Category: For the Geeks

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For the Geeks

Are You Ready To Tank Deathwing, Version LFR?

Quite recently, Blizzard the creator of World of Warcraft has done something rather innovative to a 7 years old online game.  They put together a mechanism to automatically matchmaking 25 random players from around the world to form a raid to slay dragons and more.  This is a five times expansion of the existing 5-man party assembler.  Traditionally, large scale raiding requires solid dedication of time, effort, sacrifices, and good networking skill.  And it is handsomely rewarded within the game with a deep scene of achievement.  Late last year, first time in Blizzard’s history, this aspect of the game has been opened up to the casual players.  That includes Cynthia and I and some of our friends who now have the opportunity to see a part of the game that was used to be exclusive to only 2% of the player base.  Now, any Tonk, Hick, and Sally can raid Deathwing – the final villain of this Cataclysm expansion – in a specially tune down version that is less demanding.  OK.  Deathwing may not be that elite in this LFR (looking for raid) setting.  But it is the same not so sexy back we parachute onto (see picture above), elite or not!  I often think that asking 25 strangers who may not have worked together before and to play a 90 minutes game is quite a feat – for Blizzard and for us.

Previously, I talked about the three roles that one can choose within the game.  Similar to a football match, the melee players are like the strikers, always up close and personal with the goal.  Mid fielders are like the casters throwing spells from the back.  Both are constantly attacking.  Healers in the game are like the defenders in a football field.  Finally, goalkeeper is like a tank role in World of Warcraft.  You don’t need many.  One tank is required for a 5-man party.  Two tanks are required for a 25-man party.  Of these few roles, I enjoy tanking the most, partly due to its huge responsibility and the demand of a low margin of error.  After all, you may have a few strikers by your side to pick up the slack when you miss the kick.  When a goalkeeper misses the ball, the opposite scores.

After weeks of trying out the different roles in Dragon Soul (LFR), I have put together a tanking guide to help fellow tanks who are new to raiding.  Unless there is a popular demand, I probably would not put up a guide for the other two roles.  Because they are rather straightforward compares to tanking.

  • Click here to read more.
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For the Geeks

Deathwing Must Die (And He Did, A Few Good Times)

A choir.  I shall use a choir to illustrate what raiding in an online gaming environment is like.

In any given choir, think Christmas Caroling if you may, there is usually one organist or a few guitarists who set the key and pace of the performance.  The music draws attention but it alone does not entertain.  We need the singers to sing the melody.  And we need a few dedicated singers to sing the harmony.  The audience seldom hums along with the music or sings along with the harmony.  The audience sings along with the melody.  Melody is at the forefront of the entertainment deliverance.  Having said so, all three elements must co-exist in order to give forth one spectacular performance.

” They say things look different when you are dead.  After my demise, I looked back upon my twenty odd fellow raiders, who fought alongside with the dragons on the island, who one by one got killed by the bits and pieces of Deathwing (the red blob on the right).  It was a lost battle.  Time for another attempt.”

Raiding in a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) works similarly to how a choir operates.  25 players are organized into a team to fulfill a set of objectives in accordance with the lore.  One year ago, Blizzard has released a new expansion for World of Warcraft.  A year after Cataclysm, the story has finally come to a conclusion when we have the opportunity to face the ultimate villain of this expansion – Deathwing.  We have visited the future and changed it.  We have visited the past and changed it.  Armed with the artifact that may be the key in defeating the dragon Deathwing, we have escorted Thrall – our hero – to Wyrmrest Temple ready to have one final showdown with the villain and his waves of armed forces.  It is dramatic.  It is a lengthy expedition.  And it is an epic battle that leads to an orgasmic ending.  An ending that most of us has to experience again and again till the Pandas come home.

“Kalecgos has become a new Aspect for the Blue Dragonflight.  He made a rare visit to one of our capitals, in Matrix style.”

Players in a 25-man raid setting are required to fulfill one of the three roles – tank, damage, or heal.  Tank, to me, is like an organist in a choir.  They are there to set the pace of the encounters and to hold the enemies at bay.  The music continues so long as the organist keeps on playing.  Similarly, in a raid, when the tanks die, it often means that the encounter would come to a premature end.  That is, failure.  We don’t need many to play a tank role.  Two is sufficient in a 25-man raid.  It is a role with a huge responsibility.  It is also a role that I personally enjoy.

Then we have the heal role to replenish the team and neutralize the incoming damage.  In a military context, heal is like the armed forces multiplier, the ones who refuel the planes or replenish the bombs.  Heal is a support unit, much like the harmony singers in a choir.  We need a sizable heal.  And we need six in a 25-man raid.

Obvious as it sounds, those who take the damage role are responsible to lay damage to the enemy front.  They are like the melody singers who feeds on the music and the harmony.  In a raiding environment, they delivery the offensive blow to our enemies.  We need tons of players to play this role.  Seventeen to be exact.

“25 of us looks tiny compare to Deathwing.  Are you ready?”

In the past, raids in World of Warcraft (or other MMO games I suppose) are organized manually.  You need to put in heaps of commitment, get yourselves into a local community, stick to a timetable set by the majority, and you must have this mentality that each failure is one step closer to success.  One Korean guild attempted one particular encounter 300 times that eventually earned them the World First achievement in defeating Deathwing, heroically.  Proper raiding is no easy feat.

