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Wizard101 introduces Fishing
Fishing is the eternal side activity of MMOs, the reason for players to sit about and cast their line over and over in the hopes of receiving something worthwhile. Wizard101 joins the lineup of fantasy games offering a fishing option today with a new patch, although you will be fishing in an appropriately magical fashion. Rather than a mundane line and sinker, players summon magical orbs to help snare fish; the ones they catch can be sold, used for crafts, or displayed as trophies around your house. If this is the one thing you've been waiting for before you get into the game, you can also take advantage of the new promotional bundle on sale at Target. The Spiral Cup Gauntlet Bundle includes a new housing item, a new pet, new clothes, and a new mount for players, along with either a month's subscription or 5000 crowns. You can pick it up for $39 and then jump right back into casting orbs and looking for fish. Or doing other things, presumably. [Source: Kingsisle Entertainment press release]
The Daily Grind: What do you need to do every day in your games of choice?
My wife and I have been exploring Loot Island (or Timeless Isle, as it's more commonly known) in World of Warcraft as sort of a daily lark. It's not our main game (that honor goes to Final Fantasy XIV) and we don't really need to keep getting more gear, but it's a lot of fun for us to just partner up and clear our way through several Elites without blinking. Actual daily quests are a third or fourth priority for us; we just need to get in that little romp. Pretty much every MMO provides some sort of incentive for logging in every single day, but there aren't many players who actually use that as their to-do list. The question for today is what do you need to do every day? Do you want to get your daily quests out of the way every single day? Do you want to run at least one dungeon? Roleplay? Earn PvP currency? Craft? Even just stand in the center of a city and spam chat channels? 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 Road to Mordor: My 2014 wish list for LotRO
A lot of us Massively writers like to take the first column of the new year to lay out a wish list for our favorite MMOs. Of course, the other writers are total copycats because I've been doing this for years now and I think that they owe me royalties. Lord of the Rings Online faces a challenging year in 2014. We already know that it's going to be an expansion-free year with a different focus on development. In April, the game will be seven years old, which certainly puts it into middle-age in MMO years. And with some uncertainty over the future of the game's IP rights, some disgruntlement over the store and aging character models, and no word as to how populated or profitable LotRO is, it's made a few folks nervous. But it could be a tremendous year as well, full of possibilities for Turbine to make good choices. I'm still as in love with this game world as ever. I wouldn't be playing LotRO if I didn't find tremendous fun and value in it, and I have hope that 2014 will see the game get its second wind and strengthen as a whole. So without further ado, here is my wish list from last year to see what was fulfilled and what was denied, along with my 2014 wish list for features and changes that I'd like to see.
Five apps to help you identify birds and their beautiful songs
Spring means migration and the return of birds to many parts of North America. It also means warmer weather and sunny days that are perfect for birding. Here is a list of apps to help you get outside and start learning about our feathered friends (all prices are USD). Field Guide for birds [iOS Universal; $0.99 to $19.99] There are several big-name field guides that include photos and illustrations to help identification, bird calls, range data and other information about each bird species. Included in this list of guides are Audubon, Peterson, Sibley and the all-digital iBird. Audubon Birds is a digital version of the popular paperback field guide. It has excellent images of the birds, range maps and multiple calls and songs for each bird. It also includes NatureShare which allows you to find and share local bird sightings. The Audubon Birds app is on sale now for $3.99, down from $14.99. Peterson is another pocket guide to North American birds that has made its way to the digital platform. Peterson has a full version of its paperback guide that sells for $14.99. The company also recently introduced a Pocket edition of its traditional guide that features a lower price tag ($0.99) and a fewer details. Sibley, another paperback guide, is known for its great illustrations and these details look great on the iPad and iPhone. The Sibley eGuide also has a handy comparison tool and a bird song repeat feature so you can call out to other birds while you are in the field. The Sibley eGuide to North American birds costs $19.99. iBird offers a variety of guides to suit your pocketbook and your geographical location. If you want a guide that covers 938 North American and Hawaiian species, then you should check out the iBird Pro Guide to Birds, currently available for $19.99. This version also includes audio songs and calls, a search feature that lets you save frequently used searches and iCloud syncing for your notes and favorite birds. There is also a Plus version available for $14.99 that has fewer search filters than the Pro version. iBird has affordable versions ($6.99) for regions like the Midwest, West, South and North. iBirds also has a backyard birds version that'll get you birding from the comfort of your deck longer for $2.99. Larkwire Birdsong Series [iOS Universal; $14.99 or less] If you want to turn memorizing bird calls into a game, then you should check out the Larkwire Birdsong series. Similar to the bird guides, Larkwire has several universal iOS apps to meet the needs of a variety of birders. A Master Birder version is available for both land birds and water birds. The master land bird version includes 394 sounds that cover 343 land species, while the water bird version has 253 sounds from 135 species of water birds. Between these two guides, almost all the major North American land and water birds are covered. Larksong's regional guides, core guides and backyard guide will introduce you to bird calling on a smaller scale. There's even a basic guide that includes 20 essential bird songs for free. Chirp! Bird Song USA+ [iOS Universal; $2.99] Chirp! Bird Song USA+ is part bird song app, part reference app. It uses GPS to find bird calls that are common in your location. As your bird-calling skills improve, you can branch out to include all 263 bird song and calls in the app. Besides the audio recordings, the app has snippets about each call and quiz feature to test your knowledge. Cornell Lab Bird Q&A [iPhone; $2.99] The Cornell Lab Bird Q&A app is an educational app about birds. It features a question-and-answer format that cover cool facts about birds, bird feeding, migration and more. These frequently asked questions are answered by the experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Birdwatchers Diary [iPhone; $12.99] Birdwatcher's Diary is a journaling app that allows you to log your bird sightings while in the field. Each entry includes field notes, a time stamp, location information and more. When you are done, you can upload your birding lists to eBird or back them up to Dropbox.
