Azeroth
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This is your brain on PvP
Ars Technica has news of a new study that isn't directly World of Warcraft-related, but that does have some pretty obvious applications in Azeroth. By studying the way we play when we believe we're competing against a human and a computer opponent (PvP vs. PvE, in WoW terms), scientists have determined that different parts of the brain are more active when we think we're playing against a human opponent. They call this extra activity "mind-reading," but it's not that supernatural: when we think we're playing a human, we try to put ourselves in their place, and think what they're thinking.It gets deeper: they even throw gender into the mix, and discovered that male brains seem to be working harder to do this kind of "mind-reading" of the other side. Their conclusion says that that's because women are naturally more empathetic, and thus don't have to work as hard to figure out what another person is thinking. That seems a little general -- it could also mean that the males care more about competition, and thus are working harder to "mind-read," or it could even just be a wrinkle of the way this data was gathered. More research is probably needed on that one -- if women are so great at figuring out their opponents, why aren't we seeing all-female teams winning Arena tournaments?It would be interesting to know, too, whether there's increased activity in other areas, say pattern recognition or cause-effect centers of the brain, when we're playing against opponents that we know are computers. But this does tell us that there are definitely different skillsets at work when playing PvP or PvE, and why some people might very clearly enjoy one over the other.
Stereoscopic screenshots of Azeroth
Here's some coolness for your Saturday afternoon: while most of us can't afford the hundred of dollars it takes to enjoy World of Warcraft in real 3D, Toth of Aman'thul is bringing faux 3D to the masses. There are a bunch of stereoscopic images over on the forums -- these are pictures that are taken at two slightly different angles, and then put next to each other, so that when you cross your eyes slightly to combine them (kind of like those Magic Eye pictures -- it's a sailboat), you get a 3D effect. If you really can't see it, he's also made one animated version that combines the angles into one shot.Toth had all of the images saved over on Photobucket, but we've combined them all in the gallery below for easy browsing -- make sure to click "Hi Res" in the gallery so you can see the pics full size for the full effect. Unfortunately, Toth doesn't share any details on exactly how he made these (unless he did just take one picture, and then move slightly to take the second, which anyone could try). But the effect of the shots is pretty cool.%Gallery-44031%Thanks, Betton!
Blizzard responds to the Glider decision
Blizzard (via Nethaera) has released a nice long statement on the Glider outcome over on the forums. She basically runs through the history of the case and why Blizzard is against what Glider is doing, and why going through the courts was the only route left to them. She says that Warden (though called only "security measures") was enabled in response to player concerns about bots, and that when the MDY/Glider people circumvented Warden, their only recourse was to seek an injunction through the courts, which, as we've reported recently, they plan to have soon.She does say that Blizzard won based on the judge's decision that MDY did violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, but Neth doesn't go any further into the issue, and doesn't elaborate at all on what might happen if this case is used as a precedent against other types of Terms of Use violations. As you might expect from an official Blizzard telling of the tale, the case is seen as a victory for Blizzard and their players -- for them, it's all about keeping bots out of Azeroth, and this decision will definitely help them do that.And that's obviously not a bad thing -- most players will agree that MDY was allowing players to cheat (by letting the game play automatically without them in control), and thus preventing the client from being used in-game is a good thing. It's just that DMCA issue that might be a nagging problem -- we'll have to see what happens with that in the future.
Jame working on an addon, guides for other games
Gamespy has an interview up with Jame of Jame's famous leveling guides, which are the how-to of choice if all you want from your character is to get to 80 as fast as possible. I have to admit that I've never used them -- while I do use Questhelper quite a bit (which takes lots of the guesswork out of where to go next), I also like exploring on my own pace, and Jame's guides turn Azeroth into a list of to-dos rather than an actual game. Still, they do work -- if you're leveling an alt or just don't care about the content, following the guides to the letter works fast.Jame says his wife was the major driving force behind the site -- she needed help leveling, and he found that he had most of the major steps memorized. His site is run completely off of advertising, which he says keeps him from competing with other leveling guides that you must pay for to use. He's also working on an addon, and he says that it actually works faster than Questhelper, so that should be something to see.Finally, he says he's working on putting together guides for other games -- "Diablo III, Starcraft II, and other MMOs" all get mentioned, so if you've already been following Jame's advice, you might be following it for a while longer. Good to get a little insight and background into the man behind the gold standard for leveling guides.
