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MMO Family: Mind your massively multiplayer manners
MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family, from tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate online games for everyone in the family. Kids are like sponges, sure -- old saying is old. But are online manners something you really want to leave to chance? Are the interactions your kids so intently follow online the manners you want them soaking up and using themselves? As parents, we know that the habits and attitudes that kids pick up today are what we'll find coming right back at us tomorrow. Teens who are used to trolling in games and forums will have a hard time modulating to a less strident tone in a business meeting. Kids who excuse a lack of scruples with "whatever -- it's only the internet" are due for a big surprise when a thoughtless instant message or careless lack of response to an email slams doors in their faces later in life. As parents who game, we all have hot buttons that set us off: the guy who always shows up late to raids, beggars, you name it. The point is: Have you talked to your kids yet about these behaviors? Are you explicitly (by both word and example) helping them not to grow up to be That Guy? I'm pretty sure we don't need a primer in online etiquette here at Massively, but I don't think it would hurt to share some of the things we wish Those Other Parents had taught their kids before turning them loose in our games. I'll share my dirty dozen after the break -- won't you share your own in the comments?
ZTE Peel for Sprint outed by FCC, another 3G-equipped iPod touch case
What is it about the word peel that screams "throw on the back of an iPod touch and grant it the power of mobile internet?" We spotted Yosion's Apple Peel 520 just this morning bound for Chinese markets, and now the FCC has unveiled ZTE's own Peel 3G router. Although the user manual and external photos don't explicitly state it, one look at the (slightly enhanced) image above removes all doubt that this is made to fit snugly around a certain finger-friendly iDevice with a headset jack on the bottom right. Additionally, the user manual's setup screens are all sketched out in what appears to be a more mobile Safari-friendly size. The Qualcomm-powered CDMA2000 case is brandishing Sprint logos on the front and back, which frankly wouldn't be the first (or even second) time the carrier's targeted the Apple faithful. Only this time, there's no WiMAX -- bummer. Crafty, wacky, zany? We're sure Mr. Hesse is chortling, but perhaps he can catch a breath or two and disseminate out some proper release details post-haste. %Gallery-98419% [Thanks, The Kaiser]
Visualized: Tesla owner talks smack using world's greatest vanity plate
Owning one of the world's most electrifying and exclusive four-wheelers not enough for you? In that case, you'll probably be wanting a bright orange paintjob and a vanity plate that rubs pretty much every other road user up the wrong way.
Preview: League of Legends, Season One
Riot Games' League of Legends has been winning accolades and fans since it released last year for a few different reasons. It's a highly polished version of Defense of the Ancients, the company has supported the game with continuous updates and new content, and oh yeah -- it's a free-to-play title. Lately, Riot has been working on a major update they're calling "Season One," designed to make the game a little more compatible with competitive play, as well as implement some of the most requested features for the game. The update should be out within a few weeks, they told us, but on the floor of E3, we got to see some of the new tweaks in action. %Gallery-95725%
The Daily Quest: Lulz are the best medicine
Here at WoW.com, we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites. It's midnight on a Tuesday and, for many of us, servers are still offline. The woe! The agony! The never-ending boredom! So what's the cure? I propose a steady diet of interesting WoW blogs (back issues of The Daily Quest and the forums on Blog Azeroth are a great place to find them) -- today we'll specifically look at a selection from the lighter side of the blogosphere. They do say laughter is the best medicine, and when you're trying to treat boredom, that's probably right. (And before you have a chance to comment -- yes, some of these links are old. I know! But we haven't linked them before and I happen to think they're rather good.) 4 Haelz shows off some low-tech raiding gear. (Which reminds me more than a little of Fyreuni's Emergency Kindergarten. It must be the crayons.) Cannot be Tamed thinks up some great new Tree Form cooldowns. I Like Bubbles always entertains with Flowchart Friday. Recent flowcharts include How To Disc Gunship and Are You Going to Die on This Pull? Too Many Annas covers the differing species of healers and has previously covered the differing species of tanks. Still in need of a good laugh? You might try some lolcats or loldogs -- or share your favorite downtime lulz in the comments.