This is the Modem World: When we Google too much
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. Our cat Mischa is ill, and I am sad. But sadness is only one of the things I am feeling. Because of technology and the internet, I am angry, frustrated and a little bit freaked out. Here's why.
This is the Modem World: Nerds in rabbit holes
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I have many interests: mountain biking, martial arts, video games, running, reading, cooking and horror movies. For each one of these, there is an internet rabbit hole so deep, so full of information and compatriots that it's a miracle I ever actually follow through on them. Ask yourself this: Do you do what you say you do online? The internet is great at allowing people to nerd out on their particular interests. While it serves up news and media like a champ, many of us spend our time deep-diving into whatever rabbit hole interests us. When we nerd out about technology here at Engadget, for instance, we're getting a double dose: reading about technology in a tech environment. It's a beautiful thing; it's addictive and we lose sight of reality while we're going deep. We could be in a bar, at home, at the office -- wherever it is, we lose sense of our environment.
Storyboard: Hobbyists
When was the last time that one of your characters did something fun? I don't mean something that amused you or a night of roleplaying that made you smile. I'm wondering about the last time that one of your characters got to cut loose and enjoy himself or herself. The equivalent of you having a night to just sit down and play your favorite game, except tailored for that character's particular interests. My guess is that it wasn't all that recently, partly due to the fact that you've probably never been terribly clear on what your high-level paladin likes to do for fun in the first place. And it's something I've mentioned in passing before, but generally hobbies take a backseat to personalities and relationships in roleplaying. Not that there's no merit to all of that... but there's a lot of merit to figuring out what your character finds fun and working it into your roleplaying.
Revell and World of Tanks form model tank alliance
Raise your hand if you're male, you're over 30, and you have fond memories of building plastic model kits as a kid. Now that we've probably eliminated half the population of this website, those of you remaining (or those of you looking for a gift for a nerdy loved one) may get a kick out of Wargaming.net's latest press release. The strategy gamemaker has partnered up with Revell, one of the oldest model manufacturers in existence, to cross-promote some of the heavy armor featured in World of Tanks. Many of the game's tanks are already featured in Revell's replica product line, and the company has been offering true-to-life scale model kits of tanks, aircraft, automobiles, ships, and many other kinds of vehicles since the early 1940s. Revell recently dipped a toe into radio-controlled modeling as well, and the company will be demoing an RC tank at the World of Tanks Gamescom booth later this month. In return, Wargaming.net will appear at Revell's booth during the Hobby Spiel exhibition in Leipzig this coming October.
The Daily Grind: Are MMOs your main hobby?
This week is a big one for fantasy fans, as the fifth volume of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire cycle has finally arrived in bookstores (six years after its predecessor, no less). Since there's quite a bit of overlap between fans of fantasy literature and MMORPGs, and since most MMOs are fairly time-consuming, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that a few of you may be seeing less of your favorite game than normal this week. Whether you're making a long-awaited return to the world of Westeros, or you're feverishly turning the pages of the first four volumes in an effort to catch up, today's Daily Grind is all about budgeting your hobby time. Specifically, do you play MMOs at the expense of other hobbies or do you occasionally set the games aside? 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!
