Many gamers are happy, since they like trophies and this will mean that more games will feature them. But this also means that some developers that don’t want to add trophies to their game will just not put their game on the PS3.

I don’t like this kind of thing at all. This crosses the line from basic technology, stability, and obscenity issues to actual creative content. This would be like the movie theater chains mandating that all new comedies use laugh tracks or all new action movies must have at least two car chases.

It’s normal for bosses, investors, and big clients to make these kind of demands, but Sony (and Microsoft/Nintendo) is essentially a middle-man between independent studios and the public. If I were a passionate independent developer, and some clueless beaurocrat middle man started to tell me how to design my product and what feature list it needed, I would tell them to kiss off! What’s next: all games must feature bald space marines and singing purple dinosaurs?

OK, I’m probably overreacting a hair. Trophy logic can’t be that complicated to program in to a game and it’s not that invasive on the game experience. However, I still think that this is the wrong way to go. If a development studio is able to fund and create their own products, they should have maximum creative control over the end user experience and shouldn’t be mandated into supporting the platform’s latest brand-identity marketing gimmicks.

Lastly, let features live and die on their own merit. If a feature is appreciated by users and the development resources are justified, developers will generally support the feature on their own terms without coercion. We are seeing this willing developer adoption of trophy support. Why take the choice out of the hands of the developers and force those that feel otherwise into compliance?

I’m sure my coblogger Henning would love to enforce split-screen support on all games, but isn’t this kind of decision best left in the hands of the developer?

By the power of Greyskull!

It has been a long time since my last diary post and in that time, I have raised from rank 23 to 30. That’s about a month for seven ranks. Most of the people I know can average one level every two or three play sessions, but not this guy… I found the last seven levels to really challenge my interest in the game, which you’ll have noticed if you’ve read any of my posts since the last journal entry.

The main reason I wasn’t writing WAR Diary posts for each or every few ranks was because nothing of much import actually happened. I didn’t find much of it interesting enough to report on, so I couldn’t imagine any of the readers finding it interesting either.

Here my highlights from ranks 23-30:

• Witching Night - This really got people interested in oRvR in T3 and every time I logged on I could find some pretty decent fights in Black Fire Pass. Yeah, some, if not most of it was zergy, it sure beat grinding out scenarios and quests over and over again.
• My gear finally got some new skins by rank 30 (T4 quests and RvR drops), which is a welcome change from the same boring textures I’ve been used to since the beginning of T3. Dyes are a great way to customize your character, but would it hurt to have more than two skins and weapon models per tier?
• My guild finally achieved rank 15, so we picked a background style for our heraldry. Once we hit rank 21 we can finally add an emblem to make us truly stand out. Unfortunately, there appears to be a graphical glitch that prevents me from actually seeing the heraldry on my cloak half the time. It’s about a 50/50 toss-up as to whether or not my cloak texture will show up every time I load into a new zone/scenario.
• I can finally join T4 scenarios and participate in T4 oRvR. Serpent’s Passage seems to load a lot and apparently Order heavily outranks Destruction on my server, so it’s usually five or six rank 36-40 Order guys with a couple of rank 39 and a ton of rank 28-33 Destruction guys.
• Rank 30 finally unlocked a new backpack and two more tactic slots. Woot.

I got vertigo... and I threw up a little.

Here are some of the lowlights from ranks 23-30:

• You’d think with all the morale abilities, career skills, and tactics I would actually learn something new and cool at each rank. This doesn’t seem to be the case. Often times I would gain a new rank and not be able to learn anything at all. Most of the time I would gain a new rank and be able to train some trash abilities (I still have about 8 untrained career skills/tactics/morales because I know I’ll never use them). I have only found a skill/morale/tactic worth training three times since rank 23.
• I am so damned sick of grinding away at Public Quests, solo or in a group. I have levelled a few alts lately and I really miss how quickly the influence bar seemed to move in chapter 1 and 2. Why must they make the latter PQs (chapter 15+) so brutal? It’s not like the rewards are itemized very well anyway… Half the time I don’t even want the junk they consider rewards.
• Kill ten rats. Collect five foozles. Go talk to this guy. And then go talk to that guy. Go scout this area. Mythic has shown some glimpses of brilliance with quests in earlier chapters, but it really starts to wear on you after doing it for so many ranks.  I like to balance my oRvR with scenarios and with PvE. The PvE just isn’t engaging at all anymore.
• Scenarios. There are six of them. Yet I only ever get into two or three with any frequency - Tor Anroc, Temple of Isha, and Doomfist Crater. All three are fairly fast-paced, but it is easy to get dominated early in them and become unable to recover. Mostly this is a PuG issue. Half the time people are running around like challenged folk with protective headgear and when you try bring a little organization via scenario chat you are either ignored or called an idiot. The remaining three unplayed scenarios are even worse in PuGs because people play them so defensively.
• Aside from Witching Night, T3 oRvR has been quite dead. Most of the time I log on we already own all the keeps and BOs, so there’s nothing to do but wait for something to go under siege. Unfortunately, I think the majority of Order is in T4, so T3 isn’t very important to them on my server these days.

What am I looking forward to?

• Heavy Metal - Depending on the daily tasks, this event might actually be quite fun. They did a great job with Witching Night even though there was no way I could possibly fill the Live Event influence bar on a casual schedule, even after maxing out on Lords, Crones, and Spirits and doing a ton of oRvR. I hope to fill the Heavy Metal Live Event influence bar and participate in the new scenario.
• A potential respec to Quick Shootin’ mastery. I’ve been training in Big Shootin’ since rank 10, so I welcome a change in playstyle, especially one that keeps me a moving target instead of a stationary pin cushion.
• The 1.06 Combat and Career patch that will finally address a number of my Squig Herder’s balance issues.

Cheating the system - going back to the chapter 1 PQ for a Daily unlock and a bit o' revenge.

Maybe the outlook isn’t so bleak afterall? The fact that I’m looking forward to a few things has to be good, right?

Related posts:

1. Day 1 (again): Secret Diaries of a Goblin Squig Herder And so starts a new blog category: WAR Diary....
2. Day 2/3: Squig Herder Confessions Last night I went from ranks 7-9 by doing...
3. 1.05 Squig Herder Buffs Delayed I want to say I’m shocked here, but that wouldn’t...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

From Xbox.com :

To enter, just register your gamertag by downloading the NXE Download & Win Gamer Picture, and then download any of the premium Marketplace content listed below. The NXE Download & Win entry period begins at 6:01 A.M. Pacific Time (PT) on November 19, 2008, and ends at 11:59 pm PT on November 23, 2008. The more you download the more entries you receive, up to a maximum of ten entries per person.

1. Sign in to Xbox LIVE Marketplace
2. Select Themes & Gamer Pictures
3. Select All Themes & Gamer Pictures
4. Select All
5. Select New Xbox Experience
6. Select NXE Download and Win Gamer Picture from the list of available content and select Confirm Download
7. Upon the successful completion of the Gamer Picture download, you will see a Thank You for Registering message.

You may also access the free NXE Download and Win Registration Gamer Picture via the banner ads running on the Xbox LIVE dashboard.

You will automatically receive one entry into the sweepstakes when you download the New Xbox Experience (automatic) and redeem Microsoft Points for downloadable Xbox LIVE Marketplace content in any one of the following categories: Movie, TV Show, Full Arcade Game, Xbox Originals, Game Add-On, Music Video

A total of 46 prizes in the form of varying amounts of Microsoft Points will be given away with this sweepstakes, 5,000 being the smallest amount and 500,000 being the grand prize. This sweepstakes requires you to purchase downloadable content so if you were already planning on buying something, just download the required gamer picture beforehand. If not, you can join me in waiting for the next sweepstakes!

*A special thank you to Mayesyboy (who is really Austin Powers in disguise) for the tip. ONE MILLION MICROSOFT POINTS!

