The Queue: Noblegarden free!

Feel free to ask any and all WoW related questions in the comments of this post, we'll try to get to them in future editions of The Queue!
Azzarrea asked...
"With regards to the Argent Tournament, If you start being a valiant of another city, can you still purchase the items (pet, mount, etc...) of the first city, or do you lose the ability to purchase items from them?"
No, you do not. You can purchase items from any city you've become a Champion of regardless of your status with other cities.
Naix asked...
"I was thinking of re-rolling a new character but with the next expansion on the not too distant future. Would it be better to squeeze every drop of fun out of my main or re-roll and always wonder where I could have been if I only kept going?"
This is definitely a personal choice, and with that said, I tend to get one of my characters really geared up before I start working on another alt. If you're thinking of completely re-rolling, I'd say now is as good a time as ever. The next expansion is probably a year or so away, even though I suspect we'll start hearing about it in the next few months (BlizzCon in August).
Hehut asked...
"I'm wondering, how long is the Argent Tournament going to be around?"
It is a permanent in-game feature.
Kerowyn asked...
"Is there a way to hide the user interface on the character select screen?"
No, but you can press Alt-Z when you're in-game to hide the interface (or whatever you have it set to if you've remapped the hot key).
Darxide asked...
"I recently noticed patch 3.1 has been making WoW a little bit more demanding with my resources. Now iTunes seems to be using up a bit of crucial memory and I know that there are better music players with smaller memory/CPU foot-prints out there that I can use. Do you know any good iTunes substitutes for playing my music in the background?"
Good question. As Riley said, check out Winamp. It really whips the llama's ass.
Keyra asked...
"Here's a question for the Queue...not necessarily game-related, but why don't you ever post anything like "Congratulations to (user name) for winning the (contest)" whenever you are holding a "post your comment for your chance to win"?"
Most of the time there is really no compelling reason to post randomly selected contest winners. However, some of our other, larger contents, like the recent artwork one, will get a post showing off the winner.
Avan asked...
"On the WotLK soundtrack, there is a track called "Forged in Blood." I'm certain I've heard several of the motifs used, but I just can't place where. I also haven't heard where the second half of "Rise of the Vrykul" plays in game; I know the first half is used in both Utgarde Keep and Utgarde Pinnacle, but the second part (with the choir singing part of the main theme of WotLK) eludes me. Are these heard anywhere?"
This is a great question, and one that I have absolutely no answer to myself. However, hopefully some others here will have an answer and be able to provide some input in the comments. The music of WoW is truly amazing. Before I came to WoW Insider I worked as an operations and personnel director for a symphony orchestra, and the lengths that Blizzard goes to orchestrating and producing WoW's soundtrack is astounding. There is a nod to the fifth movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique in the loading screen's music that gives me chills (and horrific memories of producing the concert) each time I hear it.
Filed under: The Queue






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Cyanea Apr 27th 2009 5:11PM
As far as the Winamp suggestion goes, I've noticed that on my computer the recent versions are just as bloaty as iTunes (granted, bloaty for me isn't just limited to memory footprint, but about of screen space it takes, amount of annoying "helpful" features it has, etc). Winamp 2.95 is great if you're looking for something with little to no bloat. I don't even have any of the windows displayed and control it all through hotkeys.
Cyanea Apr 27th 2009 5:13PM
*amount of screen space
-
I can't brain today. I have the dumb.
Tim Jarratt Apr 27th 2009 5:14PM
foobar2000 is the best. Low cpu/mem usage and fully customizable if you so wish.
http://www.foobar2000.org/
Valdorin Apr 27th 2009 5:16PM
Get a new skin for it, Ive got a very minimalistic bkack and white skin. Only less than 1cm high and shows everything I need to know
Cyanea Apr 27th 2009 5:19PM
I tried Foobar for a while, and did like it for the customization aspect of it (I'm big on customization and making software work the way I like it to. I use an alternate shell for Windows to that effect). But I also realized that I was doing a lot of work for little return in terms of customizing it cause I prefer my music player windows to be hidden. All I need to do to setup Winamp to my liking on a fresh install is turn it on, load my plugins, point my hotkey file to the directory, and close all the windows.
But if you're into the sort of customization Foobar offers, it IS a good player.
Schadenfreude Apr 27th 2009 8:12PM
I always download the "Lite" version of Winamp and it is quite unobtrusive.
