World of Warcraft

[Crimson King]

The Future is an Dark and Treacheous Path

And so far my basic predictions where true. Galaxies, 2-3 years of hype, crashed in burned. Shadowbane, a dead image of what could have been a great game. I have read tons and tons of information on both, both pros and cons. I will go into each to make this somewhat valid post.

Shadowbane:
Wait, let me get a drink to do this. . .




Ok, This game had IMMENSE potiental. Player vs Player becomes guild vs guild. Guild vs Guild becomes City vs City. City vs City becomes Empire vs Empire. Where can you go wrong? I'll tell you how. POOR EXECUTION. Firstly, I haven't played it myself but have read player experiences both good and bad. Now, this game was hacked within 2 months of release. Among with bugs and what not players felt suckered into paying for a year just for the 3 hidden races. Once the year(or was it 6 months) is up, expect it to wither and die. 10,000 + players off 10 servers quit in the first 4 months.

Now, Galaxies:

This is a tragedy. The game has one of the best character creations EVER. Where did it go wrong? Let me draw the game out for you. You are a player in Star Wars Galaxies, *****in huh? Well, here is the way the develops made Star Wars. Want to fly to planets? Go ahead. . . in 6 months. Want to be a *****in Jedi? Go ahead. . .once you complete tedious task after tedious task. Want to be a craftsman? Go ahead, the game is somewhat fun in this aspect. Want to do awesome missions? Go a....wait you can't. They are either extremely bugged or pointless(no goals). Want to test all new races and classes? Just make a new character. . . by deleting the one you worked on for hours at a time.

If you are like me I play MMOs at night on weekends or weekdays when I don't have school. I don't want to delete characters that I work on with the time I have.


All this means? I need sleep BAD. But, also the fact that those MMOs were hyped to all **** and couldn't even stand a candle. What will the hype around the most well-know RTS do? Time will tell. Time will indeed tell all.

 

[Craftstar]

I think the beta will tell a lot more than time.

 

[spaz519]

Firaga brings up a good point about economy. Depending on how Blizz goes about it, that could really beef up or deaden the very late game. Take a look at the Diabs economy (the most recent RPG I've had experience with =X), a laissez-faire, as firaga said. It is "ok" for a player managed economy, but it has had many years to develop and still is in a very basic stage. For those who dont know, its based on the unit of "SOJ", a rare ring, for currency. Its the closest thing to perfect for it, as it takes up a minimal amount of inventory space and is fairly close to middle price for buying equipment, but is still rare. There is no real index for how much something costs; only an extremely vague value can be assigned to anything, and that may vary from person to person, leaving a bartar economy, very difficult to buy things in.

Phew. Lots of hot air. In short, Blizz needs to set up a basic guideline for selling/buying items, maybe even on the items themselves when in the trading interface...

Wow is teh pwnz. Talk to me about teh guild sometime, CS, if I forget.

 

[Craftstar]

My guild website will be launching soon.

Blizzard is doing what they can to make WoW's economy good. When characters reach max level , there will be special quests for them to do, itemsfor them to achieve, and certain skills that NPCs will teach only when you are maxed. So maxed characters will have to spend TONS of gold to learn the skills that can only be learnt at max level. Also, with player housing, tons of money of players will be eaten up. Essentially, by making money important and circulating later game, money will retain it's importance. The money won't become useless later on, and I'm sure trading and values will be very important to the game.

Basically, gold will be kept important to keep the game from becoming a primative barter economy. Blizzard won't strictly restrict prices on things, but they will guide the value of gold to ensure the economy remains sound.

 

[Craftstar]

I apologze for the double post, but I think every WoW AND Night Elf fan should see this.

There was a new update today, after months of no updates.

The Night Elf capital of Kalidar has been revealed.

EVERYONE LISTEN TO THE NEW MUSIC OF KALIDAR. IF YOU HAVEN'T LISTEN TO THE OTHERS, LISTEN TO THEM TOO!
The amazing music of Kalidar

From the Kalidar page

Off Kalimdor's northern coast lies the island of Kalidar, the new home of the reclusive Night Elves and a stunning testament to the power of their magic and their connection with nature. After the cataclysmic events that followed the invasion of the Burning Legion, the Circle of Ancients and powerful druids combined their powers to grow an immense new world tree on Kalidar. They called the tree Teldrassil, meaning "crown of the earth" in their native tongue. The night elves made their new home in the boughs of Teldrassil, creating a forest of mighty trees and flowing rivers, bathed in the endless night that fell over the lands of the elves from the dawn of time. However, the calm of the enchanted forest has slowly fallen into the shadow of a sinister presence. Crazed furbolgs and fouler beasts have appeared in Kalidar, and it occupies all the attention of the vigilant Sentinels and the wise druids to ensure the safety of their new home.

