Posts tagged Microsoft at WOW Insider

Posts with tag Microsoft

Sams: Microsoft could do more for PC gaming

Posted Jul 2nd 2008 2:00PM by Mike Schramm
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Hardware

Blizzard's COO Paul Sams spoke with Gamasutra the other day, and he called out Microsoft, of all companies, for not supporting innovation in PC gaming. He says that Microsoft's loyalties are split with their console business, and that if they put as much work into developing gaming on the PC as they did on the Xbox 360, everyone would benefit.

An interesting idea, to be sure. It's not like Blizzard necessarily needs help from Microsoft to promote and develop their games -- if anything, it's Microsoft that could probably take a lesson from Blizzard on how to release software. But it's true that console innovations like achievement points and Xbox Live social networking accounts aren't really finding a solid place in the PC gaming world, and it could be that Blizzard wants to see those types of things on the platform.

Blizzard has always had a rocky relationship with consoles anyway, and the recent announcement of a non-console Diablo 3 definitely shows they're interested in the PC (including Mac) platform only. Can't really blame them for wanting a little more love from an OS developer like Microsoft.

[via BigDownload]

Two new keylogging worms to watch out for

Posted Jun 26th 2008 4:45PM by Natalie Mootz
Filed under: News items, Account Security

Microsoft's malware blog is warning of two new worms that attempt to steal account information for online games from Windows XP or Vista users. These worms are breaking previous keylogging success rate records and are worth educating yourself about.

The first one is called Taterf which has infected over 1.2 milion machines worldwide during its first week. The other worm is called Frethog and has so far a 650,000+ machine first-week infection rate. These rates are stunning to malware specialists who are used to seeing these kinds of numbers only after a month of the worm's existance. These worms take advantage of Windows' autoplay and autorun functions that run for CDs, DVDs, and some USB sticks. They can be sneaky about it too. They try to disquise autorun with other pop-up dialog boxes, like "Show me these awesome pictures." You do need to confirm this action manually, but this obstacle hasn't much limited the spread of the worms to date.

Make sure you read the instructions on Microsoft's support site for how to protect yourself from these worms. The short answer is to disable autorun from CDs under XP (a registry change) or to change the same option from the Vista control panel. You should also disable autoplay as an even greater precaution. Also, of course, make sure you check the box on the WoW login screen to save your account name. That way if you do get infected with a keylogger, they won't be able to see your keystrokes for both your account name and your password.

How to put WoW Insider in your MS Outlook feeds

Posted Mar 28th 2008 9:00AM by Adam Holisky
Filed under: How-tos, Odds and ends

In an ongoing series of articles we'll show you how to put WoW Insider on your own blog, guild website, personal website, or even on your computer's desktop. For a complete list of the software that's covered, check out our guide's index.

About Microsoft Outlook

Outlook is a staple of many businesses. While the program itself does have its problems, no one can deny its overwhelming acceptance in the work place. Because of this, people often spend hours a day in Outlook – answering emails, scheduling with the calendar, and managing contacts. One of the features that Microsoft has included in Outlook is an ability to subscribe to RSS news feeds. By adding WoW Insider to your Outlook news feeds, you can conspicuously stay abreast of WoW news while at work.

How to add WoW Insider to Microsoft Outlook

1. Open up Microsoft Outlook
2. Right click the "RSS Feeds" item located on the Folders bar on the left hand side of the screen.

3. Select "Add a New RSS Feed..."

4. This will open up the "New RSS Feed" window. Enter WoW Insider's RSS feed address, which as pictured above, is http://www.wowinsider.com/rss.xml .
5. Click the "Add" button.

6. Outlook will likely ask if you want to add the feed, and ask if you trust WoW Insider. Click the "Yes" button.

7. You're done! WoW Insider posts will appear just like other emails will in the preview pane of Outlook. This is great for work environments!

The obvious report: Wrath will not require Vista

Posted Mar 12th 2008 4:00PM by Mike Schramm
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Forums, Hardware

Just in case you were wondering (or if your friend used the mediocre Shadowrun FPS as proof that all games from now on will require Vista), no, we're almost sure that there's no way Wrath of the Lich King will require Windows Vista to run. In fact, even though Neth is only kind of certain in the thread, we'll make it 100%: you won't need Vista to run the next expansion.

Not only is Vista not exactly setting even high-end gamers' hearts afire, but Blizzard is traditionally about as lenient as it gets on system requirements. They did up the ante a little bit when Burning Crusade was released, and we do know that Wrath will require a little more of your computer with those shiny ice shaders (not too much more -- they may ask for more RAM or a faster than the current 800mhz processor). But as much as Microsoft would love what may again be the best selling expansion in the world to require Vista, it's just not going to happen -- Blizzard has too many subscribers here to lock a good number of them with an operating system that's not going over so well.

So ignore what your smirking friend tells you -- if you can run Burning Crusade, you'll be able to run Wrath on the same box.

