Posts Tagged ‘real id’

More Blizzard Shenanigans: Crabby the Dungeon Helper, Horadric Cube App, and the Future of StarCraft

1 April 2011 | 3 Comments » | pixiestixy

Blizzard sure is busy this morning, and has unveiled a heap of new game features for all of its major titles that are sure to excite us all!

In addition to the blindly awesome Tomb of Immortal Darkness, we’ll also be seeing a trio of other new and exciting ideas:

  • The Introduction of Crabby the Dungeon Helper in WoW: First we had the dungeon finder, and now we have Crabby at your side, ready to provide tips and hints to help you when you’re stuck. He provides encouragement, even after the umpteenth wipe of the night. Just remember — nothing escapes Crabby’s unwavering gaze. And for now, he cannot be disabled. He’s your friend, whether you want him to be or not.
  • A Horadric Cube transmutation app that allows smartphone users to combine any apps on their devices to create new versions with smart features. Just imagine – you could combine your WoW armory app with Facebook and call it Real ID. An old controversy reborn anew! Blizzard also promises that a translocation feature is on the horizon.
  • The Future of StarCraft looks bright indeed with its inevitable return to consoles. A breakthrough Motion Overdrive technology will allow players to control the game with their own movements. Check out a spectacular demonstration of the technology in the video below

Continue Reading

WoWFlix: G33k and G4m3r Girls

25 September 2010 | 10 Comments » | Mordil

As I take a short vacation from many obligations this weekend, I stumbled upon this epicly awesome video, courtesy of @pixiestixy.

G33K and G4M3R Girls (Geek and Gamer Girls for the non-leetspeekers) is an everything-we-are parody of Katy Perry’s California Girls, courtesy of Team Unicorn. From reading manga and comics, to loving on an in-the-flesh Stan Lee, to raiding Mount Hyjal, to flaunting their knowledge of Star Wars, such as “We know Han shot first” in reference to the cantina scene from Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope; this song covers it all exceptionally well.

A special kudos goes to my favorite young actor/writer/comedian, Seth Green, most known as Chris from Family Guy, Scott Evil from Austin Powers, and Producer of the geekiest TV show on-air: Robot Chicken, for his rapping skills.

Continue on for what this may mean for how views on gaming, and specifically gaming girls, may be changing.

I know ever since this was tweeted to me, I haven’t had enough of this song. Though, it coupled with Felicia Day’s (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar, I keep getting this feeling of some sort of Renaissance period of the Gaming Community and Gender Issues.

Back in July, during what we remember as the Real ID Scandal, Pixiestixy shared her thoughts and perspective on how the issue could affect the hidden, misunderstood, obscure populace of female gamers.

Girl Gamers. Some (uninformed) people still don’t believe that we exist.

…You know that stereotype that assumes girl gamers must suck at what we do? Now’s our chance to prove that notion dead wrong.

Could it be that Pixiestixy has again been proven right in her prophetic prophesies? I’ve seen more and more women out-right declaring their gaming capabilities, and being damn proud of it. From my English and Math teachers at school bravely announcing their Fallout 3 or Call of Duty prowess to the class, to half the line at my local GameStop being women, I’ve seen a resurgence of fearless gamers returning to the normal feelings of life.

Everywhere I look, the girl gamers are raising their voices to back profound actresses such as Felicia Day, Clare Grant and Katee Sackhoff, who are declaring themselves as gamers in open defiance of the crude stereotypes that fill our lives.

I can’t help but feel that perhaps there may be a better social outlook toward gaming finally reaching where it has appropriately belonged ever since the streamlining of the industry we know today. Perhaps I’m too optimistic, but only time will tell if I have the same powers of foretelling as my colleague.

