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Barrens Chat: Encore
I don't get to play World of Warcraft very often anymore. Real life comes up and gets in the way all the time, and then you have to sit back and listen to your friends talk about how much fun they've had in the past few weeks you've been away. So you sit, and you wait, and eventually you get time to log on again, run around, and have a jolly old time. Especially when you get to hang out with good people.I've never had Ventrilo or any other sort of microphone attachment that would broadcast my voice across the Internet. For one point, I'd have to break down and buy a headset of some sort. Knowing me I'd likely break it within a week, so I'd actually need to buy two, but that's alright. The other reason is, I'm not entirely sure I want the ability to hear other absent minded people like me babbling to themselves, forgetting the rest of the world can hear them. %Gallery-22361%
One Shots: History in stone
Things are quiet with the holiday weekend going on stateside, and many people are enjoying some time out and about. (In real life or virtual life.) In that spirit, we're bringing you a Lord of the Rings Online sightseeing find from Mandorak of EU Gilrain. He told us that this is one of the trolls from The Hobbit which was turned to stone. All we can say is that we're awfully glad he's not up and moving about; grumpy trolls are never fun to deal with. Have you found an odd or interesting landmark on your travels? If so, snap a picture of it and send it to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com! Beyond that, we here at Massively hope that you've been enjoying the holiday weekend. We'll be back to our normal frenetic pace tomorrow with news and views from all over the MMOGscape!%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Fireworks over the Bay
Today's One Shots is actually one from this blogger's personal archives. This Troll Rogue is enjoying the holiday fireworks in Booty Bay from World of Warcraft, taken before Burning Crusade was released. American MMOG-industry companies are off for the holiday weekend, and we are running on a skeleton crew as well. However, those of us still lurking around the offices are keeping an eye out for news for you. In the meantime, we hope those of you stateside have a great (and safe) holiday with friends and family. To the rest of you out there, don't worry - we'll be back up to speed once we've had a chance to sleep off all the partying!And hey, if you have the chance to snap some screenshots while enjoying in-game holiday events this weekend, send them in to us at oneshots AT massively.com! We'd love to see what you're up to.%Gallery-9798%
Barrens Chat: Beggers can't be choosers
First of all, a huge thank you to Mike Schramm last week for covering my rear with his hunter comic. And it wasn't so much "kindly accepted" as it was "oh thank goodness, I'm saved" for the record, Mike. Thank you Turpster, also!Now, back to business (or tomfoolery, I haven't decided which it actually is yet). This week brings us a comic that actually took place in the Barrens. Crossroads to be specific. So once again for those of you who complained commented that the comics should take place in the barrens, your wish has been granted. %Gallery-22361%
European Commission approves Nokia's acquisition of Trolltech
Not like we were really suspecting any issues or anything, but the European Commission has just made public its "unconditional approval" of Nokia's "voluntary tender offer for all the shares in Trolltech ASA." In other words, Nokia's acquisition of Trolltech is officially complete, with today being the final day in which the latter company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Such a cute couple, don't you think?
Fake guilds in WoW
I don't like to call attention to trolls on the internet; I think they're vile little beasts who need to be put out old-school DnD style with a roll of a six sided die and a cast of a flaming arrow. But one thing in particular some trolls are doing has caught my attention: a fake WoW guild being as annoying as possible on the forums.I won't name this guild's name, or tell you where they're from, since I don't need them tracking me down in game or getting a bigger head. What they do to annoy the frack out of everyone (and that was my obligatory Battlestar Galactica reference for the week) is pretty lame - they post updates to bosses they haven't killed. For instance, right now they're claiming they've downed Brutallus. They even have a clearly photoshopd kill picture to prove it. However they haven't, and if you look at their armory profiles no one in the guild is above Kara level gear.This guild will go and post in progression threads, taking up page after page of space. Eventually these threads have to be closed since they become full, and new ones started. However the trolls are right there to start everything again. 99% of the people on the realm ignore them, however there is always the 1% that gives them the attention they desire.What can be done about this?
