• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

GeekwithEnvy

  • Home
  • News
  • How To / Guides
  • Featured Apps
  • Mac
  • PC

Gaming

StarCraft II Heart of The Swarm Will Help You Play Better

December 16, 2012 by Richard Vincenti Jr Leave a Comment

StarCraftII Artwork

There’s a lot going on behind the doors at Blizzard Entertainment and StarCraft II Heart of the Swarm is the main focus as the company gets closer to the game’s launch date of 3/12/2013. During a conversation with PCgamesN, Mike Morhaime mentioned that they are working on a “training area” that will allow players to get better by playing out scenarios against the computer that will teach you how to create and use a few basic builds. The computer will also offer up tips that will help you improve your gameplay. The difficulty will slowly increase as you progress in this new “training mode”.

There are some concerns from the gaming community surrounding the lack of  in-game support for learning how to play in multiplayer matches. Often, players new to playing against real “human” opponents will struggle early on and this has caused many players to become discouraged and to give up playing online altogether. This is obviously not something Blizzard wants happening. Although there has been some improvement with the addition of unranked gameplay, it looks like we will see even further support for the community by introducing this new training mode.

If you fall into this category of new players and you really love the game, don’t give up! There are already a ton of resources out there to help you become a better StarCraft player. One great place to start is by heading to Day[9]TV, a website created by Sean Plott, a professional StarCraft player. He offers up a TON of advice and honestly I can’t think of a better place to get started.

I am always looking for ways to become a better StarCraft player and even if you have a bit of experience already, it would still be nice to run through some type of “training mode”, you never know what you might learn.

Filed Under: Computers, News, Web Tagged With: day[9], Gaming, Heart of the Swarm, Mike Morhaime, Sean Plott, Starcraft, Starcraft II, training mode

Lifetime Ban for League of Legends Pro

December 4, 2012 by Richard Vincenti Jr Leave a Comment

 LoLSS19

Pro gamer, Christian Rivera, who goes by the name I_Will_Dominate, has just been served a lifetime ban from the e-sports team of developer Riot Games. Rivera competed professionally as part of Team Dignitas for the game League of Legends. This should come as no surprise to those who follow him as he has been in trouble 8 times before and has received numerous warnings about his attitude toward other gamers. Here is a quote from the ruling.

“Despite the punishments and official warnings, his harassment score has risen more than 30% from early August to the present date, placing him at the top of the list of North American pro players and among the worst 0.7% of all North American players,”

An official post on the League of Legends community forums states the developer’s low tolerance level for this type of behavior.

“I’ve got some tough news to share with you. We take sportsmanship and player behavior very seriously, and we fundamentally believe that pro players should not be exempt from scrutiny over their behavior.”

“Promoting good sportsmanship and improving player behavior is a mission that’s extremely important to Riot, and this ruling is a reflection of our commitment.”

Update from Polygon.

 

 

Filed Under: Games, News, PC Tagged With: Gaming, iwilldominate, League of Legends, Lifetime Ban, News, PC

Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.1 Live

November 27, 2012 by Richard Vincenti Jr Leave a Comment

Mists of Pandaria patch 5.1 “Landfall”, is now live on all realms. The new patch is packed with updates including item level upgrades, Brawler’s Guild, Pet battle updates, new scenarios, class changes and much more.

Here is a quick rundown of what to expect: World of Warcraft_Mists of Pandaria Male Pandaren

Brawler’s Guild:

  • Entry into the brawler’s guild is by invitation only.  Invitations can be found on the black market auction house, by invitation from somebody within the guild, and occasionally as drops from certain Horde and Alliance NPCs.
  • You will be able to fight challenging bosses one-on-one in fighting rings for special achievements and awesome looking gear.

Two New Factions:

  • You can obtain special rewards and mounts with the two new factions introduced in 5.1, Operation: Shieldwall (Alliance) and Dominance Offensive (Horde).

All New Scenarios:

  • Krasarang Wilds and A Little Patience (Alliance)
  • Dagger in the Dark and Domination Point (Horde)

Pet Battles:

  • New Wild Pets to Capture
  • A more polished Pet Battle UI
  • New Pet Tamer with Daily Quests
  • A new item has been introduced that can be used to upgrade the quality of Battle Pets: Battle-stones.

Bug Fixes (Complete List)

  • The effect of PvP Power on healing will now appear correctly on the Character Sheet.
  • Swooping Plainshawks no longer use abilities from the Bird of Prey Hunter pet family.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause crops to fail to appear when players entered Sunsong Ranch while several hundred yards up in the air.
  • Players who have learned the Terrible Turnip pet can now continue to find Ominous Seeds when harvesting Cooking Ingredient crops.
  • Classes
    • The responsiveness of many abilities and effects has been improved, including: Renewing Mist, Halo, Rogue Poisons, Revealing Strike, Rime, Killing Machine, Maelstrom Weapon, Sudden Doom, Ultimatum, Scent of Blood, Crimson Scourge, and Sudden Death.
    • The following spells now display less intense visual effects for other players: Hellfire, Death and Decay, Hurricane, Astral Storm, and Explosive Trap.
    • Earthquake’s sound effect is now quieter.
    • All spells that cause Forebearance can no longer be applied simultaneously.
    • Hunters
      • The snare provided by Ice Trap is now more responsive when enemies enter or leave the area of effect, and its effective area more closely matches the visual effect.
      • Lock and Load will now activate correctly when Ice Trap is triggered by an immune target, as long as a susceptible target is within the area of effect.
      • Fixed several issues involving Trap Mastery, Entrapment, Glyph of Black ice, and Glyph of Ice Trap.
      • The Growl pet ability will no longer cause diminishing returns against bosses that are immune to its effect.
      • Glyph of Black Ice now correctly benefits from the increased duration provided by Trap Mastery.
      • Glyph of Ice Trap now causes the visual effect of Ice Trap to match the increased area of effect provided by the glyph.
    • Mages
      • Fixed an issue with Glyph of Icy Veins that could prevent all three bolts from firing.
      • Fixed an issue with Glyph of Icy Veins that could prevent the affected abilities from doing the correct damage.
    • Warlocks
      • The Felguard and Wrathguard pet ability, Threatening Presence, will no longer be auto-cast by default.
      • Pandemic no longer smooths the damage when extending dots with different amounts of spellpower.
    • Warriors
      • Execute damage with high amounts of Vengeance is now capped at the Warrior’s maximum health to prevent it from reaching excessive numbers.
    • Professions
      • Banquet of the Steamer and Great Banquet of the Steamer now correctly provide Intellect to damage based casting classes. Healers will continue to gain Spirit from these foods.

