granny-smith
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Know Your Lore: NPC evolution from classic WoW to The Burning Crusade
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. We always hear about the big-name characters in Warcraft lore. Whether it's the heroic exploits of Varian Wrynn or the continuing saga of Thrall, big-name NPCs have been a constant in Warcraft novels and stories and in the game itself. But what about those lesser-known NPCs, the ones who aren't great heroes -- the bread vendors or the ones who send us to the ends of the earth for zhevra hooves? Do they just sit around all day, waiting for our inevitable return? Yes and no. World of Warcraft isn't simply a game; it's a micro-world of characters who have their own day-to-day lives. The game itself has made considerable strides in incorporating lore and storylines through quests and in game cutscenes. But what few realize is how many strides those lesser characters have taken right along with everything else. Today we're going to take a look at some of this NPC evolution -- the steps taken to give World of Warcraft the feel of a living, breathing world.
Apple files for old Apple Corps trademark
Apple Inc. (formerly known as Apple Computer) must be feeling pretty sure of itself after finally hammering out the Beatles deal for iTunes with Apple Corps. and its associated partners. The company that makes iPhones is now trying to re-secure the Apple logo trademark that Apple Corps. used for so long. The logo was originally lost to Apple Inc. in 2007 after a settlement gave much of Apple Corps.' trademarks to the computer company, but now Apple Inc. is actually filing for the legendary trademark, per Patently Apple, in order to nail down ownership once and for all. As I read it, Apple is simply trying to ensure that the Granny Smith logo stays where it legally belongs now: in Cupertino. Apple already had a hold on the trademarks, thanks to that 2007 settlement (which itself paved the way for the Beatles' iTunes release), but this filing was most likely pushed by the legal team and seeks to hammer out a total and complete hold on everything Apple Inc. can use Apple Corps.' trademarks for in the future. [via CrunchGear]
Breakfast Topic: Does this topic not value its life
Meet Cro. Cro's just an orc trying to make a living down in Lower City, but apparently it's not as easy to just sell some items and be a vendor as everyone thinks. In Burning Crusade, players were entertained by the ongoing saga of orc vs. fruit vendor -- a tiny little old lady who seems a bit absent-minded at best, and doesn't realize the orc is screaming about her. This began with simple screaming from the orc, who was outraged at the apple cart parked smack in front of his stall, and quickly progressed into a self-perceived war which ended, ultimately, with Cro selling the apples out of the cart and encouraging people to crush them. Lower City was full of this random NPC interaction and storylines, between the Cro saga, Griftah's ongoing struggle to stay in the city's limits, and the continuing adventures of Investigator Asric and Peacekeeper Jadaar. But let's get back to Cro. I find sometimes when wandering around Dalaran that I miss the orc's frenetic shrieking and paranoia. And then I find myself wondering what would happen if the simple leatherworker, sick of the fruit wagon nonsense, up and moved to Dalaran to try and do business there. What would Cro do? Who would he ally with? Would he berate Marcia Chase until she remembered the stupid secret of the Ghostfish and finally stopped calling it a mystery? Would Minigob Manabonk take some small amount of pleasure in repeatedly turning the bellowing orc into a sheep? I have no idea but the speculation has been entertaining me for the last half hour or so, so have at it, Breakfast Topic readers: If suddenly relocated to Dalaran, What Would Cro Do?
Cro Threadstrong and his crushable apples
I love Cro Threadstrong. Ever since we arrived in Shattrath, the guy's been yelling about the Fruit Vendor's cart blocking his way, and this isn't just an annoyed angry, it's a full-on, all-out, apple-crushing war kind of angry. And though we somehow missed this in among all of the Wrath beta news lately, we've now been invited into the trenches -- Cro is now selling his own crushable apples so players can walk right over to that Fruit Vendor, crush apples in front of her, and tell her ourselves: "YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME, FRUIT VENDOR!!!"So much fun. As you can see in the gallery below, the apples let you cast a quick spell that shows a spurt of red juice flowing out from beneath your feet, but the real fun here is yelling for no discernable reason. "Did you see that, Fruit Vendor? The Ogre will not protect you! Do you not value the life of your apples?!?" And how funny it would be if Granny Smith really did turn out to be masterminding a war.%Gallery-29281%
