holidash
Latest
Building a better MMOusetrap: Burnout for the holidays
Burnout is a topic almost every MMO player is familiar with, you or a friend reach that point where the game has lost it's wonder, and you just can't be bothered to login anymore. Sometimes the feeling goes away and you get back on the horse and carry on, or it stays and you leave the game for good, perhaps for another game, or you just leave the whole genre behind.It's a topic that has been discussed before by a number of different people, by players, developers and journalists alike, and there never really has been a concrete reason behind it. Some people burn out before end game, some after months and months of end game content, and others last years, just to finally snap. I know I'm not going to be breaking any ground discussing it again, but it's something I've been thinking about covering for a while, and lately the topic has been hitting close to home. Every year around this time, no matter what game I'm playing, you see more and more burn out, and people drift away from the game. Some chalk it up to the holidays (the period between Yanksgiving (or American Thanksgiving for our US audience), and Decemberween (Christmas)) as the contributing factor, as people spend more time with their families, and their wallets. Others say it's seasonal depression, and once the skies turn to slate and the snow begins to fly, people just don't want to be sitting in front of the computer anymore.Personally, I think it's a mix of both, as well as the fact that this is the time of the year we look back and take into consideration everything we have done throughout the year. I've always noticed people look at their time in MMOs in three distinct ways at this time of year.
Massively's holiday giveaways, day three
Day two of our holiday giveaway is finished and over -- but never fear, because we have more prizes for day three! So if you're interested in free stuff, it's time to enter today's contest, right here! Entering is simple -- just leave a comment on this post between now and 5:00 PM EST tomorrow (that's Thursday, December 20th). To be eligible you must be age 18 or older and a resident of the United States: please read our official rules for full details. You can enter once in each of our contests -- so if you don't win this one, check back tomorrow at 5:00 PM EST for another chance to win!We'll pick two winners: first place will receive their choice of game-related goodies (your options are: 60 days of WoW, 60 days of any NCsoft game, 30 days of EverQuest/EverQuest II/Planetside, 50 days of EVE Online, 60 days of Lord of the Rings Online, or 7500 Lindens) and second place will receive a caffeine candy sampler (for those late-night gaming sessions!) from ThinkGeek.And for those of you with some graphical talent (and to take game screenshots, you don't need that much!), you can also enter our holiday postcard contest, where we're asking for holiday images from your favorite games! It runs until the 28th, so now's the time to find that perfect screenshot to send in!
Massively's holiday giveaways, day two
Yesterday's holiday giveaway is now closed -- and be warned that all comments that are made after 5:00 PM EST aren't eligible to win. But if you're interested in free stuff, it's time to enter today's contest, right here! Entering is simple -- just leave a comment on this post between now and 5:00 PM EST tomorrow (that's Wednesday, December 19th). To be eligible you must be age 18 or older and a resident of the United States: please read our official rules for full details. You can enter once in each of our contests -- so if you don't win this one, check back tomorrow at 5:00 PM EST for another chance to win!We'll pick two winners: first place will receive their choice of game-related goodies (your options are: 60 days of WoW, 60 days of any NCsoft game, 30 days of EverQuest/EverQuest II/Planetside, 50 days of EVE Online, 60 days of Lord of the Rings Online, or 7500 Lindens) and second place will receive a caffeine candy sampler (for those late-night gaming sessions!) from ThinkGeek.And for those of you with some graphical talent (and to take game screenshots, you don't need that much!), you can also enter our holiday postcard contest. It started yesterday and runs until the 28th, so send your holiday images our way!
