The DeanBeat: Game industry predictions for 2013 | VentureBeat

Even though I have a terrible track record for predicting the future, I find making predictions irresistible. It?s such an exciting time in the game industry that just about anything can happen. Things that I never thought would occur ? such as Apple dominating in the sheer number of games on its platform ? have now come to pass. The industry is full of disruption and change, from the smallest startups to the biggest companies, as the digital revolution sweeps through the industry. We are, after all, in the crossover era, when game companies invade new platforms. With so much change, the predictions become harder, but they?re also more fun to make.

We?re looking forward to announced games like Grand Theft Auto V and unannounced (but likely) titles such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. But many of these predictions below go beyond the impact of single launches. (Check out how I did with last year?s here). I have tapped some of our staff for help with them. And please vote for your favorites in our poll (in the web version of this story) and leave comments. Also, check out where we?ve been in the past in our predictions about the road ahead in gaming.

Mobile gets bigger

This trend isn?t a bubble. The growth of smartphone and tablet gaming is an inexorable trend. It?s a no-brainer that it will gather momentum in 2013. Mobile games account for 42 percent of all new game investments, according to investment bank Digi-Capital. Mobile devices are growing fast throughout the world, and we?ll soon have multiple billions of devices that are capable of playing games. Every company is adapting to this change by launching new versions of mobile titles, and many startups are focused on a ?mobile first? or ?mobile only? strategy. So far, nobody dominates this market.

Hardcore online games will match the quality of console games

Games like League of Legends and Hawken have shown that it?s possible to create great free-to-play hardcore online games as downloadable titles. Soon, you might be able to play these without downloads thanks to better browser technologies (such as WebGL or Chrome Native Client), which make use of 3D graphics hardware on a computer without the need for plug-ins. When the better rendering technology gains traction, then one of the last quality barriers will fall between online games and console titles. The ability to play high-end web games without delays will neutralize the advantage that console companies have had in the home. It will lower the cost of distribution and democratize gaming further. But once this new web publishing platform is more evenly distributed across the development community, the focus will have to be on making better games, not shoveling more out.

The battle royale for gaming will commence

To deal with the invasion of hardcore online titles, console makers will have to respond with something exciting and new. It?s going to be a world war of gaming in 2013 as big players duke it out. Traditional console makers Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft will go to war with the likes of Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and Google. Microsoft has already set up a broader entertainment network on Xbox Live, but it could lose that position if it maintains its current high subscription fees and a dearth of free-to-play titles.

Apple and Google in particular may not launch ?consoles? per se. Rather, if they compete in gaming, it will be an accidental byproduct of a strategy to compete for the hearts and minds of consumers on whatever platform they use. Those companies haven?t designed specifically for gamers, but their platforms have been ideal for developers and publishers trying to reach larger audiences. An Apple television would naturally be a platform for games. The newcomers will use free or 99-cent titles ? as well as technologies that transfer images from a smartphone or tablet to a TV ? as their wedge into the console space. We?ll see a battle for the living room like never before. And this battle royale will happen on all platforms wherever they?re used.

Microsoft and Sony will both announce and launch their next-generation systems

Chasing the Nintendo Wii U, Microsoft and Sony will announce their new consoles at E3 2013 in June, and at least one of them will introduce the new machine in the fall of 2013. Microsoft may not launch in 2013 since it has a leadership position now. But it shouldn?t try to milk that position and should instead get out ahead of its new challengers such as Apple and Google. Sony has more motivation to get into the market sooner since it came in third place in units sold in the last generation. But developer activity suggests that Microsoft is moving ahead faster with a broader group of allies.

Introducing a new console isn?t just a matter of willpower. It?s the result of mobilizing a whole ecosystem of suppliers, partners, developers, and publishers to support the effort. So while it may be a no-brainer to introduce sooner, the console makers may be forced to wait until 2014. They will also have to build their consoles around a new innovation, such as much better gesture controls, to make the gameplay more magical than it is today.

And if Sony and Microsoft know what?s good for them, they?ll embrace cloud gaming to reduce the cost of their consoles and deal with backward compatibility. And they will give users plenty of options for free-to-play, platform-agnostic gaming. (GamesBeat writer Kat Bailey is a fan of this idea.) They will both embrace free-to-play and cloud gaming. Any new console will thus have to be a hybrid of tradition and the new digital platforms. (Dan ?Shoe? Hsu, the editor-in-chief of GamesBeat, fed me a version of this prediction.)

Nintendo?s Wii U console will fail

So far, the Wii U is selling out, but not in astounding numbers. And while games such as ZombiU are fine, they?re getting weak reviews on Metacritic. In fact, the highest rated game on the Wii U this season is Mass Effect 3: Special Edition, a retread of a game that has already been available on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. This isn?t the right way to launch a brand new console. While initial supplies may sell out, what will happen three months or six months from now as the novelty wears off and gamers await better-looking titles on the upcoming consoles or the PC?

Nintendo embraced the consumer love for tablets with its tablet-like controller, but that hasn?t put a dent in demand for tablets. In the context of a more competitive industry with multiplying choices, I don?t see the Wii U as a survivor. The best thing Nintendo can do is cut the price, and that?s never been a winning formula for long-term success. I?m hoping Nintendo surprises us, but I am not counting on it.

Smart TV games will finally become a reality

This prediction crystallizes several of the trends already mentioned. Apple still hasn?t introduced its television. If and when it does, apps will come to the connected TV, nicknamed the Smart TV, in a very big way. But while Apple may eventually validate this trend, the market won?t wait for one company. In the meantime, Google will keep pushing on Google TV. Manufacturers like LG, Samsung, and Vizio are pushing hard on cloud gaming on the TV, where all you need to play is a web connection and a game controller. Ouya hopes to enter this market with a $99 box in the spring that will move Android games onto this same screen.