Activision is excited to make Guitar Hero® a lead sponsor of YouTube Live, YouTube’s first ever official live community celebration. A surprise real-live guitar legend will perform on stage alongside Guitar Hero expert and YouTube star Freddie Wong. Guitar Hero® World Tour kiosks will also be available throughout the event.

For more information, visit http://youtube.com/live. At the same URL, fans can sign up for a chance to win tickets. The event will be streamed live on YouTube starting around 5pm (PST) on November 22nd via http://youtube.com/live.

Have you heard about the Ustream/GoNintendo charity event to benefit Child’s Play? Click here for more details. Also, please click here to bump our DIGG! We really need your support to make this happen!

As of this typing, more than 750,000 people have watched the above clip on YouTube, an apparent work of amateur genius — “Guitar Hero” played with bicycle and pavement.

Think that clip is too unreal to be real?

I got on the phone today with an executive from Activision to find out the real history behind that clip. First of all, the company expected some of you to cry foul.

“It’s not meant to be deceptive. It’s meant to be fun.”

The video was made to build excitement around the release of “Guitar Hero: World Tour.” It was not shot by a guy named Kevin in Ft. Wayne, Indiana., as the clip’s profile page indicates on YouTube.

No, “Bike Hero” was shot in North Hollywood by a production team called Droga 5. That team has pulled off other viral stunts like the apparent graffiti-tagging of Air Force Once for Marc Ecko’s clothing company. This time, Activision was working with them.

“We shot all through the night,” Brad Jakeman, Activision’s newly appointed chief creative officer. “We wanted it to feel gritty and of the medium.” The shoot took place about four weeks ago, and while it did involve a real bicyclist, those lights on the handlebars are the product of “some filmic magic.”

I mentioned to Jakeman that this kind of production reminded me of the opening ceremony of this year’s Olympic Games, which were staged to look live but were amplified with computer graphics. He pointed out that people reacted negatively to that because viewers were assuming they were watching live-to-air programming.

The “Bike Hero” video is different from the Beijing Olympics trickery, Jakeman said, because Activision wanted and expected gamers to figure it out. He argued that that’s in the exact spirit of what games are all about. “This was always created and put out there to engage the creativity of our gamers. It didn’t take people very long, as we expected it to, for them to unlock the first of the codes, if you like,” Jakeman said. “We wanted people to first figure out that it was something in the marketing realm and then dig in and have more of the conversation that we’re having about how it was done, have people figure out where all the cutting points were, where there was potentially CGI, and engage with that. It’s not meant to be deceptive. It’s meant to be fun.”

Will there be more things like this surreptitiously sneaking across the media landscape to hype the “Guitar Hero” brand? Jakeman’s short answer: “Yes.”

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Screen Play has said many times that the strength of this blog is its passionate and articulate community.

As we all know, other forums are not so lucky, with the anonymity of the internet often bringing out the worst in people, as explored last week in Anthony Murphy's amusing rant.

Today we have one former Your Turn PS3 winner responding to another, with Dylan Foulcher providing a more positive follow-up to Anthony's diatribe.

Click below to read Dylan's thoughts on online identity.

You are not terrible

I wanted to respond to some of the issues raised in Anthony Murphy's amusing rant about the evils of 'whiney nerd rage'. In the discussion that followed Anthony's piece a recurring theme was the idea that anonymity on the internet causes people to throw all sense of social decency out the window and become, for want of a better word, a**holes.

The idea that anonymity causes otherwise decent people to transform into an uncouth mob of volatile twelve year olds with foul mouths is depressing. Accurate, but depressing.

But I think this problem is easily solved. How? Simple - give internet users an identity. The most obvious example I can think of is Facebook. Users are forced to use their own identity, and a Facebook profile is essentially an online snapshot of you as a person. For this reason people treat each other cordially, not wanting to sully their good names on a vast social network.

Often the tone of a blog or website will affect the kind identity posters adopt. Take Screen Play, for example, which is predominantly devoid of the kind of childish antics that swamp most mainstream forums. How has this been achieved? Well, Jason has created a place that encourages discussion and expression of ideas, and discourages temper tantrums and name calling. There are many other forums and websites out there were the opposite is encouraged, by virtue of the people who run them.