Two new enemies have been revealed in detail, check out the page for more info!

Finally, here are some screenshots of Kalidar. You can view all 13 new screenshots here.

I strongly recommend checking the rest out.

Enjoy =D

 

[Eor]

Meh, Night Elf fan.

I thought that they would break the ice with a large update, not somthing like this. I mean, Kalidar had already been confirmed, now we just see some more pictures, and some history. And Furblongs and Harpies? We pretty much knew they were going to be in the game.

I thought that they would break the ice with a new playable race, like the trolls, or the blood elves, or somthing.


Your making a guild? How do you get in it?

 

[Craftstar]

News on the game has been scarce lately, so I figured I'd post the (awesome!) new screenshots and stuff. You can't say it's not sweet =P

I'll give info on my guild soon enough. Remember, there will be a lot of servers in the end, my guild will only be on one of them (one of the West Coast servers)

 

[Eor]

i wasnt complaining. I was just thinking that the "and WHAT an update it was" shouldnt have been there.


Oh, and lets stop arguing about whether or not the game will fail like allot of MMORPG. lets, instead, argue about the Pandas,a dn whether or not they should be there. I for one, say **** the pandas.

 

[Craftstar]

Well, my opinion on Pandarens has been offered a LOT of the official bnet forums. I'm pretty vocal on my feelings on the Pandarens (pro-panda).

My guild, Remnants of the Ice, will be only for the most dedicated and active of World of Warcraft players. Only those willing to commit fully to the guild need apply =D

PS It's an Alliance guild.

 

[Eor]

Originally posted by Craftstar
Well, my opinion on Pandarens has been offered a LOT of the official bnet forums. I'm pretty vocal on my feelings on the Pandarens (pro-panda).

How are you pro-Panda? I wouldnt mind having the pandas in them, but being able to play as them.

Originally posted by Craftstar
PS It's an Alliance guild.

then I shall see you in ****.

 

[Craftstar]

Haha, well anyways, I can't wait until beta gets here.

Don't expect the beta to be when Blizzard says it is. I can't give any details because I promised, but the beta won't be coming out as soon as you might hope.

 

[Eor]

Originally posted by Craftstar
Haha, well anyways, I can't wait until beta gets here.

Don't expect the beta to be when Blizzard says it is. I can't give any details because I promised, but the beta won't be coming out as soon as you might hope.

wtf? how the **** do you know? ****, I didnt know that they gave information like that to fan-sites. Well, im thinking it will start somtime in December. Is that wrong?

Oh, and I thought that the beta wasnt going to come out for Canadians?

 

[Craftstar]

They technically don't give information to fansites, but the head of Warcry talked to a Blizzard insider and he got some information about some internal delays that have the potential for pushing the beta past Q3.

Noone knows who will be involved in early stages of the beta, but open beta tests will involve th entire world.

 

[Eor]

Ah.

On the Bnet forums, you said that Anyone could know what happens in Act 2 & 3 of the ORc campaign. How is that?

A little off topic, but of well.


Oh, and can anyone just make a guild?

 

[Craftstar]

I'm sure there will be restrictions on making a guild, possibly a minimum amount of guild memebers required to band together. Not sure, exactly (yet).

On the Bnet forums, you said that Anyone could know what happens in Act 2 & 3 of the ORc campaign. How is that?

>Open up your fancy world editor.

>Open up the fancy sound editor

>Choose the folder "sound" on the left

>Choose the subfolder OrcExpCamp

>Starting from the top folder, go down, in order, listening to the sound files within each of the folders (there are amny of them)

>When you open each folder, a bunch of names will pop up. Don't listen to them in order from top to bottom. Instead, look at the names for each of the soundfiles. Each one has a number following the character name. For example:
Rexxar2
Rexxar4
Thrall1
Thrall3
Jaina5
Listen to them in order of the numbers after each name. So, if it was the example, you'd listen to Thrall1, Rexxar2, Thrall3, Rexxar4, Jaina5. Listen to all the sound files in this order until you finish the folder. Move to the next folder down. While not all sound files can be found, the majority are, and can be used to listen to the dialogue from acts 2 and 3, successfully spoiling the storyline for yourself =D

 

[spaz519]

That really is a fancy editor. Me likes.

