Old School meets New and Cool...

Diablo 3 Revealed at 63% shares pages of wisdom

2012-04-26T09:30:00.005-04:00

source: http://reveal.diablo3.com/en_US/

The Order

Excerpt

Cain smelled something foul like rotten meat. Another room loomed through an archway before him, pitch black inside. He heard movement and a low, guttural snarl accompanied by the scraping of rock. Feeling exposed in the candlelight, he flattened himself against the wall and moved as quietly as a ghost to a corner between two bookcases.

The thing that emerged from the archway was so huge and incomprehensible that at first Cain had trouble processing the sight of it. It appeared to be made of human limbs and torsos all rolled together, along with a forest of jutting spikes of what looked like rock and timber. Two long arms ended in clubs rather than hands and sprouted the same shards of wood and stone. At least three separate heads grew from putrid, swollen flesh, white-filmed eyes rolling blindly in their sockets.

The monstrosity moved slowly and laboriously, and it had to duck to clear the arch, over ten feet off the floor. Its dripping shoulders nearly touched both sides of the opening as it leaned into the library, grunting with the effort. It seemed to have one main head in the center of its chest, and as it swung in Cain’s direction, those eyes fixed on his face.

The creature paused as if studying him. Then it opened its primary mouth and roared, the stench of its breath washing over Cain as the mouths of the other heads screeched in unison.

The candle flickered and nearly went out. Fresh panic rose up in Cain as the creature took a lumbering step toward him and threatened to knock over the table and send them into darkness. He slipped away from his hiding place and went for the door, but the monster moved with him and reached out a long clubbed limb as if to smash him into the floor.

Torchlight II Available for Pre-Order!

2012-04-26T08:58:00.000-04:00

source:http://www.torchlight2game.com/news/2012/04/26/torchlight-ii-available-for-pre-order/

Pre-orders are now live for Torchlight II! You can find Torchlight II available for pre-order through two platforms, Steam and Perfect World Entertainment, and it retails for just $19.99 (£14.99, €18.99). Players who pre-order through Steam will receive an added bonus, a free Steam copy of the original game, the award-winning Torchlight. In addition, Steam will also offer a four-pack pre-order option. Purchase three copies of Torchlight II and get the fourth game free, perfect for playing with your friends!

"As we put the finishing touches on Torchlight II, it made sense to start pre-orders after the great response we received at PAX East," said CEO Max Schaefer. "Fans have asked us for a pre-order, and we are planning an imminent network test, so the timing was perfect."

President and Project Lead Travis Baldree said to fans, "We're pretty excited to see Torchlight II approaching completion, and can't wait to get it into players' hands to see what they think. It's been a long haul, and taken more time than we expected, but we hope you'll agree that the additional time has been worth it. Thanks for sticking with us!"

In other news, Torchlight II's "Friday Updates" are moving to Thursdays. Gamers can visit the official website at http://www.torchlight2game.com/ each Thursday to see the latest features, news updates, gameplay details, trailers and screenshots.

Take a look at some new screenshots and gameplay footage!

About the Game

The award-winning action RPG is back, bigger and better than ever! Torchlight II takes you back into the quirky, fast-paced world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets - and, once again, the fate of the world is in your hands!

Torchlight II captures all the flavor and excitement of the original game - while expanding the world and adding the features players wanted most, including online and LAN co-op multiplayer. Torchlight II is fast, fun, and filled to the brim with action and loot. Adventure solo or online with your friends!

Key Features:

Multiplayer - Play co-op with your friends via LAN or over the Internet for free. No subscriptions, no item sales. Our new matchmaking service lets you find friends, start new games, and join existing games. And, as always, you can play single-player offline as well.
Customizable Characters - Players will create and customize a character from one of four brand new classes. Each class can be played as either male or female, with customized cosmetic features and looks to make each individual character stand out. All new skills and loot give loads of opportunity for unique character builds.
Moddability - TorchED, the Torchlight II editor, will give players the ability to create their own mods, adding even more content to the world. Have your friends download the same mod and play together.
New User Interface - Torchlight II boasts a new and improved user interface, designed to be easier than ever for new players to pick up and play. This intuitive interface ensures you can focus on playing the game the way you want to.
Open World - We're not only in the town of Torchlight anymore! Explore vast overland areas and multiple hub towns, fight through rain, snow, day and night. Our level randomization ensures new layouts, paths, loot, and monsters every time you play.
New Game Plus - In New Game Plus, the game's not over until you say it is. Once you've beaten Torchlight II's primary campaign, you can start again with the same character for a significantly greater challenge. You'll keep all of the skills, gold, and gear you worked so hard for!
Pets & Fishing - These popular features make their return in Torchlight II in improved form. More choices, better effects, and your pet will still make the run to town to sell your loot so you don’t have to.

System Requirements

OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista/Windows 7
Processor: x86-compatible 1.4GHz or faster processor
Memory: 1GB System RAM
Hard Disk Space: 1.2GB free space (subject to change)
Video Card: DirectX compatible 3D graphics card with at least 256MB of addressable memory.
DirectX®: 9.0c

Diablo 3 Midnight Launch Events (Detailed Info)

2012-04-25T19:12:00.006-04:00

source:http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/5203659/Diablo_III_Midnight_Launch_Events-4_25_2012#blog

We're inviting you to join us for the midnight launch of Diablo III! In addition to local retail shops' midnight launches, we're holding a number of demonically charged worldwide launch events in major cities where you can join Blizzard to celebrate the release of Diablo III and pick up your copy of the game. Each event will have its own activities, giveaways, and contests, so see the press release for further details and be sure to check the launch event site for more info on the one nearest you.

