Double Bubble

Sometime later today, June 17, 2009, Apple will make available their OS 3.0 for the iPhone (and iPod Touch). In anticipation of this, Blizzard started sending out emails yesterday to Battle.net account holders regarding the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator and the new iPhone OS 3.0 software update.

If you are planning on updating to the new OS 3.0 and are using the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator, be sure to sync your iPhone with iTunes before doing so. This is important because with the installation of the new OS, all your apps and information are deleted and then restored by iTunes after the update. Since your Battle.net Mobile Authenticator is linked to your account, losing your currently installed version of the mobile authenticator could mean being locked out of accessing your account.

So to prevent a potentially large hassle, just be sure to sync your iPhone with iTunes first.

Here's the email that came from Blizzard:

From: donotreply@blizzard.com
Date: June 16, 2009 6:40:01 PM PDT
To: [email address]
Subject: Important Battle.net Mobile Authenticator / iPhone OS 3.0 Notice

Hello [name],

This is an automated e-mail regarding the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator attached to the Battle.net account [email address here].

In anticipation of the upcoming release of iPhone OS 3.0, we highly recommend that you back up your iPhone or iPod touch to a computer using iTunes before performing the iPhone OS 3.0 software update. By taking this important precaution, you will be

able to quickly restore your previous install of the Battle.net Mobile Authenticator if you encounter any issues during the update process.

The WoW related iPhone / iPod Touch app called WoW Companion  [iTunes link] has actually been available on the App Store for a while (a few weeks at least), but I'm just getting to write about it now. This little app is actually two apps in one, a command, macro, and emote reference, as well as an Arena calculator. It's being developed by Audacity Software Pte. Ltd. for the low, low price of free or should I really say ad-supported free. Yes, it's a free advertisement supported app, so there's small ads on each screen of the app.

Here's the application description from the iTunes Store:

*** DISCLAIMER: This is not an official reference for the game and is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard or World of Warcraft. ***

This app is a handy tool and reference for beginners and veterans alike. It is designed to help players improve their game and reaction time as well as learn new commands.

I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had much of a chance to play WoW except for a few dailies here and there. This past weekend however, I wasn't only able to play a little, I was finally able to raid Ulduar. I've only been in Ulduar once before when I PUG'd a Heroic Ulduar and downed Flame Leviathan a week ago, so I was anxious to get back in there and see more of it.

Though I have a great time raiding, I haven't been able to raid with the guild since Ulduar was released. Schedules haven't worked out for me to raid consistently, but every now and then on our "off" days we'll have enough for another raid. Usually by the weekend, the core raiders have already been pushing through both normal and heroic Ulduar so it's hard to get a guild run. This weekend however, there was enough interest and people for a second 10-man Ulduar run. I was hoping for a second 25-man run but there just wasn't enough people and we didn't want to PUG the remaining people.

As a raiding guild, Ascended, has a lot of experienced raiders and though this was a spontaneous run, we were organized and coordinated enough to really move through 10-man Ulduar easily. Over two three hour raids, this "off" team went 10/14.

Since it was my first time through on 10-man, I racked up 11 Ulduar Achievements!

• Shutout
• A Quick Shave
• Nerf Gravity Bombs
• Nerf Engineering
• Staying Buffed All Winter
  

There's a new update to the iPhone/Touch app, ArenaPoints  [iTunes link]. This brings the current version to 1.1 and includes the following updates:

GUI improvements
"2on2" and other team sizes changed to the standard form "2v2"

The app and UI was pretty simple and straightforward originally, so I'm not sure I can tell what "GUI improvements" were made. However, I may be responsible for the change from "2on2", "3on3", and "5on5" to "2v2", "3v3", and "5v5" respectively since I wrote the developer and mentioned that it would be more consistent with how they are in WoW. The developer said he'd make the change, and it's good to see that he did.

   

There's been an update available on the iTunes App Store for the iPhone/Touch app called WoWiQuest  [iTunes link] for a little while now, but I'm just getting to it today. If you'll recall from my rather lengthy review of it's initial release, it's a pretty feature rich application that the developer has listed for $4.99 (USD).