The business model enabled by apps on the TV is very attractive for consumers. Free-to-play or 99 cent apps may be good enough for a lot of players, particularly if there is a path to high-end hardcore games as well. Gesture or voice-recognition technologies will add novelty to the Smart TV gaming experience. Given the option to forgo the expense of $60 games and $300 consoles, many consumers are likely to prefer playing unified apps on TVs that can also be played on tablets and smartphones. That could ignite a huge wave of gaming consumption.

Gesture technologies will take off

Motion-sensing technologies like the Nintendo Wii remote, Microsoft?s Kinect for the Xbox 360, and the Sony PlayStation Move were just the start. Intel calls the new era of gestures ?perceptual computing.? Controlling a game or computing device with your hands, body, or voice could become much more accurate in the next generation. Kinect?s accuracy trailed off if you got too close to the TV. But startups such as Softkinetic have demonstrated that gestures work well just inches away from a laptop?s webcam now. This helps make general computing easier just as touch screens do with Windows 8. But the possibilities for gaming become much more interesting with precise technologies that can detect small finger movements as well as the activity of everyone in a room. And these gestures don?t have to be limited to PCs or consoles. They could also be integrated over time into smartphones and tablets. Intel itself promises to launch perceptual computing in 2013.

First-person shooter games will grab market share on tablets

Based on what I?ve seen so far of The Drowning (pictured right), which is being developed by Scattered Entertainment and will be published in 2013 by DeNA?s Ngmoco, I?m convinced that first-person shooter games will finally take hold on tablets. The Drowning has a clever gesture-based user interface that works with touch screens ? something that shooters haven?t done well so far. If you tap two fingers on the screen, your weapon will fire at the midpoint. Tap one on the screen, and your character will move to where you tap. And swipe the screen to turn your characters head. It?s simple, and it is just one example of how the multibillion-dollar shooter business could make its way onto tablets. And it means that mobile games will be playable without a game controller.

The game controller will become the king maker

Startups like PrimeA (maker of Moga controllers) and Green Throttle Games want to turn the humble game controller into something more important. They can do so if the above trend doesn?t work out so well and gamers prefer to play their mobile games with traditional handheld controllers.

Green Throttle is creating a cool user interface app that allows you to use its controller to play Android apps on a TV, connected to your smartphone or tablet via a HDMI cable. (If better Wi-Fi technology comes along, this will get easier to do.) With controllers used in this way, Android games can invade the realm of the $60 console game. The controller could blast a hole through the barrier between two segments of the game market.

The barriers will come down between real-money gambling and social casino games

Likewise, the barriers are coming down between real-money online gambling and social casino games, where the winnings are merely virtual casino chips.

Startups like Betable enable social casino games to be converted to real-money online gambling in territories where it?s legal. Zynga is counting on changes in U.S. laws to enter the real-money gambling market, but it will launch in the crowded United Kingdom market first. Facebook has also embraced real-money gambling by allowing Gamesys to launch such games in the U.K.

This will set up a clash. The social casino game operators have the biggest games like Zynga Poker but the lowest revenues per paying user. Online gambling firms make a lot of money from relatively few heavy gamblers.

But marrying the two businesses will make it much easier for the online gambling firms to recruit potential high rollers for low costs. Meanwhile, U.S. states and the federal government are loosening the restrictions on online gambling. This trend may take years to play out, but it will gather more momentum in 2013.

eSports will take off

Gaming has been a professional sport for a while, but with releases such as League of Legends from Riot Games, it is gathering momentum. Rising in parallel with this trend is the livestreaming of games enabled by Twitch, which has been integrated into the online shooter Planetside 2 (pictured right). Community has also become a much bigger deal in ensuring the success of a game, according to gamer social network Raptr. That?s because the improved engagement that comes with promoting the community around a game leads to higher awareness, revenues, and profits.

ESports have been growing in countries such as China and South Korea, but Major League Gaming, WCG, and other leagues are offering bigger prizes and more venues for gigantic tournaments. And it?s no surprise that Activision built livestreaming, shoutcasting (narrated games), spectating, and league play into Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Gamemakers should already know that you don?t just milk your users. Give them what they want, and they will pay you back many times over. Let?s hope that more companies are going to learn the lesson: It?s the community, stupid. (GamesBeat writer Rus McLaughlin suggested a version of this prediction.)

Gamification will continue to spread the influence of games

Gamification, or the use of game mechanics to increase engagement in nongame applications, is the path to spread game thinking far and wide. It has applications in everything from fitness devices that encourage you to exercise to enterprise applications that reward you for completing tutorials.

Badgeville, Big Door, and Bunchball are providing the services for all kinds of companies to embrace gamification, either by rewarding consumers and employees with achievements or leading them to compete with rivals through leaderboards. A lot of these efforts will fail as many games do. But the ones that are done right could lead to a big expansion in engagement and usage. Gamification is in its hype stage, but the reality will start setting in during 2013 as to what works and what doesn?t. And it will carry the flag for gaming into all circles of business.

Source: http://venturebeat.com/2012/12/28/the-deanbeat-game-industry-predictions-for-2013/

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2 Texas players suspended after sex assault report

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? Texas suspended two players Friday and sent them home on the eve of the Alamo Bowl, hours after police said they were investigating a report of a sexual assault at a San Antonio hotel.

Coach Mack Brown did not identify the players, but he referred to a KENS-TV report (http://tinyurl.com/cw8dcj3) that police were investigating two unidentified Texas players in the alleged assault.

"This has been reported: We had a couple young men that broke team rules last night. They have been suspended from the team and they will be sent home," Brown said at a previously scheduled news conference. "They will not be available for the game and I will not address any more questions in that matter."

Sgt. Javier Salazar, a San Antonio police spokesman, said only that detectives are in the early stages of investigating a case of alleged sexual assault in the downtown area. Investigators are interviewing witnesses and collecting forensic evidence, he said.