The best of WoW Insider: January 20-27, 2009
What a week in the World of Warcraft. We've had game-breaking bugs, gold ads on the official forums, and there's a rumor going around that the official WoW mouse might be broken, too. But don't worry -- when things break in Azeroth, as they definitely have this past week, WoW Insider is there to pick up the pieces. Check out our top stories of the past week below. News The disaster of patch 3.0.8Blizzard's latest patch is riddled with bugs, from bad to worse. World of Warcraft 3.0.8 patch notesHere's what's supposed to have happened. But most of this didn't actually work until late last week. Steelseries WoW mouse is dangerous in no uncertain Terms (of Use)Could an officially sponsored mouse get you officially banned? Breaking news: Arenas disabledYes, things got so bad last week, Blizzard temporarily took both Wintergrasp and the Arenas out of the game. Gold ads appear on Blizzard's forumsBlizzard suffers an amusing slip in its forum advertising. Features The Overachiever: Completing the Lunar Festival achievementsA guide to finishing up all of the goals for the Lunar Festival, now happening in Azeroth. The Queue: Who cares about 3.0.8, where's 3.1?Our readers wonder where the new content is. Breakfast Topic: Is 68 too low for Northrend?A daily discussion about when the right time to head north should be. The Art of War(craft): How 3.0.8 changes PvPPlayer vs. Player and what's different with the new patch. Two Bosses Enter: Keristrasza vs. CyanigosaOur showdown of in-game bosses is back for Wrath, with some dragon on dragon action.
The best of WoW Insider: January 13-20, 2009
Change is here! Yes, it's not only Inauguration Day, but it's patch day, as World of Warcraft gets its first patch since the expansion released a few months ago. And as usual, WoW Insider is your main source for news on the patch and the game. From in-depth strategy, news and views on what the biggest changes in the patch are, we've got everything you need to know about Azeroth and its inhabitants. News World of Warcraft 3.0.8 Patch notesIt's patch day! For the first time since the expansion dropped, we've got a big update to the game. The Queue: Archdruids? Nahh. Okay, maybe.Our Q&A column examines the rumors around the game's next hero class. Titanguard weapon enchant gone after allBlizzard says a tanking enchant was just "too good." Minor bugs to appear in patch 3.0.8Along with all of the fixes in the new patch, there are a few bugs coming as well. WoW Model Viewer updated for Wrath, but still needs workOne of the most popular machinima tools is updated, but the open source project could still use some help. Features WoW Insider's guide to patch 3.0.8Everything you need to know about the update today. 10 things I learned from a destitute alt on an RP realmHow to level an alt when you don't have a main to guide you. 15 Minutes of Fame: The most untalented playerWe interview a player with no spec at all. PuG dungeon loot etiquette for dummiesNo issue causes more issues than the division of loot in pick-up groups. So here's how to avoid it. Ask a Lore Nerd: Hail to the KingThe Lich King, that is.