AddOn Studio for WoW

Posted Dec 17th 2007 4:30PM by Marcie Knox
Filed under: Tips, How-tos, Odds and ends, News items, AddOns

For a big chunk of the gaming population, addons are mysterious things you download and hope will run. But for many talented people, they're an opportunity to help the community and make things easier for the rest of us.

Well, some of the tedium has been taken out of addon writing with the help of Microsoft. What?? Yep, you read that right. Microsoft loves WoW, too. Using CodePlex, their open-source project site, they have helped create an Addon Studio for WoW based on the Visual Studio package. The download contains everything you need to create addons, so don't worry if you aren't the owner of Visual Studio already.

So what does this mean exactly? The project team has converted the addon writing process from text and code to drag and drop. You get the look and feel of common programs like Visual Basic but with the command structure of WoW. By having the process be graphic, you just pick and choose what you want from the list.

Specifically, Addon Studio will provide an interface that allows addon creators to build in familiar surroundings. You'll also have the ability to auto-generate items like the table of contents or lua events. Error checking for FrameXML and Lua parsing also helps to speed the addon process up. Likewise, they have included Ace2 templates so you can still tap into one of the most commonly used addon libraries and updater systems.

Long-term, this should open up addon creation to those that enjoy dablling with programing, but don't have the time or skill to build them without a bit more structure. And that can only be a good thing.

[Thanks, Jason!]

Playing WoW with an Xbox 360 controller

Posted Jul 27th 2007 4:30PM by Mike Schramm
Filed under: Tips, How-tos, Fan stuff, Odds and ends

Sins on the forums asks why he can't use his Xbox 360 controller to play WoW (on Windows, I assume). And the answer is that you can... kind of. But you probably don't want to.

If you've got a wired Xbox 360 controller, it's actually pretty easy. The controller just hooks up to your PC via USB, so plug it in, and you can then use a program called Pinnacle Game Profiler to recognize the controller, and even attach keyboard and mouse functions to the controller's keys. The problem here is actually making sure you have access to everything you normally would (a nearly impossible task, and probably the reason why WoW hasn't come to a console). But if you can do it, feel free.

The problem is if you have a wireless Xbox controller. Unlike the Wii, apparently Microsoft doesn't use the normal Bluetooth standard for its controllers, so you either have to buy a controller specifically for Windows, or an adapter to hook it up. And after you do that, you still might have to download the Pinnacle program to set it up right-- I've got a wireless controller right here, but I'm not about to spend more money for an adapter when I like using the keyboard anyway.

Have you had any success getting the Xbox controller to play WoW? I like the controller and all (although that D-pad is horrible), but why would anyone want to abandon the mouse and keyboard in the first place?

Keep keyloggers away: New Microsoft hotfix available [Updated]

Posted Apr 4th 2007 5:59PM by Elizabeth Harper
Filed under: Cheats, News items

Back on March 31st Eyonix warned us of a newly discovered Windows vulnerability that could have resulted in keyloggers landing on your system. At the time, Microsoft did not yet have a patch available, meaning that Eyonix's best advice was to "be careful." However, today Microsoft has released hotfixes for all versions of windows that should resolve the issue. So if you're running WoW on Windows, I highly recommend that you run Windows update or visit Microsoft's site to download the hotfix as soon as possible. Trust us -- keyloggers are bad, mmkay?

Update: Drysc has made a post regarding this subject highlighting the fact that this patch isn't a keylogger cureall. Says Drysc:

The patch released doesn't stop someone from downloading executables and running them without the proper precautions, and you can still be susceptible to keyloggers, viruses, trojans, etc. The update released by Microsoft is a very specific fix for a specific way that a keylogger could end up on a Windows machine, it doesn't protect you from obtaining a keylogger or virus, it merely patches one specific way you could get one. It's important that you be proactive about your computer and its security.

And for general security purposes, he advises reading this post on keeping your login information secure and Blizzard's support page on account security.

[via MMO-CHAMPION, which has links to more technical information]

More security warnings from Blizzard

Posted Mar 31st 2007 8:55AM by Elizabeth Harper
Filed under: Cheats, Blizzard

Blizzard seems to be getting more serious about security awareness. It wasn't that long ago that Nethaera was warning us about a specific keylogger threat, but this Friday Eyonix has alerted us to a new security risk that could land keyloggers on your computer. The issue? This time it's not a specific threat or even a vulnerability specifically aimed at Warcraft players. Instead, Eyonix directs us to information on this Microsoft vulnerability which, if exploited, could allow malicious code (like a keylogger) to execute on your computer by simply clicking a web link. As there is not presently a patch available to fix this issue, users are advised to take caution in clicking on links in web pages and e-mails. What do we mean by cautious? Well, just be careful not to click on links from sources you don't trust or that link to sites you aren't familiar with.

And while some forum posters point out the irony in Eyonix's warning about clicking on links followed by a link to Microsoft's web site, I have to say that I don't think Blizzard would joke about security issues -- this is serious stuff!

