tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74568017216063163292024-03-05T04:45:53.517-08:00The Lion GuardAh! A chance to use this freshly blunted mace!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-33940572836211476732015-03-03T16:21:00.000-08:002015-03-03T16:21:41.455-08:00Clarifying WoW Token MisconceptionsAs I'm sure you probably know, Blizzard has provided the first round of details on their announced legitimized gold-buying system, called <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/18141101">WoW Tokens</a>. The system essentially allows players to use real world currency to buy WoW Tokens worth 30 days of game time and then sell those tokens to other players for gold via the auction house - <i><b>except that brief description is exceptionally misleading if that's all you read about the system</b></i>. Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas did an <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/02/world-of-warcrafts-new-real-money-for-gold-effort-brings-more-free-to-play-to-blizzards-cash-cow/">interview with VentureBeat</a> where he explained some additional details, and those details paint a vastly different picture of the system than you'd expect just by reading the first half of the previous sentence.<br />
<br />
So, here is a post taking those clarifications and putting them in bullet-point form for easier digestion. There's a lot of info here, but most of it is fairly important, especially if you're looking to use the system yourself.<br />
<br />
<b><u>If you purchase a WoW Token with real world currency:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>you cannot:</b></li>
<ul>
<li><b>use the token yourself to add game time to your account;</b></li>
<li><b>set the gold price of your token</b> (you either list it for the going rate or don't list it at all);</li>
<li>trade the token to another player via the trading interface;</li>
<li>mail the token to another player via the mailbox;</li>
<li>deposit the token into a guild vault;</li>
<li>vendor the token; nor</li>
<li>destroy the token;</li>
</ul>
<li><b>you can only:</b></li>
<ul>
<li>move the token around in your own inventory; and/or</li>
<li>sell the token for the current set gold price via the Game Time tab on the auction house.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>If you purchase a WoW Token with in-game gold:</u></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>you cannot:</b></li>
<ul>
<li><b>resell the token you purchased</b> via the Game Time tab on the auction house;</li>
<li>trade the token to another player via the trading interface;</li>
<li>mail the token to another player via the mailbox;</li>
<li>deposit the token into a guild vault;</li>
<li>vendor the token; nor</li>
<li>destroy the token;</li>
</ul>
<li><b>you can only:</b></li>
<ul>
<li>move the token around in your own inventory; and/or</li>
<li>use the token to add game time to your account.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>Regarding the involvement of the Auction House:</u></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>WoW Tokens are bought and sold via their own system that is not like the WoW auctioning system with which players are currently familiar:</li>
<ul>
<li><b>there are no individually set prices;</b></li>
<li><b>there is no real "auctioning" involved;</b></li>
<li>there is no bidding;</li>
<li>there is no up-front deposit to list a token;</li>
<li>there is no Auction House cut taken from the sale price;</li>
<li>there is no expiration time on token listings;</li>
<li>token listings cannot be cancelled;</li>
<li>the system is region-wide (Americas, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, China) and not limited by realm;</li>
</ul>
<li>the system is more akin to NPC vendors</li>
<ul>
<li>anyone selling tokens puts theirs up at the currently set price, like vendoring an item except you have to wait a while for your gold to be mailed to you;</li>
<li>anyone buying tokens purchases theirs at the currently set price, like buying from a vendor;</li>
</ul>
<li><b>the only choice players have is to:</b></li>
<ul>
<li><b>buy / sell at the current price;</b></li>
<li><b>refuse to buy / decline to sell at the current price.</b></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>Additional important stuff:</u></b></div>
<ul>
<li>Real world currency cost for the tokens will not be cheaper than monthly subscription rates;</li>
<li>Gold prices for tokens</li>
<ul>
<li>will initially be set by Blizzard on a per-region basis (because gold value varies by region), but</li>
<li>will eventually be taken over by an algorithm that looks at the historical supply and demand of tokens to balance prices per region;</li>
<ul><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<li><b>Gold can be created or destroyed</b> in the system, as</li>
<ul>
<li>buyers will only ever pay the current gold price for tokens, <i>regardless of the price at which the tokens were listed;</i></li>
<li>when a token is sold its seller will receive the gold price quoted at the time of listing <i>regardless of the token's purchase price; </i>thus</li>
<ul>
<li>if the price goes up after a seller lists a token, the buyer will pay that price but the seller will not receive extra gold; conversely</li>
<li>if the price goes down after a seller lists a token, the buyer will pay the lower price but the seller will still receive all of the gold they were quoted at the time of listing;</li>
</ul>
<li>Blizzard is okay with gold being created or destroyed as prices slowly change if it means that sellers don't have to guess about how much gold they will actually receive once their token sells;</li>
</ul>
<li>Tokens will generally be sold in the order that they are listed;</li>
<li>If you run out of game time but have enough gold on a character to buy a token, you can do so directly from the character select screen and it will automatically add the game time to your account;</li>
<li>The WoW Token system launch likely won't launch everywhere at once - it will likely be a staggered release to allow Blizzard the opportunity to troubleshoot problems before it becomes available worldwide.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>FRAUD PREVENTION and PROTECTION:</u></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Blizzard will protect both buyers and sellers of tokens from fraudulent purchases, so</li>
<ul>
<li>if a buyer uses illicitly-obtained gold to purchase a token, that gold will not be taken away from the innocent seller; and</li>
<li>if a seller uses fraudulently-obtained tokens to make gold, the tokens / game time will not be taken away from the innocent buyer.</li>
</ul>
<li>Like current auction house systems, buying tokens for gold will likely be instantaneous, but selling them will likely include a delay while Blizzard performs a fraud review, though</li>
<ul>
<li>players with established credit histories with Blizzard may have a shorter delay.</li>
</ul>
<li>Additional limitations, such as a limits on the number of transactions allowed per account, may also be a factor.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<hr />
<div>
<br />
I think one of the interesting aspects of the WoW Token system is that tokens that are purchased with real world currency can only be sold for gold, and tokens purchased with gold can only be used for game time. That seems to be a feature designed specifically to combat players who might otherwise try to play both sides of the market and thereby wreak havoc on exchange rates. Combined with the fact that tokens will cost at least as much as a single month's subscription, this means that each token transaction will require a fairly decent profit margin just to keep up with the discounts given by 3- and 6-month subscription options.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-41505359636801510542015-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:002015-02-11T08:00:01.542-08:00BWBT: Favorite Blizzard TitleYesterday's <a href="http://blizzardwatch.com/2015/02/10/breakfast-topic-whats-your-favorite-blizzard-title/">Blizzard Watch Breakfast Topic</a> (BWBT) posed the question "what is your favorite Blizzard title?". For me, that's a surprisingly difficult question to answer. I have and have played nearly all of the Blizzard games available to me - some long after their initial release, such as with <i>The Lost Vikings</i> and <i>Blackthorne</i> (both of which are available for download for free via Battle.net). All of the Blizzard-made WarCraft, StarCraft, and Diablo games have a home on my computer, alongside <i>Hearthstone</i> and <i>Heroes of the Storm</i>.<br />
<br />
If the question were which Blizzard franchise was my favorite, I would answer "<i>WarCraft</i>" in a heartbeat - it was introduced to me at a young age by the same person who introduced me to other core geeky fandoms such as <i>Star Wars</i> and <i>Magic: the Gathering</i>. <i>WarCraft: Orcs and Humans</i> introduced me to the RTS genre. <i>WarCraft II</i> is why I care about game story and lore, not just in WarCraft games but in every game I play. <i>WarCraft III</i> showed me how awesome pre-rendered cinematics could be, thereby sparking my interest in the topic of video game creation.<br />
<br />
<i>World of Warcraft</i> is certainly the title I've played the most, but at times I miss the army vs. army nature of its RTS predecessors. When <i>World of Warcraft</i> was still in early development, I remember seeing playable orcs dressed as grunts and humans dressed as footmen and found myself somehow attracted to the idea of playing the footman in a massively expansive RTS world. Of course, that's not at all how the MMORPG turned out, but if it wasn't for that idea lodging itself in my head, I likely would have passed on the monthly subscription fee.<br />
<br />
I think in the end, I'm going to have to go with <i>WarCraft II</i> as being my favorite Blizzard title (the <i>Beyond the Dark Portal</i> expansion pack edges out the original <i>Tides of Darkness</i> if I have to pick between them). It's old and dated, and no longer nearly as much fun to play after having experienced the massive UI and AI advancements made in <i>WarCraft III</i> and <i>StarCraft II</i>, but everything I like about <i>WarCraft</i> games can be traced back to those titles. I became interested in WarCraft lore because the <i>WarCraft II</i> introduced me to characters like Anduin Lothar, Turalyon, Kurdran and Sky'ree. The first video game cinematic that ever hooked me in was the <i>WarCraft II</i> cinematic involving the catapult and zeppelin. <i>WarCraft II</i> is what drew me to the Paladin archetype, and where I became enamored with gryphons.<br />
<br />
So yeah, it's more about nostalgia than anything else, but if I had to pick, that would be my answer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-87004722534611978762015-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:002015-02-10T08:00:10.757-08:00To Answer the Question Lingering in the Air......a witch turned me into a newt.<br />
<br />
...I got better.<br />
<br />
On a more serious note, If you're wondering where I've been since late 2013, I've been working alongside several other Feathermoon realm RPers to co-host and edit the <a href="http://feathermap.net/podcast/">Feathermap Podcast</a>, a small podcast that covers topics relating to RP on our realm. Feel free to check it out if that kind of thing interests you. A new episode in which we delve into the lore found in the Shadowmoon Valley, Frostfire Ridge, Gorgrond, and Talador zones just came out and should be available <a href="http://feathermap.net/podcast/index.php?id=41">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-12461487338671731782015-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:002015-02-09T08:00:01.527-08:00How to City Hop EfficientlyWorld events like Love is in the Air and Pilgrim's Bounty can be exhausting - they ask you to trek across the globe on a daily basis, visiting each of your faction's capital cities in order to maximize your chances of getting whichever event rewards you're after. Without a mage to open portals for you, this might seem like a monumental task, but it's not as difficult as it initially appears.<br />
<br />
First of all, it's best to start at one of the faction cities furthest from Stormwind City or Orgrimmar - either Darnassus or Exodar for Alliance or Undercity or Silvermoon City for Horde will work, since each pair has a mechanism to quickly travel to the other city (a portal between Darnassus and Exodar and a teleportation orb between Undercity and Silvermoon). Once you've completed tasks in both cities, take the Portal to Hellfire Peninsula near the portal trainers in any city. Once past the loading screen, you'll find yourself standing right in front of a portal to Stormwind City or Orgrimmar - just turn around and hop through the portal and that's 3 cities down, 1 to go.<br />
<br />