Drama Mamas: When the game is no laughing matter
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced WoW players and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We're taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com. Text communication is a touchy creature. The simplest of situations can spiral out of control in the space of a single chat pane, when players blunder along without considering the disparity between the words they've actually typed versus the message they intended to communicate. We all know how easily humor (and especially sarcasm) can fall flat on the internet. Emotes and the oh-so-snappy "LOL" seem especially prone to offending others who aren't on the same wavelength. Disaster strikes when players stop reading and start reading into what others say. This week, we'll help several players who find themselves caught up in a web of pride, honor and misrepresented intentions -- all over a loot situation that would have been simple to resolve with clear communication. Dear Drama Mamas, As a priestess who is devoted to the Light, I follow a flock where I make sure that everyone is happy and content. A few moons ago, I had gone on an adventure with several of the flock to the Halls of Stone, where we faced off against the Titan's creations and helped Brann Bronzebeard find out about the mystery of the dwarves. When we had finally retaken the Forge of Wills, we had found a weapon in possession of Sjonnir the Ironshaper, The Fleshshaper. Oh, what joy our rogue companion felt when we had finally gotten the weapon for him. Alas, that joy was suddenly shattered, as the other priest of our troupe had rolled his need dice accidentally. Our companion rogue burst into a fury like Ragnaros the Firelord, spewing out his frustration upon our dear priest, who had simply laughed off the whole affair.
The Daily Quest: Finally the weekend!
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. It's the weekend! That time when we aren't shackled by workday worries and can kick back, relax, and half some fun. To further this purpose, some posts from the WoW blogosphere in the past week (or so) that have made me laugh -- and perhaps they'll make you laugh, too. It's no flowchart, but Destructive Reach has a pie chart documenting time spent in WoW. Blame Squelchy tells us what the Lich King has to say to those who wield Shadow's Edge. I Like Bubbles remains near and dear to my heart by continuing to post flowcharts (and things bearing a suspicious resemblance to flowcharts). Enjoy a basic raiding strats flowchart and the math behind assembling a raid. Pew Pew Lazers offers an arcane mage DPS flowchart. World of Matticus covers raid strategy using MS Paint. Bible of Dreams talks about auto-attack. And stir-fry. Miss Medicina breaks up with greater-heal.
The Daily Quest: More lulz
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we ought to follow? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Though not technically WoW-related, before we start today's TDQ, I'd like to be sure that all of the Blizzard-philes in the audience are aware that the StarCraft II beta test has begun. That's exciting, right? Right? Well, fine -- let's migrate away from scifi and back to fantasy. We're half-way through the week and though I can't speak for everyone, to me it feels like a good time for some lulz to push the doldrums away. Never fear, everyone -- we're on the downhill portion of the week and the weekend will be here before you know it. In the meantime, let's enjoy a laugh or two provided by some of our favorite blogs. The video above, of course, is a classic from Tree Bark Jacket. Winners for this month's official comic contest have been announced. (Need more comics? Check out Sunday Morning Funnies for a round-up of all the best WoW-related webcomics!) Mania at Mania's Arcania talks about the best pet for soon-to-be worgen and undead hunters. (Didn't you know? Both races will be able to play hunters come Cataclysm time.) I Like Bubbles contemplates incoming search terms. We get "zomg lazerz pew pew" a lot, too. (Be warned, there's some not safe for work language in this one.) Almost Evil tests to see what the Eye of Kilrogg will aggro in ICC. It's all fun and games until the corpse run. Anna explains the different kinds of tanks you may encounter in World of Warcraft. I'm not sure if this is meant to be humor, but it made me smile, so it's on our list. Too much silly, not enough content? Don't worry -- we'll be back tomorrow with links to some of the latest thoughts and comments on ICC.
Banned PSN player appeals court decision, sues Sony again for $180k
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Erik Estavillo made headlines in the gaming blogosphere last summer for his $55,000 lawsuit against Sony, launched in retaliation for being banned from the PlayStation Network. As predicted, the judge dismissed his case after determining the First Amendment did not apply to Estavillo's claim.Estavallo isn't going to be stopped by a mere district judge's ruling, though. In addition to filing an appeal, Estavillo is also filing another lawsuit against Sony -- this time, a civil suit seeking $180,000 in damages; more than three times the amount of his original, dismissed suit. According to GamePolitics, Estavillo will once again opt out of using a lawyer, choosing to represent himself for both upcoming cases. We wish Estavillo the best of luck.**Ed.'s Note: While we'd normally end on a punchline, our fear of irrational and baseless lawsuits prevents us from doing so.