Diablo III Midnight Launch Events

Whether you're attending a launch event, grabbing the game at a local store, or waiting patiently at home for your digital version to unlock, you'll want to be ready to jump in right when the servers open. For the Americas region, comprising the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and South East Asia, the game servers will go live at 12:01 a.m. PDT on May 15. As a reminder to our Latin American players, the digital version of Diablo III will go live on May 15, and the retail version will launch on June 7.

Don't forget to create your BattleTag -- it's important to do so now if you haven't already, as it's REQUIRED TO PLAY DIABLO III. Also note that if you'd like to receive a digital copy of Diablo III free, there are still a few days left to sign up for the World of Warcraft Annual Pass.

We hope to see you at one of our Diablo III launch events, and we look forward to seeing you in-game on May 15!

Google announces Google Drive. 5GB Free Storage.

2012-04-24T15:00:00.003-04:00

source: https://drive.google.com/start#home

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read the User Agreement very carefully. It appears that Google will have worldwide rights to all documents put in Google Drive. The competitors do not do this. Although they are not free.

Today, we’re introducing Google Drive—a place where you can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of your stuff. Whether you’re working with a friend on a joint research project, planning a wedding with your fiancé or tracking a budget with roommates, you can do it in Drive. You can upload and access all of your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and beyond.

With Google Drive, you can:

Create and collaborate. Google Docs is built right into Google Drive, so you can work with others in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Once you choose to share content with others, you can add and reply to comments on anything (PDF, image, video file, etc.) and receive notifications when other people comment on shared items.
Store everything safely and access it anywhere (especially while on the go). All your stuff is just... there. You can access your stuff from anywhere—on the web, in your home, at the office, while running errands and from all of your devices. You can install Drive on your Mac or PC and can download the Drive app to your Android phone or tablet. We’re also working hard on a Drive app for your iOS devices. And regardless of platform, blind users can access Drive with a screen reader.
Search everything. Search by keyword and filter by file type, owner and more. Drive can even recognize text in scanned documents using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Let’s say you upload a scanned image of an old newspaper clipping. You can search for a word from the text of the actual article. We also use image recognition so that if you drag and drop photos from your Grand Canyon trip into Drive, you can later search for [grand canyon] and photos of its gorges should pop up. This technology is still in its early stages, and we expect it to get better over time.

You can get started with 5GB of storage for free—that’s enough to store the high-res photos of your trip to the Mt. Everest, scanned copies of your grandparents’ love letters or a career’s worth of business proposals, and still have space for the novel you’re working on. You can choose to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month. When you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail account storage will also expand to 25GB.

Drive is built to work seamlessly with your overall Google experience. You can attach photos from Drive to posts in Google+, and soon you’ll be able to attach stuff from Drive directly to emails in Gmail. Drive is also an open platform, so we’re working with many third-party developers so you can do things like send faxes, edit videos and create website mockups directly from Drive. To install these apps, visit the Chrome Web Store—and look out for even more useful apps in the future.

This is just the beginning for Google Drive; there’s a lot more to come.

Google Drive. Keep everything. Share anything.

Access everywhere.

Google Drive is everywhere you are—on the web, in your home, at the office and on the go. So wherever you are, your stuff is just...there. Ready to go, ready to share. Get started with 5 GB free.

Google Drive is available for:

PC and Mac
iPhone and iPad (coming soon)
Android devices

Store your files in a safe place.

Things happen. Your phone goes for a swim. Your laptop takes an infinite snooze. No matter what happens to your devices, your files are safely stored in Google Drive.

Go beyond storage. Collaborate.

Google Drive lets you do more than just store your files. Share files with exactly who you want and edit them together, from any device.

Google Drive gives you instant access to Google Docs, a suite of editing tools that makes working together better—even when your teammates are miles away.

Free

Get 5 GB for free.

Get started with 5 GB of free space. Upgrade to 25 GB for less than $2.50 a month, and you can store practically everything for next to nothing.

Create & collaborate.

In Google Drive, you can create new documents, spreadsheets and presentations instantly. Work together at the same time, on the same doc, and see changes as they appear.

Work better with the products you use everyday.

Gmail
Say goodbye to bulky email attachments. Send a link from Google Drive in Gmail and everyone has the same file, same version—automatically.

Google+
Your videos and pictures in Google Drive are instantly available in Google+, so you’re never more than one click away from sharing with your circles.

Powerful search.

Google Drive helps you get to your files faster. Search for content by keyword and filter by file type, owner and more. Google Drive can even recognize objects in your images and text in scanned documents.

View anything.

Open over 30 file types right in your browser—including HD video, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop—even if you don’t have the program installed on your computer.

Google Drive with your favorite apps.

Create, open and share files from a variety of apps directly in Google Drive.

Share the way you want.

You can share files or folders with anyone, and choose whether they can view, edit or comment on your stuff.

Start a discussion.

Create and reply to comments to get feedback and make files more collaborative.

Go back in time.

Google Drive tracks every change you make—so when you hit the save button, a new revision is saved. You can look back as far as 30 days automatically, or choose a revision to save forever.