In reality, as recently revealed, only 2% of subscribers got to see the raiding contents.  Blizzard – the creator of World of Warcraft – has done something innovative in a recent patch.  They have created a LFR (Looking for Raid) tool to automatically assemble a raid group of 25 players across the servers.  To compensate the fact that these 25 players do not know each other and have not worked with one another, the encounters (and rewards) are specially tuned down to be more causal friendly.  All of a sudden, many get to experience end game contents, including Cynthia and I.

“[I suppose] Once Deathwing is heroically defeated in a realm (or server), a piece of him is displayed within the capital city to serve as a reminder that while many may falter, the ultimate villain has to be defeated at all cost.”

The LFR tool, wonderful as it seems, is not without its share of criticism.  Elitists bundle up and attack the tool on the ground that some  game contents have to be reserved for the cream of the crop.  Some need to feel special and to serve as an inspiration for many to follow.  While this has some philosophical merits, in an environment whereby every player pays the same subscription fees, there is little incentive to nurture elitism, especially with a 7-year old game that may have passed its peak.  Another criticism is that not all these 25 random players contribute at a similar level.  Do they deserve the reward?  Do they even deserve to be there to experience the story in the first place?  This leads back to my analogy.

Cynthia, my mother, and I have attended the Midnight Mass on Christmas.  Before the Mass, the choir was singing the Christmas Carols.  I observed that not every singer sang with full bodied vocal and devotion.  Some went off key.  It was as though some were there more for participation’s sake.  If it was a caroling competition, this choir would have been out.  But it was not a competition.  Participation is rewarded instead of performance.  I shared my observation with Cynthia and she could immediately relate.  It is OK to have some under-perform in LFR.  So long as we don’t have too many party fillers that makes it impossible to raid.

PS. Join us at Draenor server today!  You can play for free, for the first 20 levels at least.  Our guild has a presence in Alliance, as well as in Horde.

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For the Geeks

Diablo III Beta – Part 1: First Impression

I am grateful, to say the least, when I received a beta key from Asiasoft, the new distributor of Blizzard Entertainment games in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.  Thank you Asiasoft!  I tried to ask when the Collector’s Edition of Diablo III will arrive in Singapore and they said Soon™.  It’s OK.  I am a patience man.  I have been anticipating this game since 2008 when Blizzard first put up a site for Diablo III.  Apparently, I was too optimistic back then to think that the wait was over.  The wait is still going on.

For this beta testing (patch 5), we are free to choose any of the five available classes and play through one satisfying mission.  I picked a female monk because she is likely to be the hottest character in Diablo.  Besides, in the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, a new monk class will be introduced.  I am all hyped up for the year of the monks.

“Picture speaks a 1,000 words”

I have played Diablo II.  That was back in 2000.  If you love Diablo II, it is without a doubt that you would love this sequel.  The familiarity is overwhelming.  But yet, there are enough improvements to impress.  It  is like Starcraft II.  The game still plays like the original version, despite the fact that so much have changed in a positive way.

Diablo III is a third person role play game.  Interaction with in-game characters (or non-player classes) are fully voice animated.  There is no need to read the quest texts.  You can engage a two-way conversation with humans you see (in the Universe of Diablo, non-humans are bad).  Or as you get closer to people, you may overhear a conversation.  Now that we are on the topic of music and sound, the soundtrack matches with the mood of the game too.  You can always make out if there is danger ahead, or an upcoming plot to be revealed as the music transits to a new theme.  If you pay attention, you can always hear something luring in the background you even them.  Fortunately, at a low level, these monsters are quite a push over.  These ‘warning’ messages build up my anticipation rather than fear.

“It is often peace in town”

For the first 10 levels, I can practically play it through using only two mouse buttons.  I enjoy the simplicity.  Left click anywhere on the ground moves the character.  At a low level, I can map two abilities to the two mouse buttons.  At the highest level, the number of abilities I can bring to the battlefield is six out of a total of twenty.  Hence, all we really need is two mouse buttons and a keypad of one to four.

You may say: This really seems too easy!  Quite rightly so.  It appears to me that deep within the core of Diablo is still pretty much a hack-and-slash type of game.  However, because the different combinations of abilities we have, the play style can be different.  For example, I can pick a main ability (as a monk), to hit the enemies from afar.  More like a combo style as in each subsequent hit increases the distance required of the next attack.  And as for the ability that consumes my monk’s resource – spirit – I could pick an area of effect by knocking back the enemies, keeping them close but not that close.  Or even a decoy that has an area of effect explosion after a few good seconds of taunting the enemies onto it.  For the third ability, I could pick a buff or mantras that increases the chance of dodge for my party and I.  And if balanced type of combat is not your cup of tea, you could mix the combinations and go for a more offensive approach.

Since Diablo III is a co-op type of game capable of putting four players into a single party, it will come a time whereby you would want to pick abilities or classes that compliment each other.  That is when the complexity kicks in, I suppose.

“Choose wisely!”