Shinn Apr 27th 2009 8:17PM
Quick note on versions of Winamp, Cynaea was right, don't use Winamp 4+ unless you have a top computer, it has a huge ram footprint while running, it's quite bloated nowadays, so versions 2-3 work very well because they have a lot less stuff on it. I've been using Winamp since V2 and now have 5, my computer runs WoW at 72fps without Winamp, ~40 with :S
But I'm writing my own that has the same basic stuff as Winamp, same layout, but ONLY plays music (don't need anyhting else while running wow), can't wait, almost done :D
Thander Apr 27th 2009 11:34PM
The person who asked the question is probably on a Mac but I noticed on Windows the standard media player only uses around 5MB of memory and ~0% cpu usage when minimized. It doesn't play a lot of file types but for basic mp3s and CDs it works fine. When maximized it jumps to 50MB used and 10% cpu usage. Somehow they get rid of the bloat when minimized.
Payton Apr 28th 2009 3:32AM
I use Rhapsody.
Phyl Apr 28th 2009 3:52AM
I was going to post that. Winamp 2.95 is the best music-player around, since it's so light yet very functionnal. Been using this ever since it went out, and always install it after a fresh Windows installation.
It can be found on www.oldversion.com
apoxic Apr 28th 2009 5:08AM
I was a Winamp 2.95 Uuser since it arrived for a few years (I think I didn't use >3.x for more than day.. POS). After that, I traded up for fb2k, and I have not been looking back.
You don't really need to customize fb2k that much if you don't feel like it, and its still a very viable player.
Here's a simple setup http://tinyurl.com/dc4x6o
Antistes Apr 28th 2009 7:28AM
Codexx had a nice post at ~50ish which iI think belong on teh 1st page, I use this player too, it uses little memory and has all the basic functions you want/need:
"I'm going to go ahead and recommend VLC media player for anything. It's light on resources, has a minamalistic HUD, though you can get skins for it if you'd like, and it can play nearly any file. You can then proceed to create playlists(which are formatted in a file that can be opened and edited in Notepad, and to my knowledge may be supported by other software, and are not locked down to VLC). There's the added bonus of not reading DRM, so that pesky DRM on many of your songs will not be used, and consequently, if you'd like, you can convert your entire collection to DRM free files of any file type you'd like, if you don't want to pay iTunes to remove it."
Evan Apr 28th 2009 10:15AM
If you have an extensive music library and use windows, I'd highly recommend MediaMonkey
http://www.mediamonkey.com/
Jaydubya Apr 27th 2009 5:15PM
What is the maximum number of achievements that can be finished at the same exact time for optimum achievement spam?
jonas Apr 27th 2009 5:20PM
I think downing XT002 in 25 man and having all 25 members get 3 achievements (the scrapbots one, the gravity bomb one, and the one for clearing the first 4 bosses) was pretty epic achievement spam...
csjenova Apr 27th 2009 5:32PM
I believe for a single person...it involves a combination either coordinating a faction gain from Argent Crusade that rolls over your northrend factions, your total factions, and the argent achievement, coupled with a first time instance clear, and heroic clear, and frozen wastes, coupled with a timed run and 5 bronze kill is up there, 10 -13 range.
Also, the frozen wastes coupled with first time OS clear coupled with 3 drakes and not getting hit by a flame thing netted 10+ as well.
Jay in Oregon Apr 27th 2009 5:36PM
I saw Gundrak, Heroic: Gundrak, and What the Eck? on 3 guildies all at once.
If you planned it right, you could do that same heroic dungeon and get:
* Gundrak
* Heroic: Gundrak
* What the Eck?
* Northrend Dungeonmaster
* Northrend Dungeon Hero
* Champion of the Frozen Wastes
The best I can come up with off of the top of my head would be:
* The Nexus
* Heroic: The Nexus
* Make it Count
* Northrend Dungeonmaster
* Northrend Dungeon Hero
* Champion of the Frozen Wastes
and all but one of Ruby Void, Emerald Void, and Amber Void for 8 achievements at once.
You would have to deliberately avoid doing The Nexus until that was the only thing you had left. If you do it, send a screenshot :)
Lyraat Apr 27th 2009 5:41PM
The most simultaneous achievements achieved that I've seen someone complete is 5. I can't remember what they were, but I do know they were mostly unrelated.
*Complete Loremaster
*Complete Shoalzar Basin
*Complete the Nesingway quests
*Complete 3000 quests
*Complete Northrend Loremaster
That's 5 that I could come up with off the top of my head. Im sure if you timed things right, you could get far more than that.
But that's just you. If you really wanted to have some massive achievement spam, get 25 people together who have never done Sartharion on one of their alts but know the fight (good luck) and go for 3D. Timed right, you could get:
*Sarth
*Sarth +1
*Sarth +2
*Sarth +3
*Champion of the Frozen Wastes
*Glory of the Heroic Raider
Six times 25 people = massive spam. Good luck :D
Pyyos Apr 27th 2009 5:54PM
You all forgot the:
Reported for Spamming cheese you'd get from all your guildies when it happened :)
Jay in Oregon Apr 27th 2009 5:52PM
Doh!
Those first two achievements should obviously be:
*The Oculus
*Heroic: The Oculus