This is just looking better and better. I like the way you can hire gryphons and see and possible taunt all your measly dirt-crawling "friends". I can't wait for the BIG INFORMATION you so meanly hold just out of our sight, CS...your time WILL come!

How is the PvP going to work? That's what any (in)sane person is in it for anyways...

 

[Craftstar]

In the biggest anouncement since the announcement of the game itself, Blizzard has given us more than just a little information on this day.

Playable Races:

Alliance:

Human
Night Elf
Dwarf
Gnome

Horde:

Orc
Tauren
Troll
Undead

Classes:

Warrior
Shaman
Mage
Druid
Warlock
Hunter
Paladin
Rogue
Priest (Shadow and Holy)

Characters become heroes at level 40, depending on both their race and class. A level 40 Night Elf Hunter will become a Demon Hunter. A level 40 Dwarf Warrior will become a Mountain King.

Humans, Gnomes, and Dwarves ride Gryphons
Night Elves ride Hipporgryphs

Orcs, Tauren, and Trolls ride Wind Runners (AKA Wyverns)
Undead ride a batlike creature thats currently unnamed

Mounts:

Humans ride horses
Orcs ride Wolves
Night Elves ride Nightsabres (big white cats)
Dwarves ride rams
Tauren have plain running, a skill which allows them to run fast
Undead ride Nightmares (Undead horses)
Trolls ride ???
Gnomes ride ???

Goblins are neutrals which help any race in the world.

More information is coming soon. Here are some pictures.

MORE ON UNDEAD

as for Undead, here is the detail on CGW:

As in warcraft3, the Undead are former humans transformed into zombies by the evil Burning Legion as part of their plot the conquer Azeroth. Undead players in wow are not allied with the Burning Legion (Still the universe's uberbad guys), but are more like a somewhat-less-evil splinter undead group. still, undead players are the closest to an evil race, with much darker quests and stories to pursue.
Also, while the Alliance and Horde are separated by a language gap-in addition to native tongues, all Alliance races speak Common, while all Horde races speak Orcish, and neither side can understand the other-the Undead, as former humans, begin to game with the advantage of understanding both. You may be Undead, but you're a linguisitc scholar!


MORE COMING SOON

 

[spaz519]

Sigh, no pandas. Undead, however...darn cool! AND the option to be a Demon Hunter! HECK YEA!

I forgot to ask this earlier: Is it likely that there will be an expansion(s)? I'd have more questions, except I know that my own CGW comes soon...sweet mother of monkeys, can't wait for this...

 

[Eor]

Yes!


Hahaha, this is awsome!

Wait, WTF? Undead?

 

[Craftstar]

Read the more on Undead part I just added. Blizzard said they will be explainging how the Undead are allied with the Horde as it ties i directly with the storyline.

PS: Pandas will most certainly be in the game, but most likely as a NPC race.

Yes, there will be Expansions.

A level 40 Dwarf Warrior will become a Mountain King.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.no/cgw/ scans of all ten pages

TONS of new info on every class/race/basically every single aspect of the game.

EVERYONE go buy the October CGW when it's out!

 

[Eor]

I already found some scans, and posted them on Blizzforums.com...


Im not saying anything about the Undead, except that they said that the undead wont be in it. The same goes to heroes, they said that you couldnt be one....


Oh well, its awsome now. But how do you know that the Pandas are in it?

 

[Craftstar]

A while ago, Blizzard made a comment about the March gameplay trailer saying that there are no visible Pandarens in the trailer, but that they're excellent and hiding. Personally, I'm asusming they'll be bartendors/merchant NPCS =D\

I think the Undead sound awesome!

And I can't WAIT to make a hero.

I'm pretty sure they never said Undead will never be in. The FAQ itself says that the status of the Undead is a surprise.