Rumor mill: WoW on Xbox 360

Posted Mar 14th 2007 12:59PM by Mike Schramm
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Expansions

Our friends over at Xbox 360 Fanboy (who routinely rock me at Gears of War) pointed to this Official Xbox Magazine list of their top 5 biggest secret games in development for the Xbox 360. And right there on the list, number one, is a World of Warcraft port.

This isn't the first time we've heard this, but if you ask me, it'll never happen. Ever. Blizzard has their hands full with WoW on PC, and while the Fanboys say Microsoft is offering Blizz cold hard cash, I don't see how they could offer anything even close to what Blizzard is making already from their eight million subscriber fees. Of course, Microsoft is going to be pushing Live for Windows later this year, and trying to get PC gamers and Xboxers to play together, so if they make an offer Blizzard can't refuse, I could be eating these words. But I'll stick to my guns on this one: WoW isn't showing up on a console anytime soon.

Completely beside the point is the question of whether it would work or not. Of course, I'm sure Xbox allows a mouse and keyboard (anyone played FFXI on there? I haven't), so maybe it's a moot point. But with all the clicks WoW requires (on quest items, ability use, and such), I can't think of an easy-to-use controller scheme that would work as well as what we've got now.

Update: As if the word "rumor" wasn't warning enough, commenter rinks reminds us that this news came from the April issue of Xbox Mag, and we all know how videogame magazines get around April 1st. Plus, they also mention Duke Nukem Forever on the list, and we all know that game is basically a "joke incoming" flag.

WoW + Vista = ????

Posted Jan 30th 2007 3:40PM by Barb Dybwad
Filed under: News items

So Microsoft had a little launch of its own yesterday (why can't they do these things at midnight like normal people?), and reader Scott Harris wrote in with a relevant question: "Has anyone tried to see how compatible WoW is with Windows Vista?" If the above banner snagged at CES is any indication, the fun is only beginning -- then again, something tells me they weren't thinking about Warcraft.

I'm not gonna lie -- I have zero plans to upgrade my XP box to Vista anytime soon, mostly because I'm primarily a Mac person (yes, flame on, people, flame on) and the thought of doing the upgrade to the only Windows box in the house sounds about as fun as major surgery to me. However, the trusty intertubes contain some accounts of compatibility, and so far the reports are mixed:

WoW + Vista = poor frame rates.
No way n00b, it's totally faster!
l2computerz people, Vista really has no effect on WoW performance.

Since the jury appears to still be out, we're leaving it up to you, dear readers -- has anyone had experience getting Vista and World of Warcraft to play nice? Any experiences to report?

P.S. If you want to snag a free copy, get your Need Roll in over at Download Squad.

Is Your Warcraft Account More Valuable Than Your Credit Card Info?

Posted Aug 15th 2006 5:00PM by Elizabeth Harper
Filed under: News items, Economy

Microsoft has caught on to what many Warcraft players already realized - our characters and in-game items are valuable. And for some, the value of your account itself is higher than that of the credit card you use to play the game with, making account theft a lucrative target. And, while Blizzard can help restore stolen in-game goods, once your account has been compromised, it's a long and tedious process to get it back. So in all cases, it's better to protect your account before-hand - while most of it's common sense, Blizzard has some good advice on that front.

[Fan art by Sarah Jaffe]

Story	More like this
Wrath Beta patch notes	Wrath
Inscription details: glyphs, runewords and more	Wrath
Retroactive Achievements and how they'll work	Achievements
Hunter pets to have family skills	Hunter
Offical Wrath talent calculators on EU site	Wrath
The many MMOs of Blizzard	Blizzard
The WoW Insider Library
Put WoW Insider headlines on your site

Event	Date
Eye of the Storm Weekend	7/25 - 7/28
Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza	SUN 2p - 4p
Darkmoon Faire (Terokkar)	8/4 - 8/10
BlizzCon 2008 in Anaheim, CA	10/10 - 10/11

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Mike Schramm	87	10
2	Daniel Whitcomb	69	24
3	Amanda Dean	61	0
4	Zach Yonzon	55	0
5	Elizabeth Wachowski	36	1
6	Eliah Hecht	35	14
7	Alex Ziebart	35	29
8	Moo Money	31	19
9	Natalie Mootz	30	43
10	Adam Holisky	27	11
11	Michael Gray	27	0
12	Matthew Rossi	21	70
13	Amanda Miller	18	3
14	Jennie Lees	15	3
15	Lisa Poisso	11	2
16	Elizabeth Harper	10	0
17	Robin Torres	10	3
18	Sean Forsgren	5	1
19	Megan Harris	5	6
20	David Bowers	5	22

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Sams: Microsoft could do more for PC gaming

Two new keylogging worms to watch out for

How to put WoW Insider in your MS Outlook feeds

The obvious report: Wrath will not require Vista

AddOn Studio for WoW

Playing WoW with an Xbox 360 controller

Keep keyloggers away: New Microsoft hotfix available [Updated]

More security warnings from Blizzard

Rumor mill: WoW on Xbox 360

WoW + Vista = ????

Is Your Warcraft Account More Valuable Than Your Credit Card Info?

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