Big News Of The Week

Blizzard Rolls A One

In a move that surprised some people, amused others, and mainly invoked a summer hurricane of nerdrage, debate, and more nerdrage, Blizzard announced on Tuesday an attempt to bring accountability to their subscriber-only discussion forums by identifying message writers by real name. What followed, and what followed that, and what now follows that…

Rumors And Scuttlebutt

Believe it Or Not, Other Things Are Afoot

Lost in all the real name kerfuffle, Blizzard speculated this week on changing the fundamental way you define what sort of mage or hunter you’re playing, by condensing talent trees in the game at some point in the possibly near future. On Wednesday, Zarhym announced a wholescale revamp that they would like to do… in a huge post in the forums.

Sending Things To Yourself, Only It’s A Different You

In another fun little tidbit, the new Blizzard community manager Lylirra popped up this week in a thread speculating about cross-realm functions to say the following,

“Adding the ability for players to be able to mail Bind on Account items cross-realm is something we’ve discussed on more than one occasion.  We understand that players would greatly appreciate having the option to send heirlooms, for example, to lower-level characters on different realms, so we’re exploring the possibility. It’s definitely on our radar! Due to the necessary infrastructure changes that would need to occur before cross-realm mail can be integrated, though, we have no immediate plans for adding this functionality as of yet.”

Town Cryer

Roger, aka Deafwolf, from the Aegwynn server writes: I have attempted to contact Blizzard through their website in the attempt to learn about sponsorship. I currently ride a road bike in charity events, criterium races, and distance races. I’m purely an amateur, but I believe I can offer good visibility outside the game. Who do I contact and how do I reach them about my request?

Cataclysmic Drop Of The Week

Go Raid Some Trolls!

This is the ninth in our limited series, wherein we’re highlighting things for you to do in WoW that you might not ever get to do again after the Cataclysm. It’s Zul’Gurub!

Additional show content provided by Darrell the Tipgiver, Steve “Buxley” Pietrowicz, James “Acuzod” Jefferies and the outstanding Instance Community.

Special thanks to DogHouse Systems, FigurePrints!, TypeFrag and SquareSpace for sponsoring this episode.

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In a huge victory for the thousands of posters to the Blizzard official forums over the last few days Mike Morhaime posted a response to the recent uproar about Blizzard requiring Real ID names on the forums:

“I’d like to take some time to speak with all of you regarding our desire to make the Blizzard forums a better place for players to discuss our games. We’ve been constantly monitoring the feedback you’ve given us, as well as internally discussing your concerns about the use of real names on our forums. As a result of those discussions, we’ve decided at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums.”

And there was much rejoicing.

Blizzard ignited a huge debate in their forums with an announcement on the official forums.  Around the time of Cataclysm’s launch all posts made on the forums will use Real ID names which are also of course the real names of the posters.  At the time of this writing there are multiple threads on the US and EU forums, some with over 1400 pages and counting.  Some of you may know as listeners of The Instance, Scott and Randy are not known for their fondness of the official Blizzard forums but what does this mean for future of the forums?

I see several good and bad points that may come from this.  Just like most things in life the outcome will not be black and white and will fall somewhere in between but one thing is for sure; Blizzard is moving forward with this change.  Let’s discuss both sides of the arguments for and against.

The Good:

• Trolls will be forced to do their trolling in the light of day – while many people on the forums are posting with their main characters names displayed, many posts (and especially the negative ones) can be found with a level one alt listed as the author.  People love to say the nastiest things imaginable when they can hide behind the internet’s veil of anonymity and this may clean up the Blizz forums quite a bit.
• Spammers and gold sellers will have a tougher time harassing people via the forums – It’s not the most used vehicle for gold sellers and spammers but it is out there and this change will probably curb that significantly.

That’s really all the good I can find.  Please let me know if I missed anything.  Now, some of the bad.

• People will become much more exposed to other players that they may not want to be exposed to – Let’s be honest about this.  In a world of Facebook and Twitter most people are relatively exposed already, but some people (like myself) have segmented their online persona  and have different circles of friends in the many social networks available.  Now if someone were to google my real name they may find out that I am a heavy WoW forum poster (I’m not actually) and while someone like myself certainly doesn’t mind that, there are people who will.
• The children – I hope that parents aren’t allowing their kids to run around on the net unsupervised but I’m sure that some are.  These kids will become a bit more susceptible to creepy people.  If you are a parent, just don’t let your kids use the internet in dangerous ways.
• Mistaken identity – There are a lot of people with common names in the world.  Even with a way to differentiate these people, unobservant folk will mistake people for others quite a bit.  Some sticky situations will arise from this surely.

