Project Lore

Could These Be The Faces Of The Future? Ever since MMO-Champion.com dug up those stupid masks the corner of the Internet that is home to WoW has been a storm of investigation.  Shortly after discovering the pair of Worgen and Goblins masks another four pairs, Naga, Ogre, Murloc, Vrykul were found.  The discovery dosed the fire surrounding Horde Goblins and Alliance Worgen, while at the same time fueling the idea of a third faction being introduced to World of Warcraft. In my opinion two factions suck.  Few games have implemented just a pair of competitors successfully.  This is in large part due to the grass is always greener effect.  If you are beaten badly by the opposing team, then the developer likes them more, they are overpowered or there are population problems.  Some of the complaints are certainly real, but one way developers, including Blizzard itself, has skirted the issue is by having more than two factions (see Starcraft's three factions and Warcraft III's four).  As such, I would love to see a third faction, but I don't expect it to play out as many would have us believe. Most of what I have seen points to the neutral faction being one in name only.  That somewhere down the line you would chose who to fight for, Alliance (obviously) or Horde (fail).  It sounds absolutely awesome, and I would love to see it happen, but I doubt it.  To implement this Blizzard would have to drastically change the stance on factions, again.  Specifically, the company would have to allow players to have characters of different factions on the same server (already allowed on non-PvP servers).  Otherwise my Goblin (duh) could never be truly neutral if Solidexplosion was forced to select Alliance down the road because of Solidsamm's and Solidsagart's affiliations. But that doesn't mean I don't see a neutral faction happening.  In fact I wrote the unique classes hoping this could come to fruition.  Blizzard could easily implement a third faction (based on the masks no less), one that stays out of the Alliance-Horde affairs.  One that watches from the sidelines offering refugee for any that may require it.  One that I will label as the "Swiss" faction.  These non-aggressors will act as diplomats between the warring sides, while still contributing to the often combined goals of said sides, such as killing the Lich King.  In the long run there'd be more work needed to create a separate entity, but the new content should be far more appreciated than tacking on a choice down the road. Certainly if a neutral faction was to happen, the cash flush Goblins would be the race in charge, with the battle hardened Worgen, brutal Ogres, and the swarm happy Murlocs lending a helping hand.  The multi-talented Vrykul are new to Warcraft, so their addition as a playable class would annoy this purist.  After how many times I creeped them, or grinded them for reputation, I believe the fifth slot should go to the furry Furbolgs. And yes, I know I ignored the Naga masks.  While there could be some sort of Forsaken-type branch or tribe, I write off their addition to the line-up of Hallow's End fun to the fact that they are the incoming bad guys. Again, I'd love it if Blizzard makes me eat this post with a side of 'in your face,' but I just don't see Blizzard revamping the PvP servers to allow them to go cross faction.  It'd be a bit of work, just for a choice down the line.  But they have done crazier things.  Speaking of the choice, let's hope it'll be a cool, lengthy quest line to prove your allegiance. What would some of the racial benefits be?  Goblins get extra gold from kills, Murloc has higher level fishing, and Ogres get, umm, kaleidoscope vision?  What is more likely, the labor intensive relative to reward faction choosing, or an entirely new faction?  What about blending the two, letting you chose a side, or remaining in the new faction?  That'd be interesting.

Click to read more ...

Just days after the hooplah surrounding the addition of Worgen and Goblin masks into the game as possible signs of new races in the theoretical expansion "Cataclysm", more masks have been discovered by MMO-Champion, seriously hindering the chances that any of these are going to be new races in the new expansion. The masks that have models in the game now includes all ten playable races, goblins, worgen, ogres, murlocs (!), naga, and vrykul. While two of these races could be playable in the next expansion, I doubt all of them will be. When Blood Elves and Draeni were announced as playable races in The Burning Crusade, everyone was very excited. New races and the introductions of paladins into the Horde and shamans into the Alliance was a huge change. Wrath introducing Death Knights was equally important; there had not been a new class added to the game since early beta. With the new expansion on the (distant) horizon, players are expecting a new playable race, and probably two (for each faction) at that. Blizzard has said that new playable races in the future will be familiar to us (contrary to the retconed Draeni in Burning Crusade), so expect lots of speculation. Pandareans are as good as retconed out at this point, so don't expect the to jump from obscurity to playable so soon. That leaves a lot of possibilities, and these masks may be some sign. As for the masks' actual role, I hope this is some sign of a revamped Hallow's End event. Blizzard added achievements for world events so that players would have incentives to experience the content they spent time and money developing, but players who already got all the achievements from last year would have little reason to participate in the festivities this year. With new masks, this may be a sign of new Hallow's End content and maybe even achievements! Or at least making A Mask for All Occasions doable. Would you re-roll one of these races? What if they started at, say, level 80 in their own starting areas in the new expansion?

