Very Extended Maintenance Next Tuesday

Next Tuesday more US realms will be down for 24 hours.  The list is here.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/26/early-maintenance-announcement-includes-24-hour-downtime-for-sel/#continued

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Hunter Talents

Following in the steps of Big Red Kitty, who is concentrating on how lower level characters work in Cataclysm Alpha testing, Gar has added a section to his website that is for new players who need just the facts.  His first article is on hunter talents.  He promises to add more basic information here so if you are a new hunter, better bookmark this page.
http://huntsmanslodge.com/garsnotes-hunter-stats

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Soloing as a Balance Druid

Helpful information for solo players.  It looks like he's going to be adding information as he explores how to solo as a balance druid, too.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/25/shifting-perspectives-soloing-as-a-balance-druid/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

BBB and the Midsummer Fire Festival

Dammed with faint praise.
http://thebigbearbutt.com/2010/06/24/yes-yes-the-ice-stone-has-melted-whatever/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Blizzard to Limit GearScore and Other Addons

According to this article by WOW Insider, Blizzard is going to cut back on what are called "inspect requests" by addons like GearScore to help with lag.  It says this is implemented as of Patch 3.3.5.  There are links addon developer sites in the article.  One of them says in an update that it appears this throttling will happen with the next rolling restart, not with Patch 3.3.5 itself.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/25/blizzard-to-begin-throttling-gearscore-like-inspect-requests/

I think what this means is any addon that has to request character information will operate slower to help the stressed WOW servers.

UPDATE:  WOW Insider explains how it will work.  Again.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/28/inspect-request-throttling-explained/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Patch 3.3.5 Causing System Crashes in New 64 Bit Systems

If you have a new, high end computer, you'll want to read this article.
http://thebearflank.blogspot.com/2010/06/maximum-system-requirements.html

UPDATE:  WOW Insider just posted a message about the same problem which is much less useful to sufferers.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/24/patch-3-3-5s-out-of-storage-error/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Mac Gaming News

Mac gamers have some good news to celebrate.  Steam has added Mac games to their download service AND they are having a "Perils of Summer" sale until July 4.  Single player MMOs like Torchlight are available for download at half price.
http://store.steampowered.com/browse/mac

Wonder how an MMO can be single player? Read about Torchlight here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight

In other Mac news, Kotaku reviews the new Kanex XD, which allows one to display console games on your Mac screen.
http://kotaku.com/5572203/kanex-xd-review-more-gaming-on-your-imac

It's a good time to be a Mac gamer.  Just keep inside to avoid the typical summer perils (sunburn, sharks, sand in your hair).

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Blizzard Talks (Interview Time)

WOW Head pointed out a new interview posted on WOW's Anniversary site.  This one is with the current production director.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wowanniversary/interview/jallenbrack.xml

Of even more interest to me is this very brief interview Bobby Kotick did with the Wall Street Journal. In it he says that console games provide only 30% of Blizzard's operating profit.   (If I were him, I'd be really worried.)  Many thanks to 1UP for pointing out the article.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704256604575295742380473502.html


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Patch 3.3.5 Bug List

Here are the problems and bugs you are likely to run into with Patch 3.3.5.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/22/patch-3-3-5-known-issues/

If you are having trouble with your addons, this article might help a bit.
http://huntsmanslodge.com/7394/quick-note-on-the-gar-ui.htm

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com

Save Mobile Authenticator Before Upgrading iPhone

With a new iPhone version available, WOW players who use the mobile authenticator are reminded to keep their authenticator serial number before they upgrade or patch their current iPhone.
http://www.wow.com/2010/06/22/reminder-save-your-mobile-authenticator-serial-number-before-yo/

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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com