I will not be able to cover all aspects of Diablo III Beta in one post.  I intend to share with you more as I dive deeper into the beta testing.  One last topic I would like to cover is crafting.  Looting and crafting is a main feature of the Diablo franchise.  I can’t exactly recall the inventory management system of Diablo II.  But I suspect it is somewhat like you loot and loot and eventually your inventory is full.  You then have to open a portal, return to your home town, clear some space in your inventory, and then return to where you were via a portal.  Diablo III has that facility too.  But it also allows you to savage your unwanted loots on the fly into components that stack.  And then you can use these components to craft items.  Simply put, if the god of RNG (random number generator) hates you, you still have a good chance to get what you want.

I have put up a small photo album in Google+.  You can view the screenshot here.  Patch 6 is out this morning.  Stay tuned for more sharing!

 “So I crafted a pair of fist items for my monk (who is now vanished as the new patch arrives)”

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For the Geeks

Nokia Lumia 800 & 710 – First Impression

It has been a while since I last attended a Nokia’s media event for the bloggers.  My personal schedule seems to be in conflict with Nokia’s calendar lately for some reasons.  I have been anticipating Nokia’s next generation smartphone.  Suffice to say, I am happy to be able to make it for the Lumia event held last week – a first in the region.  We went through a lengthy demo of what the new Windows phone can do.  And we spent some quality time with the product managers and other Nokia professionals as we experienced the Lumia 800 & 710.  So what’s my first impression?  Read more to find out!

Form Factor

A phone’s design is important to me.  It is a statement of who I am.  I use an Android phone for the simple reason of not wanting to be like every other mobile phone user in Singapore.  Lumia 800 is sophisticated, and beautiful.  It has a smooth, one piece body that slightly curved onto the screen.  The design is breathtaking, like no other.  Lumia 800 comes in three colors: black, cyan, and magenta.  For a sharper looking design, I would strongly recommend cyan or magenta.  If you are a music lover, you may consider getting the Nokia Purity Stereo Headset or Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster.  One is for in-ear style, and other one is for on-ear.  Monster has created headsets for Apple iPhones.  It is good that Nokia gets them to design not one, but two for theirs too.

Lumia 710 is the entry level Windows phone.  I asked if Lumia 800 is considered as Nokia’s new flagship and they said no.  Price-wise, I would expect Lumia 800 to be below the flagship products of other platforms.  Hence, whatever I get to say here, do take cost as a consideration.

Lumia 800’s screen size is 3.7″.  For those of you (like me) who are used to 4.2″+, it could be quite an adjustment if you switch to this new Nokia phone.  For Apple users who are used to 3.5″, Lumia 800’s display area may seem OK.  Lumia 800 has a lower resolution compares to other top end smartphones.  And it weights 142g, almost as heavy as an iPhone.  It is 20% heavier than the Android phone I am using.  Does weight matter?  Personally I prefer a lighter phone.  But 99.99% of the local users who use iPhone may say nah.

Windows OS and Nokia Unique Offerings

I must admit that I am not that familiar with Windows OS on a mobile phone.  The Lumia 800 seems responsive.  Then again, almost all new phones are responsive before they are loaded with apps and contents.  So I have no idea if Lumia 800 will remain as responsive as days go by.  I know for sure my single core Android phone is crawling at this moment.

The design of Windows OS is pretty clean.  There is a wall of tiles for the widgets.  And swipe to the next screen is a list of applications.  If you are familiar with Nokia phone, you will find yourself at home.  Both Lumia phones have Nokia Drive with turn by turn voice navigation as well as Nokia Map.  Free, for more than 100 countries.  However, in order for Nokia Drive and Nokia Map to work, you must have data access.  This could become quite costly when you are overseas.  Because turning on data access usually means that you allow other applications to access the Internet on the go.

Lumia phones come with Nokia Music application.  A 192kbps MP3 track free of DRM costs around S$1.29 from the Nokia music store.  Does this sound enticing to you?  The price seems about right, if purchasing music online is your cup of tea.

And it does come with Whatsapp, free.

Unlocking the phone can be via a numeric password pad (like iPhone).  It does not have a pattern unlock (like Android).  Locking the phone is via a physical button positioned naturally on where your index finger is when you hold the phone upright (not sure how it will be like for left-handers).

Social Networking

Nokia Lumia phones combine Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn feeds, chat and SMS message in one conversation.  I seldom social network these days, only on Google+.  And I am told that Lumia does not interface with Google+ as of now.  I must be an odd ball because majority of the active social networking users I presume spend much time with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  I can imagine majority can continue to do just that with the Lumia phones.

Web Browsing

Do you often browse full sites on your mobile phone?  I do.  And I find that for some of my favorite websites, when I double tab onto the screen for the default zoom (that does auto page wrapping), the fonts can be tiny.  Maybe I am used to a large screen size and a higher resolution, it can be quite straining to the eyes when browsing the Internet on the Lumia phones.  I am not a fan of further zooming onto a webpage and having to scroll left and right constantly to read each line.  I strongly suggest trying it out if you are heavy on web browsing.

Under the Hood

Recently I have visited Hong Kong.  From the old man I met on the street, to my own cousin, dual core phones seem to be the in-thing.  If I am to buy a phone today, I too would prefer a dual core processor (and a large screen would be good).  As for the Lumia 800 and 710, they are both equipped with a 1.4GHz single core processor.  Do you multitask often?  If not, this should not bother you.

This phone is fitted with a 8Mpix Carl Zeiss camera with LED flash.  16GB internal memory.  It is pretty decent in today’s standard.  Of course, iPhone has the 32GB and 64GB version.  But that may cost more.