"It's a very meticulous process," Salazar said. "As far as these investigations go, it's very early."

A heavily-redacted police report says a 21-year-old woman told police she believed she was assaulted around 2 a.m. Friday after inviting two men to her hotel room. The report shows only that the men are students and that one is 21 and the other is 20. The woman told police that she had had several drinks when she invited the men to her hotel.

Police said they observed bruises on the woman's right knee and left bicep.

After talking to police, the woman was taken to a San Antonio hospital, where she was seen by a sexual assault nurse examiner, according to the report. The two suspects also were taken to the hospital and examined by the nurse, the report says.

Ben Turner, acting general manager at the Holiday Inn on San Antonio's Riverwalk, said police were summoned to the hotel between 2 and 3 a.m. Friday to investigate an alleged sexual assault. He said hotel staff was cooperating with police.

Athletic department spokesman John Bianco said he could not say more than Brown's comment at the news conference.

Texas (8-4) plays Oregon State (9-3) in Saturday's game at the Alamodome. The Longhorns' walk-through at the stadium Friday afternoon was closed to the media.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-28-FBC-Texas-Suspensions/id-ef5ff1ac26d04cc7be47ca06c20f12f8

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2012: A Memorable Year for Weather

Drought, wildfire, hurricanes, a deadly typhoon and cold snap ? this year had a lot to offer in terms of weather news.

Weather historian Christopher C. Burt, who blogs for the meteorological website Weather Underground, has been keeping tabs on events this year, and the headliner is clear, he said: Unusually warm temperatures, most notably across the continental United States. ?

We take a look back at the most significant weather of 2012:

Record-breaking warmth: The data for the last of the year isn't in yet, but this year looks "virtually certain" take the title of warmest year on record for the lower 48 states, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Burt follows temperature observations for 300 evenly disbursed U.S. cities or sites with records going back into the 19th century. Of these, 22 reached their all-time highs this year, most during the heat wave that hit much of the country in late June and early July. Only the Pacific Northwest did not share in this year's exceptional warmth, Burt said.?

It was also a warm year for the planet, though not to quite the same degree. As of November, 2012 ranked as the eighth warmest for global average temperature, NOAA reported on Thursday (Dec. 20).

Burt also tracks temperatures for countries, and he noted all-time high records in July and August for five countries, three in Europe, one in Asia and one in Africa.

Summer in March: One notable heat wave this year hit the Great Lakes, Midwest, northern New England, New Brunswick and Novia Scotia in March, bringing scores of record-breaking temperatures for this time of year. In "The Nation's Icebox," International Falls, Mich., the low temperature during this heat wave ? which bottomed out at 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 degrees Celsius) on March 20 ? tied the previous high for that date, according to the Weather Underground.?

Hottest month on record in the U.S.: Until this year, July 1936, during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, held the record for hottest month on record in the lower 48 states going back to 1895, but this July's heat surpassed even that record, surprising Burt, who told LiveScience in July, "1936 is probably unassailable frankly."

Drought: The unusually warm weather contributed to drought across much of the country this year, in some places, such as Texas, for the second consecutive year. While devastating, particularly to agriculture, this year's drought has not been unprecedented. It is the most extensive since the 1930s, affecting over half of the country for a majority of the year, NOAA reported on Dec. 20. [Dried Up: Photos Reveal Devastating Texas Drought]

A fiery year: In turn, drought and heat this year contributed to the third worst wildfire season for the western United States, where more than 9 million acres (3.6 million hectares) burned. Colorado and Oregon saw some of the worst fires.

Big storms: Hurricane Isaac made landfall at the end of August in southeastern Louisiana, seven years after Hurricane Katrina's arrival, which flooded New Orleans. This time, however, the city, with its fortified protection system, was spared the devastation. Later in the year, Superstorm Sandy, a hybrid hurricane and winter storm, pummeled the East Coast, bringing an unprecedented storm tide to The Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan. A sustained cluster of violent thunderstorms, called a derecho event, over central, eastern and northeastern states also made NOAA's list of billion-dollar-plus disasters; 28 people died as a result of these storms in late June and early July.

Biggest killers: The deadliest weather event of the year goes to Typhoon Bopha, which struck the Philippines in early December. The death toll has surpassed 1,000, with hundreds more missing, including fishermen who were out to sea when the typhoon ? a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific or Indian Oceans ? struck, according to media reports. But by comparison, the deadliest recorded tropical cyclone hit Bangladesh in November 1970, killing half-a-million people, Burt said. The cold wave that hit central and eastern Europe early in the year ranked as the second deadliest event of 2012, killing 824 people, Burt said.

Cold, but not unprecedented: In spite of its severity, this cold wave failed to set records. In fact, Burt said he is not aware of any significant cold records that were set during 2012. However, the coldest temperature for the year worldwide was recorded on Sept. 16 at Vostok, Antarctica, at minus 119.6 degrees F (minus 84.2 degrees C), according to Burt.

A slow year for tornados: After the devastation caused by tornados in 2011, this year has been relatively quiet. In fact, 2012 is on track to have the lowest tornado death count in a couple of decades, Burt said.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter@livescience. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2012-memorable-weather-151125475.html

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Army teams going to Africa as terror threat grows

In this Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 photo, Gen. Carter Ham, head of the U.S. African command, attends a conference on terrorism in the Sahara in Algiers, Algeria. A U.S. Army brigade will begin sending small teams into as many as 35 African nations in early 2013, part of an intensifying Pentagon effort to train countries to battle extremists and give the U.S. a ready and trained force to dispatch to Africa if crises requiring the U.S. military emerge. Ham, the top U.S. commander in Africa, noted that the brigade has a small drone capability that could be useful in Africa. But he also acknowledged that he would need special permission to tap it for that kind of mission. (AP Photo)

In this Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 photo, Gen. Carter Ham, head of the U.S. African command, attends a conference on terrorism in the Sahara in Algiers, Algeria. A U.S. Army brigade will begin sending small teams into as many as 35 African nations in early 2013, part of an intensifying Pentagon effort to train countries to battle extremists and give the U.S. a ready and trained force to dispatch to Africa if crises requiring the U.S. military emerge. Ham, the top U.S. commander in Africa, noted that the brigade has a small drone capability that could be useful in Africa. But he also acknowledged that he would need special permission to tap it for that kind of mission. (AP Photo)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A U.S. Army brigade will begin sending small teams into as many as 35 African nations early next year, part of an intensifying Pentagon effort to train countries to battle extremists and give the U.S. a ready and trained force to dispatch to Africa if crises requiring the U.S. military emerge.

