Project Lore

The fourth installment of a film franchise that's gone on too long Spider-man is causing me some concern.  You see, Spider-man 4 and the untitled Warcraft movie share the same director, Sam Raimi.  According to Hollywood Reporter the webslingers quadrilogy has hit a wall, that snag may affect the movie I actually care about.

Apparently, Raimi and Sony cannot come to a consciousness on which villain(s) to use for the latest movie.  The obvious answer is Carnage, but four writers have tried, and failed, to get Sony and Raimi to kiss and make-up.  The collection of re-writes and re-starts has lead to a delay of Spider-man 4, knocking it out of opening 2011's summer blockbuster run on May 6.

Enough background, let's get to the topic at hand, the Warcraft movie.  With rumors swirling around Spider-man 4's delay, many industry insiders expect Warcraft's debut to be delayed in return, if by only a few months.  Others maintain that Raimi will just change his focus to Warcraft as the dispute rages on, allowing Blizzard's pictorial debut to remain on schedule.  That's a bit optimistic though.  At the moment, there's almost no concrete information on the movie besides Raimi directing and Legendary Pictures producing.  So what the heck is Raimi going to do, direct a series of DC Unlimited action figures?

That could be really entertaining...

In my opinion, the handling of Blizzard's licensed products has been absolutely stellar.  From the novels, to the books, manga and the trading card game, every bit of the extended universe is near gold.  I expect the movie to have the same loving treatment, a fact that Raimi's hiring only promoted.  Following that logic, delay the movie as much as needed.  Just make sure it's up to the quality and polish that we expect.

Like patches and expansions, don't hold your breath waiting for the movie film.



[caption id="attachment_9589" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Auctioneer makes the AH 100x more usable."][/caption] Wishful Thinking is a column for the theorycrafting behind World of Warcraft.  No, not the number crunching madness perfected by the folks at ElitistJerks, but the features, abilities, and design ideas that the Project Lore writers conjure from their squishy pink stuff. I believe it's safe to say that there are two things in World of Warcraft that everyone uses at some point in their heroic career, their inventory, and an auction house.  Whether it be the one in a capital city or Dalaran, you've likely perused the magical storage system for deals.  Materials for your professions, enchanting mats, gems (cut and uncut), gear and hawking your own wares are the reasons most players know the fastest way to their local auctioneer.  Even the most AH adverse player has likely spent hours scanning for this or that, with heavy users spending days of (often semi-afk) playtime.  Yet like our inventory system, the auction house, for all intents and purposes, hasn't changed a lick since vanilla WoW. How are we letting these basic things slide?  How can we, as paying customers, sit by and allow the system's we use the most to completely suck.  Unlike fleeting raid dungeons or jousting, this content will never go out of style because it's a necessity.  Just like Peeps at Easter.  I hated the system when I first started playing the game.  It just seemed obvious to me that it could have been so much more, possibly rising into an economic game in and of itself. At the time I shrugged off the oversight, chalking it up to developers being too busy perfecting the meat and potatoes of the game.  I assumed that the system would get attention after bigger fish were fried.  Here we are, five years and two full course meals later, and little has changed. Thank god for Auctioneer.  At least that appetizer makes the current incarnation palatable. Things the Auction House severally needs:

• First and foremost, steal from Auctioneer.  Blizzard makes no qualms about lifting ideas from the AddOn community, from the CT Mod crew to Quest Helper ideas have been "borrowed."  Take everything from Auctioneer that isn't automated.  This includes price matching and being able to do multiple postings of the same item (not an automation I'd avoid, it's simply logical).  And don't worry about this killing theAddOn.  The creators are far to inventive to let that happen.
• Add a standing buy option.  This would enable players to post the quantity and amount they are willing to pay for an item.  If another player comes along and adds an item at the correct (or lower) price, then the system would automatically purchase the item for me.  Instant gratification for the seller, and a time saver for the buyer.
• Put a price tracking measure into the standard interface.  Blizzard has tried to stop players from scanning the Auction House for average pricing a few times.  The best way to stop it would be to just display the information to us.  Rather than dozens to hundreds of players scanning the AH a few times a day, Blizzard servers can take care of it, scanning every six hours and displaying the median prices of items.  It'd make the players better informed, save our time, and the AH database would have millions of less calls.  Win, win.
• Expanded "Usable" filter.  I need a gem, a Cardinal Ruby gem for a rogue.  Stop showing me caster/tank items. They are usable in theory, but come on.  Sortable by class-based items would be a nice start (allowing you to buy things for an alt on your main).
• Combat Auction House flooding.  One technique that you can use to make sure your items sell is to make them appear on the first page.  Players rarely flip to the second page so by selling stacks of one, your items can push other lower priced items off the first page.  I'm not sure what can be done to combat the spam of a user posting 100 single item auctions of Infinite Dust without breaking the reason for splitting existing, but it's annoying and adds to the slowness of the Auction House.