From Stormwind or Orgrimmar, make your way to Ironforge or Thunder Bluff. It doesn't matter much whether it's by tram, zepplin, flight master, or hearthing to a Shrine or Ashran and taking the portal to the final city. And if you need to get back to Stormwind or Orgrimmar, the route through the Hellfire Peninsula portals is always open.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-80193859584419120032015-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:002015-02-10T01:29:28.830-08:00Farm Up Lovely Charms - Surprise They're Made of Spiders!<div>
<i>If you didn't read the title of this post to the tune of the Lucky Charms jingle, I am horribly, horribly disappointed in you. =P</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Love is in the Air world event is approaching its halfway mark, and if you're after all of the pets and toys and achievements you'll probably need a ton of <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=49927/love-token">Love Tokens</a>, and that means farming up <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=49655/lovely-charm">Lovely Charms</a>. After all, each character can turn in up to 4 <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=49916/lovely-charm-bracelet">Lovely Charm Bracelets</a> per day for 5 <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=49927/love-token">Love Tokens</a> each (one per each of your faction's city leaders), and then each additional bracelet can be traded for a single token.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, there are lots of places where you can farm up <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=49655/lovely-charm">Lovely Charms</a> - <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/guides/world-events/holidays/farming-lovely-charms-in-warlords">WoWhead has a list</a> of good farming spots written by <a href="http://www.elvinelol.com/">Elvinelol</a>, but I think I've found a decent place that's not on the list: Deathweb Hollow.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkGOjKaNCAyEmC_stmHHSAS7y97OdirQ7LCv7969Da9IWAFJzmNQ9nmTjEBHxlhmliXdrKp9fmS7Zzb3FZaz527pPblrhjygn48rH2Ra8e2AOZBB-gyPrE5SZV_85ZJq-a9gAzYGGAGc/s1600/Talador+-+Deathweb+Hollow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkGOjKaNCAyEmC_stmHHSAS7y97OdirQ7LCv7969Da9IWAFJzmNQ9nmTjEBHxlhmliXdrKp9fmS7Zzb3FZaz527pPblrhjygn48rH2Ra8e2AOZBB-gyPrE5SZV_85ZJq-a9gAzYGGAGc/s1600/Talador+-+Deathweb+Hollow.jpg" height="209" title="Oh how I wish it were "Here there be dragons"." width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here there be spiders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Deathweb Hollow is full of spiders. Lots and lots of spiders. Also, there are clusters of spider eggs that spew out a handful of small baby spiders when stepped on. All of these mobs (which, in case you forgot, are spiders) are level 95+, so level 100 characters can kill them relatively easily while still qualifying for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=49655/lovely-charm">Lovely Charm</a> drops. They also award Bodyguard reputation if you happen to keep a bodyguard around, presumably to guard your body...from all the spiders. Additionally, there are two rare mobs in the area (both spiders, if you couldn't guess): <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=78872/klikixx">Klikixx</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=77634/taladorantula">Taladorantula</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=78872/klikixx">Klikixx</a> is inside the cave in the hollow, at the end of the upper path - a path conveniently filled with dozens of spider egg sacks which you can pop for tons and tons of potentially-<a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=49655/lovely-charm">Lovely Charm</a>-yielding kills. <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=77634/taladorantula">Taladorantula</a>, on the other hand, must be summoned in the clearing just up the hill past the cave entrance. How? By squashing dozens and dozens of baby spiders, of course! Sadly, these spiders don't qualify as proper kills since simply running over them will squash them, but the many adds summoned by <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=77634/taladorantula">Taladorantula</a> do count, and are quite easy to one-shot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Still not sold? Okay, I don't blame you, but look, just kill lots and lots of baby spiders with fire and tie their corpses into bracelets, then hand those to your faction leaders. I'm sure they'll appreciate it. What could possibly go wrong?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-22238607590476320722015-02-06T08:00:00.001-08:002015-02-06T08:00:09.436-08:00Yesterday, <a href="http://blizzardwatch.com/2015/02/05/warlords-soundtrack-nominated-for-ifmca-award/">Blizzard Watch reported</a> that the <i>Warlords of Draenor</i> soundtrack was nominated for an International Film Music Critics Association award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media, and I wholeheartedly agree that the nomination is well-deserved. This expansion's music has been nothing short of stunning.<br />
<br />
However, as amazing as the <i>Warlords of Draenor</i> music is, there is and always shall be one song that epitomizes WarCraft music in my mind - "Echoes of the Past".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/5OAfa4OoKtc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5OAfa4OoKtc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">This incarnation of the track originally appeared in <i>WarCraft III</i>, I believe, but failed to make it onto the <i>WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos</i> Collector's Edition soundtrack. It was, however, included in the original <i>World of Warcraft</i> Collector's Edition soundtrack, even though it didn't make it into the MMO until the Caverns of Time: Old Hillsbrad Foothills instance was introduced in <i>The Burning Crusade</i>.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">In any case, there's just something inherent to the interplay of percussion and woodwinds that makes it the first thing I that pops into my head whenever <i>WarCraft</i> music is brought up. I'm just really sad that Blizzard missed the opportunity to update the track and call it "Echoes of the Alternate Timeline Past". =P</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Anyway, I'm going to go listen to the song on repeat for the next few hours, because it's just that good.</span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-51951867920987474522015-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:002015-02-04T08:00:06.996-08:00WoW Insider is Dead. Long Live Blizzard WatchIt's probably somewhat telling that when I first found out that WoW Insider was closing its virtual doors, it was through a blog that wasn't WoW Insider itself. Over the years, I'd lost interest in most of its posts - opinion pieces, Know Your Lore, and The Archivist were pretty much the only articles I regularly read from that site, and even then usually quite a while after their publication.<br />
<br />
Thus, it came as something of a surprise to realize how sad I was to see it go.<br />
<br />
And a significant relief to find out that the former WoW Insider staff aren't dispersing into the wind, but rather sticking together to create the new <a href="http://blizzardwatch.com/">Blizzard Watch</a> site. I'm genuinely excited to see where they'll take the new blog, especially if they embrace their new identity and expand to regular coverage of other Blizzard titles. I get the feeling I'm going to be reading a lot more of their columns from now on.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-34389074250165908692013-08-07T08:09:00.000-07:002013-08-07T08:09:00.047-07:00Connected Realms: Is Blizzard "Illidan" Prepared?Yesterday, in a discussion amongst my fellow Feathermooninites about Blizzard's upcoming <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/10551009/Patch_54_Feature_Preview_Connected_Realms">Connected Realms</a> feature and what it means for our realm, my friend and former raid leader linked to the <a href="http://wow.realmpop.com/us.html">Realm Pop website</a> that gathers and analyzes data to attempt to create a census of the various different World of Warcraft realms. It's a pretty nifty site, and it starkly shows why a feature such as Connected Realms is so desperately needed when you compare the most character-heavy realm in the North American server set (Tichondrius, which has ~235,000 characters) to the least populated one (Chromaggus, which has only ~16,000 characters).<br />
<br />
Judging by population numbers alone, it seems unlikely that my realm of Feathermoon will undergo connection to another realm, since it's solidly a medium-population realm that is within the top 20% of realms in terms of character population. However, realm population isn't necessarily the only consideration for Connected Realms. According to <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/10551009/Patch_54_Feature_Preview_Connected_Realms">Blizzard's mini-FAQ</a> (underline mine):<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Q. Which realms will be connected as Connected Realms?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A. We haven’t decided yet which realms will be made part of a Connected Realm, or which other realms they’ll be connected to, though realms will only be connected to other realms of the same type (e.g. PvE to PvE, PvP to PvP, RP to RP). In the end, we’re considering a number of factors, including Battlegroup, population, and <u>faction balance</u>.</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
The faction balance portion of that statement is relevant, because it brings up the Illidan problem. Illidan is the second most populous realm with ~213,000 characters, but is also the second most faction-skewed realm with Horde characters comprising a full ~200,000 of that ~213,000 total (a ~15 Horde : 1 Alliance character ratio). So, what does Blizzard do in this case? Does Blizzard decide to ignore Illidan's extreme faction imbalance when it comes to connecting realms, or does Blizzard connect Illidan to one (or, likely, more) Alliance-heavy realms to mitigate the difference?<br />
<br />
If Blizzard decides to use this opportunity of creating Connected Realms to try to solve Illidan's faction woes, then I'd expect Blizzard to aim for at least ~350,000 characters or so for Illidan's Connected Realm cluster, which is significantly larger than the previously-mentioned Tichondrius' ~235,000 characters. In such a scenario, this would mean that if Connected Realms are to be made roughly similar in size, then <i>every</i> realm will have to be a part of a Connected Realm.<br />
<br />
I'm interested in seeing how Blizzard will decide to handle the Illidan issue - and if Illidan players will bombard Blizzard with "You were not prepared!" memes if Blizzard chooses not to address the faction imbalance with Connected Realms.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-50233159784699836342013-08-05T07:44:00.000-07:002013-08-05T07:44:00.386-07:00Blog Azeroth Shared Topic: A Little Sugar Goes a Long Way... This week's <a href="http://www.blogazeroth.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3521&sid=f1428a194c66f5d7541ef9053a19ab0d">Blog Azeroth Shared Topic</a> comes from <a href="http://wowsugar.blogspot.com/2013/07/dornaa-saves-day.html">Mataoka of Sugar & Blood</a>. It prompts:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"[C]onsider the nicest, cutest, sappiest, and sweetest quests in the game; nothing sad or depressing but sweet and light."</i></blockquote>
<br />
Personally my favorite "nice" quest in the game is <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=26192">Orphans Like Cookies Too!</a> in Stormwind City. It's one of the random daily cooking quests and tasks you with searching the various inns and general stores throughout the city to gather bags of confectioners' sugar to help Robby Flay finish a batch of cookies for the city's orphans. It's short, simple, and sweet as a sugar cookie. =P<br />
<br />
One of the reasons I like the quest (outside the obvious fact that you're baking cookies for orphans. <i><b>Cookies</b></i>. For <i><b>orphans</b></i>.) is that it's all the more meaningful if you've paid attention to WarCraft's lore. The cookies aren't just being baked out of the blue, they're being baked at the behest of King Varian Wrynn, who was himself orphaned at the end of the First War. Despite becoming one of the most powerful figures in the Alliance, it seems he's still able to spare some thought towards making the days of his city's most misfortunate a little bit brighter. A little sugar goes a long way, indeed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
PS: I totally didn't realize that the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=57246">Confectioners' Sugar</a> could be purchased from certain vendors around the city until I looked at the WoWhead comments while writing this post. I thought they were only obtained from looting the Sack of Confectioner's [sic] Sugar objects at the inns and stores. /facepalmUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-29813288718364125682013-07-08T08:33:00.000-07:002013-07-08T08:33:00.315-07:00Why Raid Finder?<div class="tr_bq">