What about Other Stuffs?

With limited amount of time, there are areas that I am unable to cover.  Can Lumia extract the contact list from my Android phone via Bluetooth as promised?  What is the collection of Apps like for the Nokia market (I can’t live without Internet Radio these days)?  Are the Apps affordable?  Can the battery last for a day?  These are some of the questions you may need to further investigate if you are serious about wanting to buy this phone.

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For the Geeks

Enduring The Heat – A Journal Of Regrowth And Molten Front

I still remember where I was on the 261st day after Cataclysm.  I was outside the Royal Bank of Stormwind when I spotted a new poster on the Hero’s Call noticeboard.  It said:

The Guardians of Hyjal, led by Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, seek brave heroes to assist with a full-scale assault on the Firelands.

Willing and able-bodied heroes of the Alliance should report to the Sanctuary of Malorne in Mount Hyjal immediately.

I may not be brave, but I am willing.  With my shield on my back and my sword readied to bring justice to those who fouled our land, I made my way to Mount Hyjal.  It was not hard to find the Sanctuary of Malorne.  The sanctuary appeared as a big question mark on my map.

Upon reaching my destination, I was told that I was a tad too late.  Hamuul, Malfurion, and others have already made it to the invasion point.  Alas!  I hated to miss the action.  Quickly, I summoned my dragon and flew up the hill.  The entire flight took about 10 seconds.  What followed was a blur.  Perhaps I was too much in a hurry to get to the next stage.  I have seen the same vision five times but I still do not get the detail.  All I gathered was that our most powerful druid Hamuul was brutally burned down by the evil flame druid Leyara, almost instantaneously.  99.99% dead.  So dead that I could smell beef.  Why did Leyara spare my life while I witnessed this atrocity?  Till today, I still do not know.

Meanwhile, after our failed attempt in assaulting Fireland, our fearless leader Malfurion has tasked me to gather resources in order to mount a second attempt.  No problem.  I was happy to contribute in whichever way I can.  First I approached a dryad.  Her name was Mylune.

“Ah, the great outdoor,” she said.

“Erm, if you say so,” I did not know how to respond.

“Is there trouble?” she asked.

I looked around and life seemed peaceful.  So I asked, “Is there something for me to do?”

On day one, she asked me to wear a wolf suit and howl on top of dead enemies.  On day two, she asked me to find and call upon small birds, forest owls, and golden hawks.  On day three, she asked me to punt turtles back to the lake.  On day four, she asked me to capture deer spirits.  On day five, she asked me to rescue baby bears stuck on a tree.  How did the bears manage to climb up the tree and unable to get down?  I did not know.

After what seemed like an eternity, I have gathered enough resources for Malfurion to mount an attack into Firelands.  When I first landed on Molten Front through the portal, it was a mess.  There was fire everywhere.  Enemies in the forms of elementals, giants, worms, and hounds – all engulfed in flame, attacking us at sight.  Tens and hundreds of our allies lied wounded on the ground.  I did my best to bandage them up, hack a few of the enemies while I was at it, and tried to close their portals with my wisp.

Our enemies were relentless.  One day, Malfurion called me into his cave where he planted a tree and said, “We will need the Shadow Wardens’ help.”  No problem, I said.  We needed to make progress.  So I worked my butt off in order to gather enough resources to recruit the Shadow Wardens.

In retrospect, helping the Wardens was without a doubt a relatively painless thing to do.  On a good day, I was tasked to free some victims caught inside the spider webs, hack some spiders, and detonate a weakly fortified energy core that tossed me up thirty yards above ground when it exploded.  On a bad day, I was tasked to collect some spider eggs (yuck!), hack more spiders, and kidnap a flame druid.  Days after days, I answered the call of Malfurion.  I worked hard, seldom complained.  I did my job with ever glowing enthusiasm even when I have to take a strange looking plant for a skinny dip inside a lava pool, six bloody times.  Some do like it hot.

I lost count of the days I spent in Molten Front.  One thing for sure, time did not seem to past when you were inside a war zone.  We have made some good progress with the help of the Wardens.  Malfurion seemed pleased.  One evening, inside the cave where he perpetually stayed, he spoke to me, “Skylord Omnuron and his Druids of the Talon have been a fearsome force for us back in Hyjal.  I know that they prefer the familiar skies of that battlefield, but the time may come when we need them here nonetheless.”

“Who is Skylord Omnuron?” I asked, “Was he the one who subjected the rest of us to that stomach churning exercise of jousting in the air?”

Malfurion seemed to ignore my questions and he continued, “Go now and appeal to Omnuron that his druids should be on the main front.  Omnuron watches out for his own, but he also understands the importance of this effort.”

Who was I to deny Malfurion’s command?  For many years prior to Cataclysm, Malfurion was missing in action.  No one knew where he was.  Not even his girlfriend, Tyrande Whisperwind.  I am not good in history and am not sure if it was Tyrande or Fandral Staghelm, the Archdruid of Darnassus, who led the night elves during the period when Malfurion was gone.  Fandral was a war hero.  He has a son called Valstann who wedded Leyara.  In one battle that went horribly wrong, the young and eager Valstann was captured by the enemies and was brutally executed in front of his family and troops.  I could only imagine what a huge blow it must be to his father Fandral and his wife Leyara.  That piece of history could well be an important link to why Fandral and Leyara have gone rogue and become flame druids.  My hope for them to turn over a new leaf dwindled as I saw the war lengthened.  Too many have died in this war.  Hatred ran deep.

