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Ask WoW Insider: Loot rolls and seasonal boss summons
Time once again to put a question to you, dear readers, and see what you have to say about a current issue in the World of Warcraft. This time around, Rylia has a question about loot ethics with seasonal bosses -- everyone and their guildie is taking down the Headless Horseman (making the Scarlet Graveyard an actual destination, strangely), and Rylia wants to know what the policy is when an item drops:What's your group loot policy for seasonal bosses? (a) Use the usual in-game loot roller; everyone roll Need on the rare items (mounts, small pets, etc.) (b) Whoever summons the boss for that particular attempt gets the rare item drop from that attempt. The logic behind (b) is that it prevents people who've used up their daily summons from getting more than one chance per day (and thus making their groupmates get less than one chance per day). If someone who didn't have a summon in your seasonal group wins a rare roll, do you think that's a ninja?RyliaPersonally, I think all the summons should get settled before you enter the instance -- if you invite someone in without a summon (for example, because they're a tank, and you just need them rather than waiting for a tank with a summon), they're a part of the group after that and have as much chance as anyone else to win a roll. And yes, if an item drops that someone can use, it should be a Need roll. So if that mount drops, everyone's got a chance to win it. That's just me, though -- I can see the point about someone without a summon taking loot from people who entered with a summon.Though I have no idea what to do if a mount and pet drops on the same run -- would the person who won one not get a chance on the second? What think you, readers, both of general loot rules on season bosses and of Rylia's summon policy?Previously on Ask WoW Insider...
TGS08: Sneak through the Tenchu 4 demo
You know, we've been watching Tenchu 4 for a bit now and we're holding out hope that it won't totally suck. Call us optimists or whatever, but we really thing the game can be a solid Wii title. For one, it's Tenchu and our fond memories of the early games keeps us hoping that the franchise will return to its roots again. Secondly, there isn't much in the way of compelling stealth-based games on the console, so a solid entry in the genre would benefit the library of games, in our eyes. Plus, it has kittens. Above, you'll see the first video of three that takes you through the entire demo build available at TGS 2008. Head past the break for the other two.%Gallery-25071%
Director talks up Muramasa: Demon Blade
When it was announced that Oboro Muramasa Youtouden was headed to North America (under the name Muramasa: Demon Blade), we got all kinds of excited. Not only does the game have a wonderful style all its own, it also looks like a great 2D experience in a world crowded with 3D games. During a recent interview with 1UP, the game's director Jyouji Kamitani answered questions dealing with the origins of the game, the motion controls players can expect and the playable build that will be available during the upcoming Tokyo Game Show.Hit up this link to read the full interview.%Gallery-33431%
TGS 08: Ninja Blade cut from familiar cloth
"The main character is, as you can see, a ninja." We were quite pleased to have figured this part out on our own, shortly before From Software's Kazuhiro Hamatani laid down the pertinent facts in a pre-Tokyo Game Show presentation of Ninja Blade. Which, as you can see, is a "cinematic action game." For better or worse -- and it's better if Ninja Gaiden II failed to satisfy your unhealthy hankering for third-person kill-em-ups -- Ninja Blade appears to be almost exactly what you'd expect. We're not proponents of judging a game by its cover, but in this case, we're almost able to peer through to the back of the box and recite the bullet points: Cinematic Action Game (i.e. quick time events)! Ninjas (i.e. running on walls, being a badass)! Hideous enemies (i.e. giant spiders and bats)! Crazy Ninja Powers (i.e. bullet time and highlighted weak points)! Upgradeable Weapons (i.e. kill more to kill better)! Exotic Locations (i.e. monsters just won't leave Tokyo alone)! %Gallery-33964%
Guildwatch: Still dropping bosses
That's Cooldown of Darkspear, above, basking in the glory of a boss kill. While it seemed like raiding came to a standstill before BC, that's not really the case before Wrath -- while it's certainly slower, there's lots of people out there still killing bad guys.And Guildwatch reports on as many of them as we hear about -- if you'd like to see your guild here (or have a good time on some wacky forum drama, either on the offficial forums or somewhere else), drop us a line at wowguildwatch@gmail.com. And click the link below to see this week's drama, downed, and recruiting news from all the guilds around the realms.
Guildwatch: A little raid ID problem
Sure, it's a lot of good items being nabbed from the guild bank there, but how much will those really be worth in the expansion, right? Look on the bright side -- you'll have a bunch of new gear, and that former guildleader will still have a bad reputation.Downed and recruiting news and the ever-popular drama can be found as usual in this week's Guildwatch. To read, just click the link below, and don't forget to send all your tips to wowguildwatch@gmail.com -- things are a little slow before the expansion, so if you've got news of progression (or a nice juicy drama story), please do share it. We thank you, and a host of drama-hungry readers will thank you as well.