A couple of weeks ago, Rohan of Blessing of Kings asked <a href="http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-lfr.html">Why LFR?</a> in a blog post based off of an <a href="http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1312465-Why-do-you-choose-LFR-over-Raid-Guilds">MMO-Champion forum thread</a>, the premise of which is that normal mode raiders are abandoning normal mode raiding in favor of the Raid Finder. I'm not going to go over what Rohan wrote, because his post is short and to-the-point enough that it's probably easier to click the link and read it for yourself than for me to rehash it here, but I do think there are a couple of other factors that are worth mentioning.</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/Ixidane">@Ixidane</a> Most of the players doing LFR just didn't raid at all before. They were never really eligible for recruitment.<br />
— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ghostcrawler/statuses/342523830163632128">June 6, 2013</a></blockquote>
<br />
First of all, the above tweet by Ghostcrawler indicates that Raid Finder players and normal mode raiders tend to be two different sets of people. There's certainly some degree of overlap, but by and large, players running Raid Finder are brand new raiders as opposed to former raiders. This calls the entire initial assertion into question, and considering Blizzard has access to far more data on the matter than the playerbase does, I'm willing to believe they know what they're talking about.<br />
<br />
So, if normal mode raiders aren't switching over to using Raid Finder as the sole fulfillment of their raiding desires, what's happening to them? As odd as it may sound, I think the answer lies within a nearly year-old article posted on GamesIndustry International just after the launch of Mists of Pandaria - <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-09-28-blizzards-success-isnt-magic-just-hard-work-and-open-minds">Blizzard's success isn't magic; just hard work and open minds</a>. The article isn't terribly long, and I highly suggest reading it in its entirety, but the key point is essentially that Blizzard has always aimed for accessibility, and as World of Warcraft becomes increasingly accessible the vocal hardcore players become flummoxed over the fact that Blizzard isn't treating them like the influential "whales" that conventional gaming wisdom tells them that they are, and so they begin to complain about this process. The Raid Finder and other systems that are perceived as "catering to the casuals" become the scapegoat for hardcore players' ire, and I think this following tweet shows exactly that happening, as well as posits a more likely explanation for where these normal mode raiders are disappearing to:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/IshayuG">@IshayuG</a> The fact is, WoW always lost lots of players. In the past, we tended to get as many or more new ones as we lost. Lately, less.<br />
— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ghostcrawler/statuses/343470645528641537">June 8, 2013</a></blockquote>
<br />
In other words, players aren't abandoning normal mode raiding in favor of Raid Finder, but rather the available pool of normal mode raiders is drying up as the overall playerbase contracts. However, even if World of Warcraft's subscriber base continues to erode, there are still upcoming features that will likely serve to boost normal mode raid participation. Flex Raids will allow Raid Finder players to get a taste of more standardized raiding, and hopefully convince them to move up to normal modes once bitten with the formal raiding bug; and Virtual Realms will consolidate player populations, allowing raid groups greater access to players who are interested and available for raiding, but unwilling or unable to transfer realms to do so.<br />
<br />
Hope is not lost. Keep calm and raid on.<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-16903905010015580422013-07-04T08:03:00.000-07:002013-07-04T08:03:00.614-07:00Happy Fire Mage Appreciation Day!Wait, what do you mean we're not supposed to detonate them?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>ಠ_ಠ</b></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-9783200819424767292013-06-27T08:34:00.000-07:002013-06-27T08:34:00.091-07:00Community Blog Topic: What Is Your Favorite Playable Race?<a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/06/25/community-blog-topic-what-is-your-favorite-playable-race/">This week's Community Blog Topic</a> from <a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/">WoW Insider</a> asks:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"So what is your favorite playable race? Is it also the race of your main character? Do you have several characters of your preferred race, or are you disloyal like me? Why do you prefer your favorite race?"</i></blockquote>
<br />
I've actually been asked these kinds of questions every so often since back when my primary experiences with games that had multiple playable races were StarCraft 1 and WarCraft 2. My answer has always been the same, and oddly enough, so has the response I receive whenever I provide said answer. My favorite playable race is <b>Humans</b>* because of heroes like Jim Raynor, Anduin Lothar, and Uther the Lightbringer. I'm not sure if it was because computer games were still growing into their role as a storytelling medium and thus game makers were unable to overcome the human experience when trying to craft relatable tales, but to me the human race always seemed to have a greater sense of depth and complex morality than other playable races. Part of what made human heroes so amazing to me was the fact that they could have chosen to take a different path - to negotiate away their convictions for the sake of pragmatism when faced with terrible odds - but they instead chose to stand by their ideals and fight for everything the very word "humanity" itself represents.<br />
<br />
It was awe-inspiring, and those human characters in those games with non-human playable races did more to shape who I am today than any other playable race I've run into since. As a result, humans will always have a place in my heart as my favorite playable race, and as it turns out, Human just so happens to be my main character's race, both in and out of the game. =P<br />
<br />
In regards to alternate characters - though they may as well be nonexistent based on how infrequently I play them - they're all different races. World of Warcraft's story is so rich and detailed that it feels like a wasted opportunity to have multiple characters of the same race while I still haven't leveled all of them. Since the likelihood that I will actually manage to level a character of each race up to the point where I'll begin to feel like can start creating duplicates is pretty much zero, I doubt I'll ever have more than one character of any given race - and that's perfectly alright by me. =)<br />
<br />
<br />
*: Oh, and if the first reaction that crossed your mind when I answered that was <i>"Humans? Isn't that a bit unoriginal/unimaginitive?"</i>, then I'll give you a moment to just let the irony of that thought sink in...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-53297814194652295882013-06-25T07:53:00.000-07:002013-06-25T07:53:00.177-07:00On Deterministic and Non-Deterministic Reward SystemsI was reading through <a href="https://twitter.com/holinka/">Brian Holinka's Twitter feed</a> a few weeks ago when I noticed his responses to these tweets by DanZiniti:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/DanZiniti">@DanZiniti</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Ghostcrawler">@Ghostcrawler</a> PvP gear is gained through a deterministic system while PvE gear is gained through a non-deterministic one.<br />
— Holinka (@holinka) <a href="https://twitter.com/holinka/statuses/345596986520645632">June 14, 2013</a> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/DanZiniti">@DanZiniti</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Ghostcrawler">@Ghostcrawler</a> We agree this isn't perfect system and we continue to discuss ideas.<br />
— Holinka (@holinka) <a href="https://twitter.com/holinka/statuses/345599528298242048">June 14, 2013</a></blockquote>
<br />
While the idea of PvE and PvP gear being identical is an intriguing one, I think it's ultimately impossible to balance to a satisfactory degree - too many players will feel like one method is more efficient than another and flock towards that content, even if they find it less fun. What interests me more about this tweet is the underlying idea that there should be a variety of ways to earn identical gear within a single format - that each piece gear should be obtainable both in deterministic and non-deterministic fashions.<br />
<br />
PvP gear already has a minor implementation of this concept in that the world bosses <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=69099">Nalak</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=60491">Sha of Anger</a> have small chances to drop specialization-appropriate Season 13 Tyrannical Gladiator's and Season 12 Malevolent Gladiator's gear, respectively, but by and large most PvP gear is purchased through the deterministic Conquest and Honor Point currencies. Personally, I think this system could be expanded to offer additional non-deterministic methods for earning season-appropriate gear, such as via raids on the opposing faction's capital cities, achieving victory in world PvP zones, and completing certain tough objectives in battlegrounds and arenas (like winning Alterac Valley or Isle of Conquest with more than half of your total reinforcements remaining, or winning 3 arena matches in a row). In order to minimize incentive to "game the system" and keep such rewards as a bonus, loot could be awarded in a manner similar to world bosses - namely you have a small chance to win a random piece of gear and a large chance to win a bag of gold or PvP-specific consumables- keeping things unpredictable.<br />
<br />
PvE gear, on the other hand, already has both deterministic (Valor and Justice Points) and non-deterministic (boss drops) systems for obtaining gear, but the fact that each system offers different gear can be problematic. For example, players who participate primarily in Raid Finder might feel pressured to replace tier gear that has fun set bonuses with less exciting Valor Point gear because of the item level difference, cheapening the value of boss drops, while players who engage in heroic raiding may be unable to take advantage of Valor Points' role as a consolation prize because the currency only offers rewards with item levels equivalent to normal mode raids. Thus, it makes sense to me to consolidate the two systems such that Valor Points could be used to purchase the same gear that bosses drop at the same item level as the player's highest-difficulty victory over that boss.<br />
<br />
I could envision such a consolidated system that works thusly:<br />
<ol>
<li>Any player would be able to purchase Raid Finder gear for Valor Points one week after that wing has opened for Raid Finder. This would require the total maximum Valor Points cap to be increased so players don't run into it while waiting to be able to purchase items.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Players who defeat a boss on Flex/Normal/Heroic difficulty would be able to purchase Flex/Normal/Heroic gear (respectively) from that boss' loot table for Valor Points.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Valor Point costs for purchasing items would be relatively higher, so that gearing doesn't become too efficient, and farming bosses stays attractive.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Both purchasing and upgrading items from higher difficulties would cost more Valor Points than those same items from lower difficulties.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Higher difficulties would allow proportionally more Valor Points to be earned per kill and per week, such that purchase and upgrade prices stay consistent with weekly progression (i.e. if Raid Finder players cap at 1000 Valor Points per week, spend 2000 points to purchase an item, and upgrade that item for 250 points, Normal raiders might cap at 1200 points per week, spend 2400 points to purchase an item, and upgrade it for 300 points).<br /><br /></li>
<li>Elite and Thunderforged-equivalent items would be acquired solely by drops, so Valor Points remain a consolation prize for bad luck and not a primary gearing method for raiders.</li>
</ol>
<br />
Such deterministic and non-deterministic hybrid systems for PvP and PvE gear aren't without their flaws, certainly, and I doubt Blizzard will go in that direction anytime soon, but it's an interesting thought, nonetheless.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-89614300911462091702013-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:002013-06-21T08:22:00.514-07:00Patch 5.4 PTR's Level 45 Talents for Holy Paladins<b><u>The Changes:</u></b><br />
