Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Blizzcon 2013 Opening Ceremonies

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On November 8, 2013

In Gaming, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

blizzconBlizzcon 2013 is this weekend (if you didn’t know). I didn’t get a virtual ticket this year, we have to save some money but the opening ceremonies are free to watch. If you watched it then you might not find anything in this post that you didn’t already know. It has been two years since the last BlizzCon so I know everyone is pretty excited about what they are announcing (even if you’re not playing WoW anymore).

Heroes of the Storm – The video introducing Dustin Browser was pretty cool. All the different heroes fighting each other. They showed some content of Heroes of the Storm. It pretty much looks like League of Legends with all the Blizzard heroes. Based on the glimpses of the videos you can play as Arthas (as the Lich King), Carrigan, Diablo, etc. I’m not much of a LoL fan but the game does look cool and I’m sure if you are a fan of both games then you’re going to really love this game.

**Big News** Beta sign-ups for Heroes of the Storm are live!

HearthStone – Rob Pardo. Originally a stealth/experimental project at Blizzard. Despite how “geeky” a battle card game seemed to be, when they were playing the game internally they logged so many hours they decided that they must have something pretty good, and thus HearthStone was born. This is Blizzards first tablet game and there will be iPhone and Android versions (haha, no Windows Phone!). Honestly, I can actually see myself playing HearthStone on my tablet more then on my computer.

**Big News** Going into beta next month.

If you went to the show or ordered a virtual ticket then you will get a special Blizzcon card called the Elite Tauren Chieftain and when you play the card, yea, its pretty awesome! Adding golden player cards, like the golden cards, which are fully animated. It looks kind of cool.

World of WarCraft – Of course the illustrious Chris Metzen talked to us about the WoW expansion. We all kind of knew it was called Warlods of Draenor – Metzen predicated the announcement by talking a lot of origins. He called the Alliance the “Captain America Faction” … love it! It sounds like we might be fighting some pretty old school villians which will be kind of cool to see (some names Metzen through out were Gul’dan, Hellscream, Blackmoore, etc. So it’ll be interesting. After building up the Alliance and giving some love to the Horde, the next expansion video debuts:

Warlods of Draenor – It will contain a new zone called Draenor (kind of obvious) The video said you will be able to build and upgrade garrisons so that might mean some kind of player housing. I’m sure the details of garrisons will come out in future panels, I will have to watch some of the other live blogs to learn more. Obviously the new level cap is 100. All the existing character models are getting new looks and upgrades and, of course, new items and loots. You can see the video below:

Please feel free to share anything you saw and your thoughts, positive and negative.

Stuck At A Crossroads

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On October 22, 2013

In Microsoft, Programming, Technology

thinkingmanI’ve been a programmer for going on 10 years now. I’ve mostly been doing .NET development because that came fairly easy to me. I’ve done non-.NET programming on the side (i.e. HTML5, iOS, etc) but the bulk of my experience lies in .NET. I’ve been butting heads with Microsoft lately because I don’t like the direction they are moving with their desktop and mobile technology.

I’m not a fan of Windows 8. I haven’t been since I saw it the first time in beta. I’ve tried it on several occasions in stores and laptops of co-workers and friends. Every time I’ve tried it I have never liked it. The only functionality of Windows 8 that doesn’t bother me is functionality that is already in Windows 7 so in my opinion there is no need for me to warrant paying to upgrade. I give that same advice to everyone else I speak to (which isn’t just limited to friends and family, but work colleagues as well).

This presents a conundrum because as a .NET developer its important to be on the “bleeding” edge. I won’t kowtow to everything Microsoft produces just because “they are Microsoft and can do no wrong”. On the other hand, how can I move forward in my career when I don’t agree with the direction the technology is moving? To be fair, I would feel the same if it were something Apple or Google were doing that I didn’t agree with. I know I’ve had my resistances to Microsoft in my past but I would like people to believe me when I say that its not just because its Microsoft.

I will accept the premise that my “concerns” with Windows 8 are personal but I feel that I can separate personal and professional opinions. With that said, even in my professional opinion I disagree with the Windows 8 desktop look-and-feel. The desktop UX should be distinctly different then a tablet UX and combining them was a mistake that hasn’t even been corrected in Windows 8.1 (which many people are calling the Coca-Cola Classic of the Windows desktop but without the revival).

Can I weather this until the next version of Windows? If so, how?