Blizzard Community Manager Zarhym shares insight on Diablo 3 PVP

2012-04-24T14:39:00.001-04:00

source :http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/4662897696?page=2#30

Zarhym

View posts

Zarhym

Community Manager

We want PvP to be incredibly challenging and fun, but we want to avoid turning it into a truly competitive leagues/ladders eSport. We just don't think Diablo gameplay is very conducive for that type of controlled environment where balance is paramount.

That said, we want to develop PvP as an engaging and rewarding system. What we don't want to do is take a traditional eSports approach to PvP, where balance will become so important to a competitive ranking system that solo and cooperative gameplay feel a bit neutered as a result.

We want your characters to feel totally imba. Then we want you to enter some Arenas, send the scorched remains of other players' corpses flying, and let the satisfaction wash over you -- until your opponents take similar care of your hero, that is. ;)

Diablo 3 Revealed at 59%. Latest BlizzCast 17 video!

2012-04-24T14:09:00.003-04:00

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ku0oEryTX7o

Blizzard's Rob Simpson talks Diablo III item, quest, and sound design with Senior Designer Jason Bender, Senior Sound Designer Kris Giampa, and Lead Content Designer Kevin Martens. What are the best ways to capture the sound of bones breaking? Find out in this BlizzCast 17 video exclusive.

Diablo 3 Developer Diary III

2012-04-24T14:00:00.002-04:00

source:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GBerhTSJ76E

On May 3, 2011, Jay Wilson, Christian Lichtner, and Jason Regier reconvened to discuss some of their biggest challenges going into the Diablo III testing and localization pases in this third video installment of Developer Diaries.

Diablo 3 Witch Doctor Revealed!!!

2012-04-24T13:39:00.000-04:00

source: http://reveal.diablo3.com/en_US/class_gathering/witch_doctor

The witch doctors. Sage conjurers, enchanters, and mystical warriors who are driven by a charge to maintain spiritual balance and harmony in the violent world of Sanctuary. They command ancient magics rooted in the primal powers of life and death, and are adept at summoning fearsome, shadowy creatures. A witch doctor is armed with simple talismans, fetishes, rough carvings... and endless ravening throngs of vengeful spirits set to bring destruction at their master's command.

The dark and distant lands of the eastern continent are home to countless mysteries and exotic cultures with strange and frightening ways. Beyond the deserts of Aranoch, across the Twin Seas, and deep within the teeming jungles of Toraja lie the vast tribal territories of the Teganze. There the umbaru people live, much as they have for centuries, in a nomadic state of hunting, spiritual musing, and constant savage warfare.

War amongst the tribes of the umbaru is a ceremonial affair, a ritualized part of everyday life that allows each tribe to vie for respect, honor, and acclaim in the eyes of their gods. Enemies taken in battle are then deemed worthy of sacrifice, and their lives are given to the umbaru deities—powerful spirits who reign over the Unformed Land.

Known as the Mbwiru Eikura to the tribes of the Teganze, the Unformed Land is believed to be the true and sacred reality, the purest form of existence. To the umbaru, their mortal duration is but a pale shadow of the Unformed Land, a testing ground for those wishing to ascend to the higher plane. And only the witch doctors are able to look upon the Mbwiru Eikura, through mastery of potent herbs, bloody rituals, and an intense focus known as the Ghost Trance. Their combined spiritual and military acumen has earned the witch doctors a place of status and reverence amongst the tribes. Theirs is a calling that requires an incredible degree of courage, self-sacrifice, wisdom, and foresight.

It is that same sense of foresight that has brought the umbaru's attention to the distant village of New Tristram. The Ghost Trance has revealed terrible signs and portents for Sanctuary and the Unformed Land. Only the boldest of witch doctors would dare cross the far horizons to the west, braving incalculable odds to bring answers back to their tribe.

Revealing the Torchlight II Opening Cinematic!

2012-04-20T13:28:00.000-04:00

source:http://www.torchlight2game.com/news/2012/04/20/revealing-the-torchlight-ii-opening-cinematic/

Happy Friday! Last week in our PAX East Wrap Up Part One, we showed our Xbox award, a behind the scenes video of the con, and the exclusive reveal of the final pet, the Papillon. Today in Part II, we bring you the second PAX East exclusive: the opening cinematic!

We've kept this tightly under wraps until now, and this is the first time the public have been able to see it. We are excited to show you "New Heroes Will Arise."

"Heroes may fall, hope may fade, but new heroes will arise."

This particular cinematic opens the game, filling in the story between the end of Torchlight and the beginning of your hero's quest in Torchlight II. Art Director Jason Beck created all the storyboards, and Klei Entertainment animated the scenes with sound effects. JD Wiker wrote the script, and Matt Uelmen assisted with sound effects and provided the score. Here's Jason Beck with some insight into the process.

What led to the decision to include cinematics in Torchlight II?

It was really two things that led to the decision to include cinematics in Torchlight II.

One, we simply had the time and budget for it this time around... things that were in short supply for the first game.

Two, we were very aware that the story was an area where we could improve upon Torchlight greatly in a sequel. Like I said, we didn't have a whole lot of time to invest into properly setting up, fleshing out, and delivering a particularly engaging story for the first Torchlight. We had a lot of our backstory and key points mapped out "in our heads" (we have a collective hive mind), and we tried to hint at greater things where we could, but it wasn't necessarily translating into a narrative. We wanted to make sure we addressed that for Torchlight II.

We're still not making a "story game", but I think we do a much greater job for providing context and motivation with Torchlight II.