The Auction House is the backbone of Azeroth's economy.  It deserves some love. Anyone have any other things they'd like to see the Auction House add to its repertoire?  As a side question, does anyone ever use the cross-faction auction house anymore?

[caption id="attachment_9533" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Ungemmed weapon = /gkick IMO"][/caption] In an effort to continue our series on what makes Project Lore tick, I managed to tempt DJTyrant with some British fare.  He gave us a good glimpse into what makes him tick, and why he plays the game before he ran off to his flat by the university.  Cheeky bastard. Project Lore: We know where your name came from, but why did you start playing WoW in the first place? DJTyrant: I've always been a huge Blizzard fan, and was really excited about the idea of a Warcraft MMO. I was working at EBGames (now Gamestop) at the time and I pre-ordered the Collector's Edition (having no idea how rare it would actually become).  My boss paid off my pre-order for my birthday and that was how I got into it. PL: What's your main right now? DJTyrant: Berrorth, my Night Elf rogue, but I will be switching to my death knight to tank with some friends due to how busy the upcoming semester is going to be. PL: For the Horde or Glory to the Alliance? DJTyrant: Alliance!! PL: Do you have any in-game infatuations outside of raiding/PvP, ie mount or pet collecting, AH farming, alts galore, etc? DJTyrant: I'm starting to get into mount and pet collecting, but farming makes me go bananas.  I just can't do it. PL: What is your favorite dungeon?  What about raid? DJTyrant: All time is probably Scarlet Monastery, I love the lore around it and I have a lot of great memories from it. But current dungeons I'd have to say Halls of Lightning.  I find it a fun dungeon. My favorite raid is Black Temple. I have always been a huge Illidan fan and the lore around the dungeon was amazing, and the challenge curve of it was near perfect as far as I'm concerned. Pacing is near perfect (great ratio of trash/bosses) and the climactic end with Illidan.  Also, the music is incredible in there. PL: What do you spend most of your time on in Azeroth? DJTyrant: Raiding, dungeons. With the LFG tool I have been running dungeons a lot more (even though they're faceroll easy at this point). I've become bored of dailies and PvP for the most part, and my leatherworking is still at 440 :(. PL: Do you have a favorite WoW story? DJTyrant: My guild was in the top 300 in the US to kill Illidan.  It felt like quite the accomplishment, along with being fifth on the server behind some five-six day hardcore raiding guilds.  It felt really good to do that content on a three-day schedule. PL: How many guilds have you been a part of? DJTyrant: Five, but most of my time has been with my current guild that I have been raiding with since the beginning of Burning Crusade. PL: Ever quit the game?  If so, why, and what sucked you back in? DJTyrant: Not really. Though there was a period of a few months in 2005 where I played Guild Wars more than WoW. PL: In your opinion, what aspect of WoW does Blizzard need to attend to the most? DJTyrant: Leveling, but the company is doing that of course. I actually would really like to see some sort of closet or something.  I tend to hang on to everything and I have tons of old sets of gear just taking up space in my bank.  I'd love a place to put them so I can put it on and look at again when I want, without it taking up four-five bags worth of space. PL: We've missed your posting lately since your Worgen Hands-on Preview from BlizzCon.  Are you going to be coming back to us soon? DJTyrant: Absolutely! It's one of my resolutions for 2010, I love taking about raiding! PL: Do you have a favorite post of your own?  What about the other bloggers? DJTyrant: I personally don't really like my writing.  Reading it sounds weird to me.  I really like pixiestixy's posts since she has a completely different perspective than mine.  I really enjoy reading that different angle. PL: What other MMOGs have you played in the past? DJTyrant: EverQuest was where I started, then Final Fantasy XI (canceled as soon as I de-leveled), WoW, and Guild Wars. PL: What do you to unwind from WoW? DJTyrant: I watch anime, read manga and graphic novels, and play other PC and console games.

