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The Daily Grind: Do you ride your mount inside?
Today on First World MMO Problems, we're talking about people who ride their mounts inside. These people are annoying. They're not quite as annoying as devs who allow mounts to be ridden inside, or devs who, in the case of Star Wars: The Old Republic, design interior spaces so cavernous that Star Destroyers can be flown down hallways and players feel compelled to ride their mounts inside just to save time. I understand the need for travel efficiency, and mounts are generally faster than walking running. But, really? Do you have to park your 1970s repulsorlift station wagon right on top of the mailbox, clipping every player in a 20 parsec radius and generally ruining what's otherwise a visually pleasing interior environment? What about it, Massively readers? Do you ride your mounts inside? Am I the only one who is bothered by this? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! Does riding your mount inside and blocking vendors/mail make you a dick? Yes, yes it does!
The Daily Grind: Have you ever been sidetracked by game music?
You know what sucks? Hearing a cool piece of game music and having no idea what it's called or where to hear it again, that's what. I mean, it sucks in a first-world-problems sort of way, but still. It happened to me over the weekend as I was playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. My Imperial Agent was toodling along, doing the nefarious things that Imperial Agents do, when the most dastardly fanfare I've heard this side of the Imperial March came blaring out of my speakers. It was glorious. Naturally, I haven't heard the phantom track since, even after much fumbling about trying to recreate the in-game circumstances during which it originally played. I even turned to the soundtrack CD that came with the collector's edition that's been gathering dust in my closet since 2011. It wasn't on there, of course, since soundtrack producers have some unwritten rule about leaving off half the soundtrack (and jumbling the tracks they deign to include) when they make an album. I've also been unable to find the track on YouTube's extensive SWTOR soundtrack playlists. So, what say you, Massively readers? Has a piece of game music ever derailed a play session? Which one? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Philips hue: the 'world's smartest' LED lightbulb that saves you time during Red Alerts
Historically, altering the lighting color of a room required draping a gossamer-thin cloth over a lamp or buying a new bulb from the store. Philips has sought to solve that most taxing of first-world problems with the hue, a smartphone-controlled LED bulb that can cycle through shades at your whim. As well as block colors, you can use photos to create palette and can control the units even when away from home. It'll be an Apple Store exclusive from October 30th, with individual units setting you back $59 (£49, €59) and three-bulb introduction pack with a wireless bridge for $199 (£179, €199). If that seems a little steep, just console yourself in the knowledge that it's a thousand times more useful than other lighting devices we've seen this year.
The Daily Grind: What silly thing has bothered you about a game?
I like Star Wars: The Old Republic a great deal, but it still bothers me that I can't just sit in a chair. Same problem with RIFT, which also takes forever to give starting Defiants access to an inn. It bothered me when I couldn't toggle to walk mode in Guild Wars, it bothers me that I can't wear spectacles with a cowl in Final Fantasy XIV, and I'll no doubt find something else irksome in every MMO from this point onward. None of these are game-breaking issues. They're not even issues where the cosmetic style of the game isn't where you'd like it to be. No, these are all problems that can be worked around quite easily, but just wind up feeling annoying. So what about you? What silly and ultimately irrelevant things have bothered you when you've played a game? Strange idle animations? A lack of environmental interaction where it should have been possible? Minor inconveniences? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Do you hold an MMO grudge?
The Secret World is launching in a few days, and frankly I'm pretty excited about it. Between the modern setting, the fantasy-horror mashup, and the divergent questing system, it'll probably be my go-to MMO for a while. Because it's Funcom, though, some gamers are rolling their eyes and writing it off. This has to do with the company's (well-earned) reputation for buggy MMO launches, including both Age of Conan and Anarchy Online. While a bit of wariness is understandable, the serious-business rhetoric and the depth of feeling behind the company-specific grudges held by some gamers is both mind-boggling and comical. What about you, morning crew? Do you hold a grudge against Funcom in particular or MMO companies in general? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Would you petition the makers of your favorite game?
Earlier this week we told you about some nerd rage over the censoring of TERA EU's blood effects. The cuts have angered a sizable portion of the fantasy title's fans (if our tip line and the Frogster forums are an accurate barometer). Some TERA players even went so far as to draft an online petition in an attempt to get Frogster to reverse its decision. My first reaction to this news was the old "first-world problems" meme, but if you've been waiting for a game as long as some fans have been waiting for TERA, last-minute changes can be aggravating. What say you, readers? Have you ever signed (or drafted) a petition to protest a change in your favorite game, and if not, would you? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Self-aware headphones switch channels depending on which ear they're in (video)
Life is fraught: social interaction, inflation and fashion all conspire to ruin your day. Even the simple act of firing up your PMP can send you to the floor in tears if you discover your earbuds are in the wrong way, forever ruining the beautiful stereo trickery of The White Album. Fortunately, Japan's Science and Technology Agency has beavered away at this most first-world of problems with its Universal Earphones Project. One earpiece holds a proximity sensor, which if it's pointing at your ear, pumps out the left-channel, if it's facing away from you, it pumps out the right channel (pictured). It's also capable of working out if you've shared your sounds with a friend and will push out a mono mix to both headphones -- so neither of you miss out on the other half. Amazing to think all of the money and manpower that went into a solution to save you having to read the letters "L" and "R" and making a decision for yourself. After the break we've got a video explaining it, just be warned that the narrator is synthesized, it's not a serial killer.
Gold Capped: How to get around realm transfer gold limits
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen and Fox Van Allen aim to show you how to make money on the Auction House. Email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! I received an interesting email from a reader who is looking to transfer all of his gold to a new realm: I have recently transferred to a new low population realm to try my raiding luck in a new guild. This turned out to be a good move on my part and I'm planning to stay there. I had a decent amount of gold on my old realm, but I'm only allowed to transfer 50k gold with my character. Having done that already I still have a lot of now useless gold on my old realm. I am planning to transfer my main alt to my new realm, and I'd love to find a way to bring that money with me. Should I buy all the expensive items I can find and try to sell them on my new realm? Should I making a guild to transfer where there is virtually no limit on gold? Transferring two characters over is expensive enough already. What this amounts to is cross-realm arbitrage. And similarly to cross-faction arbitrage, there's actually money to be made -- even if you're aiming to bring more wealth with you than you're strictly allowed to.
