Chinese television reuses Azerothian maps
by Mike Schramm 
Jan 22nd 2008 at 4:30PM
They have reused the mountain textures and background from WoW's Arathi Highlands map. There's been a little bit of tweaking, but it's pretty clear that they overlaid the countries on the Highlands. Apparently Stromgarde got split between Turkey and Iraq, and Baghdad sits right near the Circle of Inner Binding, while Refuge Pointe (and the Alliance entrance to the Arathi Basin) is right on the Iraq-Iran border. Who knew there was so much oil guarded by Fozruk and those ogres?
What I'd like to know is how this connection was made in the first place. It's probably too good to be true, but I'd like to think that the graphic designer for this documentary was trying to figure out how to make this graphic, played a little WoW, and recognized some familiar shapes when he pulled up the map on his level 35 alt.
[Via GSW]
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Humor
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mity Jan 23rd 2008 11:23AM
goldfarmers have dayjobs too?
prudychick Jan 22nd 2008 4:50PM
So the other night when I was looking for Forzuk I was apparently on the wrong world altogether. Can I get an Add-On for the Chinese version map of Arathi? Come to think of it maybe the Bodyguards for the Hints of A New Pague quest were really Taliban. Just as rude.
prudychick Jan 22nd 2008 4:51PM
*Plague
wowdouble Jan 22nd 2008 4:52PM
haha.the news come here now.suprised!
ninjasuperspy Jan 22nd 2008 4:55PM
Maybe they were making the documentary and thought "Hey, more people would be able to envision the location of these countries if I superimpose them on map they've all seen before!" I can only hope. Or this is a case of Google Images gone awry.
Charles Jan 22nd 2008 5:00PM
Too bad the chinese user who made the connection is probably going to be put to death now. Stand up against communism!
Louisa Jan 22nd 2008 5:12PM
lol. China has no regard for copyrights or anything like that. I was watching CCTV on satellite and they had a game show at this amusement park. ALL of their rides were Disney rip offs, with like, a blonde little mermaid, and a Bug's Life characters colored differently painted on the Teacups ride.
Verses Jan 23rd 2008 7:46PM
Like me economy teacher said once: "In China, Copyright is actualy, right to copy."
Good times, good times...
Whitburn Jan 22nd 2008 5:17PM
Hmm, by my calculations that means Bin Laden must be hiding out somewhere in the Wetlands. Maybe the army should check out Grim Batol, It's obviously where he's hiding. Naturally, I'd take plenty of well-geared tanks - I hear he does quite alot of dps.
bulgur Jan 22nd 2008 5:28PM
No, Duskwood, not Wetlands for Usama.
Surely someone else sees the connection between Mor'Ladim and Bin'Ladin? I'd say a dedicated air strike on Raven Hill Cemetary would do the trick.
energyvortex Jan 22nd 2008 6:16PM
I hope Blizzard sues thier asses :)
And if they don't pay for the copywrite violation, theaten to cut off the Chinese servers... Blizz could just sit back and watch the CHinese play base go beserk until the government finally gave in and paid up :)
Rich Jan 22nd 2008 6:21PM
So that is how you cause a revolution to overthrow the Chinese goverment, cut off there WoW.... I love it. lol
Brandon Tilley Jan 22nd 2008 6:25PM
If you look closely, you can actually see some unique patterns in the WoW map that made it into the Chinese map. Most specifically, in the top-center of the map, where the mountains come down into a point (north of the Alliance FP) there are a couple mountains that look *IDENTICAL* in both maps.
That **IS** the Arathi Highlands map!!
Meira Jan 22nd 2008 6:52PM
By the looks, China's military channel took some inspiration from WoW Insider (remember the "Ghostlanded" Iberic Penynsula?)
But the thing, beside the "Arathi'd Asia" thing going on, is the inaccuracy of the geography on the map. Siria, if it would be shown, would be a stripe-like country, wish is not, and the borders that Turkey have with Caucasian countries is missing... is this "Arathi for Chinese noobs" or "Geography for WoW noobs"?
Meira Jan 22nd 2008 6:54PM
"borders that Turkey have with Caucasian countries is missing"
I meant Iran XD
Fletch Jan 22nd 2008 6:57PM
Just when you think China can't get any lamer...
Gen Jan 22nd 2008 7:29PM
Only problem is Turkey is surrounded by sea from three sides. Meditterranean on south, Aegean on west, Marmara on northwest and Black Sea up north. No mountains whatsoever on southwest, it's all sea.
This is creative but it has taken lots of, shall we say, liberties.
Ugkul Jan 22nd 2008 10:02PM
Must have graduated from the South Carolina school of Geography.
Luis Jan 23rd 2008 1:03AM
@ 9
... except you misspelled nearly every name in that paragraph...
vildand Jan 23rd 2008 1:20AM
This troubles me, it's a good laugh but it's so obviously fake that the fact it ever got posted here frankly gives China so little credit it borders racism.