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The Big Picture: digital maps uncover the hidden ruins of Stonehenge
You may already know that Stonehenge is just one part of a larger group of monuments, but digital mapping has made it clear that there's even more to the landscape than meets the eye. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project has used a mix of geophysical surveys and remote sensing technology to uncover not just 17 hidden ruins, but more details about locations that have already been explored to death. They've revealed a previously unknown early version of the Durrington Walls, for instance. Archaeologists will have to do some old-fashioned digging to know the full extent of what they found, but it's already evident that England's ancient architecture changed dramatically over the centuries.
Google Street View expands to cover swaths of Brazil and Mexican ruins, won't substitute for a vacation
For a country that dominates the Latin American landscape, Brazil hasn't had much of a presence in Google Street View outside of major cities like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. A fresh update to Street View coverage has just gone live that fleshes out the more far-flung corners of the map. It's now possible to see what it's like on the ground in much of the southern tip of the country as well as the northern coastline. Further north, Mexicans get their own treat: Google is now providing the panoramic views for ancient ruins such as Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, just in case you'd rather not try to blend in with all the other tourists. The widened reach is undoubtedly no match for booking a flight and visiting in person, but it will save you the trouble of brushing up on your Portugese or ancient Mayan.
The Road to Mordor: Frozen in time
My goat snorted as it cleared the final rise, and I pulled its reins to bring it to a halt. Raising a hand to shield my eyes from the sun, I gazed at the decrepit ruins before me. A chill ran up my spine as I imagined the horrors that awaited me within the crumbling structure. For many days I had traveled the countryside looking for just this place, yet now that I'd found it, I was unsure whether I wanted to be here at all. My guides had long since fled in terror, abandoning gear and food in their haste to flee what they called "evil territory." I curled my fist and summoned all of the powers of determination that remained within me. It had to be done. I had come too far and shed too much blood to turn my back on the ruins' ancient secrets right as I was on the verge of discovery. Sure, it was the beginning of every scary play ever, but I knew completely that my destiny would be made or broken in the next few minutes. I kicked my mount into action, and we solemnly entered the deep shadows of the ruins' domain. It was do or die time. "FREEZE TAG!" I shouted. "GAME ON!"
BlizzCon 2009 Insider Trader: Cataclysmic professions part two
A week has passed since BlizzCon 2009 and we're still digging up more news, getting clarification from the blues, and analyzing all of the panels. Last week, Insider Trader discussed some of the major professions-related features coming up in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the next expansion pack. Pass through the break to learn all about: Profession racial abilities and how they will be changing. The new direction for Alchemy. A totally revamped Fishing system! Archaeology details and speculation about the leveling process. The evolution of Inscription. Then, continue on to part three of this discussion to learn more about: Reforging and (not) repairing our own gear. Woodworking. Profession specializations and the new direction for differentiation.
BlizzCon 2009: Archaeology and Path of the Titans
The upcoming expansion, Cataclysm, will be incorporating greater levels of character customization than ever before. From guild talent trees, a different talent tree system, new races and race/class combinations, to a new profession that will be all about customization. Enter the Path of the Titans, and the new secondary profession, Archaeology.Pass through the break for all the details, but be warned, spoilers lay ahead!
The hero's guide to the Lone-Lands of Lord of the Rings
Codemasters has released another entry in their "hero's guide" series of articles for The Lord of the Rings Online, this one centering on the Lone-Lands, home of Weathertop and many other dangerous locales.The Lone-Lands are marked by the ruins of ancient kingdoms, each once part of the human kingdom of Arnor before shattering apart and going their own ways. Those ways ended up leading to war, with the kingdom of Rhudaur siding with the minions of the witch king in order to conquer the other two kingdoms. It was in these battles that the watch post of Weathertop fell, as it sat right on the borders between each of the three kingdoms.For all the tasty goodies and lore-related treats about the Lone-Lands, check out the full guide located over at LotRO Europe.
The Hillmen of LotRO's Ost Crithlanc want to kill you: read about it
Angmar is the source of most of the evil of the Shadows of Angmar volume of The Lord of the Rings Online. It's home to the Witch-king of (you guessed it) Angmar, the right-hand man of the Dark Lord Sauron. So it probably won't be surpassed in pure evilness (at least not lore-wise) until Mordor is added to the game in, oh, 10 years or so.Turbine's LotRO Lorebook has been updated with an entry for Ost Crithlanc, some ruins at the border of Angmar (all bad) and the North Downs (only mostly bad). The ruins have been seized by an army of Witch-king-serving Hillmen who are preparing to sweep through Eriador and slaughter everyone -- even those cute little hobbits. God, they're evil.The Lorebook has a little more detail on this Turbine-created, Tolkien-inspired location, along with a few pretty neat images. Enjoy!
Second Life places: Visit Mexico Ruta Maya
The Visit Mexico Ruta Maya sims are sponsored by the Mexican Tourism Board. And they've done a great job -- so many sponsored sites are like someone has tried to create a real-world expo and transport it to Second Life. Visit Mexico Ruta Maya is not like that at all. It presents a solid Second Life experience, that happens to make you want to go to Mexico and find out what it's like with scent, touch and taste. %Gallery-23630%
LotRO landmarks: Ost Guruth
The environments that Turbine have created for Lord of the Rings Online are obviously crafted with love, always including intricate little details for the fans, so we don't blame them for wanting to show them off. The official LotRO website is running a series called "Exploring Middle Earth" where different landmarks in the game are showcased and described for aspiring travelers. If you've been occupied with the flood of brand spanking new content, this is a nice way of revisiting the roots of the game. The most recent episode features the fortress-ruins of Ost Guruth.Ost Guruth is situated in the Lone-lands, and is a questing hub for levels 20-30, featuring portions of the game's Epic storyline -- but it's more than that too. Exploring Middle Earth hopes to give players an understanding of the lore and history of their favorite zones, and to that end, we learn that the ruins you see now at Ost Guruth belie a mighty past. They were in fact a castle that ended up being a casualty of war... but we won't spoil the details here. You can enjoy the full article via the related story link.Oh, and since we're just now catching up on Exploring Middle Earth (and the earlier entries were from prior to Massively's launch), check out others in the series such as Barad Gúlaran and The Eavespires.
