tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68810335078042373922024-03-21T11:45:04.017+00:00Swear Allegiance!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-31169694670118792172012-01-10T01:02:00.000+00:002012-01-10T01:13:02.857+00:00Back! Back to the Fu... er Azeroth!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I know Marty! But we've got to go back, back to Azeroth! Great Scott!</div>
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So Swear Allegiance has had a rather large hiatus over the
holidays, Damarai and I apologies for
that but we are back, back in Azeroth, back to your regularly scheduled eclectic
British raving WoW nonsense !</div>
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So what's new? Well one of the reasons for the delay in
content here is I've been racking my grey matter gearing myself up to host a
Podcast, a long running and very damn awesome podcast, conceived by Gazimof and
made legendary by the paring of Gaz and Pewter (mental shaman) over the years.</div>
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Sadly for IRL reasons these two iconic casters are now
taking a step back from the mic for a while and, as I joined the show for its
recent series, the torch has fallen to me to pick up and run with... I'm
honoured to be asked to keep this great show going and myself and Damarai will
be helming the ship for a while under the guise of Obscurecast: Press Start to
Continue. </div>
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We'll be covering WoW, MMO gaming, and PC gaming in general,
as well as our favourite indy developers. But we'll be staying part of the
Dawnforge Network, and you don't need to update anything as we'll be coming at
you from all the same channels. </div>
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So we're back... but what's to do?</div>
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Well 4.3 gave a much needed shot in the arm to Cataclysm,
the new Dark Moon Fair gives players something fun to do at the start of every
month, and oh - my - days how have we done without Raid Finder?! First time in
there after having just begun raiding in 10man tier 11 a few patches ago...
getting back into it was brilliant, the fights were well tuned, and being part
of a big 25 man group was a really great experience, one I, being of the Wrath
baby persuasion, have not done - having missed 40 man raiding. Seeing a
group of healers hanging behind us, while the DPS surged forward on mass, and
then the hunters and mages filling the sky with fire, was pretty special,
something 10 man raiding, as great as it was, doesn't have.</div>
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So it's safe to say I'm reenergised for WoW, and with recent Steam sales getting
me into the games I missed out on on Xbox, and with indy titles, we're looking
forward to the challenge of filling the large boots of The Obscurecast. I hope
you'll join us... Gaz and Pewter set a damn high bar and Dam' and I hope we can
do them proud. </div>
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So tune in Soon<sup>TM</sup> at www.obscurecast.com , jump
into an LFR raid near you (because it's hella' fun!) watch out for mad
Carnies... oh, and... </div>
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Swear Allegiance</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-64481261324867263912011-12-04T00:28:00.001+00:002011-12-04T02:09:59.512+00:00A Dwarf, a Night Elf and a Human walk into a bar...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The core members of The Allegiance are back together, after Crag took a long sebatical raiding with Earthen Pantheon on SWC (EU). To cellebrate the Dwarf announced they should all head to Iron Forge for 'A drink or two...'</div>
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So from all the fun of the Dark Moon Faire, the 3 did catch the tram to Iron Forge and partake in a little Dwarven hospitality...<br />
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Selen' got them started with a table dance...</div>
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Then some engineer thought to throw around some fireworks... in doors
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I have no idea who THAT idiot was? Then some drunken fool suggested we go for a naked run around Iron Forge, I suspect at this point that not everyone can hold their drink as well as a Dwarf!
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Selen' was on the noggenfodder, it didn't agree with her... Bert had taken to 'smoking the sinister squashling' o.0
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But eventually too much grog got the better of us all!
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And they sent in the rozzers to move us drunken fools along!<br />
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At thish point I'dnt care how many of youse 'am seein' yous all better Shwear Alleganche!</div>
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</div>Damaraihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07692935709491073853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-74215677360001865122011-11-20T23:03:00.002+00:002011-11-20T23:35:30.292+00:00Swear Allegiance, and support!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://amerencelovewow.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-azeroth-thanksgiving-event-2011.htm" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i40.tinypic.com/11v62kx.png" /></a></div>
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Swear Allegiance would like to join the Blog Azeroth's awesome Thanks-Giving event (even though it's not a British holiday), by giving thanks to our friends and amazing bloggers: Rioriel, Gazimof and of course Mental Shaman<br />
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As well as the many other awesome posters in the WoW Bloggesphere. We want to say thanks to Postcards from Azeroth for capturing some of the most beautiful and haunting images from our game, to Mana Obscura for taking it beyond Azeroth and bringing us the latest from around the MMO world and to Pewter/Mental Shaman for taking it further still and highlighting the major causes the community should know about IRL.<br />
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And on that note Swear Allegiance swears allegiance to the efforts of the <a href="http://www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/" target="_blank">White Ribbon Campaign</a> as well in relation to the saddening and horrible stories the community has heard about. It's a testiment to the friendship our game produces that we always come together to support each other and thank each other for their contribution to the community.<br />
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Thanks to all.<br />
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Swear Allegiance, swears allegiance! </div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-87528370934912823442011-10-28T01:58:00.000+01:002011-10-28T01:58:24.702+01:00Pay attention in class!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The announcement of the new Monk class has me stoked! Taking it beyond Pandas... what does this mean for other classes? More importantly - what does it mean for race lore...]<br />
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For Dwarves, the brewmaster tank brings a perfection in synergy. Finally our diminutive battle masters will be able to do what they love best, DRINK! FIGHT! DEFEND THE KEGS!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Ork Monks seem awesomely suited in lore as well. A fusion of the shamanistic harmony some of the less war-like orks embrace, coupled with a more disciplined but no less physical form of honourable combat.<br />
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However, not unexpectedly, there have been some knee-jerk reactions to the announcement of Monks and Pandaren classes amongst some parts of the community. On the back of that - I wanted to look at what I think works well, or poorly in racial classes, and touch on some of the less obvious combinations some players may not get if they don't delve deep into the lore:<br />
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<b>Druids: </b>I honestly don't believe there is any controversy here... The Tauren and Night Elves where inducted into the Druidic teachings directly, the Trolls were natural adopters with there existing living world based beliefs. The Worgen would obviously have Druidic leanings, not only are the experiments of the Druids Of The Pack the underlying cause of their curse, but without Druidic teachings the closed off humans would not have been able to produce enough food to survive. Many Guilnaens call these "the old ways" and some players have a problem with the idea druids could have taught the humans behind the wall... something rather odd when you remember, druids can turn into <i>birds! </i>Sure their wall was high, but not <i>that </i>high. I imagine curious druids interested in Pack Form, dropped in now and then and helped teach the fated humans how to get the most from the land.<br />
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<b>Hunter: </b>Playing a hunter myself, I realise it's the most important class in the game! Why... if a race can't hunt, they can't live (well, the Nelfs probably could have some veggie thing going on, but no, they like their bacon too)! The only race that can't hunt, is gnomes....<br />
I guess there is the issue that if a gnome tried to tame a bear, the bear would simply assume someone threw him an appetiser, but that wouldn't stop an intrepid gnome, he's have a hundred new ways of taming pets and launching traps, only 98 of which would explode!...<br />
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The race that needs looking at for Hunters is Forsaken. No way they can tame wolves, cats, bears... well... mammals, smelling of rotting flesh, carrion animals would try and eat them, mammals would vomit around them... only insects undead and magical pets would make sense for Forsaken hunters law wise.<br />
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<b>Mage: </b>Now this is a controversial one... The Nelfs learnt it and it split the world apart, the Highbourn are still addicted to it, the Blood Elfs are in denial about being addicted to it, the humans are unnaturally masters of it, the gnomes love it as a tool to make even nuttier machines. The Trolls I guess learnt it because it was arcane power that nearly wiped out their race. The Orks learnt it from ork warlocks and troll mages I assume, I don't think this is clear...<br />
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Even the Pandaren have experimented with the Arcane, which at this point seems to be like experimenting with water, its everywhere and very easy to get soaked in.<br />
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Honestly I expected Pandaren to be more like Tauren, more aware of what the arcane powers do to screw up their users and the balance of mother earth... but apparently if it doesn't mess up ones inner peace, then for a giant panda-man, not a fuck is given. (Having said that - that is probably one of the many pollutions the Alliance and Horde bring to Pandaria... addictive, stupidly potent, responsibility-less power!)<br />
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This is of course an important distinction to make between Warlock, for Pandaren, which we will come to later.<br />
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On the Nelf issue, if I was to have my say - I would have Highbourne as playable Alliance, and Naga as Horde, that... or change the physical set available when selecting an Nelf Mage, so they can only appear Highbourne... we have yet to see in lore normal violet skinned elfs re-learning arcane arts.<br />
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<b>Paladin: </b>This is one class where I believe they totally and utterly messed up... The desire to get two balanced races out in BC really shafted Horde lore, something they only fixed in Cata'. For my money, Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes and Worgen should be Paladins on the Alliance side... Using holy power should to my mind give Worgen a stacking de-buff that prevents them turning into their wolf form, as the Holy Light cleanses them.<br />
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Similarly I have no idea why Belfs got Paladin, when the race established as being Sun Walkers where over looked... the Belf Paladin lore to this day feels shoe-horned in, where as the the Tauren sun walker paladin make perfect sense. I would argue Forsaken Paladins are the next most sensible, after all they can be priests, and they used to be paladins in life... again I would argue for a stacking debuff, that forsaken take damage over time when using holy healing.<br />
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<b>Priest: </b> The Orks can't be Priest of the Holy Light... wow... surprise. The Goblins can, which is bloody odd.. what do the Goblins know about The Light?! - Gnomes makes sense, they finally found the faith via their companion races, but why the hell do the Goblins care?! That one is new on me.<br />
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The Pandaren can be priests, which makes sense, the discipline and enlightened message of The Light would be well adopted by their people (but then you would think Druidic teachings would too?)<br />
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<b>Rogue: </b>The only class that can't be are Draenei and Tauren, which makes sense, because they stand nearly as tall as most houses. Besides, we all know Tauren Rogues are all over Azeroth, they are just so good we never see them.<br />
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Pandaren are almost the same size as Taruen I would guess, but they have had an entire lifetime of practice in ninja skills, where as Tauren have had a life time of being very rare fillet stake.<br />
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<b>Shaman: </b>A lot more Horde can be Shamans than the Alliance, this makes a lot of sense. The Alliance races are much more focus on mastering the world than harmonising with it. The alliance races I'm surprised aren't Shaman are Worgan and Nelfs, who have a growing affinity to the elements... I suspect this may come later.<br />
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It's no surprise that Pandaren are Shamans they seem naturally atune with the earth and it's Chi / Sha balance... having said that, I don't know why they can't be Druids, I suspect Cenarius might be teaching them next.<br />
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<b>Warlock: </b>For me this is the least useful or sensical class in the game, as if any race that have seen first hand, or seen in BC, what happens when you start dealings with demons, would make it their occupation... There are some exceptions. The Forsaken, obviously, would have no problem dealing in the dark arts, at this point what the hell do they have to lose?<br />
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Gnomes and Humans also make sense, curious buggers, to interested in what could be gained to care about the risk. The Horde races taking Warlock make a lot more sense, their main body the Orks, still hold powerful Warlock traditions, although again the Belfs are an odd choice - their life dedicated to the arcane arts, ruined by the Burning Legion, that they would so willingly go back to the demons that totally F'ed the entire world thanks to them? I don't get that.<br />
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Pandaren and Tauren quite understandably have nothing to do with demons.<br />
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<b>Warrior: </b>Every race has it's warriors, this makes 100% perfect sense... we are at war.<br />
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<b>Death Knight: </b>Could only make sense for races that where in Azeroth during Warcraft 3, Worgen and Goblins were, we just didn't see them. The plague of undeath would have got into Gilneas and people could have been snatched out, by gargoyles, again Gilneas was only covered by a wall, not a roof.<br />
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And so finally we come to:<br />
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<b>Monks:</b><br />
Every Race except Worgen and Goblins can be Monks, which makes perfect sense when you think about it... I'll elaborate:<br />
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<b>Dwarf</b>: Already a master of martial arts, and meditative skills of Druids and The Light, as well as legendary Brewmasters , dwarves make the Pandaren's perfect pupil<br />
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<b>Gnome: </b>A less obvious choice, but given their ability to sit back and reason out complex machines, and a new found faith in The Light, Monks make some sense, certainly a Gnome can find inner peace... it is probably 3.14159...<br />
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<b>Human: </b>Humans are, and always have been, jacks of all trades, there is no real reason why humans shouldn't be every class in the game, the shortest lived of the races they are renown for their versatility<br />
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<b>Nelfs: </b>Obvious choices for martial discipline and meditation. I wouldn't be surprised if Malfurion didn't have Chen over for Tea<br />
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<b>Worgen: </b>Naturally bestial and cursed to an animalistic heart that wishes only to rend and tear... while the most dedicated of Gilnean could learn the peace and harmony of the monk, most are to feral to ever contemplate it - it makes perfect sense this isn't for them<br />
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<b>Belfs: </b>Although more tempted by the instant power of the Arcane, the Naru have helped the Sin'dorei learn of The Light, and the peace and healing it brings, I imagine their are those strong in The Light that might find Monk teachings suitable, but I would hardly think many Belfs would go for it.<br />
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<b>Goblins: </b>As a race motivated by selfishness and greed, I can't imagine a race less receptive to the teachings of inner peace. The path of the monk would seem far to much work for far to little reward compared to learning the arcane arts for example!<br />
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<b>Orks: </b>Although a martial race, only some Orks are blood thirsty... Those who are not warriors at heart often become Shaman, the new Monk class gives them a combat option, that is more intellectual and disciplined, but with as much potential for breaking alliance jaws!<br />
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<b>Tauren: </b>Again, a wise race of warriors and faithful, the idea they would embrace the teachings of inner peace is almost a given.<br />
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<b>Troll: </b>This is an interesting one, but with their recent teachings in shamanism and druidism, I can see willing Troll scholars, especially when de brew masters come round mon, ah yeah....<br />
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<b>Forsaken: </b>I have seen the most opposition for this, when it makes the most sense... They have nothing in their un-life, some don't get out the grave at all, some only because the Dark Lady's will gives them something to strive for. The teachings of the flow of energy, the balance of life, the inner peace - would be hugely attractive to them! It would give them everything to 'live' for again!<br />