There are much more repercussions to discuss but I’d love to know what you think.  Does the good outweigh the bad or vice-versa?  Does it affect you?  Do you give a crap?

Big News Of The Week

Lifting An NDA Is A Great Workout

Blizzard blew the doors down on this joint this week with the opening of the last major raid dungeon before the coming Cataclysm, and the sudden release of the beta version 4.0 of that forthcoming expansion to the world. The non-disclosure agreement has been lifted, and that means that beta testers are free to share pretty much anything they like about Cataclysm from here on out.

Rumors And Scuttlebutt

Your Guild Looks Kinda Perky

Along with the Cataclysm beta comes the full prediction of what guild talents are going to look like after the world is partially destroyed, and this week we learned that Blizzard is tentatively calling them Guild Perks.

Much like we discussed last week, guild perks will be improvements to aspects of the game that are somewhat more cosmetic or generalized, and will be available to everyone in the game who is in a guild, can join a guild, or can create a guild and go earn them.

The Real-ID Is For Complain And Worry

As we’re recording, Blizzard’s Real-ID system has been released exactly 13 days, and is now the subject of about 5000 e-mails to The Instance, and about 5000 man-hours of discussion in our guild chat.

Despite the massive FAQ Blizzard posted on the system, complaints and concerns have been rolling into the game forums on worldofwarcraft.com non-stop since Real-ID went live. We’re going to try to break down the concerns into categories, and discuss them as calmly as possible. Please folks, don’t try this at home.

Town Cryer

Soapy from Andorhal writes:

Hey, I was just wondering if you guys think that Blizzard might add some new servers with the release of Cataclysm. And if so, do you think they will offer free character transfers?

Cataclysmic Drop Of The Week

Go Get Something Legendary!

This is the eighth in our limited series, wherein we’re highlighting things for you to do in WoW that you might not ever get to do again after the Cataclysm.

That’s right. We’re crazy, and we’re suggesting that you build Thunderfury, Blessed Blade Of The Windseeker!!

Additional show content provided by Darrell the Tipgiver, Steve “Buxley” Pietrowicz, James “Acuzod” Jefferies and the outstanding Instance Community.

Special thanks to DogHouse Systems, FigurePrints!, TypeFrag and SquareSpace for sponsoring this episode.

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Are micro-transactions like the Pandaren Monk pet the future of Warcraft?

A recent news story on pcgamer.com features some quotes from WoW lead designer Tom Chilton who even goes as far as saying that, “at some point, it may not make sense for us to have a subscription fee.”  These are some strong words from someone in the know and they lend credibility to the WoW free-to-play prophets.

I’ve personally had several discussions with a somewhat deranged individual who claimed that WoW would become free-to-play eventually.  Generally I would scoff at him and call him crazy but I may have to eat my words, although it does seem that Chilton and the rest of the Blizzard team realize that this is not an option for the near future.  With Cataclysm around the corner, the Warcraft well is far from dry and so far the nature of the free-to-play model has been a way to stay competitive.  World of Warcraft is still beyond competitive.

The implementation of the micro-transaction free-to-play model is a scary proposition to me personally.  One thing that makes WoW so wonderful is the fact that everyone starts at the same ground level and what you do from there is what sets you apart from the rest of the players.  If there were a division on what content was available based upon the amount of money a player was willing to spend then I believe many players would step away from the game.  However, if the micro-transactions were limited to aesthetic items and novelties then I do believe that WoW could stay profitable if the day comes when it is not the undisputed subscriber king of the MMO landscape.

It’s always going to be tricky to change the way a game is distributed so drastically but if Blizzard has proved anything over the lifetime of World of Warcraft it is that they are thoughtful and deliberate about making these sorts of decisions and I expect that will not change anytime soon.

What do you guys think?  Post some comments and share your opinions.

Big News Of The Week

It Just Got Real

Blizzard implemented World Of Warcraft version 3.3.5 this week, laying the groundwork for the opening of the Ruby Sanctum dungeon – but not yet making that raid instance available to players – and suddenly and irrevocably changing the nature of the game and every game Blizzard produces from now on… with the new Blizzard Real_ID system. What seemed like a trifle throughout the discussion of it over the last few months has generated more talk and debate this week than anything we’ve seen in a long time. Of course, it’s designed to generate talk, since it’s a communications system.

