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More clay dolls from Maidemao
World of Raids came across some more of those clay dolls from the other day, and holy moly are they cute. Lookit this Voidwalker! And this hearthstone! Awesome.Her blog is all in Chinese, so it's a little hard to read if you don't speak the language, but here's a gallery of all the new pieces. And there's no word if any of these are for sale yet-- forget about Figureprints, I want one of these of my character.%Gallery-12629%
Ultrasafe: The prestige, perils, and prestidigitization of Gnomish dimensional travel
And lesser related fields or "I Can See My Hearth From Here, and It's Getting Closer." The Ultrasafe brand of dimensional transporter incorporates two versions thus far discovered by M.E.G.A. Research & Development. The first version Gnomish Engineers are able to learn is the Ultrasafe Transporter: Gadgetzan. The second learned is the Ultrasafe Transporter: Toshley's Station. Here we will discuss the various risks and rewards of the use of the Ultrasafe brand of transport, and briefly touch upon similar transport methods associated with the Goblin Experimental Explosive Korporation.
World of WarCrafts: Murloc Fin Soup
Every Wednesday World of WarCrafts features a recipe that shows you how to make own real life version of in-game recipes and items. There are many "tasty" sounding things to eat in the wonderful world of WoW. I have often wondered what some of these things would taste like, others give me the willies just thinking about eating them but whatever. As a result of my wonderings I came up with this IRL version of Murloc Fin Soup. The only thing I had to work with was the in game recipe that called for Murloc Fins and Hot Spices, not even any Refreshing Spring Water! How could that be soup? Not exactly sure, but I figured that the recipe, or lack there of, gave me a bit of creative license. I hope you enjoy my IRL Murloc Fin Soup. You will find a translation key following to help you find the ingredients from your General Goods Vendor.
Around Azeroth: Meet the family
Normally I flee screaming at the sight of Murlocs in a group. After all, if you see one, you know there must be two or three more hiding nearby, waiting to pounce on you if you approach. By this logic, if you see three Murlocs in plain sight, there must be an additional six to nine hiding in the bushes -- more than enough to overwhelm the most powerful of players. But these guys are so cute! How could you possibly run from them? Kyuketsuki of Malygos, who sent this shot in, was apparently one of the lucky ones who managed to attend BlizzCon 07 and BlizzCon 05, as evidenced by the Murloc suit and the Murky pet. The other two critters? They're part of a devious quest chain in Zabra'jin, Zangarmarsh, which aims to introduce Murlocs to the currently Murloc-free Outland.Taken a screenshot that highlights the ordinary in an extraordinary way? We'd like to see it on Around Azeroth! All you have to do is e-mail aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your screenshot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could find your pictures and story featured next!%Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: Murloc nesting dolls
Okay, perhaps these Murlocs aren't actual nesting dolls, but they do have the right look to them. (Much like these charming Furbolg we've talked about previously.) However, I think we have to all applaud Magecakes of Archimonde for managing to get together such a large group of Murlocs without any fighting breaking out. Mrrgrgrlll my brothers, mrrgrgrrgl!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%
Mrrrrgllhllrrll in real life
Okay, it probably grosses less at the theater than "Dan in Real Life", but this picture, sent to WendellGrave by one of his guildies, definitely looks like a real-life murloc. Our own Arturis suggests that this is a sculpture made from a fish body, but I think we can all agree that whatever it is, it's really quite ugly. No word on why this was created, but it does remind me of the Fiji Mermaid. The Fiji Mermaid is a popular attraction at carnival freak shows. It's a "mermaid" usually made from papier-mache and fish parts, with a dash of monkey thrown in. For those of you disappointed in this fakery, I present an indisputable real-life tauren, as well as the warlock epic mount in its natural habitat of the Ford Mustang. Is this an accurate murloc or not? What do you think it's made from? [Thanks, WendellGrave!]
