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Blizzard developers are out there
An interesting discussion went on in the Community Service forums yesterday concerning the role Blizzard developers play in those very forums. A poster was obviously attempting to troll and start some argument, asking if the Blizzard devs actually do read what people write or pay attention to the community at large. Kisirani, a Blizzard developer, responded that indeed they do.A few interesting things came from subsequent blue posts that help outline the roles of the developers and community managers. First, it is the job of the community managers (CMs as we call them) to do just what their title says: manage the community. This includes the forums and everything that goes on in there. Kisirani tells us that they regularly collect feedback and suggestions and pass them along to the developers. Kisirani makes it a point to say that they don't have enough time to read everything themselves, and if they were to read everything the game itself would not be developed – and again, this is where the community managers come into play.
Give Gnomer back to the Gnomes
I've heard this idea many times before, but I don't know that we've ever officially covered it here on the site: there is a fairly large movement in the player base, especially among the shorter folks, to have Blizzard continue the Gnomeregan story line -- and give Gnomer back to the Gnomes. Gnomer is pretty much the most hated of all the instances (well, Uldaman might barely overtake it in some circles), and as happy as the Gnomes are in Ironforge, a lot of the pint-sized ankle-pokers would like to have their city back.Unfortunately, Blizzard has given the idea short shrift (ha!) to say the least -- while there are lots of rumored expansion plans, even beyond Wrath of the Lich King, it's mostly the Maelstrom and the Emerald Dream; nothing about the Leper Gnomes in Gnomer. You'd think they wouldn't be that hard to clear out (lower level groups regularly make short work of them -- ha!), although radiation is tough to fight off. Even the best Gnomish scientists seem to hold the belief they'll be able return to Gnomer, so it must be possible, right?But to make a long story short (ha! OK I'll stop), retaking Gnomeregan just isn't on Blizzard's priority list. The city might work great as a portal hub, or even a new setting for a BG or Arena, but as it is right now, Gnomeregan is staying in the hands of the Lepers and the Troggs.
Bringing magic and steel back to Warcraft
Alerinne starts an interesting conversation over on the forums about bringing WoW back into "Medieval Fantasy" -- swords and sorcery instead of alien Draenei and spaceships. Normally, the conversation about MMO genre runs along the lines of too much fantasy, but many players, it seems, would rather be running around with axes and fireballs rather than lasers and robots, especially in a world that is so akin to traditional fantasy (Orcs, Elves, and so on).To be fair, World of Warcraft has always had its own charms -- Dwarves have always been able to fire guns, something that's not usually in traditional fantasy, and even Goblins with their zeppelins (and Gnomes with their engineering) have always added a little extra flavor to the game that goes beyond purist fantasy. But it's true -- zones like Netherstorm and even Auchindoun go a little overboard for real fantasy fans.So hopefully, as we hear in the thread, we'll see a little more traditional fantasy setting in Wrath of the Lich King. So far, lots of things we've seen there have had a bit of a Norse trend to them, from the Frozen Tundra to the Vykrul race found in the early zones. But there's more to this expansion that we haven't seen -- Icecrown Citadel is an old-fashioned ice fortress, according to the lore, and with the movement of Dalaran and the rumors of dragons up there, we definitely have a possibility of a return to the magic and steel that made this series so popular in the first place.
Why Gnomes (supposedly) rock
I can't say I agree with the premise of this post that reader Syp wrote and sent to us (I'm Horde to the core, so for me, Gnomes only rock when eaten with a side of fries and Horde soda), but I can't really argue with most of his points. He sets out 10 reasons why Gnomes rock, and I have no doubt that they're sure to inspire lots of cross-faction discussion.I do have to admit-- the Gnome mount is one of my favorites, and engineering has gotten to be lots of fun. Escape Artist is an excellent ability (especially since it went instant a little while ago), and I have missed out on the fun that I hear is Toshley's Station-- I'm trying to work my little Gnome Warrior up to the mid-60s so I can get in on the Star Wars references, too.But I do take issue with Syp's "underdog" and "conformity" points. If you really want to play a race/gender that doesn't get a lot of love, try a Dwarf Female.
WoW Moviewatch: Lemmings raid Undercity
I know what you're thinking. You've seen capitol city raids before. You've seen hundreds of them! You've participated in them! But hold that thought -- this video is worth a watch before you come to any snap decisions, because this raid has style. Anyone can gather up 40 players and head to the nearest capitol city, but on Aszune (EU), this group of players decided to raid the Undercity as green-haired Gnomes, all dressed in blue. (Don't get the reference? Then you need to catch up on your classic games, friend!)Previously on Moviewatch...