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The Pandaren might be quite taken aback by the presence of corpses who wish to learn their arts, but they are balanced, focused individuals... a little deviation from balance is fine, they would treat all as equals... no matter how bad they smell!<br />
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This has become quite the post, with quite a lot of things covered,. There is all sorts of Lore/Class arguments to be made, but over-all I think Blizzard are bang on top of race/class combos. There are some colour points I think they could indulge in, but over all, I think WoW lore is right on the money!<br />
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So, the choice is all yours, roll something, love the lore, and<br />
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...Swear Allegiance</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-75852662053278620242011-10-24T23:23:00.002+01:002011-10-24T23:23:50.865+01:00Learn Pandanese in Five Minutes!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Really works! I can TOTALLY understand everything they're saying! </div>
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... Just for the LoLz folks, just for the LoLz</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-71335176049796632412011-10-24T22:57:00.000+01:002011-10-24T22:57:39.290+01:00Screw it... Lets do it!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Does anyone else feel like there is someone new at the helm of WoW? I mean we know there isn't we just saw Chris Metzen and Mike Morhaime standing up there on that stage at Blizzcon and announce World Of Warcraft: Pandas and Pokémon... we can see it's the same people, so why is it they suddenly seem to be throwing caution to the wind and letting their, previously conservative, imaginations run wild?</div>
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If Warcraft was, to date, a steady ride through a well polished fantasy world, then the man at the front just threw the leaver into roller-coaster mode and we're in for a great ride!</div>
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What I mean is this, this is what we had been told a year ago: </div>
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"We will not allow players to change their characters"</div>
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"We want every race to have a unique silhouette, so no race can ever be in both factions"</div>
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"We will never allow you to turn real money into in-game gold"</div>
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"You'll never see a 'neutral' race" </div>
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"Pandaren are a joke, you will never see them in-game"</div>
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Oh really Blizzard?</div>
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From the moment I saw the Tier 13 Rogue set, something made me think the conversations in the Blizzard offices where more and more, going something like this: </div>
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"So I've got this really cool idea for X!"</div>
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"No... that's ridiculous, it's way out there... although..."</div>
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"The players will like it..."</div>
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"I was just thinking that, hmm, screw it, do it!"</div>
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And the first conversation I imagine was "Hey boss, why don't we make Rogues look like <i>The Goddamn Batman?!" <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I think it was an awesome move. I imagine the next few going something like; </div>
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"Hey, we should totally bring in transmogrifying!" </div>
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"Ah but that would change the silhouette, but then, is that really so bad, screw it lets do it!"</div>
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Which could have been quickly followed by;</div>
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"Hey... if we don't care about silhouette, we could give both races one race, so we could focus all our development on that!" and perhaps: "So what one race do both sides really want?... oh yeah... PANDAS!"</div>
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Couple that with the Real Money Auction House in Diablo 3 and the similar (though much more reserved) auction-able Blizz' Store pet. The old school 'homage' that is WoWkémon Pets and who knows what else that we have yet to see. It's starting to look like the gloves are coming off for the Blizzard developers! </div>
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'If it's cool, make it!' is definitely a mind-set I can definitely get behind, even if I'm not sure what triggered it... Is it the increased competition of games like Rift triggered and games like SWTOR and Guild Wars 2 are threateningto be? Is Warcraft reaching the end of its planned finite development life(Level 100 is but 2 5-level expansions after Pandaria)? Or has Blizzard simply decided, in it's quest to always up the Epic, that it's going to start breaking eggs (and rules) to make it's omelettes? I certainly couldn't speculate, but whatever the trigger; it works for me. I'm on board for another year, and let's see what crazy fun awaits!</div>
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Screw it! Lets...</div>
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Swear Allegiance</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-73139243539228177512011-10-09T17:09:00.000+01:002011-10-09T17:09:39.416+01:00Playing the Bad Guy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Like many people in a civilised society I have been brought
up, to borrow a phrase: "Lawful-Good". I've also been brought up by
prerequisite of an XY set of chromosomes Male, and by want of stellar placement:
Human. </div>
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Because of this I have a habit of siding with the humans
when choosing a character, and usually plump for male characters... that said
this is role-play so I sometimes like to be a little more creative, dive into
fantasy races and cultures... I have a fondness of stout tech friendly, ale
quaffing Dwarves, and I've been known to try female characters when the class
lends itself away from lumbering meet heads; mage, healer, or stealthy type. </div>
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So why do I have a real problem, it seems, suspending disbelief
when it comes to playing the bad guys... </div>
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Warcraft of course is <i>very</i>
good at establishing that there are virtuous heroes and treacherous asshats on both
sides, and that life will dump on both factions equally (but Blizzard totally
love the Horde child more...), with both sides often uniting against a common
foe. </div>
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Still, there is the subtle feeling that the Alliance are
good, and the Horde are the baddies... right... Or is that just me? I see the
same in the player base, The Alliance definitely have more mature and sensible
players, who pick lawful, good toons, who focus on bettering the world around
them and are polite to one another in interactions. Whereas the Horde are all younger,
anti-establishment teens who want to be the bad-guys and do evil things.
Weeeeelll except those mature immersive gamers who chose to play the misunderstood,
displaced, tribal and honourable non-human with a kind warrior's heart and a
connection to the spirits.... and excluding those people who just play alliance
because they have the pretty races, or play a human because it's the default
and who cares about race and lore we just want to get to the pwning teh n00bs already!</div>
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Okay okay... so maybe it's not so black and white after all.
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So how does this work when the game comes from an existing
IP?</div>
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Games such as Lord of the Rings: Online have a very clearly
established good and bad line, Similarly DC: Online and Star Trek: Online are
coming from franchises that have existed in print, television, and feature
films, the latter of these media being extremely unforgiving with its demand
for a black and white good/bad. Similarly Super hero games like Champions
online and DCU have the hero / villain line <i>as
their very theme. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess who's on the side of goodness here... </td></tr>
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Now different games have dealt with this in different ways:
LotR:O have all players uniting against the forces of Sauron, in DC:U while
players are heroes or villains, they are pitted against each other <i>and </i>a common enemy, and in ST:O the
preconceived alliances and premises of peace have been thrown out the window in
a move that felt a little out-of-character to some, for the genre that was always
about space exploration, rather than war across the stars.</div>
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Personally I find myself drawing all kinds of blanks when it
comes to playing characters not motivated by at least neutral goals, and can't
bring myself at all to play some types like the undead or demonologists. In
Warcraft, Blizzard is careful however, to explain even these extremes, could
actually be morally neutral (or even good) and simply making the best of their
lot in life, doing the wrong things for the right reasons, or victims of
circumstance. They are free to do this because it is their universe, and they
have spent decades refining lore to make the two factions more than just
"War between orks and humans". As I touched on however, if you're
coming from an IP with good and bad enshrined in it already, you run the risk
of polarising the player base.</div>
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<span> </span>Because of this I
find it emencely satisfying when I do stray over the fence into the dark and
sinister "evil faction" in games that have such divides, and yet
still have rich enough stories to pull me in and make me empathise, or even <i>like </i>being a baddy for a while.</div>
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Maybe I'm not as imaginative RP'er as I like to think, or
maybe I'm a goody-two-shoes who needs to live a little?<span> </span>Well... I'm getting out of my comfort zone in
a few games recently, I can see myself liking a villain in DCU:O when it goes
free to play for instance, oh sure I'll have my star spangled heroes, but with
comic villainy it comes in more flavours, there isn't just the 'evil side' -
take over the world side of things... How did The Joker put it: </div>
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<i>"Introduce a
little anarchy, you upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.
I AM AN AGENT OF CHAOS. And you know the thing about chaos, Harvey. It's
fair"</i></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why so square?</td></tr>
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I might not be able to make summoning demons sit right with
me, but I can see myself enjoying some 'dog chasing a car' chaos now and again.</div>
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It's good to get out of your comfort zone now and again, and
if there is story to entice you into the darkness and actually make you
question just who the bad guys really are, then that's the sign of a well
written world.<span> </span>It's something I hope we
see more of in games, revelling in their stark good and evil or blurring the
lines till black looks white. </div>
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But that's in other games... While in Azeroth</div>
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...Swear Allegiance </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-45963274617925270982011-09-28T01:48:00.003+01:002011-09-28T17:23:36.567+01:00Just me and my big red pet...through the ages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you guys have read any of my blog posts or heard me on any of my podcasts appearances, you'll know I'm a wrath-baby, not that I'm a QQ'ing n00b (hush Damarai...) I'm taking the wrath-baby title back guys, wear it with pride, we're the ones not burnt out yet!</div><div class="MsoNormal">But... As a wrath baby it means the end of Cataclysm marks the first time I've played a class from one expansion to the conclusion of another, and it has to be said, Hunters have had their world rocked a fair bit... </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Join me as I don my Rose Tinted Goggles and drop a hindsight trap.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, Hunters, Wrath to Cata' ... I have to confess I think Blizzard did a fantastic job of updating the hunter, although the core of the character feels the same, and everything I've loved about it is still there, Hunters in Cata' finally felt like they knew what they were.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What attracted me to the Hunter class was already established in Wrath, they'd been slowly sanded and polished from Vanilla to Wrath and where in a kind of strange place. The pets, ranged weapons, connection to nature in a dominance way, rather than a druid's 'tree-huggin'-hippy-crap' way (thanks Cartman) the tracking, all of that felt great. The Arcane Shot, using a mage's Mana, arrows from heaven when I'm using a gun, and a fair amount of useless abilities... yeah... not so much. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hunters in Wrath made perfect sense in PvE levelling, I was a Dwarf with a gun (only sensible way to be really) I had a few pets who I had a real bond with, I fed them and kept them healthy as they did what came natural to them, hunt and kill, meanwhile they kept me safe, like a loyal hound defending it's master, and while dumb schmuck warriors where forever getting their hands dirty, we used out brains, pets do the fighting, lead them to our traps, track them as they hide, and then the killshot to the head from 900 yards!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then you got in an instance and it all became confusing... </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Suddenly, I'm not a lone wolf, hunting with my subservient but ever loyal beast, I am thrown in with flashy mages and diva tanks that want all the attention from everyone, and I find myself trying to be one of them, all I do apparently is summon a rain of blue arrows from the sky. I'm not sure how I'm doing that, with a black-powder weapon, or why the Mage can't do it, but that's me. I've got these trap things I can use, but no, they just want me to keep firing magic out of my gun, till I eventually sit down with my buddies the wizard and the priest for a magic refreshing drink. ignoring the fact this break would be better spent topping up my powder and dropping another musket ball in the chamber, nope, I'll have another sip of dalaran wine and feel those magical powers I learnt while stalking polar bears through Dun Morogh re-empowered. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I can't be the only one that felt like hunters felt like technomancers for a while there?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hell we even looked like magic uses with 3 glowing blue pads on us (just what you want when you're stalking that rare cheater spawn across the dark of the night time barrens...)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Come Cataclysm however and hunters felt, to me at least, like they had arrived. In all aspects of playing a hunter you now felt like a lone grizzled outdoors type, you didn't start singing Kumbaya when you where out there druid style, no, you slipped silently across it with your loyal beast, your prowess relied on how well you could tune out the chaos of the other people around you and focus on your shots and your best friend in all of Azeroth. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>What they did right:<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Hunter was reinvented, from Wrath/Vanilla to Cata' I think very well, I think they did a few things spot on:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">> Kill Mana! : This never made any sense, no part of a hunters training would have brought him in contact with the arcane arts, why would he be 'recharging' with preists and mages when most of the damage he does is by shooting stone shot or quivers full of arrows at things?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Focus was great, focus is great! It could do with regenerating quicker at times, but it's drawn a line under a hunter and made us a non magical class</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">> The End of Volley: Part of me hates this, I liked being able to hammer the DPS meters everytime we met a mob of more than 2. Not that it ever made sense that my dwarf would point his gun at a target, pull the trigger, and rather than hammer them with a bullet, rain magic arrows on their head. Let's be honest, it didn't fit, and although they subsequently made our multishot suck, we do at least feel like we're now doing damage with all our tools, guns, traps, bombs, loyal claws and teeth!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">> Trap Launcher: Let me point out, trap launcher is buggy as hell, and not well implemented, but it did do one thing... it made us back into a CC class! Cataclysm shone a light on Hunters as the stand out Utility Class, we were nearly something more than DPS. We're the off tank when the Tank goes down, we're the res when you thought it was a wipe, we're the redirect pull, we cloak right behind the rogue. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Which brings us on to What they maybe didn't do:<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">> Beast Masters: Making a class who's very identity is they train wild beast to fight for them, would suggest that the beast master tree would be the easiest tree to balance. Apparently not. </div><div class="MsoNormal">BM took a big nerf in Wrath, right when I rolled it, and while I took on Cata' as Marksman, I never really grew to it, I just love my kittys and dino's to much... regardless, the BM spec is still the weakest of the 3 in raiding and indeed has seen increasing calls for it to switch it's focus all together. Some of the best solo raid clearers are BM hunters, taking with their pets, while they DPS and heal their own tank. With the shortage of tanks, and the persistent failure of BM as a DPS raiding spec, it's not surprising that the recent call for hunter player feedback has seen hundreds call for BM to become WoW's first raged Tanking spec. </div><div class="MsoNormal">For me, that would have been the ideal update for the class we just didn't see. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