Blizzard recently updated the Public Test Realm patch notes for World of Warcraft's 5.4 patch, which includes significant changes to the level 45 talent tier for Paladins. The <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/10158897/54_PTR_Now_Live-6_20_2013#paladin">relevant patch notes</a> are as follows: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Talents<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a>'s initial healing has been reduced by 30%. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> (Old) has been renamed to Holy Shield and is no longer a talent. Holy Shield is a Protection Paladin ability learned at level 85. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Sacred Shield (New)</li>
<ul>
<li>Holy: When the Paladin or their Beacon of Light target falls below 30% health, that target gains a Sacred Shield absorbing damage equal to 30% of their maximum health. Sacred Shield can only occur once every 2 minutes. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul><ul>
<li>Protection, Retribution: When the Paladin falls below 30% health, they gain a Sacred Shield absorbing damage equal to 30% of their maximum health. Sacred Shield can only occur once every 2 minutes. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul><ul>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> stacks now also work on <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=82326">Divine Light</a> in addition to <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=19750">Flash of Light</a>.</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114637">Bastion of Glory</a> will now apply <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a>'s bonus to healing to the casting Paladin as well as other targets and consume all stacks of <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114637">Bastion of Glory</a> in the process.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Holy</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=76669">Mastery: Illuminated Healing</a> no longer activates from periodic healing effects.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
Don't panic, though! Community Manager Rygarius clarified some of the changes and the intentions behind them in <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/9344634569#2">this forum</a> post. I'm not going to go over everything, but here are the salient points:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> was intended to be a viable option for Holy Paladins who happen to enjoy a playstyle that involves frequent usage of <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20271">Judgment</a>. Blizzard recognizes that not everybody enjoys this playstyle, so it's not meant to be an attractive talent for everybody.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a> was used far too frequently by Holy Paladins, so Blizzard is trying to figure out how to nerf it so <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> become viable choices. The 30% nerf to <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a>'s initial heal will probably be reverted, but the change to make it no longer stack Holy's <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=76669">Illuminated Healing</a> mastery is here to stay.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a>'s changes listed above are all pretty much going to be scrapped, because it buffs Protection too much and because the new Sacred Shield is unattractive for Holy and Retribution. Blizzard is looking for a way to make the currently existing talent more attractive to Holy and Retribution, but they haven't decided what exactly to do quite yet.</li>
</ul>
<div>
That means the level 45 talent changes for Holy Paladins at the moment amount to the much more easily manageable:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Talents<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> stacks now also work on <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=82326">Divine Light</a> in addition to <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=19750">Flash of Light</a>.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Holy</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=76669">Mastery: Illuminated Healing</a> no longer activates from periodic healing effects.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
<b><u>My Thoughts:</u></b><br />
I am actually somewhat intrigued by the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> changes. At level 90 and with 26,000 spellpower (roughly normal tier 15-geared), a 3-stack of <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> grants you the approximate healing power of a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=82326">Divine Light</a> plus a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=635">Holy Light</a> for the mana cost of a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=635">Holy Light</a> and 4 nonconsecutive global cooldowns. The big question I have, though, is how does it interact with <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=53576">Infusion of Light</a> procs? If the instant <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=82326">Divine Light</a> consumes the proc, then it loses much of its appeal, but if it leaves the proc untouched (or better yet, allows the instant <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=82326">Divine Light</a> to bypass triggering the global cooldown in exchange for consuming the proc), then it might be worthwhile to give this talent a second look.<br />
<br />
However, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> still has one fundamental flaw: <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20271">Judgment</a> just isn't really a Holy spell. Protection and Retribution both <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=105424">have</a> <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=111529">effects</a> that make it something worth casting relatively frequently, but Holy has no real reason to cast it except for this talent. Without some additional base effect for Holy, spending global cooldowns on <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20271">Judgment</a> will always be seen as a detriment, and I think <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=85804">Selfless Healer</a> will remain unpopular.<br />
<br />
As for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a>, the former's HoT ticks refreshing the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=76669">Illuminated Healing</a> mastery is a blatantly overpowered mechanic, and so many Holy Paladins choose this talent that I can see why Blizzard wants to tone it down, however the biggest reason why I chose <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a> over <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> (even though I had tried <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> first and prefer it conceptually over <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a>) is that <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a> benefits from haste, critical strike, mastery, and transfers over <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=53563">Beacon of Light</a>, whereas <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> only benefits from haste. Unless Blizzard allows <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> to benefit from Holy's strengths as well as <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a> does, I'm not sure it will ever be as attractive.</div>
<div>
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="background-color: #1a0f08; border: 0px; color: #efc9a0; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-34459637756860335122013-06-19T10:12:00.000-07:002013-06-19T10:12:00.754-07:00An Update on Objective-Specific PvP Inventory ItemsGood news, everyone: I'm either a genius or a prophet. =P<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/TheLionGuard">@TheLionGuard</a> Trying this out for SotA in 5.4<br />
— Holinka (@holinka) <a href="https://twitter.com/holinka/statuses/346796198616780800">June 18, 2013</a></blockquote>
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
For those of you who don't know Brian Holinka (<a href="https://twitter.com/holinka">@holinka on Twitter</a>) is the public face for the PvP side of World of Warcraft's design team. Also, this paragraph is brought to you by the wacky desire to ensure the post is actually longer than the title. <.<Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-17714862393286201062013-06-17T10:56:00.000-07:002013-06-17T10:56:00.764-07:00Are Objective-Specific PvP Inventory Items Still Necessary?While PvP in World of Warcrft has always involved the use of consumables, such as potions, bandages, and drinks, the Wrath of the Lich King expansion added a brand new type of inventory item for PvPers: objective-specific explosives. Explosives were actually fairly frequently used items in classic WoW PvP, and items such as <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=6714">Ez-Thro Dynamite</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=18588">Ez-Thro Dynamite II</a> were common sights on the faction auction houses because they were effectively cheap bonus damage, but those were more general use items than what I'm referring to. I'm speaking of items such as <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=42986">The RP-GG</a> in Lake Wintergrasp, <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=39213">Massive Seaforium Charge</a> in the Strand of the Ancients battleground, and both <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=46847">Seaforium Bombs</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=47030">Huge Seaforium Bombs</a> in the Isle of Conquest battleground, all of which were designed to help players demolish specific obstacles.<br />
<br />
However, one question comes to mind again and again when I encounter these items in their respective PvP zones: <i><b>why do these items still exist?</b></i><br />
<br />
By that question, I don't mean to imply that these items have outlived their usefulness and should be removed from the game - quite the opposite, in fact - but I ask because the fundamental mechanics of such explosives seems downright antiquated in the Mists of Pandaria age. These days, when Blizzard wants to give players access to a zone or encounter-specific ability, it often does so through a User Interface element named "<a href="http://www.wowpedia.org/ExtraActionButton1">ExtraActionButton1</a>", commonly just called the Extra Action Button because there has yet to be an "ExtraActionButton2". The Extra Action Button debuted in Cataclysm's Dragon Soul raid instance during the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=55294">Ultraxion</a> encounter, where it served as a way for players to activate the encounter-specific <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=106108">Heroic Will</a> ability to negate powerful attacks, and is now a frequently-used element in many of Pandaria's dungeons and scenarios.<br />
<br />
So here we have this user interface element that has dedicated screen real estate, can be activated by picking up specific objects (as evidenced by the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=111662">Smash!</a> ability granted by picking up Big Ol' Hammers dropped by slain Virmen <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=59551">Boppers</a> during and prior to the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=56717">Hoptallus</a> encounter in <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/zone=5963">Stormstout Brewery</a>), and is entirely unused in PvP - why not use it for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=42986">RP-GG</a>s and the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=39213">various</a> <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=46847">Seaforum</a> <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=47030">explosives</a>? Unlike raids, which tend to become less frequented over time, battlegrounds stay in use for <i>years</i>, and thus I think it makes sense to expend some resources to ensure that they stay up to date and modern.<br />
<br />
Also, we need a tabard wardrobe and a toy chest, because I no longer have spare inventory space for PvP bombs. <.<Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-4578551032088904412013-06-14T10:32:00.000-07:002013-06-14T10:32:01.003-07:00Metzen for a 5.3 DayRecently, a fellow Feathermooninite asked what we would do if we had the mythical lore-changing powers of Chris Metzen - Blizzard's Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development - for a day and could retroactively rebuild the lore of WarCraft as we saw fit. Since one day is quite a short period of time, it makes sense to me to focus on something that is not only relatively recent and seemingly easy to adjust, but also somewhat controversial: the Alliance storyline in regards to the Darkspear Rebellion in World of Warcraft's Patch 5.3: Escalation. I posted the general gist of this <a href="http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/2013/06/alliance-vs-horde-storyline-favoritism.html?showComment=1370321901151#c2146330041257946033">as a comment</a> to Rohan's <a href="http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/2013/06/alliance-vs-horde-storyline-favoritism.html">Alliance vs Horde Storyline Favoritism</a> blog post over on <a href="http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/">Blessing of Kings</a>, but I figured I would expand on the details here.<br />
