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Narrowing the gap between casual and power gamers
You know the type. The minimaxer. The person who sits around with spreadsheets, crunching every possible combination of traits and skills until they've come up with the ultimate class build. That beloved stereotype from pen-and-paper RPG's is alive and kicking in pretty much every MMO running. Massively's touched on minimaxing and the problems it leads to before and it's a fair assumption that we'll do it again. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with it. It's your game and you can play it however you want. But minimaxing impacts the game in significant ways for hardcore and casual players alike.
New 'Ask Cryptic' talks class balance
Behold, a new 'Ask Cryptic' is here to appease all who have been awaiting it! It is again time for Cryptic to answer community questions about Champions Online -- this week is especially interesting as we've gotten some fairly insightful answers. Everything from how Cryptic is adapting the Chapions paper and pencil IP to whether or not players can expect custom power animations and the reason why is discussed. Of course, the most interesting question ends up being about the biggest problem facing a game like Champions Online -- class balance. With an open system where players can grab any type of powers they like, a lot of thought has been and is being put into making the game as balanced as possible.
2.4 leaves hunters low on mana
Since patch 2.4, hunters have been having some problems. Aside from the outrage over the fact that our traps are now announced, we seem to be having issues with mana. On the forums, hunters are not seeing much love from the non-hunter crowd, but I suppose that is to be expected. It is important to note however, that our mana efficiency is an intended attribute of our class. We are useful, not solely, but arguably primarily, because we can provide sustainable, long-term DPS. No, we don't crit like mages. In a boss fight though, we can keep going after mages short out.Why are hunters all of a sudden having issues with mana? There are a few theories floating around, but we have yet to be graced with a blue response. Take the jump to learn more about why this might be happening.
Size matters: Tauren shrinkage
For those of you who do not frequent the forums, you might not know that since patch 2.4, there has been a Tauren outcry. It seems that cows everywhere are logging in to find that their weapons are roughly 50% smaller than they were previously. Should you take your weapon out to get a better look at it, you'll get to watch it grow back to pre-patch size. Unfortunately, this is not a bug. Hortus has confirmed that it was an intentional change because certain weapons would clip the ground while sheathed. While the Tauren have been getting some support on the forums, some players seem unsure of why this is such a big issue. Let's take a deeper look into why players are upset, including the fact that cows will seemingly be the brunt of even more jokes. Not innocent jokes either; not like "steak! It's what's for dinner!"
Hunter changes in 2.4
When information began to trickle down about patch 2.4, hunters, like most classes, were groaning. Which nerf bat would we be hit with next? Fortunately, it seems that we have slipped under the radar. For now. Maybe Aspect of the Beast finally did us some good. Let's break down the changes and see how this is going to be affecting us. With no major patches between now and Wrath, we might be living with these changes for awhile. Bug fixes: Equipping a thrown weapon while in the middle of an Auto-Shot will no longer cause animation issues. Since no one likes animation issues, I'm filing this under "win." Not that I've ever tried to equip a thrown weapon while already shooting, mind you. Casting Flare while in any way not visible, will no longer cause your flare to be invisible to other players. To me, this sounds fair. Also, I want to be invisible. Rogues can, so why not hunters? Right? No? Hunter's Mark: Hunters with Improved Hunter's Mark will now properly overwrite Hunter's Mark cast by Hunters without the talent. This used to be, but then was not. Now, it will be again. While it might rub your ego the wrong way always reading the message "a more powerful spell is already active," it is better for overall DPS this way. The stamina tooltip for hunter pets will now display the proper health increase. Personally, I find that most of my tooltips on most of my characters do not reflect the changes made by my talent points. At least one more will appear correctly, and I will try not to be sad about the others. Hunters will no longer spin around if they cast Aimed Shot or Steady Shot while facing away from their target. So this was a nice little bug we had for awhile, but let's face it; it wasn't fair. It also doesn't help the "huntard" image any when hunters are caught whining that now, we will have to learn to actually face our targets; and that's just too hard. What does this mean you ask? Do note that these are our two channeled shots, and as such, if another player sees us channeling, they need only run around us far enough to interrupt the channel. Prior to 2.4, we would have spun with the runner.
Wii Warm Up: Accessories
There are a lot of different Wii accessories out there. You've got recharge docks, light gun shells and wireless nunchuk adapters, just to name a few. There are plenty of accessories available for Wii gamers to plunk down cash for.So what accessories do you have? Do you own a Classic Controller? Plan on loving the Wii Wheel or Balance Board when they release? Tell us about your accessories or what accessories you have an eye on!
2.4 is not being released today
Many thanks to Smokecom for sending us a link to a post made by Tigerclaw. In response to a patch 2.4 release date thread, he tells us (post copied in totality):"It's not today. Cancel patch alert!"Well, there you have it. No patch 2.4 today. This of course means that all of you who voted March 18th in the guess the patch 2.4 release date contest are not going to win, I'm sorry to say. But it also means that my guess of March 25th is starting to look pretty good. So we are left with at least one more week of running to Mount Hyjal, and one more week of 30 yard cyclone. Maintenance should be ending in about one and a half hours from now. Enjoy!
