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US Army trials hybrid vehicle, sports night vision / remote weaponry
This certainly doesn't mark the first case in which the US Army has fiddled with hybrid vehicles, but the Maneuver Sustainment Vehicle (MSV) that the military is currently testing out most definitely ups the ante in other areas. The diesel-electric hybrid truck touts an insanely rugged frame designed to "sustain the concussion of a roadside bomb," and after it brushes off that weak attempt to render it immobile, the remote weapons system should inflict a fair amount of vengeance on the enemy. Moreover, the highly-spec'd machines also feature night vision capabilities, touchscreen controls, swarms of video cameras, and ballistic-grade glass to boot. Unfortunately, the limited fleet of MSVs are currently being recognized as "concept vehicles" to be used for demonstration purposes alone, but we're sure there's a number of defense contractors that could piece together a slightly less vicious version for your own garage if you've got the loot to back it up.
Tankadin gear updates
I've always though the biggest problem with Paladin tanking was gear (well, ever since I realized Paladins can tank, that is). Plate seems to come, for the most part, in three kinds: physical DPS gear, with strength, agility, and crit rating; tanking gear, with +defense, stamina, etc.; and caster gear, with Intellect, mana per 5, spell damage, and so forth. None of these three types is ideal for Paladin tanking -- if you take tank plate, you miss out on spell damage, and if you take caster plate, you miss out on stamina, +defense, and avoidance stats. The devs have heard this concern, and are planning to address it in 2.1.0. Ommra delivers: As previously promised I passed this on to the developers. I took the liberty of summarising the thread; basically saying that what you are after is gear with +Stamina, +Defense and +Spell damage, and that you are not very keen on +Intelligence and MP5 (Youngblood emphasised the need for more HP and damage mitigation instead). The devs have read this and thought it sounded fair enough. Paladin tanking gear is going to be more geared towards tanking/hp so this concern should be addressed in the next content patch. So, again, thank you for compiling this and helping me passing your concerns on to the devs.Looks pretty good to me. Paladins, what do you guys think? Have I got your gear situation totally wrong? This is good news, right?[via PaladinSucks]
One tank to rule them all? Devs say no.
As a healer, I feel like I get a decent view on tank performance. And by now I've had a chance to heal for all three primary tanking classes: Warrior, Paladin, and Druid. From my point of view, both a Paladin and a Druid make excellent tanks when specced for it; in fact, in BC I'd say they tank better than a Warrior. Post-patch, if I had to pick a ranking, I'd say Pally > Druid > Warrior (Druid would've been on top pre-patch), but that really depends on player, gear, and environment. I asked a few guildies (a shadow Priest, experienced in pulling aggro, and a player who's tanked as both a Pally and a Warrior both made themselves available for extended comment; one more each of Druid, Pallie, and Warrior gave quick shout-ins), and here's what emerged (combined with my own observations):
South Korea unveils XK2 Black Panther amphibious battle tank
Remember how when you were a kid what you always wanted most was a fully loaded tank that you could drive underwater? Huh, you mean a snorkeling tank isn't something that consumed your every waking moment? Well we sure wanted one, and now following 11 years of design and $230 million in development costs, the always tech-forward South Koreans have delivered. Said to be the only tank in the world that can wade through up to 13.5 feet of water, the so-called XK2 Black Panther is a followup to the country's K1 unit (the X will get dropped once these go into production), and is so advanced that the official in charge of the project immodestly boasts that it has "more suberb capabilities than any other existing tank." Some of these "superb capabilities" include a 120-millimeter gun firing at 15 rounds per minute, smart munitions that can avoid obstacles to reach their targets, an active defense system against incoming artillery, and a special suspension that allows for three distinct configurations and downhill firing. With a top road speed of 44mph the XK2 is certainly no slouch, and with an estimated cost of $8.5 million per vehicle, it's certainly no bargain either. Combined with the country's already impressive army of autonomous vehicles, robotic sentries, and multi-wheeled killbots, the Black Panther should make potential aggressors think twice before they launch an attack against the Koreans (or at least make sure that they have a few good EMP's).[Photo credit: Korean Times]
A realistic look at druid tanking
Druids have received some significant changes in the coming 2.0.10 patch, but while there's lots of complaint and speculation, there's little agreement on what the changes will actually do for druids. But the loudest complaint is that druids will no longer be able to tank and will be once more reduced to a pure healing role. Note that there are no changes to cat or moonkin effectiveness or damage output, which does leave DPS as an option (in both PvE and PvP) -- but with so many classes able to DPS and so few classes able to heal, druids are reasonably concerned about being marginalized. The facts on bears from the patch notes are as follows: Bear/dire bear form's health bonus has changed from +25% health to +25% stamina. While this sounds like a non-change, this means that +health enchants and health-increasing potions or flasks are no longer considered in the bonus calculation, resulting in a loss of health for some druids. Dire bear form's armor bonus has been reduced from +450% to +400%. The talent Savage Fury no longer affects mangle (bear), maul, or swipe. Savage Fury previously increased damage done by those abilities by 20% for two talent points. The ability lacerate is the only bear ability that is not effected by this change, but only because it wasn't effected by the talent previously. (This talent will still have benefits to cat form, but no longer benefits any abilities in bear form.) The talent Predatory Instincts has been changed from a critical damage increase of 3/6/9/12/15% to a critical damage increase of 2/4/6/8/10%. The rage normalization equation has been adjusted to grant more rage. While we won't know the full story until the final changes hit the live realms, by piecing together some of the data coming from players on the PTRs, I think we can make some reasonable guesses. Curious? Keep reading.