The teams will be limited to training and equipping efforts, and will not be permitted to conduct military operations without specific, additional approvals from the secretary of defense.

The sharper focus on Africa by the U.S. comes against a backdrop of widespread insurgent violence across North Africa, and as the African Union and other nations discuss military intervention in northern Mali.

The terror threat from al-Qaida linked groups in Africa has been growing steadily, particularly with the rise of the extremist Islamist sect Boko Haram in Nigeria. Officials also believe that the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, which killed the ambassador and three other Americans, may have been carried out by those who had ties to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

This first-of-its-kind brigade assignment ? involving teams from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division ? will target countries such as Libya, Sudan, Algeria and Niger, where al-Qaida-linked groups have been active. It also will assist nations like Kenya and Uganda that have been battling al-Shabab militants on the front lines in Somalia.

Gen. Carter Ham, the top U.S. commander in Africa, noted that the brigade has a small drone capability that could be useful in Africa. But he also acknowledged that he would need special permission to tap it for that kind of mission.

"If they want them for (military) operations, the brigade is our first sourcing solution because they're prepared," said Gen. David Rodriguez, the head of U.S. Army Forces Command. "But that has to go back to the secretary of defense to get an execute order."

Already the U.S. military has plans for nearly 100 different exercises, training programs and other activities across the widely diverse continent. But the new program faces significant cultural and language challenges, as well as nagging questions about how many of the lower-level enlisted members of the brigade, based in Fort Riley, Kan., will participate, since the teams would largely be made up of more senior enlisted troops and officers. A full brigade numbers about 3,500, but the teams could range from just a few people to a company of about 200. In rare cases for certain exercises, it could be a battalion, which would number about 800.

To bridge the cultural gaps with the African militaries, the Army is reaching out across the services, the embassies and a network of professional organizations to find troops and experts that are from some of the African countries. The experts can be used during training, and the troops can both advise or travel with the teams as they begin the program.

"In a very short time frame we can only teach basic phrases," said Col. Matthew McKenna, commander of the 162nd Infantry Brigade that will begin training the Fort Riley soldiers in March for their African deployment. "We focus on culture and the cultural impact ? how it impacts the African countries' military and their operations."

Thomas Dempsey, a professor with the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said the biggest challenge will be the level of cultural, language and historical diversity across the far-flung continent.

"How do you train for that in a way that would be applicable wherever they go?" said Dempsey, a retired Army colonel. He said he's not sure using a combat brigade is the right answer, but added, "I'm not sure what the answer is. The security challenges differ so dramatically that, to be honest, I really don't think it's feasible to have a continental training package."

The Pentagon's effort in Africa, including the creation of U.S. Africa Command in 2007, has been carefully calibrated, largely due to broad misgivings across the continent that it could spawn American bases or create the perception of an undue U.S. military influence there. As a result, the command has been based in Stuttgart, Germany, rather than on the African continent.

At the same time, many African nations are eager for U.S. training or support, as they work to build their militaries, battle pirates along the coast and shut down drug trafficking, kidnapping and other insurgent activities.

McKenna acknowledged the challenge, but said the military has to tap its conventional fighting forces for this task because there aren't enough special operations forces to meet the global training needs. He said there will be as many as a dozen different training segments between February and September, each designed to provide tailored instruction for the particular teams.

The mission for the 2nd Brigade ? known as the "Dagger Brigade" ? will begin in the spring and will pave the way for Army brigades to be assigned next to U.S. Pacific Command and then to U.S. European Command over the next year. The brigade is receiving its regular combat training first, and then will move on to the more specific instruction needed for the deployments, such as language skills, cultural information and other data about the African nations.

Dagger Brigade commander Col. Jeff Broadwater said the language and culture training will be different than what most soldiers have had in recent years, since they have focused on Pashtun and Farsi, languages used mostly in Afghanistan and Iran. He said he expects the soldiers to learn French, Swahili, Arabic or other languages, as well as the local cultures.

"What's really exciting is we get to focus on a different part of the world and maintain our core combat skills," Broadwater said, adding that the soldiers know what to expect. "You see those threats (in Africa) in the news all the time."

The brigade will be carved up into different teams designed to meet the specific needs of each African nation. As the year goes on, the teams will travel from Fort Riley to those nations ? all while trying to avoid any appearance of a large U.S. military footprint.

"The challenge we have is to always understand the system in their country," said Rodriguez, who has been nominated to be the next head of Africa Command. "We're not there to show them our system, we're there to make their system work. Here is what their army looks like, and here is what we need to prepare them to do."

Rodriguez said the nearly 100 assignments so far requested by Ham will be carried out with "a very small footprint to get the high payoff."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-24-US-Africa-Military/id-a092c85ce88a480a8cc7f8f73dd3680c

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Is Cloning the Key to Perfect Christmas Trees?