<br />
The crux of this issue is, essentially, that the 5.3 storyline vastly downplays the Alliance's war preparations and focuses almost exclusively on the Horde's (both Garrosh's Horde and Vol'jin's uprising within the Horde). On the most basic level, this shows up in Orgrimmar where Garrosh's Kor'kron soldiers are cracking down on suspected resistance and marshaling forces and supplies not too far from the city gates, whereas there's no real indication in the open world that the Alliance is assembling a war fleet, constructing siege machinery, or gathering its troops above the normal activity in Stormwind Harbor. There's a scenario and related quest indicating that the Alliance isn't merely sitting around doing nothing, sure, but it gives no real sense that it's truly an Azerothian superpower rivaling the strength of the Horde. Additionally, while changes were made to Vol'jin's dialogue during the 5.3 Public Test to show that the Darkspear Rebellion really does need the Alliance's help if it wants to survive, it does nothing to dispel the perception that the Alliance is nowhere near on par with the Horde until the Horde splinters and turns against itself - and considering that the Horde's self-inflicted implosion also happens to be <i>the</i> major lore reason why the Alliance won the Second War, it feels unbalanced on some level that the Alliance only ever wins because the Horde decides to throw the game.<br />
<br />
Getting back to the topic at hand, what I would change for Patch 5.3's storyline would be to add elements that show that the Alliance is not only up to the challenge of taking the Horde head-on, but also actively preparing to take the fight to Orgrimmar. This comes in two parts, the first of which is to add the aforementioned war fleet, siege vehicles, and troop assemblages to Stormwind Harbor to give off the impression that the Alliance war machine has sprung to life and is steaming ahead full-tilt.<br />
<br />
The second - not to mention far more substantial and significant - change I would make would be to adjust the story so that the Alliance is no longer working to assist the Darkspear Revolution, but is instead working in its own interests to subvert Garrosh's hold in the Barrens and prepare for the inevitable attack on Orgrimmar. While this would include intentionally <b>not working against Vol'jin</b> in any way, it would also mean that Alliance players would no longer be subservient to him either, which feels much better than questing for the ungrateful jerk after he completely forgets that Alliance adventurers answered his call to arms when he sent Darkspear emissaries directly to Stormwind during the Cataclysm era (Patch 4.1: Rise of the Zandalari) and acts like <i>we're</i> the ones who somehow owe <i>him</i> for that.<br />
<br />
Since the question originally asked by my fellow Feathermooninite asked for specifics instead of just complaints, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about exactly how I would implement the second change, had I the power to do so. My thoughts are as follows, starting with the quest <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32808">A Little Field Work</a>.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32808">A Little Field Work</a>: Move Amber Kearnen and Sully "The Pickle" McLeary towards the southwest and closer to the path between Razor Hill and Orgrimmar.<br /><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32809">Gathering Intelligence</a>: Upon completing the quest and returning to Amber and Sully, a patrol of Darkspear batriders captures the player, Amber, and Sully, and takes them to where Zen'tabra is found for <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32810">The Darkspear Rebellion</a> quest.<br /><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32810">The Darkspear Rebellion</a>: This quest is effectively removed.<br /><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32871">Vol'jin of the Darkspear</a>: This quest becomes the new <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32810">The Darkspear Rebellion</a>, and Amber and Sully both accompany the player and Zen'tabra to Vol'jin. Upon completion, a modified version of the infamous <a href="http://www.wowpedia.org/Quest:Vol%27jin_of_the_Darkspear_(Alliance)#Notes">"calling Vol'jin's bluff"</a> dialogue plays out between Vol'jin and Amber, but Chen Stormstout steps in when things appear to be going badly and suggests that if the Darkspear and the Alliance can't work together, they should at least try to avoid working against each other. Amber and Vol'jin begrudgingly agree to a pact of nonaggression/noninterference and Chen Stormstout offers to act as a go-between.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Arming in Ashenvale: A new quest to make up for the removed part of the chain. Amber Kearnen tells the player to go find the Night Elf in charge in eastern Ashenvale and report recent events. She, Sully, and Chen then depart from Vol'jin's tower.<br /><br />In eastern Ashenvale, near the Azshara border, the player finds a small Night Elven camp, mostly made up of a pile of crates, a handful of Sentinels and wisps, an <a href="http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/buildings/ancientprotector.shtml">Ancient Protector</a>, <a href="http://www.wowpedia.org/Su%27ura_Swiftarrow">Su'ura Swiftarrow</a>, and Tyrande Whisperwind herself. Turning in the quest causes Amber, Sully, and Chen to materialize and act as NPCs for the new hub, as well as unlocking several new quests and dialogues.<br /><br />To replace the "calling Vol'jin's bluff" dialogue, Tyrande will instead have a dialogue option that explains the Alliance war plan, which is for Varian to attack by sea with the bulk of Alliances forces and lay siege to Orgrimmar's southern gate to Durotar whilst Tyrande leads a contingent of troops east from Ashenvale into Aszhara in order to seal off Orgrimmar's northern gate. (That would make it the Darkspear Rebellion's responsibility to liberate their strong point in the Valley of Spirits and close off the city's western gate into the Northern Barrens.)<br /><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32811">Battlefield: Barrens (initial)</a>: This quest would now be given by Tyrande Whisperwind with the purpose of stockpiling supplies in preparation for the coming ground assault on Orgrimmar. The methods for obtaining the Kor'kron supplies would be identical to present - killing Kor'kron commanders and laborers; stealing them from Kor'kron bases; scavenging overturned Kor'kron caravans; and escorting Alliance caravans.<br /><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32872">Battlefield: Barrens (weekly)</a>: Given by Su'ura Swiftarrow, this quest would be to further stockpile supplies for the Alliance, but would still yield a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=97849">Radical Mojo</a>. Supplies, as well as the mojo, could then be traded to Sully, who replaces <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=71226">Ravika</a>, the Darkspear Rebellion Quartermaster, for Alliance players.<br /><br /></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32815">The Old Seer</a>: The only difference here would be Chen Stormstout's location when starting the quest.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Personally, I think this approach would have been preferable for many Alliance players, not least of all because allowing Alliance players to do things <b><u><i>for the Alliance</i></u></b> while blatantly avoiding conflict with the Horde playerbase's chosen faction feeds into the ideas of faction loyalty and uneasy cooperation without portraying one entire side as equal to a mere fragment of the other. Additionally, it shows Alliance leaders being proactive and thinking strategically about what it really means to take the fight to Garrosh, rather than being on the back-foot all the time as has been the case throughout Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria. Finally, many Alliance players have complained about Blizzard's treatment of Tyrande Whisperwind recently, especially in the scenario A Little Patience where she gives the appearance of being too impatient and bloodthirsty to be an effective leader, and I feel like putting her in charge of a significant part of the faction's efforts in Kalimdor would do much to help repair her image and show she is still a capable and trusted figure of the Alliance.<br />
<br />
Oh, and also, I'd make it so /hugging Chen Stormstout would cause the player character to become drunk. That'd be canon. =PUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-20184166453695007422013-06-12T10:36:00.000-07:002013-06-12T10:36:00.220-07:00Blog Azeroth Shared Topic: Favorite Vanity ItemsThis week, I've decided to participate in the Blog Azeroth Shared Topic. The prompt is from Noahdeer from the blog <a href="http://bemop.wordpress.com/">Be MOP</a>, and states:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>World of Warcraft is known to have a lot of vanity items that you can collect from your adventures and in this expansion Blizzard introduced even more of these silly cosmetic items into the game.<br /> <br />This week's Shared Topic is, "What is your favorite vanity item in World of Warcraft?"</i></blockquote>
While I'm not particularly sure I can choose a single favorite vanity item - there are so many amazing ones to choose from nowadays, such as the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=88370">Puntable Marmot</a> and <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=80822">The Golden Banana</a> - I do have a particularly beloved, ultra-flashy combination that is /dancing with a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=34686">Brazier of Dancing Flames</a> while under the effects of a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=37254">Super Simian Sphere</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imageshack.us/a/img200/9953/superdancingflamesspher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img200/9953/superdancingflamesspher.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caution: Wear protective eyewear before viewing full size.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Can you imagine the retina-searing effect if it could be combined with <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=115750">Blinding Light</a>? No one would ever dare make fun of Paladins ever again. Well, no one except <a href="http://classic.battle.net/war3/nightelf/units/demonhunter.shtml">Demon Hunters</a>, perhaps. =P<br />
<br />
However, if I were to choose a single item to spotlight - which I probably should to at least try to follow the prompt - I think I would go with the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=86590">Essence of the Breeze</a>. This item is occasionally dropped by <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=50822">Ai-Ran the Shifting Cloud</a> in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, and though its visual flair is quite negligible (aren't you relieved?), its on-use effect more than makes up for it. "Unleash a gentle breeze, lightening your steps" might sound somewhat cryptic, but the result is actually pretty simple: it gives you a 10-minute long buff that causes you to be propelled forward a short distance every time you jump. If you choose to be creative (or read the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=86590#comments">comments on WoWhead</a>), you can find a few practical uses for this item, but quite honestly it's just flat-out fun to jump around Pandaria like an over-caffeinated Virmen.<br />
<br />
A word of caution before you go hopping about near cliffs and off ledges: the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=86590">Essence of the Breeze</a> does not include a slow fall effect, so be sure to bring one along or else you might find yourself in need of an Essence of the Spatula to scrape your corpse off the Pandarian landscape before you can resurrect. XDUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-1178605981130642692013-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:002013-06-10T09:35:00.039-07:00My Thoughts on Flexible RaidsLast Thursday, Blizzard announced a new difficulty level for raids called <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/10175200">Flexible Raiding</a>, which - similar to Raid Finder in Cataclysm - will premiere with the final raid tier for Mists of Pandaria. The Flexible Raiding system, as you probably know if you pay any attention to World of WarCraft-related news sites, will require pre-formed groups of anywhere from 10 to 25 players and will be set between Raid Finder and normal raiding in both difficulty and item reward level. Its primary attractions are its ability to dynamically tune encounters depending on the number of players participating and its immediate availability for cross-realm play (it's currently unclear if the existing restrictions barring cross-realm groups from undertaking the most current raid tier for normal and heroic difficulties will be removed).<br />