Unlike the Wardens, Druids gave out some of the most tedious tasks in Molten Front.  I dreaded doing them.  In my previous life, I was a Mario Brother.  I am still unable to master some of the moves the Druids required me to do.  On the very next day, I ran back to the Wardens with open arms.  I enjoyed closing the runes inside an exploding cave full of hostile fire elementals.  It was a bit like doing homeruns in a baseball game.  The moment I entered the cave, I touched the first base.  I would then run straight to the T-junction, touch the second base.  There was an upslope curving leftward, the third base.  I would then jump over the ledge, passed the first base and at the junction, the forth base.  The fifth base was on the left and continued forward, the sixth base.  A sharp right turn jumping over the air vent would land me onto the seventh base that was located in the middle of a small island surrounded by lava.  Another jump over the second air vent would get me out of the island and land me onto the eighth base.  One minute and mission accomplished.

As the war dragged on, there was news that powerful enemy lieutenants were spotted in the north of Molten Front.  Such supersized opponents called for supersized allies.  I thought of the tree giants in Mount Hyjal and have decided to recruit them into our forces.  The ancients awaited.  I played my role as the messenger and as a living testimony to our war effort.  They agreed to help.  And they made a good decoration to our base inside Molten Base.  Trees, we needed more trees.

Did I mention that there was a dwarf sharing the cave with Malfurion?  He has some of the most exceptional equipments in store.  But he refused to let me try them on unless I helped him to recruit Ricket the goblin.

“These druids be lackin’ the tools ta properly handle the job out ‘ere. I got meself a buddy back at day ol’ stag shrine through the portal though.  If we were ta be gettin’ reunited, we’d sure have some real toys ta use against ol’ Ragboy and ‘is cronies.  Go find Matoclaw.  Ask her fer Ricket.  We need’r here so we can be causin’ some real trouble,” said the dwarf.

Huh?  I can never fully understand what dwarves say.

Depending on her mood, Ricket would ask me to do different things on any given day.  Bombing a huge worm, triggering a meteor shower, and my favorite task was to gun down the flying flame druids from the ground.  I would climb a tower high enough to aim at the enemies in the sky.  I pictured myself as King Kong.  Came what may you helpless flying creatures!

*     *     *     Spoiler Warning     *     *     *

My last assignment as a runner was to fill up our moonwell with sacred water from the Well of Eternity.  The water could be used to bless the trees and bushes.  How did it come through the portal?  I have no idea.

My first assignment as a hero was to confront Leyara.  News has it that the Wardens have successfully cornered Leyara inside a cave.  “Go there immediately,” said Malfurion, “I will join you as soon as I make one necessary preparation.”

What preparation?!

I made haste, rode as fast as I could to reach the cave.  Leyara was in the middle, surrounded by a group of Wardens.  She turned to me and said, “I thought you might come.  You’ve proven very persistent.  Annoyingly so.”

Enough of playing a nobody’s role in bandaging the wounded and rescuing the baby bears.  Today, I was going to make history.  I ran towards Leyara fearlessly and fought her with my allies.  One by one, Leyara engulfed my allies in flame, suspended them in the air, and vaporized them into oblivion.  That was not looking good.  Soon, I was alone with Leyara.  It took forever for me to hurt her as she was to me.  It was a stalemate.  To end this, one of us was going to be vaporized.  The thought of I not having such ability sent a chill down my spine.

As the fight dragged on, I yelled out loud, “Malfurion, wherever you are, this is a time you should make an appearance!”

Cued to perfection, Malfurion entered the cave and fought alongside with me.  Leyara laughed, “I’ll kill your companion just like I killed Hamuul.  And there is nothing you can do about it.”

Uh oh.  Was she referring to me?  Yes, she was.  The next thing I knew, I was helplessly engulfed in flame and was suspended in the air.  I fixed my eyes on my executioner while I waited for the inevitable.  Then something happened.  A fully recovered Hamuul appeared and Malfurion said to Leyara, “You did not kill Hamuul, Leyara.  He lives.”  Hamuul added, “I’m sorry that I did not arrive sooner, though you seem to have held your own quite well.”  I cheered.  We managed to bring Hamuul back to life, with my daily help.

“Hurray!  Now, get me down quick”, screamed I.

Leyara must have ignored me momentarily as Hamuul shape-shifted into a huge bear and charged onto her.  What a magnificent bear!  I had to be careful in positioning myself as Hamuul mauled, lacerated, and pulverized Leyara.  It was not a pretty scene.  Towards Leyara’s final moment, Hamuul said to her, “I release you from this fate Leyara.  May you finally find your peace in death.”

With that said, Leyara was slain.  A cloud of melancholy descended upon me.  Who was Leyara?  What had she become?  The war is not over.  But at least, one chapter is closed.

On the 295th day after Cataclysm, I was outside the Royal Bank of Stormwind.  A locket has arrived at my mailbox.  It was sent by one of the Wardens who found it inside the cave.  A locket belonged to Leyara.  I held it close to my heart and I felt a faint level of magic quivering within.  Could this locket answer all my lingering questions?

