World of Warcraft

I read an interesting thread today on the forums suggesting that the current battlegrounds were in need of some improvement, both to the reward system and to the battlegrounds themselves. So I gave it some thought came came up with some improvements I think would be helpful. Feel free to agree or disagree, just an idea.

General Improvements

It irks me a little when I see people complain that the PvP system “rewards for losing.” I think that the current system in concept is fine. Players do and should receive a consolation prize for actively participating in a battleground or arena, because if you’ve ever tried to bring an alt through the first few weeks of arenas (without buying it) or played Alliance on most battlegroups…sometimes you’re just destined to lose. If there was no reward at all for losing, players would simply stop queuing, and no one who likes to PvP wants that.

Instead I think there should be incentives in place to encourage players to try and achieve victory. If a close-fought battleground match ends in a loss, reward the players who fought to the end with extra honor or 2 marks instead of 1. This would encourage (but not require) players to fight harder for a greater reward, even if it’s still not as good as winning.

More active enforcement of the AFK policy would also be helpful, I think. It’s downright frustrating when you’re duking it out for every node in Arathi Basin only to get pushed back because 2 of your players are still back at the starting graveyard staring at the wall. Take away the incentive to do this or punish players who violate participation rules.

Specifics

So there you have it. Nothing too substantial or revolutionary, but I think it would go a long way in improving the overall gameplay.

While I never got the gumption to go ahead and create a team of my own (holding off until the 2nd tournament to see how this plays out), I follow the arena tournament pretty closely. If you visit the forums, you’ll probably notice at least 10 posts saying “OMG I HATE ARENA REMOVE DEM NOW!” Please, do yourself a favor, and ignore all of them. Whether you like arena or not, half of them are trolls, and really it’s not worth getting into an argument over anyway. Personally I think the arena system has been a fascinating addition, and competing for money ups the ante quite a bit.

As you can see, the competition is starting to widdle out the lesser teams, leaving the top contenders to duke it out for the number one spot. I’d liken it to watching people play poker. While I can’t do it for more than 10 minutes at a time, all the while I’m curious as to what drives a player to pick a particular strategy. Int eh case of arenas, what is it about a rogue/priest/mage that makes it a viable combination, especially given that mages are typically written off as arena fodder? I don’t know, but it sure is fun trying to find out!

In related news, Bornakk recently made a statement answering a question lingering on many a player’s mind. If a new patch goes through..does that affect the arena realm as well? It appears that it does, though I wonder what ramifications that could potentially have on the competition. If a class gets nerfed too far in the midst of the tournament, and suddenly becomes less effective…what does that mean for players who are competing and picked that class? I’d wager that Blizzard will be taking any balance changes very seriously for this very reason. Here’s the exact quote:

” While we have no public release date for patch 2.4.2, on a day that a new patch goes live, it will affect all realms including the Tournament Realms.”

We’ll see how it all turns out, eh?

In case you weren’t aware, the above picture is Bobby Kotick, the man who engineered a raid turn around of Activision which, at the time, was essentially a failing game studio. Since his taking of the reins the company has flourished and in a recent display of just how far it’s come, Activision merged with Vivendi’s game division (That includes Blizzard).

Many players have wondered what the merger will mean for not only World of Warcraft but all future games made by the firm. Some undoubtedly are wary of the fact that other mergers of this kind tend to kill the heart and soul of the game studio and make them another faceless facet of a large corporation. Electronic Arts, the biggest gaming firm out there, is downright infamous for said tactics.

With this in mind, a recent interview with Kotick revealed some insight into what direction Activision will take it’s partnership with Blizzard. Here are the important takeaways from the interview:

I take it that in the Vivendi merger, you were most interested in Blizzard’s World of Warcraft.

We started hearing the rumors of how profitable that was. My guys kept telling me about the business, and I didn’t believe it. But we realized that this is not just a game. It’s a social network with a lot of elements, and people rely on the game for a lot more than just entertainment. It wasn’t the kind of thing that something else would come along and displace.