<br />
Personally, I'm somewhat torn about the feature - not because I feel there's anything fundamentally wrong with it, but because it's yet another amazing-sounding feature which, like Pet Battles, Challenge Mode Dungeons, Brawler's Guild, and Heroic Scenarios, I probably won't be able to participate in to any satisfactory degree for the foreseeable future. It certainly addresses my primary complaint against Raid Finder, though, which is that Raid Finder groups often just feel like extra large Dungeon Finder parties due to the complete lack of camaraderie between most random groups of strangers.<br />
<br />
That said, I do not think the Flexible Raid system is without its flaws. In terms of loot, for example, I think the upper level of PvE itemization is saturated to the point where adding an additional strata of gear between Raid Finder and Valor Point/normal raiding item levels is a detriment. At some point, the excitement and thrill of winning an item upgrade gives way to disappointment that you now have to spend so many resources to in order to maximize its utility for increasingly fleeting gains as the useful lifespan of items decreases within a single raid tier. Even if you never step foot into a normal mode raid, it is going to become progressively less fun to win a belt in Raid Finder only to have to reforge it, add a <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=90046">Living Steel Belt Buckle</a> to it, and gem it, then have that belt be replaced by the Flexible Raid version, re-reforge, re-buckle, and re-gem the new belt, and then have to repeat the process a third time when the Flexible Raid belt gets replaced by the Valor Point version.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I think Blizzard has a better template for itemization in the Korean version of WoW, in which items can be upgraded up to 4 times (compared to a maximum of twice elsewhere around the world) and certain raids drop partially upgraded gear. While the system is based on raid size in Korea, I think it should be altered to work for Raid Finder and Flexible Raid gear in North America, because it turns the above issue into a contemplative game mechanic. In the belt example, if you were to obtain a Raid Finder belt with 0/4 upgrades and enhance it properly, you would then have an actual decision if a 2/4 upgraded belt were to drop for you in a later Flexible Raid: since the Raid Finder belt and the Flexible Raid belt will become identical when they have equal upgrades, do you opt to save 500 Valor Points by applying appropriate enhancements to the Flexible Raiding belt; or do you choose to save ~1000 gold by keeping the enhancements to the Raid Finder belt and upgrading it with Valor Points? Furthermore, unless Blizzard shrinks the item level gap between Raid Finder and normal mode raiding loot (currently 20 item levels), the 8 additional item levels from 2 more upgrades will still put 4/4 upgraded Raid Finder gear below freshly-dropped normal gear, which means that normal and heroic raid gear could maintain their 2 upgrade maximum with minimal negative effect on game balance.<br />
<br />
All in all, though, I'm looking forward to experiencing Flexible Raids for myself (if the opportunity arises), as well as seeing how Blizzard will adapt the new technology going forward. Flexible Scenarios, perhaps?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-83007866605635563752012-11-05T11:41:00.000-08:002012-11-06T00:56:05.495-08:00Anniversary the FourthYesterday, as it turns out, was this blog's 4th anniversary. Yay! Let's go back and see how things compare to my initial goals, shall we?<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.78333282470703px;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">My Goals for The Lion Guard:</span></span><ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.78333282470703px;">
<li>5 posts per week, on average, with at least 1 "meaty" post per week.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.78333282470703px;">
<li>Provide myself an inspiring means to exercise and develop my writing skills.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.78333282470703px;">
<li>Practice public expression. I tend to be one of those quiet, shy people in public. Perhaps this blog will help me become a more confident individual.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.78333282470703px;">
<li>Express myself. Most of the people I interact with regularly in real life are uninterested in WarCraft. I hope that here I can create a place to freely converse with folks who are genuinely interested in at least some of what I have to say.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
And that's 0 for 4. /facepalm<br />
<br />
Oh well. Here's to a better year 5!<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-47341742308178879022012-08-14T08:11:00.000-07:002012-08-14T08:11:00.621-07:00Reviving 25-Man RaidingIt seems to me that there is a perception (whether based on reality or hyperbole, I cannot say for sure) that the growth of 10-man raids has created a stranglehold that is slowly - but inevitably - suffocating 25-man raiding to the point of extinction. There are many reasons for this: blog articles such as <a href="http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/24/the-last-gasp-of-25-man-raiding/">"The last gasp of 25-man raiding"</a> on <i>WoW Insider</i> and "<a href="http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4887759461">Dont let the 25man raids die...</a>" from the official World of Warcraft forums , as well as my own personal experience indicates that there is, at least, some truth to the notion, but whether it has been a mostly-completed shift in average raid size due to changes to raid design philosophy made for the start of the Cataclysm expansion or remains a continuing trend of 25-man raid erosion is uncertain.<br />
<br />
Regardless, whenever people call for Blizzard to instigate a revival of 25-man raiding, they always seem to not only cite the same reasons for its demise - at the forefront of which is the substantially higher investment of leadership and organizational effort required to run and maintain a larger group - but also propose the same solution: incentivize larger raids with better quality or greater quantity of loot. (I admit, I have been guilty of this very thing, myself.) However, <a href="http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/4887759461?page=2#35">Blizzard has rejected this approach</a>, so it's time to reexamine the problem and see if any other viable solutions present themselves.<br />
<br />
When we break the problem down to its base factors, here is what we get:<br />
<ol>
<li>Blizzard does not want to offer incentives to run 25-man raids over 10-mans.</li>
<li>Blizzard's philosophy seems to be that roughly equivalent effort should yield roughly equivalent reward (on average).</li>
<li>25-man raids necessitate significantly more logistical overhead than 10-man raids.</li>
<li>25-man raiders feel the additional organizational requirements negate the "roughly equivalent effort" portion of part 2 above.</li>
</ol>
You see the point of conflict here, don't you? So where are the potentially viable solutions? If Blizzard's stance is "equal effort -> equal reward" and 25-man raiders' stance is "25-man raid logistical effort > 10-man raid logistical effort" and therefore "inequal effort should -> inequal reward", where is the flexible point from which a compromise can be reached?<br />
<br />
Right here: "25-man raid logistical effort > 10-man raid logistical effort". In other words, <i>Blizzard needs to reduce the organizational overhead encountered by 25-man raiders.</i> How? <b>By investing some development time and energy into improving the in-game tools used by raid leaders for raid management.</b><br />
<br />
I don't believe it will ever be possible to eliminate the differences between 10-man raids and 25-man raids, but significantly improving certain in-game tools can serve to bring the two groups into greater parity. It's not true in all circumstances, but generally speaking: simple tools favor smaller groups whereas feature-rich tools favor larger groups. This is because leaders of smaller groups can mentally compensate for tool deficiencies much more easily than in leaders of larger groups, where the sheer volume of additional details to keep track of can quickly become overwhelming.<br />
<br />
With that said, below are some concrete examples of how tools can be improved, as well as why these suggestions would benefit 25-man raids in particular.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<u><b>In-Game Calendar</b></u> - While significantly better than no calendar at all, the design of the in-game calendar facilitates 10-man raiding far better than 25-man raiding, because the information it provides is so limited. Organizers of smaller groups can more easily memorize the information that the in-game tool leaves out, whereas organizers of larger groups may feel pressured to use out-of-game tools (which are more difficult to get Average Joe raiders to use) to compensate for its lack of features.<br />
<div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Problem 1:</u></i> What does "tentative" even mean? I don't mean in terms of dictionary definition, but rather in terms of how invitees to events use it. Does it mean "maybe, if I feel like it"? "Probably, but there's a chance something might come up"? "I might have other plans and I'm waiting to hear back from people"? "I'll be half an hour late, so don't hold a spot open for me, but if you can't find a replacement I'll be there eventually"?<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Solution 1:</u></i> Add an ability to attach short notes to attendees for both event organizers and invitees. That way people have a way to communicate important things (such as what they mean by "tentative") in a place that organizers are much more likely to see it and keep track of it.<br /><br /></li>
</ul>
<li><i><u>Problem 2:</u></i> "Do we have enough tanks and healers?" The in-game calendar tells you what class characters are, but not which roles they are willing to perform. It's easy enough to just remember who can do what for 10-man raiding, but keeping track for 25-man raids can become a real pain, especially when you add raid-ready alts to the equation.<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Solution 2:</u></i> Allow event creators to also require invitees to select which role or roles they are willing to perform when signing up for the event. Display this information not only in a format easy to read at a glance (similar to the display the current calendar has for how many of which classes have signed up), but also allow event organizers to see a list of everyone who signed up for a certain role and the option of confirming a single role for each attendee who has selected multiple roles (that way there's no confusion amongst leadership and amongst attendees about who is doing what). Oh, and don't forget to assign confirmed roles automatically in the raid frames when an organizer presses the invite button!<br /><br /></li>
</ul>
<li><i><u>Problem 3:</u></i> "Wait, who's alt is that, again? Did he really sign up on all 7 of his characters?! How many people do we actually have, then?" (i.e.: The current in-game calendar system is character-based, while actual raid attendance is player-based.) Again, this is pretty easy to mentally keep track of in 10-man raids. Not so much in 25-man raids.<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Solution 3a:</u></i> Allow event organizers to invite RealID and BattleTag friends, not just individual characters. Consolidate characters from said RealID or BattleTag invite into a single listing to avoid confusion (possibly with each signed up character listed in a mouseover tooltip or as an expanded drop-down listing under the consolidated one), and allow each eligible character to be signed up and select roles individually so that the invitee can pick and choose which character(s) to attend with. To preserve privacy, such multi-character listings should be displayed as BattleTags (minus the identifying number) and no character should be listed until and unless the invitee has signed up with it.<br /><br /></li>