I traveled to Moonglade and prompted one of my contacts for help.  True enough.  Locked inside this locket were the memories of Leyara.  In the first vision, Leyara witnessed her husband Valstann Staghelm ripped in two by the Qiraji General Rajaxx.  In the second vision, by the grave of Valstann at Astranaar, I saw Leyara with a little girl and Fandral by her sides.  She said, “Our child has been born.  It’s a girl!  A beautiful baby girl.  I named her Istaria.  She has your eyes.”  In the last vision at Mount Hyjal, by a small grave next to where Leyara struck down Hamuul, she moaned the death of her daughter.  And she cried, “Fandral would never have allowed the Horde to attack our home!  And who did Malfurion send to defend us?  No one!”

I can understand the resentment Leyara had felt against Malfurion, against both the Alliance and the Horde.  During the Horde invasion, her daughter Istaria was killed and her father-in-law Fandral was captured and held in prison.  It was through the power of the old god that Fandral has become a flame druid and broke free.  Where was the rest of the Alliance when Valstann was executed?  Where was the reinforcement when her little Istaria was slain?  Leyara joined Fandral in a heartbeat.  The rest is history.

Categories
For the Geeks

Online Gaming Is Good For You! (Alternate Title: Troll Dungeons Reloaded)

I cannot think of an activity that works my brain as hard as what computer gaming does to me on a near daily basis.  Don’t get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with passive activities such as watching TV.  It is good to relax our minds after a long and tiring day of work.  I don’t know what you do for a living.  My job does not require me to make hundreds of decisions a day.  Nor does it require me to exhibit a reasonable level of eye-hand coordination in order to excel . I suppose I could play some team sports.  But if I can’t even get my band to jam regularly, I think team sports are out of the question.

When I play my online game, strings of invisible mathematics formula constantly flash across my head.  I find myself constantly reacting to the thousands of virtual dices rolled behind the scene; dice rolls that define the split second virtual events.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  I have to pay attention to the timing governed by the game mechanism, be observant of the ever changing environment  I have to pay attention to the spatial movement, as well as the temporal shift.  If that is not demanding enough, I have to keep an eye on how my team members are doing, evaluating our collective performance via statistical reports, and modifying the group strategy based on every piece of information I can possess and process in real time.  During the climactic encounters, my heart would race like a F1 driver’s.  If we fail, our group would analyze the issue, identify the root cause, rectify the strategy, and try again.  If we succeed, we would scream in joy like the footballers who kick the ball into the goal post.  And shortly after, onto the next encounter we push forward.

I don’t have the statistics to support my claim.  But I strongly believe that computer gaming – and more so for online gaming – in moderation can exercise our brains in a positive way.  Making our mind sharper and more alert.  Some of you are keen to know if I have expanded on my previous Cataclysm boss encounter article with the WoW patch 4.1 updates.  Yes, I have!  The two heroic troll dungeons Zul’Aman and Zul’Gurub have been added into the quick reference guide.  Click here to read more.

If you are playing in the Asian evening timeslot and are keen to join us for the heroic runs, my in-game contact information can be found in here.  See you on the fiery side.

Categories
For the Geeks

So You Need A Cheat Sheet For WoW Cataclysm Heroic Dungeons?

How time flies!  Half a year has passed since the advent of Cataclysm.  In this fantasy universe, something has gone wrong in the core of the world.  Elementals emerge from within causing fire, flooding, earthquake, and lightning in a worldwide scale.  Coincidentally, in our real life, we face similar environmental threats at a global level.  While the earthquake in Japan still fresh in our mind, today, there is a quake in the southeast of Spain.  And we are heading to the south of Spain this weekend.  Maybe we would see Thrall there holding off a maelstrom.  Just like the story in the World of Warcraft.

We hope not.

After half a year of working through the contents in this new expansion, the few of us in the guild feel that we are ready to tackle the heroic dungeons.  Heroic dungeons are hard, that goes without saying.  In the previous expansion, Cynthia and I have tried to enter into a heroic dungeon unprepared, and we were asked to leave, nicely.  After that incident, we have grown to be a more responsible player.  And try not to waste people’s time.  This time round, we have come prepared.  Our guild members have geared up and I have volunteered to create a cheat sheet – or a quick reference guide – on the strategies involved.

To read more, click here.

Categories
For the Geeks

So I Bought Two Sony Ericsson Xperia arc

You smart readers out there.  Looking at the photo above, which wireless phone do you think is mine and which one is Cynthia’s?  I’ll tell you in just a bit.

After I have seen the phone at one of the blogger events, I was sold.  After I have brought Cynthia to preview the phone at one of Sony Ericsson’s concept stores, she was sold.  On the day this phone was launched, we have visited the SingTel hello! store.  I did some bargaining over the phone prior to our visit and was happy with the the final deal.  We even receive four complimentary tickets to watch Jolin Tsai live in Singapore. I hardly know her music.  I reckon I will by May 7.

Xperia arc is slim and beautiful.  It feels light, yet has a generous 4.2 inches touchscreen that is pure black in color when on standby.  When Cynthia brought the new phone to work, it mesmerized her colleagues a great deal.  I will not repeat in detail what the phone does.  You can read it from my previous entry.  My initial observation remains.  On top of that, now that I have used the phone for a couple of days, here are my additional observations to share.