Breakfast Topic: When do you refuse to play WoW?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Hopefully, people have other interests besides WoW. Many of us are nerds, whether it be movies, TV, books, or cartoons. Some people refuse to log on during their favorite TV show or miss a night to see a movie premiere or have to finish reading their favorite author's new book. These other forms of entertainment outweigh WoW in terms of importance to some people. Others just log on WoW and catch up on other media when the servers are down or they are bored with lack of new content. I do not log on Sunday nights, mostly because I am watching Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead. Sure, I could record these programs and watch them later so I could maybe get in an alt run Sunday night -- but besides these being something I enjoy, I also take Sunday as a break night. One of my friends is an avid follower of a band (I don't really remember the name; they are pretty underground), and every time they have a show close by, he goes out of his way to see it. Another guildie announced that he would not raid one night because he was going to the midnight showing of the latest Harry Potter movie with his girlfriend; he claimed it was her idea, although I have my doubts. So are there certain things you will not miss even to play WoW? Do you schedule your raiding or PvP nights around your favorite TV programs or new movies? Or do you just log on and figure you can always see whatever it is later?
LotRO's radiance to be run over by a train and other future tidbits revealed
"We took Radiance outside, tied it up to some railroad tracks, and...well...I think you saw the end of this in Red Dead Redemption. Look for this in the future -‐ we will be removing Radiance from LotRO." Thus sayeth Turbine's Jen "Jalessa" Gordy, who confirmed that the controversial gear gating system is headed for a messy death. In the same WarCry developer chat, the team fielded a number of questions about where LotRO is headed after this week's mega-update. Some of the features in the works for Tolkien's digital offspring include a new raid, class changes for monster play, a barter item wallet, PvMP skirmishes, Isengard, additional minigames and -- yes -- vanity pets for all. The devs also admitted to slipping in a few pop culture mentions into the game, such as Firefly and Futurama references. And will there ever be any other hobbies than fishing in LotRO? Kate Paiz mused: "All of us devs really want to make golf next, but it's a tricky undertaking, so we don't have a timeline yet, but feel free to start practicing your backswings!" You can read the full transcript at A Casual Stroll to Mordor.
Remo humanoid hobby robot now available, wherever adorably creepy gifts are sold
We've always wanted a really solid humanoid robot of our very own. Remo, a hobby bot recently released in Japan -- who boasts two arms and legs and seems to be about the size of a Good Guy doll -- could perfectly fit that bill. He's got pressure sensors in his feet to help out his balance, two sensors in his "eye" section (with two color CCD cameras for image processing), and Bluetooth connectivity for communication with your PC. He also comes with the expressive faceplate you see in the photo -- which should definitely keep your nieces and nephews from trying to touch him, anyway. Remo is available in Japan now, but something of this quality is, as you may have guessed, not cheap: he'll run you ¥399,999 (about $4,400).
New report: Gamers are not lonely losers
Gamers seem to get a lot of bad press. From controversial episodes in the early days of Dungeons and Dragons to WoW addictions that are more shameful than online porn. Anyone who doesn't know us might actually believe that we're 10 million basement-dwelling social troglodytes. The American Medical Association is even considering the addition of video game addictions to their big book of mental problems (also known as the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). A new study by Victoria University found just the opposite. They found that about 15% of their 621 participants qualified as problem gamers, that is they spent more than 50 hours a week playing games. Even among that 15 percent, only one percent showed signs of poor social skills. While there are some who have a major problem gaming habit most of us are normal people who unwind with a video game.
Gamer Interrupted: Battle of the hobbies
Every other week, Robin Torres contributes Gamer Interrupted, a column about balancing real life with MMOs. I know, it used to be weekly and then it disappeared again. But I mean it this time.This year, WoW Insider had all of their bloggers write an About the Bloggers post. When I wrote mine, I got the following comment from Supernoob:Robin, my wife loves knitting but hates me playing Warcraft. Any advice on how to pacify a warcraft widow?This surprised me, being a knitter, because I have found that the knitting community in general is pretty respectful of other people's hobbies. Knitters don't get a lot of respect from other hobbyists, so we are pretty understanding of people in similar situations. In fact, one of my first recommendations for guys with non-gamer significant others is to encourage them to get their own hobby.There are a few things that could possibly cause this Battle of the Hobbies, and I will go over some of them and suggest solutions. But it is important to remember that in all relationships, communication is key. If you are in a similar situation, asking your MMO Widow what her specific concerns are about your gaming activities is the best way to start to solve the problem.
Massively goes hands-on with LotRO Book 13 video
We could write reams of text that describe in loving detail all the features that await you in Lord of the Rings Online's Book 13 content patch. We could lay out screenshot after screenshot that could perfectly capture the chilly northlands that are being introduced, the eerie agent of Angmar who is tearing apart the land or the monstrous beasts that roam the wintry tundra.Or you can just click after the jump and watch a video that sums it up in less than 5 minutes. Plus, glimpses of Fishing, new trophies and new environmental effects.Don't worry you lovers of words and pictures, a write up is coming your way in the next day or two complete with a gallery of shiny shots to accompany the purple prose.