<li><i><u>Solution 3b:</u></i> Implement a "bring the player, not the character" toggle for event creators. If the toggle is enabled, any player invited to the event on any character can sign up with any other eligible character in addition to the invited character. This includes selecting roles individually for each character. The initially invited character would serve as the "primary" character for display purposes. Again, to protect privacy, no character other than the initially invited character would be displayed on the listing unless the invitee has chosen to sign up to the event with that character.<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li>By "eligible characters" in Solutions 3a and 3b above, I mean either institute Blizzard-set general eligibility requirements (such as requiring the character be level 90 to sign up for a Mists of Pandaria raid); or allow event organizers set a custom minimum character level and/or minimum average item level; or some combination of the two. Any character that does not meet the eligibility requirements would be prevented from being signed up for the event, thereby assuring some measure of quality control for event organizers.<br /><br /></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li><i><u>Problem 4:</u></i> Calendars are meant to be a convenient way of keeping track of various events. Having to swap characters to check the in-game calendar events for each character is not at all convenient.<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Solution 4:</u></i> Give players the option to share their in-game calendar across all their characters (or at least all characters of that faction on that realm), rather than having to log into and out of each individual character to check and reply to event invitations. The fewer hoops players have to jump through to access and use tools that make raid planning easier, the better.<br /><br /></li>
</ul>
<li><i><u>Problem 5:</u></i> Who gets to raid? Since 25-man raids require a larger bench of extra raiders to fill up raids during times of lower attendance, deciding who gets to raid during times of high attendance becomes a significant concern. The current in-game calendar offers virtually no tools to help raid leaders make informed decisions.<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Solution 5:</u></i> Implement significantly better sorting options for event invitees. For example, the ability to sort or filter invitees by role as proposed in Solution 2 above; by sign-up time, since the current mouseover display requires parsing the tooltip of each response individually and is inefficient for larger groups; or even by past event attendance for events created by the same person. The goal here is to put 25-man raid organizers on a more even footing with 10-man raid organizers by ensuring they have all the tools they need to plan and manage raids without having to resort to more feature/data-rich out-of-game alternatives (such as requiring raiders to sign up for raids on websites or via forum threads) since that only serves to raise a barrier of entry to larger raids that smaller raids can avoid.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<b><u>Loot Distribution Tools</u></b> - Loot distribution is one of the most important duties held by raid leadership, as loot itself is one of the driving factors for many raiders. Sadly, the tools for distributing loot are largely lopsided in favor of smaller groups due to the fact that fewer pieces of loot have to be distributed per boss kill and fewer players are likely to be interested in any given item that drops. This means that while 10-man raids can get by with simpler looting rules - or even automated looting systems such as Group Loot or Need Before Greed - and thus can sort through drops fairly quickly, 25-man raids often spend a sizable chunk of time waiting for some poor loot officer to sift through all the whispers and bids and loot council discussions before finally having to manually dole out the goods via Master Loot - and as a result are more susceptible to having the entire raid grind to a halt because half the players have suddenly turned into immobile <a href="http://www.wowpedia.org/Gorloc">Gorlocs</a> who are too busy coveting potential shinies to actually keep the raid progressing.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><u>Problem 1:</u></i> "Whisper me your bid for [Item] now!" "If you want [Item] please link what your currently have." "[Item] - /roll now if you want it!" (i.e.: Master Loot does absolutely nothing to help inform the loot master's decision, so loot masters waste a lot of time gathering basic information.)<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Solution 1:</u></i> Add a new feature so that when an item that a player can equip drops and loot is set to Master Loot a small window pops up (similar to the roll window in Group Loot or Need Before Greed) on which the player can click a button to indicate interest (or disinterest) in the item. For the loot master, rather than players be sorted purely by which group they are in within the raid, interested players would be sorted first, and the item currently equipped in that slot by any given interested player would be shown upon mouseover. This way the loot master can focus more quickly and easily on distributing the loot.<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li>It also might not hurt to allow the raid leader and raid assistants the ability to access this loot information as well, so that the loot master does not have to pass that information on to them in the event of a loot council. If that's too much to add to Master Loot, consider adding it as a new Loot Council choice.<br /><br /></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li><i><u>Problem 2:</u></i> "This boss' corpse smells! Why does my face have to be so close to it?" With the addition of the 2-hour grace period for trading Bind on Pickup items, it is more efficient for the loot master to simply take everything first and trade it to the winners later rather than have to kneel over the boss' corpse for the next few minutes sorting things out.<br /><br /></li>
<ul>
<li><i><u>Solution 2:</u></i> Allow loot masters assigned under the Master Loot system the ability to keep the loot window open even after moving away from the corpse or chest they are looting. This way the loot master can proceed to the next trash pack with the rest of the raid and distribute loot without interrupting the pace of the raid, and without feeling like they have to circumvent the in-game loot distribution tools to actually distribute the loot.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Guild Finder</u></b> - I've never actually used this tool, but I've heard tales of its inadequacy. Extremely vague options for activity types and times, severely limited space for guild descriptions, inability to offer invites to offline applicants, etc. If the stated intent for raid sizes is going to be to let players decide which raid size they enjoy the most, then the tools for finding such raids need to be worth using. This is especially important considering that larger raids already have a greater barrier to entry in the fact that they require more like-minded people just to exist, in addition to suffering from a higher rate of natural attrition purely due to the numbers involved, so guild/raid finding tools are especially critical to their health.<br />
<hr />
<br />
That's quite a lot already, so I will do everyone the favor of stopping there, but the above is just the tip of the iceberg. There are probably dozens, if not hundreds, of other potential solutions Blizzard can consider to ensure a more even playing field between the raid sizes. Everything from improving the in-game voice chat feature (smaller raids can more easily make do with self-hosted VoIP programs whereas larger raids often have no choice but to pay for professional service) to ensuring that setting one's graphics to bare minimum will still accurately convey raid mechanics (since 25-man raids naturally require a larger share of any given computer's resources) and beyond has an impact, and though it may seem insignificant at first, the cumulative effect holds the promise of 25-man raid revival.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-88164173991807339692012-04-11T08:43:00.001-07:002012-04-11T08:43:00.536-07:00Mists of Pandaria and the Possible Return of the ShockadinThus far in the Mists of Pandaria beta I haven't really done much of anything. Most of my "adventures", if they can even be called that, have involved running around Stormwind City and experimenting with the various spells, talents, and glyphs available in the beta thus far. However, one of the things that I have been noticing—and getting increasingly excited about—is that a preliminary look at what's available seems to suggest that the Shockadin may be making a return soon. The evidence for such is still slim, but ultimately it comes down to two particular glyphs:<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=45746">Glyph of Holy Shock</a>: <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a>, as you may know, is one of the signature abilities of the Holy specialization, and is the reason why the Shockadin is named such. While it isn't a particularly powerful damage-dealing ability initially, the glyph halves its healing potential in exchange for doubling its damage-dealing capability. Considering how central <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a>'s damage is to the entire concept of the Shockadin itself, this glyph is essentially what makes the Shockadin potentially viable.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=43867">Glyph of Denounce</a>: <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=2812">Denounce</a> is a new Holy-only ability learned at level 20 that basically acts as our spammable ranged nuke. It's incredibly cheap, and has the added benefit of preventing its target from being able to deal critical strikes for 4 seconds after being hit. When glyphed, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=2812">Denounce</a> also gives the Paladin a 6-second buff that increases Holy damage by 20%—and virtually all damage a Shockadin deals is Holy damage, which makes this glyph a significant boost in DPS.</li>
</ul><br />
While the two above glyphs essentially act as the heart of the beta Shockadin, there are some additional factors to be considered<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> is one of our level 45 talent choices. It provides a 30 second buff on a single target that occasionally acts as a damage shield, but also increases the critical effect chance of <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85673">Word of Glory</a> by 30%. While this may not seem like that big of a deal, the lack of a Holy Power cost (unlike its alternative, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a>) and the buff to <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85673">Word of Glory</a> allows the latter become the go-to Holy Power dump. Since Holy Paladins have no way to spend Holy Power for offense, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85673">Word of Glory</a> becomes the next best thing thanks to the <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=41105">Glyph of Word of Glory</a>.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=41105">Glyph of Word of Glory</a>: This glyph causes <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85673">Word of Glory</a> casts, regardless of target, to also grant the casting Paladin 10% additional damage for 6 seconds. While this buff shouldn't make <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85673">Word of Glory</a> a rotational ability, since the damage boost won't make up for the lost global cooldown, it does at least mean that casting <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85673">Word of Glory</a> is slightly less of a damage loss than either <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85222">Light of Dawn</a> or <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=114163">Eternal Flame</a>, which are the only other Holy Power-consuming abilities available to the Shockadin. Plus, combined with the <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20925">Sacred Shield</a> talent, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85673">Word of Glory</a> will likely be significantly more potent for self-healing than the alternatives, as well.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=53376">Sanctified Wrath</a> is one of our level 75 talent choices, and allows <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a> to be cast without cooldown whenever <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=31884">Avenging Wrath</a> is active—and that's in addition to the 20% increased damage from <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=31884">Avenging Wrath</a> itself. Considering <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a> is the hardest hitting ability in the Paladin arsenal, and that Holy Power is significantly less useful for a Shockadin due to the fact that it cannot be used for dealing damage, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=53376">Sanctified Wrath</a> is really the only choice amongst the level 75 talents that makes any sense.</li>