The latest release brings it to version 1.1 and has some new features added to it. Here is what is in this new version:

- Bug fixes.
- NPCs, Items and Objects now list "Objective of" if available.
- Items now list NPC/Object "Source" if available.
- Database updated and bandwidth increased.
- View NPCs, Items and Objects in 3D if available.

The functionality of the application is still the same as it's initial release, but the addition of the 3D models for some of the NPCs, items, and objects is pretty cool. There aren't 3D models for all the items or NPCs, but those that do have them, the models are fully rotatable and can be zoomed in on to an extent. Here's some screenshots of the new 3D models feature:

These past few weeks have been pretty busy for me so I haven't had much time to make any new posts, let alone even play much WoW. I do have a few iPhone related posts in the works, but I just haven't had the time to complete them yet. I'm hoping I may have some time this weekend to at least catch up on those "in progress" posts, but I don't know when I'll get them actually up. Hell, I may even try to get some more WoW play time in outside of the one or two dailies I've only had time for lately.

An update to WM Match Tracker [ iTunes link] is now available on the App Store. This iPhone / iPod Touch app is for use with the WoW Miniatures Game. The new version is 1.2 and it's still available for free!

Here's what's new:

Added the possibiliy to manage the honor for the part (to reflect the use of equipment cards)

      

There's a new iPhone / iPod Touch application that is available on the App Store. This application has actually been out for a few days now but I'm just getting to a write up now. The application is called ArenaPoints  [Tunes link], and costs $0.99 (USD). It's developed by Josepf Schuh.

Here's the application description from the App Store:

Tired of using Alt+Tab or Apple+M commands to switch between the World of Warcraft window and a browser just to check how many Arena Points you will get this week?

ArenaPoints helps you with this problem. Just open the app and update your Arena Rating after each battle to be informed if you need to play more matchs this week to buy the item you want of if you can stop and enjoy the daily fishing quest.

   

iPhone Screenshots of ArenaPoints. Opening screen (left), entering your team's arena rating will have the amount of points you'll get (right).

There's a new iPhone / iPod Touch application that is available on the App Store. The application is for use with the WoW Trading Card Game and not the MMO directly. The app is called WOW Lifecounter  [iTunes link] and costs $0.99 (USD). It's being developed by Series Six Software.

Here's the application description from the App Store:

This is a basic health counter for the World Of Warcraft Trading Card Game.
It keeps track of games won, and allows the players to customize the life totals.
Using it is simple! Input the health amounts of the heroes into the small text area and use the damage buttons during the course of the game.
The game win totals will update automatically when the health total is exceeded.

From the description it sounds straightforward to use and as you can see from the screenshot, it has a very basic and functional UI. It seems to work as intended. I don't play the TCG so I don't have much to really can't assess how useful this app would be to the TCG community. Perhaps if someone out there that plays the TCG can tell me if it's worth the $0.99 (USD) and if it's something a TCG player would use.

Amidst new C&D's and disappearing apps, there's a WoW related native iPhone / iPod Touch application on App Store. This application was actually released a few days ago, but I haven't had the time to really sit down with it and try it out until now. This new application is being developed by Steven Melton and it's called WoWiQuest  [iTunes link]. It's available on the App Store for a whopping $4.99 (USD).

Here's the application description from the App Store:

iQuest is a World of Warcraft player's companion for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As you play WoW, use iQuest to search for detailed information, stats, locations for Quests, NPCs, Items and Objects. We are constantly updating our database so you will have the latest game information to help you while you play.

Features:

- Quest objective, details, rewards, start and end locations.
- NPC stats and locations.
- Item stats and spell information.
- Object details and locations.
- Bookmark information for quick access.

*Internet connection required.

www.wowiquest.com

There appears to be some missing WoW related iPhone and iPod Touch applications from the Apple App Store today. We've already heard that Warcraft Characters received a C&D earlier, and the app was promptly pulled from App Store a day or so later. Doing a quick check of the App Store this morning revealed that two other Apps are no longer available.