Gift guides for MMO gamers
What do you get the gamer who has everything? Our vote is for a Legolas navel ring. But don't just take our advice (please!) -- have a gander at the gamer gift guides we've prepared for you and your MMO-besotted loved ones. And of course, don't forget we're also celebrating this holiday season by giving you lots of presents -- enter each day's sweepstakes for some easy "just-leave-a-comment" free stuff, or try your hand at our holiday postcard contest and engage your creativity for a chance to win a Plantronics DSP-400 headset, a Logitech G15 gaming keyboard, a Logitech G9 laser mouse, or, if you're our grand prize winner, all of the above. Merry Festivuhannuveilmas from all of us at Massively! Holiday gift guides WoW gifts? I has em!, by Marcie Knox Christmas gifts for your Second Life resident, by Akela Talamasca Gifts for the City dwellers, by Jonathan Northwood Holideals: Tabula Rasa stocking stuffers, by Chris Chester Massively's gift guide for the Star Wars Galaxies player, by Michael Zenke Second Life holiday shopping guide - December 8th edition, by Moo Money Unusual holiday gifts for LotRO players, by Dan O'Halloran
Winter has arrived in CoX
The CoX Winter Event went live yesterday. After getting some quality hands on time with the newly revamped festival of snow and lights... color me impressed! Along with all the same stuff from years gone by, the newly added ability to obtain medals for the fastest time down the ski slopes is absolutely addicting. Aside from earning bragging rights (complete with your name listed on the leader board - until you get dethroned at least), you also get badges based on your times down the slope. Last night I managed to obtain the Speed Demon (gold), Accelerated (silver) and Qualified (bronze) badges - all of which can be found under the Accomplishment badge tab.Finding and opening the Gamesters presents has always been fun, and a bit tedious when trying to obtain the associated badges. So it needed a little somethin' somethin'. Candy Canes are a new type of salvage that you can get from successfully opening up presents. Sometimes you'll get a temporary power, a Candy Cane, or both. Unsuccessful openings get you some frosty snowmen to battle. While the goodies aren't shabby, they're things that have been available in past events. For instance, 10 CC's will get you a Jingle Jet temporary power. Twenty stripped canes will buy you Renewal of Light, a temporary resurrection power. In total there are 6 goodies to pick up.All in all it appears this year's Winter Event will be the best one yet. Besides the constant plethora of free updates to the game, NCsoft always comes through with in-game events for their players. Just one more reason to live in the City of Heroes (and Villains)!
Take Control eBooks 20% off via MacSanta today
Still looking for gifts for your friendly neighborhood switcher or new Leopard user? Nothing says "I love you, but I'm sadly incapable of planning ahead and getting organized enough to buy actual, physical presents" like the gift of eBooks. Well, maybe cash says that too. Anyway, if you were in the market for some topnotch Mac guides, you could take advantage of today's 20%-off MacSanta discount on the Take Control line from TidBITS.Your choices include classics like "Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner" and "Take Control of Your Domain Names..." not to mention plenty of Mac, iPod and Leopard help. At $8 for most titles with the discount, it's a steal.
TUAW Buyers Guide: Christmas Reading
I, like Christina, am a bit of a book lover - especially over the festive season. Normally found looking through a formidable library of books, what better way to stave off the pre-Macworld hype (at least for a few hours) than a relevant book. Unlike reader Matt Holland, who chose to use his MacBook as a reader (possibly some sideways-reading with ComicBookLover?), I'm going to be sticking to books of the printed realm. Christina's recommendations for a few books can be found here. Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How The Mac Was MadeLong-serving Apple fans are no-doubt aware of the Folklore.org website - home to the anecdotes of how the original Mac came into being - but others may be intrigued to know that the site's collation of stories served as the collection point for this particular book. At just under 300 pages (including full-page copies of design notes from the early eighties) it's a particularly nice gift, hardcover and all. Sure, you can get to the website and read the stories, but as a gift? It's a no-brainer - especially at $16 from Amazon (UK Price: £11).iCon: The Greatest Second Act in the History of BusinessWhilst covering more than simply this past decade of Steve Jobs' life, this infamous book covers the much-famed second intersection of Apple and Steve Jobs fortunes. Not always flattering of Steve, it's a fascinating read - and now goes into the Pixar / Disney dealings after being updated. There's plenty of Steve Jobs books, yet this remains one of my favourite. $16 from Amazon (UK Price: £11).Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing ManualDavid Pogue, the New York Times' utterly brilliant Technology columnist, is a hero of ours here at TUAW HQ (currently located somewhere near the South Coast of England). World renowned for bringing us delights such as 'iPhone: The Musical', he's been busy at work with the Missing Manual for Leopard. If you're in need of a Leopard reference book, or tutorial book, I'd heartily recommend this latest edition. $24 from Amazon (UK Price: £15)Options: The Secret Life of Steve JobsAdmission: I've not read this one. But come Christmas Day, I hope there's a copy waiting for me! Fake Steve needs little introduction. Supposedly a world-famous CEO (I mean, he 'invented the friggin' iPhone. Have you heard of it?'), oPtion$ (as the book's cover goes) tells the fictional story of how Fake Steve handled, or otherwise, the stock backdating scandal. Laughes are guaranteed. $15 from Amazon (U.K. Price: £11) Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X (Second Edition)Written by Aaron Hillegass, this is perhaps the book for developers new to Cocoa and Objective-C. In case you're wondering why this is such a seminal book, Hillegass was 'senior trainer and curriculum developer' at NeXT as well as working at Apple before heading to Big Nerd Ranch to teach their Cocoa course. Whilst an exceptional gift for the coder-types out there: a word to the wiser that the 3rd edition is due in mid-2008, so do bear that in mind. $31.50 from Amazon (U.K. Price: £18).--There's a plethora of Apple-related books available, so if you've got a favourite to share that's not in the short-list here, let us know in the comments! Note: Today is the last day for standard Amazon delivery, so act quickly if you're wanting to order! We've even made sure all the books mentioned are currently available for delivery before December 24th.
