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Win tickets to hear WoW soundtrack composer David Arkenstone
What, ho! If thou dost live anywhere at all near Austin, Texas, we hath a merry proposal for thy consideration: a chance to win weekend passes for two to hear WoW soundtrack composer David Arkenstone on the weekend of March 31 and April 1 at the Sherwood Forest Faire near Austin. Forsooth, 'tis verily so -- a meatspace contest for readers in a single mid-U.S. region. (Our most sincere condolences to residents of other fiefs and kingdoms ... There's only so much of the noble Sir Arkenstone to go around!) Mark you, there be no place more fitting to tarry on a sunny spring morn than a renn faire featuring three-time Grammy nominee David Arkenstone performing songs including some of his melodious compositions for World of Warcraft. So hear ye, hear ye (in plain English): We're giving away two pairs of tickets (a $72 value per pair) for the weekend of March 31 and April 1 to Sherwood Forest Faire, 35 miles east of Austin, Texas. To enter, leave a comment on this post before the contest ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Sunday, March 18, 2012. Since this is a location-specific event, please don't enter unless you can actually attend the faire in Austin on March 31 and/or April 1; alternate dates and locations are not available, and we want a WoW fan who can be there to enjoy these shows. Winners must be legal residents of the United States or Canada (except Quebec). You may only enter once, and winners must be 18 years of age or older. Two winners will be chosen at random, and tickets will be held in their names at the Will Call window of the faire admissions area. See the official rules for more details. Jousting in your entry comment is optional.
Breakfast Topic: Listening to music while playing WoW
I love WoW's soundtrack, but sometimes it just loops too much. I need something that'll keep me awake, excited, and bouncing between pulls in a dungeon. I realized when I started looking for stuff in my playlist that the songs depended very much on what I was playing (warrior, healer, low-level alt) and what I was doing (grinding, dungeon, leveling). Here are four ways that I incorporate music to my play: Leveling Undead I found that listening to The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack was a hilarious addition to leveling an Undead character. The lyrics, "This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!" added magic to spotting skeletal fish in a lake. Leveling Draenei/Night Elf The Lord of the Rings soundtrack or Pirates of the Caribbean or Beats Antique are epic songs for these races, no matter where you are in Azeroth. Epic! Dungeon DPS/warrior Black Sabbath or any heavy metal! Keeps me awake between pulls. Also, techno music works. Dungeon healing Pink Floyd keeps me calm, cool, and relaxed. Plus, I don't feel the irresistible urge to jump around as I do when listening to heavy metal. There you have it! What I like to listen to when I play. What do you like to listen to? Have you ever wanted to write for WoW Insider? Your chance may be right around the corner. Watch for our next call for submissions, and be sure to sign up for Seed, the AOL guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider. The next byline you see here may be yours!
Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite piece of music in WoW?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. World of Warcraft is a game with great sound and great sound design. Players might not always notice it, but for those of us who play with the music on, these themes can really set the tone for the game. Ashenvale music never fails to remind me of my first foray into the zone; after Darkshore, which was a bit bleak, my baby druid stepped into Ashenvale and it seemed like all of Azeroth opened up, wide and colorful and filled with swelling orchestral tracks. Though the game world seems much smaller to me now, I still remember that moment whenever I hear the Ashenvale theme. My favorite piece of WoW music, however, has got to be the one in Mulgore. I play mainly Alliance, so I don't go there often, but every time I visit the zone for the Darkmoon Faire or head to Thunder Bluff for some holiday achievement, I'm struck by the beauty and tranquility of the Mulgore music. It really fits the environment, and it never fails to relax me when I fly through. The slow, soft yearning reminds me of the Tauren people and their culture, while the undercurrent of tension hints at the conflict brewing in the world outside that secluded valley. What's your favorite piece of WoW music? Does it remind you of a particular time or a nostalgic feeling, or is it the pure beauty of the composition that you admire? When do you feel the WoW music is at its most epic?