Click to read more ...

I've always thought that murlocs have an odd cuteness to them (despite that crazy grrlrgglglg!!  noise they make - actually, maybe because of it!). But on the cuteness scale, nothing compares to murloc babies. As I headed back to Borean Tundra after questing through Zul'Drak and still not dinging level 77, I joined the ranks of those of us who have learned just how adorable these little creatures are. It all starts when King Mrgl-Mrgl sends you on a mission (what I would argue to be one of the cutest quests I've experienced yet in game) to rescue 20 Winterfin Tadpoles that have been encaged by the evil (or perhaps just misunderstood) Makrura Claximus (seriously, who would ever want to mistreat these little buggers?) Conveniently, while doing this quest, you also can complete Them!, a quest in which Brglmurgl (love these onomatopoeia names) asks you to kill 15 of the murloc savages. As you ravage through the encampment and open up cage after cage, you'll amass an army of murloc babies running behind you and gurgling the occasional "mama!" Later, you face off with Claximus himself after disguising yourself in a murloc costume (complete with a white flag) and parading right past his minions. I would consider the borrowed murloc suit to be another high point of the zone (if you look close enough, you can even see little heart boxer shorts peeking through the zipper opening in the back). Anyone else find it hard to believe that such a costume would fool anyone, much less another murloc? Perhaps they're not the smartest humanoids around. I seriously debated not turning that quest in so I could keep the costume. But alas, you can only wear it while in Winterfin Village  (another option - go back in time and attend Blizzcon 2007 so I can get a similar version of the suit!). I obliged and turned the damn thing in. But not before getting in a little /dance action in costume. I don't know about you guys, but all these quests have got me really wanting a RL murloc. Yes, I know they are humanoids in-game, but I can't help but think they would make for a fun pet, if you could train one to maintain its baby sweetness. I suppose I'll have to settle with Grunty, or maybe a murloc plushy -- if I can ever manage to find one that's not sold out. What are your feelings on the murloc race? Love them? Hate them? Want to eat them? I've seen some people argue in the past that murlocs should be made into a playable race in the next expansion. But I'd be content to just have one as a lovable companion!

Click to read more ...

It's been more than a week since Blizzard's deadline to personalize your Blizzcon 2009 tickets has passed, yet there's still a whole bunch of ticket holders trying to sell off their spares on eBay. Earlier this month was the last date for ticket holders to make changes to the names for Blizzcon tickets. Here's the process they required, as detailed on the official events FAQ:

You will have up until Saturday, June 13 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time to make any changes to attendee badge information in Battle.net Account Management. After this point, no further changes can be made. If you have not entered any information by this time, all attendee names will default to the full name of the Battle.net account holder. If you do not know the names of the guests you are bringing to BlizzCon and will not know by June 13, put all of the badges under your own name. Bring *all* of the printed bar-code emails, along with your photo ID, to BlizzCon, and you will be able to pick those up all of the badges yourself and distribute them to your guests. Photo ID will only be checked at the time of badge pick-up... In order to receive a badge, the name on the bar-code e-mail *must* match the name on your photo ID.

So how, exactly, are the ticket scalpers getting away with it if they can no longer update the names of the ticket holders? Some say they will show up at the convention center to pick up the tickets, then distribute them to auction winners. And I'm sure there will be some who will honor that promise (as long as you show up on time and in the pre-arranged location). I'm betting a handful won't. Other sellers say the tickets will remain under the auction seller's name, but say something shady like "Your badges will show my husband's name (or if you're a female, my name) but you will be able to get in and out without a problem." I'd rather not take chances with hundreds of dollars with that guarantee. And some sellers make no mention whatsoever that the June 13 deadline has passed. Now I'm sure that not everyone has evil intentions when they sell their tickets, but I do question the nature of sellers who want to sell their tickets for a crazy profit. Even a whole bunch of official fansite contests I've seen this month have all ended (as far as I can find out of the ones listed in the official forums). However, if you want some WoW-related entertainment, take a look at some of the WoW limericks submitted for WoWWiki's contest. Some are good, plenty are bad. But you'll definitely find some hilarity in there. But back on topic - there's not too many options left for those of us still without tickets. That only furthers my over all recommendation: Buyer beware! What's one to do? Well, first off, don't freak out. You, of course, should check back regularly here at Project Lore for news from the convention. If you want to live through Blizzcon without attending, check out the Directv offer to watch the event from home - murloc included. So, we have a little more than 8 weeks to go before the big event. I know there were a lot of you who didn't have luck with getting a ticket on the official sale dates. Did anyone try their hands at a contest, and perhaps even win some tickets? Anyone taking your chances with a ticket auction? How many of you are opting to watch from home?