How did you arrive at the style?

When we started talking about doing cinematics we also had to be pragmatic... we couldn't go big-budget CG, nor did we want to go with in-game cutscenes. We landed on doing something that was heavily stylized and 2D. I think part of the hope is that going that route would be an unexpected solution that also meshed with our restrictions.

Our initial mockups looked like something that played out on a parchment surface; primarily muted colors with some vibrant colors for punctuation/contrast and a more graphic, inked rendering style.

Some of the inspirations included the opening 2D sequence in Kung-Fu Panda, the cinematics from Heavenly Sword, the flashback God of War 3 cinematics, and Samurai Jack. With that sort of style in mind, doing it all in Flash became a really attractive option.

What made you choose to work with Klei, and what was the collaborative process like?

In our search for the right animation studio, we knew Jeff Agala and his art team at Klei came from a traditional 2D animation background. When we asked them for recommendations they offered to take on the project themselves and we immediately jumped at the chance to work with them. It seemed like just an absolute no-brainer for what we wanted stylistically and what they have shown to be so great at in their own games... and it proved to be so.

What can you tell us about the other cut scenes in Torchlight II?

Honestly? Not much. Why present a bit more story if you're just gonna spoil it ahead of time?

We tried to focus on the opening and closing cinematics and treat the two cinematics in the middle more as transitions. You could consider the cinematics in Torchlight II as having two majors and two minors.

Since our game is almost entirely from a three-quarter, top-down viewpoint we wanted to use the cinematics to give players views they simply didn't get in game; a bit more sense of place and environment with vistas they couldn't see otherwise.

Also, Vader is Luke's father, Snape kills Dumbledore, and Bruce Willis was dead the whole time.

Diablo® III Open Beta Weekend

2012-04-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

source: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/4963739/Diablo%C2%AE_III_Open_Beta_Weekend-4_19_2012#blog

We're pleased to announce the Diablo III open beta weekend, which offers open access to all players with a valid Battle.net account! Beginning this Friday everyone is invited to log in and help us put the game and servers through their paces in this three day stress test as we march toward the game's release on May 15. You can begin downloading the Diablo III client right now!

From Friday, April 20 at 12:01 p.m. PDT (noon), until Monday, April 23 at 10:00 a.m. PDT you'll be able to log in, team up with friends, and play each of the five heroic classes to level 13 as you fight to save the world from the impending demonic invasion.

FAQ

What steps do I need to take?

Log in or create a Battle.net account at http://www.battle.net/
Create your BattleTag™, which is required to play Diablo III (What is BattleTag?)
Download the game client, install, and play between 12:01 p.m. PDT April 20 and 10:00 a.m. PDT April 23

I don't have a Battle.net account -- can I still play?
Absolutely! Just visit http://www.battle.net/ to create a free Battle.net account. Next, download the client from https://us.battle.net/account/download/index.xml and install it. Create your BattleTag, and then log in to the game using your Battle.net account name (email address) and password to begin slaughtering the demonic hellspawn that dare stand in your way.

Are there any differences for stress test participants versus invited closed beta testers?
Stress test participants will only be able to access the beta between Friday, April 20 at 12:01 p.m. PDT (noon), and Monday, April 23 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. In addition, stress test participants will not have access to post in the beta forums and will not be provided Beta Bucks for use in testing the currency-based auction house.

Can all regions/countries participate?
Due to regional differences and features of the stress test client, Korean players will not be able to partake in the stress test weekend. However, beginning the week of April 23, we will be conducting a separate, invitation-only closed beta test that will give players in Korea a chance to try out the game, along with players in the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

What if the service is down/laggy/disconnecting me?
It's very possible that players connecting to the stress test could experience issues with the service. While not ideal, this is exactly why we're having a stress test. We want to catch and analyze as many bugs as possible during this stress test period, so that we can try to ensure a smooth launch on May 15.

I'm having an issue, how can I get help?
Due to the limited window of the stress test we encourage you to visit the Technical Support or Mac Technical Support forums if you're having any issues running the game, and checking the Known Issues list if you're running into a bug. As a stress test participant you will not be able to post in the beta forums.

What platforms and languages do you support?
For the stress test we're offering the client in English, French, and German for both Windows and Mac. At release the game will be fully localized into English, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Italian, Polish, Korean, and Traditional Chinese for Windows, and English, French, and German for Mac.

I'm an invited closed beta tester, what happens after the stress test weekend ends?
As an invited closed beta tester you'll continue to have access until the beta ends on May 1.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For Peerblock users....Blizzard is using Akamai International B.V. for the download. You need to allow them.

Path of Exile announces new contest.

2012-04-16T21:39:00.001-04:00

FREE LIMITED EDITION PATH OF EXILE SWAG FOR MOST “LIKED” SCREENSHOT

Please post all screenshot entries as comments on the Path of Exile Facebook page contest picture and then “Like” your favourites to vote. Voting ends at 2pm New Zealand time on Tuesday, April 24th.

The winner will receive:
* Path of Exile T-Shirt
* Map of Wraeclast Poster
* Path of Exile DVD
* Soundtrack CD

To take your screenshot, please press "F8" while in game. This will then save the image in your "screenshots" folder. You can then upload to Facebook. We will prepare and ship the prizes as we enter Open Beta in approximately June.

New Diablo 3 Monk Spotlight Video

2012-04-16T21:20:00.001-04:00

This new video adds depth and lore to the origin and explanation of the Monk class.