World of WarCrafts: The musical stylings of Evan Freeman
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on our Arts and Crafts in WoW page. It's Monday and instead of a feast for the eyes or taste buds, this week, we've got a feast for the ears! When people hear the word "crafts," they generally assume something involving pen and paper, possibly tiny scissors or glue. But sometimes a picture or a story can't really properly convey just what it is the crafter is trying to say. Take Evan Freeman, who creates songs both Warcraft- and StarCraft-inspired, for example. While others craft artwork and stories, Evan crafts tunes inspired by his favorite games, including the above video -- a love song and lament for the loss of the beloved druid tree form. Evan was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about writing and playing music, and of course, trees. Keep reading for more info and another of Evan's game-inspired tunes, after the break.
Cataclysm Beta: Login screen music
Not much else to say here, folks -- here's your new login screen music in Cataclysm. Twelve minutes of pure epic, with themes from vanilla and every expansion afterward. Lots of references to the original login music starting at 1:30. For more music from Cataclysm, check out DominikaSents' YouTube channel.
Breakfast Topic: Soundtrack to my e-life
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. A few days ago, I noticed a comment on this very site that moved me. The commenter was responding to one of the dozens of voice clips that have been leaking from Cataclysm. The commenter was asking for a simple transcript of the clip, because he or she is deaf. I was instantly felt I had to write it out for them. It wasn't until later that I realized exactly why I was moved so much for this person: I love the game's soundtrack. The music of World of Warcraft is a huge part of the experience for me, and I can't imagine playing without it. The soundtrack provides atmosphere for everything from a jaunty tavern to haunted forests and much more. Alliance players, do you remember the first time you journeyed through the Dark Portal? More specifically, Honor Hold? The trumpets, the last-stand vibe ... It was amazing. I still get nostalgic any time I happen to be flying through Dun Morogh at night. It should be a law that every Alliance player must have the game music on the first time they storm into Orgrimmar, and the same goes for Horde players raiding Stormwind. Every expansion, it seems I find one or two pieces that stick with me for years. In vanilla, it was the Song of Elune (played sporadically in Ashenvale). In The Burning Crusade, it was the theme to Honor Hold and Silvermoon City. Wrath, however, gave me my favorite: Wintergrasp. Do you have a favorite WoW song? Is there one tune that plucks your heartstrings and makes you remember days long past? Or do you mute the game and play to your own music? Have you ever wanted to write for WoW.com? Your chance may be right around the corner. Watch for our next call for submissions, and be sure to sign up for Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. The next byline you see here may be yours!
World of WarCrafts: Player-composers create sounds of Azeroth
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by e-mailing lisa (at) wow (dot) com with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. The atmospheric listening music for this week's World of WarCrafts comes to us from Rehmaar of <Knights of Valiant Fury> on US Destromath-H. This original, orchestral-style composition, "Knights of the Valiant Fury Overture," is dedicated to the composer's guild. "We are a radical bunch on the Horde side of Destromath, but we have an awesome time playing together and this is my gift to them," writes Rehmaar. "The piece captures what it means to be a member of our guild and depicts the struggles and glory our characters face in Azeroth." How's that for some faction and guild pride? Join us after the break for two entirely -- and we do mean entirely -- different musical takes on Azeroth.
Russell Brower at Video Games Live
If you were planning to go to the Video Games Live performance on April 1st, now you have even more reason to go: Russell Brower, Director of Audio/Video for Blizzard, will be there. It's going to be (hopefully) shown on PBS in July, so if you just can't get down there, you can at least be on the lookout for it. If you like WoW's music (or that of other Blizzard games... I'm a huge sucker for Diablo II's soundtrack) it should be worth catching. If you happen to be in the area, tickets for the show are still available from Ticketmaster.