For complete patch notes please visit Blizzard’s official post.

Filed Under: Computers, Games, PC Tagged With: Gaming, Mists of Pandaria, MMORPG, Patch 5.1, World Of Warcraft

3D Graphics Becoming Less Important In Games

November 17, 2012 by Richard Vincenti Jr 1 Comment

Ever Since the humble beginnings of the video game, the industry has been striving to improve the quality of the graphics in them. Many techniques have been used over the years to try to achieve the most realistic looking games possible. Well before the 3D gaming world, artists were pushing the limits of 2D. One of the earlier techniques used was rotoscoping, this technique involves using actual live scenes and animating them frame by frame by tracing over filmed footage. Some games actually used clay models in their video games, one of the more notable uses of this technique was in the game ClayFighter.Joystick connected to 3D world

With advances in the hardware we use to play our games, software developers were able to take advantage of new technologies and push the limits of what was possible in a video game. Eventually, 3D games began to take over the industry and with their introduction people started to expect more and more. Again, it was a race to match reality, and in the process, pull end-users away from the competition.

Today, things seem to have changed a bit. Although we are still making strides toward the ultimate 3D gaming experience, we seem to have been somewhat delightfully distracted by a new wave a games that are just as amazing as their 3D counterparts, but instead of focusing on reality, they are acutely artistic and vibrant. These games are highly addictive and in some cases, surprisingly simple. We pay little attention to how “realistic” these games are, in fact we are hoping that they are far from realistic, as we anticipate being immersed into an unknown world that looks nothing like anything we have seen.

In some cases we do mimic reality but embrace the gameplay in favor of ultra-uber textures and cutting edge tessellation techniques . Take the popular game Minecraft for example, this game is hardly on the cutting edge for graphics but it’s game play is addictive and when you add in multiplayer capabilities, the game becomes even more enjoyable. I guess the best way to explain what todays gamer is looking for in a game is simply, good entertainment. Far too many times have games been produced where the main focus of the project is it’s look. Gameplay in these types of games is almost an afterthought and gamers pick up on this. We know what makes a good game and it’s not just the polygon count.

So what has made us refocus our attention to these other types of games? Mainly, the rise of mobile gaming, touch input and Facebook. Nothing has influenced gaming more in the last few years then these three factors. Our web browsers don’t really take advantage of our GPU and so instead developers produce relatively simple yet addicting games than run right on Facebook, and as I mentioned before when you add your friends into the mix, it becomes a winning combination. The mobile environment is suited perfectly for all kinds uniuqe games that rely on pure creativity instead of raw power to provide an entertaining experience. Games like Words with Friends and Draw Something are a big hit and yet are very simple, graphically speaking. Touch input challenges developers to create games that focus more on creativity and offer up distinctive gameplay.

Again, I believe we are focusing more on gameplay then ever before and it’s making for some really amazing games. Now, I am not saying that we can’t have the best of both worlds here, both graphically and content wise. There are already many titles that do an amazing job of combining both. Instead I am pointing out a trend among mainstream gamers that appears to be moving away from a focus on pure graphics capabilities. We seem to have shifted our attention to new methods of control and portability instead. It’s interesting to see how the gaming world is evolving, I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Filed Under: Discussions, Electronics, Games Tagged With: 2D, 3D, Gaming, Graphics, Mobile, Touch

All-TIME 100 greatest video games

November 15, 2012 by Richard Vincenti Jr Leave a Comment

C’mon, you know we all love lists of things and what better list to have then the All-TIME 100 greatest video games? TIME has posted a list of what they consider to be the best of the best. Starting back in the 1970’s with Pong and Asteroids, all the way up to Mass Effect 3.

While I feel that the positions of some games in the list may need a bit of tweaking, I think they did a pretty good job. There are however MANY games that didn’t make the cut that probably should have. What’s nice is that you have the ability to cast your vote on whether or not you think a game should be included in the list.

What do you think about the list? Head over here to check it out.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Games, Gaming, Top 100

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 22
  • Page 23
  • Page 24
  • Page 25
  • Page 26
  • Page 27
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Looking for Something?

Please follow & like us :)

Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Post on X
YouTube






Tags

Android App Apple Apps Blizzard blizzard entertainment Computers Electronics Featured App Film Games Gaming Guide Hardware How To internet iOS iPad iPhone Mac Microsoft Mobile NASA News Nintendo OSX PC Playstation 4 ps4 Science Software Sony Space Star Wars Technology trailer Updates video video games Web Windows windows 8 World Of Warcraft Xbox youtube

Footer

  • About Us
  • GWE Podcast
  • GWE Classic
  • Support

Pages

  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • About Us
  • GWE Podcast
  • Support

Archives

Copyright © 2025 · eleven40 Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT