Cole

/roll

Come on lucky 580!

I'm not sure I agree with the EU, but I think the web will be better in the end with all those browser choices (minus IE obviously) working to adhere to w3 standards. Sites need to be made to work with a set of standards to which browsers adhere, instead of breaking sites to work with IE or Firefox or bust.

Spam is nice, but I'll leave you with this fun Wikipedia article instead.

The Trauco, according to the traditional Chilota mythology of Chiloé, is a type of goblin who lives in the deep forests.

The Trauco is a mythical entity which inhabits the woods of Chiloé an island in the south of Chile. It has a powerful magnetism which attracts young and middle-aged women. According to myth, the wife of the Trauco is the wicked and ugly Fiura.

Whoever is chosen by the trauco will go to him, even if she is sleeping, and fall enraptured at his feet. Tradition says he appears disguised as a priest or a wealthy landowner. The woman who is chosen by the trauco never forgets the encounter, as he has sex with them. The Trauco's sex powers are underscored by young women as something which no man could ever possess.

Men of Chiloé fear the trauco, as his gaze can be deadly. On the other hand, a man strong enough can engage the trauco to serve him for one full year if he fixes his eyes on the creature first. This is a very difficult feat to accomplish, because the trauco's acute senses can perceive people coming from a long distance. Thus, stories of this kind are exceedingly rare in Chiloé.

The trauco carries a small stone-headed hatchet which he uses to strike trees in the forest to symbolize his sexual potency. Also, when a single woman is with child and no one steps forward as the father, people assume the trauco to be the missing parent. This excuses the woman from fault, as the trauco is irresistible. Thus, the trauco is sometimes invoked to explain sudden or unwanted pregnancies, especially in unmarried women.

Yeah, it looks like the eventual cracked and LAN-enabled Pirate version is just going to be the better option. Shame Blizzard.

The game is an utter blast and is addicting as hell. Just wait until you realize what you have to do to get the upgrade cards you want though.

I told my Gamestop when I bought this game that the servers would probably peak at a worldwide population of 5000 and go offline by August with this business model, but at the time I didn't care and was addicted to the beta. I didn't quit the game until I realized that you have to grind 'PvE' (think any typical RTS campaign level) over and over again for a chance at a certain upgrade card to drop. That MMO model sucked every ounce of fun I had from this otherwise amazing game. Most squandered potential of the year.

I bought this game at full price because I loved the demo/beta so much. It's amazing until you realize that, in order to upgrade your cards, you need to play through PvE content (basic RTS campaign levels) to earn upgrade cards. Certain levels on certain difficulties give you *a chance* to win that card, if you can beat the rolls of the other people who play with you, likely going for that same upgrade card as well.

To attain the best possible deck, you need to grind the same PvE content over and over. Imagine how fun it is to play the same 30 minute + campaign levels in any RTS you play. It's the worst of MMO habits infused into an RTS. This game is major fail, and the tragedy is compounded by just how fun the base of the game turned out to be. You'll never play a game this year with more unrealized potential.

It's only the best game they ever worked on if they choose another online matchmaking system than Gamespy's. OUT OF SYNC errors ruined my BfMEII and C&C3 experiences.

Guild Wars has gone very crazy with the optional microtransactions too, which must make them a boatload of cash from the hardcore.

Off to the Ocoee, FL one I go!