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Anti-Aliased: The Darkfall prophecies pt. 2
The double-edged sword to this is that the player is going to require a time investment. It's going to take more than stats and big numbers to win battles in these parts, and those things take time to learn. Knowing the environments, knowing how to gauge enemies, and knowing where to go in case of emergency are going to be things that are learned through use and not by giant pointing arrows or help boxes.But, when you do learn them, you'll probably find that you'll enjoy this game more than other games on the market. Once again, talk to any EVE player who's ever killed another player or destroyed a player-owned station, or done anything of note. They'll talk excitedly and smile the entire time they tell you the story.Epic is more than just purple text, it's a philosophyThe number one reason to get your hands on Darkfall seems to be the environment itself. Exploration is finally a viable option, as exploring can lead you to some amazing discoveries and treasures. Cities seem to be well designed and crafted from the limited view we've been presented with. And, of course, some of the scenes are amazingly gorgeous and worthy of a fantasy novel.All of this is heightened by the tension that an ambush can happen at any moment. Things could go from blissfully calm to deadly in a heartbeat. Player action is the root of the game, and not an incidental item left outside of the menu. The design is set up so that players drive what the game has to offer, a page taken directly from EVE Online's book of plays.Games should stop telling their players that things are epic, and instead make players feel like things are epic. Darkfall seems to understand this, and incorporates it into as many aspects of their design as possible.So, what's the final word?Even with all of these good things in store, even with the looks we have of the game, I'm going to be bluntly honest. Darkfall's hype is bigger than it's bite. We're not looking at the savior of MMOs or anything like that. Players are going to walk away feeling disappointed not because Darkfall is a bad game, but because they may not understand what they're getting into.Darkfall will be a good, solid game that will follow up on amazing concepts, but those concepts are not made for the general population of players. Let me stress that this is not a bad thing. Darkfall will certainly have a home amongst the well made games of our time. But players who are buying into the hype and not researching what they're getting into may find that this may not be the game for them.Players with backgrounds in Lineage II, EVE Online, and Ultima Online will find things to love here. But players with more modern MMO experience, like World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online, may find that the game world is too harsh and unforgiving.But if you can get through that harshness and stick it out, you're going to find experiences in this game that you will be completely unable to find in other games. You will walk away from Darkfall with tales to tell your friends, I guarantee it. Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who is interested, yet cautious, about Darkfall Online. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane friends. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.
Mark Jacobs on changes to WAR's open RvR
Mythic Entertainment's Mark Jacobs posted a Warhammer Online dev blog today, titled "Open RvR Update" which maps out the future of open realm-vs-realm in the game. Jacobs writes that the coming months will bring some changes and additions to WAR: An RvR Influence system. "This system is designed to reward our oRvR players with lots of new stuff that you can only get through oRvR," he says. Increased visibility of open RvR, made possible through numerous improvements such as improved maps and travel systems, second bind points, a campaign HUD, and tier-wide messaging about the status of battlefield objectives and keeps. Greater incentives for oRvR participation, namely through keep quests, 'Daily Event Quests,' and chained RvR missions. Better rewards for guilds that take and control keeps, and a system of keep upgrades. Allowing characters to gain oRvR "Fame", linked to the Tome of Knowledge and thus rewards, titles, and experience that come with oRvR success. Jacobs cautions though, "Please keep in mind that these changes/systems apply to oRvR only and not to scenarios. This is not all we are working on but these do reflect the majority of oRvR additions that we are currently working on/planning for the next few months." Jacobs hopes that open RvR enhancements will inject more risk and challenge into this aspect of the game, and ultimately more rewards. Check out his dev blog where he outlines the changes to open RvR and let us know, do you think Mythic is headed in the right direction with this system revamp? 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!
What draws players to EVE while keeping others away?
EVE Online is the type of game that doesn't have the broad appeal of fantasy that titles like World of Warcraft. Certainly, it attracts a number of players who are looking for an edgier game experience where actions have consequences. For some, the consequences can be steep, causing those gamers to shy away from EVE. Being wary of your fellow pilots is always a good idea, but it's not all piracy and suicide ganks. The game offers freedom to do what you want in the sandbox, but most EVE pilots stay on the right side of the law. Sam Guss is a writer at EVE-Mag.com, an up and coming site that focuses on EVE Online, who wrote a piece that caught our eye at Massively. His article is titled "Is EVE for You?" and looks at what the attraction to the game is for him, and speculates about the wider appeal of EVE to other dedicated players. If you're an EVE fan, what is it that sets the game apart from other MMOs? And for those that don't play EVE Online, what aspects of the game keep you away?