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Where have the tanks gone?
Unlike many guilds, my guild has never had a problem with finding healers in TBC. We have a ton of 70 shamans, most of whom are resto specced and on nearly all the time. We have a couple of priests with good healing gear. We even have some up-and-coming paladins who are in the mid-60s. Instead, our problems are tank-related. Like most guilds, we have a good number of warriors, about evenly divided between tanks and DPS warriors. But our tanks seem to have fallen into the habit of mysteriously disappearing for days at a time, which has slowed their leveling speed. Two of our tanks are still 67, which kind of puts a damper on Karazhan plans. Two of our prot warriors are 70, but one let his game card expire and can't afford a new one and the other is only on occasionally. So as of now, our theoretical main tank is a feral druid. Admittedly, he is a very GOOD feral druid, and he is excellent in five-mans and heroics, but he's not quite confident that he can handle the big raid bosses. Other guilds I've spoken to have reported similar issues. One has a shortage of prot warriors and is having difficulty in Karazhan with druid tanks, and as for five-mans, "we've got 20 people wanting to instance and 2 tanks online." Another has trouble "finding tanks that wake up in time for raids." The third guild has enough tanks right now, but the leader noted that they leveled slowly. As I see it, the problem has three parts. First, prot warriors level slowly, so the first warriors to 70 are likely to be those who spec arms or fury and have the gear for it. Second, warriors are sort of gimp right now, and many warriors have switched to other classes, either because they didn't like being nerfed or because they had trouble getting into a guild as a warrior. And finally, most raiding guilds only needed two or three regular protection warriors for their raids. When forty people doing one instance with three tanks turns into forty people doing eight instances, needing eight tanks, there's likely to be a perceived tank shortage -- even if you have the same number of tanks you did before. Have you noticed a tank shortage on your guild or server? What do you think players can do to make life easier for tanks?
USB missle control tank ups office arsenal
USB circus cannons and stationary missile launchers are one thing, but if you really want to intimidate your co-workers (and, quite likely, get fired) you'll need to let one of these bad boys loose to roam the cubicles. While it's not completely USB-powered, plugging the tank's controller into your PC will cut down on the need for some batteries, as well as increase the number of control options (and hacking potential) at your disposal, letting you point and click your way to your desired target. The tank is also apparently no slouch when it comes to navigating hazardous terrain, able to climb a 30 degree slope and traverse rough roads (i.e. carpet), all while simultaneously being able to aim its on-board missile launcher and deliver a "precise missile strike" at targets up to 20 feet away. Naturally, it also comes equipped with a full compliment of sound effects, though we somehow suspect that won't stop you form supplying your own. At $80 plus $40 for shipping and handling, the price may be a tad exorbitant, but the sight of the tank doing its thing in the video after the break almost makes it seem worth it.
Beat the blues with a new Tank Beat trailer
Are you depressed? Not enough cannon fire and war in your life? Well, we've got the cure! Yes, ladies and gentleman, Tank Beat from O3 Entertainment looks to blow the hell out of your blues and set fire to apathy, sparking new waves of interest in all things gaming from you. Check the video out, embedded past the jump, and let us know what you think!There are also screenshots for the game available at DS-x2 here.See also: Tank Beat brings the noise[Via Go Nintendo]
Army tank sim in need of Smell-O-Vision?
Even at roughly $1.6 million a pop, one of the world's most expensive video game platforms is still missing a key component of immersion: smell. The US Army's M1 Abrams tank simulators offer valuable training exercises for troops stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado -- and they're fuel efficient. What these sims lack however is that 'authentic' tank stench. No plans for a patch have been announced.How long before Nintendo attempts Smell-O-Vision in one of its consoles?