> Pet Happiness:</div><div class="MsoNormal">I'm going to go right ahead here and say I was right behind them scrapping pet happiness and feeding, right till they actually did it.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now I miss seeing my pet sad and knowing I'll make it all better by grabbing the tastiest stake in IronForge... Or even better, knowing my Dino is enjoying ripping out Hordie's necks as much as I am. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>TRACK ALL THE THINGS:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">An almost unnoticed change I've seen recently is my lowbie mage can track as many things as my hunter can, was this always the way? I used to feel I was progressing as a character once I learnt to track a new part of the world, but now it feels like everyone can do it?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hunter Dress-up:</div><div class="MsoNormal">We still look ridiculous!</div><div class="MsoNormal">There has never been a decent hunter-set... there I said it! One thing Cata' hasn't brought us is an awesome look. The big problem seems to be Blizzard treat mail graphically as plate, huge shoulders, stupid helms, agility impairing slabs of metal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://loyalkng.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/gimli-destroys-the-lord-of-the-rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://loyalkng.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/gimli-destroys-the-lord-of-the-rings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That's a dwarf in mail and leather, notice how it hangs on him without impairing his actual shape, notice how it doesn't look like he's been eaten by a murlock!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://prettypls.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hunter-tier-11-green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://prettypls.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hunter-tier-11-green.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The tier 12 sets made hunters look like they all had no depth perception with eye patches, the 13 set looks like we're wearing what our Death Knight friends lent us... </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Blizzard still seem to have no idea how to make Hunters look good, while they can make rogues look like the goddamn batman! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All that being said... Hunters in Cata' feel like they have arrived, they feel like they know who and what they are, how and why they work. They don't feel like bolted on caster classes, and the uniquely Hunter skills they bring feel like a real reason to play the class. I think Blizzard did a seriously good job of finally pinning down what even DnD, arguably WoW's starting point, has never been able to agree on. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In DnD Hunters are either religious vigilantes or nature loving druids, in WoW they felt similarly unclassified, but as Cata' comes to a close, Hunters finally, to me at least, feel like they've come into their own. Marked themselves as a DPS class unrelated to the Mana uses, and defined by their ranged weapon prowess and their ability to tame nature, not worship it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So we're all good then? Well no... it'd be nice if our guns didn't stop working every time we put them to someone's head, the idea guns works very badly at short rage is a little bit moronic... Pets still behave oddly since Blizzard tried to fix something not broken, and the player base will forever call us huntards, but you can't win 'em all.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the mean time, try rolling an uncommonly good looking hunter, check out the WoW <a href="http://www.warcrafthuntersunion.com/">Hunters Union, and...</a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">Swear Allegiance.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-2874117943606311932011-09-16T01:13:00.001+01:002011-09-16T01:15:08.434+01:00Don't Mention the (World of) War (craft)!<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">We are absolutely not fighting in the World of Don't mention the War(Craft!)</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">This is the World of Warcraft right? I'm a Dwarf, proud warrior of a Titan created race, I'm allied with the Gnomes, Humans, Night-Elves, Draenei... Children of The Holy Light, races who fight for order in Azeroth, live in harmony with it, have never been anything but enemies of the Burning Legion, the Old Gods...</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I'm a Dwarf, I know my King died in a valiant attempt to calm the spirits of Azeroth... because no one had suggested a better option.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I'm a hunter, I got a gun, a dog, and a pint of Thunderbrew... this talk of spirits and elementals and aspects, nonsense to me, I know the way the natural world works, hunter and prey, animal harmony with nature, and the finality of a solid slug to the skull.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So explain to me, why we don't mention the war?</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Alliance have lost whole swathes of territory to the Horde, apparently gaining nothing, the lands of the Dwarves, The Loch, and the Highlands, are ravished and destroyed or a front line against the orks who destroy our holding simply to attack our ale stores, the ale laddie!</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The world has changed the the powers that be clearly prefered the horde in their changes, us short stops are repeatedly on the losing side.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">But this is War right? All's fair... a chance to take out a major player in the enemies command and control structure would be a key turning point in the war... right?</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So, tell me again why I am not turning my Extreme Impact Hole Puncher on this cloth wearing Emo Greenskin? I have had to deal with this Thrall character 5 or 6 times, I've been close enough for my Devilsaur to rip out his neck... I could plant my hot-out-of-the-forge gun at his head, and take out the number 1(2?) of my mortal enemies commanders... He's actually doing nothing feather-arms couldn't be doing at this point, seriously, just a trigger squeeze?</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Really – it's no bother, I've faced lords of fire, and necromantically resurrected black dragons with this gun, it does the business, I can just pop one between Thralls eyes right here right now, he's to busy moaning about the fact he hasn't had sprogs with his super short term girlfriend yet... Jania isn't even <i>looking </i><span style="font-style: normal;">we're totally moan free... this is WAR right? Alliance major blow, right here... no... he's earthen ring? We're all respectful of that are we?</span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I did mention hunter right? Quite at home with nature myself with no religious commitments to it, no real beef about popping this shaman one... specially as he didn't send any word to anyone that they might not need to turn themselves into stone as he 'got this one' </span> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: normal;">We've been screwed over left right an centre, we don't seem to be complaining or doing anything about it... we're the Alliance, here we are, please do foul things to us because the powers that be don't like us.</span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Y'know what, these quest givers keep sending me back to you big'en... everyone else has forgotten we're at war right? I reckon you look like an ork to me...</span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>klick-clack BAM!</b></span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: normal;">It would literally be that easy for the Alliance to finally get a much needed foothold in this 'war' just my hunter, gun, to the temple, no more Ork hero... but we mustn’t mention the war! I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it!</span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span><br />
Our world builders prefer the other side, we're on our own so...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">Swear Allegiance</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-15841338543765817232011-09-01T00:28:00.000+01:002011-09-01T00:32:11.451+01:00Free to (Role)playSo, my twelve month placement for university finished today. I promised myself and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Raz</span> that I'd pull my finger out and do some writing, so hear goes with a little idea I've been working on.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For those that read or listen to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">WoWcasts</span> you may know that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Raz</span> can be a real sucker for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">WoW</span> lore, he's a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">roleplayer</span> at <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">heart</span>; hence all these little short stories scattered around the blog.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I, myself do enjoy RP but not generally in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">WoW</span> (the shock!). I often create a persona for whatever character I'm currently playing, but don't often enact it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For the last year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">WoW</span> has been my relief, my downtime after many hours dealing with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">adolescents</span> who've lost passwords or changed keyboards to spell a witty profanity. RP for me requires <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">conscious</span> thought (not something I can afford most days after work), making it hard to do in game when I'm trying to wind down.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thinking back, one of my most enjoyable moments for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">roleplaying</span> was an old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">PBEM</span> (Play by Email) game based on Star Trek. In the fifteen minutes it took to compose a post and send it off, I could be in character and react how I like. It got me thinking, could I do this in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">WoW</span>?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Raz</span> and I are heavily invested in The Allegiance (myself especially), we may be on other servers or joining other guilds to branch out a little. But the Allegiance is always there, its given us a forum and a source of endless entertaining regardless of its Guild level. So I want to do the old girl some justice and maybe a new lease on life.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our short stories have created <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">back stories</span> for many alts, such as Crag (& Stout) our beer swilling marksman. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Olwenrhea</span>, dubbed the "Bitch Queen of Knives", Selene our fantastic pocket druid (be it as the Feral fiend, healing or that emergency tank, she has it down) and my own Bert, who will be appearing really soon in the first installment of stories starting with his training.</div>
<div>
I'd love to see all these branch out, but since we often play multiple characters it's a little hard to get them all together on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Stormwind</span> Docks for a powwow.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, the idea... Join the Allegiance and write your own story with us, outside the realms/game, even guest post on the blog. Lets start our own lore (maybe it will spill into the game) and still enjoy the game we all enjoy playing. Perhaps you know an erstwhile druid associate for Selene, a brother-in-arms for Bert and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Vicheal</span> or another member of the lost 1st <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Dwarven</span> Rifles brigade?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Drop us a comment and let us know your idea, lets see if we can tempt some people over to the Allegiance. Worry not about your main hidden away on that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">PvP</span> server, bring them over in words! Swear an oath and lets write our own expansion. You might want to join us eventually an put those words into practice!</div>
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<br /></div>
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So come on, comment and maybe you'll...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Swear Allegiance</div>
Damaraihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07692935709491073853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-63497594068193632882011-08-26T00:13:00.000+01:002011-08-26T00:13:24.206+01:00Tree-Huggin' hippy crap!So... 900,000 people have left WoW in the last 6 months. How does that make me a hippy? huh?<br />
<br />
It's enough to get anyone sounding the death-knolls... except it's really not. A game like wow with 11million constant subscribers and 13million peek subscribers, is going to see variations of 900,000 all the time. Do I think that's made them step back and think? Yep! Do I think that makes Cata' a failed expansion? <i>hell no! </i>As someone who came in in Wrath but learnt the game from a much more long term player, I can happily say I loved both the difficulty ramp up, and Azeroth post Shattering to pre.<br />
<br />
Just about everything felt dated and clunky in Wrath starting areas, I rolled a Space Goat, then a DK, to avoid the vanilla starting areas. All together I've rolled a Palladin, a DK tank, a Holy Preist, and my faithful Dwarf Hunter. Happy times. Righteous golden fury or mechanical pet-and-gun derived death. What more could you ask for?<br />
<br />
Now, however, a leveling project with friends has seen me roll a Night Elf Druid... tall, poncey, glowy eyed, hippy, tree-hugger... it is the antithesis of my stout dwarf hunter with a gret' big feckin' gun!<br />
<br />
Unfortunately Tree-huggin'-hippy-crap is turning out to be an awesome class. <b>Thee </b>only class that can not only heal/tank/dps but also chose between melee and ranged DPS... in fact one of the best DPS'ers in WoW at the moment (on US realms at least) plays a Boomkin.<br />
<br />
This works out well for me because I have really enjoyed tanking in the past, I am surprised just how much I enjoy my first healer (holy priest), I know I like range DPS from my hunter but then again it'd be nice to get stuck in at close range.<br />
<br />
It surprises me that Druid is the only class that can do EVERY role... this is also the one available to only 2 alliance classes...<br />
<br />
To my mind Shamans should have a spec where they summon a stone elemental and tank along side that.<br />
<br />
On that note, as BM remains a useless spec for Raid Hunters I belive it should be made into a ranged tanking spec.<br />
<br />
It is at this point I refer you to an awesome <a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/25/is-it-time-to-kill-tanking/">post</a> by one Matthew Rossi, where Warlock, Mage and the long needed Hunter Pet tanks are discussed. (Do this Blizzard!)<br />
<br />
And then we come to Mist of Pandaria. Will this bring a Monk speck? If it does I can see the class being a melee DPS/Tank/ and Heal type, with the emphasis being on what they can do with their hands, in close combat or healing touches... Monks don't strike me as a ranged class, so Dr00ds will once again have a ridiculous share of the specs<br />
<br />
In the mean time I'm the nature lovin' dr00d who keeps getting asked to slaughter innocent animals... they'll take away my tree-huggers card!<br />
<br />
Cast regrowth, then<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">Swear Allegiance</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-62047238585721242062011-08-17T23:30:00.001+01:002011-08-18T01:33:39.620+01:00"Smaller more frequent patches" - Totally...<b>Breaking news</b> (broken news?), in line with their policy of... no... wait... flying completely in the face of - the whole "smaller patches more often" thing, Blizz' treated us to lovely, lovely 4.3 details! Curiously via an interview for the German gaming site www.gamona.de (hit up that Google translate button) and later via WoWInsider<br />
<br />
So What are we getting?<br />
<br />
Void Storage!<br />
Transmogrify'ers!<br />
New Instances!<br />
Deathwing!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/wowwiki/images/8/87/Deathwing_Cataclysm_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://images.wikia.com/wowwiki/images/8/87/Deathwing_Cataclysm_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
What does this all mean? click on through...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
So a few days after speculating and postulating on <a href="http://www.thegroupquest.com/">GroupQuest</a> on these very subjects I'm going to go ahead and say<br />
<br />
<b>We totally called it!</b><br />
On the subjects of Void Storage and Transmog'ing (that's totally a word now), the group theorized about extra storage in the wake of the keyring vanishing, and I wondered if the Transmog' and the Void Storage would be related, with the TM allowing you to make new gear look like old tier sets that had been picked up ('unlocked') and maybe stored in the Void. Well, that looks pretty likely.<br />
<br />
Now it has been pointed out that plate can only become plate, cloth can only become cloth, you aren't going to be able to make your 85 mage look like he's been eaten by a merlock (ala T11 hunter mail), and it's likely that you'll only be able to 'mog' things to look like earlier tier gear for your class, which, it was pointed out by this blogs sometime co-writer, is a big of a jip for Death Knights, who didn't exist before tier 7.<br />
<br />
There also isn't any word on costs, be they gold or $$$... but given the TM'er is apparently in-game, I'm going to guess gold... so far blizzard have kept paid services strictly to the battle.net pages<br />
<br />
<b>What this means for Pandas!</b><br />
with the release of the screenshot and Blizz's playful 'glimpse' title, a growing part of me was convinced this was all a series of jokes Blizzard was having with it's players, but if the VS and TM vendors are real, could this mean the games are all in our sceptic little heads and Blizzards secrets really are slipping out? The other big news (of which, more in a moment) is Deathwing is coming... what does this mean for the 'patch title' theory? Mists of Pandaria seems a little tame for a patch that will see players finally have-at the world breaker doesn't it?... I think I'm shifting firmly to the next expansion idea.<br />
<br />
<b>Deathwing? never heard of him</b><br />
<br />
So 4.3 means we're going to see the 'big bad' of this expansion... this looks like Blizzard following traditional form and releasing 3-4 patches with 3-4 tiers of raiding in, but is it to early for the big DW to go down? It certainly feels it; the next expansion is easily over a year away at this point, we had all hoped Blizz had learned with Wrath, the danger of too long waiting for new content.<br />
<br />
Deathwing certainly needs to make an appearance, Players who levelled in Vashj'ir could quite easily not have seen any sign of the big black one so far this expansion, who, unlike the Lich King - who popped up throughout Wrath - has yet to feature outside one cut-scene. (I want to stand in the fire, damn-it!) <br />
<br />
But what if this isn't the tier Deathy goes down? I can see two possibilities:<br />
<br />
