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Another day, another crazy Wii peripheral
The next in a line of worthless Wii peripherals is this Fishing Rod Advance from Dragon Electronics, to use for games such as Fishing Master and Rapala Tournament Fishing ... oh, and we guess there's also that short fishing bit in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Yet, as our own JC Fletcher suggested, you'd probably just be better off using this to make your cat go insane. Sure, this will only set you back $9.95, but we bet you could probably spend those ten dollars better somewhere else. We have to wonder -- do they keep making these ridiculous peripherals because people keep on buying them? Here's a chance to cleanse your soul and fess up, folks![Via Technabob]
Preparing for 2.3: Post-patch item farming, part 2
Yesterday, we took a look at some of the new items in patch 2.3 that will be in the crosshairs of farmers across the servers. Today we'll finish off that list. First, blacksmiths will want to keep their eyes out for the new craftable weapon chain being added to the game. While the source of the Adamantite Weapon Chain is currently unknown, it is speculated to be an Outland-wide world drop. If this is true, then the plans will have a low chance to drop from any creature in Outland. Hopefully this will prove not to be the case and it will be discovered on a specific creature's loot table, since the only other weapon chain is a world drop thus and notoriously difficult to obtain.
Book 12 details revealed in new LotRO dev chat
The German Lord of the Rings Online fansite LotRO-Welten held its regular end of the month chat with LotRO devs, community managers and players. Today they posted the transcripts and, boy howdy, it's a treasure trove of Book 12 goodness.The Burglar and Guardian revamp revelations weren't too extensive as the class dev didn't make it to the chat. But Burglars were promised a stealth that can be extended to a group member and a set of skills that can be used after a successful Fellowship Maneuver. Though two classes get the spotlight for revamps, all classes are going to get small adjustments. Devs hinted that the recently revamped Hunter class make get a few of their skills improved and Champions will get some love as well, but nothing specific was mentioned.
Fish school tracking in patch 2.3
El's Extreme Anglin' Guide (which we've linked to before) has a nice wrapup on their site about all the fishing changes coming in 2.3. Lisa actually covered a lot of the fishing changes in 2.3 already, but El's has updated info from the PTR, including new fish added to the game, skill level changes around Azeroth, and lots of info on where to get the Weather-Beaten Journal, the item that adds the new "fish school tracking" ability.Apparently, there are a few different crates you'll be able to fish up, and each one of them will have a different chance to drop the journal. The earliest you can obtain the journal will be at about 55 fishing, while the easiest you can obtain it appears to be from pools in Outland, that require a much higher fishing skill. If you need to powerlevel your fishing, you might want to start now, as it seems Blizzard wants the school tracking ability to be a reward for mid- to high-level fishermen. Which makes sense-- since it doesn't matter where you fish, the school tracking ability only helps when you're looking for a certain type of fish, and wouldn't really be necessary when just starting out as an angler.Definitely sounds like a new bit of fun, and a fairly useful ability, for those who choose to level up fishing.[ via World of Raids ]
Insider Trader: Professions 2.3 -- The Way I Are
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.What's in store for your profession in patch 2.3? Without further ado, Insider Trader is here to update you on what craftspeople should be looking out for, now on the test realm. (Sure, you could read the official PTR patch notes -- but then you wouldn't get links to all our helpful posts at WoW Insider!)The big news for professions, of course, is the new engineering mounts. Now that the mats list for these sweet little rides is out, we know you're all revving your engines to get those last engineering skill points. Early next week, we'll run a special engineering leveling guide with some inside advice on that brutal stretch of leveling from 300 to 375. Until then, here are the collected notes for profession changes in patch 2.3.