Click to read more ...

Some people like to equate details with polish.  Either way you take it, as a synonym or as an aspect of polish, the inclusion of them makes video games better.  Blizzard has a long-standing reputation for going above and beyond in the company's titles, which is why they are still played years, hell, possibly decades after their initial release.  During my initial run through Wrath of the Lich King's quests I mainly focused on the designs and stories implemented as I grinded to level 80.  Now that I am there, or on my second run through with the priest, I can focus more on the small details instead of worrying about my XP per hour.  Yes, I take the game that far. I've written almost a week's worth of articles on the Argent Tournament.  They have spanned the gauntlet of guides to love and boredom.  I've spent thirty minutes to an hour a day in Icecrown killing scourge, Chillmaw and riding horsies all in the name of the Argent Crusade and the five other factions.  Three days, I've only missed three days of dailies.  Yet, I somehow never realized that the damned Cultists actually ride on Chillmaw's back and head.  I always thought that he summoned them during the fight.  Definitely a detail that I just flat out missed. That was my own stupidity though.  One particular that recently caught my attention on Solidsagart was the Murloc costume.  Any interaction with murlocs is a welcome one, and the chance to pose as one was something that I couldn't pass up.  After donning the spare suit I took off towards the cavern to complete my mission of deceit and death.  Secretly, I have always hoped that the murloc race was bidding its time before the scaled, two-legged race took over Azeroth.  I realized during the quest that either they aren't intelligent at all, or their senses haven't adapted for above water scenarios.  Just look at how awful the suit is.  The stiching is obvious, it waggles around my body in an awkward fashion and my seeing sphere is falling out of its socket!  How the hell did they let me get to Claximus without being harassed? There are hundreds of these small gems spread throughout the game, so let's share as much of them with each other as possible.  As noted, even "obvious" things may not be so apparent to other players who A) aren't very observant, B) too busy with their stabbing, C) pressed for time, or D) too busy leveling.  What say you PL fans?  What is your favorite small detail from Wrath, or all time?

Click to read more ...

The Folks over at MMO-Champion have once again dug through the latest game files and found new stuff for everyone to drool over. Grunty the Murloc Marine is just that, and if they're following their trend from the past few events (a murloc pet, murloc costume, and mount with a murloc doll), the murloc space marine might just be the in-game item from 2009's BlizzCon. Considering Starcraft 2's public beta is on the verge of coming out, it fits quite perfectly. The pet itself has an awesome gun and an animation of shooting the gun, which you can see above. Check it out or head to MMO-Champion for high res screenshots!

Click to read more ...

Blizzard just put out a press release detailing the ticket sales for this year's BlizzCon. Tickets will be more expensive than 2008, at $125 instead of the $100 they were last year, and they will go on sale in two seperate blocks on the Blizzard Store. The first sale will start on Saturday, May 16. The second will start two weeks later, on May 30. Those who can't afford or who are unable to get their tickets due to say, technical difficulties, will be able to catch the event both on DIRECTV and via an internet stream. Both will be priced at $39.95 and will include the exclusive in-game item that comes in the swag bag. Last year it was the Blizzard Bear with a murloc on top. What murloc themed item might it be this year? Nobody knows. The press release also cites improvements to the Blizzard Store with a queuing system, but only time will tell how much those improvements will help with the high demand on the check-out servers. BlizzCon 2009 will be held, once again, in the Anaheim Convention Center and will take place on August 21 and 22. One other thing of note is that the press release states that signing up for a Battle.net account will help streamline the ordering process, so you may want to do that before tickets go on sale to make it as easy as possible to get those tickets. We hope to see you guys there once again this year!

Click to read more ...