I’m still looking for a gamer girl of my own generation to spend time with…

Cataclysm: Tom Chilton Says Fine-Tuning Will Take “A Couple More Months”

18 August 2010 | 11 Comments » | pixiestixy

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm still needs “a couple more months” before it will be ready for release, game director Tom Chilton said today from Gamescom in an interview with German gaming and entertainment site Gamona. While not a complete shock based on the fact that we still haven’t heard a release date (even despite the details on the Collector’s Edition we heard this week), this is the first pretty much official word that the game likely will not be ready before BlizzCon, as was previously indicated.

The interview includes some interesting conversation regarding the guild system, inflation of stats, scheduling of expansions, phasing and data protection related to Real ID. The comment on the game still needing time before its release came as Chilton discussed how the development team is still “pretty early in actually fine-tuning the classes.”

Tom Chilton speaking with Gamona at Gamescom

“We’re still trying to really get into the nitty gritty [of working through class mechanics and talent trees] … There’s still quite a bit of work to be done. I definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable if the game were shipping this second. It still needs a couple more months of sorting these kinds of things out.”

While that certainly was the most newsworthy item of the interview, there were a few other tidbits I found pretty interesting. Continue Reading

Real ID, Trollsbane

6 July 2010 | 14 Comments » | Mordil

As Blizzard announced back at BlizzCon ’09, Battle.net is seeing updates as it moves to Battle.net 2.0.

Patch 3.3.5 brought us Real ID, the new way to connect with close friends in-game.

And now, Blizzard just announced new changes that will do away with anonymity on the official forums as Battle.net 2.0 closes in on its launch. Highlights are posted in bold.

Battle.net Update: Upcoming Changes to the Forums

Recently, we introduced our new Real ID feature – http://www.battle.net/realid/ , a new way to stay connected with your friends on the new Battle.net. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about our plans for Real ID on our official forums, discuss the design philosophy behind the changes we’re making, and give you a first look at some of the new features we’re adding to the forums to help improve the quality of conversations and make the forums an even more enjoyable place for players to visit.

The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.

Continue Reading

Patch 3.3.5: New Social Options Deliver

24 June 2010 | 12 Comments » | Amatera

You have encountered A GIRL. Options: >Fight, >Run, >Weep, >BOOOOONEESTTOOORRMM

The moment I reconnected with a friend who I hadn’t talked to in about a year, I was sold on Real ID. Sure, she has an AOL Instant Messenger account, and she posts on Facebook once in a while, but neither service has given me the opportunity to hold a real, honest conversation with her. Why did it take World of Warcraft for me to really speak up? Well, I think of it a bit like walking into a party where you don’t really know anybody. Sure, there are plenty of options to be social, but where do you start? Who do you talk to and what do you talk to them about? How can you be sure they’ll even understand words like “epic loot” and “Lord Marrowgar” (by the way, guys, getting drunk and accosting the womenfolk while yelling “BOOOOOOONNNEEESTTTOOOORRRMMMM!” and wielding a floor lamp is a good way to kill your chances)?

People often come together, and become really good friends, when they find out they have something in common. When you and your old pal are both playing WoW, you know there’s already some common ground for you to stand on.

Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible before the recent patch, because she’s playing an Alliance toon on a completely different server! As long as you have someone’s Real ID, though, it doesn’t matter what realm or faction they might be playing (though the game they are is, of course, limited to Blizzard titles at this time). To me, this is a bona-fide paradigmn shift, and not only does it help me maintain social bonds with real-life friends, but those that I may have abandoned on other servers, too.

Continue Reading

Patch 3.3.5 Is A Go

22 June 2010 | 5 Comments » | Amatera

Yesterday’s prediction has fortuitously come true and Patch 3.3.5 is definitely going live today. Though the servers themselves are still undergoing maintenance as of this writing, you can go ahead and load up your World of Warcraft Launcher to download and install the files ahead of time. It bears repeating that despite the update being deployed, the Ruby Sanctum raid dungeon will not be open for business just yet. This is due to the new social features being integrated into the game with 3.3.5, which is delaying its release in other regions around the world.

