n00b
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Team Fortress 2 players segregate F2P users with insta-ban
Since Team Fortress 2 went free-to-play, the game has gotten a little less "team" and a lot more "fortress," while the "2" has been rudely ignored. Angry paid-account players are now using a mod called "Free2BeKicked" to ban all users with a free version of TF2 from their sacred, private servers, in what may soon come to be called Frontier Justice: Apartheid Edition. Free-game players are demanding Valve ban the mod, but as it is used on private servers, Valve's hands are tied. The mod isn't all-exclusive -- anyone who buys an item from the Valve store can bypass its check and be considered a paying player, although according to Botchweed, it would be possible to create a mod to accept only full-game purchasers. Any player can still join an official server without discrimination, but we'd avoid any servers titled "Keeping the Kore Kapable: n00bs Welcome!"
n00bz now pwnable... err, purchasable from Blizzard store
Originally previewed at BlizzCon 2009, the new collectible n00bz figures are now in the Blizzard online store. These are small, customizable action figures that are available in either a blank version or in a variety of pre-painted models from murlocs to ghouls and even Ragnaros himself. Blizzard has said they'll slowly be releasing more of these little guys as time goes on and has already offered a limited-edition n00b this past BlizzCon of Raynor from StarCraft. So, check out the n00bz and send us your pictures of them in strange places, or grab some blank n00bz and paint up your own. If you're looking for some ideas, here is a gallery of some custom n00bz that were on display at BlizzCon this past year. %Gallery-70857%
WoW Rookie: How not to be a noob
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic, and be sure to visit the WoW.com WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's.This week, WoW Rookie would like to share a little gem of an article we discovered that delivers a catch-all of collective wisdom on rookie mistakes. If you've ever agonized over how to act and what to do (and how not to act and what not to do) in your first group, or your first instance, or your first Battleground, or your first raid ... Be still, restless heart; the answers are here.What's to learn from this oh-so-savvy article? Start off with a listing of common tactical mistakes categorized by role (tanks, healers and DPS); these are the Learn2Play basics that aren't necessarily things you'll learn leveling up on quests and the occasional instance. Next up, listings of things you should and shouldn't do between pulls in a group, when part of a raid group or duking it out in a Battleground. A final section discusses netiquette and common social conventions (something WoW Rookie has also covered extensively).
Breakfast topic: Of Newbies and n00bs
Amazingly enough, there are still many new players coming into the game that need some tutoring. I consider myself to be downright patient. If someone asks for help or advice, I'm there. If I don't have the answer, I point them to one of the many WoW resources that will assist them. At one point in time we were all rookies, and many of us still have many nuances of the game to pick up. I love to watch people learn and grow.Bear in mind that WoW has a variable learning curve based on familiarity with MMORPGs, time spent playing, coaches, and aptitude. There comes a time though, when folks should be pretty self-sufficient. The argument "I'm new" no longer holds water. For example, it goes without saying that hunters should always check their ammo supplies before going into instances and in general, clothies should let the tank pull.
Forum post of the day: No more newbies?
Malkavius of Korialstrasz posed an interesting question in the General Forums. Is it too late in WoW's life for new players? She told a tale of how a friend got frustrated soon after purchasing the game because of inflation and an inability to find groups. The responses were split. Vylaria of Ch'gall believes that it's not too late for a rookie to get their start. Gathering skills help to boost the personal pocketbook, and even veteran players that reroll face the same problems with finding a group. Cptobvious of Bonechewer believes that it is easier for folks that have played other MMOs than it is for online gaming virgins.
Forum post of the day: Idiots, children, and oldschoolers. Oh my!