The best of WoW Insider: December 30th, 2008 - January 6th, 2009
2008 was the best year in the World of Warcraft yet -- we got a terrific expansion, a few content patches, tons of class improvements, and lots and lots of great gameplay out of it. The past twelve months have been very good to Azeroth's inhabitants, and we're looking for an even better time in the coming year. To find out about it all, whether you're a level 10 noob or have six level 80s already, hit up Joystiq's WoW Insider for the latest news, views, and insights from the World of Warcraft. News WoW Insider's predictions for 2009It's a new year, and we've got some new expectations for the game. Account security mythbustingA former Blizzard CM lays the truth out on what's up with account security. Teen arrested for making suicide threat to a GMKid didn't want Blizzard to ban him, said WoW was all he had to live for, got the cops called on him. Queue queue moar noobServer queues plague the servers yet again. WoW Moviewatch: The Craft of War: BlindLikely the best machinima movie you will eve see. Features Blood Pact: How the mighty have fallen, or 2008 in reviewWarlocks had a rough time of it in 2008. BigRedKitty: Hunter Loot awards for 2008The best loot in ranged attack land for the last year. Know Your Lore: The Sons of HodirOur lore column takes a close look at one of the newest old players in the reputation game. The Light and How to Swing It: Shine on, a 2008 reviewPaladins prevailed big time last year. Shifting Perspectives: The Druid of 2008
Developer resolution for 2009: Beat Warcraft
Our friends at GameDaily have a nice set of resolutions for game developers next year, and it's definitely worth a read if you're interested in seeing where they think the game industry might improve in 2009. But number three is the most interesting one for us: they suggest that game developers (and MMO devs in specific, we'd imagine) should make this the year that something else beats World of Warcraft.It seems much more unlikely than last year: last year, we were looking down the barrel of Age of Conan and Warhammer Online, and wondering if either one of those might cause a road bump in WoW's traffic. Age of Conan was called the steak to our game's McDonald's, but in the end, WoW players didn't do much more than give it a cursory glance. And while Warhammer seemed like a good contender to the throne, it hasn't come close to taking a bite out of Azeroth. This year, it doesn't even seem like there will be any MMO contenders. GameDaily cites Bioware's Star Wars MMO, but that's not coming out in 2009, and while The Agency and DC Universe Online might be getting close to finished, it's unlikely we'll see them on the shelves this year either.This might be a year of recuperation, for both Blizzard and their competitors. Lord of the Rings Online is doing well, so their big task is just to keep the content moving, and unlike last year, Blizzard has no real impetus this year to really push their playerbase to stick with the game. As with everything, we'll have to see what happens, but I'd expect a much more subdued year this go-around for the MMO market. When the MMOs in progress now come to fruition in 2010, then things will likely get more interesting.
Fixing instance server errors
You may have seen this same error what9000 is getting every time he tries to enter an instance: he gets bounced out of the portal and "Additional Instances Can't be Launched" pops up on the screen. Just in case you've never quite heard exactly how the game works, the World of Warcraft is actually a series of servers, and as you travel across it, you contact more than one system of computers. Your realm is one group of servers, but within that group, there are many different computers sending information to and from yours -- when you're in Azeroth, you're talking to one server, when you go out to Outland, you visit another, and in Northrend you're on yet another. And there are even servers that track non-location information: how much money you have, what you're wearing, and so on.Likewise, instances have their own system of servers, which is why you can sometimes be in an instance when the world server "outside" will go down, and if you leave that instance you'll get disconnected. And Instance servers can be overloaded as well. This error message is likely a way for Blizzard to keep from crashing the instance servers -- if too many instances of a dungeon have already been created, new players trying to get in are not allowed.
Wrath of the Lich King ranks in Edge's top games for 2008
It's been a good year for the second expansion to World of Warcraft, but things just got even better. Edge Magazine has tossed up it's top 30 of 2008 and Wrath of the Lick King placed at number sixteen. The expansion is the only MMO on the list, which is saying a lot in a year when Warhammer Online and Mines of Moria came out, impressing many players.The placement is attributed to Blizzard's re-imagining of what's possible in Azeroth through new quests and zones, as well as the addition of the Death Knight class. We've got to agree with them there, which is why Massively awarded Wrath with the best expansion of 2008. 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!
The Queue: They're watching you
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft.The weekend was nice and slow as usual, so our Monday Q&A will be brief. I fully expect a busy morning tomorrow, so get your questions in now! Let's get started, shall we? whack asked... Why are there shades all over major and minor cities in Azeroth, Outland, and Northrend? Has there been an explanation? I originally thought they would only be there for the WotLK launch event but they haven't gone away.
Getting all the Well Read books
It's the weekend after Thanksgiving, the family has all left, there's nothing but turkey leftovers to eat, and you hit level 80 last week, and you're just waiting for your guild to level up so you can start the endgame. What is there to do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon? Find all of the Well Read books -- WoWWiki has the guide I've been looking for ever since I first got excited about this achievement. I count 43 in total, and they've got a list of all the books you need and where you can find them for reading.The vast majority of the books can be found in Scholomance and the Scarlet Monastery, so a run through both of those instances (you can easily solo both at 80) will get you many of the books you need. From there it's time to travel the world -- Brill, Southshore, the Eastvale Logging Camp, Duskwood, and Booty Bay, and a few other places, depending on your faction (Alliance seems to have a little bit of an advantage there, as Stormwind and Orgrimmar have nice libraries. There are a few good books in Undercity, but the Orcs and Tauren aren't much for book learning, apparently).Seems totally doable in a quick afternoon, and while you won't really get anything but the 10 achievement points (and probably a nice chance to pick up some more of the old Azeroth explorer achievement), why else would you do this, other than to brag about it. Whenever anyone argues that you don't know your Azeroth lore, you can just point them to your Armory page, and tell them to check the part about you being Well Read.
