer task management app that can't stop bringing cool features to the table. As fewer of you might know, Brett Terpstra at the Circle Six Design blog also can't seem to stop bringing awesome tools and features to the table; he's responsible for stuff like the FlickrMate bundle that provides some powerful Flickr integration with your TextMate projects, as well as the TextMate AutoTag bundle for WordPress, offering some great tagging features that integrate well with your WordPress blog. Amazingly, Brett's at it again, and this time he's allowing you to add tasks to iGTD using only the power of your voice - with a little help from Jott and Apple Mail, of course.Jott is a service that allows you to send email and text messages by calling a private phone number. Calling this number allows you to leave a message which then gets dictated and sent to a recipient, including yourself. With the power of Brett's new Jott2iGTD utility and a customized rule you created in Apple Mail, you can leave a message with Jott that is emailed to you, which Mail processes and automatically converts into an iGTD task. Jotting (ha!) down a reminder or idea probably can't get much easier than this, though some setup and file shuffling is involved to get this all running properly.As with his other goodies, Brett amazingly provides Jott2iGTD as donationware, with a PayPal link hidden at the bottom of the page (I really think you should move it above the fold, Brett!). A changelog is provided, along with instructions to get you all set up.
Red, White & Blue Dragon: Celebrating Japanese games
The United States of America's birthday is just around the corner and Xbox.com thought of no better way to celebrate July 4th than by playing ... Japanese games? Well, we don't quite see the correlation here other than a Blue Dragon name tie-in, but we'll go with it. And even though we prefer to celebrate the Fourth of July with explosive fireworks, grilled food and family we just might pop in some Dead Rising, Tenchu Z, Street Fighter or Castlevania come Wednesday.See Japan, the Xbox 360 loves you so much it's willing to incorporate your gaming culture in a marketing campaign aimed at Americans on their country's birthday. Don't you think you owe the 360 some love now?