And as for th Heroes, I'm not sure. I don't know if they actually said they won't be in, but obviously, they were jsut throwing us off =D

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heres a transcript of a summary I wrote for Warcry:

We can say we know this:

-Undead, Trolls, and Gnomes are the last of the playable races.
-Undead and Trolls are in the Horde. Gnomes are in the Alliance.
-Paladins, Rogues, and Priests are the last of the playable classes.
-Players become heroes at level 40.
-Two confirmed heroes are: Demon Hunter (Night Elf Hunter) and Mountain King (Dwarven Warrior).
-Core stats are leveled automatically, while players are given additional points to spend on additional stats or secondary skills.
-The Character design process includes naming your character, selecting race, then class, then appearance. You can jump into playing right away.
-There is a built in buddy and e-mail system.
-Factions definatly cannot group with each other
-Humans ride Horses
-Orcs ride Wolves
-Tauren have plains running, a skill to run fast
-Dwarves ride rams
-Night Elves ride Nightsabres
-Undead ride Nightmares
-Trolls and Gnomes don't have mounts yet
-Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes ride Gryphons
-Night Elves ride Hippogryphs
-Orcs, Tauren, and Trolls ride Wind Runners
-Undead ride bat-like creatures (unnamed)
-Boats have scheduled times for when they sail
-PvP takes place in Arenas (Free for alls), Out in the fields (Faction battles), and in a Consentual duel (1v1)
-Players can battle for control of outlying towns.
-All Alliance speaks Common
-All Horde speaks Orcish
-Each race has it's own language on top of the "common speech"
-Undead start with the ability to speak both Common and Orcish.
-Dungeons have plus mobs, which are stronger versions of normal mobs
-Over 100 Mini dungeons
-Over 20 huge dungeons
-The largest dungeon can take a whole week for an entire guild to go through.
-Players can create instances, and from there, invite other layers to join them in their instance. If you leave the game while in an instance, when you log back in, you'll be back in the instance.
-Rogues have backstab, swift strike, knockout, and more skills. They focus on doing the damage.
-Priests are the best healers and buffers in the game. They can manipulate their opponent's mind. They can focus on shadow or holy magic.
-Paladins are Alliance only (much ike Shamans are Horde only). They focus on healing and buffing, and have supportive Auras.
-Druids can shapeshift into an aquatic and a tree form, on top of their other forms.
-Warlocks can summon Doomguards, on top of their other summons.
-Shamans can place totems on the ground that work like a witch doctor's wards in Warcraft III.
-Rituals are multi-user spells. One ritual summons a portal to a town.
-Lock picking allows player to open trasure chests that others cannot open.
-Riding allows you ride mounts and even ride the mounts of other races (at high levels).

That is a lot of info right there, but to find out EVERYTHING, make sure to buy Computer Gaming World magazine, on sale September 2nd!

 

[Eor]

Hey,craftstar, im surprised you left out one of the best information. You can take over and convert small enemy towns! (small ones, nothing importent)


Well, I dont need to join your clan. Im in one! Im in the blood moon clan, which is a horde only clan. We already have over 60 members.

 

[Craftstar]

Yeah thanks I forgot that (Players can battle for control of outlying towns)

 

[Eor]

****it, your pm box is full.

I was in a Horde guild, clalled BloodMoon, untill recent events. All of the veterans or mature people left the clan, and so did one of there leaders. Now, all thats left is people who say, "D00dE, wHs0 GunNa gTe TEH BTa??????///""


Since your a staff member at an awsome WoW site, I was wondering if you knew any semi-respectable WoW Guilds that are Horde.

That was a pm to him. His inbox is full.

 

[Craftstar]

My PM box is no longer full

 

[Craftstar]

There was a new FAQ Update!

-Cities

The city of Stormwind stands as the last bastion of Human power in Azeroth. Rebuilt after the Second War, Stormwind is a marvel of Human design and engineering. Stormwind's guards keep the peace within the city's walls, while the young king, Anduin Wrynn, rules from his mighty keep. The Bazaar District bustles with trade from across the continent and beyond, while Warriors of every sort can be found wandering the streets of Old Town. Unaffected by the ravages of the Scourge in the north, Stormwind still faces its own threats, both from without and from within.

While many Dwarven strongholds fell during the Second War, the mighty city of Ironforge--nestled in the wintry peaks of Dun Morogh--was never breached by the invading Horde. A marvel to the Dwarves' expertise of shaping rock and stone, Ironforge was constructed in the heart of the mountain itself: an expansive underground city of craftsmen, explorers, miners and Warriors. Although the Alliance has been weakened by recent events, the Dwarves of Ironforge, led by King Magni Bronzebeard, are forging a new future in the world.