<b>1) 'merely a setback!'</b> - We will get to battle Deathwing in 4.3, but not defeat him, after we bust our way through his guards, and go a few rounds with the behemoth, he'll turn tail and run! To be seen again in 4.4 which will see the black one die comfortably closer to the next release.<br />
<br />
<b>2) 'Old Gods'</b> - We were promised an Old God in this expansion, he was even named... so where is his tentaclelyness? After we put down the giant Aspect monkey, we might see a final raid to take down his organ grinder... that could be all kinds of fun!<br />
<br />
Which brings me onto another promise: Weren't we promised a War of the Ancients raid? What's happened to that?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://newsodrome.com/world_of_warcraft_news/cataclysm-press-event-war-of-the-ancients-raid-confirmed-18036766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://newsodrome.com/world_of_warcraft_news/cataclysm-press-event-war-of-the-ancients-raid-confirmed-18036766.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
We know one of the 3 new 5man instances coming in 4.3 is going to be Caverns of (wibbly wobbley) Time(y whimey) ... could the WotA raid have been down-scaled? I'm not sure a massive part of the battle could work with just a small team, so if it is set during the War, perhaps players will be running a covert side mission, something contributing to the huge Night Elf Vs Legion war above? Perhaps we'll infiltrate Azsshara's palace? Or, with the bronze dragons becoming more active in the story right now... maybe we have to hunt down Brox, Ronin and the other time travelling mess causers?<br />
<br />
<i>(Note: early comments from the interview in Germany seem to hint that yes, the WotA raid </i><i><b>is</b> now one of the 5man's in 4.3)</i> <br />
<br />
<br />
Who knows these things? Certainly not I...news is coming out all the time so check out your favorite sites for new details. It all sounds like a lot of fun!<br />
<br />
It's nice to see Blizzard putting in some of the things the player base has been calling for, (maybe they are giving us Pandas as well) seeing stuff that is 'in development' actually make it to the live game, I'm looking forward to finding out more in the coming months and getting all these details nailed down, but for the time being, it's quite fun trying to guess what Blizzard is doing! So, tin foil hats on, and speculate wildly folks!<br />
<br />
But first...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">... Swear Allegiance.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-19180459144248169182011-08-08T14:51:00.001+01:002011-08-08T14:53:47.668+01:00Give The People What They Want!Rumours (potentially quite correct ones...) of the new expansion title, has sparked a whole range of really great analysis and speculation about what the 'leaked' title and what that might mean for the progression of the world of Azeroth, but leaving aside what we might see in the new expansion, I'm having a think about why "The Mists of Pandaria"<br />
<br />
Could this expansion be "Give The People What They Want"...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_13128050990011068" style="text-decoration: underline;">The following is total speculation on my part and should definitely not be taken seriously at all, In the slightest...</span></div><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_13128050990011068" style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></div><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
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By this I don't mean Blizzard has changed any of their plans (which were probably laid down months if not years in advance) but I do have to wonder if the 'release' of the Pandaria title, dropped in exactly the same way as the title Cataclysm was discovered, isn't partly a reaction to last quarters 300,000 subscriber drop. This on the back of previous 600,000 subscriber drop, is 900,000 subscribers lost in 6 months, half a year and nearly 1 million people have quit WoW. <br />
<br />
Now before you start, or before I start, this isn't a rant about the death of WoW... Cataclysm was good, it was goooood, people are dropping away for a tonn of reasons, new MMOs/New content done with/It's summer go outside in the sunshine (yeah I know!)... but.... what ever the reasons, Blizzard will have noticed. Is it possible that the internal board meeting went: <br />
<br />
<span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001521" style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">"So you're losing nearly a million users in half a year... we need a seriously popular new thing to pull those numbers back, we're up against Rift and Star Wars, they're giving people lightsabers.... people </span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001512" style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">love</span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001512" style="color: blue; font-style: italic;"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001573"> </span>lightsabers</span><span style="color: blue;">!</span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001602" style="color: blue; font-style: italic;"> What do people want, what </span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001602"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: blue;">is the whole player base crying out for?"</span><br />
<br />
"...Dance studios!"<br />
<br />
"Mooses!"<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">"Don't be ridiculous you how are you going to build a whole new story based on dances and moose?"</span><br />
<br />
"well everything else in development is bread and butter Azeroth stuff... we..."<br />
<br />
"Well, there's always the Panders, people liked the pandas... right?"<br />
<br />
"NO!" <br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">"no wait... go back, tell me about the panda people again"</span></span></span><br />
<span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001602"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621" style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001714"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001727"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001750"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001761"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001772"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001781">Lo</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621" style="font-style: italic;"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001808" style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001808"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001815">and behold, The planned '1,000 islands' </span></span></span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001808"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001815"></span></span></span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001808"><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001815"></span></span>expansion gets a new island added, Pandaria, and Blizzard needs a way of making damn sure people know about it without making anything official. So, knowing that people were watching last time, rather than find a private way to trademark their stuff they do it the exact same way Cataclysm leaked and sit back to see what people make of the idea. </span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621" style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621"><br />
If the backlash is harsh they can turn around and say <span style="font-style: italic;">"don't worry this was always just an experiment and we're not doing it the new expansion is actually "BC2: Crusade Harder"</span> <br />
If the reaction is <span style="font-style: italic;">"ZOMG they gave us drunken monk pandas?! Squeeeeee!"</span> then hey, jobs done. <br />
<br />
Reaction has been predictably mixed, </span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621">with any luck the next expansion will be too, lots of little stories branching off in the aftermath of the Cataclysm... but... if someone up there is thinking this could be WoW's make-or-break expansion, who knows, maybe down in the caverns of Undercity we'll find the Goblin Dance Studio-a-tron 9000, and stepping ashore on the lost nation of Kul Tiras we find they all ride around on Mooses.<br />
<br />
Just sayin' </span><span id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001621" style="font-style: italic;"><br id="yiv416177338yui_3_2_0_4_1312805099001311" /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-23943223220056054672011-08-05T02:39:00.000+01:002011-08-05T02:39:49.292+01:00WoW Yourself<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Literally translate yourself into WoW</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I don't mean jump into RP, I mean take a good long look at yourself and translate yourself into a WoW archetype, see if you are playing a role or role-playing your self in another world.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">What do I mean? Well lets do me:</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I'm new in WoW, what am I? </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Well I'm human, but we're all that, so that's ignored... so what am I? Well I'm 5'9 mid-to-short for my race, I'm square built with muscle and wide shoulders... I like a drink and have a British appreciation for the art of brewing drinks, I'm half Scotish, that's a large hint! </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I'm religious, a liberal christian, the Holy Light would be a friend to me then, but... I don't think I'd ever want to be all up in a fight, no sir, I like to be well away from trouble, making a difference knowing I'm well away from harm (yes, I'm a coward, because it's sensible to be one!)... now add to that I'm pretty good with a rifle (even if I think gun ownership is /insane/!) and I'm a huge dog person. Oh, and I can only play good guys.... can't get my head around even marginally bad good guys.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Okay so that's my map, and you know what? My first character was an Alliance Paladin... I didn't like it because I don't like melee DPS, I'm not a natural gamer and having lots to worry about panics me and I make mistakes. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">What am I next most like, an animal loving Dwarf with a gun! Bam! That's me. In this respect my main and I are unsurprisingly the choice I go for most in RPGs.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I translate into game pretty damn well. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">On the other hand, other classes I enjoy playing? Holy Priest... I love the way priest mechanics work, I feel like I might actually be a more natural healer than anything else, but I haven't had much time with this... </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">and Rogue although I haven't played one past level 20, and dislike melee DPS, Rogues are the exception to the rule, because they are never the centre of attention and can stealth through everything, I really like them as a potential</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So there we are then, WoW yoursef out: I'm mainly a short stocky animal loving, heavy drinking Dwarf Hunter, I probably follow the Holy Light, and have a simple pet that I have a big bond with, rather than a flashy one. I'm an engineer, and despite my faith put my stock in a bloody big gun in my hand.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Yeah, that sounds like me. What about you? Who and what do you HONESTLY think you match up with? </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Are you playing a spec you love but would never really be? Or are you a master of a character type you can only ever fantasise about – or even would hate in real life?</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">We want your answers guys!</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Answers first, and then ....Swear Allegiance </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-1913563710013650652011-08-04T01:53:00.001+01:002011-08-04T01:54:42.690+01:00All Azeroth's a Stage<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">WoW is an old game, 6 years old to be exact. It has, in this time of unequaled video gaming success, to my (mildly odd) mind, become like some great Shakespearian comedy, acquiring 7 ages of player:</span></span></span></div><blockquote class="western" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0.21cm; margin-left: 1.79cm; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; text-align: left; widows: 2;"><em><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">All the world's a stage,<br />
And all the men and women merely players,<br />
They have their exits and entrances,<br />
And one man in his time plays many parts,<br />
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,<br />
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.<br />
Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel<br />
And shining morning face, creeping like snail<br />
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,<br />
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad<br />
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,<br />
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,<br />
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,<br />
Seeking the bubble reputation<br />
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice<br />
In fair round belly, with good capon lin'd,<br />
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,<br />
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,<br />
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts<br />
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,<br />
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,<br />
His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too wide,<br />
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,<br />
Turning again towards childish treble, pipes<br />
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,<br />
That ends this strange eventful history,<br />
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,<br />
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.</span></i></span></span></span></em></blockquote><div class="western" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: right; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">+50 Culture Points</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The epic passage, and summary of the life of one man can be quite analogous to the growth and development of the WoW player, if you have as odd a mind as I dear sir...</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The difference being, that for as long as they can, a hero of Azeroth attempts to stop the boat at a point that fits her play style.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Many players, these days, have found there sweet spots and forgotten all about the other points on the road, and as I make movements from act 3 to act 4 I thought I might pause and have a look at where I've come from and what stages lie ahead.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Teh N00b:</b> <i>"At first the infant,"</i> You clicked that friend request made the account, and have no idea where you are. For me I was in the middle of a farm, with a church over yonder and a human knight telling me to visit these and other sites, where rat people would accuse me of taking their candle... to this day I have no interest in their candle, and saw no point in what I was doing, luckily at this point, my friend appeared online, they told me of the wonderful rich history of Azeroth, and I was hooked, a Tolkein book I get to live in. Move me on to the 3rd age! But... some people have a little in-between</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The Solo Player: </b><i>"Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail"</i> Although many of us go straight into the Massively Multilayer Online part of the world -we're there to game with our friend and make new ones- For some WoW is a solo game, they remain un-guilded, favouring the Hunter, the Paladin, DeathKnight perhaps... Solo-ing the game and interacting only with NPCs, it's a game like any other to dip into as they like.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The 'Casual':</b> <i>"And then the lover, Sighing like furnace" </i>I could be wrong here, -because this has been the majority of my WoW life- but from the (awesome) members of the bigger community I have seen, this is one of the larger (largest) type of player. They love the game, their friends in their social guilds, the shared geek out. Questing, Alts, instances, getting ontop of Heroics and surviving PUGs, the best-in-slot non-raid items... this is what they shoot for, progressing through the world Blizzard has to offer at a pace that suites them and with the people they chose to share it with.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The Social Raider: </b><i>"Then a soldier" </i>At some point, a social guild gets big enough, or a casual gets curios enough, that they feel the need to really push against the worst Azeroth has to offer, a good group of friends (or friends you just haven't met yet). Performance and numbers become important to the fight, because at some point not enough of either, is going to get others killed, but over all the bent is still to enjoy the extra content, spend a few hours working with friend, and making sure the bosses go down while your mates stay up.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The Hardcore Raider:</b></span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>"Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation, Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice"</i> That quote could have been written for the Paladin raider, but for us it is the Hardcore. For them the game has become a job, with deadlines, targets, spreadsheets, and military drill. For them everything Blizzard can create, every mob, boss, meter and mechanic is a direct challenge to they themselves, which is met with Azeroth's equivalent of Special Forces precision. It isn't the life for everyone but it is the 5h age.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The Lore Master:</b></span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>"With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,"</i> There are of course those who go hardcore the other way, dive into the back story with total emission, and lets face it, Blizzard aren't starving us! Warcraft has a depth of Lore to rival Middle Earth (while not necessarily being a collection of cultural master works) it has spread the story of the heroes of Azeroth to games, books, comics, manga, even movements for a silver screen release. The stories told in the world the Titans made is gloriously rich and the community is blessed by amazing writers and speakers who collate together the masses of story from our world and present them to the masses. These are the Lore masters, the 6th age, that we tip our tinfoil hats to.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>The Burnt Out: </b>And then the 7th age; the one to be avoided by all who read this <i>"Last scene of all,</i></span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>That ends this strange eventful history," </i>The star that burns twice as bright burns half as long... for some of us, the push to end game, the push to best-in-slot, the push to max profs', finally getting the best possible numbers, is a killer, burning out of the game, building feelings of resentment and despondency. When the time synch shows through the suspension of disbelief, all of use will burn (Ragneros rejoices....)</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Which brings me to my point actually. Cataclysm feels like Blizzard realised all of this month ago.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For those in the first 2 ages, the entire world hath been rebuilt for thee. Go fort and quest!</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9pt;">For the 3rd your plite has not been forgotten, find thyself a dungeon LFG. Ones dailies shalt randomize and progress for thine own amusement. Real ID shalt group thy brothers together in glorious battle betwixt the realms and level your Alts as one </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">whilst</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9pt;">!</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For mine good self, balanced precariously as one is, seeking desperately that elusive beast betwix the 3rd and 4th, The blessed nerf from the mighty Blizzard doth blow! Teir 11 they did decree, shall be open to thee!</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The 5th bestow upon us their wisdom, as doth the 6th in their own violent ways.</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>And for the 7th we morn...</b></span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>"Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."</i></span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; orphans: 2; padding: 0cm; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, hirakakupro-w3, osaka, 'ms pgothic', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All that said, I'll shut up with this: Where ever and how ever you game, game on, I would date to say that right now, far from showing it's own age Warcraft is in the best shape it has been for all play styles and types. So who ever you are, how ever you enjoy Azeroth... go play already!</span></span></span></div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-29560764072182462592011-07-22T02:03:00.000+01:002011-07-22T02:03:06.121+01:00Massively Multiplayer online Community - digital dreams, realised.<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8612243160605431" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wrath of the Lich King... Yeah, what we need y'all to do is kill The Lich King, because he's taking over the world with an army of undead!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deathwing! Yes, we're glad you brought him up! What we would really like you to do is mess his shit up quite a lot, because he's all kinds of bad.... do you think you could do that for us?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Titans, Blizzard, (f you've got your tinfoil hat on, The Old Gods,) ask a great deal from the WoW community. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Call To Arms would seem to suggest that the WoW-verse is lacking in those that, while they would answer the official call alone, would work together to make joining ass-kicking in Azeroth a reality. Blizzard obviously feel the need to bribe the community at large to jump in and help their fellow man achieve what they are hopping for... Thankfully the same appears not to be said for the greater WoW community, PODcasters, Bloggers, Tweeters and G+ members. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why? Because while the average PUG isn't willing to run the risk of whipping with a PUG-raid that hasn't got all the right 'cheives, the amazing folk who love Warcraft for the Massively Multilayer part of the world rather than the 'whats in it for me' attitude, have made a mans dream come true with an early wedding gift of nothing other than Frostmorne (see Arthas - if you made friends it'd be so much easier!).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.deviantart.com/download/81508961/frostmourne_by_furdock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.deviantart.com/download/81508961/frostmourne_by_furdock.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Medros will see his dream come true and on the happiest day of his life. Will indulge our favourite hobby and cut his cake with the Rune Blade Frostmorne, because of the awesome support from the WoW community!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And it goes to show while we may all suffer the single player mentality within game, those of us willing to 'come out', willing to jump into the bigger WoW community of twitter, flickr, blogs, podcasts, are only going to discover a huge group of friends waiting to happen, because so many people love this world and love people who love this world as well!</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">...and as Medros has shown, a few good friends can make all the difference!</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">On that note - check out Dawnforge productions for more awesome community Podcasts, but remember to </span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">...Swear Allegiance</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-16751068071512253552011-07-13T02:53:00.003+01:002011-07-13T14:10:28.366+01:00Emerald DaydreamingJoin me if you will, on an Emerald (day)dream, toss and turn with me, if you will, on a few things that make the waking mind realise it's asleep.<br />
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Ponder, if you're up for it, why I've managed to post two blog posts in as many days?! … it must be world of witchcraft! <br />
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But lets press on: <br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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Players of WoW – (I say, having never played a druid) have precious few encounters with The Dream. It is, for the most part, a green filter applied to the general world map, with draw distance and focus greatly reduced while some tentacle based mobs run at you... along the course of which you use The Dream to circumvent some real-world annoyance, or retrieve X item from the Dream to use in a real world ritual. <br />
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It is essentially about as game changing as the KalVir mists. <br />
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Except it's not... from Malfurion's first journeys into The ED, through to the tales from Stormrage (the novel) The Dream remains a key fabric of Azeroth. <br />
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WoW Insider describe it, perfectly, thus: <br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><blockquote><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="color: cyan; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><i>The Emerald Dream, a kind of palimpsest dimension that lays beneath and mimics Azeroth. It is, essentially, the first draft of creation, the blueprint to which the world would be returned to in the event of reorigination. It's Azeroth before the original Sundering, before intelligent life, as it was the second the Titans considered their creation complete. The reason Ysera of the dream is charged with protecting and safeguarding the Dream is that it is the world's base state.</i> </div></blockquote><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">So the dream is a parallel world, a backup copy without mortal influence that the titans would use to reboot Azeroth to a state before Mortals crawled it's surface and the Old Gods tainted everything. </div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">That... begs a few questions: (and I'm really asking here, I'm not being my usual British cynical self, I'm totally up for being called out and called wrong here people, the comment box is right at the end of this...)</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><b>So why are their Elven buildings in The Dream?</b></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">In the Hyjal quest in which you free Staghelm (yeah, bloody brilliant idea that was) – you are told to transport the soon to be Thrall breaker (who can apparently stun 4 Aspects with his cologne... <i>really blizzard?</i>) through the Emerald Dream, in order to avoid the wars going on between him and safety. </div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">You do the deed, killing what we can assume are creatures from the Old God taint (The Nightmare), on the way, and the soon to be daftly named Majordomo is free. </div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Yeah, couple of questions, the first being: If this is a back up copy of Azeroth <i>before </i>mortal influence, Why do we appear in the clearly mortal built barrowdowns when escorting the guy out? Who built them in the dream?</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">The second, which I'm more than willing to let slide, would be why do In-Azeroth points of reference match up to The Dream at all?! In The Dream there was no Sundering, which means every point in 'real' Azeroth is hundreds of miles offset in The Dream...No?</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><b>Where are the trolls?</b></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">The Dream is <i style="color: cyan;">“essentially, the first draft of creation, the blueprint to which the world would be returned to in the event of reorigination. It's Azeroth before the original Sundering, before intelligent life,”</i></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">So where does that leave the Trolls? They where about before the Titans showed up... Potentially the Tauren were too... The ED back up, as well as some how being before mortal interference (but having mortal built buildings in it(... ignores the fact that the Trolls, (possibly Tauren) and Spider People (yes I'm calling them that), were all about before the Titans. The Titans appear to have created a back up copy of just the operating system, and not the native programs from when they arrived. Which is actually quite understandable, but still the troll druids must be pissed to find they have been removed from the 'backup' copy given that they are the native species!</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><b>The Least Protected Backup in History.</b></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">What do you do when you back up your data? You burn it to something physical and offline, stable and as removed as possible to interference. What did the titans do? Apparently they made their safety feature not only into a parallel world, but a convenient thoroughfare! </div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Druids are popping in and out of the place all the time. These are mortals, which as you have already seen from the races before your second coming, Titans, are susceptible to Old Gold whispering. So do you lock you're backup copy away from these massive security risks? No apparently you make it a free for all... I've been to the dream <i>ON A DEATH KNIGHT! </i>You let the play things of Arthas wander about in your backup copy?! You are beyond moronic!</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">For that matter why did you leave your back-up connected to the corrupted original in the first place? For the makers of everything that was monumentally stupid!</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><b>More Backups</b></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Presumably Azeroth isn't the only planet the Titans hit, and assuming the Legion hasn't managed to ravage <i>ALL </i>The planets ever visited by The Titans (although they might have) One would assume the Titans went to an equal trouble to create backups and reorigination sequences for all their worlds? I wonder which have been rebooted?</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><b>But it's just a dream world... right?</b></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">When Malfurion enters The Dream It is as if he is 'jacking in' to The Matrix. His physical body slumps, while his mind goes astral projecting, and can avoid magical barriers and observe real world things for free.</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">But hang on, I've twice gone into The Dream as a solid being, once, in Wrath, to retrieve an object from The Dream, and one, as mentioned, in Hyjal, I was sent, material body et al, to transport both mine, and Staghelm's physical body through the dream, to safety. </div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><b>So why do I go in there whole sale, and Malfurion has to Jack In leaving a venerable body?</b></div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Is it a dream world or a solid parallel universe in which matter can exist?</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">When I first hear the idea of The Dream being the next expansion, I was hella' excited, but thinking about it – the ED is possibly the most cobbled together lore idea WoW has out there: It's a cyber punk ideal in a high-fantasy world. </div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">To my mind Blizzard cheated, using The Dream for general questing, making it a mostly annoyingly-green short-cut, with contradictory lore. This domain of Ysera seems to lack so much actual definition that it is more a fan fantasy play land than a real contender for an expansion.</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">But do you know what The Dream does? It makes me hope I've misunderstood something and some really clever poster is going to barrel in in the comments and set me straight. Because I'd love to believe the ED is in fact a perfect nuromancer/matrix fantasy mash up in WoW, and not just a green screen filter that they have shoved over standard game play, and then tried to justify in some grand but almost unconnected novel.</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
</div><div align="LEFT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">I really didn't want to end on a down note here, but I hadn't realised my musings left a few large holes in The Dreams goings-on.<br />
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Here's too hoping I've grasped a colossal wrong end of the stick, but, until then, be aware of which end of the dream stick you're grasping, and...</div><div align="RIGHT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br />
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</div><div align="RIGHT" class="western" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.5cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Swear Allegiance!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-58348071275580396182011-07-12T01:04:00.002+01:002011-07-12T01:23:52.410+01:00Tiers before bedtime<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I'm not doing very well this expansion, 4.0 drops and I'm levelling from 60-80. 4.1 drops and I'm not in a guild doing troll heroics. 4.2 drops and while I am now in a raiding guild, I'm out of the country for more than a week after it drops, and I chose to level in Vash'jir and have all of Hyjal to do first. Way to be a cutting edge member of the community, with your up to date news and views there Crag.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ctrlaltkill.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/rage-of-the-firelands-1920x1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ctrlaltkill.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/rage-of-the-firelands-1920x1200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="western">So I'm back and it's time to log in, what, I wonder... as I pick up my 2 piece Tier 11 items with JP's, is the word from the Blues and what are people talking about? Well... it seems there is some QQ'ing to be done, which is <i>so </i><span style="font-style: normal;">unlike the WoW community.... yeah...</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">Bashiok sets the casual cat* amongst the elitist pigeons with this new(ish) line from blizzard:</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
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</div><blockquote><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #00b4ff;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">We specifically intend for the 4.0 raids to be puggable now that Firelands is out. Grabbing some tier 11 by way of Justice, quest rewards, plus across the board difficulty nerfs should really be enough to get them going.<br />
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The patch has only been out a day or so though. I think it'll probably take a little bit before people really get it into their heads that they should be pugging the previous tier because it's not too hard to be successful. It's just getting people used to the various encounters and mechanics.<br />
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Maybe people are waiting for the holiday weekend? If nothing else, leading one yourself is always an option. I think we'd agree that we need some better ways to get pug raids together considering we intend to follow the "New Raid is Hard, old Tier is Puggable" format from here on.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #00b4ff;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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</div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">While this has gone down well with some and gone down with indifference with many. It has some people up in arms from the forums to Twitter and back again (it couldn't get an invite to Google+, otherwise it would be indignant there are well!).</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">To me this seems like a good idea, if you are not, for what ever reason, able to join raids at a decent gear level and in sufficient numbers when the new content is up, then you're not going to get into raids... and no, you are not entitled to just because you pay your £'s </span> </div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">I'm new to raiding myself and I can see it takes several things to come together: </span> </div><div class="western"></div><ul><li>10/25 peoples schedules coming together (especially not easy if you are an (dun dun duh!) adult, and have the pressures of family, work, etc coming first)</li>
<li>Gear; in theory Blizz' takes the minimum gear to do a normal raid to be heroic 5-man gear from the latest 5 mans. In reality, higher than that is needed just to get some semblance of breathing room.</li>
<li><span style="font-style: normal;">Coordination; this is the ones PUGs usually fall down on. Raids need a little stratagem before the first(every) pull, and even the most keyboard honed child of Gen Y is going to find it </span><i>much </i><span style="font-style: normal;">easier to do this via the various VoIP clients around. Not something PUGs generally have access to.</span></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">So, current content raiding: For guilds that have the time, the teamwork, and the numbers. To those go the spoils: World/Servers/Realm firsts, Epic Tier Loot, Lore first-looks, 'Cheives, and all those other good things. </span> </div><div class="western"><br />
The interesting and slightly depressing thing here, however, is the attitude that appears to suggest only the elite few percent of the Warcraft community should ever experience any of that.</div><div class="western"><br />
</div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">QQ'ing over Tier 11 being available for Justice Points, and the idea that some of the now out-of-date playable content of WoW should be a reasonable ask to those players who don't have the time/experience/social circle/luck to have done it the first time around confuses and depresses me. </span> </div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">The objections seem to run as follows:</span></div><div class="western"><br />
</div><div class="western"><b>“<i>Making things easier spoils the game because it lets less skilful/dedicated players in”</i></b></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">The first problem with this from the dedicated tier 12 raider is A) It won't affect them, they will go on raiding with their carefully chosen, elite brethren, and likely never have to PUG with the unwashed commoners, let alone Raid with them... but B) the new father who raided in college, but now grabs a few hours in Azeroth between feeding and changing, is going to appreciate not missing out chunks of the game they've given 6 years to, just because they aren't a student any more. Remember, this is an MMORPG, not a ladder match in an elite FPS</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="western"><b>“<i>letting everyone do it devalues my effort”</i></b></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">I get this, I really do, but it smacks of: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeXMKygwSco">In My Day</a></span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">You had it harder in your day. You had it harder in Vanilla and you had it harder last patch. It's true, you had that extra time and that extra effort to put in, you cancelled dates to make raid night and you slaved over a hot spreadsheet to theory craft your way around Blizzard's latest challenge, and if you were generous community members, you put strat's up on youtube... and we salute you for it! You got world-firsts, realm-firsts, or you just hit top 10 guilds for progression. I'd hope you've got some great memories and feelings of achievement and camaraderie, coming together and downing Blizz's latest masters of chaos straight off the bat! I'm not, however, sure how the fact that people with less time, smaller guilds and limited ability to co-ordinate threaten those feelings of pride, achievement and mutual accomplishment, just because they're able to see the same story 6 months later... </span> </div><div class="western"><br />
</div><div class="western"><b>“<i>Look at my X epic mount, why should </i><span style="font-style: normal;">those people </span><i>be able to get it easier?”</i></b></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">I absolutely get this, one... if you've put in the hard graft and you've gotten something pretty rare and special, why should someone be able to get the same thing for doing less work, a few months later? Perhaps when the nerf-bat<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">™ falls – maybe the elite rewards should go too... yeah </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>'you don't have to miss out on the story and content but you did get it 'easy-mode' … '</i></span></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">I do, however, draw one fundamental problem with this: If you have this mind set you're possibly the douche sitting on the mailbox with your gigantic mammoth, blocking anyone else from using that key part of the game because you want them to look at you, acknowledge you, and know you are better than them... </div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">...and if you need that kind of confidence and esteem boost from random strangers in a virtual world, no amount of Epic Lootz will ever make your world a happy one.</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
In the end Blizzard has made it clear, while they want to push guild play as the excepted way of experiencing the cutting edge story, lore, fights, bosses, and – of-course – phat l00tz, they also realise that no matter how much they push it, not all of the... what are we at now... 10million players world wide(?) are going to be able to fit the challenges of real life, real commitments, and social intercourse (steady!) into that framework. Some people would kinda like to be able to see what they were missing 6 months ago, in the limited play-time they have, and with the best their main can do.</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">Believe me, I <i>do </i>understand the angst over nerf'ing things you worked hard to overcome, I get that it seems unfair. But this is a vibrant, changing, demanding universe/story/community we're all invested in, and we're all coming at it from different directions.</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">If you're 7/7 of firelands already, then 'Gratz!' you're pushing the 3% of the consumer base that can claim that, but then 4.3 rolls round and we're putting the kibosh on the next Twilight head-honcho/Deathwing/an old god or 6... don't, please, begrudge your fellow WoW'thusiasts** the chance to put Thrallty-Dumpty back together again. Focus on the awesome achievements that make you happy and don't define yourself by a need to have something no one else in the game has. It's a collection of pixels, in a virtual world. Ironically, if you want to impress, don’t' be an elitist jerk, <i>be </i>an elitist jerk... and by that I mean show us how awesome you are, do the fight first, and then help us more n00bish types with you tutorials and your videos! You'll get much more respect from your fellow man (ork) than sitting on a mailbox with your war-bear, moaning on the forums...</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;">oh, and while you're at it, you and that war-bear can:</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
<br />
</div><div align="RIGHT" class="western" style="font-style: normal;">Swear Allegiance!</div><div class="western"><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">*and you </span><i>know</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> 'Casual-Cat is casual'</span></div><div class="western"><span style="font-style: normal;">**I might have just made that up...</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-76162930805258821032011-06-29T01:56:00.003+01:002011-06-29T02:03:18.745+01:00Everyone remembers their first time.<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So... I can type again! Sotra'... and I just lost my virginity tonight... raid virginity! You dirty scoundrels, I know this is a WoW blog... but give me some credit peeps! Cheezus!</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">` </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">They say everyone one remembers there first time, right? </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So I invite n00bs to gather round and the 1337's who only read this to humour me, to remove your tinfoil hats, and equip your rose tinted engineering goggles. Remember how you felt your first time?</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">By ways of explanation; Crag, my main, Dwarf Hunter, while still sworn by blood oath, to The Allegiance, is currently lending his gun and his faithful hound Stout, to service in <a href="http://earthen.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=382899&TabID=3225026">The Earthen Pantheon</a>, and is on the steepest learning curve of his vertically challenged life. In order to get this newbie 'ready for raiding' the Pantheon are giving kindly spending their time and advanced theory crafting to pump his DPS and teach where to be and when to be there. The Allegiance members are helping him stack stamina but developing his thick skin, heckles abound! … I jest, there is nothing but awesome characters and vibes on both sides, and it is with such support that I found myself taking on my first taste of the best WoW has to offer. I raided!</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Black Wing Descent and Bastion of Twilight where to be the scenes, a crowed of, technically, random strangers talking in my ears, called out the directions., raid makers went up, targets where tagged... all in all it echoed back to my West End theatre days watching stage managers block out their actors and set up the scenes about to happen.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/wowwiki/images/0/0b/Valiona_and_Theralion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://images.wikia.com/wowwiki/images/0/0b/Valiona_and_Theralion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">While we're using comparisons, I realise the big grin on my face now is the same one that was last seen and felt when I was back in Secondary (High) School, as part of the Football team* …yes, at the risk of turning in my geek card, I used to play team sports. It is that same experience that Blizzard has captured in raiding, and in 2 years of this game I have never realised it would be so much fun even when you're wiping. Uniting 10 team mates on a common goal, complex tactics needed to achieve collective goals, all the while your comrades cheer you on, suggest the next play, and share the banter. It is a communal feeling that my years of PUGing and console online gaming had made me believe would never exist in a video game, (news flash, not everyone online is a dick! I know...right?) and reminds me completely of the post match victory feeling in sports. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">In fact Blizzard has essentially tapped back to our feral (for the dr00ds out there) instincts and pitted 10/25 men against the great beast... armed with finest Dwarven guns, rather than flint spears, a united pack of men surround a colossal beast and work together to bring it down, through a combination of greater intelligence and technology.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">It's a great feeling, you've made friends, you've worked together, you've overcome a great challenge... and hilariously I can't help think as we all spread out and throw out some range DPS on Valiona, that we look a bit like a group of Neanderthalensis surrounding a mammoth, focused on keeping everyone clear of the feet and tusks and bringing the big bad down for all that it might do for the tribe. (but out spears are Epic 356 yo' )</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Maybe I just play a hunter to much... </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">But I don't find it a surprise that the feeling of team achievement and camaraderie that we've all felt from a WoW raid, taps the same brain-spots as team sports, and just maybe, our old hunting instincts. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Here's to a lot more raids with the patient, friendly folks at Earthen Pantheon, and to the day all my friends, online and in person can join in the WoW players Cup Final that is raiding the latest expansion, 25 friends pulling together to down that mammoth... er... I mean fire breathing black aspect of death... obviously... </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">everyone has to start somewhere right? And no one forgets their first time, here's hoping Socials remember to invite along teh n00bs and that, of course, y'all...</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: right;">...Swear Allegiance!</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">*no, ours is football, we play it with a ball at our feet, yours is Hand Egg, you play it with an egg, in your hands. (and body armour)... simple really, there is no soccer, no one plays sports in their socks.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-46267495543400017442011-06-20T23:14:00.000+01:002011-06-20T23:14:42.929+01:00I ATEN'T DED!<div class="MsoNormal">This might be a really bad idea. For those of you that don't know (meaning you haven't been following me on twitter and listening to me incessantly complain about it) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am suffering with RSI in both arms that makes using computers right now painful,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hence the blog being so quiet... but:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=I%20ATEN%27T%20DED&defid=5196346"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdX-YPs8VkfjSvb-VnBHpbQhjlWaPrk7IcOY-81WaGg_cv3q7Mv3QZnE7VH1tZmbiHYrljwnTHtKaPIOeMdBvVvXtuO7tS6fep9Y-YaqFtirAHm0P-n1PjcBimXwI9DMoM4eiO_IqY0Rg/s400/aintdead.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Pratchet Lego! Awesome</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So with rumours of my demise cleared up, what's been going on in Azeroth while I've been away?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"How many QQ's in Authenticator?" <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pcweenie.com/reviews/games/wow4p/_graphics/p10_001_BlizzardAuthenticator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="http://www.pcweenie.com/reviews/games/wow4p/_graphics/p10_001_BlizzardAuthenticator.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So the big news seems to be that blizzard has/is<a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/16/battle-net-authenticator-process-updated-with-smarter-log-in-det/"> launching a function </a>that checks your computers 'finger print' upon login and uses it to determine if it needs to ask for an authenticator code or not,<span> </span>so if you regularly log in from the same machine, chances are you won't need those magic six digits to play. This seems quite clever to me, and a good use of technology they already had working anyway. I imagine Blizz' thought this would stop some of the moaning from the community about authenticators being an extra hassle for them, HA! No... instead the vocal minority has found something new to complain about... 'this will lead to more hacking because it's just you're IP address and that can be spoofed' ZOMG! ... Well, as it turns out it's officially 'a bit more complicated than that'.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I assume that means things like when/where you are coming from your ISP/IP/OS version possibly even hardware stats and MAC addresses could feature, but this makes me worry: What data does Blizz have on us that we don't want getting out? With LulzSec hacking everyone from the CIA to Minecraft, and even causing Eve to 'cut the hardlines' as it were... Is Blizzard immune? Sony and Sega were not... If my hardware addresses/system specs could be stolen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">along with </i>my billing info and credit card numbers... well it wouldn't be my gold I'd be worrying about! </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Voices in the community has already called for an opt-out option, and as much as I applaud Blizzard for trying to encourage use of the authenticator system, I have to say I think I'd prefer to punch in those numbers. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A 4.2 on the Metzen scale <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static2.dmcdn.net/static/video/161/274/32472161:jpeg_preview_large.jpg?20110616124013" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://static2.dmcdn.net/static/video/161/274/32472161:jpeg_preview_large.jpg?20110616124013" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">We all know Blizzard love The Horde more, they can haz exspanshunz... and Mr Metzen loves him some Thrall.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">What? </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I'm trying to announce that patch 4.2 trailer is out, stay with me. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So colour[sic] me /confused... Firelands is going to see the heroes of Azeroth re-growing the sacred Night Elf area of Mount Hyjal and driving the elemental molten front back, all under the direction of Malfurion... Even the long thought lost Aspect of Time will be showing up! So you would assume old Rag'y is going to threaten and mock the Cenarion circle and the assembled aspects, that the Twilight cultists might be seen conspiring still in the reborn Hyjal, and Shaman and Druids desperately trying to heal the scorched earth... nope. Instead More Thrall<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">™ The evergreen shaman is trying to get the earth spirits on the blower but gets cross connected to lava legs instead, and so Ragnaros threatens a dude who's hundreds of miles away from the actual front line... As the good fellows over at wow insider said, it was at least a chance for Chris Metzen to argue with himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go watch<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsXglDs81FU"> the trailer</a> though,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it is awesome!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Frostingmorne within his grasp<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">As the Godfather of WoW Podcasting Medros announced over on the Dawnforge Productions show; Group Quest, this week, he is nearly at his target of donations needed to make the epic wedding day cake cutting that we posted about earlier, a reality! If you can help him out with the final push,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>give an early wedding present at <a href="http://sword.allthingsazeroth.com/">sword.allthingsazeroth.com </a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Don your tinfoil hats of +8 interlect<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_hxdfwq-1CkXreIFq4UnOOsILDw07IF4dxavhjy6wGcBE2A5ccPtOKESERwEbNzOgpfkSwttBuYZKbQfUGWOLkGekhO-Yw8XY4RmAsvt77owwigfK6tAWWriTHz-8bzn3hmedXM_KcFt/s1600/spirithealer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_hxdfwq-1CkXreIFq4UnOOsILDw07IF4dxavhjy6wGcBE2A5ccPtOKESERwEbNzOgpfkSwttBuYZKbQfUGWOLkGekhO-Yw8XY4RmAsvt77owwigfK6tAWWriTHz-8bzn3hmedXM_KcFt/s200/spirithealer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">While we're talking WoW Insider; I've been keeping my last dose of sanity and getting my WoW fix with the many great blogs and pod-casts the community puts out, so imagine my delight when, while going over the recent news and developments in Azeroth having been 'disarmed' and unable to log in, I discover that a question I posed many moons ago has become the subject of a Shades'o'grey know your lore!<a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/19/know-your-lore-the-mysterious-connection-between-spirit-healers/"> Over here</a> be the article in question, it's very interesting and gets my mind wondering further. I originally emailed All Things Azeroth before Catalysm dropped asking if the Spirit Healers had anything to do with the Val'kyr -basically because they looked a little alike- (I hadn't levelled my Lore knowledge back then). There didn't seem to be any clues to my question and my own searching of WoW's back story didn't reveal anything either, but now, fresh off the back of explaining every kind of magic in Azeroth, and writing a guide to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">entire cosmos</i> on the side, the Aspect of Bacon (...sorry!) has given us insight into the most regularly observed seen blue ghostie NPCs in Azeroth (well, most seen if you PvP like me) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So! Click over to the great KYL that's been put up the last couple of weeks, pass me the painkillers(!) and...</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">...Swear Allegiance</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-6288766537529875842011-06-11T16:12:00.003+01:002011-06-11T16:54:40.756+01:00Short Story: Of The Allegiance- Life Debt<div style="text-align: justify;">Apologies for the lack of content this week, RSI leaves me without the use of my right hand, and learning to use a PC with my off hand is a slow process. So until I can spec' into titans grip, I leave you with another RP offering.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the second of the short stories written about the serving members of The Allegiance, specifically the life debt that binds two Deathknights Vicheal and Berthanas with the Night Elf Druid; Selenfai, and the lives of Deathknights, before and after The Lich King.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Of The Allegiance <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><u>Life Debt<o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><u><br />
</u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Selenefai tried her best to remember what her Shan'do had taught her, clear her mind and allow the earth to whisper to her, then call on it to provide... for this was the way of the druid, and for the druids the earth certainly did provide. The pale skinned night elf leaped back, the ground before her once again heeding her desperate cries and rising as a solid wall of stone to thwart her foul assailant for the fourth time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was all very well and good, she thought bitterly, to call on the earth with a clear mind sitting in a moonlit glade in Darnasus, it was quite the other thing to try and do it while beset by monsters from beyond the grave, and in a land so sick the tree's can barely stand, let alone aid her. Giving in to the elements of Druidic teaching she always felt more at home with, Selen' focused on her rage and shifted into a powerful feline, leaping on the foul ghoul that beset them and rending it to pieces with her claws. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"So much for harmony with nature, reaching out to the earth spirits," her comrade teased. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Selen' shot the second night elf an unimpressed look only cats can give, and shifted back into human form.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"I don't see you having-at these vial things" she retorted at Vei'chal, the priest of Elune with whom she had been assigned to work .</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The pair had been part of a larger group, sent by the Cenarion circle to use their abilities to help reclaim the dead western plagued lands of what had once been Lordaeron, but since their arrival they had spent less time healing the land, and more running hard across it. Land that had been 'taken back from the scourge' a day before was now a cut off pocket behind the enemies ever increasing lines. They had been out numbered and in death, betrayed by former friends, rising to un-life as fresh enemies. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Now the priest and the druid where all that remained, and any hope of healing the land was lost, for as the white haired elf now admitted "I've always been a fighter before a healer"</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"That's as may be young Selenefai but if we are to have any hope of surviving this with our lives we must create a sanctified area to rest and shelter, out of this diseased and wretched land." Vei'chal preached, as was his way, as a learned priest of Mother Moon. Selen' simply nodded with due reverence. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Now, can you assist me as I..." but the grey haired elf would not get to finishes the days lesson, for he was struck down by a huge paw that swatted him to the ground. This bear, however, had saved the old elf's life, even as another had tried to take it. Selen' had seen the plagued undead bear as it had been about to strike, and instinctively taken its shape as her own. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It was becoming clear they would soon have to run again. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"It... er... appears, I, owe you a life debt" the older elf said rising to his feet shakily "we must..." but the -now bear- that was his female colleague growled an interruption as she sniffed the air. Soon the priest could smell it too... fresh decay. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A deathly howl filled the air and the weak sunlight was blotted out as a huge behemoth of composite dead flesh appeared from the greenish mists. The abomination raised a dead tree in a hand as big as Selenefai's bear form, and swung. It's attack would never land however, as a war axe whistled over the heads of the elves and imbedded itself in the foul things face. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Death to the Scourge!" the cry went up, and was echoed by a dozen other voices. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Suddenly the two were joined by many, a regiment of men charged from the fog that hung permanently in these parts. At their head, leading the charge, a fearsome human warrior with shock of chestnut hair, and a second war axe identical to the thrown one. The newcomer literally leaped Selen' in her ursal shape, and, with a thunderous war-cry, cleaved at the undead horror beyond.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Under 13 blades, the thing was soon slain. The priest regarded the new comer, with glowing silver eyes, "and now... it would seem, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we</i> owe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> a life-debt, human... I am Vei'chal, Elune bless you"</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Well thank you Night Elf, now I suggest you and your pet... oh... " the human warrior stopped, for what he had taken to be a travelling pet, was unfolding in a shimmer of emerald magic into the shape of a tall, slender, woman, with skin like porcelain and hair of spun silver. "... my lady, I beg your pardon... I, am Commander Berthanas, of 15th company Stormwind Guards. I was saying it might be best if you and your friend here come with my men and I" the warrior recovered, offering a hand to help the newly revealed druid to her feet.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At that moment however the sun was obscured for a second time, this time a huge flying pyramid plunged them into shadow, and seemed to draw the dead with it like a tide across the land... the living where soon surrounded. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Back to back!" the warrior cried, pulling his first axe out of the corpse monster "Fight to the last man!"</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OFwhDykld3mVoOgqCpJ8LlUvd-jgXl7em6K5ovnX0cMWWESwHgAXP9Wq7WO58OGRHa3adLH-NGs5OBstwJxkn8Yhr2w58ks_bsN2qNjVl4HE2JHwQaTMG7cFcUwQ0LNhkCEe3LNnNLRi/s1600/selen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OFwhDykld3mVoOgqCpJ8LlUvd-jgXl7em6K5ovnX0cMWWESwHgAXP9Wq7WO58OGRHa3adLH-NGs5OBstwJxkn8Yhr2w58ks_bsN2qNjVl4HE2JHwQaTMG7cFcUwQ0LNhkCEe3LNnNLRi/s320/selen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The druid awoke with a start, a cold clammy sweat clinging to her pale moonlit skin. That dream again! Every night it came, every night she had been haunted by that memory, ever since she had arrived in the east.... It had not, however, been the dream that had woken her, Selen' realised...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Druids! to arms! protect the chapel!" bellowed a huge Tauren from beyond the stained-glass class windows of Lights Hope Chapel. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">She was soon outside, and saw that once again she and her friends where surrounded by an army of the walking dead! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Once, the young druid would have changed forms and charged in blindly, but she had been walking a different path of late, instead she called on the spark of life that still lingered in the earth and channelled it to her fellow druids and human guards, feeling their pain and willing their bodies to re-grow. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Unlike the last time she faced the undead, however, this time they were winning, their lines, not just holding, but cutting the beasts to ribbons. In fact, Selen' noticed, as suddenly as the monsters of the grave had begun there attack, they had aborted it... the ghouls stopped, collapsed where they stood, or turned on their fellows... finally, when not a corpse stood to threaten any, a pair of figures strode out of the gloom. Clad head to toe in black metal, they drew gasps and curses from the druids who had charged to battle, but from Selen' they caused only a gasp, for she would have sworn she had seen these men in her dreams mere moments earlier...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"When you said we should turn our new found power against the scourge, friend, I did not realise you meant it quite so literally..."</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">She surged forward, it, it was a human, and a night elf, could it be... it was... "good sir Bertha..." but she was silence as the man raised a hand "Bert will be fine these days my lady, and this is Vichael" he gestured to the elf "I'm afraid I never did get your name".</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"S... Selenefai" the druid whispered "I, I feared I would never see you alive again!" but now she did gasp, because the figures had stepped into the moonlight. Their eyes where ablaze with eldritch energy, their skin alabaster white, hair ashen. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Well in a manner of speaking..." the one now named Vicheal offered with dark humour.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Selenefai felt she should turn and flee from the two living statues, her face betrayed her for a moment and she saw the expressions of the newcomers turn from delight at reunion to apparently familiar disappointment...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Fear not my lady, we did not realise you where here... I would not have wanted you to see me, us, like this... we shall take our leave"</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The -once- human bowed low and made to leave, but...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"No! ..." The young druid nearly shouted "I told you once before I owed you a life debt, and you will always have that allegiance." the three regarded each other for a moment then the human let out a laugh that both amused, and sent shivers down the spine.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"Forgive us..." Selenefai's once, and perhaps future comrade begged "but, we seem to hear that word a lot these dark days"</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-39517624744871367662011-06-06T14:56:00.001+01:002011-06-06T16:38:05.259+01:00The plot thickens... just don't get Lost!Matthew Rossi talked about it on <a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/06/04/does-cataclysm-have-too-much-potential-content/">WoW Insider</a>, We talked about it on this weeks <a href="http://www.thegroupquest.com/2011/06/gq0031.php">Group Quest</a>, and yet I remain confused by the notion that Cataclysm somehow has too much content...<br />
<br />
Despite being only five levels worth, mechanically speaking, Cataclysm seems to me to be much more than an expansion of the game World of Warcraft, It seems more accurate to say it's a total reinvention there of...<br />
<br />
This doesn't however, mean it's a complete reboot of the story, as it is a complete reboot of the world. Cataclysm picks up the story established over three RTS's, an MMO, and nearly a dozen novels, to say nothing of the various comics, manga, etc. Packed into these five levels is the continuation of a story that grows and grows exponentially:<br />
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In the beginning it was just Orks vs Humans ('cause y'know, they didn't like each other... one lot are green for pity's sake!) Then we found out what had turned the Orks into what they are today and how that big-bad was coming right at us! That expansion of the plot, or the universe, doubled in storylines again, we found out what happened as a result of those events, we found out how they had been set in motion in the first place and that lead to us asking more questions: How had it all come to pass? We learned that. How did those things affect and tie into current events, eventually that was explained. Suddenly a demonic force that corrupted the peaceful Orks leads to a good man turning to evil and a two-piece combo of (horribly unholy and in no way stylish) armour and runeblade, and too the aspect of earth (himself a story arch not in the original) being corrupted by the Old Gods (themselves a developed story arch) and smashing the world apart.<br />
<br />
The more Blizzard tells us about the world they created the more we ask and because they're even bigger lore-nerds than we are and get even more excited by Azeroth and the World of Warcraft; the more they expand, interconnect, and throw out there.<br />
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Maybe Cataclysm does have "too much" content and potential, in that finally the amount of exponentially growing story/universe has exceeded the time it will take for players to earn 5 levels worth of XP and hit 'endgame'... but maybe Blizzard saw that coming. Maybe with all the directions they're taking (questing/ dailies /gear /patches) they're proposing a new less linear model. This is after all an online world not a story book.<br />
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"></div>The feeling that people have already 'finished' Cata' and are growing bored is based on the old model of:<br />
Do A to get to B, do B to get to C, do C to get to D, keep doing D until (you find yourself looking down on those n00bz still doing A-C, and) Blizz' gives you a new maximum to rush too.<br />
<br />
As we see new questing, new original plot, new world changing events - story arcs playing out in dailies and 5mans - all coming in post level 85, the game seems to have changed (pun intended.)<br />
'End game' is quickly becoming neither as final and repetitive, nor an indication that you have 'finished' the current game. After all, a virtual world can no more be completed than the real world can. But there in lies the problem:<br />
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I hope against hope that Blizzard isn't going to fall foul to the Lost syndrome... whereby they create a fantastical and captivating world, with hundreds of plot hooks and story lines all promising to come together in a truly biblical conclusion, that its enraptured consumer base assumes will live up to their ever increasing expectations... only to run out of time/steam/money/etc and leave lots of potentially amazing lore hanging (why did the statue only have 4 toes people?!) in the proverbial twisting nether.<br />
<br />
Let me say now I don't think that is going to happen. I'm optimistic that Blizzard's writers have plans for all the major story arcs and we are either going to see life on Azeroth grow and grow, or one by one resolve and pass into the antiquities of Lore ready for new stories to be told, there however, that danger... especially if the player base doesn't embrace the seemingly new mindset toward content and lore. To go on -after hitting level cap- to quest, finish zones, worry a bit less about endlessly increasing their stat numbers and improving their DPS and more about understanding what's going on in the virtual world around them. Or worse, if this is a new direction from Blizzard, when they lose their way, lose their nerve and fall back to traditional thinking, will all these new avenues they've left open for future questing content become dead ends as the focus shifts back to new raiding content, epics, and iLevels... Was the Abyssal Maw the first casualty of this? Plot plans abandoned as "smaller, more frequent" patches quickly become the old-style large infrequent ones?<br />
<br />
Maybe... again, I hope not. Personally I think the new Cataclysm content we see coming in is a really fresh way to involve the player in the world, let them chose when and how they consume the entertainment and storytelling . A shift away from the idea of end game content being a repetitive sync to keep users subscribed, and toward level cap being a purely mechanical limit with the adventure being it's own reward.<br />
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Then again I'm a Alt-aholic and Lore nerd... for the completionists out there it's always going to be about getting to the last goal, and that's also cool, it's a game at the end of the day.<br />
<br />
I don't think there can ever be 'too much' development of the fantasy world we all love... just as long as they don't try and end with everyone being in a quasi science vs religion analogy, or it all just being a dream... and no damn polar-bears!<br />
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Keep pushing the button Blizz', and...<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">...Swear Allegiance</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-9276231826461397092011-06-05T02:28:00.003+01:002011-06-05T02:37:24.751+01:00Cartographical Issues...Quick warning... this is a </rant><br />
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<br />
I am lost, cold and alone deep underground, I'm scared and there are wolves after me... <br />
<br />
This is in fact a lie, because a Dwarf Hunter is A) never scared B) at home underground (yes even Wildhammers, and C) a hunter is never, ever, alone. As for the wolves well it was just the one and I shot it a few times before my devilsaur ate it. <br />
<br />
I am however... LOST!<br />
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Am I the only one of the 12 million players this game attracts to get turned around, disorientated and utterly lost in every single cave, cavern, and tunnel complex? It's just embarrassing! I'm a dwarf hunter, my underground tracking skills should be second-to-non and yet I run around in circles in the dark for and hour trying to find the quest objective, only to find the exit 5 times, right up until the point where I complete the quest and need to leave, at which point I repeat the above but never find the exit, agro'ing instead, every denizen of this subterranean maze!<br />
<br />
With the roll-out of maps for all instances (which by the way is awesome) I wonder if we can't get a greater mapping system for all areas? if I run into a cave and have to bring up my map it is likely not because I want to check where I am in a zone, it's because every rocky ogre-filled twist and turn looks like the other down here and I'm lost. In a day an age when we're setting the art dept' to redesigning Warlock pets to have genders (since when did demons reproduce via meiosis anyway?) couldn't we draw some maps for underground areas?<br />
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(no, I don't need people to correctly point out that as a VFX artists I know the 3D modellers and Texture artists are not the same ones that do 2D map graphics, but I'm trying to have a /rant here!) <br />
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Help me out here people, are there any add-ons that guide you more accurately than quest helper (which is pretty much a compass heading) or replace you map when your underground with a picture of the area you're in instead of the whole zone? <br />
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Answers in the comments please guys cause one of these days an Elf is going to walk in and have to guide my Dwarven ass out of a mine, which is going to be intolerable... worse, I think I know who that Elf will be. <br />