The missing apps are Warcraft Chest and WoW Realm Status. I know they were there just a day or so ago because I just posted that version 1.5 of Warcraft Chest was recently released. It's conceivable that the developers pulled them themselves for other reasons not relating to a C&D, or (and this is more likely but unverified) that Blizzard's legal hammer has dealt another C&D blow.

These two applications were charging money for their application, and we know that Blizzard has issued C&D for early developers that were charging money, and as with the case of Warcraft Characters even to developers that were offering their applications for free.

The latest version of WoWTalent [Tunes link] is now available for download on the App Store. Though the last version, 1.4, was updated with the talents from patch 3.1, the pet talents were not up-to-date for 3.1. I wrote the developers about this and promptly got a response from one of them, Peter, thanking me and acknowledging that a fix was in the works. So this version, 1.5, brings us:

Patch 3.1.1 talend build

      

Screenshots from WoWTalent 1.5.  Updated for Patch 3.1.1 (left), the ability to save specs was very useful following the multiple talent resets following the patch (middle), and even updated pet talents.

The latest version of Warcraft Chest [iTunes link] by Sedna Logic arrived at the App Store and is ready for download and/or update. Though the earlier 1.4 release came after patch 3.1, it didn't have any of the new items released in the 3.1 patch. This version, 1.5, however is updated with the most current items "known" items in 3.1. More on that a little later though.

      

Screenshots from Warcraft Chest 1.5.  Updated for Ulduar (left), some loot from Heroic General Vezax in Ulduar (middle), and the blank loot list for Algalon the Observer. Remember this version only has "known" content, Algalon's loot table is still presently "unknown"

Here's what's new in this version:

Version 1.5
- Updated with known Ulduar content.
- Reduced application size
- Improved memory management
- More bug fixes

I'm finally putting up that Ferocity pet comparison that I've been talking about. I actually finished the actual data collection a few days after the patch 3.1 was released, but I got very busy and didn't have time to write it all up. So without further delay, here's the Cat vs. Devilsaur vs. Raptor vs. Spirit Beast vs. Wolf DPS comparison. Enjoy.


Introduction
The release of patch 3.1, Secrets of Ulduar, brought a lot of changes. Hunters were not spared a sweeping change to the class and some of it's talents and mechanics. Hunter pets also received a set of changes that have many hunters re-evaluating their current stable of pets.

As a DPS class, many hunters (especially raiding hunters) will try to maximize their DPS in any way possible. Since pets are an integral part of being a hunter, having a pet that will provide the maximum DPS benefit will be the pet that you'll see most hunters have. This will no doubtedly be a Ferocity pet of some kind as they are the ones designed for DPS.

This is big news, at least to me it is. In a surprising move, Blizzard has sent a cease and desist letter to Rudi, the developer of the free iPhone app, Warcraft Characters [iTunes link]. The WoW Insider already has a story posted about it, so I'll just direct you to read up on it there.

What I don't understand is why they would go after Warcraft Characters. It was free and always has been since it was first released. I've stressed when reviewing all the other WoW related iPhone apps that had chosen to charge money for their application that Blizzard has issued cease and desist letters to early applications that were charging money for applications that used their freely available resources such as the Armory (i.e. Armory Browser) and calculators (i.e. Warcraft Arena Calculator.

At first I thought Blizzard has relaxed on their stance of issuing C&D's especially considering that there are presently five applications on the App Store charging money. I know not all are accessing Blizzard's online resources, but a few of them are in one form or another. Perhaps they are re-flexing their muscles following up on thier recent stance on Addons.

Ever since the 3.1 release, I've been pretty busy and haven't had much time to really put in some quality WoW time. With all the earlier issues with the patch, and the associated realm instabilities, I was a little relieved and figured that I haven't been missing out on too much. Now that the patch seems to have stabilized I'm hoping to get in a little more play time.