Singularity delay: new release window has fewer 'competitive titles'
While Singularity's delay is old news, we couldn't help but laugh at this remark from Activision's latest financial results:"Activision Publishing has moved the anticipated release date for Raven's upcoming sci-fi first-person action title, Singularity, from 2009 to the first quarter of 2010. The new launch window, which has fewer competitive titles releasing, should improve the probability of achieving stronger results and establishing Singularity as a first-person action franchise for the company." (Emphasis ours.)You're wrong, Activision. Really, really, really, really, really wrong.
Player sues Sony after being banned from PlayStation Network
It's pretty difficult to get banned from the PlayStation Network. You have to be a total jerk-face to get booted off PS3's online community. However, that's what Erik Estavallo managed to do whilst playing Resistance. With access to the game cut off, Estavallo decided to take part in the most appropriate action possible: a lawsuit.Estavallo argues that a ban from the PlayStation Network goes against his First Amendment rights. "The plaintiff was exercising his First Amendment Rights to Freedom of Speech in the game's public forum when he was banned from, not only [Resistance], but also banned from playing all other games online via the PlayStation Network," a court document retrieved by GamePolitics reveals. This, in turn, has caused "pain and suffering" because the PS3 is "the only way the plaintiff can truly socialize since he also suffers from Agoraphobia."Estavallo is asking for $55,000 in punitive damages and demands Sony no longer implement bans of any sort. He alleges that "PlayStation 3 is the only system that incorporates this type of wide-ranged ban. As where Nintendo does not ban customers at all. And Microsoft Xbox rarely bans."
TurpsterVision: Northrend Children's Week
We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on the WoW Insider Show, and now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com.First up a bit of housekeeping; thanks to all of you who took part in last week's contest -- over 500 of you! A winner has been chosen via the highly technical method of a /random in-game roll. Sorry to the others of you who didn't win this time, but who knows, maybe in the future we'll have another giveaway on TurpsterVision!This week we take a trip on the PTR and experience the new Northrend Children's Week, doing the impossible and completing both sides of the event to show you what is on offer. Lesley Smith posted about the event before and we even put up a handy gallery if you would like to take a closer look at some of the quest text.
Happy 4th of July! Here's Alex Mercer with boobs, Cole McGrath in a bikini
In the celebration of all things great and American, we're proud to present the characters of inFamous and Prototype cross-dressing. YAY! (See inFamous' Cole after the break.)Okay, so you're probably wondering where these images came from. Yahtzee presented a challenge to the development teams of these two games after he couldn't decide which game was better in a recent episode of Zero Punctuation. So, he jokingly said the "winner" would be whichever team sends in an image of the other game's protagonist cross-dressing.And now the world is a much better place.
TurpsterVision: FigurePrints review
We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on The WoW Insider Show now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com This past week I undertook an epic unveiling of not so epic proportions in opening up my very own FigurePrint. Fortunately for you, the lucky viewer, I've captured this live on video -- a first encounter of the most awesome kind -- which can be found below the break!The first thing that struck me upon opening the package was the weight of it all; the dome is real glass and is a fantastic way to display your character, keeping them free from dust and many other household evils that lurk outside of Azeroth. The reason I would want to go for a FigurePrint would be to immortalize my character, preserving the culmination of four and a half years hard gaming, and this extra layer of protection allows that to happen. It does however present a barrier, much like we have when playing the game, where we can't touch our character (This statement takes on a whole different meaning with some of Night Elf female mailbox dancers out there) but obviously it serves the purpose of protecting the FigurePrint so I guess I can let it slide.Click on past the break to catch the video and check out the gallery getting up close and personal with FigurePrints!
GDC09: We write some jokes for Tim Schafer
Hosting the annual Game Developer Choice Awards is no joke -- but one does require plenty of amusing witticisms to make it off the stage alive. Double Fine's Tim Schafer has foolishly agreed to host the show again this year, prompting a mad quest to find the lolz necessary to combat the lulls. If you want to pretend to help him out, you can play the amazing adventure game, Host Master and the Conquest of Humor. Us? We're going to rescue the man from catastrophic embarrassment by offering the following jokes, free of charge: "Grand Theft Auto IV's a big contender tonight. Is anybody surprised? I know I'm not the only one who had a great time cruising around in stolen vehicles, running over prostitutes, doing stylish, drive-by shootings -- and then thought, 'Man, somebody should make a game out of this!'"