Diablo III Developer Diaries, Part Two

2012-04-16T16:06:00.003-04:00

Three weeks before preliminary Diablo III internal alpha testing, Jay Wilson, Christian Lichtner, and Jason Regier met again to talk about how employee feedback will help them polish the game in this second video installment of Developer Diaries.

“Diablo III: The Order” Novel Preview and Preorder

2012-04-16T15:44:00.000-04:00

source: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/

Hitting bookshelves May 15, Diablo III: The Order is the next novel in the Diablo universe, following Deckard Cain's quest to find the Horadrim, years before the events of the highly anticipated game. Check out an excerpt from the book below, and head to Amazon.ca to preorder!

Deckard Cain is the last of the Horadrim, the sole surviving member of a mysterious and legendary order. As Cain searches for the lost members of his order, he is thrust into an alliance with an unlikely ally: Leah, an eight-year-old girl feared by many to carry a diabolical curse. What is her secret? How is it tied to the prophesied End of Days? And if there are other living Horadrim, will they be able to stand against oblivion?

These are the questions Deckard Cain must answer . . .. . . before it is too late.

Chapter Two - The Hidden Chamber

The air was cooler near the ruins. The reveal spell held within the looking glass had faded away by the time they reached the massive columns, but the two travelers had no need for it after they had passed the entrance.

The two columns cast deeper shadows across their path like black lines drawn in the dust. Beyond the shadows the veil gradually lifted away, and the ruins of the secret repository loomed all around them, coming into view like the rise of mountains through the mist. Broken stones thrust through the sands, swept clean in places by the wind. Ancient carvings of runes covered the sides of the larger blocks, marking this as a place of great Vizjerei power. Cain felt his heartbeat quicken, the palms of his hands growing moist. He could feel it thrumming beneath his feet, deep within the earth. Or perhaps, he thought, he felt something else.

There was darkness here. Although the sun still touched the tops of these rocks, it did not warm them. Even the paladin sensed it now, his steps faltering as they moved deeper into the ruins. Before them lay the remains of the temple, its entrance covered in rubble, what was left of the roof all but collapsed upon itself. Massive timbers reached toward the sky like the ribs of a giant beast. This was where the ancient texts would have been kept, if they had existed at all. But it would be dangerous inside, possibly unstable. A sound reached their ears like the rustling of leaves. Akarat stopped and drew his sword. "Do you hear it?" he asked. His voice was quiet.

Cain nodded, stepping to the young man's side. "There may be something else here with us, after all," he said.

"Like... what? An animal?"

"Perhaps," Cain said. He could tell that the paladin was both scared and excited, and trying hard not to show it. Stories of demonic attacks were one thing, but actually facing something most people thought was only a legend was another. Cain knew that all too well.

The sounds swirled faintly around them, almost fading away before returning again like waves on a beach or the hushed muttering of a crowd. A curious prickling sensation warming his skin, Cain held his staff like a talisman as he moved ahead on the broken path, Akarat close behind. "Close your ears," Cain said, "as if you were deaf. Should you hear voices, do not listen to them." "I don't understand—"

"If something foul is present, it will try to corrupt you, find your weaknesses. Ignore anything it tries to say. Whatever it is, I promise you are not meant to hear it."

He reached the edge of the tumbled rocks at the entrance to the temple and peered around them, looking for a way in. There was a space just large enough for a man. Darkness loomed beyond the narrow passage that was the height of his shoulders. Cain swung his rucksack down again and found a crumbling spellbook, searching the brittle pages for the right words. As he said them aloud, the glass sphere at the end of his staff came to life, taking on a blue glow and lighting the space within.

Beyond the reach of the wind, where the sand began to fade, the drifts held the faint impression of a footprint. Either a man, or something that walked like one, had passed through this place not long ago.

He tucked the book away and turned to the paladin, who stared at him and the glowing staff and back again, mouth agape.

"Magic? True magic?"

"A simple spell, nothing more. Like the looking glass, held within the objects themselves. I simply have the knowledge to unlock it. This is a place of sorcery, chosen, at least in part, because of the power in the soil. A spell is more useful in a spot like this."

"Are you really the last of the Horadrim?"

BattleTag Update -- Free BattleTag Change (April 13th article)

2012-04-16T15:19:00.001-04:00

source: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/4833883/BattleTag_Update_--_Free_BattleTag_Change-4_13_2012#blog

When we introduced BattleTag nicknames, many of you created one to try the feature in the Diablo III beta test or simply establish your new identity in anticipation of Diablo III's release.

Today, we're releasing an update that will give everyone one opportunity to change their BattleTag nickname for free. If you picked a nickname you're not happy with, don't worry -- you can pick a new one. Even if you haven't created your BattleTag identifier yet, you'll still get one free BattleTag change to use after it's been created (similar to the way character name changes for StarCraft II worked).

As we announced previously, BattleTag nicknames will be required in order to play Diablo III, and in the future, they'll be used in a variety of ways across all of Battle.net. To set or change your BattleTag, simply log in to Battle.net account management, head to the Account > Summary page, and look for the Create or Change option. BattleTags aren't unique, so you can pick any name you like as long as it adheres to the BattleTag Naming Policy.