Along with being busy also comes some delays in some posts that I've been wanting to complete. I've been trying to finish up a Ferocity pet DPS comparison but I haven't had the time just yet to do all the writing. The tests have actually already been done, but I just haven't had the time to write. I'm working on it though and hopefully I'll get it up tomorrow sometime. I'm also behind in posting some news to some iPhone apps that have recently been updated, as well as some breaking news regarding my favorite WoW iPhone app, Warcraft Characters. I'm so behind on other things I wanted to write about too, so I may just have to reorder and reprioritize things..

I'm working on these when I can, so thanks for the patience.

The latest version of WoWTalent [iTunes link] is now available for download on the App store. This version brings us the latest talent builds from the Secrets of Ulduar (patch 3.1)!

Patch 3.1.0 talent build.

Localization is fully supported and finished, and update will be coming soon once foreigh languages are finalized.

.

The talent build for all the classes appears to be updated, but they forgot to update the Pet talent trees! All three of the pet classes, Cunning, Ferocity, and Tenacity, are still showing the older talent trees. I sent an email to the developers over at Orzware about this, and they wrote me back saying that they'll try to get that fixed soon. It was probably an oversight, but at least they're aware of it now.

Even though it's not completely updated for patch 3.1, this is still going to be very helpful as I'm still playing around with all the new talent changes, as well as the new dual specs. The ability to save talent specs is a wonderful feature as I'm able to use it to save various different specs I try out, as well ones that I find from others.

If you are a current user this is a must have update (for obvious reasons) and it's free as an update. If you're new to WoWTalent, it's worth the 99 cents USD.

There's a minor update to Warcraft Chest [iTunes link] that just became available for download from the App Store. Though this is a new version that is out after the release of patch 3.1, it does not include updates that came with the Secrets of Ulduar (patch 3.1). Instead it's a minor update along with some bug fixes.

Here's what's new in this version

Version 1.4
- Now you can view of cost of items in tokens, badges and Gold.
- Updated content for Token & Arena.
- Bug fixes.

*** 1.4 supports 3.0.9. For 3.1, version 1.5 will be available shortly after 3.1 has released Worldwide.

So it won't be until verion 1.5 that we'll see Warcraft Chest updated with the latest items from patch 3.1. In the meantime I suppose you could update, but it'll only be current as of 3.0.9. It still costs $2.99 to purchase, but if you already own it, the update is naturally still free.

Gondria tamed! Location was at 77,69 at 3:34 AM server time on the Caelestrasz realm (that was 10:34 AM PDT for me actually).

Late yesterday I had just posted on Searching for Gondria and that I was going to level a new Raptor to 80 in Zul'Drak around one of Gondria's known spawn locations, around 77,70. As I mentioned before there are a lot of Icepaw Bears and Snow Leopards with a rapid respawn time, so I found it to be an ideal spot for me.

I didn't camp the whole time, I was actually actively in there area on and off over the span of a few hours when I logged in. Amongst the multitude of red dots there stood out a bright yellow dot. A mouse-ovewr confirmed it was Gondria. Heart racing, fingers fumbling, I landed, abandoned the raptor I was leveling, was about to drop a Freezing Trap when all of a sudden I was being attacked by one of the Icepaw Bears. There were a lot of bears in the area actually and I probably should have cleared first, but I was too concerned that another hunter would come and take Gondria from me.

Ever since patch 3.1 was released, the search for Gondria has been an active one. Hunters worldwide are looking for this new rare spawn Spirit Beast both in-game, and out-of-game. By out-of-game I mean the searches on the internet for information regarding Gondria, his spawn locations, his respawn timer, etc. I know this because traffic on my site picked up a lot the day of the patch, and peaked the day after the patch.

         
Click on above images to see the full screenshots.

The reason for this is because I had actually and had a post up about it. So the increased traffic on my site mostly came from Google searches of "gondria", "gondria location", and "gondria spawn points" as being the most popular searches respectively. At least those are the search terms that brought them to this site. Though this site isn't the top hit on a search result, I think people are so hungry for information on Gondria, that they are trying to gather as much information as possible.