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for mom
Passé though the example may be, putting technology to the ultimate usability benchmark, The Mom Test (can my mom use this without any help or training?), may mean you've got an especially discerning technology customer on your hands this holiday season. We won't try to pretend gadget shopping for mom is easy; in our experience, many moms simply don't want to load up on toys that run on electricity. (Imagine that!) But if she's of a certain generation and needs a gentle push into your gadget-filled world, check out some of these baby-tech-free suggestions. Of course, none of them are as obvious or easy as a box of fair-trade organic chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, and a call from her little sweetiepants (read: you).
Massively's holiday giveaways!
Though you may have seen our holiday postcard contest start up this morning, that's not the only thing we're doing to celebrate the holidays! For those of you with limited artistic talent (though, really, how much talent do you need to take a screenshot?), we're doing daily giveaways for the duration of the contest. Entering is simple -- just leave a comment on this post between now and 5:00 PM EST tomorrow (that's Tuesday, December 18th). To be eligible you must be age 18 or older and a resident of the United States: please read our official rules for full details. You can enter once in each of our contests -- so if you don't win this one, check back tomorrow at 5:00 PM for another chance to win!We'll pick two winners: first place will receive their choice of game-related goodies (your options are: 60 days of WoW, 60 days of any NCsoft game, 30 days of EverQuest/EverQuest II/Planetside, 50 days of EVE Online, 60 days of Lord of the Rings Online, or 7500 Lindens) and second place will receive a caffeine candy sampler (for those late-night gaming sessions!) from ThinkGeek.
The definitive Mac mini/Honey Baked Ham smackdown
The holidays. A time for joy, a time for gathering, a time for product smackdowns. So which is the better buy? A Mac mini or a festive honey baked ham? Let TUAW do the comparison work for you. Mac mini/Ham Smackdown Feature Mac Mini Honey Baked Ham Winner Availability Apple and a few select vendors Widely available Ham. Cost From $600, although the $800 model is far superior $50 or so With over an order of magnitude difference in price, the ham is the clear winner. Environmental impact Contains lots of chemicals but can run on relatively green energy sources, meeting Energy Star requirements. Completely organic but may produce lots of emissions after a large meal with all the trimmings. Tie. Social impact Lots of fun for your entire family. Forbidden for consumption by many major religious denominations. Mac mini. Geometry 6.5" x 6.5" x 2". A rectangular block. Spiral cut, conforming to an aesthetically pleasing geometry of curves. Ham. TV Compatibility Works well with both standard def and high def television sets, packaged with Apple Remote. Can be eaten in front of both standard def and high def television sets, with any standard remote. Tie. Documentation Packaged with full printed and electronic documentation. No documentation needed. Unless you are Homer Simpson. Tie. Leopard Compatibility Yes. Yes. But it may give the Leopard indigestion. Mac mini, by a hair.