When you think of cloning, you'll probably either think of dolly, or maybe some sort of sci-fi clone army. German scientists, on the other hand, their minds hop to Christmas trees, and the hope that cloning can bring us all perfect ones forever. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/8qNl1aOwigM/is-cloning-the-key-to-perfect-christmas-trees

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North Korean Leader Calls for More Powerful Rockets (Voice Of America)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272559981?client_source=feed&format=rss

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World of Warcraft Patch 5.2 PTR patch note preview

A preview of the notes for the patch 5.2 PTR has just been released on the official blog. While the PTR may not be open until January, Blizzard certainly isn't wasting any time with getting the information out there and readily available to players. The trend of speedy patches in Mists of Pandaria seems to be continuing as hoped, which should make players very happy, and far less apt to run out of content to do. Highlights from the patch include:

• The new raid, Throne of Thunder, which includes 12 new raid encounters and an additional 13th foe unlocked upon defeating Emperor Lei Shen in Heroic mode.
• New daily quest hub: The Isle of the Thunder King -- the Kirin-Tor Offensive and the Sunreaver Onslaught face off to lay claim to Emperor Lei Shen's island stronghold and the treasures contained therein.
• Two new world bosses, Nalak the Storm Lord and Oondasta
• An option to purchase Sunsong Ranch to make it a resting point like an inn. Work orders will come in from various factions, and completing the work orders will grant you reputation with the issuing faction.
• All world bosses are now Tap to Faction. This new system offers every eligible player of the same faction that engages a boss the chance to earn loot.

Read on for the full list of patch notes for Patch 5.2.

World of Warcraft PTR Patch 5.2

General

• New Daily Quest Hub: The Isle of the Thunder King.
  • Here players can join the assault to conquer Emperor Lei Shen's island stronghold, unlock new questlines and daily quest hubs, participate in special events, earn the right to visit the fabled Treasure Room, lay claim an arsenal of powerful Mogu artifacts for their faction, and more.
  • Each faction's finest are spearheading the assault: the Kirin-Tor Offensive led by Jaina Proudmoore and the Sunreaver Onslaught led by Lor'themar Theron. Earning reputation with these new factions offers heroes the opportunity to receive new quests and reputation rewards, including powerful items and an intimidating new mount.
  • After both the Alliance and the Horde have eked out a foothold on the isle, players can choose to perform quests that are PvE or PvP focused. PvP quests will direct players against opposing faction NPCs, but slaying opposing players will grant credit as well.
  • As the heroes conquer the Isle, they will unlock the powerful Lightning Forge, which will allow Blacksmiths to forge mighty raid-worthy items, as well as classic weapons from the past.
  • Players on the PTR can teleport to the Isle of the Thunder King at their faction shrines in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. While the Isle of the Thunder King will be unlocked progressively by each realm based on participation in the war effort, initially only some of the Isle's features will be unlocked. Future updates will include the Shipyard and the Main Courtyard. Some features, including the Treasure Room, will not yet be available.
• New Raid: Throne of Thunder
  • Emperor Lei Shen, the Thunder King, has returned to wreak his vengeance on Pandaria. It falls to the heroes of the Alliance and the Horde to stop the newly resurrected tyrant and his Zandalari allies in the massive new raid: Throne of Thunder.
  • Throne of Thunder is a sprawling citadel housing 12 new raid encounters, and players that defeat Emperor Lei Shen in Heroic mode can earn the opportunity to face an additional 13th foe.
  • The Raid Finder version of the Throne of Thunder will be divided into 4 different wings.
  • Join the Shado-Pan Assault in their singular drive to see Lei Shen, The Thunder King defeated once and for all, and gain access to impressive Valor reward items. Reputation with this faction can be earned only within the Throne of Thunder raid dungeon.
  • Please note: During the 5.2 PTR, this raid dungeon will only be available during a limited testing window. Keep an eye on our PTR Discussion Forum for details.
• The Legendary Quest Continues:
  • Wrathion must know the origin and source of Mogu power, and Azeroth's mightiest heroes will aid the Black Prince in finding out what it is. The search for information will take players into the depths of the Thunder King's Palace, and pit them against trials of perseverence and skill. Along the way, they'll unlock the secrets to a new headgear enchantment, the Crown of the Heavens.
  • Please note: Initially this quest is not available on the PTR, but will be coming soon.
• New World Bosses: Nalak, the Storm Lord and Oondasta
  • Nalak, the Storm Lord
    • After the Isle of the Thunder King has been conquered, the gate guardian of the Thunder King's citadel will appear: Nalak, the Storm Lord. Players will frequently have the opportunity to test their mettle against him.
  • Oondasta
    • Found in a place that has been lost in time, the great devilsaur lord Oondasta has been outfitted for battle with weaponry and armor by the Zandalari, and awaits players brave enough (or foolhardy enough) to seek him out on the mysterious Isle of Giants found in the seas north of Kun-Lai Summit.
• Buy The Farm
  • Players that have grown attached to working the land at Sunsong Ranch can now purchase the land from Farmer Yoon. Once the farm is owned by a player, it becomes a rest point like an Inn, where the player can bind and instantly log out. Work orders will pour in to the farm from factions across Pandaria, and completing a work orders will earn a reputation boost with the issuing faction.
  • Please note: The new Sunsong Ranch features are not available on the PTR, but will be coming soon.
• New World Boss System
  • All world bosses are now Tap to Faction. This new system offers every eligible player of the same faction that engages a boss the chance to earn loot. Under the new system, players will only be able to earn loot from each world boss once per week, but bonus rolls apply. Bosses will now respawn more frequently as well.