70 Orc Hunter running for Connecticut legislature
More politicians are coming out of the WoW closet. Jeanne Stevens is a WoW player -- with a 70 Orc Hunter, a 58 Troll Shaman, and a 53 Blood Elf Rogue -- and a Republican running for the Connecticut state legislature. And she freely admits it in a new interview with Wandering Goblin, as covered by our sister site, Massively. Her hunter is balanced between marksman and survival, her shaman specs elemental (close to my heart!), and her rogue climbs the assassination talent tree. Will she be able to master the beasts in her political race? (Okay, you go ahead and insert your own shaman or rogue wordplay here.) Maybe she'll hold some in-game speeches or rallies. She could hold forth on top of Orgrimmar's bank, or maybe lead a raid to Stormwind as a metaphor.Is it surprising that a Republican chooses Horde? I think you could make a case for either faction going with either political party. Personally, I love to see that she's middle-aged and a woman, which defies Blizzard's assumptions about the majority of WoW gamers. She also chooses pirates over ninjas. I'm not sure there's a political comment there, but I'm sure someone will show me the light.[Thanks to Wandering Goblin via Massively.]
Well Fed Buff: Essence Mango
Well Fed Buff serves up tasty dishes to boost your HP, stats and appetite – with that special WoW twist, of course. Those Trolls from Yojamba Isle were on to something. Before The Burning crusade, one of the cool foods that players could get were Essence Mangoes, a quest reward that could be obtained by handing in a Zandalar Honor Token. These weren't actually any better than Alterac Manna Biscuits, and back when Zul'gurub was still in vogue, the tokens weren't quite worth turning in for an average food that didn't give any buffs. But the quest describes mangoes as luscious fruits from the South Seas, and it couldn't be more true. Mangoes are significant fruits in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. In the Philippines, where I live, mangoes are an everyday treat and I think we have the best mangoes in the world. Today on Well Fed Buff, we'll put a new spin on the Essence Mango (which is essentially just a fruit) by making a simple, healthy drink that is sure to restore your health and mana as well as tickle your taste buds.
One Shots: Fighting trolls on the internet
Okay, so it's not the normal troll one might expect to see on a website... Unless, of course, you're coming to Massively, in which case, it could really be any one of a plethora of troll types! Today's One Shots troll, however, comes to us from Lord of the Rings Online, where this intrepid fellowship squared off to fight this fairly perturbed monster! Captain Finudir describes the scene for us:From left to right: Robertolangoiz, our esteemed lore-master, is clearly checking his notes for the best way to take down this troll. Galoros, our hunter, happens to be our highest level fellow at the moment, so he is drawing the attention. Captain Finudir of Gondor assesed the situation after having ordered his herald Alamast to sneak around and cut down the troll at the knees. Meanwhile, the troll looks slightly annoyed, unaware that his about to meet an untimely death.Huzzah, say we! We're all for the MMO crowd out there, fighting the good fight against trolls. (Present troll-rolling company excepted, of course.) Do you have some great shots of combat, of you and your friends waging epic (and not-so-epic) battle? Perhaps you've got a hilarious screen of a wipe and a great funny story to go with it? Whatever your story is, we'd love to check it out. Just drop us a quick note and a screenshot to oneshots AT massively DOT com! Only please, no trolls unless they're the video-game graphic kind.%Gallery-9798%
WoW laser etching impresses and inspires
Here's an example on how to take a really cool concept and make a bad choice. Not that we think the etching itself looks bad, but there are all sorts of other cool WoW designs the owner could have put on this Macbook. We certainly understand the meaning of putting the very image players see when entering World of Warcraft's uh, world, onto your machine. To be honest we were half-expecting to see a Horde or Alliance symbol when we first heard of this homebrewed homage. That being said, the skills of whoever etched this are quite impressive; can we resist saying level 325 etching skill? Nope, we can't.If it were up to us, there would probably be something ridiculous on there like a bunch of Murlocs playing Poker or maybe some kind of breakdancing Troll.