The high price of trust in EVE
Trust is a rare commodity in EVE Online, and is one of those aspects of the game that makes it at once interesting and frustrating. That friendly person who offers you assistance in a mission, wants to sell you a faction module, or seeks to join your corporation may very well be waiting to backstab you when you least expect it. This might sound bad, but it's not necessarily a terrible thing in terms of enjoying the game. Indeed, some may feel that it adds to the risk inherent in EVE, and thus the thrill. The fact that players can manipulate trust within the rules of the game is one of the aspects of EVE that sets it apart from most other MMOs. The risk vs. reward stakes are raised when trust comes into play with groups of players. Collective action through corporations or alliances will, at some point in time, entail trust. It may be a CEO or director lifting restrictions on access to resources for a member of the corp, hoping that the faith placed in the recruit wasn't a bad move. In other scenarios, the situation is reversed -- a director decides to cut and run, seizing assets and leaving the corporation shocked and understandably enraged.
The freedom of living in EVE Online's lawless space
In EVE Online, there are few things as feared by highsec dwellers as going into 0.0 space. These lawless tracts of New Eden do come with certain perils -- as CONCORD isn't there to protect you -- but there are arguably more benefits to flying in 0.0 than there are drawbacks. Still, there will always be a dichotomy in EVE between players who like the game for the freedom 0.0 offers, and those who prefer the safety of highsec. In 'Living the good life in 0.0,' EVE blogger Xiphos explains his choice to leave Empire space behind. "In 0.0, you are free. Free of Concord, free of hundreds of players, and free to set your own destiny... it is the untamed wild west, where fortune, power, and glory are right for the taking and few have yet to reach out and grasp it," Xiphos writes. Of course, being a member of Agony Unleashed, an EVE corp that provides in-game PvP courses, doesn't hurt in terms of knowing how to handle yourself in 0.0. Have a look at 'Living the good life in 0.0' and see Xiphos' take on the appeal of flying in lawless space. Do you agree with Xiphos' view of the game, and have you largely abandoned highsec in favor of 0.0 and all that comes with it, or simply to experience the most from the game? [Via CrazyKinux]
Phat Loot Phriday: Verigan's Fist
Before Death Knights show up and take all of the Paladins' glory, let's take a look at the weapon that originally defined Human Paladins, the two-handed mace of heroes.Name: Verigan's Fist (Wowhead, Thottbot, WoWWiki)Type: Rare Two-hand MaceDamage/Speed: 65-99 / 3.20 (25.6 DPS)Abilities: +7 Stamina, +6 Intellect, +12 Spirit. A Paladin hammer of justice if there ever was one, and not just because it's only for Pallies. The quest you can get it at (see below) is at level 20, and the weapon is so nice for the level it'll easily last you most of the way towards the 30s. There's no two ways about it -- any Paladin poking around midlevel should be wielding this hammer. Unless you're healing all the time, this is the thing to hit bad guys with. As soon as you get it, enchant it, because odds are that you'll keep it for a while. And it's one of the best quest rewards before 60 -- in my opinion, one of the best for-the-level weapons in the game. How to Get It: You've got to be an Alliance Paladin, which means Human (Update: or Dwarf or Draenei, of course, thanks commenters. But you still have to go to Westfall to run the quest). And at level 20, you'll get a quest called The Tome of Valor from your Paladin trainer, which will take you on a journey to save a lovely lass, and into a few instances for the level to do some weapon material fetching. It's a nice, and fairly simple quest chain, it'll get you not only this sweet weapon, but a nice shield and the Sense Undead ability, and, most importantly, it'll teach you how to be a Paladin and stand up for the Light wherever darkness encroaches (which doesn't include, strangely enough, QQing about ret gear itemization).Blood Elf Pallys have a much easier quest, and can nab the Blood-Tempered Ranseur. But Verigan's Fist is a classic, so we're featuring that one. The Whirlwind Weapon is a good one for Warriors, but that's three different weapons -- no other weapon exemplifies a class, in our humble opinion, as much as this one. Disagree? Sound off in the comments.Getting Rid of It: Sells to vendors for 74s 59c. Disenchants into a Small Glowing Shard. But don't get rid of it -- good Paladins always walk softly and carry a big hammer.
