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My next game has foreign language in it. I’m currently in the process of adding German and Polish to… my secret project. Yet, it’s a bit frustrating to type special characters. I usually launch Windows Character Map and I try to locate the letters with little hats, dots, accents and slashes. From there, I copy and paste the letters that I need. If this process seems archaic, I was even more bewildered when I wanted to send special characters via text messaging. I wondered if it was even possible. Generally, I have low expectations for mobile device performance. Yet, it was actually much easier to type special characters on Android than it was on my PC.

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If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t been too enthusiastic about Guild Wars lately. This week, ArenaNet is celebrating the 5 year anniversary celebration for Guild Wars… but I haven’t even logged into the game to check it out. I ran out of patience. Originally, I thought that the sequel would be in beta during the second-half of 2008. As the calendar hit 2010, I became discouraged. Where is it?! WHERE IS THE BETA?! How long does ArenaNet expect players to wait? From what I’ve seen of the sequel, I was wondering if I should simply give up on the sequel. But today, some encouraging words were found on the official ArenaNet blog. Mike O’Brien made the first post.

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So OK, I’ve created and published four different apps for the iPhone OS… why am I not rich yet?! Ha ha, I expected to have a bit more success by now. But unfortunately, I’m still learning about Apple’s mobile market. After warding off discouraging feelings, I decided to head back to the drawing board. I may not be making a ton of money on the App Store, but I have learned some valuable lessons. I’m impressed with the apps that I’ve made so far, but I’ll have to do a lot better in order to succeed in this ultra-competitive battleground. Developers from all over the world are vying for success. What makes me special?

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The following should be read as if it was a late-night infomercial… HI! I’M MICHAEL GAROFALO AND I’M HERE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE PHOTICS: TOOLBOX, A COLLECTION OF UTILITIES FOR THE iPHONE, iPOD TOUCH OR EVEN THE NEW iPAD. STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY ON APPS THAT ONLY DO ONE JOB. WITH THE PHOTICS TOOLBOX, YOU GET MULTIPLE TOOLS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. IT’S A TREMENDOUS VALUE. REDUCE CLUTTER IN YOUR HOME AND ON YOUR PHONE WITH THIS EASY TO USE UTILITY SUITE.

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It seems that ArenaNet’s viral campaign has ended and a new battle has begun. The image at the War In Kryta is no longer obscured. While the growing battle between the White Mantle and the Shining Blade is growing clearer, I’m still a bit confused as to what I should do about it. What is for certain, ArenaNet is working on some new content for the original series. Very likely, the tension between the two factions will climax on April 28… the fifth anniversary of Guild Wars.

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At the Game Developer’s Conference, two unusual fliers surfaced. One was for the White Mantle and the other was  for the Shining Blade. They had QR Codes which lead to the Guild Wars website. At first I dismissed this information. It was too ambiguous. However, more details have started to surface. Also, the presentation of these clues is deliberate. The Guild Wars community has been given a series of riddles. Is this just to build hype? Heh, probably… but perhaps there’s more to the mystery. By monitoring the clues, perhaps the community can better prepare for war. It seems that the White Mantle and Shining Blade will do battle.

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