Troll and Ranger PvMP reinstated again
Wee! The PvMP session play see-saw has flipped once more, and Lord of the Rings Online players can assume the form of the mighty Trolls and Rangers out in the 'Moors again. Community specialist Saffron made the announcement in the forums, but also included a warning that may just cause our fun little see-saw to rust over: Please remember that running more than two Ranger or Troll sessions within 12 hours is considered an exploit and may be subject to disciplinary measures. Enjoy!That's a fairly clear message for anyone who wants to mess around with session play in the future, but does that mean that people won't still try? Of course not.
Around Azeroth: The shadow of death
Ubarjabula, a Troll Shadow Priest on the Uther server took advantage of his Merciless Gladiator's Satin Hood, Shadowform's effects on a mount and the shaft of light courtesy of Shattrath's Naru. Together they make for quite a chilling effect. Death from above never looked so imminent.Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? Because we'd love to see it on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next! Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. We prefer full screen shots without the UI showing. And please, no more sunsets. No, really. Ok, only if it's a sunrise in new Patch 2.4 lands. We'll take those anytime. Oh, and no more shots of Omen killed in Ogrimmar. It's cool, we get it. A lot of it.%Gallery-1816%
LotRO's Troll and Ranger session play down yet again
A note in Lord of the Rings Online's patcher hints that Troll and Ranger session play has been disabled, yet again. Sure enough, a post in the forums confirms the situation, so these giants of PvMP are unavailable once more. There isn't any explanation readily given, but looking at the Monster Play forums, a thread can be found with a response from a Turbine official in the first page: "An exploit was discovered that enabled sessions to be nearly limitless. It was decided that the sessions should be shut down."Troll and Ranger session play has been taken out before, and another time after that. The second time they were disabled was actually due the exact same reason that they are now, which leaves you to wonder whether people had managed to continue the old exploit somehow, or whether there's an all new way to rip off the system. The best thing about the see-sawing status of PvMP session play is that I get to keep using my troll doll picture.
Zami's Official WoW forum dictionary
Apparently this has been wandering around the forums for a while, but I haven't seen it before-- Zami the forum troll (and we mean that in a good way) has put together a dictionary of sorts for those browsing the forums. Not quite sure what people mean by QQ or "weaksauce"? Zami's got you covered. Well, he doesn't so much have you covered (we actually have a post for that), but at least he's entertaining."Watch out, the Lion King" was probably my favorite, but Taz'dingo was pretty informative too-- I never knew exactly what that meant. Zami's guide is definitely good for a laugh.[Thanks, Kevin!]
A literally talentless player
This guy is either a clueless newb or an obvious troll (I lean towards a bit of trolling-- it's too perfectly designed to provoke a response), but either way, he claims that he didn't just forget to use his talents, he actively chose not to. That's right-- he claims he can go all the way to 70 without using talents at all.Even if he is kidding (and he must be, right? the talents you choose are based on your own "skill and merits"), what would that be like? Could you imagine going to 70 without Nature's Swiftness or Vampiric Embrace or Tactical Mastery? I guess it's possible, but unless you just wanted to prove you could do it (hey, people have done crazier things), how hard would the game really be without talents? By definition, no talent is necessary for the core gameplay-- the whole point of having three trees is that you can go without the other two you don't choose. But is it possible to build a viable character using no talents at all?Troll away, talentless player. But thanks for making me consider something I'd never thought of before: just how much do the talents you choose govern your gameplay? And if you didn't have any of the talents that you have, how much would your game player differ, or suffer?
Jump from Netherstorm to Hellfire Peninsula
I don't know why this is so fascinating, but it really is. Tulvar posted this on the forums-- it's him using the Rocket Boots Xtreme (and the Filled Festive Mug from New Year's Eve, which grants multi-use slowfall) to fly from the top of Netherstorm all the way across the abyss to the tip of Hellfire Peninsula. And he survives, which is what surprised me most of all-- I would have thought that a fall like that would kill a man (err, a troll), but I guess he nabbed a Mug just in time.Xtreme sports, Outland style. Which makes me wonder: what's the highest point in Azeroth and Outland? Surely it's Blackrock Mountain, right? The top of Ironforge Mountain? Or Mount Hyjal? If it didn't exist officially only the Caverns of Time at this point, that is. And surely Molten Core is the lowest point in the land, but what's the lowest non-instanced point? Un'goro?[Thanks, Jacckk!]