Rumors And Scuttlebutt

Is There A New Trio For The Win?
For years in 3v3 arena PvP in WoW, the trio of choice has been Rogue, Mage and Priest. The combination of the rogue’s ability to surprise attack with overwhelming stuns and damage, while the priest and mage focus all crowd control on keeping their focus target from being healed… has reigned supreme. That is, until this years’ Arena Tournament, which concluded open play this week.

Don’t Miss The Midsummer Fire Festival!
Even if you completed every quest and every achievement attached to the Midsummer Fire Festival last year, a lot of it has reset for you for this year, and we’re halfway through its’ two week duration, so there’s no time to lose.

Town Cryer

Liam G. writes: I am graduating in about a week and am also in a raiding guild. I have missed many raids lately due to RL schedule conflicts and my raid group says that if i do not show up for the next raid then i will be kicked from the guild but i have graduation that night. I could skip the Dance afterward and raid but it would disappoint my RL friends.

Cataclysmic Drop Of The Week

Step right up and get your heirlooms!

This is the seventh in our limited series, wherein we’re highlighting things for you to do in WoW that you might not ever get to do again after the Cataclysm.

You might have thought we’d save this one for last, since purchasing heirloom items will only take a few minutes of your time, but the fact is that heirlooms are relatively expensive. They run between 40 and 65 dungeon badges each, or between 60 and 95 Champion’s Seals from the Argent Tournament each, so it’s going to take some time to acquire, say, five of them for your up and coming hunter.

Additional show content provided by Darrell the Tipgiver, Steve “Buxley” Pietrowicz, James “Acuzod” Jefferies and the outstanding Instance Community.

Special thanks to DogHouse Systems, FigurePrints!, TypeFrag and SquareSpace for sponsoring this episode.

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Big News Of The Week

C’est La Vie, That’s Just The Way It Goes

Like many possible changes to the game that have never reached full implementation, Blizzard announced last week that two of their proposed changes to the game with the Cataclysm expansion have met the cutting room floor. Specifically, linear guild talents and the Path of the Titans. For various reasons, Blizzard has decided to dismiss them from Cataclysm, and said so, and was met with a lot of… feedback… as a result.

Rumors And Scuttlebutt

Some Glyphs Are Too Small, And Some Are Too Big

At the Blizzard press conference last week, they announced the concept of “medium glyphs”, by which a third tier of glyphs may give you many more options in Cataclysm. Furthermore, Blizzard proposed a couple of *very* interesting changes: a list of all the glyphs you have to choose from in your UI, and glyphs that stick around for you once you’ve acquired them.

The Guild Talents Thing Isn’t All Bad News

Tom Chilton asked some very difficult questions about guild talents as Blizzard announced the scrapping of such. We don’t have a direct quote, but it was a series of questions that explained why guild talents were problematic. Can only the guild leader pick the talents? Do you allow guilds to re-spec? Who pays for it? How do you give all the players in the guild a sense of being involved? This gave way to his demonstration of a better plan: guild leveling.

Town Cryer

We love good calls!

Cataclysmic Drop Of The Week

It’s Red And You Sit On It

This is the sixth in our limited series, wherein we’re highlighting things for you to do in WoW that you might not ever get to do again after the Cataclysm. Be a hero! Be able to prove it! Finish the achievement “Glory Of The Hero“!

Additional show content provided by Darrell the Tipgiver, Steve “Buxley” Pietrowicz, James “Acuzod” Jefferies and the outstanding Instance Community.

Special thanks to DogHouse Systems, FigurePrints!, TypeFrag and SquareSpace for sponsoring this episode.

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Big News Of The Week

Blizzard Sells Out Tickets For Blizzcon, So They’re Available Everywhere

Last week in two rapid-fire sales events, Blizzard sold tens of thousands of tickets to Blizzcon 2010 in October. The tickets were in such high demand by potential attendees and, more likely, speculators, that they can properly be considered to have sold out in 5 to 10 seconds after each sale was started. Such is the way of things nowadays. But the tickets are temporarily transferable, so speculators have flooded the web with offers.

Rumors And Scuttlebutt

Blizzard Gives Us A Peek At Some Talent Trees

Four of the ten classes got a preview this week, as Blizzard put out prospective talent trees for the post-Cataclysm druid, shaman, rogue and priest.

There’s A New Starcraft 2 Commercial

It just debuted during the NBA Finals basketball game, and has subsequently been posted here. According to Blizzard, The thirty-second spot features voice-overs from two iconic characters in StarCraft II, and is cut from the pre-rendered cinematic sequences found throughout the game.