[caption id="attachment_9555" align="alignright" width="300" caption="I'm in your base, killing your princes!"][/caption] Good news everyone, The Crimson Hall opens in two weeks! I hope you started working on The Plagueworks last night, because the next wing will be coming super quick.  Blizzard has made good one the promise to deliver the following wings much sooner than the 28 days we experienced between the Lower Spire and The Plagueworks.  Come January 19, 2010, we will be able to tackle the leaders of the San'layn. Thankfully, the server was super stable last night, allowing my guild's 10-man "A Team" to down Festergut, and put in numerous attempts on <brainfart> Rotface, before the 25-man team does their run tonight.  However, with the difficulties our "most skilled" players had on the second encounter, it does not seem like we'll manage to have Professor Putricide down.  Thanks to Putricide's 10-attempt lockout, we may even be missing his badges as we tackle the Blood Princes and their queen. Bornakk was kind enough to drop the unlock date, but the untainted orc didn't give any further details on the two-boss-encounter wing.  I wonder when we'll see the Frostwing Hall and Sindragosa.  Reports indicate a February 2 date for the queen of the frostwyrms.  Anyone want to place bets? It'd be nice to kill Arthas by Valentine's day.  The best present a girl could ask for. Content is coming quicker than most guilds can handle.  Is that good or bad?

[caption id="attachment_9518" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Casting agency still searching for a plucky female lead with a torn past."][/caption] There was a tidbit of news that dropped at the end of the year that any World of Warcraft player should know, because it concerns the privacy of your information.  Way back on December 31st it came to light that Blizzard Entertainment had helped the Howard County Sheriff's Department track down an alleged drug dealer.  Across country, not county, lines, no less. Alfred Hightower had a warrant issued for his arrest in 2007.  He was wanted for dealing in controlled substances and marijuana.  During the investigation two pieces of information came out that ultimately lead to Hightower's arrest. Deputy Matt Roberson discovered that Hightower had fled the country, and that he enjoyed playing a little game called World of Warcraft.  Taking a shot in the dark, Roberson, a retired WoW player himself, sent Blizzard a subpeona seeking any information the company would divulge. Roberson hit the jackpot. In accordance with the Terms of Service that Hightower agreed to by playing World of Warcraft, Blizzard sent the deputy loads of information on the suspect.  His IP address, account information and history, billing address, preferred server and even his "online screen name" was handed over.  With that much information in hand it became a routine bounty hunt. “I did a search off the IP address to locate him,” said Roberson. “I got a longitude and latitude. Then I went to Google Earth. It works wonders. It uses longitude and latitude. Boom! I had an address. I was not able to go streetside at the location, but I had" his location in Canada. This should serve as an important reminder to players that your information is never secure on the Internet.  Big Brother Blizzard implications can now commence.

[caption id="attachment_9423" align="alignnone" width="535" caption="Err, there's your problem. - Pic courtesy of New York Times, 1978"][/caption] Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't I?  Here's your obligatory year in review for all things Project Lore and World of Warcraft.  Below I've highlighted what I believe are the biggest topics and trends for the year. Top 10 Topics: 10. Project Lore brings the news - Project Lore was founded on the idea of showing a group of skilled players dominating content, while having tons of fun.  It was never meant to compete with the WoW news sites like WoW.com and MMO-Champion.com, and that still isn't the goal.  However, in an effort to better serve the community PL has been bringing the news in 2009.  We've even occasionally beat the more go to sites on occasion. 9. Project Lore adds more lore - Okay, we know you all want more videos, and things are happening behind the scenes, but Heartbourne has taken it upon himself to not only do mini-videos but flesh out Project Lore's lore department.  Many other bloggers have dabbled in explaining the intricacies of Warcraft, but he dedicated a whole column to it. 8. Wishful Thinking - The little column on game design and design aspects of WoW has perked quite an interest among the readers and bloggers alike.  Amatera's request for random dungeons is the epitome of the column, breaking down multiple games and picking the key pieces that make or break those titles.  All in an effort of making World of Warcraft a better place to play.  The anemic amount of comments on the post (less than 20) does not do the insight justice. 7. WoW in China - Wrath of the Lich King has had a bumpy road to launch in China.  First it was a switch in providers, then content issues, followed by lawsuits and ultimately political party power struggles.  These political and corporate shenanigans are what puts WoW's oriental troubles on the list.  Not any monetary concerns or the reduction in gold farmers.  In fact, neither are impacted by the big trouble in little China.  China provides <10% of WoW's revenue and gold farmers play on North American or European servers, not China's realms. 6. Re-running the old world - All of the bloggers at Project Lore, and numerous friends of mine, have rolled new toons, sometimes on new servers, in an attempt to experience everything the Old World has to offer.  From long-forgotten dungeons to taking in the sights, going old school is a task that everyone should attempt before Deathwing changes the world forever. 5. Pixiestixy hits level 80 - Hitting level 80 on your first toon is a big deal for anybody.  But when you've been harassed about your sluggishness for months there's probably even more joy in the accomplishment.  Good for her, but bad for me.  I have no one to tease anymore. :( 4. BlizzCon 2009 - Guild achievements, no more "mathy" stats, hunters drop mana, a new secondary profession, Cataclysm, StarCraft II campaign editor...need I continue?  If so, hit the link to check out our extensive coverage. 3. Martin Fury - Remember Martin Fury, the piece of loot that allowed a nobody, Karatechop, to dominate Ulduar in record time?  That little item caused quite a stir when news of its use broke in late April/early May.  It instantly became the most recognized WoW scandal in the game's five year history.  The argument still rages over whether the player deserved a permanent ban seeing as the item was given to him by a GM.  Karatechop certainly believes it was heavy handed. 2. The Lich King's/Arthas' fate - Arthas and the Lich King have been the defining figure of WoW ever since Wrath launched so many months ago.  We've partook in his past, rekindled our relationships with his numerous enemies and even taken potshots at him.  Blizzard's intention to put him in our face from the get go has even extended beyond the digital universe into the extended one.  Yet, the most talked about topic on Project Lore was the death of the prince, and if his soul could be saved.  We'll see in the coming weeks. 1. Tokyopop's manga and the extended universe - Officially licensed Blizzard products and random knock-offs have flooded the market.  With over 11 million players, it's hard for any company to pass up on the built in audience.  However, no company, licensed or not, has used the game quite like Tokyopop.  Comics, novels (The Novel Post), card games and miniatures are all well and good, but Tokyopop's manga have captured my attention like a cheap Primordial Saronite in the AH.  The excellent art and stories captivated me in each installment of Warcraft: Legends like no other mechanism outside of the game has.  It's not because the material is better written, drawn or executed, but because Tokyopop has created, expanded and retold lore from the nobody perspective in Azeroth to the first free death knight.  The extension of the WoW brand has floored me as a whole, but the scope of what Tokyopop has delivered, and promises to, is untouched. Happy New Year! /me blows annoying noise maker.

[caption id="attachment_9412" align="alignright" width="300" caption="With teasing, ridicule and sarcasm."][/caption] Earlier this week, we reported that numerous players have experienced seemingly random screen shakes during their daily tasks around Azeroth.  After some investigation it was determined that these earthquakes were likely caused by now-invisible mobs known as Shakers.  Seeing as these mobs were added to the game during patch 3.3's beta testing, many believe that they having something to do with Deathwing and his upcoming cataclysmic event. I am no geoastrologicalterrestrial physicist, but I do believe that tearing through the very crust of the world can be somewhat destructive to surrounding tectonic plates...Wryxian, the snowman that works through the holidays, took the time to respond to a "the end is near" forum post.  Unfortunately, the answer he laid on us is ripe with the same sarcasm that fills the rest of the Internet. Wryxian responded to the topic with eloquent deflections such as, "It was just you. Seriously, earthquakes leading up to some kind of cataclysm? I lol'd." Later in the post he declares that his holiday avatar is actually stationary...and that he has a cold. "You see how my temporary snowman avatar appears to bob from side to side? Well, the thing is, I'm standing perfectly still. The earth is moving, I tell you! *cough*" Ancilorn, another chilly blue, even responds to Wryxian's initial deflection with his own quip.  "I blame it on those Spicy Hot Talbuk steaks. Never again I tell you! * mops brow*" And finally someone asks the logical question; Why would Dalaran, a city detached from the continent be hit by earthquakes?  Wryxian covers that too.  "The Kirin Tor want to ensure that even though their city is no longer actually in the ground anymore, it still receives the same treatment as the rest of Azeroth... or something. ;-)" Or as one blue put it in the past, "Magic." Sure, Wryxian is bored at work this week and just screwing with us, but there's no outright denial.  And to me, his sarcasm plainly states that there is some connection between the shakers and the Cataclysm event.

[caption id="attachment_9406" align="alignright" width="300" caption="How about we find someone that is both?"][/caption] My 2009 World of Warcraft career can easily be summed up in two words, guild hopping.  Since the Year of the Ox began I have been a raiding member of four guilds, and another while everyone was still leveling.  To me, the act of switching that often is sacrilege, but fleeting guild experiences have become the norm.  With Wrath of the Lich King's introduction of 10- and 25-man raids, an easier badge system, and now the Dungeon Finder, guilds have become neigh replaceable by PUGs.  The changes have lead me to experience the gauntlet of raid leader types since the Alliance and the Horde decided to take the Lich King's threat head on.  From the best-friend to the belittling asshole, I've dealt with them all in 2009.  The main concern is that the best, and who is the most fun to play with tend to be two different answers. Without question the most productive guild I have been a part of is my current one.  We cleared ICC 25-man the second day, the guild drops ToGC like it's Naxxramas and TotC is done with alts.  Everyone is geared out the wazoo - I was only accepted because two members vouched for me - with the best enchants, full epic gems and Rawr checking all being required.  By required I don't mean you'll be sat.  The GM and officers are no where near that lenient, opting to outright kick players who fall behind in the slightest.  The guild demands perfection, something I actually prefer, but the raid leader I've largely dealt with is wearing on me.  I've yet to screw up, but the constant stream of swears, belittling of other members and his power complex is getting to me.  I am still having fun, but that is due to the competitive nature among the rogues and the progression itself, not from the guild atmosphere. It's amazing to me that so many people will deal with these attitudes for the sake of progression and loot.  Although I am being hypocritical at the moment, I know there will come a time in the near future where I snap and attempt to find another guild.  Hopefully by then one of the guilds I was in that collapsed will return, because they made the game truly enjoyable. The two guilds I am thinking of brought everyone together for the singular purpose of downing 10-man content.  In the end, the limited progression was their downfall - players kept leaving because 25-man runs couldn't be fielded every week - but that's a story for another day.  The officers and GMs made a concentrated effort to help everyone, to make everyone feel welcome and to teach each other about the game.  They had no qualms with accepting an undergeared friend of a member and spending hours gearing them up for the next raid. Or going over how to use Rawr with everyone, or even encounters that everyone should have known.  Because of the supportive, rather than deconstructive nature, of the guild, member retention was 100% for a core group of raiders. It was the few people constantly leaving for greener pastures, read gear, that lead to their ultimate downfall.  Rather than member burnout, the guild's leadership was burned out from helping so many people, only to see them leave.  The rest of us weren't members, but friends.  Friends that stay in touch even though our toons are spread across the server now. Obviously, the perfect scenario would be a blending of the two.  A raid leader who can lay down the law and get everyone to perform at their peak, while still managing to forge a friendly and helpful community.  The attributes aren't mutually exclusive, and yet they remain almost impossible to find. Has anyone had better luck than I?  How many guilds have you gone through this year?