MMO MMOnkey: The rat Skinner, or negative reinforcement in MMOs
Like the wardens in Everquest 2 or the druids in World of Warcraft, reinforcement in MMOs is not always what it appears to be. In an earlier column we wrote about how positive reinforcement, as defined by behaviorist learning theory, occurs whenever the player receives something beneficial and pointed out a number of the simple ways this kind of reinforcement is used in MMOs. A second column used the bounty and collection quests in EQ2 as examples of how positive reinforcement could be well (the bounty quests) or poorly (the collection quests) implemented. Several Massively readers who enjoy the collection quests took us to task and pointed out some of the ways EQ2's collection quests can be rewarding in terms of gold, experience and loot. They also made the point that bounty quests, like hot elf chicks, are old, tired and overused as staples of MMO play. I mean, really, who wants to kill another 20 rats for Fatboy the quest giver? Not me, and I'm guessing many of you don't either.
MMO MMOnkey: MMOs as conditioned learning engines (Part 2)
In a previous column we looked at some of the many ways that game designers use positive reinforcement and reward in MMOs. Positive reinforcement occurs whenever an action is accompanied by or results in something pleasant or enjoyable. When a person is positively reinforced or rewarded they are more likely to repeat the action that is associated with the reward. The importance of reinforcement for MMOs is obvious; the more the player is rewarded, the more likely she is to play the game. A deeper understanding of how reinforcement works in MMOs can be gained by comparing an example of where it's done well with a case where it's done poorly and Everquest 2 provides just the examples we need.
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MMO MMOnkey: MMOs as Conditioned Learning Engines (Part 1)
The behaviorists were like the orcs of psychology. Limited in vision, arrogant, belligerent and intolerant, they ruled the world of scientific psychology with an iron fist from the 1920s through the 1950s. Many of them were very capable scientists, however, and much of their work, especially in their signature area of learning, has stood the test of time. The behaviorists' biggest mistake lay in insisting that the principles of learning they discovered provided a complete and thorough explanation of what people do and why they do it. They thought they had the whole story. They didn't. They only had part of the story but it was an important part. We don't want to make the same mistake the behaviorists made and think their learning theories fully explain what we see people do in MMOs. But we also don't want to ignore the very powerful effects the principles of learning they discovered are having in every successful MMO on the market because when you get right down to it, games like World of Warcraft couldn't be better conditioning engines if they had been designed by B.F. Skinner himself. Behaviorist learning theory is commonly know as operant conditioning and it is based on the simple idea that actions that are accompanied by good, pleasant, or desirable outcomes are more likely to be repeated while actions that are accompanied by outcomes that are bad, unpleasant or undesirable are less likely to be repeated. In other words, actions that are rewarded are likely to recur and actions that are punished are not. People didn't need the behaviorists to tell them this; the behaviorists' contributions were to clearly distinguish between different kinds of rewards and punishments and to demonstrate how each had different effects on what people do and how they do it. The behaviorists called the learning procedure that has the largest effect on how we play MMOs positive reinforcement. This type of learning occurs whenever a person does something and gets something they enjoy or value as a result. When people are positively reinforced, they are more likely to repeat or continue the action they were doing when they were rewarded and MMOs shower their players with positive reinforcement. For your own positive reinforcement on this topic, read on.
What to do about perpetual losers?
Many Alliance players have this impression that the Horde is constantly united, more cooperative, and generally understands how to play better than the Alliance does. Whether this is true or not is not something I myself can speak for, though I have heard my Horde friends say they have just as many clueless PvP people as the Alliance does. So perhaps both factions can relate to Mendax's complaint that so many people seem to go into the battlegrounds with no idea how to win, and somehow fail to learn how, even in spite of playing a great deal and getting a lot of good gear. Their tendency is just to go in and lose over and over again, repeating the same old proven-to-fail methods for various reasons: possibly because they don't know anything better, possibly because they don't care anymore, and possibly because they've already identified themselves, their faction, or everyone else in their faction as born losers.In any case, Mendax thinks that Blizzard should make the battlegrounds themselves reward you for better play, so that the game mechanics themselves encourage you to play in such a way that you're more likely to actually win. First of all, they could provide more honor for kills near contested objectives (such as flags or towers), and secondly, they could deny all bonus honor if you lose. His first idea quite interesting -- I like the possibility that the reward system of the battlegrounds could somehow teach you to play better in itself, if that's really possible. However, while I can understand his reasoning in removing all bonus honor gain for losing teams, I think this would just make the "losers" stop queueing up altogether. We might be happy to get rid of whiners, complainers and all them, but in the end would the increase the waiting time in between battles be worth it? And in any case, would the "losers" really go away, or would they just look for ways to get around the system?