Ubisoft sneaking Tenchu 4 into America, Europe in '09
If, like us, you've recently had the urge to draw a blade and quietly assassinate someone in the dead of night, you should probably seek the assistance of a good or physically attractive psychiatrist as soon as possible. If, however, you've recently had the urge to draw a blade and quietly assassinate someone in the dead of night -- in a game -- you'll be pleased to note that Ubisoft is bringing Acquire's ninja sim, Tenchu 4, to North America and Europe in "early 2009."Aside from offering two playable characters and the ability to "fight, dash, jump and kill like a true ninja," the Wii exclusive is almost certain to provide one of the most novel uses of the nunchuk yet -- you know, as a nunchuk. Probably. Either way, Ubisoft is confident enough in Tenchu 4's merits to lay down a fairly specific prediction in the press release: "Tenchu 4 will come to a North American and European audience where it will be well-received by both fans of the series as well as Wii owners who have been looking for an edgy and exciting game." It will be well-received ... hmm, perhaps it's more of a command?
Guildwatch: It's not me, it must be you
I don't think I've ever seen the fall of a guild as documented as Underscore is in Guildwatch this week -- someone has been taking screenshots aplenty of all the whispers going back and forth, and surprisingly, most of them have actually come from the guildleader of the guild in question. If you've ever wanted to see how a guild can fall apart from tell to tell, here's your chance.That and lots more (including some actual good news) in Guildwatch this week, which starts right after the link below. Guild news is slowing down for Wrath, so please help us fill our inbox: send your downed, drama, and recruiting tips to wowguildwatch@gmail.com if you have them, so we can make sure the column is nice and packed next week. Thanks!
Guildwatch: "Are u a Tauren or a mouse?"
The "negotiating a /gkick" drama above was probably the most legendary drama this week (in fact, if you're a drama connoisseur like we are, you probably already heard about it), but we've got lots more, including the "Tauren or a mouse" quote above, and the usual weekly requisite of ninjas and loot drama. Good times, as always.For more drama, downed, and recruiting, news, click the link below. And don't forget to send us your tips -- wowguildwatch@gmail is the address. Whether you're tipping us about a great down your guild did, or a hilarious forum thread you saw on your realms' forums, we want to read it all!
Guildwatch: "10 guilds kicked me in a row"
The above screenshot is a little hard to read, and for that we apologize. But it comes from Diablo of Stormscale -- apparently they had a healer who /afked in the middle of a raid for about 30 minutes, and when he got switched out of the raid for a Resto Shaman got a little testy. He says he's going to go do his dailies while he adds up the "pros and cons" of staying with the guild, and the GM solves his problem fast: "Here's the con." /gkick.We have to admire that kind of quick decision making. After the break, more stories of guild drama and woe, and some good news, too -- downed reports and recruiting notices. Make sure to send in any guild news you see to wowguildwatch@gmail.com, and click the link to see this week's GW.
Guildwatch: Unknown withdrew... any chance of joining another guild
Consider yourself lucky if you've never seen the sight above before -- it's the sign of a former guildleader yanking everything out of the guild bank (including all the stuff above and a good 12,000g) and transferring off to another server. Good times. This is why I usually keep all of my Hearts of Darkness under my mattress at home -- the banks just aren't safe.This isn't the only guild leader ninja we heard about this week, and it's definitely not the only messy drama -- there's lots more right after you click the link below. Don't forget to send in your tips about drama, downed and recruiting news from around the realms to wowguildwatch@gmail.com. We really appreciate it, and lovers of drama of all kinds do too.
Morality and legality in EVE Online
One of the strengths of EVE Online is that the game's professions can be freeform. Many players take the standard route of being a miner or a mission runner. However, new and deviant professions have arisen in a kind of symbiosis with the more established trades in the game. This is the focus of an article called 'Morality and Legality', written by ISD Magnus Balteus of CCP Games. 'Morality and Legality' looks at two of the sketchier professions that sprang from EVE's more standard career paths. Mining has given rise to ore theft, which boils down to theft that has the side benefit of potentially baiting the victim into combat, even in high security space. If the ore thief or 'can flipper' is successful, he or she can make off with the ore that someone else mined plus the modules looted from the miner's ship wreck. The morality of this type of career doesn't even enter into the equation... this is EVE. CCP's unwillingness to change the game mechanics involved in can flipping means that this is not an exploit, it's a valid profession, albeit not in the mind of the miner victim.
N+ minus $10, plus 2 weeks
We've got good news and bad news regarding N+, Atari's handheld update of the freeware platformer N. The bad news isn't all that bad and the good news is awesome. First, the kinda bad: N+ appears to have been delayed again, from August 12 to August 26. While it troubles us to think that the game is just never going to come out, we're glad it's at least not coming out on the same day as Bangai-O Spirits. The good news is that N+ will now launch at $20, which is an insanely good deal for a new, polished N with hundreds of new levels and a stylus-based level editor.There's a third bit of news too, which didn't really fit in the "good news/bad news" thing we were trying to do, though it falls into the "good" category: Amazon orders will include a download link for a digital strategy guide.
