Jeff Kaplan
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The best of WoW Insider: February 10-17, 2009
Lots of great news from the World of Warcraft this week -- we learned more about the big patch 3.1 update coming to the game, as well as the dual spec system. And someone (we aren't yet sure who) kept melting something called the Ice Stone, in one of the more hilarious bugs of the Love is in the Air festival. Good times -- learn more by reading these popular posts from Joystiq network site WoW Insider. News The Ice Stone has melted!Confusion reigned over a world event bug this week: what was the Ice Stone and who forgot to put it in the fridge? WoW Insider's guide to patch 3.1Everything you need to know about the game's next content patch, continually updated. Dual spec Q&A with GhostcrawlerOne of the game's devs lets us in on the plans behind the much-awaited dual spec feature. Voidwalker raid tanking going awayWarlock pets tanking? Blizzard is putting the kibosh on that. Jeff Kaplan leaving World of WarcraftThe game's last original top dev heads off to Blizzard's new MMO. Features The Queue: Change we can believe inYou've got questions, The Queue has your answers. Encrypted Text: Why the 3.0.9 Rogue changes were necessaryThe latest bugfix changes get discussed in our Rogue column. WoW Rookie: Level 80 -- now what?You've done it -- you've finally hit level 80, but you're not sure where to go next. Let the WoW Rookie help. Please give me something to grindBlizzard has gone out of their way this expansion to make leveling and questing as varied as possible -- which is why Alex just wants to do some mindless grinding. Officers' Quarters: Dual spec, double loot?How to deal with the dual spec system while dealing out loot to a raid.
The Digital Continuum: It won't be World of Warcraft 2
I love Blizzard, and not just for creating World of Warcraft. I've loved them since they were called Silicon & Synapse and created Rock 'n Roll Racing. But if there's one thing I've learned about the developer, it's that when making games they prefer to improve upon established models more than anything else. That statement may seem to run counter to my title, but stay with me here.When Jeff Kaplan announced his move to the company's next-gen MMO, I didn't wonder if World of Warcraft would suffer. I also didn't ponder why Blizzard and Jeff made that choice and if it would mean their second massively multiplayer online entry was going to effective be a sequel to their first. All I considered was which MMOs they were going to pluck ideas from this time, and how cleverly they'd could be implemented.
World of WarCraft lead designer moves to unknown Blizzard MMO
Jeff "Tigole" Kaplan, Game Director for World of WarCraft, announced today that he is leaving the development team for the monstrous MMO (MMMO!) to work on Blizzard's "upcoming, unannounced MMO," a project about which nothing is known except that it's classified as "Next-Gen" (which probably just means "one generation after WoW") and that people work on it. It could be anything -- existing IP or new, World of StarCraft, World of The Lost Vikings, or, in our wildest, most beautiful dreams, World of Rock 'n Roll Racing. The addition of Kaplan to the new game's team may signal a ramping up in development for the new title, possibly in response to the institution of something Blizzard has never really had: a schedule. [Via WoW Insider]
Jeff Kaplan leaving World of Warcraft
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/WoW_s_Game_Director_leaves_for_unannounced_Blizzard_MMO'; In a surprise announcement this afternoon, World of Warcraft's Game Director Jeff Kaplan (whom you may know from the forums as "Tigole," and whom those of you with a longer memory may remember as the guild leader of Legacy of Steel back in the EverQuest days) is leaving the WoW team to work on a their unannounced MMO. (What this means for how far along that project is it's hard to say -- are they perhaps bringing in a solid game designer because they're just now getting things started? Or to polish off the finishing touches?) Says Kaplan of his time with the World of Warcraft team:I wanted to take a moment to let the community know that I've switched roles here at Blizzard to work on our upcoming, unannounced MMO. World of Warcraft has been such a central part of my life these past six and a half years, and it's success would not have been possible without the tremendous community around it, so I wanted to say thank you to all our players who've shared this amazing experience with us so far. World of Warcraft isn't going anywhere, however, as the rest of the team is remaining in place, including Kaplan's "partners in crime" Tom Chilton and J. Allen Brack.Mr. Kaplan, while we haven't always agreed with you, we'll certainly miss having you around. And, since you're going, we have to ask... can we have your stuff?