</ul><div>I'll probably be experimenting more with the Shockadin as I get more time for the beta test, but from basic target dummy tests it doesn't seem like it will fare too badly. It almost certainly won't be up to Retribution's standards, but given it's high potential for healing in a pinch, I think the trade-off may be worth it. At the very least, it seems like it could be an effective Holy leveling/PvP spec, if nothing else.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-56523672469825863342012-04-09T07:56:00.011-07:002012-04-09T07:56:00.224-07:00PvP Thoughts: On Battleground Losses and Honor RewardsAs I've been PvPing more often in WoW, I've increasingly run across some of the unsavory characters people often complain about in PvP—I'm sure you know the types: botters, AFKers, and (most infuriatingly) "just let them win"ers. I think the most frustrating thing about running into these players is that the controls put in place by Blizzard to prevent these kinds of behaviors are completely overshadowed by the incentives the game gives to engage in any or all of the above. Essentially, people do these types of things because they consider gaining a mediocre reward for little to no effort as being far superior to gaining a slightly less mediocre reward for a substantially larger amount of effort.<br />
<br />
And the fact of the matter is that they're right. The reason for this, as contradictory as it may seem at first, in my opinion is because <b>Battlegrounds are simultaneously too rewarding of and not rewarding enough of failure</b>—it all depends on the degree, the particular shade of gray, of that failure. While there is some level of pride that can be had from pushing the opposing team to their limits and losing by the slimmest of margins, at present there is quantitatively little additional reward for doing so.<br />
<br />
Consider it from a PvE perspective. If you zone into a dungeon or raid and wipe on the first trash pack before the group disbands, you get nothing but a repair bill and some wasted time. If you kill a few trash packs but are unable to down any bosses, you get some gold and maybe some vendor/crafting/green items. If you down the boss, you'll have a chance at winning a blue or purple and maybe some Justice or Valor Points. Complete all but the final boss, though, and you'll still have earned a decent-sized sum of gold and goods, even if you don't get the bonus prize(s) for ultimate success.<br />
<br />
In PvP, though, the difference in reward between standing around at a graveyard twiddling your thumbs for an entire match and losing by the skin of your teeth is fairly negligible. As such, I think that widening this gap significantly is the best way to give players reason to give it their all every match. "Just let them win so we can requeue" is a far less appealing argument to make if you know that you're within spitting distance of a better reward no matter what the current situation looks like.<br />
<br />
Imagine if the following system were put in place: if you win a Battleground you earn 100% of the bonus Honor that Battleground awards, and the bonus Honor awarded by each Battleground is significant enough as compared to slaying enemy characters such that it is more economical to complete the Battleground's objectives and queue for another one rather than stall victory and farm kills. On the other hand, if you lose, you have a potential to earn a percentage of the bonus Honor depending on how close the fight was. If you lose by a slim margin, you earn up to 75% of the bonus Honor that Battleground awards (so almost as much as the victor, but not quite). The wider the margin of your loss, the less bonus Honor you receive, down to gaining no bonus Honor whatsoever for getting totally steamrolled.<br />
<br />
As an example, the metrics could work out as such:<br />
<br />
For Arathi Basin:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">0% bonus Honor baseline for losing<br />
+10% bonus Honor for each base controlled at end of match (maximum of 4 = 40% total maximum)<br />
+5% bonus Honor for having more than 800 resource points<br />
+5% bonus Honor for having more than 1000 resource points<br />
+10% bonus Honor for having more than 1200 resource points<br />
+15% bonus Honor for having more than 1400 resource points<br />
=75% cumulative maximum for a loss with 1400 or more resource points and with 4 bases controlled at end of match</blockquote><br />
For Warsong Gulch:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">0% bonus Honor baseline for losing<br />
+15% bonus Honor for each flag capture (maximum of 2 = 30% total maximum)<br />
+10% bonus Honor for a match lasting longer than 10 minutes<br />
+10% bonus Honor for a match lasting longer than 15 minutes<br />
+10% bonus Honor for a match lasting longer than 20 minutes<br />
+2% bonus Honor for a match lasting longer than 21 minutes<br />
+2% bonus Honor for a match lasting longer than 22 minutes<br />
+2% bonus Honor for a match lasting longer than 23 minutes<br />
+2% bonus Honor for a match lasting longer than 24 minutes<br />
+2% bonus Honor for reaching the 25 minute time limit<br />
+5% bonus Honor for a tied loss<br />
=75% cumulative maximum for a tied 2-2 momentum loss from hitting the time limit</blockquote><br />
And so on and so forth for the various other Battlegrounds.<br />
<br />
Assuming the bonus Honor is significant enough to be enticing, I think the net result would be this:<br />
<ul><li>Losing teams would have a reason to put up the best fight they possibly can, because the closer the match, the better their reward.</li>
<li>Winning teams would be disincentivized from resting on their laurels because winning quickly and requeuing would be mathematically superior Honor gains than allowing things to draw on longer than necessary.</li>
<li>"Just let them win"ers would have less reason to give up the fight when investing incrementally more effort gives a reasonable chance at incrementally greater reward.</li>
<li>AFKers and botters who contribute nothing would earn less rewards over time as their lack of participation would result in wider margins of loss for their teams. This would also encourage reporting of said individuals since they'd immediately cut into potential honor gains for everyone who is participating. As it stands right now, many PvPers have such little faith in Blizzard's reporting system that botters and AFKers seem to be able to hang around for entire matches due to lack of votes against them.</li>
</ul><div>I do think that there are other methods Blizzard can employ to reward participation and discourage giving up, but I'll get into those in a future post.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-36372052815414914052012-04-03T08:26:00.011-07:002012-04-03T08:26:00.537-07:00Brief First Impressions of the Mists of Pandaria Beta<i><u><b>Note:</b></u> WoWhead linking isn't really playing all that nicely with the beta data. The tooltips appear to be the live version of abilities, but clicking them will take you to the Mists of Pandaria equivalents, so be sure to click through to see the beta tooltips.</i><br />
<br />
I finally managed to set aside some time to check out the Mists of Pandaria beta last night and <a href="http://www.plusheal.com/forum/page/1/m/1833799/viewthread/2580813-paladin-information/post/15180002#p15180002">answer some questions</a> on <a href="http://www.plusheal.com/">PlusHeal</a>, and here were some of my first impressions from running around Stormwind and messing around with target dummies:<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=82327">Holy Radiance</a> no longer has a HoT portion. Additionally, it's splash healing has been reduced to 50% of the healing done to the primary target, but the splashes can crit independently (thus healing for the same amount as the primary target), and it all triggers our <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=76669">Illuminated Healing</a> mastery. Yes, the <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=76669">Illuminated Healing</a> shield is triggered on the splashed targets, too.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=85222">Light of Dawn</a> no longer has a facing requirement: it now heals the most injured targets in a full 360° circle (sphere?) around the Paladin rather than a frontal cone. This seems to make the <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=41109">Glyph of Light of Dawn</a> a little less valuable, even in 10-man raids, though it may become more useful for Scenarios or Arenas. It still only extends 30 yards, though, which seems a bit inconvenient considering all of our other heals are 40 yards. Also, the animation looks a bit stupid, since the healing cone now erupts straight upwards from the top of our heads.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Mana is normalized to 102,000 mana for a level 85 Holy Paladin, regardless of gear.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Haste is less potent. The rating now converts to a smaller haste percentage than before, plus we no longer have the 9% haste from <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=54151">Judgments of the Pure</a> or the potential haste rating from our relic slot, so heals feel somewhat sluggish. My normally 1.94 sec <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=635">Holy Light</a> was suddenly taking 2.19 sec to cast, which is enough to be noticeable.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Crit rating is also converting into a smaller percentage, but as I didn't gear crit for PvE, I'm not sure how noticeable it is.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Spirit converts very nicely at level 85, with 1 Spirit equaling 1 mana regenerated every 5 seconds while in combat (at least, according to the tooltips). I wonder if this is consistent throughout all levels, or if the ratios change like the various stats that use ratings.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=35395">Crusader Strike</a> is dirt cheap at 600 mana, and might be a decent way to build up Holy Power when in melee range. In comparison, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a> costs 2800 mana. It does almost no damage, though, since <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=35395">Crusader Strike</a> is based on weapon damage and Holy weapons sacrifice weapon damage for spell power. Also, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=25956">Sanctity of Battle</a> seems to apply to Holy, too, (though this might be the result of a character copy error) which means <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=35395">Crusader Strike</a> is available fairly frequently - roughly one in every 3 GCDs with <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/character/feathermoon/gryphonheart/advanced">my gear</a>.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a> now has a spiffy new icon. So does <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=10326">Turn Evil</a>.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=2812">Denounce</a> (formerly Holy Wrath, though closer in current implementation to <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=879">Exorcism</a> since it seems to no longer have an AoE component) is also really cheap at 1880 mana, and does about as much damage as <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a>. Also, it has a new graphic.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Between <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=43867">Glyph of Denounce</a>, <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=45746">Glyph of Holy Shock</a>, and <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/item=41105">Glyph of Word of Glory</a>, I'm cautiously optimistic that the Shockadin might make something of a comeback. Unfortunately, though, it's damage output doesn't seem very viable currently.</li>
</ul><ul><li>I miss <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=88821">Daybreak</a>. Not having any mechanic that allows back-to-back <a href="http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=20473">Holy Shock</a> casts makes me sad.</li>
</ul><ul><li>My action bars feel very empty. Very empty, indeed.</li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7456801721606316329.post-60084731988979415642012-04-02T08:48:00.020-07:002012-04-02T08:48:00.212-07:00When It Rains, It PoursAbout two and a half weeks ago, TRI Mark 3 (the 10-man raid group I run with) had an absolutely momentous night. Not only did we manage to defeat the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/npc=56173">Madness of Deathwing</a> for the first time as a group, but thanks to saving our Dragon Soul raid ID from the previous week we managed to have enough spare time to go back and do a full clear of Firelands for the first time, as well.<br />
<br />
Then life happened, and I've barely been able to find the spare time and mental bandwidth to do much of anything else, including play the <i>Mists of Pandaria</i> beta, for which I've received an Annual Pass invite but have yet to anything with beyond installation. Fortunately, absence does occasionally make the heart grow fonder, and so I've been itching to get back into the thick of things, both in terms of the game and in terms of the blog. Let's see if the <i>Mists of Pandaria</i> beta will help stoke that particular fire. =PUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0