Forum Post of the Day: Druid tanks from a healing perspective
There's little discussion on this post so far, but the few posts in the thread thus far are rather interesting. As far as tanking goes, the warrior has always been king, with a much wider array of abilities to hold aggro and reduce their own damage taken. But when the Burning Crusade hits store shelves, druids and paladins will both find themselves with a wider array of tanking abilities -- druids with a hardier bear form and paladins with a much nicer protection tree. And while I still feel that protection warriors will be the cream of the crop, I wonder if druids and paladins won't offer their own advantages -- in certain situations. However, warriors and paladins maintain the advantage of block and parry, neither of which druids are capable of. But whether this means druids will be the Burning Crusade's third class tank or whether their immense stamina and armor ratings make up for it -- I think I'll really have to get some experience with it before I could decide.Forum Post of the Day attempts to highlight interesting and constructive posts (I know, I know -- I'm severely restricting the available options!) from the official forums. Seen a post recently that's made you think? Let us know about it!
The weapons of Killzone: Liberation
If you've played the demo, you got a good taste of what to expect from the upcoming PSP-exclusive Killzone: Liberation. You can only carry one weapon at a time, meaning weapons selection is pretty crucial to the strategy of the game. Thankfully, there are crates that will supply you with the necessary tools you'll need (for example: a rocket launcher before a deadly battle against two tanks). GameTrailers.com has posted an excellent video feature, covering the various weapons in the game. Their favorite? A explosive crossbow, a la Darkwatch. They reveal details on how you can purchase new weapons, use C4, command your teammates to cover you with turret fire, ride a tank, and more. Chris found the game demo to be pretty damn good, and with all these gameplay features, it seems like the full game will not disappoint (hopefully). Killzone: Liberation hits stores on Halloween.
Up close with BWii
The newly-announced Battalion Wars 2 is playable in Leipzig, and the initial opinions are positive. Graphically, the game sports little difference from the prior GameCube version, but word is that the controls for BWii are smooth and the gameplay is interesting enough that the game manages to feel new and fresh. It's not all roses, though -- IGN reports, after their time with the game, that a few of the maneuvers feel a little awkward, but from their short time with the game, these bumps didn't seem insurmountable. Apparently, BWii will offer several online multiplayer modes, but all that is confirmed at this time is a four-player Capture the Flag. In tanks. Or maybe even in boats. Oh yeah.
Tank Beat brings the noise
If tanks make you want to crack a glowstick and hit the dance floor, then this Tank Beat trailer is the coolest thing you're going to see all day. Here's hoping they keep this music for the multiplayer side -- there's just nothing like a few pumping beats to liven up the interior of your massive killing machine. Next up: the pine-scented air freshener.
Tank Beat rolling onto the DS
Yesterday saw the announcement to Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu for a new DS game based around tank warfare. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, so Milestone is looking to bring realistic tanks into the title to give wannabe tank drivers (tankers?) the chance to use some of the most feared combat machines in history. With the Soviet T-34/85 or German Jagdpanther at players' disposal, they'll be able to progress through a story mode or take their battle to the multiplayer arena for some head-to-head action via local wireless play or Nintendo's Wi-Fi service.Keep an eye on DS Fanboy for more information as it arrives.
Learn2play: a guide to class roles
While trying to explain the difference between MT, OT, DPS and healer to a new player, I found this well-written guide to party roles in WoW. If you're unsure quite what the difference between a main and offtank is, or which classes are considered "DPS", it's a great read.As a druid, I love the fact that my class appears under all headings, but as a recent instance run taught me, it's best to ensure you know which you are before you begin. Hybrid classes can cause no end of arguments when they fail to remain hybrid, too, so don't be afraid to switch roles if necessary -- a healing class that refuses to heal when the only other healer is out of mana is a great party annoyance.
Upcoming Paladin Changes
Details remain scarce, but it looks like paladins may have some positive changes in their future, primarily to make them more capable tanks. (Though Eyonix's phrasing, which states that improving tanking ability is "one of their goals" begs the question as to what their other goals might be.) Paladins can look forward to the following in upcoming patches: Holy Shield: while this ability does generate threat (though this is note stated on the tool tip), the amount of threat it causes is being reviewed. Righteous Fury: is currently not generating the proper amount of threat for all holy damage. This should be fixed in 1.10. Other Abilities: all threat-generation abilities are being reviewed, and paladins can expect to see other threat generation skills improving over "the next few patches." Protection Tree: will be getting a review to make it "more appealing."