And you know if American players were given carte blanche to down Halion ahead of everyone else, there would be riots in the hardcore raiding community. Them’s the breaks, and speaking of breaks, hit the one below for the rest of the official patch notes:

Assault on the Ruby Sanctum

For ages the red dragonflight and its noble matriarch, Alexstrasza the Life-Binder, have dedicated themselves to preserving all life on Azeroth. Recently, the very heart of this virtuous dragonflight has come under threat.

An eerie silence has settled over the Ruby Sanctum, the red dragonflight’s sacred lair within the Chamber of the Aspects. This troubling development has led to fears that the sanctum, home to Azeroth’s largest clutch of red dragon eggs, has been breached by an unknown, sinister force. If these claims are true and immediate action is not taken, the benevolent red dragonflight might be crippled forever.

Real ID: A New Way to Connect With Your Friends on Battle.net

One of our goals for the new Battle.net is to create the framework for an online gaming experience that is even more accessible, more engaging, and more entertaining than the previous Battle.net. The newly released Real ID feature, available to World of Warcraft players as part of patch 3.3.5, is an integral part of this effort, providing you with advanced ways for forming and maintaining meaningful relationships with your friends on the service.

Real ID is a completely voluntary and optional level of identity that keeps players connected across all of Battle.net. When you and a friend mutually agree to become Real ID friends, you’ll have access to a number of additional features that will enrich your social gaming experience in new and exciting ways. Go here for more details. Continue Reading

Patch 3.3.5 May Land Today, Cataclysm Beta Soon?

21 June 2010 | 2 Comments » | Amatera

The Ruby Sanctum: Red Trees, Green Grass, And Phat Purple Lewts.

There are strong signs pointing towards Patch 3.3.5 going live today, slaking the thirst of parched raiders who have drained every last drop out of Icecrown Citadel and (quite likely) their guild in the process. The update, whose major features include the Ruby Sanctum raid and Real ID/Battle.net 2.0 integration, may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but it is something, right?

Also included in 3.3.5 should be the files for the upcoming pre-Cataclysm events which feature the Trolls and Gnomes retaking the Echo Isles and Gnomeregan, respectively. Both areas will be eventually be converted into new starting areas for those races once expansion time comes around.

Do remember the following (disappointing) fact:

In patch 3.3.5, we will be introducing our new Battle.net system, which opens up new communication options for World of Warcraft players and lays the groundwork for integration with future Blizzard games, such as StarCraft II. In order to ensure that the implementation of this major new system goes as smoothly as possible, we plan to release the patch to North American realms first, with Europe, Korea, and the region of Taiwan following approximately one week afterward…

…To help clarify and add to our original announcement, we want you to know that because we are delaying the release of patch 3.3.5 in Europe, Korea and Taiwan but not in the US, the Ruby Sanctum will not actually be open on our US realms when the patch is released over there.

We will keep you updated on when we plan to open the Ruby Sanctum and any other necessary information.

Yeah, sorry I got you all excited. You’ll have to wait on Halion and co. for at least another week.

Infinitely more interesting is the idea that the Cataclysm beta may be coming “very soon,” word that comes from right from a semi-official source. Discounting the fact that he may be far removed from the actual decision-makers, a blue poster working for Blizzard Taiwan had the following to say today:

感謝大家的熱情支持與耐心等候！Beta測試將在近期內展開。（多近期？板主不能透露確切日期，只能說……真的很快就要到了！）屆時使用的客戶端程式將可直接在Battle.net開通Beta資格的介面中直接下載，所以用不到現行的美國客戶端程式。

另外板主要提醒大家，還有許多玩家沒有將你的帳號資料寄到社群信箱來，請不要讓自己的權益睡著囉！請在6/23（三）之前將你的魔獸帳號、論壇暱稱、以及 Battle.net帳號等資訊寄來，否則你的名額我們就會釋出給其他的玩家機會囉！

Wow! Now that’s some incredible news! Wait, what? You can’t read the divine language of our new Taiwanese overlords?! Alright, here’s one translation (hint: not mine, but cleaned up a bit):

So far, no effort has been made to discount the statement, but it’s still a little early in the morning over here on the Pacific Coast, where most Blizzard employees live. One thing to note, though it’s unlikely to impact anyone reading this, is that Taiwanese players would, in fact, have to download the US client to participate. Still, 6/23, huh? The implication seems to be that’s some sort of cut-off date for beta eligibility, and I doubt it’s only for Taiwan.