Jeff Kaplan leaving World of Warcraft for next-gen Blizzard MMO
Big news is coming out of Blizzard today as Jeffrey Kaplan, lead designer on World of Warcraft, is moving onto the company's next-gen MMO full-time. His announcement was made via a personal post on the official forums, and included a promise to both play and stay involved with WoW while leaving the day-to-day responsibilities to Tom Chilton and J. Allen Brack.Kaplan has definitely been involved with the project before now, but we can't stop from wondering whether this is a sign of development ramping up in a big way for Blizzard's sophomore MMO effort, because you don't move over the main dude working on your biggest property unless it's time to kick it up several notches.And what does this mean for the next expansion in terms of direction and overall design philosophy? Well, knowing Blizzard we won't see a drop in quality, but with a changing of the guard there's always a chance for new directions to be taken. One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
Other hero classes were considered for World of Warcraft expansion
The latest official podcast of World of Warcraft, BlizzCast Episode 7, features Lead Game Designer Jeff Kaplan and Production Director J. Allen Brack doing a wrap-up of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. They talk about a wide range of topics in the context of Wrath, but one thing that stands out is Brack's mention of hero classes, and the difficulty in narrowing down to one hero class for release from a pool of 29 hero classes that were complete. Kaplan added, "I think the class choice was super hard and eventually we had it down to three front runners which was pretty cool. We were talking for awhile about a Necromancer. He would be kind of a range caster, do a lot of corpse explode, that sort of thing. Things we ended up incorporating into the Death Knight. We also had a cool idea for a Rune Master. That was going to be more of a melee type. Think Rogue or Monk-type character, but Death Knight ultimately fit." Check out BlizzCast Episode 7 for more about World of Warcraft from the game's creators themselves, as well as some hints about massive raid zones on the way and discussion of the game's lore.[Via Eurogamer] One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
Blizzcast episode 7 released
Episode 7 of Blizzcast, Blizzard's official podcast, came out this afternoon; it's been a couple of months since the last episode. This time, they did a little bit of a "WotLK Wrap-Up" with J. Allen Brack and Jeff Kaplan, as well as some chatting with Chris Metzen, the creative head, about what's been going on in various aspects of the story. Here are the parts I found most interesting: When the development on the original WoW was getting wrapped up, Outland and Northrend were both in the running for the first expansion. They decided the timing was better to do Outland first. There were three front runners for the hero class to appear in LK: Necromancer, a ranged caster with corpse explode and such. Some of this ended up getting incorporated into Death Knight Rune master: "think rogue or monk type character" And, of course, Death Knight. JAB thinks "the first month has really validated that decision" to go with 10- and 25-man raiding.
Kaplan to speak at the Game Developers Conference
Jeffrey Kaplan (also known as Tigole) is scheduled to speak at this years Game Developers Conference, which should prove to be really, really interesting for us WoW players. The conference is aimed at sharing knowledge among game developers, and Kaplan's panel is aimed at discussing World of Warcraft's questing system, as well as how gameplay has an effect on lore and story.As someone who regularly geeks out about the lore of Warcraft, it disappoints me that I can't be there to listen to it in person. Gameplay always has a really large effect on how the lore of a video game world is allowed to play out (especially in MMOs) but a lot of those constraints have been overcome with the advances made in Wrath of the Lich King. The things they've done to overcome those issues largely come from Tigole's team of developers.I very much hope that transcripts of GDC's panels find their way to the web shortly after the conference. One of my favorite parts of BlizzCon and BlizzCast is the somewhat behind the scenes look into the process, and the philosophy that goes into how and why Blizzard does what they do. This pretty much sounds right up my alley, and I know a lot of you have expressed the same sentiment each time a new BlizzCast has gone live. I'll definitely be watching for any transcripts that pop up.
This year's GDC offers a lot for MMO fans
A fan of MMOs? This year's Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco will have a lot to offer you. Every year GDC offers game developers and (by proxy) the gaming public an inside look at the way the industry as a whole is swinging. The Game Design track is, in this blogger's opinion, always the most interesting. 2009, above and beyond the average, is going to appeal to those of us with a love of online gaming. Two well-known MMO industry leaders will be speaking at the event. Those aside, there are numerous talks that fall well within the interests of folks who like open world environments and roleplaying combined.Whether you're going or just reading coverage, you're definitely not going to want to miss Cruise Director of Azeroth: Directed Gameplay within World of Warcraft. Jeff Kaplan will talk about the guidelines and philosophies behind making the uber-popular game, and (tantalizingly) will be going into the evolution of Blizzard's quest design leading up to Wrath of the Lich King. The other big draw is going to be Making an MMO Based on a Beloved IP (Without Pissing Everyone Off), done by none other than Mythic Entertainment's Paul Barnett. Barnett will be speaking to the challenges of working with an established IP, as well as sharing humorous anecdotes from the years-long dev process. There are plenty more tantalizing events on the docket; be sure to check out the Cliff's notes at GameSetWatch.
Champion of the Frozen Wastes bugged
Many people are starting to notice that as they're completing 10-man raiding they're not getting the achievement "Champion of the Frozen Wastes." This is a known bug and will be fixed in an upcoming patch.The achievement calls for you to kill all of the 10-man bosses and all heroic bosses present in Wrath of the Lich King at launch. The bug is in the fact that while Malygos isn't listed as a required boss kill, it really is. If you kill Maylgos, along with having killed every other 10-man and 5-man boss, you'll get the achievement.Tigole originally announced this bug back on November 3rd, but it really hasn't been coming into play until now. We've received a few tips and complaints about it, and thought it worthy to bring to your attention.We're expecting this to be fixed in patch 3.0.4. While no official announcement has been made, with the numerous announcements of 3.0.4 changes last week we're expecting the PTR for patch 3.0.4 to drop soon – if not this week.
WAR has only just begun to compete with WoW, declares Mark Jacobs
If you've been following this particular exchange you'll know the score, but let's recap: Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan just like turned around and said some stuff about Warhammer Online, about how he wasn't even in the Beta and stuff, and Mark Jacobs was like whoa, and he totally turned around and said some stuff about World of Warcraft, and now Mark Jacobs is all, like, dude, bring it, and everybody's like, ohmygawd, it is so on.In his discussion with gamesindustry.biz, Mark is upfront about competing with Blizzard. 'We're in this space to be successful and, when you have a competitor that is as successful and important to the games industry as WoW has been, you don't go into this space unless you're willing to spend money and spend time and really compete against them.'
The Daily Grind: What could (and should) Blizzard's next-gen MMO be?
Blizzard's been talking about new MMOs as of late. Mike Morhaime told gamesindustry.biz about the challenges of launching a new game, and Jeff Kaplan dropped a few hints about the next-gen MMO that the company's been developing for a while now.Kaplan hinted that the new game will hit consoles, and answered "all of the above" when asked if the genre would be sci-fi, fantasy, or historical. What impression does that give you, readers? Is it a totally new IP? If so, what do you think Blizz will try to do? And just as importantly -- what do you want them to do? What are you looking for in the next Blizzard MMO? World of Starcraft, or something completely different?