TR's Sniper class targeted for nerf
With patch 1.6 having sunk in a little bit over the weekend, ardent Tabula Rasa players are starting to emerge with some feedback from the new build on test. While the changes to experience modifiers were a welcome change for many people stuck in the pre-30 or pre-50 doldrums, one group we weren't expecting to hear griping were Snipers. We had been told that the Destination Games crew were working on the line of sight problems that had been largely hindering their long-distance damage, and the patch notes mentioned reworking their oft-bemoaned charge-up firing mechanic.According to a number of players on Planet TR's Sniper forum, while Torqueshell rifles, the Snipers' tier-4 class-defining weapon, have seen a modest 25% increase in their rate of fire with the firing mechanic change, they've also experienced a massive 55% single-shot damage reduction as well. This coming at the same time when most other weapons experienced modest damage increases, usually around 17%. The sad consequence is that many Snipers will end up shirking their Torqueshell rifles for regular rifles or chainguns to maximize their damage, effectively making them a squishy Commando-wannabe. It's not too late though – this is why things go on test, so they can be fixed? Right? Right?
More bad news from Skettis
If I only have time to do one daily quest, I do the one for the battlegrounds. If I only have time to do two daily quests, I do the battleground quest, Escape from Skettis, and Fires of Skettis. Yes, that's three quests, but the Skettis quests have been a source of quick and easy cash. I really consider them to be two steps to the same quest. Blizzard seems to be trying to make those quests less appealing in patch 2.4. First they tell us that the Monstrous Kaliri that hinder us while doing our daily bombing quest, Fires over Skettis, have grown smarter. For now, the trick to getting away from those blasted birds is to fly straight up in the air until you're out of range. Apparently the next generation of Kaliri have gotten wise to that trick and have adapted to three dimensional combat.
Blood Pact: Why people hate warlocks
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman. He's recently started to plumb the depths of SSC with his 0/21/40 build and bragging about 8k shadow bolts.This progressive patch is a roller coaster ride; is Blizzard toying with our emotions? I can imagine the folks at Irvine playing WoW as a grand social experiment: "Let's put in this class-changing nerf and see how they respond, muahahahaha!" The Warlock community certainly responded, and the mood is somewhat settled, now that the Life Tap change has been rolled back and Kalgan has confirmed that "No other Warlock nerfs are planned for 2.4."I do not see this as a "victory" for warlocks, as the change was uncalled for to start off with. A PvP-driven change to a class-defining mechanic that affects PvE more than PvP simply defies logic - although some insisted that it was a storm in a teacup. Without arguing (again) how BIG this Life Tap change was really going to be, this episode brought one aspect of the WoW community into clear relief for me.We are very passionate about the classes we play, and react strongly to all changes - good AND bad. While many non-warlock players saw the implications of the Life Tap change, others simply gloated and cheered that their most hated PvP opponents were nerfed. Understandably, players engage in different aspects of the game, and even PvE players have varying degrees of experience playing with warlocks. However, there's been a plethora of rational discussion, from warlocks and non-warlocks alike, on why the LT nerf was uncalled for. There shouldn't really any grounds for hating (the class, hopefully not the players) out of sheer ignorance.So why does the class trigger such a negative emotional response with some players?
The DS Life: Sleep Mode
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/The_DS_Life_Sleep_Mode'; The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.Like many other three-year-old boys, Kristopher divides his playtime among toy cars, toy trains, and toy things with buttons and lights. When his dad's iPhone isn't available for him to appraise with his tiny, curious fingers, he flips open his Nintendo DS Lite, a hand-me-down from his mother (she now owns a newer edition/color). Of course, we don't expect to entertain you with just photos of some kid and his DS -- no, we have something much more hilarious planned for you! Jump past the post break and into Kris's crib!
Team Fortress 2 PC update balances classes, introduces tournament mode
We've been hearing a lot less about Valve's cel-shaded, humor-tinged multiplayer shooter since the release of another wildly popular FPS of a more serious nature. Thankfully, Valve isn't using their lighter server load as an excuse to let Team Fortress 2 go to the dogs -- they just released a patch upon an unsuspecting populous of TF2 junkies, adding a number of new matchmaking features and tweaking a few minor gameplay quirks.We've got a complete list of changes after the jump, but here's a few highlights: A Tournament mode has been added, complete with a team creation UI and win/loss tracker. Sorting through custom games is now easier, as server hosts can now add searchable description tags to their rooms. Most importantly, players who tire of being on the receiving end of high explosive weaponry will be pleased to hear that the maximum ammo capacities for the Soldier and Demoman classes have been sharply reduced (much to the chagrin of rocket-jumpers and Scotsmen, no doubt).
NS and EM cooldown reverted on the PTR
In the interests of full coverage, we'll mention this one, but don't keep your hopes up: the latest build on the PTR has reverted the Nature's Swiftness and Elemental Mastery sharing a cooldown change, so Elemental Shamans will once again be able to crank out an instant Chain Lightning or Lightning Bolt crit. Unfortunately, they shouldn't count on it, as lots of changes have gone back and forth on the PTR. It could be that the next time the PTR comes up with a new patch, this change will be right back in.But it does serve as a reminder that no matter how bad some PTR nerfs may seem, nothing is finalized until it hits the live realms. The Test Realm is for testing, so we shouldn't be surprised when Blizzard does exactly that with it.Thanks, Giusepe!