If you have not used Android platform before, you ought to give it a try.  It is the fastest growing platform today, supported by a good number of manufacturers.  Healthy competition is good.  I have observed the hardware and operating system improvement in the past year.  Android phones simply get better and better pushing the limits on camera specification, screen size, memory and processor power, and user friendliness.

Why Sony Ericsson?  I have been shopping for an Android phone for quite some time (by the way, it took me about 5 years to decide on which flat panel television to buy).  I value multimedia offering, form factor, and branding.  This phone seems to fit the bill.  Xperia arc is powered by the latest Android operating system for smartphones (version 2.3).  Sony Ericsson’s implementation includes the infinity button on the music player that does a quick YouTube video search on the artist you are listening to.  I use this often, especially this phone is powered by Sony’s BRAVIA technology, those vibrant videos are a joy to watch.  In this version, I find the standard email application useful to access my Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo! Mail.  It may not have the bells and whistles of, say, K9.  However when possible, I prefer to use out-of-the-box applications.  Xperia arc, like the previous Android models, also comes with their TrackID application.  TrackID listens to part of the song played in the surrounding and attempts to identify the song.  I also use that often and am pleasantly surprised that even as I have switched to a new Sony Ericsson phone, my historical search results follow me.

I am not an “app man”.  Unlike Cynthia, who is into surfing the Android Market regularly for new and exciting apps.  I use Whatsapp for messaging, Facebook app, TweetDeck, Advanced Task Killer, and Album Art Grabber.  Of course, some of you may remember that I am not a big fan of virtual keyboard.  I use Graffiti Pro to bypass this little handicap of mine.  I am from the Palm Pilot era.  Graffiti suits me perfectly.

On battery life, I am a heavy Internet and phone user.  Xperia arc can last about 9 hours, which meets my expectation.  Cynthia has a lighter usage pattern.  And hers can last for the entire day and more.  As a phone, like the previous Sony Ericsson models, the voice sounds crisp.  The dial pad can be pulled out with a touch of a “button” on the home screen.  Phone volumes can be adjusted even when the screen is locked.  The moment you pull out the headphone, the music player stops automatically.  Sony Ericsson must have done some improvement to their music player because now, the music sounds fuller, with more power.  Powerful enough for my car stereo.  Notification light is placed on the side and it works for incoming SMS, Internet chat message, and etc.  Swiping the screen from left to right unlock the screen.  Swiping from right to left toggles between normal and silence mode.  Folders on the home screen can be created to hold as many applications as you want.  There are progressive tool tips to show you the tricks to personalize the phone.  OK, I could go on and on.  Let’s not do that.  You can find out more yourself.  Now, back to the answer to the question at the beginning of the entry, the phone on the left with the animated falling sakura petals belongs to me while on the right, Cynthia’s.

Surprised?

Categories
For the Geeks

Norton 360 Now Onto Version 5

In the past one year, I still have friends who are amazed at the misconceptions they have on Norton products after finally giving the products a try.  So, I will do a quick summary here, even though these are old news for the existing Norton users.

Norton security line of products – 360, Internet Security, and Antivirus – battle online threats.  Installing the application from scratch only takes a couple of minutes.  The CPU and memory usage is low and it does not slow your computer down (OK, not that you can feel it).  In fact, they have real time monitoring graphs comparing Norton related tasks and other system tasks and be transparent about it.  Norton uses pulse live update technology.  This means updated security definitions from Norton global site are sent to your computer in real time, as and when they are available.  Full system scan is quietly performed in the background while you are away from your computer.  And it is done incrementally, over the days.  There are little unnecessary notifications from Norton application.  I receive a security summary report at the end of the month, alerts when I am trying to download an executable file that is still relatively new to the global community (Norton uses the community to derive insights), and reminders for PC tune up (because I am using 360).  That is about all the notifications I have got from running Norton.

I value security and online protection.  And I would only go for the best in the market.  Below is an excerpt that may mean more to those who want to read the official results.

In recent third-party testing, Norton 360 version 5.0 achieved a 100 percent protection score for online threat detection from Dennis Technology Labs, whose methodology has received a 100 percent compliance rating from the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO).

To be frank, I am not that technologically inclined.  I need something fuss free and yet gives me a peace of mind.  For those of you who are interested in what’s new, under the hood, Norton has now gathered about 175 million contributing Symantec users to study the software adoption patterns anonymously (I too have opted in) that in turn automatically identify and block new threats for the entire Norton user base.  Also, they have packed in SONAR 3, a behavioral protection monitors running applications for suspicious behavior to quickly identify new attacks, crimeware, and other threats designed to evade traditional detection.

Why get a Norton 360 when Norton Internet Security seems sufficient?  360 allows you to perform online backup (2GB or up to 25GB for premium edition), which I seldom use.  Mainly because what is important to me does not fit into a 2GB space.  And whatever I can fit into a 2GB space, there are other online options out there.  Personally, I enjoy using the PC Tuneup tool, which is unique to Norton 360.  It allows me to easily decide which application is allowed to be run during startup and I can now set priority to autostart applications so as to make my computer more responsive.  I also like the option to cleanup the registry, temporary files, and etc. at ease.  Norton 360 comes with a parental control management tool.  I don’t have kids at home.  But I can imagine the stress of having to manage how kids these days use the Internet.  360 can help on that.

