World of Warcraft

By Redestium
in PC Gaming

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Grand Master

the evn show

Posted
Posted

My guilds have always done need/greed with a "don't be a prick" policy or pass and then every one /roll, with peer pressure. Sometimes you get mistakes like somebody hitting need when they mean greed but they're so rare that it wasn't worth worrying about. It's only loot: there will be plenty more next week and if it's something rare you can always have a GM ticket fix it.

I can understand getting annoyed at bad luck but I'm playing with people I like: I'm happy when they get new gear.

That seems like the quickest way to make this game completely unfun (apart from the stuff blizzard does).

Grand Master

(Spork)

Posted
Posted

With the continuing popularity of World of Warcraft user interface add-ons (referred to hereafter as “add-ons”;) created by the community of players, Blizzard Entertainment has formalized design and distribution guidelines for add-ons. These guidelines have been put in place to ensure the integrity of World of Warcraft and to help promote an enjoyable gaming environment for all of our players – failure to abide by them may result in measures up to and including taking formal legal action.

1) Add-ons must be free of charge.

All add-ons must be distributed free of charge. Developers may not create “premium”; versions of add-ons with additional for-pay features, charge money to download an add-on, charge for services related to the add-on, or otherwise require some form of monetary compensation to download or access an add-on.

2) Add-on code must be completely visible.

The programming code of an add-on must in no way be hidden or obfuscated, and must be freely accessible to and viewable by the general public.

3) Add-ons must not negatively impact World of Warcraft realms or other players.

Add-ons will perform no function which, in Blizzard Entertainment’s sole discretion, negatively impacts the performance of the World of Warcraft realms or otherwise negatively affects the game for other players. For example, this includes but is not limited to excessive use of the chat system, unnecessary loading from the hard disk, and slow frame rates.

4) Add-ons may not include advertisements.

Add-ons may not be used to advertise any goods or services.

5) Add-ons may not solicit donations.

Add-ons may not include requests for donations. We recognize the immense amount of effort and resources that go into developing an add-on; however, such requests should be limited to the add-on website or distribution site and should not appear in the game.

6) Add-ons must not contain offensive or objectionable material.

World of Warcraft has been given a “T” by the ESRB, and similar ratings from other ratings boards around the world. Blizzard Entertainment requires that add-ons not include any material that would not be allowed under these ratings.

7) Add-ons must abide by World of Warcraft ToU and EULA.

All add-ons must follow the World of Warcraft Terms of Use and the World of Warcraft End User License Agreement.

8 ) Blizzard Entertainment has the right to disable add-on functionality as it sees fit.

To maintain the integrity World of Warcraft and ensure the best possible gaming experience for our players, Blizzard Entertainment reserves the right to disable any add-on functionality within World of Warcraft at its sole discretion.

For more information…

If you are an add-on developer and have any questions about this User Interface Add-On Development Policy and how it pertains to the add-on that you’ve developed, please don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected].

The official announcement is here: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/policy/ui.html

Link http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.h...47207&sid=1

questhelper maker said he is not stopping but just won't update his addon as much

outfitter maker has closed up shop

carbonite maker still not a word

Grand Master

Slane

Posted
Posted

Outfitter no biggie as we will have the same function in 3.1. Questhelper shouldn't be affected as the only thing he does is ask for donations (at the place of download) which Blizzard said it's fine. Carbonite, never saw the reason why you would pay for an addon which you can get for free from others, personally I don't use Carbonite so could care less what happens to it. But I'm sure if they don't comply Blizzard will find some way to prevent the addon from being used.

That said, it is alot of work to produce addons so it blows for people who try to make money/living off 'em, but Blizzard doesn't want people to make profit on code they implemented and allowed to be used within there game.

Grand Master

gigapixels Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

So I will probably be transferring to a different server, specifically to be with some friends that are ready to start Naxx pretty soon. Looks like I won't have to deal with PuGs anymore. :woot:

I'll be transferring to Spinebreaker, if anybody plays there. I just have to wait till my auctions are up; I don't want to miss out on any gold coming my way :p

Grand Master

Sethos

Posted
Posted

I was thinking about playing World of Warcraft again, on a casual level. Since I'm not 100% sure I want to shell out the necessary dough for an activation key and the various expansion, I wanted to give the 14-Day trial a bash and then 'upgrade' that account to a retail account, in case I do decide to keep playing.

Problem is, I really want to give Blood Elves a try but they are locked to TBC as far as I know, so is it possible to create a Blood Elf under the 14-Day trial, perhaps some changes introduced within the last 4 months ( + - ) since I last played? Or do I need a retail WoW account and then the 14-Day TBC Trial?

Grand Master

gigapixels Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

I did the 10-day Wrath trial when my account was inactive. It gave me full access to all Wrath content and I was able to make a DK (which is what convinced me to play again :p)

Go to the account management page and you should see a link to the trial.

Grand Master

Sethos

Posted
Posted

Yeah but there's 3 different trials, one for each expansion - When I start out with nothing, I need to trial vanilla WoW which doesn't have all these new features. Just wanted to know if they made some changes at some point which allowed you to access this sorta contents under the vanilla WoW trial ... You never know :p

( Starting from the ground up because I sold my last account )

Grand Master

Redestium

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I did the 10-day Wrath trial when my account was inactive. It gave me full access to all Wrath content and I was able to make a DK (which is what convinced me to play again :p)

Go to the account management page and you should see a link to the trial.

Damn you DKs clogging up LFG. :p

I recently got back into the game, it's a lot more fun than I remember it being, probably because I can actually raid again. Everything is completed, just waiting for Ulduar.

Grand Master

gigapixels Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted
Yeah but there's 3 different trials, one for each expansion - When I start out with nothing, I need to trial vanilla WoW which doesn't have all these new features. Just wanted to know if they made some changes at some point which allowed you to access this sorta contents under the vanilla WoW trial ... You never know :p

( Starting from the ground up because I sold my last account )

Ah, I see. Well the only thing that's different between the three is the content. BC content includes BE and draenei, and Wrath content includes DKs. Any other new things are there (achievements, etc.).

Grand Master

Prosidius

Posted
Posted
http://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Battl...c/dp/B000H96C9M

Should only be $25 now that wrath is out

$40 gets ya vanilla and BC, which is pretty cheap. Think you have to have Vanilla already to be able to to BC trial.

Grand Master

the evn show

Posted
Posted

I think he meant 76 to 77 given that he says it was 1.6m experience.

I started out planning to play out side this weekend, then the snow

came and ruined it all for me.

I think I might start a 4-6 hour a week 'hardcore' group next weekend.

Make it work sort of like the old bear farming group: show up, clear

all the content, go home. No fire-standing, no drama, no "I don't know

this fight", no "I forgot pots".

I listened on vent as the casual players in my death knights guild spent

14 hours over two days clearing Naxx 25 in a joint run with some other

casual guild. My priest's guild killed everything, doing achievements, on

alts, in a raid of 20 in less than a third of that time.

I might want to be casual right now, but that doesn't mean I've got any

interest in playing with bad players. I also hate hearing things like "I'm

not geared enough for nax-25". Yes you are. If you're 80, you've got

enough gear.

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    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it

      By Steven P. · Posted

      Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
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