Around Azeroth: Fishing in Darnassus
They say fishing is a relaxing pastime (I'd say sleep-inducing pastime, but that could just be me) -- so where better to enjoy it than the peaceful shores of Darnassus? Jorrak of Nordrassil (EU) tells us, "the relaxing melody of Darnassus is great to unwind and fish to." However, for some reason the Darnassians seem biased against naked Troll fishermen. So if you want to join Jorrak, be prepared for trouble.Do you have any unusual World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? Because we'd love to see your idea of the best looking instance on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!
Troll/Ranger PvMP disabled once more
A post on the official Lord of the Rings Online forums today announced that Troll and Ranger PvMP Session Play will be disabled for the second time. However, unlike last time, we've got a clearer idea about why they are being taken down.Curse.com's developer tracker picked up on a forum thread where someone was complaining about an exploiting Ranger. Apparently this character was able to reset their Ranger timer to continue playing it as long as they wanted, as well as having the ability to despawn, even while people were attacking, and reappear elsewhere with replenished health. The official response to this post confirmed that the Trolls and Rangers will be disabled due to this.As a lot of Turbine's staff have already left the office for the holidays, they have disabled the quests for now and will reinstate them once they have fixed the exploits.
The Daily Grind: To forum, or not to forum?
It seems like no matter where you go on this World Wild Web, you can't help but stumble across all manner of trolls. Out of game, you can hear the echoes of "qq moar nub" as they rampage around. Indeed, this is why we suspect some games are loath to spend man-hours creating and manning forums, such as Tabula Rasa's stance on them. As routinely surfing forums on the lookout for news is part of our job, we can't help but notice that some companies do a fantastic job of keeping their forums under control, such as the CoX team. Other forums such as the WoW official forums are an absolute epidemic of trolls that seem to be far more pronounced than just about anywhere else. Now while we would definitely agree that the WoW forums undoubtedly suffer from more trolls due to sheer population density in comparison to other titles, we can't help but wonder... What would it be like if game companies opted to move all official forums to player-run and maintained setups and just popped in like Tabula Rasa has? Would it make more sense to do so and let the communities police themselves? Some of the player-run forums we read, such as different EQ, EQ2, and even WoW resources, seem to do a very good job of policing themselves and keeping the trolls to a minimum. There also isn't backlash into the games overall as they're completely separate. If you do something stupid on a player-run forum, you simply get banned more often than not. The trolls can't argue that they're a paying subscriber and deserve special treatment. (Not that it tends to hold a lot of weight on the WoW forums when you throw that around after a CM has gotten to you.) There are also generally lots of folks who will volunteer time just from the sheer love of the game, getting nothing in return save for a troll-free environment in which to talk about their favorite games. So this morning we ask you. Is it better to let the players run the forums, or the game companies? Do you think that player-run forums tend to be, on the whole, better than official forums, or do you really think it depends on the title involved? Are there any benefits you see with one over the other, or does it all perhaps just come down to a question of official forums needing more staff to deal with the trolls in their communities?
Downtime for LotRO will fix Troll and Ranger PvMP
The Lord of the Rings Online forums have spilled the beans on what will be getting fixed with the game's imminent update. The downtime will occur on December 6th, from 6:00AM (ET), and is expected to last until 12PM. This patch does not really contain any new content, however, one of the fixes will open up another option for PvMP players -- or rather, re-open.The update should bring back the option to choose Trolls and Rangers in session play, which we reported on a few weeks ago when they were disabled. At the time, they did not say how long it would be before they were reintroduced, so it's good to see this feature back in the game before Book 12 is out. The question is, will there have been other tweaks to how they play, to address the balance issues many have been complaining about? Or, looking at this thread -- do people even want them back? The scale seems to tip heavily towards 'no', with the topic-creator keeping a tally: 12 for them, and 25 against.Other notable fixes for this update include some DirectX 10 performance improvements with shadowing. Full pre-patch notes can be found after the break.