Blizzcore giving away a Spectral Tiger Mount
Blizzcore is a relatively new blog about Blizzard and World of Warcraft, and they emailed to let us know that they're kicking things off in style over there by giving out one of the most prized items in all of Azeroth: a Spectral Tiger Mount from the trading card game. To enter their contest, you just have to run over there and leave a comment on their post. As you probably know from entering our own contests over here, it doesn't get any more simple than that, and we like simple in all of its forms.Definitely enter, but beware: there are about 200 entries now, and the contest is open for a full two weeks, so there'll be lots and lots of entries to come. Still, just a little chance is better than no chance at all -- hopefully one of you readers will end up picking up the mount. Good luck!Editor's Note: Link fixed!
New continent, old friends
We're waist deep in the content of Wrath by now, and despite the newness of the strange land, it all feels so familiar, too. Not only have we gone back to the gothic (yet sparkly) style of Old Azeroth, but we've been followed to Northrend by a whole lot of old friends.I've been having a lot of fun bumping into 'old' NPCs and quest givers that I've helping out on my journey from 10 to 60, or 61 to 70. They add a real sense of progression and continuity to the world. I solved their problems years ago, and that's allowed them to move on in life, for better or for worse. It's also strangely heartwarming to see people I did quests for so long ago, like a little slice of nostalgia.I've heard a few people hating on how many old world NPCs you run into in Northrend, complaining that Blizzard is just recycling old content. I quite seriously disagree in this case. Seeing NPCs progress in the world alongside us gives a much greater feeling of the world being a story, and as we go up in level, the world moves forward. I like it a lot, and I hope it continues into the next expansion, too.We have an old gallery sitting around of some of the returning faces you'll see in Northrend, so you can check it out if you want. Be warned, there are some minor spoilers inside.%Gallery-29137%
MapWoW maps Northrend
MapWoW is one of my favorite WoW resources online. I have to admit, I don't use it as much as some other helpers, but it's really well done -- someone put the Azeroth map inside the Google Maps interface, and added herbs, ores, flight paths and everything else you need to find on the map. If you've ever asked "where can I find..." in a chat channel, odds are that MapWoW had the answer already.And now they've got Northrend in the mix, ready to go for your exploring needs. It's a little spoilery, actually -- a pretty detailed bird's-eye view of all the new content in the expansion. They do have flight paths included, but they don't quite have herbs and ores uploaded yet -- we're told they'll be in soon.Don't get me wrong -- there's definitely something to be said for exploring: pretty soon, we'll have tagged and catalogued every single mob up there, so it is fun to just run around now while it's all still a new world. Don't depend on maps right away, because you never know what might be just around the corner in the land of the Lich King. But if you need it, there's your map.
Lich King begins assault on Azeroth, starting with Orgrimmar
World of Warcraft players are experiencing a world event leading up to the launch of Wrath of the Lich King. No, it's not another invasion of flesh-craving zombies -- but it's just as cool. You see, the Lich King is currently launching attacks on Orgrimmar via Frostwyrms and Aboms. The event restarts every 20 minutes and is specifically located in the Valley of Honor. We're unsure how many servers the event has begun on, so if you run into yours and find it peaceful and serene don't feel discouraged as you may only need to wait a little bit before the frost bolts start raining down. Gallery: Orgrimmar is under attack! 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!
Preparing for Wrath Day 5: Dungeoneering and you
I can see that Adam's post yesterday was something of a graphical hit with readers, which frankly I am at something of a loss to reproduce. Stupid Adam with his stupid Photoshop. It's pictures you want? I got your pictures right here, pal. Did Adam get to see Arthas in a highly compromising position? An action shot, dare I say? Anyway, leaving aside that unpleasant little intrasite feud that will probably escalate and leave millions of people dead, I wanted to use today's Preparing for Wrath to remind people that some things, especially if you're a hardcore achievement bunny like me, are going to get a lot harder to do once Wrath goes live. I think we can all agree that Outland is going to empty faster than a Dave Matthews concert after the cops show up, so you're going to want to exploit the fact that most people are hanging around Shattrath with nothing to do. Foremost among the things you're probably not going to be able to do (at least easily) on once Wrath hits? Outland dungeons. Warriors and Paladins will also want to be aware of a certain demographic shift that's going to affect the likelihood of their getting a group slot.