Breakfast Topic: Thank you for the music
The very first time I made a character in World of Warcraft was way back during the original beta -- I made a night elf. And then I logged in for the first time, and was immediately assaulted with visual eye-candy that has kept me entertained for over five years. But on top of the graphics, there was the music -- something about the soundtrack just gelled the whole thing into a game I really, really wanted to continue playing. The first time I entered Stormwind, the solemn choral accompaniment made the whole place seem... huge. Dramatic. This was a place where grand and interesting things happened. After the game's launch, I made another night elf. But once I'd hit 60 and realized the only thing to do was run Scholo or Strat or UBRS if you could find someone with the key over and over until you had your blue set of amazing awesome that had just had the graphics updated... right. I got bored. I rolled Horde to see what that side of the game looked like, and once again, it wasn't just the visuals when I first walked into Orgrimmar, it was the music that really hit me. Some time after that I started raiding, and some time after that, I'm not sure exactly when, the repetitive tracks that I'd heard play over and over again just stopped drawing me in. And so I turned them off, and enjoyed a mostly silent game in which I could play whatever happened to be on iTunes at the time. It wasn't until years later when stepping into Kara for the first time that I realized something was missing, and I went into the options and turned up the music slider. I'm glad I did, the tracks from Kara remain some of my favorite WoW music to date; they mesh with the zone so well that I can't go into the zone without listening to it. Blizzard has really stepped up the music with Northrend. With the Invincible track that was released, and the datamined tracks from the Gnomeregan and Echo Isles events that have been posted here and there, I've fallen in love with it all over again -- although I still tend to turn it down in raids. So Breakfast Topic people -- do you leave the music on, or turn it off? What's your favorite WoW track?
World of WarCrafts: Music to our ears
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by contacting our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) - not-for-profit work only, please.Despite its name, World of WarCrafts isn't only about crafts. We feature all sorts of creative endeavors fueled by your passion for the World of Warcraft. This week, we hope to inspire all you WoW-playing musicians out there (hey! send us your stuff!) by sharing three of our older favorite fan performances of WoW music on the web today.The Stormwind theme above is played by ObsidianLord, a Hungarian pianist who interprets with obvious passion and depth. Join us after the break for another popular (from 2007) but moving rendition of Song of Elune.
Blizzcast Episode 4 reveals Warcraft information and insights
Blizzcast episode 4 is now live and available for listening, and with it, of course, has come a wealth of new World of Warcraft Information. Some of it is stuff we've gotten wind for before, but there's some interesting insights into the whole game. You can listen to it here and read the transcript here, or join us after the break for a breakdown of the juiciest information from the Interviews
The rise, fall, and rise again of the WotLK Information Wiki
This past Monday, June 23, The WotLK Information Wiki relaunched on a new web host after having been pulled down by a Cease and Desist order from Blizzard. Darkside, one of the admins for the WotLK Information Wiki, gave an interview to Medros over at All Things Azeroth to explain what happened. The interview was conducted as part of Medros' podcast Episode 53. Some highlights from the interview include: Most of the information that the alpha wiki provides is a result of file and image extraction from Blizzard's publically-available alpha client. The alpha client files contain all the information on the spells, creatures and environments to be tested and new things are added or subtracted each time the alpha is patched. The alpha wiki folks set up a "sandbox" where they could fly through the new locations and spawn creatures for screenshots. A small portion of the WotLK info -- some screenshots, for example -- has come from Blizzard employees under non-disclosure agreements the identities of whom the alpha wiki admins protect. Blizzard, Vivendi, and Activision IP addresses had visited the wiki frequently since it began. The Cease and Desist order from Blizzard arrived last Friday, June 20. Over the weekend the WotLK wiki admins tried several ways to appease the lawyers and eventually settled on moving to a new web host. The wiki's readership is approximately 200,000 page views per day. Go to All Things Azeroth to hear the rest of the interview. Make sure you listen to the first few minutes of the podcast to hear a very humorous and well-sung parody of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues called Pugging Kara Blues.[Thanks, Matticus and uber.]