Blood Pact: Locks tapped out
Between Arenas, V'Ming spends his time as a lock laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul'Aman. He's recently started to plumb the depths of SSC with his 0/21/40 build and bragging about 8k shadow bolts.This has been a sad week for warlocks, ironic given that I was just celebrating the summoning changes two weeks ago. Life Tap - a class-defining spell for locks - has been overhauled on the PTR to return 15% mana for 15% health a few days ago. The Warlock community was incredulous at first - "No way, this will be rolled back like the drain mana change" - that quickly turned to dismay when Eyonix clarified how Improved Life Tap will work with respect to this change.
Water un-nerfed outside Arenas
You wouldn't think something as prosaic as the water that restores our precious blue bars would be undergoing a controversy, but that has certainly happened during the time patch 2.4 has been on the PTR. A change was made such that if you sat down to drink, and drank for less than five seconds, you would receive a reduced benefit -- i.e., less mana. The assumption was that this nerf was made to combat people regenning mana too fast in the Arenas, which led to objections to the change being applied to PvE situations as well.European US CM Bornakk replied that in most cases we'd be drinking more than five seconds in PvE situations, and players responded with many counterexamples (chain pulls, etc.). Bornakk replied to that saying basically that he still thought it wouldn't be hard to drink long enough to avoid the change's effects, and that the change was meant to effect "more than just Arenas" anyway. Well, it looks like they've changed their mind: Kalgan himself just announced that the water nerf will now only affect Arenas. PvE casters rejoice!
The Gears of War Nerf Lancer modification scares a locust horde of parents
If you haven't seen it by now, behold, the Gears of War, Nerf Lancer modification. Forsaken_angel24's genius is rooted in the combination of a regular Nerf Longshot and toy chainsaw. Neither of which would cause the average Wal-mart parent cause for concern. Combined, they take on the form of this foreboding assault rifle with working chainsaw bayonet, LED lighting and sound effects... which shoots squishy balls at little girls. Full instructions for modders are posted over at the Nerfhaven forums. We've added a video after the break -- not so much a how-to as a loving tribute to man's god-given right to war. [Via Hack n Mod, thanks Nick L.]
Wii Fanboy poll: What's your preferred weapon?
We all know there are plenty of choices out there when it comes to gun shells. The latest entry in the game comes from Nerf, but there's also Nintendo's own Wii Zapper. Also, we can't discount Nyko's Perfect Shot. Or, how about the Blaster or Gun, some Zapper knock-offs. There's also the DIY possibilities to be considered. We were wondering which you decided to go with?So head on past the break and cast your vote.
Nerf Blaster Controller for the Wii brings it all full circle
Hey, we all get jealous sometimes. While Nerf has tried to be a supportive as possible of your Wii addiction, it's clear that there's really only room for one gun in your life -- and Nerf wants to be it. The upcoming Nerf Blaster Controller (Wii) brings healing to this relationship, by letting you use the Nerf shell to blast away at baddies with your Wiimote locked on top, and then swap in a Nerf dart chamber to blast away at your cat while Link catches his breath. It's the best of both worlds, and the right thing to do. Hasbro will be showing off the Blaster Controller at Toy Fair 2008 next week, so hopefully we'll get some more release info then. [Via Crave]
EA's Nerf N-Strike is Nerf onscreen and off [update]
EA's deal with Hasbro is starting to bear fruit, with announcements of Littlest Pet Shop and Nerf N-Strike games on the DS and Wii. The press release revealing these games has something wonderful buried within it that instantly upgrades Nerf N-Strike from "nondescript licensed game" to "please tell us more": "With the brand new custom Nerf blaster, players can then take the action outside as their controller transforms to fire actual Nerf darts!"Take that, Wii Zapper (and by that, we mean a barrage of Nerf darts). The Nerf Wiimote shell was nice, but this is how you integrate the squishy weapons with waggling. The new Wii Crotch Missile is the perfect companion piece to the Wii Crotch Bat![Update: thanks to Shacknews, we can now gaze upon the Wii Nerf gun. It's amazing.][Via Siliconera]
EA to bring Hasbro to your DS
For those of you who find themselves enjoying board games, but would like considerable less board in there, know that EA has announced that several Hasbro properties will be turned into games by the publishing powerhouse. No longer will your games of Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit be confined to the Monday night get-together at your neighbor's house, as you'll soon be able to enjoy these games without your "friends."The titles currently in the works are: Littlest Pet Shop (DS, Wii, PC) - fall NERF "N-Strike" (Wii, DS) - fall Looking over the rest of the list for titles releasing on mobile phones and to EA's online POGO portal, we're wondering why the DS is getting the shaft. Monopoly, Yahtzee and Scrabble are all releasing on mobile phones and via POGO, but where's the DS love? All we get are these two games? We hope this changes ...[Via Joystiq]