High atop the boughs of the great tree Teldrassil lies the wondrous city of Darnassus, the new refuge of the reclusive Night Elves. Druids, Hunters, and Warriors alike make their homes among the rows of woodcrafted lodges and delicately tended groves. The Temple of the Moon rises like a shining beacon above the trees, flanked by the colonnaded Hall of Justice, where the vigilant Sentinels gather to safeguard the land. Ruled by the high Priestess, Tyrande Whisperwind, Darnassus stands as a tranquil testament to all that the Night Elves hold sacred. A city in tune with the rush and flow of nature, Darnassus was built along the shores of a large lake, with elegant bridges spanning its crystalline waters. Elsewhere, the falling leaves of the forest carpet the soft pathways of the city.

Named in honor of the legendary Orgrim Doomhammer, Orgrimmar was founded to be the capital city of the Orcs' new homeland. Built within a huge, winding canyon in the harsh land of Durotar, Orgrimmar stands as one of the mightiest Warrior cities in the world. Behind Orgrimmar's immense walls, elderly Shamans patiently share their knowledge with the Horde's newest generation of leaders, while Warriors spar in the gladiatorial arena, honing their skills in preparation for the trials that await them in this dangerous land.

The great city of Thunder Bluff lies atop a series of mesas that overlook the verdant grasslands of Mulgore. The once nomadic Tauren recently established the city as a center for trade caravans, traveling craftsmen and artisans of every kind. The proud city also stands as a refuge for the brave Hunters who stalk their dangerous prey through the plains of Mulgore and its surrounding areas. Long bridges of rope and wood span the chasms between the mesas, topped with tents, longhouses, colorfully painted totems, and spirit lodges. The mighty chief, Cairne Bloodhoof, watches over the bustling city, ensuring that the united Tauren tribes live in peace and security.

Far beneath the ruined capital city of Lordaeron, the royal crypts have been turned into a bastion of evil and undeath. Originally intended by Prince Arthas to be the Scourge's seat of power, the budding "Undercity" was abandoned when Arthas was recalled to aid the Lich King in distant Northrend. In Arthas's absence, the Dark Lady, Sylvanas Windrunner, led the rebel Forsaken to the Undercity, and claimed it for her own. Since taking up residence, the Forsaken have worked to complete the Undercity's construction by dredging the twisted maze of catacombs, tombs, and dungeons that Arthas began.

 

[spaz519]

Eeeeexcellent, I can finally see my future race in living color! Female gnome warlock, HOOOO!

Thou art masterful, Crafty. Making this whole thing, converting me to the LIGHT THAT IS WOW....keep the goodness flowing.

 

[Yavarice]

Wow. Pun was really not intended.

That word extends to two things really.

First is obviously how nice this game is looking both in visuals and gameply. I don't mean I'm getting hyped for it, but from what I read in the FAQs, the features sound well plotted.

Second is, people are starting guilds already?

I havn't actually become this intrigued in a game since... if I can't remember then it's been too long. But the point is that I may finally get back into my first MMORPG and serious online gaming in 5-6 years.

Blizzard is one of the few companies I can totally trust to deliver an excellent product where the secret ingredient, is love. (Pixar is the other one i can think of)

I think I'll go for a gnome character. A mage perhaps with specialization in engineering (heh) to build and fly my own squadron of gyrocopters HA! But seriously, I'll never be hardcore enough to play a 'core' character, so something of a support unit suits my style.

Mounts will be cool. Humies get their horsies, Orcs have wolves, Elves on panthers (white tiger?) while the poor Tauren have to run.

 

[Craftstar]

BETA SIGN-UPS HAVE ENDED.

 

[Craftstar]

Check out my Beta Journal at World of Warcraft Warcry. Here is the first chapter:

Chapter 1: The Beginning.

After years of waiting, I finally got to play World of Warcraft for the first time. I spent a little time messing with the character creation process, and experimented a little with my player (which I had decided was to be a Night Elf). My first character is a Night Elf Rogue named Entrax. Among the first things I saw was a Night Elf guy with an "!" mark above his head. The "!" mark is the marker which indicates a quest. Knowing this, I eagerly ran towards the fellow and recieved my first quest. Apparently the population of Young Nightsabres was rising a little to fast, and so I was given the task of "slowing" the population growth of the creatures. Not needing to be told twice, I went off and in under a minute after loading up the world, I was engaging my first monster. I had a good itme doing newbie quests in Aldrassil, but it was time for me to move on to bigger and better things so I made the trip to Dolanaar.