People usually ask me how much it costs to install Norton products.  Here is the suggested retail price list for Singapore users.  All prices are for 1 year protection.  S$65 for 1 PC licence.  S$129 for 3 PC licence.  And if you need a larger online backup space of 25GB, the premium edition is S$149 for 3 PC license. It would be good if Norton offers us a more flexible licensing option. Such as a different pricing for 1 PC, 2 PC up to a household worth of PC. Also, having some loyalty programs or a deeper discount for multi-years subscriptions would be good.

There are a couple of things you may wish to know about purchase and installation.  So long as you have an active subscription, you can update the version whenever it is available.  You don’t need to buy a new version when it is out.  Simply make an update within the Norton application.  Some prefer to buy the box instead of renewing online (some claim it is cheaper that way).  By doing so, your number of days remaining for an active subscription will be reset to 366 days.  So, it is best to do it when your license expires.  If you are unable to install the application using the disk (one of my machines is not able to read the disk, for some strange reasons), you can go online chat with the Norton service consultant and have the application downloaded instead.

As always, drop me a comment here if you have more questions.  I hope this entry is useful.

Categories
For the Geeks

Upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia arc, neo, and PLAY

Xperia arc

This blogger event could not have come in a better timing.  Cynthia took over my Xperia X8 because she has ‘accidentally’ soaked her old phone that I bought for her with water, inside her gym bag.  X8 is good as an entry level Android phone but we are looking for something with a more executive outlook.  When the folks from Sony Ericsson unveiled the upcoming Xperia arc (together with two other new models), I was instantly in love.

Xperia arc features a pure black screen, noticeably striking when on standby.  It makes the rest of the smartphones that have a dark grey screen looks less appealing and somewhat dated.  Xperia arc is slim.  At its thinnest, the phone measures at  8.7 mm.  The screen size is 4.2 inches, which I believe is one of the largest in the smartphone category.  Xperia arc scores very high on the form factor.  But what about the multimedia offering?

During the video playback demo session, arc was put side-by-side with Sony Ericsson’s current high end model, X10.  Because arc employs Sony’s BRAVIA technology, looking at the same video, arc produces more crystal clear picture and the image looks vibrant and brilliant.  In terms of image and video capturing capability, with an Sony’s Exmor R technology as well as an aperture of 2.4 (quite possibly one of the lowest I have seen), this phone supposes to shine under low light condition.  I have tested the evening shots on top of Esplanade and I am pleased with what I have seen.  Perhaps I can share some live images with you once I get hold of one.  Xperia arc has a 8.1 megapixel camera that comes with HD video recording capability.  Not the highest I have seen.  But not too low either.  I suspect Exmor R technology should be able to boost the image quality.  Sony, after all, makes cameras as well.  This phone has a HDMI output.  I don’t see much use to it.  But if you need it, it is there.

Xperia arc will be launched with the latest Android for smartphone version 2.3.  Although I am not fanatic towards the version of the operating system (I still yet to see that huge different between 1.6 and 2.1 besides that animated screen, it is certainly not like an upgrade from Vista to Win 7), it is good to see that Sony Ericsson has fixed the perception issue.  Now, I am keen to see if they can keep up the platform update for their existing Android models.

Quite honestly, the moment I plugged my personal earphone onto Xperia arc was the moment when I said to myself, “Woah, this is the one”.  I am much impressed by the music playback quality.  It is a class on its own.  You have got to hear it for yourself.

Xperia arc will be available in Singapore in Q1 this year (which is just days away!) in two colors: Midnight Blue and Misty Silver.

Xperia neo

Xperia neo is very much similar to Xperia arc, in terms of technical spec.  Hence, I would not repeat here.  Xperia neo is more compact.  It has a screen size of 3.7 inches instead of arc’s 4.2 inches.  And it also has an unique design, equally ergonomic in a different way compares to arc.  At launch, neo will have two colors – Blue Gradient and Red – and is going to be available in Singapore Q2 this year.  It should be priced below Xperia arc.  By how much?  We have to wait and see.

Xperia PLAY

For the avid gamers, the above image would mean something dear to your heart.  I have heard the rumor of such release a while ago.  I was trying to get a confirmation from the PR company that handled Sony Ericsson’s account.  But you know how marketing team works.  It is all hush hush.

Xperia PLAY combines both PlayStation gaming experience with the latest Android platform.  PLAY is the first PlayStation certified device.  It does not come with the BRAVIA technology (color vibrancy is less of an issue as far as gaming is concerned because video games by default are designed with vibrant colors).  But it has a better graphic processing system.  On paper, it delivers a 60 frames per second gaming experience with minimal power consumption.  I have tried out a racing game on the 4 inches screen.  Pretty good experience.  I was hoping to try out some fantasy role playing games but did not have a chance (not sure if there is one).  At launch, PLAY will be preloaded with: Sim 3,  FIFA 10, Madden NFL 11, Star Battalion, Bruce Lee: Dragon Warrior, and Crash Bandicoot.  On top of that, more than 50 game titles will be available – for purchase I suppose.  I have seen the list of games.  It looks diverse.  Surprisingly, I do not see Final Fantasy, or any fighting games that I can recognize.

When will PLAY be out?  Q2 this year, in Singapore.  In black, and in white.

Got a question?  Drop me a comment!