Teach a man to fish ...
A new preview for the Lord of the Rings Online Fishing hobby has been posted to the official site. When Book 13 goes live, players will be able to begin their angling education by visiting one of the four new Hobby Masters. After you've received a fishing pole, simply head to any body of water and cast your line -- there won't be skill requirements stopping you from fishing anywhere, but there will be fish that can only be found in certain locations. You'll be able to purchase bait from fishing suppliers to entice fish on to your waiting hook as well.Undoubtedly, this will be a fun little endeavor, but there are some tangible incentives to cast the line too. Some fish will be used in Cooking recipes, and others will be able to be brought to the Fishing Taxidermist and turned into house trophies to show off your angling prowess. There will also be fishing quests and deeds, and even titles to earn. To find out a wee bit more about LotRO's first Hobby, check out the most recent dev chat, in which fishing and other Book 13 features are discussed in detail.
Book 13 preview offers new screens and avatars
We're halfway through April, and Lord of the Rings Online's next content patch, Book 13, will be released before the end of the month. To tantalize players just a bit more before the free update is out, a new preview page devoted to Book 13 is now available at the official site. The preview looks at some of the previously discussed big features of the patch, including the Forochel area, the Orc Defiler PvMP monster class, the Fishing hobby, and the enhanced fellowing features. As well as this, the bottom of the page leads through to a gallery that has some new screens, and a large selection of avatars for use with forums, messenger programs and the like -- a nice touch! We've updated our own Book 13 gallery with the new pictures for you to take a look at.%Gallery-18168%
Massively interview with LotRO's Jeffrey Steefel on Book 13
Recently we sat down with Lord of the Rings Online's Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel to shake him down for every last bit of Mines of Moria expansion info he was holding back from us. We were confident his resolve to deny us exclusive information would crumble under our steely gaze and he would gush forth with exhaustive overviews of the new classes as well as divulge the closely held secrets of the Middle-earth adventures that would await us this Fall.Ok, it didn't quite go like we planned, but at least we learned more about what they had planned for their upcoming Book 13 free content update. And that's just as good as leet beta infoz, right? Right?
EU LotRO dev chat predicts infamous Shaman fishing
German Lord of the RIngs Online site Lotro-welten hosted its monthly dev chat with LotRO devs and community managers. Many of the questions for this dev chat focused on the new public PvMP dungeon, the Delving of Frór and the changes to the Creeps system. But most were requests for features that the devs didn't have any immediate plans to implement (translation: you no get!) One participant complained that many questions were asked covering information that has already been announced. The devs explained that not all players read patch notes, etc. and the dev chats are another way to get information out to the public. So be prepared for a certain amount of repetition.That being said, there was little new information to be gleaned. The few nuggets we found are: The Hobbies system will be introduced in Book 13 with the long requested Fishing ability. More Hobbies are planned in the future. A Shaman PvMP class is in the works for Book 13. That may not be the final name of the class, but the basic skills and abilities are in place. Monster play Infamy/Reknown costs will be lowered considerably in Book 12 to allow players to level faster in PvMP. A full transcript of the chat can be found on Lotro-welten's site.%Gallery-14799%
Forbes writer ignores bigger story to make insult
In an article titled 'Second Life Deathwatch: Star Trek Reenactments', a quote is pulled from a Technology Review story about the Ginko Financial debacle, the point of which seems merely to be to imply that enjoying Star Trek reenactments somehow confers loser status to the subject.First of all, your hobbies, the activities you enjoy, are entirely your own. It's not for anyone to stand at a distance and point a finger and laugh -- believe me, everyone does something someone else will find worth of ridicule, but so what? The things that make us happy, make us wise. Believe me, there's much more than just Star Trek in Second Life, too -- I was able to find Star Wars roleplay, Silent Hill roleplay, Final Fantasy 7 roleplay ... there aren't links for those, you just have to find them in-world by searching. But instead of celebrating 'IDIC', the writer goes for the obvious gag.Second, is this really what Forbes considers a substantial article these days? The article linked to is a much more important document, bearing import for more than just virtual worlds. The writer missed an opportunity to say something a bit more than 'Ha ha, look at the geeks!'Third, how is this an indicator of the 'eventual decline of Second Life'? There's one comment at the end of this post that sums it up well: 'Here's a hint, if you don't like SL then stay in RL, and leave those of us who enjoy it alone. There is nothing worse that critics who sit on the sidelines ridiculing everyone else who is having a good time.' Oh, and by the way, nothing says 'professional' better than a photo of yourself wearing a t-shirt, really. This article, if you can call it that, is nothing short of insulting, both to its subject and to its audience. You need to do better than this, Forbes.