Tenchu IV is jerky, graceful
Tenchu IV's animations are the very definition of a mixed bag. The player-controlled kittens, as seen above, look graceful when they move (as cats tend to do), but we're not exactly convinced by the human death animations, which seem to feature enemies jerking about like electrocuted dogs. In the second of the three videos posted after the break, the downed enemy seems to perform some kind of bizarre humping motion in his death throes.Not that we mean to pick on Tenchu IV or anything -- being overly picky about this stuff is just part of our job.%Gallery-25071%
Tenchu IV to feature kittens, might be the best game ever
While it may look like some Laser Cats to most of you, us history buffs know that Lasers were not discovered in Japan until 1714, much later than when Tenchu IV takes place. So, these cats can't shoot lasers, but they can do other awesome things. Like look cute and distract enemies.Thinking of a ninja's arsenal, kittens don't really come to mind. They're prone to make noise (which could mean certain death for a ninja) and they take up a lot of space in a satchel. This space could be used for more deadly ninja stars. But, hey, we're not complaining. We love kittens. Even the fake kind in video games.%Gallery-25071%[Via Go Nintendo]
Forum post of the day: I need that for my PvP set
I'm sure at some point in time we've all seen epic looting nightmares. More than once I've been hoping for a drop in an instance only to have another party member beat me on a need roll. Usually, though it's something they actually do need, at least as much as I do. Sometimes ninja looting is even an accident, but other times it is not. Avirisa of Mannoroth is a might miffed that she was outrolled for a Commendation of Kael'Thas ... to a Hunter... for PvP. As a tank, she said he was running the instance to acquire that drop. Most responded that this behavior is part of what gives Hunters a bad name in the game (Huntard). Some blamed the original poster for inviting not only a Hunter, but a Night Elf Hunter to the group.
E308: N+ media leaps deftly into our grasp
In the spirit of N+ featuring hundreds of levels, we've received hundreds (well, lots anyway) of screenshots and two new gameplay videos (head past the break for the second). If there is a limit to how long we can watch a little stick figure bouncing off walls and performing gravity-defying stunts, we haven't yet reached the critical threshold. You can start learning about the mind-bending N+ experience with our hands-on preview, effectively taking "the best platforming engine in Flash, ever," for a ride. The thing is, no matter how many screens and videos you ogle, there's plenty more brand new levels being created constantly. Best of all, the DS version is just as full-featured as any other installment, including a full level creator and Wi-Fi multiplayer. N+ should be a sure-fire hit when it's released in August.%Gallery-14818%
Guildwatch: The thread you are looking for has been deleted
There's a disturbing trend happening on the forums lately -- all the great drama threads are getting deleted. It's not like it's not out there -- this week's GW, as usual, is full of good drama, and the truth is that drama threads on guild forums are better anyway. But it seems like every time a tipster kindly sends us a link to an official forum thread, it's mysteriously disappeared? Could someone at Blizzard... not want us to make fun of drama? We'll keep an eye on it.Until we figure that out, keep sending us the tips, whether they be about drama, downed news for your guild or others, or recruiting notices for up-and-coming raiding groups. The place to send it all is wowguildwatch@gmail.com, and clicking the link below will show you just what we heard about from the realms this week.
Guildwatch: The Robin Hood of Gurubashi
Now that's a good looking website. There aren't many around, and while, sure, you don't really need a great looking website as a guild (it's probably better to actually be downing bosses ingame than building resources outside of it), a good-looking website doesn't hurt when getting your guildies excited about being a part of the group.Lots more guilds and websites (including the drama, downing and recruiting news you're here for) in this week's GW, which starts right after the jump. Don't forget to send us your tips at wowguildwatch@gmail.com -- whether it's your guild or someone else's, we want to hear about it here!
Guildwatch: It's not stealing, it's a ninja
That's Alyxandria of All That Remains on Sisters of Elune, professing the opinion that the stuff her guildies stole from Just a Game on the same server isn't being given back. Apparently taking a bunch of stuff out of the guild bank and then /gquitting doesn't count as stealing -- we'll leave you all to decide the morality there.For our part, we don't judge, we just report on all the guild drama, downed, and recruiting news from around the realms. If you've got some, feel free to send us a tip, anonymous as you'd like, at wowguildwatch@gmail.com. Whether it's a particularly interesting screenshot of chat (as above), or an all out hilarious forum thread, or just news that your guild has downed a boss they've never downed before, please let us know, and you can see it here next week.