WoW Moviewatch: World of Warcraft: Lost Within
Warning: Mild cursing at the end.Do you remember BroncoTV? They're the same guys who created Who's the Tank? Michael Schroeder dropped your intrepid Moviewatch team a note to let us know they've released a new video -- World of Warcraft: Lost Within. To sum up the plot, a WoW player finds himself transported inside the game. He must quest, grow, and ding, all en route to rescue his princess. It's definitely a WoW vs. reality theme. The gags are suitably funny, and I found the acting to be over-the-top in the right places. (The gag at the end worked for me, I think in part because I knew it was coming. C'mon, who hasn't tried to whack someone with a plastic sword, only to be sorely disappointed with the effect?) I really liked the WoW interface laying over top of Live Action acting. It gave a neat surreality to the comedy, and kept me firmly rooted in the escapist joke. Of course, if there's a part two, it'd be neat to see some UI Mods and such start making appearance. (Maybe an Omen Kiss meter or something.)If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
WoW Moviewatch: Leeroy 4 - The Wailing Caverns
Some movies are created using machinima -- finely honed in-game graphics, tuned to tell the author's story with sizzling detail. Others are creating using more traditional media, like hand-drawn art. And some, like Leeroy 4 - The Wailing Caverns, are created in Live Action, using nothing more than a pure sense of fun and obvious love of the game. It's the creation of Herculean Productions, and I've rarely had so much fun with a fan film.The acting is over-the-top, scene chewing goodness. I like to think that even William Shatner would be proud of these boys. The story is simple enough to support this kind of shenanigan performance. In a quick summary, Leeroy is putting together a group to go to the Wailing Caverns. This is the LFG phase of that endeavour.The costumes hit the right tone, in my opinion. If the clothes had been much fancier, then they'd be calling into the question the genre of the piece. This isn't meant to be high, Shakespearean art. It's supposed to be funny and tongue-in-cheek. You're not supposed to be gauging things like production values; you're supposed to be having the same kind of fun the actors are having.My hat's off to Leeroy. This was great. Click here to go check it out yourself.If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
WoW Moviewatch: Wrath Shorts 11 - Rather Be Playing DS
And now for something completely different, a comedic short titled Wrath Shorts 11 - Rather Be Playing DS by Apt-T Productions. You might remember them from a short time ago as the same guys who did Frank and Beans and Dude, Where's My Mount? Or, maybe not. These guys are doing a lot of neat short-and-sweet joke reels, and their style is really growing on me.I can't really talk a lot about the plot of "Rather Be Playing DS," because the movie is really short. ("Wrath Shorts" isn't just a clever title, you see.) To sum up, Healer and Tank argue about stepping into an instance. Tank's nervous because of the healer's past performance. There's a punchline, and comedic justice is served.Okay, the graphics aren't fancy. The soundtrack isn't rocketing rolling metal. But, this is a perfect example of "all things come together." Whether you find the jokes funny or not, I think everything in the mis en scene comes together just right for short's formula. Anything more involved than its current graphics would probably distract from the jokes. I did happen to laugh, and I look forward to the next installments.[Via Machinima.com]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
TurpsterVision: WAR, What is it good for?
I wont bore you all with words and phrases strung together to create some form of coherence, instead I will jump right back in! I am extremely proud to invite you once more to join in with the fun right here at Massively that is TurpsterVision! "Oi Git face! Wot'z dis? Da same game twice? Dis is an outrage! WAAGHH"It is true folks, we are having a look at Warhammer Online once again here at TurpsterVision, but this time we are looking at the game as a whole and trying to answer that age old question of; is it actually fun to play? Well if I told you here that would ruin all the fun, 'ow about you join me afta da break an' we'll see wot I make of a life at WAR...sorry, been playing Greenskins just a little bit too much recently. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Manhunt 2's extra-scary, extra-late UK date
Rockstar has taken a long-form approach to scaring people with Manhunt 2. They've waited very quietly, very still, until everyone in the UK forgot that it was there, and then they JUMPED OUT AND ANNOUNCED A RELEASE DATE! "BOO! Manhunt 2 is coming out on October 31!"This version of Manhunt 2 is different from the one the US got, having been "heavily reworked" (as IGN describes it) in a desperate bid for BBFC approval. They got the right to release the game in December, but by then Halloween had already passed, and what's the point of releasing a horror game on any other date?%Gallery-3148%