Bass Fishing's return confirmed for Wii
While some of our fondest memories growing up are of lazily casting lures from the bank of some nearby pond, we're much bigger fans of soaking up the fishing experience vicariously without having to deal with the so-called 'great outdoors.' To this end, Hudson's Fishing Master for the Wii was a tame recreation of the sport, and to be honest it left us wanting, reason enough to be excited that Sega plans to release a port of its Dreamcast favorite Sega Bass Fishing for the Wii sometime next spring.As previously rumored, the title looks to have gotten little by way of a cosmetic makeover since players first grappled with the Dreamcast's optional fishing rod controller nearly a decade ago, so those quick to call out the Wii for its failure to keep up the high-def Joneses will find plenty to balk at here. However, Sega points out that this latest version will include 'content developed exclusively for the Wii,' though the company has not been forthcoming with what exactly has been added, only to note that Sega Bass Fishing will feature more than 20 different types of lures to entice the the game's four different kinds of freshwater bass. In addition, players will also be able to select the season and time of day, as well as choose from 15 different lakes, giving us plenty of reason to stay indoors as we try to reel in that elusive whopper from the comfort of our easy chair.
D3's Simple plans
Before TGS, we learned that D3 Publisher would be expanding their Simple series to the Wii, with the first two titles being Everybody's Kart Race and Everybody's Bass Fishing Tournament. But after the first two entries in the series, D3's already got four more titles lined up, not including Oneechanbara R, which comes from a series that used to be in the Simple category. The next four games are, in order of Simple series number, THE Party Casino, THE Shooting Action, THE Block Kuzushi, and THE Wai Wai Combat. A Block Kuzushi game actually came out in the U.S. for the DS, under the name Break 'em All, so there may be a possibility of a similar release on the Wii. If Data Design Interactive can get away with PS2 shovelware on the Wii, then we don't see why D3 can't make some original budget software and market it worldwide. We've always wanted to see the Simple brand in the U.S. There's something refreshingly honest about making the "budget-ness" of a game apparent right away.[Via Siliconera]
Rumor: Sega Bass Fishing on Wii?
A NeoGAFfer named ram reports that Sega's arcade/Dreamcast fishing game Sega Bass Fishing (known in Japan by the much catchier name Get Bass) will see a 2008 release on the Wii. Apparently, rather than a new game, this will be a port of the original with new content (including changing weather conditions and 15 different locales). The very Dreamcast-like screens he posted would certainly support that conclusion. We don't know what the source is for the information or the screens, unfortunately.Considering how well the Dreamcast fishing controller works for Wii-like tennis, we wonder if Sega will have some special insight for fishing with the Wiimote and Nunchuk.
Around Azeroth: Gone Fishin'
Reader Kalima of Dalvengyr sends in this shot of a relaxing evening of fishing in Nagrand on the elemental plateau. Though Kalima suggests that the fishing chair makes the process look easy, anyone who's trained fishing knows how time-consuming a task it can be. (Plus it looks like you would occasionally need to pack up your chair and dodge elementals, which, if nothing else, would add a bit of excitement to the task.) Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Insider Trader: Here, fishy-fishy ...
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.Amid all the hubbub over impending patch 2.3 changes, crafters could conceivably feel a little left out – that is, unless you're a fisher. Fishers (who tend to be a pretty chill crew, anyway) are already contentedly casting their lines with several small but relatively pleasing changes from patch 2.2. Newly announced improvements for patch 2.3 broadened those placid smiles into all-out grins as fishers anticipate a smoother, more user-friendly fishing experience. Already in place is a fix to the problem introduced in patch 2.1, in which the bobber timing at the end of a cast period was preventing all but the quickest clickers from landing a catch. In the same line of Not Earthshattering But Basically Sweet™ changes, fishing lines now appear as you cast them, saving lots of time when you're waiting on schools. And the tool tip for the Aquadynamic Fish Attractor has been officially changed to indicate its new 10-minute duration, so fishers can quit losing sleep over whether or not the duration was an unintended buff they'd find whisked away some cold morning on the shores of Azshara.What's ahead for fishing in 2.3, after the jump.
Blizzard is fishing for screenshots
Blizzard would like your fishing screenshots to help fill out their World of Warcraft Guide. If your screenshot is chosen, your character name and screenshot will be displayed in the guide.So if you aspire to have your fishing or in-game photography skills on display, submit your screenshot to the Royal Photographic Society of Azeroth. There is a long list of guidelines to follow as well as a submission form at that link.I took the above screenshot from the current fishing page in the guide. My personal request is to not take any more fishing pics with that creepy kid in it. Three of the "candid" fishing shots on that page include that boy. The Horde is rather unrepresented on the fishing page as well.Hopefully taking screenshots while you fish will make the process slightly less boring. Good luck!