Massively's holiday postcard contest
Here at Massively, we want to wish you a happy holiday by giving stuff away! Keep reading for your chance to win a Plantronics DSP-400 headset, a Logitech G15 gaming keyboard, a Logitech G9 laser mouse, or, if you're our grand prize winner, all of the above! For your chance to win, we're asking you to send us holiday postcards from your favorite game! Your postcards can be unmodified screenshots (with or without the standard postcard text), edited images like the one above (by WoW Insider's Chris Jahosky), or original artwork. (All trademarks and copyrights are owned by the respected owner.) Show us how they celebrate the holiday season in your favorite game! So hurry up and get your images ready, because the contest starts right now! To enter, just send a copy of your image to contests@massively.com. It should be in JPG format, no larger than 900 pixels wide, and no larger than 1MB in size. We'll be accepting entries until December 28th at 11:59 PM EST, at which point the Massively staff will judge all entries based on artistic merit and expression of the holiday theme. To be eligible to win, you must be age 18 or older and a resident of the United States or Canada -- please read our official rules for full details.
Second Style wants you to play (Secret) Santa
Several days ago, Celebrity Trollop announced that Second Style would be taking signups for their Secret Santa game. You can pick up her lovingly hand-scripted Secret Santa kiosk vendor at the Second Style HQ. Please note that signups close on December 19th at 12pm PST, so hurry!On the 19th, you'll be randomly assigned to another participant. You will have until December 25th to buy them a gift of at least 100L in value, but not more than 500L. If you would like to give multiple presents, they must not total more than the 500L value. To find out how to send anonymously, please read the full rules.[Thanks, Celebrity!]
It's starting to feel like Christmas in Turbine games
Turbine is spreading the holiday cheer with winter seasonal events in three of its games. Lord of the Rings Online is introducing its first Yuletide event. From December 14 until January 3, players can embark on a quest that will reward them with a snow-covered tree for their yard. While not on the scale of other seasonal events introduced in the game, the reward will be sure to please the many new homeowners who are looking for status symbols to display in their online neighborhoods.Next, in Asheron's Call, Santa Sclavus will be traveling the lands handing out presents to the good little boys and girls. But the naughty ones will only be getting coal. Be sure to be on the lookout for the jolly gift giver and see what he has for you.FInally, in Dungeons and Dragons Online, The Festival of the Twelfth Moon has arrived in Stormreach and brings with it the Festivult Jester. Players can collect Festivult Coins from chests and turn them in for special holiday prizes. Overall, Asheron's Call looks like the most fun of the three events. A GM controlled NPC can have great fun interacting with the players if he is not mobbed by 80 at once. But we're also curious how the LotRO devs have incorporated Christmas into Tolkien lore. They have a tricky balance to maintain to meet the expectations of their customers, but not violate the spirit of Middle-earth's well-detailed culture.
Well Fed Buff: Winter's Veil bark
Every Thursday, Well Fed Buff will be serving up the tastiest dishes to boost your HP and stats, just in time for your weekend gaming. To kick off the first edition of Well Fed Buff, and because we're launching right before Winter's Veil 2007, what better way to fill up than on holiday goodies? Winter's Veil bark is a decadent, mint-chocolate treat that is both decorative and extremely easy to make. This no-bake dessert snack also has quite a few ways that it can be customized, few ingredients, and is inexpensive. Perhaps the best part of this recipe is that it is extremely kid-friendly, so if you have kids or younger siblings, earn some brownie points and include them! Just follow me through the jump to get the details on how to whip up a plate! If you're still weary, note that you can do it all using your microwave.
TUAW Buyer's Guide: What to get a "switcher"
As a recent fully-fledged "switcher" myself, I'd like to think I have some ideas about what to get the recent Mac convert (and no, this is not just my Amazon wish list - though anyone buying me stuff is free to use it as such). If you haven't already purchased the switcher in your life a gift for Christmas or the Birth of Santa (tm. Bart Simpson) or any other winter-themed occasion, here are some items you might want to consider. Please note that the prices in this guide are in USD and current as of this writing, subject to change without notice. Check with the manufacturer's website or your favorite retailer for updated pricing. Now, onto the goodies!Books:Maybe I'm just really lame, but I'm always a fan of giving (and receiving) books geared towards a person's interests and sensibilities. Somehow, a book just seems more personal than a gift certificate, and less easy to screw up than a piece of clothing...