By this time I was around level 3 and had purchased the stealth skill from the local Rogue trainer. Trainers are the guys (or gals) who teach players skills. Once you meet the minimum level requirement and have enough cash, you can learn the skill you want. In the lower levels, you earn money by doing quests and recieving it as a reward, or from looting monsters. Some monsters drop money, while others drop loot which you can sell to venders for cash. I got to Dolanaar and while I was there, I trained in my first tradeskill: herbalism. I've never been a fan of Tradeskills in MMORPGs; they just weren't for me. But in WoW, Blizzard has managed to integrate tradeskills into the game so that everyone will train in them, not just the usual minority who spends all their time crafting. I continued to progress through the levels, and it seemed like there was never a time where I didn't have a quest active. All the talk about quests being the fastest way to level your character is compeltely true. A quest usually involves going out and either killing a certain amount of monsters or returning a certain amount of items. After going out and completing the objectives, you return to the NPC with a "?" above his head and reap the rewards (usually a nice experience bonus, some money, and a choice of one of a few items). One quest that sticks out in my mind went like this: A shady Satyr hanging out on the fringes of Dolanaar offered me a reward for bringing in a few key items from the surrounding wildlife. I brought them in and went on my way. Later on, I found out from a Night Elf NPC that the Satyr I had helped was a bad guy, and in order to remain a friend of the people of Teldrassil, I would have to get back for helping the wicked guy. My mission was then to go out and collect Fel Cones, green glowing pinecones found at the base of trees. I gave them to the shifty Satyr who assumed I had brought him a tasty snack. Next thing I knew, he had eaten the cones and turned into a toad in front of my eyes!

I finally ventured to the huge Night Elf capital city of Darnassus. I had died on the way over after venturing into a cave of monsters who were not very happy to see me. When I released my spirit I returned in a ghostly form to the nearest bindpoint. I had a choice then: I could get the spirit healer to raise me right there for a moderate cost to my experience, or I could return as a ghost to my body to raise myself for no penalty. I chose to return as a ghost, which didn't take very time. One thing I've noticed is that there is usually a fair amount of corpses littering the ground. Sometimes places can look somewhat cluttered when the corpses start stacking up. After my ressurection, I entered the massive city of Darnassus. The city is loaded with venders, class and trade trainers, and some beautiful sights. By this time, it was night out. The day/night cycle runs on a controversial 24 hour cycle (which is fine, in my opinion). At night things don't get much darker than they are in day, and one is likely to not even notice the change (unless you glance toward the star-splattered sky). Unfortunatly weather effects have not been implemented yet, but I look foreward to that update.

As a Rogue, combat is pretty fun. There are two main types of combat skills: the kind that build up combo points, and the kind that spend them. When you engage an opponent and use a combo skill, a circle will light up around the enemy's portrait along the top of the screen. Some skills fill up more circles than others, but as a newbie Rogue, all mine only filled up a single circle. You can fill up to 5 circles, and then you can unleash a finisher (though you only need one circle lit to perform one). The number of circles lit determines exactly how powerful your finisher is. It seems like a fairly basic combat system, but the possibility of different combos makes it full of depth, especially when you employ the useful Stealth ability. Some moves can only be used from in front, some only from behind, and each with different effects upon the enemy. Rogues have the class skill Dual Wield, which allows them to hold a weapon in the off hand. I haven't trained Dual Wield yet (it requires level 10, and as I write this I'm level 8), but I'm very excited about getting it. Some other useful Rogue abilities include Evasion, a skill which boosts your evade rate for a limited amount of time, and a move which allows you to increase your rate of movement speed. All-in-all the rogue is an entertaining class with deadly power.

The game itself looks wonderful. The graphics are absoloutly astounding--everything is vibrant and seems to be full of life. The atmosphere is wonderful, and the world is filled with birds, critters, and beautiful natural locations. A lot of the world interacts with each other as well. Along my travels I spied a Nightsabre stalk and then take down a frightened deer. To call the sound of the game wonderful would be a gross understatement. The music is virtually perfect (in the areas I experienced). The ambient noises add to the world too, though it can get mildly annoying to hear those crickets chirp on and on and on. Characters have voices, and you can hear your character tell you that he's just too far away from the enemy to throw a knife at it, or that you're too tired to execute any more commands (energy meter is low). The audio and visuals in this game are perhaps together among the most impressive I've seen.