Insider Trader: When good patterns go green
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.Nothing interrupts a peaceful night of crafting like a lunatic guildmate ranting about learning a coveted new pattern, only to find that it's already green in skill level – nothing, that is, except that sickening feeling in your stomach as you consider what you'll do when your favorite patterns go green. Skilling up a profession can be a rollercoaster ride, if you don't hit the right patterns at the right time. (Of course, all the professions have those infamous "dead zones," when skilling up seems to be based on either unfathomable luck or unfathomable finances – or maybe both. But we'll cover dead zones in another installment.)Skilling up in a profession can happen when you create an item that's listed in green, yellow or orange in your tradeskill window. Items listed in grey will not give you any skill points for creating them; red listings anywhere means you don't have the required skill level. Just as it does with creatures you fight, pattern color indicates difficulty and skill-up potential. Green items raise your skill occasionally, yellows about half the time and oranges every single time. (The exception to orange skill-ups occurs in skinning, in which successfully skinning an orange creature does not guarantee a skill-up.) As a burgeoning crafter, your goal is to find patterns that are relatively easy to get the materials to make while providing a solid shot at skilling up. While orange patterns offer a guaranteed chance of gaining a skill point, the best bang for the buck is often a yellow pattern.And that's where things start getting murky ...
Around Azeroth: Leveling fishing
Says Les of this shot:Despite the changes made to fishing recently, the simple truth remains that it takes an inordinate amount of time to level up that skill as the two fishermen in this screen shot illustrate.Over at WoW Insider, we're in complete agreement with Les. Any profession that leaves you in that state needs some work.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Fishing and fun (or the lack thereof)
Fishing is probably the strangest implementation of activity in WoW-- there's really nothing like it (well, except everything-- it's basically clicking in a certain place at a certain time, and when aren't you doing that in this game?). But for all its boring qualities, players are still fascinated with it. Blizzard has hit on that weird balance of positive reinforcement-- it's boring, but gives just enough reward to keep you doing it.And so it's not surprising that, once again, players are asking for fishing to be made "more fun." What that means, no one is really sure-- they could add better rewards, or make it a less boring minigame, or just make it require less attention (all other professions don't require any attention to be paid).Lo and behold, Drysc actually acknowledges that there's something wrong with fishing-- something that has to do with the unquantifiable quantity known as "fun." But what it is, even Blizzard doesn't seem to know-- they added nodes to fishing to join a bit of exploration with it, but once you've found a node, it's just back to that same old clicking. Drysc suggests that real fishing is just as boring for some people, and that's why not everyone likes fishing in WoW, either.My personal preference would be to put more into the fishing minigame-- catch different fish at different times of the day, or use different lures to attract various catches. Either that or make the skill involved something other than "waiting"-- maybe a meter where you have to click when the bar reaches a certain point. There's lots of reasons to fish, and that's why people still do it. But there's no question that sitting there waiting for the bobber to bounce needs more cowbell fun.
Insider Trader: The fishing splash -- wait for it ...
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products.This week, Insider Trader offers up two insider tips, one for frustrated fishers and another for level 29 PvPers searching for the strongest possible gear.Fishing means chilling with some good music, a tall drink and a chat window full of the latest guild gossip -- or at least, it used to. As of patch 2.1, fishers were transported back into twitch-gaming mode if they hoped to snag catches at the end of the fishing timer. It's all about the splash; when you hear a splash while fishing, you've hooked a fish and can click to either loot or "miss" it. It used to be that you could reach the end of the fishing timer with no splash/hook. You could look away from your fishing timer while fishing, as long as you were quick about getting back to the bobber when you heard the splash. If there was no splash, you most likely lost a little time until you noticed you hadn't heard anything and looked back over to re-cast ... But no lost fish. No harm, no foul.Post-2.1, there's always a splash at the end of the timer. Sounds great, right? Always a splash, always a hook and an opportunity for a catch? Unfortunately, there's now no time for a catch on end-of-timer hooks unless you click the bobber at exactly the same moment as the splash – requiring you to watch that timer like a hawk and click right on time. The bobber vanishes simultaneously with the splash, instead of fading out and giving you time to react to the splash. While it's still possible to catch (or miss) the fish with a perfectly timed click, frustration seems just as common. And the it sure ruins the peaceful, laid-back aspect of fishing.No word on whether or not the grace period for fishing will be reinstated. For now, if you're dead-set on catching every available fish, bring your game face and prepare to keep your eye glued to the timer bar.