The MMO Times: I Wanna Be Like Wedge

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On October 17, 2013

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

mmotimesheaderIIIssue 91: Greetings Ghoulish Gamers! Halloween is just around the corner, do you have all your ghoulish plans ready to go? Perhaps your plans involve a little gaming while the kids are out getting their trick-or-treating on; or perhaps you have to man the door waiting for the arrival of this years lot of cosplay potentials? If sugar-seeking rugrats are keeping you from your favorite MMO, perhaps you will be able to check out these headlines (from your handy smart phone or tablet) while you wait.

There is an update coming to SWTOR that many players have been talking about since the games launch. There are also a couple of Blizzard announcements that pertain to more then just World of Warcraft. Some updates coming for FFXIV, Neverwinter’s first event, and other news. So eat some of that candy you’re handing out (you paid for it anyway) and read on! And try not to scare the kiddies!

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Soapbox: Looney Thin-skins!

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On October 14, 2013

In Fulmination, Soapbox

soapbox_webI cannot believe we are still having a spat over the name of the Washington Redskins! The team has been known as the Redskins since 1933! Since you’re probably too obtuse to do the math, that’s 80 years folks!! Are we really still hoping to change the name of a team that has been around for 8 decades? The thing that really grinds my last nerve about this, its not even the Native Americans that are relentlessly bitching about this!

People are too damn sensitive these days! I feel like we’re all walking on eggshells because the slightest innuendo or phrase can be misconstrued to offend someone. Maybe we need to regress back to how cavemen spoke so our reduced vocabulary and guttural noises will keep everyone happy. Obviously we’re not all intelligent enough to know the difference between intentionally offending someone and the fact that its just a damn team name!

People are too thin-skinned! Maybe we should legalize marijuana because 50 years ago the people that would protest such minutia were the potheads but they were too stoned to be taken seriously. Today, through the power of Internet and the antagonist media, they are more obnoxious then ever! If you don’t like the team name, fine! Don’t be a Washington Redskins fan. Hell, I don’t care if you hate the NFL, then go watch a Curling match, I just don’t want to hear you spew your disgusting ignorance!

On a final note, shame on you Bob Costas! You ignorant turncoat!

/end soapbox

Biggs On: iOS7 Impressions

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On October 7, 2013

In Apple, Biggs On, Mobile, Technology

apple_logo-263x300The new iOS 7 has been live for a few weeks now and over 200 million devices have made the switch. I updated both of my devices (an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4S – before I upgraded to the 5S). I heard mixed reactions while iOS 7 was in beta, but for the most part people liked it. I didn’t get a chance to try it out when it was in beta so I experienced it with the rest of the world the day after it went live.

Overall, I really like it. In my opinion, it seems cleaner, more modern and edgy. It’s easy on the eyes (unlike some other OSs whose “lively tiles”, according to some experts, may induce diarrhea). I’ll admit, it did seem a little sluggish on my 4S and I had to go in and make a few changes under the hood (as it were) so I could get a little more out of my battery. Honestly, that’s pretty typical of Apple. The latest iOS always seems to zap your battery and you have to go in and turn several background features off if you want your device to last longer than a day. In fact the first day I had my iPhone 5S the battery was nearly gone by the end of the day, which shouldn’t happen with a new phone. After turning off several features (such as Background App Refresh and Automatic App Updates) the phone battery performed much better.

On the other hand, the battery on my iPad 2, since updating to iOS 7, doesn’t seem to have been affected at all. With that said, I like iOS 7 more on the iPad then I do on the iPhone. Perhaps its because the screen is bigger and therefore easier to notice the subtle design changes in some of the icons and overall picture quality. Or maybe I’m just strange (which we all know has always been true, regardless).

I freaking love the Control Center. It’s so nice that I can just swipe up and toggle DND, WiFi, Airplane Mode, and several other Settings and Utility apps (such as calculator, camera, stop watch, flashlight). I’m a lot less likely to get caught looking at my phone in church when I forget to turn on DND because it can be toggled so much faster now. I know, I know. Android did it first, and I’m glad Android users have had that luxury longer, but its nice to finally have it on an Apple device.

If you haven’t updated your devices yet, I am going to encourage you to do it. Make sure you read about some of the tips folks have posted for improving your battery life, especially on older devices (and by older I mean pre-iPhone 5). If you have already updated, what do you think? What things do you like about it? If you don’t like it, I encourage you to share that as well.

/cheers

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