Fanswag: Celebrate the season of giving with a VC pack
Now that the Virtual Console gift feature is alive and kicking, it just seems fitting that we celebrate with a few gifts of our own. Each member of the Wii Fanboy staff has carefully chosen one game currently available on the U.S. Virtual Console, and we're ready to show our appreciation by gifting the lot to one lucky reader. But guys! What if I already have the game in question? Well, dear reader, we've also each chosen back-up titles, just in case. If the winner has one, we'll move onto the next. If you have all of them? Maybe you should hang back and let someone else win! 'Tis the season of giving, after all.To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us what you'd be most likely to give away, if you were so inclined. You may enter once per day, and we must receive your comments between now and December 20. The giveaway closes shop that night at 11:59 PM EST, so get to work! We'll announce the winner December 21. As usual, entries are limited to legal U.S. residents age 18 and older. Please check the official rules for any other questions.Wii Fanboy's Virtual Console Gift Pack Devil's Crush -- TurboGrafx-16, 600 points (JC) Dragon's Curse -- TurboGrafx-16, 600 points (Candace) Excitebike -- NES, 500 points (Chris) Gunstar Heroes -- Sega Genesis, 800 points (Eric) The Legend of the Mystical Ninja -- SNES, 800 points (Dave) The Legend of Zelda -- NES, 500 points (Alisha)
DS Daily: The worst gaming gifts
Sure, it's sweet when your great aunt tries to buy you a video game, because she knows you like that Nintenstation, but it's sometimes hard to feign pleasure when you open up a budget Sudoku title or a Shrek game. C'mon, tell us your horror stories. Over the years of gaming, what are some of the worst gaming gifts you've received?
Cheap stylus gifts that aren't really styli
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Cheap_stylus_gifts_that_aren_t_really_styli_2'; Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up.My secret addiction -- the one that has me wearing only long-sleeved shirts and brushing my teeth before coming home, all to hide its telling signs -- is stylus collecting. I can't get enough of these pen-shaped bits of plastic; I'm cuckoo for them, you could say. Every time I make a Play Asia purchase or collect a preorder bonus, I feel like I've lost another part of me, another vital fragment I'll never have again. I don't know what it feels like to be alive anymore.I've long moved on from conventional styli, using anything I can get my anxious, shaking hands on, the crazier the better. How else do you think I managed to put together this gift guide for alternative styli? Thumb styli, extendable styli, styli with colorful mascots on them -- you name it, I've tried every single one of them, and they don't do a damn thing for me anymore. Forget about those nonsense accessories and read on for my NSFW roundup of styli presents that will change your life ... for the worse. Joys be thine, suckas.
Five gifts that PAL gamers should import this Christmas
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Five_gifts_that_PAL_gamers_should_import_this_Christmas'; Gaming sites are inundated with holiday gift guides at the end of the year, listing the best and most popular games that everyone pretty much already has (or knows about). Well, we're not going in for that this year. Our gift guide will help you find the best gifts in categories the other sites won't cover -- because we just made them up. Nintendo's indifference towards PAL regions is infamous, but there's arguably less room for complaining when it comes to the DS. See, the DS is (and we do not use this phrase lightly) an importer's dream. It doesn't faff around with region-specific software, there's a huge library of diverse and interesting NTSC-only titles, and the games themselves are cheap. As in, cheaper than they'll be when they arrive in the UK/Europe/Australia six months from now. Frankly, we can't think of a good reason for you not to import. Which brings us to our latest anti-guide, featuring the five DS-related gifts that PAL regions won't be seeing until 2008 at the earliest -- if ever. All deserve to be imported without hesitation, so read on fellow PAL folk, and prep that credit card!
CoX Winter Event timing announced
As previously noted, NCsoft is bringing the Winter Event back to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. While it's been running -- off and on -- on the Test server for a while, the official start and end times are now known. According to Community Relations Manager Lighthouse, the Winter Event will start on December 17th and end the first week in January. More details will be forthcoming in the official forums, but it's time to start gearing up for next Monday. Good luck on the slopes, y'all, and don't forget to help out Father Time ... I hear he likes that.