At first, I didn't give it much thought when a WoW acquaintance asked me to join his 3v3 arena team for the tournament. "Sure," I said. "Sounds like fun." Actually, I didn't think it was a serious request. I mean, really - he was asking me, of all people? I'm still working to ding level 80 for the first time, and haven't ventured much into the realm of PvP. Back in the pre-BC days when my main was a warrior, I played a bit of Battlegrounds in Warsong Gulch. Even then, I never dared walk into an arena. And since I switched to my rogue, I've been focused more on leveling and only try out a battleground here and there when bored. So it seemed like an odd request. But the idea grew on me. I kept thinking about how fun it would be to play a super-beefed-up version of my rogue. A nice change of pace, I thought. And it turned out the guy was both serious and persistent in asking me to join. I explained my lack of experience, and he didn't seem to mind. So I caved. I paid my $20 fee. Rolled Pixiestixy. Signed the team charter. Decided on a 41/5/25 mutilate spec. Set up my action bars. And spent a couple hours figuring out the best gear, enchants and gems to use. All I needed was confirmation that the team had been formed so we could start playing toward 200 matches (and a glorious, golden-armored pet murloc) before the April 6 deadline to qualify for the next round. So I waited. And waited. Played around with some macros. Admired my glowing-red berserking Deadly Gladiator's Shankers. Waited some more. A couple days later, I got an e-mail. My friend decided to play with a couple of his other (and, as it were, more experienced) friends, instead. I sighed in exasperation. I saw it coming, but had been hoping that wasn't the case. So I started with the obligatory search for a PuG. It seemed no one wanted a PvP noobie in their group. I don't blame them - most people who sign up probably have at least some clue what they are doing. I got no responses, not even to "BElf rogue LF a good time." I started asking RL friends (I had my husband convinced at one point, but we still needed a third). I saw several PuG requests from people saying they would just play 200 matches and lose each one to get the murloc. Pet collectors, I guess. But, somehow, that feels like cheating to me. If I'm going to do this, I oughta at least try, even if those attempts are futile. So I made a final effort to PuG it before the extended deadline to register last Friday. And finally, found a couple of takers. Myself, an affliction warlock (who also said he was no good at PvP) and a hybrid holy/ret paladin (who wanted to make top 1,000 teams to earn the Vanquisher title, but said he'd stick with us even if we lost). We became The Misfits. The first few matches were mayhem. I had absolutely no experience to back up everything I've read about PvP. And let me tell you, the experience is much different. It's way harder to keep track of everything going on than I had expected. We only played 6 matches the first night, with an even 3-3 record, and set a time to play again Saturday. Another 12 games in Saturday, and we had been getting worked. Despite me starting to get a better feel for the hectic arenas, our record was 6-12. Our paladin kept going AFK between matches. And then, the dreaded message. Pally "has left The Misfits." Teamless, again. I'm taking a break to work off the annoyance, then perhaps back to PuG-ing. What have I gotten myself into? So who all's in the tournament? What have your experiences been so far? How should us who are new to PvP find a group willing to stick it out through the 200 matches? And is there still enough time to squeeze in 200 matches before the 6th?

Click to read more ...

I was on vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina until August 10th. Yes, the day before BlizzCon tickets went on sale. I actually cut that vacation two days short so I could get home to a solid internet connection. I knew that I would need one to scoop up the two tickets I wanted to purchase. There I was, August 11th, stuck in the epic "fail Murloc" and XML error cycle like thousands of other users. F5, F5, F5, still the murloc haunts me. After Blizzard Poster Nethaera said the tickets had been sold out, I thought all hope was lost and began looking at eBay. Don't look at eBay. It is simply heart-breaking. Yes I saw that there would also be a small reserve of tickets to be sold at 8PM but that is PST time, and I was going to be unavailable then. My BlizzCon hopes were dashed. Just two days later, Mike Morhaime, the big cheese at Blizzard, pulled some strings and reworked the show's floor to allow room for 3,000 more people. To top it off they decided that these tickets would only be made available via a lottery system for those with an active Blizzard account (meaning their Online Store) as of August 12th. Huzzah, less chance that the last batch will be placed on eBay! The details on the lottery came out yesterday and will include an opt-in period much like the Wrath Beta. After that time frame elapses - still unknown - Blizzard will select 1,500 lucky members and allow them to purchase two tickets each. Should there be any tickets left, there will be another drawing and so on until all remaining tickets are sold. I have been fairly lucky at bingo in my life so I hope that luck carries over into this process. I really, really, want to snag that BlizzCon Polar Bear mount. Should anyone want to feel my pain, I invite you to play BlizzCon 08 - The Game. You can learn more about the lottery system via the BlizzCon Drawing FAQ. Good luck.

Click to read more ...