[caption id="attachment_9363" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The Official Maga, eh?"][/caption] One of the most unexpected things to come out of BlizzCon 2009 had to be the revelation of an official World of Warcraft magazine.  With many flavors of print media dieing off, magazines, newspapers, etc, the introduction of an all-new property was unexpected, to say the least.  I know quite a few people that outright laughed at the prospect of a new gaming magazine, let alone one dedicated to a single game.  But this is WoW we are talking about, and Future Publishing is banking on that. Even though most of my writing is of the digital sort, I maintain a soft spot for magazines, books, and newspaper.  There's something special about a presentation that isn't procedurally generated.  One that is designed, from scratch, to flesh out the meaning of an article or highlight the important details.  You also cannot deny the appeal of picking something up because the cover perked your interest.  How many times have you picked up your friends laptop from the coffee table because the Yahoo frontpage intrigued you? The very notion of an official WoW magazine intrigued me, so I hunted down Future's booth, signed up for a two-year commitment and scored a murloc plushie as a reward.  I then proceeded to chew Dan Amrich's ear off for more than an hour.  He was passionate about the project, and more than willing to talk to the public (or press) about the upcoming product.  To hear him tell it, the WoW magazine is to be a rebirth of gaming journalism, focusing on thenitty gritty aspects of this massive game with top notch production (thick glossy paper!) and writing.  It won't try to compete with the fast-paced Internet hubs like WoW.com, MMO -Champion.com or ProjectLore.com.  Instead the magazine is to leverage it's official connection to Blizzard, and a longer stewing time to produce pieces that would be interesting to any Warcraft lover.  The premium price of $69.95 for the two-year commitment also means that it will be ad free, although I honestly can't see it staying that way for long. Dan Amrich sold me.  I was pumped over the prospect of having something to read while I drop the kids off at the pool.  Then he left, bringing his talent full circle to Activision itself, and causing some concern. Future stated right away that the magazine was still coming, and has now made good on that promise with a lengthy preview (there is more content in the preview than most magazines have in total) and some attractive cover art.  It's doubtful that the inaugural issue will make it in 2009, but if the preview is anything to go by, Amrich's vision is still well intact. You will not be able to pick this bad boy up in newstands or your local Borders.  It is subscription only, just like WoW.