Cinemassively: The gnOmen
If you love World of Warcraft, and children that bear the mark of the beast, then this is the Machinima for you! Olibith modeled this video after the 2006 trailer for the remake of The Omen. If you haven't seen the classic movie, it's about a couple that adopts a child who may be the Antichrist.As a fan of the movie, I noticed that it follows the storyline pretty closely. However, there are some funny personal touches to it. I wouldn't mind seeing an entire in-game re-remake of this film! In the meantime, I won't be adopting any gnomes in WoW ...
WoW Moviewatch: The gnOmen
Today's Moviewatch is another machinima piece by Olibith, which is at once scary and laughably absurd. It's based on a trailer for the movie, The Omen, about a father who finds out that adopted son is actually the son of the devil. The gnOmen uses gnomes instead of humans, of course, but it's still frightening to see bad things about to happen to the adorable little humanoids... or is it just weird? Personally, I like Olibith's Somethin' Stupid much better, but different sorts a people like different sorts of machinima.If movies like The Omen creep you out with demonic symbols and such things, then I advise against watching this movie. Otherwise, what do you think? Is this horror, or comedy, or both?[Via Warcraftmovies.com]Previously on WoW Moviewatch...
Around Azeroth: New and improved Shatterspear Village
Reader Sparticatina of Ysera sends us this excellent shot of a new take on Shatterspear Village (otherwise known as the dancing Troll village hidden away between Moonglade and Darkshore). In my humble opinion, the scenery is much improved by the addition of Gnomes, thanks to the Brewfest beer goggles!Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com, with as much or as little detail as you'd like to share with the world! %Gallery-1816%
Breakfast topic: The world from a gnome's eyes
Gnomes are not necessarily exclusive only to World of Warcraft, but as a race, the WoW iteration of the people is quite unique. We recently got a chance to see, via the Beer Goggles, what the world would be like if it were populated with gnomes, and a scary, scary distopia it would be. Whenever I am turned into a Leper Gnome as a Hallow's End trick, I spend the hour fighting from their perspective, as if the game camera were hovering just inches off the ground. And that's pretty much it for me, it's all I can take not to turn off the costume at once. I often wonder what it would be like to live within Azeroth, and try to imagine what it would be like to actually be a troll or an orc. The perspective of a gnome brings all kinds of challenges, and is one I don't think I would ever knowingly pick. I have had two gnome characters in my time, but each time the camera perspective has frustrated me to the point where I had to delete them and move on. Despite the issues with their height, I can imagine that living in Gnomeregan when it was, you know, clean and such, was a complete blast. An entire community of tinkerers and engineers, obsessed with creating their inventions despite how dangerous they might become. I'm sure the roleplay opportunities are endless when you play a gnome, and I have seen nothing more amusing than a gnome warrior charging into fight Void Reaver. But still, the world from a gnome's eyes has got to be pretty skewed, and I don't know if I could ever get myself to do it long term. Unless, of course, the gnome were a Death Knight.
Gallery: Fun with Brewfest goggles
These images just keep making me laugh. Over the weekend, we posted pictures of people having fun with the Beerfest goggles around famous Azerothian NPCs, and although my original request of Illidan never panned out (he's not a humanoid, apparently, and thus not susceptible to the effects of beer goggles), you readers responded with tons of funny pictures featuring our fearless leaders as Gnomes and female Orcs.So here they are all collected into a gallery, and if you have any more, feel free to drop us a note with links to them, and I'll add them in. Thanks to all the commenters who posted links for these pics: Nate S., myrlin, Haaken, erin, and s02.%Gallery-8945%
The dark legacy of engineering mounts
More good news for engineers everywhere! Those clever gnomes over at Dark Legacy have figured out what the engineering mount should look like, and they've told us the whole story about how they came up with the idea for designing it. Next, they should really design some more trinkets and bombs and other gadgety items for us to use!... or should they?Click here to read their comic, then come back and tell us what you think of their design.
WoW Moviewatch: Racecraft
This music video by Baron Soosdon is for all those who ever wondered what it might be like to participate in the races held between gnomes and goblins at the Mirage raceway in the Shimmering Flats. It's particularly timely in light of the new Engineering flying mount that will be coming out soon. Is this about what it will look like? Surely some players would be interested in the Goblin-engineered land mount featured here as well, if only they were making that for players too.For those who are interested in a higher-quality version (which I recommend), this video is also available on Stage 6.Previously on WoW Moviewatch...