WoW Moviewatch: Roberto's Hallow's End Special
As we bid adieu to Hallow's End, I would like to take a moment to look back at some of the events we enjoyed during these few short weeks. We tricked, we treated, we slew a dead guy on a horse with a really creepy laugh. Ah, good times. With pumpkin carving still on our minds, I present to you a Snacky's Journal moviewatch, only this one is completely devoid of Snacky or his overly boisterous Night Elf friend. It's a Hallow's End special, starring my personal favorite character from the series, Roberto. NSFW: There's a reference or two in here that might offend the kiddies, or the stodgier guys in your cubicle. Previously on Moviewatch...
Forum Post of the Day: What's the sound Murlocs make?
On the official forums, poster Soylent has started a discussion of how precisely to represent the Murloc sound in text. Suggestions vary from the traditional "mrglmrglmrglmrgl" to "aurrrrrrrrruuuuggguglugglugglugluguaa," with Blizzard poster Bornakk chiming in to let us know that in the I Am Murloc music video, the official line was "rwlrwlrwlrwl," though he points out that both "mgrlllmgrlrrr" and "mrrglrlrlrmgrrr" are acceptable alternatives. Until Blizzard releases an official spelling and pronunciation guide, we're on our own -- so what do you do when you're trying to convey the frightful sound of the Murloc to others?
A case of Murky envy
Wandering Goblin's got Murky envy-- Elvyra was lucky enough to go to BlizzCon 2005 and get the special Murky pet while there, but she redeemed it on the EU servers, and now plays on the US servers, so no Murky pet for her. Despite pleading with ingame GMs and even the higher-ups, she hasn't been able to get the Murky back. And while she did go to BlizzCon 2007 and get a Murloc suit, it's no comparison-- not only does it break on combat, but it just doesn't fit. That doesn't mean it's not fun, though-- if you're waiting to hear about yours from the podcast on Saturday, wait just a little longer-- we'll be contacting the winner tomorrow.Still, Elvyra's problem isn't the biggest one with the Murky suit-- most people have the problem of not getting one at all. Yes, it's special that Blizzard gave it out only at that convention, but people who now want the pet can't currently ever get it again. Blizzard did give it out once more-- they gave Lurky out to folks who had problems with the CE of Burning Crusade-- and so why can't they do that again? Even if we never see Murky given out, what about Gurky? Or Turky (a Thanksgiving item, obviously)? Or Jerky, who's a little meaner than the other Murlocs?Doesn't matter much to me-- as I said before, I'm not a huge fan of Murky. But there are some good ways to let people in on the fun while still keeping the original pet exclusive.
Of model detail and Murloc Suits
Have you seen the in-game Murluc Suit costume? I mean really taken a good look at it? Because the Murloc Suit represents some of the most detailed models and textures currently in the game -- and if the future of World of Warcraft is going to contain more models of this detail, the future is going to look good. Very good. When asked about the level of detail in the Murloc Suit, Blizzard poster Bornakk commented:As World of Warcraft grows so does our technique and skill in producing new models for everybody to enjoy. Keep an eye out and you will notice more of the improvements we have already made besides the murloc costume.In the meantime, check out all of the details of the Murloc costume in this little gallery (images taken by a Nagrand stream, where I imagine Murlocs would feel quite at home if they resided in Outland). You can clearly see that the back-fins of our fake Murloc are made of socks (one of them mis-matched, of course), that our hero is wearing heart-covered undies, and that the suit zips up the back with the zipper labeled EPC. Now the real question is... what the heck does EPC stand for?%Gallery-5800%
A distinct lack of murlocs
Micromachine drops a question that I can't believe we forgot to ask at BlizzCon: Will there be murlocs in the next expansion? There definitely was a distinct lack of murlocs in Outland-- but for the few packs in Serpentshrine Cavern and the Dancing Murloc quest, we didn't hear that throaty gurgle almost at all. And as much as I hate it, I... kind of miss it.It's not like they wouldn't fit, either-- Northrend has a coast that we'll be visiting, and while it's a little colder up there, Murlocs are pretty adaptable creatures. Plus, the Tuskarr are a race of fishermen-- errr, fisherwalruses-- and they'd probably love to have the Murlocs around, for dinner if for northing else. I'm not sure exactly what an Arctic Murloc would look like, but I'd definitely like to find out.Then again, as someone mentions in the thread, we'll probably get our fill of Murlocs whenever Blizzard gets around to making the Maelstrom expansion and tells us what all the Murlocs are doing on land in the first place. But until then, while it's OK to leave Murlocs out of Outlands (because how are they going to get there in the first place), it's unacceptable to completely leave Murlocs off the northern continent of Azeroth. Bring on the gurgle!
Phat Loot Phriday: Blue Murloc Egg
With BlizzCon going down as we speak, what better item to cover than the hookup lots of people got at Blizzard's last big event (this event, you'll remember, we're all getting the Murloc Suit). And on a more personal note, let me just say that: God, I hate Murky.Name: Blue Murloc EggType: Noncombat PetAbilities: Summons Murky, an annoying (some say "cute"), periodically dancing Murloc When you click on him, he even makes the Murggurguguglglgg murloc sound, which you can actually download from the WoW Wiki page. Although I don't know why you would-- it sounds like a cat coughing up a hairball while trying to sing. God, I hate Murky. Whenever my guildie pulls him out, I just feel the urge to punt him (even moreso than gnomes). Murlocs are bad enough as it is, but when they're cute and tiny... Ugh. Hate, hate, hate Murky. How to Get It: You can't, unless you attended BlizzCon 2005-- Murky was one of the giveaways to attendees there, and Blizzard hasn't given him out since. They have given away a Pink Murloc Egg to European players (after they messed up their Burning Crusade netherwhelp pets)-- that summoned a very similar (but pink) dancing murloc named Gurky. And with all the possible name combinations (Lurky, Turky, Jerky), and green, purple, and orange baby murlocs found within the game files, there may be more baby murlocs coming to a giveaway near you in the future (ugh, I hope not). But for now, if Murky's not yours, he never will be.Good riddance, I say.Getting Rid of It: See? Vendors hate him too-- they won't take him. So the only way to get rid of him is by destroying the egg-- I recommend high-velocity punting.
Murloc suit in action
If you can't make it to Blizzcon with us, you can still grab a Murloc Suit on eBay for a redonkulus amount of real world moolah, or you can just indulge in the video above. If you are here, look for us and say hello (we've got swank WoW Insider badges thanks to Amanda)! If you're not here, look forward to our exhaustive coverage from the show floor tomorrow. Woot!
BlizzCon 2007 sets foot outside Azeroth, and Joystiq is there
We trekked across the Burning Steppes, hacked our way through Stranglethorn Vale, and even slinked through the Scarlet Monastery to get to BlizzCon 2007, and so far the trip has left us exhausted, bereft of gold, and low on HP. We've retired to The Lost Bar at Disneyland to catch up with the WoW Insider folks, who are plying us with alcohol and chicken tenders, trying to get Joystiq secrets from our primal mooncloth bags.We'll be doling out more info over the next few days than you can shake Onyxia's tail at, so look for it here, or over on Joystiq's sibling (and Horde loving site) WoW Insider. In the meantime, check out the gallery below, and some totally awesome swag bag Murloc suit goodness after the break. If you couldn't make it to BlizzCon, you can buy a Murloc Suit on eBay for an indeterminate amount of dough, or go for the whole goody bag for even more.%Gallery-5475%
WoW Moviewatch: The Murloc
Behold, the ultimate battle between Tauren-kind and Murloc-kind. Of course, anyone who's ever had to fight a Murloc probably has a good idea of how this is going to end. (You'd think a Shaman of as high level as his equipment suggests would know better than to pick this fight!) After all, Murlocs are clever and devious -- and they ride in single file to hide their numbers.Previously on Moviewatch...