How did the deal happen?

We made an offer. It was more than we’d ever offered for anything—billions, almost equal to our own market value. And Vivendi said, “We’d really like not just to sell you the business but actually to become your partner.”

I would of course take this with a grain of salt, as any company describes a deal it’s made in favorable terms and wouldn’t ever come out and say “we plan to fire most of the original team and do our own thing.” However Kotick is a unique individual, and given his successes in other areas of the industry, it’s entirely possible that this may be a good move for Blizzard after all.

Auction House Arbitrage is one of those things that everyone claims is the easiest thing ever. Seriously, go over to the forums and mention it, and you’re practically guaranteed to get “I made XXXXX gold doing arbitrage, people are stupid” or some variation of that. It’s not quite as easy as some say, but it is true that anyone and everyone is capable of doing some gaming on the auction house in some scale. I don’t get too involved with it, but occasionally I’ll see an opportunity and go for it. Which brings us to my first point…

All in all auction house arbitrage can be fun and profitable, if done the right way. Good luck!

Being an ongoing player of an MMO often leaves you wondering what’s next for the game. After all, even the average player has put a relatively significant amount of time into developing their character, and knowing the game’s direction is important because you’d like to know whether you approve or not of the upcoming changes. This is especially true given the number of “wow killer” MMOs that are soon to be released such as Warhammer Online and Age of Conan. Personally I doubt that either of these are ready to take on Warcraft yet, but they may leech some of the playerbase, to be sure. Being an avid fan of the Warhammer Universe, I’m excited to at least try the game out.

Unfortunately Blizzard has been somewhat tight lipped as to what the expansion really has in store for us. We’ve heard some tidbits about new monsters, dungeons, and of course the new “hero” class, the Death Knight, but the nitty gritty has thus far been kept away from public view. The most recent interview (found here) does help to shed some light on Wrath of the Lich King’s upcoming release. Here are some of my favorite parts, in no particular order:

“We now feel that the main villains of The Burning Crusade could have been a little more visible from the moment you entered Outland. For example, players could go all the way to level 70 without catching a glimpse of their nemeses. In Wrath of the Lich King, we’re going to engage players in the conflict with the primary antagonist from the beginning. By giving them Arthas as a clearly visible arch-enemy to focus on, we also create a stronger sense of purpose and a narrative pull that will continue to increase as the player progresses.”

“The method of transportation we settled on is a giant turtle with a deck mounted on top of its shell, very much like the turtles from Warcraft II. It’s simple, effective, grounded in Warcraft lore, but it’s also one of those light moments that are so important to create the iconic Warcraft feel.”

“There’s a story arc that ties all the zones of the expansion together, and the snow becomes a visual component of this common theme. The relatively green and “temperate” starting areas will be fairly densely populated, but as the story progresses we expect players to get more spread out.”

A more involved story line is definitely something I’d be interested in! I’ve always liked to think that the World of Warcraft Universe is more about developing the game’s (and your own) storyline as much as it is the “epix.” Here’s to hoping, eh?

Ever since the arena system was first implemented, players have complained about the ease in which the gear was obtained. Any player, theoretically speaking, could lose 10 matches a week and still end up with a full set of epic gear that they didn’t “earn” (the merits of “earning” in this case are a bit fuzzy). To combat this, Blizzard first introduced a rating requirement on the top season weapons and shoulder pieces as well. This meant that only teams of a certain caliber had access to that firepower. As the season’s have progressed, however, Blizzard has looked to tighten the reins on the ease in which players can get current season gear. In it’s latest change, Blizzard announced that all pieces of the Season 4 Arena Set will require a substantial team rating or you won’t be able to use it at all. As per Drysc, a Blizzard CM:

” Yes, the Season 3 honor items will still be available for purchase without a rating requirement after Season 4 starts.

There will be two sets of “non-set” items once Season 4 begins. The Season 4 honor items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) some of which will require a rating, and the Season 3 items (boot/belt/bracer/etc) which still won’t require any rating.

Just to sum up, when Season 4 begins:

Season 1 honor set: Removed

Season 2 arena set: Moved to honor, no rating requirement

Season 3 non-set honor items: Staying
Season 3 arena set: Arena rating and cost requirements lowered

Season 4 non-set honor items: Added with rating requirement
Season 4 arena set: Added to Arena with increased rating requirement”

Whether this puts Warcraft on a slippery slope in terms of locking out a large portion of the playerbase to upgraded pvp gear I don’t know, it’s much too early to tell. On one hand the best of the best should have access to the best pvp gear, but on the other it purposely creates a system of haves and have nots. No matter how you slice it, getting totally destroyed in pvp with no chance of beating your opponent because he has gear you simply can’t get access to if you tried may revert the game to the way it was pre-expansion. Many were on the verge of quitting at that point, but the previous season gear will still be available, so we’ll have to see how it all plays out.

As an avid engineer, I tend to bristle a bit when I hear players complain about the lack of marketable materials we can make. After all, most engineering devices require being an engineer to use, so why would anyone buy one when they can make it themselves? To that I usually say that the craft isn’t about money, it’s about fun! But for those who still insist that any trade should be able to make money, I have my fallback point, the mote extractor. Obtained through an easy quest in Zangarmarsh (Telredor for alliance), this extractor is one of the greatest gifts to engineering ever conceived. You’ll be able to zoom through a variety of outland zones and suck out motes from clouds that you pass by. Depending on the type of cloud a different mote will pop out. Since primals are ALWAYS in demand on the auction house (except for earth, but we don’t bother with earth, anyway), you can make damn good money collecting motes. Here’s the skinny:

All in all I’d say if you dedicate yourself to it you can make good money hunting down motes with your extractor. If you happen to be a miner (most engineers are) then an added bonus is any veins you’ll find along the way. Being an engineer may not be the most profitable profession ever, but is the most flashy (flash bombs, that is)!

There seems to be an endless debate as to what constitutes a “raider” or someone that raids on a regular basis, and a “casual” player, who can’t really dedicate the time required to complete end game content. The problem, as I see it, is that it terribly oversimplifies why a player does what he or she does. I know a lot of guild mates that raid end game instances, but they’re not all about the loot, they just like meeting up with friends and heading through a challenging dungeon. Conversely there are plenty of players out there who put a lot of hours in each week but simply don’t raid and focus on other in game endeavors. We all fall into our own playstyle, whatever that may be, and they’re all equal when you break it down to the bottom line, which is that we all pay our subscription costs!

Some players, however, would like the challenge of raiding without the rough scheduling involved (usually 3-5 days a week at 3-6 hour goes). Instead they’d like to see some end game content but not necessarily all. They want to progress but not really go all out. They’re willing to come prepared to a raid, consumables in hand and strategies in head, but not for 4-6 nights a week, maybe one or 2.

I tend to fall into this category as well, though I prefer smaller man content. I’m happily chugging through Zul’Aman, but I also like to hit up SSC on occasion too! For me, I don’t mind scheduling some things around raiding, but if I happen to want to head out to dinner or go out with friends, I’ll be sure to let our raid leader know in advance. I could never be in a guild that “required” attendance or a 75% of all raids requirement, because I like to keep my schedule flexible enough to make those changes.

If you’re looking to get into raiding but on a casual basis, check out http://sasu-er.org for a look at what’s possible. Or you can start a group on your own using the guide over at wowinsider.

I recently came across this trailer over at WoWInsider. A cross between Unreal Tournament and Warcraft graphics, I figured readers would get as much of a kick out of this as I did!

Enjoy your weekend!

Since it was first taken advantage of, a wide complaint by players concerning the arena was teams getting a high rating, gathering all of the latest season gear, and then selling the team off to players in greens and blues for gold. From where I stand, it completely goes against the spirit in which arena pvp was designed.

In a recent interview at gamespy, however, Blizzard Developer Tom Chilton insinuated that the company will be taking action soon. You can read the whole interview here, but I’ll cut and post the meat of it for this post:

GameSpy: Have you looked internally at the distribution of players doing arenas on the live realm, separating those who are playing competitively with those selling teams or just tanking games to get gear?

Tom Chilton: We don’t really have any way of knowing that. We can’t distinguish what the intent of a given player is, whether they consider themselves to be competitive or whether they’re just doing it for the gear or whatever. Certainly as far as players who are trying to exploit the system through loopholes, we have some changes coming in a patch just a few weeks away where we’ll close a lot of those loopholes.

GameSpy: Are you able to talk about those changes yet?

Tom Chilton: Not just yet.

GameSpy: But we can expect the changes will be targeted at the point-selling teams.

Tom Chilton: Point selling, personal rating selling.

GameSpy: The two big things that players seem like they’re against are the point-selling teams, since you can face highly skilled and geared players at even the low ratings, and those who bring alts or friends on a team to tank a team so that they can then get a high personal rating on the real team.

Tom Chilton: Exactly, that’s what we’ll be addressing.

Personally, I’m elated to here this news. While I’m not what you would say a “hardcore” competitor in the arenas, I am a competitive person and firmly believe that the best players deserve to be at the top with the accolades, not whoever has the most money.

Things have been fairly quiet today, albeit with some venom over on the forums. Apparently, some realms were unexpectedly down yesterday for a number of hours. On top of that these realms also have to go through the usual scheduled maintenance today! Neither of these events would’ve affected me since I work through the day, but I can empathize with those players who work different hours and get stuck with maintenance when they are free. When I worked a 4 day work week (10 hour days) I would sometimes have Tuesdays off, and I hated not being able to roll out of bed, put on coffee, and relax for a bit with some WoW.

In other news, I also came across a fairly humorous comic, Noobz Online. You can read that right here.

World of Raids has reported that the new season 4 shoulders will now require a rating of 2200, as per the image below:

That pretty much puts them out of reach for me. I started with no resilience at all, and so have been getting blasted for quite awhile in the arena, but have slowly gained a solid setup through battlegrounds and the trickling arena points. Whilst I’m sure I could maybe get up to 17-1800, I doubt I’ll ever hit the 2200 mark. I’d be curious to see what Blizzard’s line of thinking was when making this change…if it is in does end up going live anyway. Seems rather excessive to limit the gear to the very tippy top tier. But maybe that’s just one of the trappings of success, eh?

It’s true, after months of inadvertent saving, it appears that I finally collected enough to get my very own flying mount. Sure it’s a bit late tot he game, but the best part was I hadn’t even been trying to obtain it! After some time of doing dailies, transmutes, and other quests leveling up some alts (paladins are a bear to level…), I found that I was quite close to the mark! Here are some tips if you’re saving for an epic flyer of your very own:

With the addition of the Shattered Sun Offensive and the recent expansion of the daily quest limit to 25, this is far and away one of the easiest ways to earn gold. May personal favorite is the auchenai spirit towers daily, picked up from allerian stronghold or stonebreaker hold. The towers reset every 6 hours, and you only need to capture one!

I don’t really recommend “farming” for primals, but you are BOUND to get primals along the way from the various mobs that drop motes in dungeons, while questing, etc. Save these and head over to the AH. With the new content and new gear coming out with the latest patch, these have seen a significant increase in price, and so you’d be well advised to sell them if you’re aiming for a mount before the expansion.

Much of my revenue for the mount came from my bank. There is all sorts of items that will sell on the auction house for serious money. Rep related items like armaments and arcane tomes, netherweave cloth, various gathering skill extras. Liquidate your bank, inventory what you have, and sell it off peacemeal. You’ll be shocked at what you can get!

Good luck!

Slightly old news, but I thought it worth mentioning that today is the last day to submit your chance to win a brand new set of Warcraft TCG cards. Even if you don’t play the game, the nether rocket (an ultra rare card) alone would make it worth your while! How’s it work? Read on..