Blizzard's Kaplan drops hints about next-gen MMO's genre and platforms
Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, World of Warcraft game director Jeffrey Kaplan dropped several vague hints about Blizzard's "next-gen MMO," which is called that because so far the only info we've seen has been in job postings carrying that label. The hints don't count for much, but they're the most we've heard about the game so far.Kaplan, who revealed he is involved in the project, was asked if the game's genre would be science fiction, post-apocalyptic, or historical, and while laughing he responded: "all of those combined!" We're not sure what to make of that. Citing the console experience of the development team, he also hinted at what we already suspected: Blizzard is at least considering releasing its next MMO on consoles. However, the game is "early in development," which makes us wonder if it might not be for today's consoles, but rather the next generation.
BlizzCon 2008: WoW Q&A Panel Liveblog
Hello Everyone! The Panel is about to start, and we have a front row seat. Check out the latest updates behind the break.
Who's who at BlizzCon: WoW Insider's guide to the staff of Blizzard
Everyone going to BlizzCon this year will get to roam around the convention hall with some of the very people who bring you World of Warcraft and other Blizzard games. While many World of Warcraft fans might be familiar with the online pseudonyms such as "Drysc" and "Tigole," very few probably know what they actually look like.We've searched the internet high and low for pictures of these folks and have compiled them into a nice and handy gallery complete with some biographical information. The pictures are small and mobile enough that they can be saved to an iPhone or other mobile device that can be brought into the convention hall.If you happen to be going to BlizzCon be sure to stop and say hello to these Blizzard people. And if you aren't going, check out WoW Insider during the convention for the latest and greatest reporting right from the floor.%Gallery-33827%
Mage class not being removed at this time
In a startling announcement, European CM Vaneras has confirmed that Blizzard has no plans to remove the Mage class from the game. "Current plans," the CM later clarified. "Please remember that the expansion is still in the middle of extensive beta testing, and many aspects of the game are being balanced. If we find that a crappy talent or class is not working, we will remove it."The statement was met with mixed reactions among the playerbase, as many have agitated for an existing class to be cannibalized and its sweet innards redistributed in order to preserve raid balance in Wrath of the Lich King. Other, less pointless ranged DPS classes saw much debate concerning the issue. While Hunters could regrettably not be reached for comment as it was dinnertime and Mom was calling, the Warlock community, found at their collective den of iniquity, replied, "Nerfing us is not the answer. Buff other classes." When asked about Mages, they thought for a moment and said, "Classes worth buffing."WoW Insider has thus far been unable to confirm with a developer that Mages will indeed remain in the game through patch 3.02. Reached at his office late Tuesday afternoon, Jeff "Tigole" Kaplan responded, "The what class?"Disclaimer: the author of this post may possibly be bored and prone to making things up about expansion hysteria.
"Tigole Deep-Breaths more"
Interesting note from the forums, although apparently quite a few threads are being deleted or locked even as I write this; Jeff "Tigole" Kaplan appeared momentarily in this thread written by a player complaining about the 51-point Restoration Shaman talent, Riptide. The original poster notes Blizzard's guiding philosophy of never shipping a game before they're truly done with it, and contrasts that with the fact that some of Riptide's visual and audio effects are unlikely to be finished in time for Wrath (the spell itself is apparently 100% functional, just not the bells and whistles Blizzard usually programs to accompany player spells and abilities). Another player down the thread characterizes this as Blizzard caving to demands made by Activision. Tigole appears a few comments down to ban the first commenter for "trolling," adding that the game is still being worked on. The second of the two commenters mentioned is then handed a ban by Tigole as well. One of the response threads that appears to have survived is here, with a set of reactions ranging from sympathy to Tigole to a recountment of EverQuest history to concern over how the two players were banned.I'm somewhat torn, and had wondered whether the whole thing was a joke; I've not seen Tigole appear on the forums to ban people before (although it's entirely possible he has and I've just missed it). I've seen worse behavior on the forums escape official comment, but it does seem as if the number of complaints (rational or not) has hit fever pitch on the discussion boards. And -- let's be frank -- a lot of it does seem like pretty pointless carping. I've had a chance to see the beta myself now, and I don't think anyone could realistically accuse Blizzard of skipping its usual attention to detail (indeed, the only running complaint I've seen on the beta servers is that they're too popular). Still, these particular bans seem a little out of the ordinary, unless there's something going on I haven't seen.**EDIT: as of 4:12 pm EST, it looks like the above referenced response post has also been deleted, but the original source thread is still intact.**