Today's metalist video: I Am Murloc
Metal band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain rocks rawks its World of Warcraft song, I am Murloc in today's video pick. if the video gets you pumped for WoW, there's a good chance you're already booked for BlizzCon, where the band will perform live on August 4. How could it not get you fired up? We don't want to blow all the surprises, but watch for the crotch-thrusting transitional effect. Classic. Video Toaster, this isn't.See the AWESOME video after the break. And score the MP3 for iPhone action.
What mob do you love to hate?
So many times, I am silently cruising through a forest, down the beach, or up the hills and I hear that tell-tale gurgle. The sound makes my skin crawl, no doubt about it, a Murloc has found me. Oh how I loathe them, they creep me out. I'm not really sure what it is about them, I just hate to be attacked by this man-fish-frog-lizard thing that owned me so many times as a youngling in Elwynn all those levels ago.Perhaps it is my bad experience as a lowbie that leaves me with a profound dislike for the little buggers, but it doesn't matter, I hate them all the same. No offense to Blizzard, the creature model is fantastic in all the colors of the rainbow, but everyone has an arch-nemesis, mine is definitely the Murloc. As I level I grow more confident in my ability to dispatch them with ease, but the hate doesn't seem to dissipate. Perhaps I have journeyed to the dark side?A guildie of mine says that Murlocs are simply misunderstood, and that no one takes the time to see them for the peaceful hut-dwelling beach creatures they are. Come to think of it I never really thought to have a tea party with them, I've heard they like crumpets. I guess if I wasn't always raiding their camps for some type of quest, they wouldn't get so angry at me for stealing random objects from them. Maybe I should be more sympathetic to the plight of today's not-quite-so-endangered species like the Murloc. I do love tagging them on Azuremyst Isle. I also do enjoy a good bit of Murloc-tipping late at night occasion.Is it just me, or do you also have a mob you just love to hate, and if so, why? Is Hogger on your list too? Maybe there should be a guild, "murloc nemesis." I would join faster than you could say grrrrrllgrgrlgrlglr!
WoW Moviewatch: The Murloc Dance
I'm not sure how I missed out on this Myndflame video, now nearly a year old. As with all of their music videos, it's expertly edited with some catchy tunes in the background -- and, best of all, this video features everyone's favorite Azerothian character, the Murloc! Dance on my Murloc brothers, dance on!Previously on Moviewatch...
Starcraft 2 beta keys for all Blizzcon visitors?
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Starcraft_2_beta_keys_for_all_BlizzCon_visitors'; Details are surfacing about the fun and games that is Blizzcon 2007. Today, Blizzard announced some of the swag that you can expect when you attend this August.First up, is the revelation that every attendee will receive a beta key to "an upcoming Blizzard game." Hmm, I wonder what that game could be. Now, I'm not saying for certain that it is Starcraft 2, it may be the next WoW expansion. But I think it's a safe bet that you'll be zipping up a spacesuit and picking up a blaster bigger than your grandmother's station wagon after this convention is over.Next up is a unique item no one expected to see. Every Blizzcon attendee will receive a special passcode. Once in-game, the passcode can be redeemed for, drumroll please, a murloc suit for one of you characters. Good for the spirited RP event or for spicing up the dragging-on-until-you-want-to-/gquit guild meeting. Maybe even handy for that next machinima piece you were brainstorming. More swag to be announced in the future. So, what do you guys think? Is a Starcraft 2 beta key in your future?
Cool WoW ink!
While floating through the blogosphere looking for WoW tidbits the other day, I stumbled across a blurb featuring the picture on the above right. It didn't say too much about it, beyond that the girl who had the tattoo played a Tauren Warrior, and that she and her other half had matching tribal Horde symbols done. Now, I should preface this with the fact that I'm no stranger to body art either, having 7 tattoos myself. (all of which are easily hidden -- hooray corporate America) It simply got me wondering just how much WoW ink was out there and what kind of designs people were getting.Armed with Google, search terms, and rampant curiosity, I set off in the search of World of Warcraft ink and the people behind it.