Your BattleTag ID will be listed under "Account Details" Important: You can only change your BattleTag once

Here's what you can expect from BattleTags when Diablo III launches:

Your BattleTag will serve as your public identity when chatting, grouping, or interacting with other players in Diablo III.
Once two players agree to become BattleTag friends, you'll automatically be able to see and interact with each of the Diablo III characters your friend plays automatically – no need to add multiple character names to your friends list individually.
Prior to the game's release, your presence on the Diablo III forums will be connected to your BattleTag, rather than any one specific character in the game. You'll transcend boundaries!

Our long-term plans include adding the ability for BattleTag friends to participate in cross-game chat (in StarCraft II, Diablo III, and World of Warcraft, and future Blizzard Entertainment games), as well as offer other features similar to what's currently available via Real ID. More cool additions to BattleTag are on the horizon, but we're not quite ready to talk about those yet.

We'll continue to keep you up to date on our plans for BattleTag nicknames as more info becomes available. For more details, check out the BattleTag FAQ.

PAX East Wrap Up - Part One

2012-04-13T13:59:00.000-04:00

source: http://www.torchlight2game.com/news/2012/04/13/pax-east-wrap-up-part-one/

Happy Friday! A week ago today, we were at PAX East, as many of you were! We were showing Torchlight II in the NVIDIA PC freeplay area, and we had a couple very fun reveals. The first one was the addition of the much-requested "Falcor" pet.

The Papillon
(pronounced 'pappy-yawn')

The Papillon

Most of our community know Falcor as the little black and white dog that posted his "day in the life" back during development of Torchlight, and has popped up in nearly every dev diary video. Falcor technically owns Wonder, but he has been an office dog since the Mythos days and was raised by everyone at Runic Games. Falcor makes his digital debut as the model for the papillon pet in Torchlight II. Take a look at how animator Matt Lefferts captured his personality!

Chat more in our forums about the new addition!

Torchlight XBLA wins Game of the Year!

During PAX East we also found out that Torchlight for XBLA won Game of the Year from Official Xbox Magazine! Amazing!

PAX East Impressions

Wonder took some iPhone footage of behind the scenes, including player impressions. Take a look!

Blizzard shares excerpt from Book of Cain (23% Reveal)

2012-04-13T08:01:00.000-04:00

source: http://reveal.diablo3.com/en_US

Upon opening the second sigil (Barbarian) Blizzard has now allowed us a peek at The Book of Cain. The excerpt (image taken from PDF shown below) covers pages 44-45.

The entire book spans 148 pages and is joy to read for the lore alone. The illustrations are top notch!

Amazon Canada has a special on now with this amazing publication on sale (37% off) for the low price of only $25.39 and the shipping is free.

Amazon Canada taking pre-orders for Diablo III Limited Edition Guide

2012-04-12T18:36:00.001-04:00

Amazon Canada is now taking orders for the upcoming Diablo III Limited Edition Guide by Brady Games. The guide includes awesome information on the game and one uber badass bookmark.

BONUS: Qualifies for Free Super Saver Shipping!

LEARN MORE HERE!

LEARN MORE NOW!

275,000 Diablo III beta invites

2012-04-12T18:20:00.004-04:00

Nethaera

View posts

Nethaera

Community Manager

We’re in the process of sending out 275,000 Diablo III beta invites to our opt-in testers. As it’ll take us a while to notify all the lucky invitees, we recommend heading to your Battle.net Account Management and seeing if you’ve received a Diablo III beta license. If you have, you’re good to go! Download the beta client and use your Battle.net account and password to log in once it’s installed. While you’re logged into your Account Management page though, don’t forget to create your BattleTag. You can choose this permanent account-wide nickname by clicking on the BattleTag “Create one now” link on the left side of your main Battle.net Account page. Choose wisely as there’s no current ability to change it. A BattleTag is required to play Diablo III, and so whether you get into beta or not you should pick one while you’re there.

Keep in mind that with such a large amount of invites for our test hardware we fully expect a strong possibility of stress test issues, such as an inability to log in, disconnections, and potential lag/latency. We’ll also be testing our queuing system ,which you may see when attempting to enter a game.

Thank you for your continued help, feedback, and patience as we approach the May 15 release.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Update Friday April 13th, 8:15 AM (GMT -05:00 / EST)

A tweet was sent to Jay Wilson @ Blizzard this morning to confirm what we felt may be an issue that may have limited Beta access to those who currently do not have an active Blizzard subscription.

@Angryrobotics People are very excited. Will ones that do NOT have active subscriptions be getting Beta Keys this time around? Thanks Jay!

TERA OPEN BETA DETAILS

2012-04-12T17:39:00.000-04:00

TERA Open Beta Game Code:

TERABETA

This game code grants access to TERA's Open Beta Test.

Welcome to the TERA Open Beta Test; TERABETA is your game code to play. The TERA Open Beta Test grants you a limited time opportunity to try out TERA for free!

To start your TERA adventure:

1. Create your En Masse account at http://email.tera-online.com/ct/15623084%3a18563011148%3am%3a1%3a2022683037%3a4F7CB81908950F87019BC0F7AFAD64EB%3ar.
2. Use the “Enter Code” feature on the Account Overview page to type in your game code: TERABETA
3. Download TERA from the Account Overview page and install.
4. Play TERA!

Make sure to start downloading the game well ahead of time so you're ready to play when the Open Beta Test starts on April 20.

If you have any problems, please visit our customer support site at
tera-support.enmasse.com.

Your TERA journey starts here. There will be no character wipe following the Open Beta Test!

Open Beta Test Hours:

Pre-order to start playing in the Open Beta Test one day early!