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Magni save me! (and while you're at it...)<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">...Swear Allegiance</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-63054958377576286512011-06-03T01:15:00.004+01:002011-06-03T15:01:50.601+01:00Of The Allegiance: ElementsThis is the first RP short I wrote, its the first in a series that trys to RP why a disparate bunch of different level players and alts would know each other - what their bond would be, and why they would be working together. There are more to follow, each charts the character interactions between various members of the Allegiance. I should stress I make no claim to be a writer... until two days ago this was for no ones eyes but my own, but do read, and if you enjoy, comment, I'll write more... <div><br /></div><div><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="CENTER"><span><u><b>Of The Allegiance</b></u></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="CENTER"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;" align="CENTER"> <span><b>ELEMENTS</b></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;" align="CENTER"><br /><a name='more'></a><br /></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Uulen clung to the gryphon's wet fur as they broke the veil of the storm which hung over Elwynn Forest. </span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Strange weather for this season, </span></span></i></span></span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">She mused, but then she had never been this deep into alliance territory, having spent most of her time since beginning her training as a mage, either in The Exodar or with the Night Elves (what ever they may think of users of the occult...).</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">The young Draenei tutted inwardly at herself as her stomach tingled with nerves, Stormwind City, centre of her peoples adopted friends, The Alliance... were that she was seeing it for the first time not in the middle of a torrential down-pour.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">The gryphon hesitated and screeched a protest just outside of the Flightmaster's nest, it was clearly disturbed by something, but in the driving rain it's fur and saddle where fast becoming slick, and gale-force winds threaten to hurl the sapphire skinned girl from the beast, so she kicked it on, and clung to the beast as it swept over the lake and into the stone archway.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Immediately Uulen knew something was wrong...</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">The Cathedral bell peeled not with melody, but with unending urgency. The usually bustling Flight-Point was deserted, what gryphon remained hunkered down in their cots, the Flightmaster was at the far end of the Point, talking urgently, she now saw with some surprise, to one of her people. No, as she approached she realised her mistake, not exactly one of her people, their ancestors, original denizens of the now lost Draenor. This one, she recognised from his simple robe, was a shaman of the Earthen Ring.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Quickly child, this way, flee!” the alien shaman called to her, even as the air behind him rippled and gave way to a mystic portal... but Uulen had never fled in her life...</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">The mage tore out onto the access ramp and leapt off the stones, dropping into the straw of an abandoned gryphon cot below. Rain stung her eyes as it ran in rivulets off her horns, but she could see the shapes of guards, they scurried here and there but mostly they clanked away from her, because between Uulen and the humans towered unbelievable manifestations of water and air, Elementals, she realised, but these where not the gentle avatars of Azeroth's primal forces, more like violent forces of nature, bent only on destruction.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Instinctively the young woman worked her hands and murmured a protective spell (if nothing else, to keep the downpour out of her face), but immediately wished she hadn't, as one of the water-formed beasts sensed her, sniffed the air for the source of the arcane energies, and turned on her. </span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Adapting her efforts mid-cast she thrust forward her hands and loosed a fiery blast at her would be attacker... only to see a small hiss of steam for her efforts.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">fine”</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Upping her game Uulen sprinted for cover, hurling fireball and pyro blast back at the aquatic assailant, but again her efforts earned her nothing but brief eruptions of vapour.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm out of my element” she sighed to herself with dark humour. Blinking away from the wooden crate she had moments before been hiding behind, as it was smashed into so much kindling. She let the momentum of the re-location spell lead her into a flat out run and swung in behind a masonry post as a torrent of water hammered the other side of the stone. “Think Uulen... think” she berated herself, digging in her mind for something not fire-mage related. Offering as little of herself as she could she turned her head and thrust her hands out from behind cover, inverting her usual magical temperatures and launching what she hopped was a half way decent bolt of frosty energies... it had the desired effect and the water elemental's liquid body slowed as it crystallised.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Uulen was far from safe however, even as she rest her head on the wet stone and let out a sigh the breath was taken from her and formed itself into another angry form, this one composed of raging winds and the debris they swept up. </span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">The young Draeni dived through the violent winds and rolled to her hoofs the other side, twisting to face the new threat Uulen realised she was trapped, her tail touched stone and described the solid wall behind her, and the very air itself coalesced into her destruction before her.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">BANG!</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">For a moment it sounded like the world came to her as if she where under water, only a sharp ringing could be heard, then...</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">CRACK!</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Another sharp sound punctuated the chaos, and the air elemental dissolved with an anguished sigh.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">For the first time Uulen saw the source of the ear-splitting noises, she had missed it at first as it was below her eyeline... A dwarf, with thick black hair and a braided black beard, blew smoke off his blunderbuss. She would have said he was young, but as she had only ever seen middle-age and ancient dwarfs, and admittedly not many of those, It was hard to place. What struck her most about her saviour however, was his tabbard, under large shoulder plates and mail armour, sat the same Golden sword and shield motif on royal blue, that her own robes bore...</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You shot it?” she stammered, for although a brown dog, nearly as big as he was, stood barking at the storm a few paces behind him, she could see no other way he had dispatched her attacker. “you </span></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">shot </span></span></i></span></span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">thin air?”</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Dwarven engineering lass, gimme' the reet shot I can shoot a'athin'!” he beamed proudly “Crag” the young drawf said thrusting a weathered hand out for her small delicate blue own “Uulen, fire mage initiate of the Exo...” </span></span></span></span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">aye, I know where ye space-goats is frum lass,” he winked “now, by Magni's beard lets get outta here!” the dwarf said, taking her arm and dragging her through a tunnel towards the river, the large brown dog following on.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You tabbard...” Uulen panted, “You're sworn allegiance to Varlen also?”</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Varlen? Is that big'un claiming to run the whole Allegiance noo?” crag laughed even though he was having to take two huge strides for every one of her nimble reversed-kneed steps.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You swore to always defend Varlen did ye? And he you, that's how it works right enough, but we're a wee bit bigger'an that lass, Thems who wears the colours o'thee Allegiance swears an oath to always come to the aid o'...” but he wouldn't get to finish that sentence, as a fist of water burst from the surface of the canal and hammered the bridge they stood on</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Uulen spluttered as she fought to tread water amongst the rubble of the bridge, even as her robe became as heavy as lead. She could see Crag's faithful canine companion was already paddling at the forming water elemental barking it's challenge defiantly</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Bugger' powders wet” she heard behind her... some how, the stoat creature clad head to toe in metal was swimming better than she could in her robes. Truly the stories she had heard did not over state the prowess of the dwarfs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">At this point, however, the waters became strangely chill, a fierce, ethereal coldness, that ceased the heart even as it froze the surface of the canal. As if fingers of Northrend reach out to take them. Crag was the first to catch on and pulled his form onto the new ice sheet even as he hurled a strange looking explosive from a pack spilling over with bizarre mechanical creations. “Huh' wondered when them's'ad show up” he huffed.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Uulen wheeled round to see who her new found alley could be referring too, and under the shadow of another bridge, maybe 100 yards away, 2 pairs of eyes approached, 4 points of chill blue glowing light. As they stepped out of the bridge's shadow and into the gloom of the storm she made out a Night Elf and a Human, clad head to toe in dark plate. They strode easily over the ice that seemed even now to spread out from them, as their boots softly crunched the new permafrost.</span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Fer thee Allegiance?” Crag asked off hand, the night elf nodded the human snapping off a mock salute... they did indeed, Uulen noted wear the same gold on blue... they where then, all four, oath bound to each other.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On you?” the elf asked </span></span></span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">No you have this one” the human grinned drawing two vicious looking blades who's edges coated with razors of ice. </span></span></span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Come here” The elf simply commanded extending his hand... purple and black lightning leaped from his grip and the elemental menace that had been baring down on them was suddenly ripped away. It flew towards the new pair for a moment before exploding into a million droplets as it struck the elfs giant hammer.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"> <span><span style="font-size:11pt;">The threat negated, the two newcomers greeted Uulen and her short friend </span></span> </p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Vicheal” the elf said simply, extending an armoured hand to her, with, what she now saw was ashen white skin.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration: none;">“</span><span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Berthanas” Crag announced happily, shaking the humans hand eagerly “Good te'see ye again, this here is Uulen, she swore the Allegiance with Varlen she says, don't know how she’s not bumped into a'o'one'o else of us before now”</span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;">But their introductions where cut short as stormy grey day gave way to blackest night, and where once a cold rain soaked them, suddenly a wall of heat struck.</span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;">From behind them there was an almighty crunching of stone, as if thunder had wrought asunder a mountain. In the distance, where once had stood the twin towered gates of Stormwind, now towered two huge legs of fiery black.</span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;">All four heads turned their gaze up, up, a seemingly impossible shape and size to resolve in one field of vision, but there it was, where once there had been mighty towers, their towered a dragon, black as the twisting nether, veined with molten red fury... It through back it's massive head and howled of pain, and vengeance, and rage.</span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Uulen felt a metal hand press her gently backward... Crag silently slid shot into his muskets barrel and patted his companion's head as the dog coward at his heal. The human nodded at the elf, the former sheathing the smaller blades and producing a much larger one... the smell of blood filled the mages nostrils. Of to her left a dead guard pulled itself to it's now undead feet and shambled to the elf's side, although no one had taken their eyes from the remains of the towers.</span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span><span><span style="font-size:11pt;">The human cast a glance back over his shoulder, glowing blue eyes assessing them each, and, apparently satisfied with what they saw, he turned back and bellowed:</span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="LEFT"><span>“<span><span style="font-size:11pt;">FOR THE ALLEGIANCE!”</span></span></span></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="LEFT"><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881033507804237392.post-74115691500901773802011-06-02T21:40:00.007+01:002011-06-04T03:04:42.121+01:00Send in the bears!<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Not enough tanks? Call to arms! Okay thats one idea, sure, but it dosnt stop hour long queues below heroic level, or in the soul sapping 60-80 grind... my theory? Send in the bears!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span>Let Beast Master hunters, tank! Oh hush your cries and bear with me on this.... bear... no? phew... tough crowd, moving on:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span>There is already an established template for bear tanking... druids, the one class with arguably<span></span>more utilities than a hunter already, the druid can do it all, but it wasn't always that way, and in the same vein I would petition the idea of hunters tanking is no more outrageous.</p></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9YsPgoNXJvWDgQAOGB-_H_lqGez6EeTQq34Heaj6u7fYPdA5G61oyr7Lqpp7UqnrxBoiM2gcGu_JRXP2xCsskjdg3OCC1M5DT8dSx41k0N6VtQ6zUiA9oDxqAcHeAtp8ZOD6JGxZgbgl/s1600/bear.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9YsPgoNXJvWDgQAOGB-_H_lqGez6EeTQq34Heaj6u7fYPdA5G61oyr7Lqpp7UqnrxBoiM2gcGu_JRXP2xCsskjdg3OCC1M5DT8dSx41k0N6VtQ6zUiA9oDxqAcHeAtp8ZOD6JGxZgbgl/s320/bear.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613726652332330066" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Blizzard! Why you no letz me tank?! I'm in your hitbox, pullin' your Agroz!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:0pt;color:black"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:0pt;color:black">Hunters are taught to tank and group from level 1</span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">No seriously, think about it, while paladins and deathknights and to a lesser degree druids, are taught as they solo their way through the lower levels, that they have a mode where they need rely on no one, they are a one man killking machine, mobs break themselves against their heroic hide, and the only one they have to worry about is themselves. BM hunters on the other hand learn from the get-go that they have to play roles in a group to stay alive... the pet goes in first, holds the agro, you don't manage the agro properly, your in trouble, meanwhile you dps, but you have to be aware of whats going on and be the healer when your pet needs it. Hunters already have the group play mentality drilled into them from the start.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:0pt;color:black">Open up tanking to other play styles...</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Want more tanks, don't bribe the player base with trinkets, target players for whom tanking has never been an option... All tanks at present have one play style, get all up in the bosses grill and piss 'em the hell off, well yeah thats a tank alright but melee dps isnt everyones play style... opening up the tanking role to those of us more FPS than Beat'em'up would make for a bigger pool to recruit tanks from. The first ranged tank... far from having an easier time if it, would have more to do, effectively managing two roles, the job would also be more engaging for the micromangers out there and really break up the tank'n'spank metality. Besides which the new perspective on tanking would litterally give the group a new role...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:0pt;color:black">Middle managers</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>For the first time in the role, hunter tanking would see the role of "middle management" in a pull (no no... its a good thing in this case, honest) although the hunter isnt as instantly on the spot when pulls go south, the mobility and view of the field a hunter has, would create a dynamic less "oh shit" and more prevention and prempting problems.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Which brings me too -- how would this be acheived with minimum disruption to all? Well for a start I would limit this to the BM spec, and,<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>of course tenacity pets (the fact the pets come in tank flavour already is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">clearly</i> a sign, right?). All that would need to change is three talents in the BM tree; an AOE threat skill for the pet, a more reliable damage mitigation or self heal for Mr. Bear, and my baby:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>Lasso/Graple shot: like deathgrip and lifegrip, so the hunter throws a lasso or fires a snare and line at the target... we already use the "mob on a rope" graphics and mechanic a lot since Cata' questing, so that's a good start. Keeping things interesting though; if you lasso a friend, like lifegrip, the hunter could pull their agro-causing friend out of harm, conversly though, tag an enemy and the hunter hauls on the rope, swinging the mob toward the tanking pet... comeon' its thematic its practical, there's presedant...</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>it all makes sense.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>Sure there would be balance to address but there always is... and yes, I realse putting your life in the huntard's hands is scary but who knows maybe a taste of responability and we might man up, no more Feign Death and 'lolz'</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>So Blizz', get our lassos ready, Hunters, get your shit together, it's on you this time! And in the mean time</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>...Swear Allegiance!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0