The Beta Test will start very soon. (How soon? I can’t tell you the exact time but… it’s very soon!) You can download the Cataclysmclient from your Battle.net Beta interface at that time, so you don’t need to download the US client right now. Another reminder, we haven’t received the confirmation email from quite a number of players. If you do not send us the confirmation email by 6/23 (Wed), your qualification for Beta will be passed on to other players.

With updates to the alpha client coming more and more frequently, I’m inclined to accept this as truth. If you haven’t yet applied for beta testing or uploaded your current computer specs, I’d log on to your Battle.net account get on that, or else all your beta-having friends in the coming months will laugh at you.

PTR: 3.3.5 Patch Notes

10 May 2010 | 12 Comments » | Amatera

Hold your horses!  Wait on those character transfers! The Patch Test Realm ain’t up just yet, but it should be reasonably soon due to the release of preliminary patch notes today. Unlike the last one we got, there don’t appear to be any sweeping changes to class balance or anything of that nature. In fact, with this patch encompassing the only remaining high-level content until the expansion (and, at that, nothing significantly more difficult than Icecrown Citadel), it would almost seem like a waste of time to bother.

But the Ruby Sanctum raid dungeon is still an important update, and along with it come several new social options no doubt tied into future Battle.net 2.0 functionality. It seems like they’re taking some cues from chat add-ons and are allowing players to “pop out” a new window, say, to keep whispers with a specific person separate from everything else. Also, the Friends List is getting a couple of upgrades, including the ability to add Real IDs (Blizzard’s cross-game identification) and communicate with them.

World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.3.5

The latest patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/

The latest test realm patch notes can always be found at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html

General

  • The Ruby Sanctum, an all-new 10- and 25-player raid featuring normal and Heroic difficulties, is now available for testing! Players will find the dungeon entrance below Wyrmrest Temple in Dragonblight.
  • Copied Test Realm characters are not copied with their achievement history in order to better facilitate the character copy process.

User Interface

  • Chat Frame
    • Players can now right-click on any chat type (Whisper, Trade, General, Party, Raid, etc.) and choose the Pop Out Chat option. This will move that chat type to a separate tab in the Chat frame which can be undocked and moved anywhere on the screen.
      • Using the Pop Out Chat option on a Whisper will place the conversation with that player in a separate tab.
      • Any time a conversation with another player is put into its own tab, the tab will glow when a new message is received.
    • Hovering over the Chat Frame and using the mouse wheel will allow players to scroll through chat text.
    • Players can select Classic Mode under Interface Options to keep the Chat Frame functionality closer to what it was prior to patch 3.3.5.
    • The Simple Chat User Interface option has been removed.
  • Friends List
    • A new icon has been added to the top left of the Chat Frame which will open up the Friends list.
    • In addition to its current functionality, the Friends List will now allow players to add Battle.net accounts (Real ID). Players will have to confirm that they are friends in order for a Real ID to be added. Once Real ID friends, players can communicate cross-game, cross-faction and cross-realm.
    • A new Pending tab has been added where players can accept or decline a Real ID friend request, or select the Report Spam or Block Communications buttons.
    • Players can now select from three statuses which will be visible to their friends: Available, Away and Busy.
    • A Broadcast window has been added to the top of the frame. Players can use this to broadcast a message to all of their Real ID friends online. This message will also be displayed under the broadcaster’s Real ID information in each friend’s list.
  • For additional notes on Lua and XML changes please visit the UI & Macros Forum: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html?sid=1&forumId=11114