• Open Beta Test (Pre-order Exclusive Event):
Thursday, April 19 @ 12:00 PM PDT - Friday, April 20 @ 12:00 PM PDT

• Open Beta Test (Open Event):
Friday, April 20 @ 12:00 PM PDT - Monday, April 23 @ 11:59 PM PDT

Pre-order TERA from the En Masse Store and you'll get the following bonuses: For even more bonuses--including an exclusive Regal Frostlion mount and additional in-game items--order the Digital Collector's Edition!

All pre-orders come with 30 days of game time and inaugural pricing plans that offer up to 40% off monthly subscription rates. Don't miss out--this limited time deal ends when TERA releases on May 1!

Score Free Gear and Discounts During the Diablo III Countdown

2012-04-12T16:55:00.000-04:00

source: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/4871775/Score_Free_Gear_and_Discounts_During_the_Diablo_III_Countdown-4_12_2012#blog

While our developers have been hard at work getting Diablo III ready for May 15, our partners have been toiling at their respective forges, crafting some amazing Diablo gear for the community. SteelSeries, J!NX, Insight Editions, and Brady Games are giving you the opportunity to score free gear and exclusive discounts as we count down to our forthcoming war with the Burning Hells.

Week 1 – Sponsored by SteelSeries: Diablo III Beta Keys
We kick off the Diablo III Countdown in style with a chance for you to win Diablo III Beta keys from SteelSeries! Winners will be selected to participate in the Diablo III beta starting on April 17. Contest runs from April 9 to April 16 11:59 p.m. EST.

Enter the contest at the SteelSeries Countdown to Diablo homepage.

Upcoming prizes: J!NX Diablo apparel, limited-edition giclees from The Book of Cain signed by Brom, SteelSeries Diablo III Headsets and mice, Diablo III Limited Edition Strategy Guide signed by the Blizzard team.

Exclusive offers and discounts: Limited time discounts on J!NX Diablo apparel, all SteelSeries Diablo peripherals and mousepads, signed editions of the Book of Cain, and more.

New Video: Diablo 3 Developer Diaries Part 1

2012-04-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

Enjoy this new video Blizzard posted.

TERA Releases Launch Schedule

2012-04-10T15:14:00.000-04:00

source: http://tera.enmasse.com/launch-schedule#obt

TERA is nearly here and we want you to join us. If you've pre-ordered your copy already, we have several opportunities for you to get into the game ahead of the rush: an early chance to reserve your favorite character name, as well as exclusive early starts on the Open Beta Test and the game's launch!

If you haven't pre-ordered, don't worry. You're still welcome to join our Open Beta Test and be part of the action!

Early Character Creation

Pre-Order Exclusive Event

Begins: Friday, April 13 at 7:00 PM Pacific
Ends: Tuesday, April 17 at 10:00 AM Pacific

Details

Characters per Account: 1
Maximum Level: N/A
Servers:

PvE	PvP	RP-PvE
Arachnaea	Basilisk Crag	Celestial Hills
Blightwood	Jagged Coast
Dragonfall	Valley of Titans
Freeholds
Frost Reach
Serpentis Isle

Players who pre-order TERA can create a single character to play in the Open Beta Test and that will carry over through launch. Make sure your perfect character is right there waiting for you when the beta begins.

Open Beta Test

Pre-Order Exclusive Event

Begins: Thursday, April 19 at 12:00 PM Pacific
Ends: Friday, April 20 at 11:59 PM Pacific

Open Event

Begins: Friday, April 20 at 12:00 PM Pacific
Ends: Monday, April 23 at 11:59 PM Pacific

Details

Characters per Account: 1 per Server
Maximum Level: 32
Servers: TBD

See the game before it launches, including a brand new introduction to the Island of Dawn. Create characters that will carry over through launch. Help us polish TERA until it shines.

Head Start

Pre-Order Exclusive Event

Begins: Saturday, April 28 at 12:00 PM Pacific

Details

Characters per Account: 8 per Server
Maximum Level: 38
Servers: TBD

Continue where you left off in the Open Beta Test and become a veteran before others even get their boots wet. Blaze the trails from Velika to Val Kaeli. Be the first to see a new world.

Zarhym answers questions about Darkness Falls, Heroes Rise (Diablo 3 Launch Site)

2012-04-10T15:02:00.000-04:00

source: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/4422092273#1

Zarhym

View posts

Zarhym

Community Manager

Recently we released our “Darkness Falls, Heroes Rise” launch site which rewards you and your friends for rising up as the heroes of Sanctuary. Through your interactions on this site you’ll find new information, videos, unlockable content, contests, a banner customization tool, and be able to win five exclusive sigils for use on your customizable banner when Diablo III is unleashed upon the world.

That said, we know there have been a few issues with the site that have caused confusion for participants. Below are answers to common questions we’ve seen since the site launched. It’s our goal to ensure your experience with the features of this campaign is a positive one, as everyone should be looking forward to unlocking the amazing content we’ve prepared for you.For more information on the basic functionality of the features for this promotion, see the official FAQ.

The site was very unstable the first few days of launch and I wasn’t receiving confirmation emails that I’d successfully claimed a sigil. Why didn’t you extend the time the demon hunter was active?

Even though confirmation emails weren’t being sent, we did receive all submissions made during the period when our mailer wasn’t working. If you’re worried your submission wasn’t received and that hero is no longer available, fret not, there will be a period at the end of the promotion where you’ll be able to claim any sigils you might’ve missed.