Collector's Edition and Blizzard Events items will become "Bound to Account"
Jeff Kaplan a.k.a. "Tigole" announced today that the following items will become "Account Bound": Murky Tyrael's Hilt Murloc Costume All Collector's Edition pets This is an interesting change to say the least. Blizzard will set this change in motion on the Beta first, and if everything goes smoothly it'll go live (no word if it will happen in Wrath of the Lich King or patch 3.0.2).Kaplan notes that with this change Collector's Edition pets will no longer disappear when you put them into your pet spell book. The spell will still be added, but you will be able to send the pet item around to your other characters on your account. He does point out that if you've already put your pet into the pet spell book, you won't be able to be refunded the pet on the beta. Of course, that does not apply to the live realms – since the pet spell book isn't implemented in live.
Should your GM be able to tax you?
This idea's been floated before, but a few people on the forums have responded pretty enthusiastically to the notion of introducing a "guild income tax." Others...not so much so. Basically, there was a proposal made in the Beta forums that Blizzard give GM's/officers the ability to levy a percentage-based tax on members' earnings. Jeff "Tigole" Kaplan responded, saying that it "was an interesting idea" and they're considering options for improving guild administration, but there was no way they could program a change like this in time for Wrath. Bear in mind that the original tax being suggested would apply to your toon both inside and out of raids (although no one was seriously suggesting that the tax should apply to non-raiding members of the guild).I have to admit that I'm not too keen on the idea of a broad-based "income tax" on players, if only because the game's current mechanics make it all but certain that the main beneficiaries will be people who either can't (due to class/spec) or won't put much gold into the guild coffers. Moreover, the taxation idea acts as an incentive for people not to guild their alts, thus avoiding taxation entirely on toons that are usually the real means of support for a raiding main (someone remind me to go reserve a hunter named Swissbank). As an herbalist/alchemist, I farm a lot for friends and have been known to chuck the guild bank a few hundred gold from time to time. Maybe I'd save time and money under a system that required me to hand over 2-3% of my income, but still. Being taxed removes an element of individual responsibility, and it certainly takes away the nice feeling you have for voluntarily helping others.If nothing else the idea's given rise to a few nice jokes (Cacora of Hellscream: "Do I get money back at the end of the year if I claim multiple alts as dependents?"), but the final word may well belong to Grig from Whisperwind: "So, Blizzard is considering taking one of the most universally loathed concepts from real life and adding it to a game. Why, they'd be silly not to do it."
Level 80 and other major new highlights from the Beta [Updated]
Jeff "Tigole" Kaplan posted several new changes that are appearing in the Wrath of the Lich King Beta tonight. The highlights include: Level cap raised to 80. Less XP required for 70 to 80* Storm Peaks zone available, Icecrown unavailable. Follow dungeons available: Halls of Lightning Halls of Stone Caverns of Time: Stratholme The Occulus Utgarde Pinnacle Heroic Nexus Tigole also notes that premade characters will be made available at a later date on a different server. It looks like they'll actually be doing this now. More changes and analysis of the latest Beta patch to come throughout the evening. Stay tuned.*We did some rough calculations. Daniel's Hunter was approximately 50% of the way through level 70. His hunter is now 60% of the way through level 70. Thus, the XP required to level was reduced by approximately 20%. These are just rough estimates, and no official word on the percentage has came out yet.Update 11:49 p.m. EDT: Zarhym has said that patch notes are still being compiled. We'll have them up as soon as Blizzard releases them.