Science says: Men's brains get more 'reward' from gaming
Developers and executives that are struggling to develop games that appeal to women now have a new excuse to fall back on if and when they fail. According to a study by Stanford University's Alan Reiss, men are hard wired to feel more "rewarded" playing games than women.The study, which looked at 11 men and 11 women, asked participants to play a simple territorial point-and-click game while hooked up to an fMRI machine. The men in the study showed much great activity in the brain's "mesocorticolimbic center," which is associated with reward and addiction.Interestingly, the amount of activity for men went up as they did better at the game, while the amount of activity for women stayed roughly constant, regardless of achievement. "The females 'got' the game... they appeared motivated to succeed at the game," Reiss said. "The males were just a lot more motivated to succeed." Yeah, yeah ... tell it to the Frag Dolls.
Everything known (and unknown) about patches 2.4 and 2.3.2
MMO-Champion has compiled two handy listings of information about upcoming patches: everything we know so far about patch 2.4, as well as patch 2.3.2.WoW Insider, of course, has covered all the upcoming content in patch 2.4, as well as the changes in 2.3.2, but for those who would love to see a concise summary of the information, laid out in an easy to understand format, these pages at MMO-Champion are handy indeed.Of course the obvious question one must ask whenever we see a list of "everything we know about X" is: "what about all that stuff we don't know?" I for one am particularly looking forward to finding out what sorts of rewards will be made available from the new Shattered Sun Offensive faction. Some sort of new mounts perhaps? Will there be a flyable dragonhawk at last? What sort of items would make people start drooling at the mouth enough to devote all kinds of time to all those daily quests?
Crit happens
ces_1 over on WoW Ladies posted bragging about her 9.7k Healing Touch crit, and it reminded me that I do exactly the same thing. For some reason, seeing those big numbers pop up in the middle of battle is an indescribable thrill. Crits are strange entities-- they aren't even always helpful (there are many situations, mostly when aggro is tight, in which big crits are actually bad to get). But big numbers inspire something primal in us. And even if we aren't world-record critting (even in the LJ comments, people are showing off bigger Healing Touch crits), there's something super inspiring about seeing a huge number and then realizing it's your personal best. A 3k Lighting Bolt crit isn't that much, but darned if it wasn't a terrific feeling when I finally hit it on my Shaman.Loot is fun, but at the highest levels, it's a group thing-- you need to go into somewhere as a group or a raid, and then even if you do down the boss, you have to make sure you win a random roll or however else loot is distributed. But crits are far more personal-- even though they come from that loot, they're a result of all the gear choices you've made and the talents you've chosen for your character. Sure, a big dragon to fly around on is fun, but crits, out of the many rewards we've all earned in Azeroth, are maybe the most personal achievements you can find-- a real, numerical symbol that you've learned how to combine gear, class, and talents to do big things.