Town Cryer

Samuel writes: Scott and Randy if you guys are such good friends why do you guys not raid with each other?

Dominic D. writes: I visited http://www.auctioneeraddon.com/ today to see a front page post indicating that the administrator is in danger of not being able to host his website anymore due to financial concerns. He is calling for donations and sponsorships to help keep it alive, citing that his server bills are $800/month. I just wanted to drop a line to your show, because I feel that Auctioneer is the best addon anyone can have, and I don’t want to see it go away.

Cataclysmic Drop Of The Week

You Want Me To Do What?

This is the fifth in our limited series, wherein we’re highlighting things for you to do in WoW that you might not ever get to do again after the Cataclysm.

Additional show content provided by Darrell the Tipgiver, Steve “Buxley” Pietrowicz, James “Acuzod” Jefferies and the outstanding Instance Community.

Special thanks to DogHouse Systems, FigurePrints!, TypeFrag and SquareSpace for sponsoring this episode.

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Big News Of The Week

WoW Is Back On Deck

Blizzard’s spin-off company Cryptozoic released their first set in the WoW Trading Card Game this week, and it’s called Wrathgate.  You can read all about it in three parts here, here and here.

Rumors And Scuttlebutt

It’s The Eve Of Ruby Sanctum

Public Test Realm testers have been looking at the quickly forthcoming Ruby Sanctum patch to World Of Warcraft. The Ruby Sanctum is the gathering place for the red dragonflight, and it’s about to be attacked by the black dragonflight in their nefarious plot to enable Deathwing’s return.

Town Cryer

Andy from London writes: Do you guys think that Blizzard should really change the DK starting level to 65? The DK starting zone was amazingly fun with lots of set-pieces and backstory to explain how you became free of the Lich King. However there is a big sense of disconnect from this story when you step into Outland to fight Illidan, which makes absolutely no sense for a Death Knight to do. Wouldn’t it be better to finish the DK starting area at level 68 instead of level 58?

Cataclysmic Drop Of The Week

Round Round Get Around, You Get Around

This is the fourth in our limited series, where we’re highlighting things for you to do in WoW that you might not ever get to do again after the Cataclysm.

Additional show content provided by Darrell the Tipgiver, Steve “Buxley” Pietrowicz, James “Acuzod” Jefferies and the outstanding Instance Community.

Special thanks to Down To The Wire, DogHouse Systems, FigurePrints!, TypeFrag and SquareSpace for sponsoring this episode.

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Big News Of The Week

Money Money Money Money. Money!

In two mostly unrelated moves this week, Blizzard announced the upcoming sale of tickets for Blizzcon 2010, and they released the beta version of their long-rumored remote auction house application. The tickets are going to cost you $150 each, while the auction house application is going to cost you $150 over a period of about 4.2 years.

Rumors And Scuttlebutt

Blizzard Is Taking AVR Out!

Over on the UI And Macros forum, Blizzard Community Manager Bashiok called out his opponent for the world championship: The relatively new mod AVR. Bashiok said

“This is a notice that we’re making changes in 3.3.5 in attempts to break the ability for the AVR (Augmented Virtual Reality) mod to continue functioning. For those unaware, this mod allows players to draw in the 3D space of the game world, which can then be shared with others who are also using the mod. In some cases this manifests itself through drawing/tagging/defacing the game world, but more popularly is used to give visual guides for dungeon and raid encounters.”

Town Cryer

Cassi C. writes: I have a tight raid schedule and real life schedule and sometimes they overlap each other without warning. For example: I am a student still and things such as reports, projects, and work in general come up without warning along with a raid that i signed up for earlier. I cant decide what to do! Do i blow off the raid to do my work or do i wait till late at night to start/do my work? If i blow off the raid then i have a chance to get screamed at or kicked from guild or even uninvited from raids, however, if i delay my work i could get a bad grade and be screamed at, yet again.

Cataclysmic Drop Of The Week

Five Big Dungeons For You

It’s time to start working on something that is going to take some coordination to pull off before Cataclysm, and that is the Classic Raider achievement.

Additional show content provided by Darrell the Tipgiver, Steve “Buxley” Pietrowicz, James “Acuzod” Jefferies and the outstanding Instance Community.

Special thanks to DogHouse Systems, FigurePrints!, TypeFrag and SquareSpace for sponsoring this episode.

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