Classes

• Death Knight
  • Death Siphon now heals for 150% of the damage dealt (was 100%).
  • Conversion now costs 5 Runic Power plus 5 per second thereafter (was 10 Runic Power plus 10 per second).
  • The Bloodworms summoned by Blood Parasite now have 200% more health.
  • Unholy
    • Reaping now also applies to Icy Touch.
    • Summon Gargoyle no longer costs Runic Power.
    • Gargoyle Strike now deals Shadow and Nature damage (was Nature only).
    • Ebon Plaguebringer now causes Plague Strike to inflict Frost Fever, in addition to its other effects.
• Druid
  • Cyclone now has a 30 second cooldown for Feral Druids. In addition, it will now share diminishing returns with Banish, Seduction, Bind Elemental, Hex, Freezing Trap, Wyvern Sting, Gouge, Sap, Hibernate, Paralysis, Polymorph, Ring of Frost, Repentance, and Quaking Palm.
  • Symbiosis
    • Shattering Blow now has a 1.5 second cast time to align correctly with the Warrior version of this ability.
  • Displacer Beast has been redesigned. It now triggers Cat Form and grants 50% increased movement speed for 4 seconds after teleporting, and no longer activates Prowl.
  • Cenarion Ward now grants 100% increased healing.
  • Frenzied Regeneration now scales 10% more efficiently with attack power.
  • Tooth and Claw now scales 10% more efficiently with attack power.
  • Mastery: Nature's Guardian now provides 20% more armor per Mastery rating.
  • Rejuvenation now costs approximately 9% less mana.
  • Revive and Mark of the Wild now cost 55% less mana.
  • Faerie Swarm can now snare more than one target at a time.
  • Mass Entanglement now has a 30 second cooldown (was 2 minutes).
  • Typhoon now has a 30 second cooldown (was 20 seconds).
  • The Treants summoned by Force of Nature now deal more damage and healing, and the Force of Nature tooltip will report the capabilities of these summoned pets.
  • Soul of the Forest
    • Balance: Now generates 40 Lunar or Solar energy upon leaving Eclipse.
    • Feral: Unchanged.
    • Guardian: Generates 3 additional Rage per Mangle.
    • Restoration: Now grants 70% Haste on the next spell cast after the Druid casts Swiftmend.
  • Nature's Vigil now has a 90 second cooldown (was 3 minutes), and now increases damage and healing done by 10% (was 20%).
• Hunter
  • Bestial Wrath may now be activated when there is no line of sight to the Hunter's pet.
  • Silencing Shot now has a 24 second cooldown (was 20).
  • Binding Shot no longer has a Focus cost.
  • Wyvern Sting no longer has a Focus cost, and its cooldown is now 45 seconds (was 60 seconds).
  • Glyph of Marked for Death has been removed, and its effects are now baseline.
  • New Glyph: Glyph of Liberation. This glyph now causes Disengage to heal the Hunter for 5% of maximum health when used.
• Mage
  • Invocation now removes Evocation's cooldown and reduces its channeling time and duration by 50%. A completed Evocation now grants 15% increased damage (was 25%) for 1 minute (was 40 seconds) after an Evocation is completed. Passive mana regeneration is reduced by 50% only while Invoker's Energy is active.
  • Greater invisibility now has a 90 second cooldown (was 2.5 minutes).
  • Frostbolt cast by Mirror Images now deals 50% more damage.
  • Improved Counterspell has been removed.
  • Glyph of Fire Blast has been replaced with Glyph of Inferno Blast. Glyph of Inferno Blast causes damage over time effects spread by Inferno Blast to spread to 1 additional target.
  • Blazing Speed can now be triggered at will.
  • Cold Snap now heals the Mage for 15% of maximum health when used (was 30%).
  • Ice Floes now has a 45 second cooldown (was 1 minute).
  • Scorch now costs 3.5% of base mana (was 0.1%).
  • Arcane
    • Arcane Blast's mana cost has been increased to 1.66667% of base mana (was 1.5%).
  • Frost
    • Frostbolt now deals 24% more damage, but its debuff no longer increases subsequent Frostbolt damage.
    • Water Elemental
      • Freeze no longer does damage, and only provides Fingers of Frost on a successful freeze.
• Monk
  • New Level 60 Talent: Ring of Peace
    • Ring of Peace forms a 8 yard sanctuary around the target for 8 seconds, causing all enemies in the area of effect to be silenced and disarmed.
  • New Windwalker and Brewmaster ability added at level 30: Nimble Brew. Nimble Brew removes all stun, fear, and root effects, and reduces the duration of those effects if they are re-applied by 60% for 6 seconds. It has a 2 minute cooldown.
  • Chi Wave now does 100% more damage and healing, and no longer costs Chi, but now has a 15 second cooldown.
  • Zen Sphere now has a limit of 2 (was 1), now detonates when either the recipient reaches 35% health or the Zen Sphere is dispelled, and no longer costs Chi.
  • Chi Burst now does 100% more damage and healing, no longer costs Chi, and now has a 30 second cooldown.
  • Path of Blossoms has been removed.
  • Deadly Reach has been removed.
  • Paralysis is now a physical, non-magical effect, and can no longer be dispelled, grounded or reflected, and its base range has been increased to 20 yards.
  • Tiger's Lust and Touch of Karma no longer have a Chi cost.
  • Tiger's Lust can no longer be used on targets that have other temporary speed increases active.
  • Charging Ox Wave now has a 30 second cooldown (was 60 seconds).
  • Dampen Harm can now be used while stunned, and its cooldown will now begin when used, not when the effect ends.
  • Healing Elixirs now heals the Monk for 15% of maximum health (was 10%).
  • Chi Torpedo now deals 15% more damage.
  • Healing Spheres now have a duration of 1 minute. Healing Spheres generated by Mastery: Gift of the Serpent now have a duration of 30 seconds.
  • Mistweaver
    • Life Cocoon can no longer be dispelled.
    • Zen Focus, the 4-piece Mistweave set bonus, is now more responsive.
    • It is no longer possible to use Thunder Focus Tea while silenced.
    • Healing Spheres will now heal for 50% of their original value if they expire without being picked up. This healing will factor in relevant Mastery.
    • Xuen will now fixate on the Monk's original target.
  • Windwalker
    • New Level 75 Ability: Storm, Earth and Fire
      • The Windwalker can summon up to two elemental duplicates that mirror damaging abilities that the Monk uses while they are active. For each spirit summoned, the Monk's damage is reduced: 1 spirit causes the Monk and the spirit to deal 60% of the Monk's normal damage, while 2 spirits will cause the Monk and both active spirits to deal 40% of the Monk's normal damage. Each spirit lasts until the ability is canceled, or that spirit's target dies or otherwise becomes unavailable.
    • Combo Breaker is now a passive ability granted at level 15 that grants a 12% chance to make the Monk's next Blackout Kick or Tiger Palm cost no Chi.
    • New Mastery: Bottled Fury -- Increases the damage bonus provided by Tigereye Brew by .2% per Mastery per stack.