Phat Loot Phriday: Speedy Racer Goggles
Today's PLP is actually a request. Reader Pol sent a request for this one (a while ago, actually-- sorry, I've been busy), and wanted to know the story behind these one easy-to-obtain and now very rare goggles.Name: Speedy Racer GogglesType: Uncommon Cloth HeadArmor: 53 ArmorAbilities: +14 Intellect Pre 2.3, they've also got +14 Agility on them, but post 2.3, they've got +16 to healing and damage. Also, they're notable for being the only goggles in the game (I'm pretty sure-- someone speak up in the comments if this isn't true) that don't have an Engineering requirement to wear. If you have two professions that aren't Engineering, and you want to wear some shades, these are them. And as goggles in Azeroth go, they don't really look too bad. But there's a problem... How to Get It: Erm, while these things were once super easy to come by, they're gone now. They used to be a reward for the Gahz'rilla quest that had you killing the big lizard in Zul'Farrak, but the other option from this quest was the famous mountspeed increaser Carrot on a Stick, so these goggles got neglected by most players coming through. Eventually, Blizzard decided that if no one wanted them, no one would have them, and the goggles got removed from the quest rewards, and are currently unavailable ingame.But here's the thing. Blizzard, as you might know, recently did an upgrade of lowbie items, including lowbie quest items like these goggles. And these goggles, as you see above, did get upgraded. If anyone had them sitting in their bags, they'll see the +spell damage on the item, not the old Agility buff.Does this mean Blizzard is bringing them back. Not necessarily likely-- instead of just tweaking each item separately, odds are that Blizzard just tweaked the recipes for the items, and thus this item got tweaked automatically. It may be coming back as part of the upgrades to Engineering (wouldn't it be great if Engineers could sell goggles like these?), but that's pure speculation at this point.Still, this is a nice item. It's kind of a shame it got pushed out by Carrot on a Stick. Maybe we'll see the Speedy Racer Goggles again somewhere else in Azeroth in the future.Getting Rid of It: Sells for 67s 45c to vendors, but if you got em, might as well hold on to them. They're as antique as items get in Azeroth.Update: Commenter rockatansky points out that they are not the only non-Engie goggles. But I'd hazard a guess that they are the only vanilla WoW non-Engie goggles.
Is Blizzard exploiting WoW players?
Is Blizzard doing something unethical by producing and selling World of Warcraft? Rather than just the ol' "MMO games are too addictive" angle, an article in Australia's The Age (seriously, it's always the Aussies) has a new twist: game companies like Blizzard are actually "exploiting" their own players by implementing a reward system that keeps people playing.In a sense, um... yeah. Game companies have gotten the art of rewarding down to a science-- every great videogame out there lately is really terrific at balancing the challenge of playing with a suitable reward, whether that be an amazing headshot (along with sound and graphics, usually), epic loot, or just a shiny bit of treasure. That's why we play these things.So are you being exploited for your money when you hear about Zul'Aman and decide to keep paying monthly to stick around and pay it? No more than when the grocery stores exploit you for profit when you buy food, or when Starbucks exploits you for a tall when you want it. You decide when and where to spend your time and money, and if you'd rather not be "exploited" by Blizzard, you have the right to quit.Obviously, I don't think what Blizzard's doing is unethical. They're doing their best to make an involving and addictive game. And the reason they're doing that is because that's exactly what we want. Fortunately, as Terra Nova points out, The Age has included a hot nelf pic, so their piece isn't a complete waste of time.[ via Terra Nova ]
Kid saves dad's life, kid wants PS3 in return
On the surface, a PlayStation 3 doesn't seem like too much to give a person for saving your life, but when the request comes from the little man to whom you (in one way or another) gave life, things aren't so clear. Reportedly, the nine-year old Matty Lovo came the rescue and saved his pop's life by calling for help after his father passed out behind the wheel of his tractor-trailer. In an interview with CNN, the youngster didn't hesitate to label himself a hero, and moreover, wasn't shy about stating that a shiny new PS3 seemed like a fair reward for such a saintly act. Sheesh, talk about demanding.[Via PS3Fanboy]
Phat Loot Phriday: Everglow Lantern
This twinkalicious quest reward isn't exactly much loved, but it has its place.Name: Everglow LanternType: Uncommon OffhandDamage/Speed: NAAbilities: +3 Stamina Use: Heal your target for 135 to 165. Unfortunately, there's a gigantic 30 minute cooldown on this one, so it's not extremely useful. But in certain situations it comes in handy, and while it's likely you'll ditch this one fairly quickly, for the level or two that you have this paired with a good one hand weapon, the extra healing helps in a pinch. The thing looks pretty cool, too, as the glow spreads on your character, other characters, and in the surrounding area. Kind of fun to carry around at night with all the graphic options turned up, and RPers may even keep it around for those nighttime play sessions. How to Get It: This is a quest reward, that's available to both factions via two different quests. For Alliance, you've got to do Supplies to Auberdine, an escort quest in Ashenvale, and Horde can do Weapons of Choice at Camp T in the Barrens. Horde can get their quest at level 17 (though the mobs are much higher level, around 23-25), and Alliance can get the quest at 19 (though it too will be hard for someone that low to complete. But with help it's more than possible, so if you really wanted to put this on a 19 WSG twink, you definitely could.Truthfully, there are better items you could put on a twink, but speaking as a Mage who brings this thing into the lowbie battlegrounds, there's nothing like getting funny tells when people wonder how you heal yourself. I can only hope the other side wonders, too.Getting Rid of It: Oh right-- this is why I have this section. Because not all the phat loot you get is worth keeping. A vendor will give you 16s 32c for this, or it will DE into a Strange Dust, Lesser Astral Essence, or a Small Glimmering Shard.And speaking of Phat Loot, have you left a comment on our Spectral Tiger Mount contest yet? The contest ends tonight at 7:00pm EST-- if you haven't, hurry over and get it done!