Hooked fishing attachment for Wii appears on EB site
We know what they're going to say about Hooked, which just had its innovatively cumbersome controller attachment appear on the EB Games site. They're going to say "Look, you've got something that looks like a fishing rod, you're sitting, you're making casting motions, you've apparently got $60 to spend on the thing (so gas money's not the problem) ... Why not just go fishing?"But we know you. We know that if there are two things you love in this crazy, mixed-up world, they're worms and online multiplayer, and if you can save a few of the first by partaking in the second, you've got to take that chance. You can finally sell your Zebco 11T Platinum Ultralight on Sept. 3.[Via CVG]
New Cooking Recipes!
As mentioned in yesterday's Rogue post, I highly believe in Cooking as a skill that's excellent to have. You save yourself money in regards to buying food, and you have a highly portable and common source of buffs. For those of us who have classes that can't cast buffs, this is a real boon -- although every class can benefit from added buffs! So when I saw the mentioned addition of more new Cooking recipes in the patch, I had to get out there and see what was available. For those of you who haven't gotten time to check into them, here's the lowdown. There are three new recipes available from the lovely dancing barmaid, Kylene, in the bar in the Lower City. The amusing thing about these three new recipes (at least to me) is that they have you cooking the off-hand fish "weapons" that you can catch. (Of course, this means that gone are the days of Monty Python Fish Slapping Dance renditions. Wait... Maybe that's just my guild. )Nonetheless, for those with an eye for fresh fish and sampling the finest in Azerothian Cuisine, check out the Good Eats after the jump!
Get Hooked on expensive Wiimote decoration
The EBGames listing for Hooked says that it includes a "free controller," but we have two problems with that claim. First, the package costs $60. We doubt some fishing game would cost $60 without being bundled with accessories, meaning it's not really a free controller. Second, a Wiimote fishing controller costume is not a controller. So the Dreamcast fishing controller can emulate the Wiimote, but the Wiimote needs a shell to approximate the Dreamcast fishing controller.
Joystiq hands-on: Fishing Master (Wii)
I grew up fishing and still sometimes make it out on to a lake, river, or ocean to try to hook a meal. I attended Camp Fish. I know how to cut a herring so that it rolls in tune with a salmon's appetite. And I've been waiting for a good Wii fishing simulation, an obvious game idea, given the rod-like Remote. Fishing Master is not that simulation.Instead, Fishing Master is a more casual title that glosses over many parts of real fishing technique. Real fish are attracted to different colors of bait depending on the weather conditions, but Fishing Master has seasons and no other weather patterns. Rod position plays the most important role in keeping a fish on, but like most fishing games, Fishing Master uses the reeling-too-hard-or-not-hard-enough-meter to decide if a fish gets away.But I understand these design decisions and still had fun with a recent version of the game. With its projected September U.S. release from the recent Japan-only launch, casual anglers and gamers may be hooked.
Hudson confirms U.S. Fishing Master (Wii)
At a designed-to-be-informal blogger get together today, Hudson announced the Japan-only Wii game, Fishing Master, will be localized and released in the U.S. later this year. The game isn't the fishing simulation real-world anglers have been hoping for, but its waggling controls may still appeal in-part to those players. Instead, Fishing Master is a decidedly Japanese game -- your dog barks to help identify strikes -- that hopes to find an international audience of casual players.All other Japanese features, like the kinds of bait, types of fish, and locations based on prefectures, will remain intact for the rest of us. Hudson hopes to ship the game in September. Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions of the game.