    • Tigereye Brew now increases damage by 1% per stack (was 2%), but is now improved by Bottled Fury.
    • Tigereye Brew now gains 1 charge after spending 2 Chi (was 4 Chi).
    • Tigereye Brew will now stack to 20, but only 10 charges can be consumed per activation.
    • A user interface alert now displays upon reaching 10 stacks of Tigereye Brew.
  • Brewmaster
    • Mastery: Elusive Brawler now provides 25% more Stagger per Mastery rating.
• Paladin
  • Hand of Purity now reduces all incoming damage by 10% in addition to its other effects.
  • Eternal Flame's periodic heal now provides 100% more healing when self-cast.
  • Judgment now costs 5% of base mana.
  • Protection
    • The base damage of Consecration has been increased by 789%, and it now scales less efficiently with attack power by approximately 11%.
• Priest
  • Power Word: Solace has been redesigned.
    • Power Word: Solace replaces Holy Fire. It deals the same damage and interacts with other spells and abilities in the same manner, but is instant, costs no mana, and restores 1% of maximum mana on each cast.
  • Dominate Mind now has a 1.8 second cast time (was 2.5 seconds).
  • Angelic Feather now has a 6 second duration (was 4 seconds).
  • Body and Soul now has a 3 second duration (was 4 seconds).
  • Glyph of Holy Fire has been redesigned. It now increases the range of Holy Fire, Smite, and Power Word: Solace by 10 yards.
  • Discipline
    • Focused Will now reduces damage taken by 15% per stack, with a limit of 2 stacks.
    • Spirit Shell no longer benefits from Mastery, and now properly includes the benefits of Divine Aegis and critical effect chance.
    • Rapture now provides mana equal to 250% (was 200%) of the Priest's Spirit, but no longer benefits from Spirit provided by short duration bonuses.
• Rogue
  • Preparation is now a baseline ability learned at level 68.
  • Versatility has been removed.
  • New Level 90 Talent: Marked for Death
    • Marks a target and instantly generates 5 combo points. When that target dies, Marked for Death's cooldown is reset. This talent has a 1 minute cooldown.
  • New Level 60 Talent: Cloak and Dagger
    • Ambush, Garrote, and Cheap Shot now have a 30 yard range, and will cause the Rogue to teleport behind the target.
  • Burst of Speed now costs 30 Energy (was 50 Energy), can be used in Stealth, and always grants increased movement speed in addition to breaking snare effects, but no longer breaks root effects.
  • Shuriken Toss now causes the Rogue to throw shuriken instead of autoattacking for 10 seconds after Shuriken Toss is used.
  • Deadly Throw can now interrupt spellcasting when used at 3, 4, and 5 combo points, and upon interrupt prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 4, 5 and 6 seconds respectively (was 5 combo points and 6 seconds).
  • Nerve Strike now reduces the effectiveness of healing provided by the target by 25%.
  • Shadow Focus now reduces ability energy costs by 75% while stealthed (was 100%).
  • PvP set bonuses have been changed:
    • Vigor is now the 4 piece set bonus and increases maximum energy by 50 (was 10).
    • Deadly Brew is now the 2 piece set bonus, and its effects remain unchanged.
  • Combat
    • Vitality now increases attack power by 30% (was 25%).
    • Blade Flurry now deals 75% less damage.
  • Subtlety
    • Sanguinary Vein now increases the damage the target takes by 20% (was 16%).
• Warlock
  • The Felhunter ability Spell Lock is now an interrupt, and no longer applies a 3 second blanket silence.
  • Blood Fear has been redesigned. This ability is now cast on the Warlock, and causes melee attacks that strike within the next 60 seconds to fear the attacker. When cast, the ability has 1 charge, costs 20% health to activate, and has a 30 second cooldown.
  • Soul Leech now provides an absorption shield instead of healing.
  • Sacrificial Pact now requires the pet to sacrifice 25% of its health to activate (was 50%).
  • Kil'jaeden's Cunning is now a passive talent, and its activated ability has been removed.
  • The passive damage from Archimonde's Vengeance no longer has a visual effect.
  • Grimoire of Sacrifice now increases the damage of abilities by 20% (was 25%) for Destruction, and 45% (was 50%) for Affliction.
  • Grimoire of Sacrifice now provides the spell Whiplash instead of Seduction when a Succubus is sacrificed.
  • Glyph of Burning Embers has been removed, and its effects are now baseline for Destruction Warlocks.
  • Glyph of Soul Shards has been removed, and its effects are now baseline for Affliction Warlocks.
  • New Glyph: Glyph of Ember Tap. This glyph increases the healing gained from Ember Tap by 50%.
  • New Glyph: Glyph of Drain Life. This glyph increases the healing gained from Drain Life by 30%.
• Warrior
  • Shockwave now has a 40 second cooldown (was 20 seconds), striking 3 or more targets will reduce its cooldown by 20 seconds.
  • Second Wind now causes a Warrior that has been reduced to 35% health or lower to regenerate 2% of their health per second (was 3%), and now generates 15 Rage over 10 seconds (was 20 Rage).
  • Warbringer now reduces the target's movement by 50% for 15 seconds (8 seconds in PvP) in addition to its other effects.
  • Shield Barrier now scales approximately 10% less efficiently with attack power.
  • Storm Bolt now deals 125% weapon damage (was 100%).
  • Enraged Regeneration now costs 30 Rage (was 60).
  • Glyph of Death from Above no longer increases the damage dealt by Heroic Leap.
  • Arms
    • Taste for Blood has been redesigned. It now causes the Warrior to gain 2 stacks of Overpower (maximum of 5 stacks) when Mortal Strike deals damage or the target dodges, and no longer interacts with Heroic Strike. It now requires level 20 (was level 50).
    • Slam now deals 220% weapon damage (was 190%).
  • Protection
    • The base damage of Shield Slam and Revenge has been increased by 150%, but these abilities now scale approximately 10% less efficiently with attack power.
• Shaman
  • Elemental Mastery now has a 1 minute cooldown (was 2 minutes).
  • Shamanistic Rage is now available to Elemental Shamans as well as Enhancement Shamans.
  • Conductivity no longer requires that the target be within the area of effect of Healing Rain.
  • Ancestral Swiftness now increases spell haste by 5% and melee haste by 10% (was 5%/5%).
  • Glyph of Purge now adds a 6 second cooldown to Purge.
  • Stone Bulwark Totem now absorbs 25% more damage.
  • Unleashed Fury Flametongue now increases Lightning Bolt damage by 20% (was 30%), and Lava Burst damage by 10% (was 0%).
  • Primal Earth Elemental and Primal Fire Elemental now deal 20% more damage.
  • Elemental Blast now has a chance to increase the caster's Agility for Enhancement Shamans.
  • Glyph of Flame has been redesigned. This glyph now causes the Shaman to heal for 50% of the damage dealt by Flame Shock.
  • Flame Shock's duration has been increased by 25%.