Why have Mark of Valor gallery updates been so infrequent?

While we’ve had no problems receiving all of your banner submissions, we experienced an issue that prevented us from being able to update the gallery on the website. This should now be fixed and you can expect to see new faces in the gallery (maybe even your own!) much more frequently.

Why isn’t the image I submitted in the gallery?

As we’re receiving hundreds of thousands of images, not all submissions will be posted on the website.

There are a lot of pictures in the Mark of Valor gallery. How will I know if my image has been added?

If your image is selected for display in our gallery, you’ll receive an email letting you know.

The website said my submission was successful, but I never received a confirmation email. How do I know if it worked?

We experienced an issue during the first few days of the promotion where our mailer was not properly sending confirmations to participants. As of April 9 this has been fixed; however, rest assured that this didn’t prevent us from receiving submissions prior to April 9. If you’re still worried about not receiving the sigil, you’re welcome to submit another entry in order to get a confirmation email. There will be a brief period at the end of the promotion where you’ll be able to obtain sigils you might’ve missed.

What happens if I mistype my Battle.net email address?

The website doesn’t verify your email address is valid at the time you make a banner image submission, so make sure you type it in carefully! You’ll receive a Mark of Valor confirmation email shortly after submitting your picture.

How can I tell the email I receive apart from a phishing or scam email?

The automated email will come from noreply@reveal.diablo3.com. If you’re worried about whether or not an email is legitimate, just know that no action is required on your part if you receive an email from this address (you won’t be asked to reply or click on any links).

Why does the unique URL of my Mark of Valor image (provided when clicking the “share” buttons) not load my image?

This is an issue we fixed very recently. Share your image with the world now!

Why hasn’t the progress bar for the unlocked content moved?

There was initially an issue that prevented the progress indicator from properly reflecting participant activity on the site. This has been fixed and you should see the progress indicator update more frequently.

When will I actually receive my sigil?

We’re keeping records of all the Battle.net accounts which have claimed each sigil. Within the first couple of weeks of Diablo III’s release (May 15), we’ll be processing all of these accounts and flagging them to unlock the appropriate sigils. The bonus sigils will automatically appear for those who unlocked them in the banner customization screen in-game.

If there are additional questions you have regarding this campaign not already addressed here, in the FAQ, in the Hero of the Day contest rules, or in the Portrait of a Champion contest rules, please let us know.

Two Million Strong on Facebook

2012-04-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

source: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/4858725/Two_Million_Strong_on_Facebook-4_10_2012#blog

by Lylirra Apr 10, 2012 10:04 AM PDT

Over two million people are now following Diablo's Facebook page! In appreciation of your commitment to Diablo, and to commemorate hitting the two-million-minion milestone for the Lord of Terror, we've released two variations of two exclusive banners for you to showcase on your own Facebook timeline or share with friends. Head on over to Facebook now to download your favorite(s):

Don't miss out on any Blizzard news or events! If you aren't already following us on Facebook, be sure to visit the official Diablo, StarCraft, Warcraft, and Blizzard pages.

Old School meets New and Cool...

Diablo 3 Revealed at 63% shares pages of wisdom

The Order

Excerpt

Torchlight II Available for Pre-Order!

About the Game

Key Features:

System Requirements

Diablo 3 Midnight Launch Events (Detailed Info)

Google announces Google Drive. 5GB Free Storage.

Access everywhere.

Store your files in a safe place.

Go beyond storage. Collaborate.

Get 5 GB for free.

Create & collaborate.

Work better with the products you use everyday.

Powerful search.

View anything.

Google Drive with your favorite apps.

Share the way you want.

Start a discussion.

Go back in time.

Blizzard Community Manager Zarhym shares insight on Diablo 3 PVP

Diablo 3 Revealed at 59%. Latest BlizzCast 17 video!

Diablo 3 Developer Diary III

Diablo 3 Witch Doctor Revealed!!!

Champions of the Unformed Land

Revealing the Torchlight II Opening Cinematic!

"Heroes may fall, hope may fade, but new heroes will arise."

What led to the decision to include cinematics in Torchlight II?

How did you arrive at the style?

What made you choose to work with Klei, and what was the collaborative process like?

What can you tell us about the other cut scenes in Torchlight II?

Diablo® III Open Beta Weekend

Path of Exile announces new contest.

New Diablo 3 Monk Spotlight Video

Diablo III Developer Diaries, Part Two

“Diablo III: The Order” Novel Preview and Preorder

BattleTag Update -- Free BattleTag Change (April 13th article)

PAX East Wrap Up - Part One

The Papillon

Torchlight XBLA wins Game of the Year!

PAX East Impressions

Blizzard shares excerpt from Book of Cain (23% Reveal)

Amazon Canada taking pre-orders for Diablo III Limited Edition Guide

275,000 Diablo III beta invites

TERA OPEN BETA DETAILS

Score Free Gear and Discounts During the Diablo III Countdown

New Video: Diablo 3 Developer Diaries Part 1

TERA Releases Launch Schedule

Early Character Creation

Pre-Order Exclusive Event

Details

Open Beta Test

Pre-Order Exclusive Event

Open Event

Details

Head Start

Pre-Order Exclusive Event

Details

Zarhym answers questions about Darkness Falls, Heroes Rise (Diablo 3 Launch Site)

Two Million Strong on Facebook