The new WoW Insider and the launch of Wrath of the Lich King
Finally, the day has come. Our designers here at WoW Insider have been working on a long-awaited new design for the site, and finally, you get to see the fruits of their work. Welcome to the brand new WoW Insider, just in time for the launch of the game's second expansion.And that's not all -- from now (actually, we kicked off this morning already) until Wrath's launch, we're going into overdrive. We'll have multiple contests every day until November 13th -- we're giving away some of the coolest stuff inside and outside of the World of Warcraft, and all you have to do to win it is keep an eye right here on the site (yes, even you too, EU folks). As we announced a few days ago, we're hosting multiple reader meetups all across the country, too, so if you're in the area, you can come with us to get your copy of Wrath at the midnight launch, and maybe win some stuff there as well.And of course, we'll have what we always have: unprecedented coverage of this game and its players. Stay tuned for all the Wrath previews we can post -- we'll have looks at all the new zones in Wrath of the Lich King, your guides to which quests to look for while leveling, walkthroughs of all the new instances, where and when to get your new addons, and we'll let you know exactly where to spend your next ten talent points and what to do with your new talents and abilities. If you need to know something about Wrath of the Lich King, it'll be on this site just in time for launch.After the break, find out what's new around WoW Insider's redesign.
Is Azeroth a red state or a blue state?
From comedians Rich Kuras and Sandeep Parikh (who you know best from The Guild, most likely) comes a look at the United States presidential election through the eyes of Azeroth. If all of the 11 million active World of Warcraft subscriptions were US citizens, Azeroth would be the 8th largest state in the union. Rich Kuras looks to find out whether Azeroth would be a red or a blue state. I think the last thing any of us want is political fisticuffs, so just take this video as the light political humor that it is and don't read too much into it.The polling stats at the end are a little silly because the numbers most certainly wouldn't come out that way on a larger scale survey, but that's alright, it's not meant to be super accurate. It's just a silly little thing, and I chuckled at the commentary from the people they spoke to on both sides of the fence. Deep political commentary? No. Mildly entertaining? Yes! And I admit, I smirked at the mention of Mike Gravel.Thanks to all of you that wrote in about this video the last few days!
The best of WoW Insider: October 21-28, 2008
The World of Warcraft was hit this week with something no one expected: zombies! In the lead-up event to the Wrath of the Lich King expansion release next month, someone (probably the Lich King himself, what a jerk) injected a plague into the populace of Azeroth, pitting Alliance and Horde against each other and themselves, as player-controlled zombies ravaged all the old familiar places. It was a sight to see, but not everyone had fun, so yesterday, things stopped abruptly. What next? News WotLK world event going underwayThis is where it all started -- some suspicious crates with plague-laden grain in Booty Bay. Phase 4 of the zombie invasion beginsThis is where it all got nuts, with plague incubation time down to two minutes, and a brand new boss appearing in game, with a whole army of Scourge attacking the world. Zombie invasion reaches phase 5.5The Forsaken works up a cure to the plague, and very soon... The plague is cured, zombies dropping like fliesWe were able to find a worldwide cure for the plague, even as Blizzard claims it's not over. Ezra Chatterton passes awayOutside of the game, some very sad news about a young figure in the World of Warcraft community. Features Tenris Mirkblood strategy guideKarazhan has a new boss, and here's how to take him down. The bosses of the Scourge InvasionDisappointed that you can't participate in the high level shenanigans? There are lowbie bosses all over the world for you to tangle with. Argent Dawn rewards during the Zombie InvasionNew epic loots from an old faction! Hallow's End 2008 guideAnd oh yeah, even while all of this Lich King event stuff is going on, there's still another Halloween holiday happening at the same time. Arcanite Ripper users in World of Warcraft: Guitar HeroRipping on some riffs with an axe, literally.