WoW Moviewatch: Battlestar Gnomeregan
Well, actually the title of this little video is "Battlestar Galactica opening, World of Warcraft style," but to me it suggests a whole realm of possibilities that could actually fit within the WoW lore. We know already, for example, that a certain gnome in Stormwind has created a Spybot which can take on the appearance of a human girl, well enough to fool a high ranking Defias leader into coming out and meeting his doom. What if some group of evil gnomes or goblins took it upon themselves to create the equivalent of cylons for the Warcraft universe? They could be called "Spylons!" Well whatever you think of that idea, it would be a cute little easter egg quest to fight against the spylon menace for a little while, at the very least.Thanks to our very own Barb Dybwad, via her blog, Geeked.orgPreviously, on WoW Moviewatch...
WoW Moviewatch: Somethin' Stupid
In this edition of Moviewatch, we're treated to Olibith's version of the Frank & Nancy Sinatra duet "Somethin' Stupid" which is very very mushy in its own right. (Of course, being dedicated to his loves, it's understandable) However, when put into WoW, and featuring two Gnomes who eventually get involved in a bit of naked backflip bedroom acrobatics (yes, you read that correctly) it crosses the line from smooshy sweet into silly. Of course you can't have naked backflip bedroom acrobatics without mentioning that this could be considered very mildly NSFW, so unless you're good at stifling a chuckle, and/or naked Gnomes won't get you busted...Although if your girlfriend or boyfriend thinks Gnomes are cool, linking this to them could get you some brownie points. ;)Previously, on Moviewatch...
Around Azeroth: Olympic Gnome racing
Sure, you've seen Tauren racing, but it's just not quite the same as seeing an equal number of adorably tiny cotton-candy-hair Gnomes racing. This shot, sent in by reader Svenn of Aggramar (EU) shows a crowd of the charming beasts preparing for the Gnome race portion of the Laughing Skull Olympics, held on Laughing Skull (EU) at the end of July. And if this screenshot is to be taken as evidence, I'd venture a guess that the event was a blast for everyone involved!Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
WoW Moviewatch: The Joy of Punting Gnomes
If you don't understand the joy of punting Gnomes, chances are that you are a Gnome. So if you don't find this movie funny... beware! You may, in fact, be a Gnome. And if you're a Gnome... you know that means that there's a player lurking around any corner interested in punting you. And do you even need to ask? This bit of machinima is classic Oxhorn.Previously on Moviewatch...
Gnomes in GNorthrend
Bijez from Zul'Jin asks on the forums whether there will be Gnomes in GNorthrend or gnot (ok, I'll stop). Neth hints at a positive answer, but we know for sure: yes, there will be! Not only do we already know that flying machines are coming to Engineers in Northrend, but in an ingame video of the Borean Tundra, shown during the Wrath of the Lich King demo panel, we saw a Gnome city, with a gigantic tower of some kind, and airstrips (!).Unfortunately, that's all we got so far. WoW Wiki claims it's an Alliance town, which is a pretty good guess, but not necessarily guaranteed-- it could be a neutral town. Or it could even be an evil Gnome town; you never know. And we don't yet know what it's called, either.But yes, there will be Gnomes in GNorthrend. Fortunately, us Horde won't go completely hungry.
Forum Post of the Day: Gnome hunting season
Over on the official forums, poster Flaval informs us that Gnome hunting season has begun and will last until August 28th. Though Flaval makes this sound like a Horde-only event, I'm sure there are plenty of Alliance who would also be eager to participate. But here's the big question -- when does Night Elf hunting season start? Blood Elf hunting season? Inquiring minds want to know!So, how many of you will be participating in this year's Gnome hunting?
Around Azeroth: Gnome party! (By invitation only)
Hululu of Zealot Blade sends in this shot of Gnomes in their natural environment (Ironforge, of course), throwing an exclusive, Gnomes-only celebration. The Gnomes are odd, poorly understood creatures, and the reasons for their celebrations remain unknown even to Azeroth's most learned -- after all, who, passing such a gathering, could possibly resist a little Gnome punting fun?Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Dark Legacy hits 100
Congrats to my favorite WoW online comic, Dark Legacy-- they just recently posted their 100th comic! If you haven't been reading (and shame on you), the characters all just quaffed from the Fountain of Youth with some unexpected consequences. And yes, the punchline quirk has actually been fixed in the game, but we'll give them a break on this one-- it's their 100th comic.Congrats again, DL-- here's to 100 more!