[caption id="attachment_9345" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="This is where his rogue hopes to be soon."][/caption] In an effort to continue our series on what makes Project Lore tick, I managed to pin down Amatera.  Before he could squirm his way to freedom and return to blue hunting and forum trolling I assaulted him with a handful of questions.  Between his tantrums and gasping for breath, he obliged to answer. Project Lore: We know where your name came from, but why did you start playing WoW in the first place? Amatera: Well, it's a bit of a fuzzy story. Though I purchased the game at release, I've actually "started" playing twice. The first was at launch, of course. At the time, I was really into Final Fantasy XI, and from everything I'd read about the game indicated that World of Warcraft was big on the instant gratification. If you think WoW was hardcore back then (compared to what it is now), then you clearly weren't coming off of playing other MMOs. Simple things like leveling up off of quests just wasn't part of the equation! But I loved Blizzard's work and the lore was a draw, so I decided to take a brief hiatus from Final Fantasy XI and check it out. I think I got to about...level 28 or so, and made the (admittedly premature) decision that it was just too easy for me. About nine months later, long after I had stopped playing FFXI as well, I found out that my new roommate played with a raiding guild at the level cap and decided that, with some close friends playing, it might be time to jump in again. The experience was much smoother the second time around and, eager to raid, I was determined to join them for the end-game content. Though guilds have come and gone, and I've taken a couple short breaks, I don't think I've entertained entirely quitting since. In the end, it was Final Fantasy XI that I couldn't go back to. Despite pretensions of being "hardcore," Warcraft proved to be a hell of a lot more fun. PL: What's your main right now? Amatera: It is, and always has been my female troll rogue, Amatera. PL: For the Horde or Alliance? Amatera: FOR THE HORDE! I'm entertaining the thought of starting up a Worgen character in the next expansion, but I can't say I've had a whole lot of fun playing on the Alliance side no matter how many times I try. PL: Do you have any in-game infatuations, ie mount/pet collecting, AH farming, etc? Amatera: Quite simply, raiding. And raiding accomplishments. It's the nexus of World of Warcraft, where the gameplay and lore come to a head (in my opinion, the most essential parts of the game). I do everything else sort of half-heartedly. I'll engage in other activities when I'm bored, but I never feel truly driven to become the best at it like I do with raiding. PL: What is your favorite dungeon?  What about raid? Amatera: Favorite dungeon? That's a tough one... I'm tempted to say the trio of Icecrown Citadel 5-mans, but for all the pomp and circumstance, they still feel remarkably neutered. I think I'd have to go with an old world dungeon like Blackrock Depths. It's amazing how it feels bigger and more complete than even the latest raid dungeons, even if it's not nearly as streamlined. Determining my favorite raid is quite a bit easier. Hands down, it's got to be Zul'Aman. ZA is such a tightly-constructed 10-man experience, with a great set of bosses, and the timed reward structure made it very replayable (the shorter reset timer didn't hurt, either). Even with high-value productions like Ulduar, you get tired of slogging through it week after week. Zul'Aman, in contrast, has always remained fun. PL: What do you spend most of your time on in Azeroth? Amatera: Once again, raiding. But I've made a good deal of friends in game, primarily the officer core of my guild (of which I'm a member). We spend a lot of time screwing around in officer chat when there's nothing else to do. PL: Do you have a favorite WoW story? Amatera: Not a single experience, per se, but a bit of a lesson learned. When I joined my second guild (after the first one collapsed), I quickly realized how bad of a player I was. I mean, I was a good member and all; I signed up for events, attended on time, and generally tried not to cause any drama.  But I didn't realize at the time that good behavior wasn't enough to get me into the latest raids, and I idly wondered why I wasn't getting invited to participate. Well, here I was on a Subtlety rogue trying to play with the big boys. Once I got over my own stubbornness and naivety, I decided the best thing to do was to, well, improve. I started looking up things on the internet, figuring out what gear I needed to get, and changed my spec to Combat (which was in style at the time). My DPS shot through the roof and, in no time, there I was sitting at the "Adult Table." Now an officer of the same guild, this is the parable I tell to any member who isn't playing up to par or wonders, like I did, why they aren't getting included in things. I firmly believe that every player has the potential to be a great one, as long as they come to realize they're not nearly as good as they think they are. PL: Ever quit the game?  If so, why, and what sucked you back in? Amatera: As I said above, I wasn't very enchanted with WoW the first time around. When I started playing again, it was with the prospect of joining a community and engaging in end-game content. Of course, getting to experience a lot more of the game (in terms of zones, quests, and other such ephemera) helped, too. PL: What aspect of WoW does Blizzard need to attend to the most? Amatera: You know, I come off as rather ambivalent to Blizzard's recent approach to the game; the whole "catering to casual players thing." But deep down I want things to be ball-bustingly hard again. I want to get put through the ringer every time I engage a new raid boss, and I want people to put in a lot more effort to get the greatest rewards in the game. The margin for hardcore players, though still there, has become razor thin. And I don't say this as a particularly hardcore player. Though I have always been a part of progression raiding guilds, I've never been privy to experiencing the latest content until quite recently. I don't think we ever fully completed a dungeon past Gruul/Magtheridon in Burning Crusade. Sure, we had our hands in a few different pots, but we never could get the cookie at the bottom of any one of them before patch 3.0 hit. It sucked not being able to make it as far along as we had hoped, but the farther your mouth is from the old carrot on the sick, the more delicious it seems. Having so much content to look forward to at the level cap made the game seem endless. Now, it's easy to have the latest raid on farm in a matter of a couple weeks. The other thing they need to work on is the 1-60 game, but that's clearly being redone in Cataclysm. PL: You've become known for your timely reporting on the latest WoW news.  How do you manage to stay so up-to-date on such a wide variety of WoW topics? Amatera: Mainly not having a whole lot else to do! Project Lore is my only gig right now, so I've got to make that one count. Finding the news is really a matter of efficiently using your resources and contacts. PL: Do you have a favorite post of your own?  What about the other bloggers? Amatera: I don't have any particularly favorite post, but I wrote more analytical pieces when I first started. Those can be draining when compared to relaying the news, and I've found that my priorities often don't match up with those of our audience.  At the same time, they can be rewarding and educational.  I think I'm at my best (and have the most fun) when I'm trying to predict the future! I'm not one to play favorites with my fellow bloggers, either, but any post discussing lore is cool with me. It lives up to the name of the site and with Warcraft having such a rich backstory, there's always something interesting to talk about. Once again, trying to figure out where Blizzard is going to take the plot in the future is entertaining to puzzle out. PL: What do you to unwind from WoW? Amatera: Mostly play console games. There are a lot of good ones out there and it's nice, at least every once in awhile, not to be shackled by raid schedules or have anyone else relying on your in-game performance! PL: Adios? Amatera: So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night! /me releases his co-worker.