At one point in time or another, most guilds face at least a little bit of drama, from loot distribution, to relationships, to guild bank robbery. Zeida of Tichondrius has created an list of guild member archetypes for folks she does not want in her guild. The list of stereotypes covers the first four posts in the thread so there is a considerable amount of reading. The list includes newbs, n00bs, trolls, elitists, and many more. The original poster went into detail on each of these archetypes. Here's the short version:
Forum post of the day: Rookie Mistakes
Kemmeua of Emerald Dream decided to share some WoWhead love on the official forums. (And by the look of the WoWhead main page it needs a little love.) He shared some rookie mistakes that players have made. For example: Didn't know there were different Zeppelins, thought it was a triflight system so that if I stayed on long enough it would take me to Tirisfall then to Grom and back to Durotar was on there a long time. Didn't know they people were yelling at me to TANK better, I thought tanks plowed things and that's what I was doing Saw alliance in crossroads and thought, "OMG," so I go an whack 'em and get camped for a day yelling for help. Didn't know how to talk to people. Saw a hunter with dual weapons on a Kodo and thought "WOW!" Saw a raid group forming in Kargath for MC, asked them if I can join, getting told I cant roll with the big dawgs at 43. where do u get liferoot if you can't herb? stupid quest giver.
Breakfast Topic: Horray for n00bies
We have a policy of not using much gamer slang here on WoW Insider. I'm feeling a little naughty today, so I'm going to take this opportunity to break the rules. N00b is on the list of words we generally avoid. It refers to players who should have learned the mechanics of the game, but continue to make stupid mistakes. We are surrounded by n00bs from the Hunter who consistently tab targets to the Shaman that utterly refuses to use Totems. We've all been subjected to the annoying Murloc game where people spam trade chat with movie titles with Murloc replacing one of the words. I find this behavior to be somewhat juvenile and nearly completely asinine. I never participate in the trade chat spam, but like I said, I'm feeling naughty. I propose we go to town with the word n00b. I'll start: 2001: A n00b Odyssey Charlie and the n00b Factory Plan n00b from Outer Space Indiana Jones and the Temple of n00b. Alright, it's your turn! /e defiantly accepts her punishment and saunters down to the torture chambers in the basement of the WoW Insider headquarters.
Not everyone loves Steve's parties
Yeah, while we were all geeking out and refreshing the Engadget page ad nauseam, the world continued to spin as it always does. Sure, there are bigger things in the world to consider like how to keep your linens fresh. And to painfully remind me of this fact, there's my wife. She's a fan of the Mac, after I made a convert of her several years ago (with an iBook G3 no less). But she's not obsessed like me. And when I started gushing about all the new toys today, she wasn't really interested.To further drive home her point, she started playing around in the iTunes Music Store. She didn't update iTunes, so it's still called the "music" store. Now, she's doing this at about 2:45 pm Eastern time. Any sane Mac zealot such as myself would say this is a bad idea. And it was-- errors popped up repeatedly while she attempted to buy "50's cruising music" for my son's "Cars" themed birthday party. Samples failed to load, and sometimes putting something in her cart was a multi-click affair. See, she's not even sold on the 1-click joyness! Ultimately she gave up, not downloading anything yet at my request. She turns to me and says, "have all your geek buddies messed up iTunes or something?" "Yes," I say, "we broke it with our love." I guess one person's party is another's poison...
MPEG-4 pwned by AT&T
MPEG-4, everyone's favorite format that could potentially give you high definition video in small enough sizes to fit on a regular DVD, is officially embroiled in controversy. According to PC Magazine, AT&T claims to hold several patents to key underlying technology of MPEG-4. Right now they are targeting Apple, CyberLink, DivX, InterVideo, and Sonic as unlicensed offenders. MPEG-LA, the group that oversees patent licensing for MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, says AT&T is not a part of them, but they can't do anything about it and they make no claim to have licenses to all technologies included in the format.Nero and Pentax have already made deals with AT&T, so don't be surprised if the next DVD burning software you buy has a bump in price for AT&T's taste. You have to wonder how this is going to affect satellite, cable and IPTV companies looking to roll out MPEG-4; we didn't see any of them or set-top box manufacturers listed. Also, no word if their notification letter to included any references to Steve Jobs as a "n00b".[Via Data Compression News]