The premise is surprisingly simple. Just follow the link here and send them a 10 word short story. It’s really NOT as easy as it sounds. Trying to put together a story of 10 words or less doesn’t really seem like a story at all. If you’re in need of inspiration, some rather hilarious examples are provided by the Penny Arcade guys.

In other news, with the impending release of Warcraft’s latest expansion, many players are interested in getting in on the ground floor, aka the beta. If you’ve ever wondered just how they go about deciding who’s in and out (I’ve gotten lucky in this regard, and did manage to get into Warcraft’s original Beta, Warhammer Online I was not so lucky….), Neth over at Blizzard shed some light on the subject for us:

“We print up sheets of paper with people’s account names on it and then hang them up on a big wall. We then put on blindfolds and get out the darts. Sometimes it gets a bit dangerous if someone tries to get fancy and spins the person throwing the darts, but it seems to work…

Or, for a more serious answer, it’s largely random. We do our best to make sure we have a good mix of players. I’ve seen it before where one friend has posted on the forum about another friend who got in but they didn’t and why didn’t they when their friend is the one that only plays casually and they (the op) are the one that is hardcore. We’re not looking to pick one demographic to help do the testing. We look for a good mixture of people with different play styles and interests. It gives a decent snapshot of what issues need fixed or tweaked prior to release.”

There you go! I hope my name gets hit.. though with 10 million players, that would be the biggest dartboard of all time.

As per the usual, everyone seems to be quite interested as to which class is up next to be buffed. If you read the forums with any sort of consistency, you’ll run across endless threads stating “BUFF X!” or “NERF Y!” At the present moment, most of these complaints are in regards to classes like restoration druids (in arenas) and warriors (also in arenas). Other classes are seen to be underpowered and in need of help, such as balance druids and retribution paladins. What does Blizzard think in all this? It’s unusual for them to come out and directly say anything about buffs or nerfs until they are loaded up on the PTR. Bornakk, a blizzard CM, had this to say:

“We did cover in an episode of BlizzCast that we would like to improve the effectiveness of Daggers for Rogues, yes.”

” We have mentioned in the past that we would like to improve Retribution Paladins in Wrath of the Lich King, we just don’t have a lot of specific details to release regarding this right now. We did say we plan on changing how their abilities work to share gear with warriors which will help make it easier for them to gear up though.”

As you can see, some changes are in order leading up to and including the newest expansion, Wrath of The Lich King. If you’re either one of the above listed classes, there’s at least some hope for you that Blizzard is paying attention and will properly improve your spec to be viable!

Through my usual perusing for issues and feedback on the Warcraft Forums, I recently came across a post from a Blizzard Community Moderator in response to a question about the expansion. The player in question wondered if we would see an extreme change in gear levels and quality much like we did with the introduction of The Burning Crusade. Some (I wasn’t) players were upset that the gear they had previously was almost immediately replaced by higher quality greens obtained from the introductory quests in Hellfire Peninsula. If you’re interested, here is Bornakk’s Response:

“One of the goals in expansions is to level the playing field a bit for players and we like providing extra opportunities for players who (just as an example) want to get to high-end content but are currently far behind on things.

Keep in mind that the availability of higher level items is greater than it was before the launch of The Burning Crusade.

So take that for what it’s worth. :)”

As you can see, it appears that this somewhat extreme change was done with the intent of evening the playing field between players. The release of an expansion often brings in new and returning players as well as those of us who don’t have the time to experience “end-game” content and gear, and so new equipment from the start comes as a welcome relief to players who are perpetually behind the gear curve. This also allows players to experience the new instances sooner and with greater chances of success.

While this may agitate some players, I’d fully expect this trend to continue with the release of Wrath of the Lich King. It’s just the way of MMOs that your current gearset will eventually be replaced. Whether it’s through a new shiny epic from the Black Temple, or a quest from a brand new expansion, you’re going to have to progress and move on, and your equipment is along for the ride.