Quests

• Warlocks can now undertake a solo adventure that culminates with the ability to change the color of their Fire spells to appear Fel green. The quest begins for those Warlocks determined or fortunate enough to have laid their hands on teh fabled Codex of Xerrath.

Creatures

• Zandalari forces have begun scouting the shores of Pandaria, searching for the perfect invasion point. The Zandalari can be found in Krasarang Wilds, Dread Wastes, Townlong Steppes, Jade Forest, and Kun-Lai Summit. Zandalari Scouts can be handled by 1 or 2 players, while elite Zandalari Warbringers will likely require a full party of 5 heroes. Defeat Warbringers to gain special drops, including crafting materials, reputation gains, an achievement, and even the chance to get one of three new rare mounts!
• Galleon now respawns much more frequently, but players can only receive loot from him once per week.
• Dire Horns have been added as a tameable species for Hunters that have learned the required skill. Aspiring Dire Horn owners should seek out clues regarding these auspicious beasts

Pet Battles

• Supercharge now provides a 125% damage bonus (was 150%), and its cooldown is now 4 rounds (was 3).
• Sprite Darter Hatchling ? Evanescence and Arcane Blast have swapped ability positions.
• Nether Roach is now a real roach and can now survive the apocalypse.
• Battle Pet Bandages now stack to 25 and are Bind to Account.
• Battle-Stones now have a chance to be awarded from PVP Pet Battles.
• Pets whose color schemes change each time they are summoned have returned. Older pets with this behavior now have it back, as well as some newcomers.
• Pet levels will now only display on the map when pets are tracked.
• Taming the World now lists its reward correctly in the Achievements pane.
• Level capped players will now have a chance to each Lesser Charms of Good Fortune after winning a pet battle versus a Pet within 5 levels of the highest level pet on their team. Higher level pets will offer a better chance to earn a Charm.
• Winning a pet battle versus a team within 5 levels of the player's highest level pet will now award player experience.
• Fleeing a pet battle will no longer despawn the pet that was being battled, but doing so will now inflict some damage on the fleeing pet battle team.
• Disconnecting from a pet battle will once again respawn the pets you were fighting.
• Any pet that has been killed in a pet battle will now never respawn.
• A number of new pets can be found on the Isle of Lightning, including Rare spawn drops, wild pets, and raid boss drops.
• Elite Battle Pets have been added to the game world. These rare pets will spawn alone against an entire team. A new quest has been added to track progress as these new pets are hunted down, and defeating that quest will award the new Red Panda pet.
• Please note: Many of these changes have not yet come to the PTR, but will be available soon.

PvP

• PvP trinkets that clear loss of control effects will now also clear these effects from the player's pet as well.

Items

• Skyshards are now Bind on Account.

Sunsong Ranch

• Seed bags have been added, that allow planting of crops 4 plots at a time.
• Yoon's Mailbox has been renamed to Sunsong Ranch Mailbox.
• The yield from special crops has been improved to make farming them competitive with gathering these items out in the world.
• Running the Master Plow across underground Virmen will cause them to pop out of the ground at 30% health and stunned.
• Wild Crops will now occur less often.

Bug Fixes

• Classes
  • Druid
  • It is no longer possible for a weaker application of Living Seed to overwrite a stronger one.
  • Paladin
  • It is no longer possible to refresh Inquisition to a lower duration.
  • Mage
  • The cooldown of Cauterize will now properly reset upon entering an Arena.
  • Warlock
  • Grimoire of Service now describes its special abilities on the tooltip.

Tags: breaking, patch-5.2, patch-5.2-patch-notes, patch-5.2-ptr, ptr-patch-notes, wow-patch-5.2, wow-patch-5.2-ptr, wow-patch-notes

Filed under: News items, Mists of Pandaria

Source: http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/12/22/world-of-warcraft-patch-5-2-ptr-patch-note-preview/

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