Wendy and their 400 free Wiis, plus points and games
Since it began on May 21 the Wendy's Wii giveaway has distributed over 400 of the 800 available systems. Wiis aren't the only thing they're giving away, they also have gone through half of their 800 Wii Point cards and games. The Wii Point cards are the 2000 point version and the games available are Mario Party 8, Super Paper Mario and Big Brain Academy. The whole thing hinges on the purchase of a Frosty Float from Wendys, which has a code on the cup you put in at FrostyFloat.com. Of course, per usual, no purchase is actually necessary, but it does expedite the process. The giveaway ends July 31. There's some interactive features at FrostyFloat.com too where you can design your own shakes, sadly they haven't figured out yet how to pay for it and just grab it out of your screen.We got some statistics from Wendy's about the contest. So far there have been 1,283,191 "gameplays" by 302,547 people. Now, let's see, at 400 calories a shake, that means if every one of the 1.2 million plays were from people who bought shakes, the desire to Wii has injected 480,000,000 extra calories into American society. Those 302,547 people could really use that Wii right about now with some Wii DDR and a few hardcore rounds of Wii Sports to work that off -- they could always follow the WiiHealthy.com guide as well. Curse you tasty fast food with giveaways!
North Carolina cops offering cash and console to stop vandalism
We've heard of the Federales handing out aging Xbox consoles in return for random pieces of weaponry, but a modern day case of Jet Grind Radio has Garner, North Carolina officials miffed. In a peculiar bout with vandals who are littering the town with "Ghost" graffiti tags, the local police are actually offering up some handsome rewards to informants that lead the boys in blue to any rightful arrests. Of course, the $1,000 cash prize looks tempting enough, but if the "miscreant is a juvenile," police are offering $500 or their choice of a Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 (the 20GB flavor, we presume), or Nintendo Wii on top of the cool thousand just for participating. Here's to hoping the bandits are kids, eh?[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Apple TV gets RSS plugin, game emulation and $1000 bounty for external media drive support
Oh it's on now. Engadget posted some more juicy bits for those thirsty to hack their Apple TV to do everything from read RSS to solving the holy grail of complaints: support for using an external USB drive as the media drive, thereby circumventing the limit of the device's pathetic 40GB drive.First up is a slick RSS plugin for the Apple TV (pictured) that allows you to download and read news and blogs via RSS. Created by twenty08, the installation sounds fairly simple, as is editing the actual RSS file to add whatever feeds you like. Plenty more is on the way for this plugin, however, including extracting images from feeds and playing embedded videos right in the RSS item itself. Since the Apple TV and the very hackable technology that runs it are still shiny and new to everyone, twenty08 reminds us that hacks like this merely need a little time to develop and mature.Another more bizarre hack is support for Apple TV game emulation, with YouTube user WildRoosterFilms posting a video of Super Mario Brothers running on the device with a hack that enables an N64 controller to drive the game. Check out the AwkwardTV wiki for more details on how to get this up and running.Last but in no way least is Apple TV Hacks' announcement of a $1000 bounty to whoever can enable support for using an external USB drive for the Apple TV's media storage. While plenty of Apple TV users are happy to stream some of their content that the device's puny drive can't hold, this bounty clearly shows an interest from plenty of other users who are excited to have more on-device space for storing everything locally on the Apple TV itself. There are a number of criteria that must be met before the cash is handed over, however, so check out the rules if you think you have a shot at answering the prayers of claustrophobic Apple TV owners.