But it's also important to note that identity plays a big part in Screen Play's success. The Screen Play community is relatively small, and most posters are interested in expressing themselves and creating an identity with which to interact with other users. People's identities, and the reputations they've built up, on Screenplay are a part of what make their comments worth reading. The brilliant "Your Turn" initiative takes this even further, allowing people's identities to be further fleshed out by giving them the spotlight for the day.

The further you move away from anonymity, the nicer, the less terrible, people become.

In a way, I think the New Xbox Experience looks to have similar goals. If any online environment needs a dose of identity for its oft-abusive users, it's Xbox Live. The Avatars, whilst blatantly ripped from possibly influenced by Nintendo's Mii concept, really help to give each gamer an online personality. Sony's Home, whenever it's eventually released, also seems to be about giving players an online personal space and identity.

This move towards giving players distinct identities is a great thing for online communities, and for gaming in general. It could be a genuine solution to help people be nicer to each other.

What positives or negatives do you see coming out of this trend? Does giving yourself an online identity affect the way you behave online?

- Dylan Foulcher

Screen Play readers can submit articles or ideas for consideration in Your Turn using the email address screenplayblog@gmail.com. The best blog post each month as judged by Jason Hill will win a PlayStation 3 console from Sony Computer Entertainment worth $699. The next Your Turn prize winner will be announced on November 28. Only Australian residents are eligible and the judge's decision is final.

With the news today that the “World of Warcraft” expansion “Wrath of the Lich King” sold 2.8 million copies within its first 24 hours of release, we can only wonder what’s next for Blizzard’s flagship franchise.

At the New York City launch event last week, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime did tell me to expect another expansion in about a year, and executive VP of product development Frank Pearce gave an update on the “World of Warcraft” movie currently in development.

“Legendary Pictures is currently trying to assign some names to write the screenplay and find someone to direct it, so it’s still really early in production,” Pearce said. “They want to make sure they get the right talent for those different parts, especially the screenwriting, because that’s the foundation for the movie.”

“It would be a huge undertaking and it’s not really something that we’re ready to do anytime soon.”

I also wondered if Blizzard considered making a full CGI movie in the vein of their games’ cinematics. “[The idea] has come up in discussions but it’s not something we’ve really considered because it takes so long to generate just the brief amount of footage that we create for the game,” Pearce explained. “That department’s focus is creating the footage for the games to tell the story; it would be a huge undertaking and it’s not really something that we’re ready to do anytime soon.”

He added, “It would be definitely be really cool. There’s no question about that, it’s just that the quantity of work that it would take is more than we’re willing to take on at this point. We’ve got a lot of work to do as it relates to ‘WoW’… we’ve got all this stuff in the pipe and that would just be one more thing on top of it, and that would be a huge thing on top of it.”

“Anything we take on… it’s really important that the overall experience is a high level of quality in line with what we do with our games.”

I asked Pearce what he thought of video game movies in general. He could only name the “Tomb Raider” movies as ones he’s found entertaining. “There’s been some that have been decent, and there’s been some that have been disappointing,” he said. It’s just a question of how much energy, time, blood, sweat and tears are invested in [the movie]. Anything we take on, whether it’s live-action or CG, pocketbook novels or trading card games, whatever it is, it’s really important that the overall experience is a high level of quality in line with what we do with our games.”

“Wrath of the Lich King” is now the fastest-selling PC game of all time. Do you the game’s sales would translate into a box-office hit? And would you like to see “World of Warcraft” come to the big screen in CGI, live-action or a combination of both?

Related Posts:
Blizzard Talks The Business of ‘World of Warcraft,’ Subscription Rate Not Changing
Blizzard Execs Haven’t Started ‘Lich King’ Yet, Need Naming Tips
One-Liner: Blizzard Is Okay With Being Late To Console MMOs
‘World of Warcraft’ Fans Lining Up At NYC Launch [pictures]