So far, I've had a great time playing World of Warcraft. It's a fantastic MMORPG so far--I've had much more fun as a newbie than any other MMORPG I've played as a newbie. It's still too early to tell whether it will last--whether the game will continue to be fun as I advance through the levels; though I have a feeling it will. I see a lot of people out there say "I hate MMORPGs, but I can't wait for WoW because I think it'll be so good that everyone will love it!" This may be going to far. While the game is great (so far) to me, that's because I like MMORPGs and World of Warcraft is an MMORPG. People who hate MMORPGS will not stop hating them because of WoW. It's possible, but WoW IS an MMORPG and doesn't quite transcend to the genre to be the pinacle of perfection. That being said, the game is in early stages of beta, and it truly does feel just as finished as any retail MMORPG out there (though a few big parts of the game have yet to be implemented). World of Warcraft WILL attract new and old fans to the genre and I imagine the player base for the retail version of the game will be huge. My early impressions for WoW? Fantastic!

Stay tuned for Chapter 2 of my Beta Journal, where I'll discuss how things get once I've moved beyond being a "weak newb" and talk more about some of the finer gameplay details. Got any questions? E-mail me at craftstar@warcry.com or send a Private Message via these forums.

 

[Crimson King]

I thought for closed betas you had to sign a non-disclosure pact. I did for the sims online and anarchy online and lots of people got banned for leaking stuff.

 

[Craftstar]

WoW has no NDA for the beta. It's open range for information =)

 

[Yavarice]

Haha, dealing with a blackmarket Satyr and then offing him with some Mr. Burns brand pinecones... thats the sort of 'cool' factor that would really immerse you into the world.

Have you tried out the Druid? Thats the class im thinking of playing as once the game goes mainstream. (Or at least during beta stress test )

 

[Craftstar]

I did try the Druid but I'm not a big fan of spellcasters so I'vem ostly been sticking with a Rogue.

Druid is a rather complicated class, and certainly one of the hardest to play as. You have have to know what form to shift into and when, when to stay as a Druid (in standard form they're excellent Priest-like characters), and so on. As I said it's not my thing, but I can see the appeal for Druids.

If anyone has any more questions, feel free to ask.

Remember I'm staff at WoW Warcry so you can find a whole load of screenshots I and other staffers have taken.

UPDATE: I tried the Druid more and I had a lot more fun playing it than I first expected. Pretty awesome class.

 

[Valar1001]

Hows the Shaman?

 

[Craftstar]

I've tried the Shaman and I enjoyed the class. My favourite part of the class are the totems. The Shaman gets 4 totems (not right away, must quest for them). Earth, Wind, Fire, Water (four elements). There are special totem spells which are attached to a totem of a particular class. So for example, lets say a water totem that provides healing in the area around it. You can only use one totem spell at a time. So, for example, say water totem had a healing aura and a nonhealing aura. You can only use one of those at a time with the totem (totems get planted in the ground). You can however, use different types of totems at once. So you have have one of each of the four types out, but not two of any totem. Confused? Probably It's not so complicated when you're playing the game.

Oh, and as a special gift for WoW fans:

Heroes will be available for characters that max out in their first class (60th level). The hero class progression is designed to be very, very difficult and arduous.

More on Heroes and other subjects to come!

 

[Craftstar]

PvP info: Players will go to special masters in capital cities and take special flights to instanced PVP zones. PVP zones are described as Battlefield 1942 meets Warcraft 3. Manning siege equipment? Capturing and holding goldmines? Destorying enemies bases? Completing other various objectives? Yup, it's all there. Think a match of Warrcaft III from the ground level. Amazing, isn't it?

Check out some various artwork/screenshots Click the thumb for full size picture, please.:


Night Elf Female Art


Rendered Night Elf female from Opening cinematicFULL SIZE HERE (VERY LARGE AND STUNNING)


Dwarf Mount: Ram


Night Elf Mount: Sabre. There will be many color varieties, including black and white and orange and so on.


Undead Mount: Undead Steed (on left). The flaming horse to the right is the Warlock mount, the Nightmare.


Troll Mount (just announced!): Raptor


For more screens check out the Blizzard Press Release Site

 

[Hiemie]

I hear some people would give their left nut to play this game, but somehow, I got to play it.... and I could really care less.

A friend of mentioned the Guardians of Blizzard to me, and that sparked my intererst, so he let me play. They're pimp. I ran into three of them at once. I died, instantly. Then I danced on someone elses corpse. That's all I saw.

Was pretty cool.

 

[menoshi]

world of warcraft i think is going to be very good i will be gettin it as soon as possible