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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsThe Queue: Scroll of Resurrection
by Mathew McCurley 
Mar 7th 2012 at 11:00AM
The new Scroll of Resurrection sounds like a pretty cool way of drumming up some business. Turn old subscribers new again. Plus, mounts. What's not to love? There are a lot of players I know who would love to start a goblin or worgen yet haven't played in years, so free Cataclysm and some goodies doesn't seem like too bad a deal for a month's worth of game time.
Questions?
Narayana asked:
I'm not really up with all of the norms for press behavior and such, but I am curious what the point of the NDA is for the press tour when it's only going to last about a week (at least, according to BB). What's the point of such a short NDA? What does Blizzard expect to occur in that week? Does that simply exist to give a "proper" amount of time to actually digest the information being tossed out during the event?
The efficient and effective way to communicate important information is to first process said information. Having a week between information accumulation and information release allows the press to work the knowledge they've been given into something more substantial than, say, a quick news post and a link to something cool. With real knowledge comes real expression of those ideas. That's one side of the coin.
For Blizzard, having that time between releasing information and then refocusing the message depending on press feedback is also important. For what it's worth, this upcoming press event feels like a big deal. It should, after all -- but I mean, we're going to be getting information, and lots of it. The message needs to be clear, and the presentation needs to be hype-worthy. With a week between showing off the goods and players' absorbing new details, Blizzard gives itself the wiggle room it needs to amend or refocus the message. All that I'm concerned about, however, is new information to process.
Adam put it similarly in the comments, with our real-world BlizzCon example:
If there wasn't an NDA, here's what'd happen:Nobar asked:
People would sit in the press room with a bulky setup, streaming the presentations and data back to a home base where 20 people would be writing and getting the content out as fast as possible. This is how BlizzCon is. The focus would be less on quality and more on production time.
But instead, here's what'll happen:
At the end of the day's presentations and gameplay we'll be able to take the information and make great posts about it and not have to have an epeen contest with other sites to see who can push the publish button first (a very stupid contest to have in the first place). The focus will be on quality, and not on production time.
This comment is brought to you by a possibly-too-honest-Adam.
1. For when you don't have enough questions, what is the twitter account you go submit them to?
2. I'm thinking about making a lore-blog that will deal in (mostly) speculative subjects of the wow-verse. Any tips?
The official WoW Insider Twitter account (@wowinsider) is the best place to go to submit Queue questions and where you'll see us shout out for submissions. As for starting your own lore blog, just start it. Grab a free blogging platform like Blogger or WordPress, and just start writing. Everything will take shape over time, but the ideas and words are what matter. Just start writing.
Morgatho asked:
Q4tQ: Do you think there is a chance well see Warlord Zaela in MoP? she is my Favorite new lore character in Cata and id hate to see her sit there and stew in twilight highlands.
Honestly? Yes. If we're bringing the fight back between the Alliance and the Horde, Zaela could be a huge part of that. She's already the warlord of a clan of orcs bringing war to the doorstep of the Alliance, so why wouldn't she bring the Dragonmaw into new lands with her Horde allies? I'd love to see her around more.
Blackdog asked:
So, do you think Orgrimmar reconstruction will be finished before the end of Cata or the start of MoP?
It's a long shot, but I believe the capital cities will stay the way they are because they are, essentially, part of the Cataclysm time line. While it would be cool to see progressive changes to the Stormwind and Orgrimmar facades, I am not anticipating anything. In fact, I kind of like the partially completed wall in Orgrimmar because it includes both the past and the present in its construction. If Blizzard changed it, that wouldn't cause me to cancel my preorder, though.
Have questions about the World of Warcraft? The WoW Insider crew is here with The Queue, our daily Q&A column. Leave your questions in the comments, and we'll do our best to answer 'em!
Filed under: The Queue
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 7)
Puntable Mar 7th 2012 11:41AM
Are you making fun of Nina, like that guy that makes fun of people?
Noyou Mar 7th 2012 11:47AM
Not going to lie, info about more toons per server is probably my #1 interest for Mists.
(cutaia) Mar 7th 2012 11:54AM
"Not going to lie, info about more toons per server is probably my #1 interest for Mists."
You'll get it. It's gonna happen. Whether that means 11, a nice round number like 15/20, or even just having no limit...it will definitely be raised.
Grovinofdarkhour Mar 7th 2012 12:09PM
Think I'm gonna go with... 12. 'Cause it's just... you know.
12.
Grovinofdarkhour Mar 7th 2012 12:20PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZshZp-cxKg
Noyou Mar 7th 2012 12:29PM
I think it will happen to 11 or 12 at least. I just want to hear more about it ;) I have plans man. Plans.
Krsnik Mar 7th 2012 11:12AM
Q4tQ: I haven't seen this mentioned elsewhere so here goes...
With the old SoR system, the sender would receive a free month of game time when the receiver paid for a month of game time. With the new system though, has this spectral mount now replaced the free month of game time?
If this is so, I do not see how this makes a whole lot of sense money-wise. The price for WotLK and Cata would out weigh the price for one month of game time.
cygnus Mar 7th 2012 12:40PM
I don't think so. The WoW community is extremely sensitive and any change, event or joke is rarely taken with the sense of humour it is intended.
The zombie invasion for example, right now you hear people saying how awesome it was and how they want it back, but during the event the forums exploded in QQ because the new mechanic affected people experience, that was not what WoW was about and how their whole life had lost its meaning.
People will find a way to feel aggravated by any unannounced change and will go out of their way to pour their hate and frustration into Blizzard channels. So Blizzard is very cautious on how they manage in game events, so that it doesn't affect players that doesn't want to participate in them.
Now an April's fool that requires previous acknowledgement and consent doesn't sound quite funny to me.
shotiechan Mar 7th 2012 1:02PM
When I just used the Scroll for myself, my main account only got the Spectral mount bonus, and no extra game time.
D4 Mar 7th 2012 1:36PM
Some of the returning folks will already own Cataclysm, others will own Wrath; it's anybody's guess as to the exact proportions.
The concern I've long seen expressed is that the cost of entry for new players (re-entry for former players), in both cash and time (in the form of leveling) is too high: Blizzard makes some money on selling the game and expansions, but their real revenue is from subscriptions, and if that cost of entry is a barrier to folks subscribing, it's a problem for Blizz.
To put it another way, each basic/BC former player who comes back, pays for one month, then desubscribes again is a net loss...compared to having the same player pay for Wrath/Cataclysm, play for one month and desubscribe again. But without this offer, how many such players would do that? If you're getting people who otherwise wouldn't come back, it's pure gain for Blizzard.
Each Wrath player who comes back, pays for one month, then desubscribes again...is pretty close to a wash, since buying Cata would get you a free month (that's the case at the moment, right?), but a physical copy of the game is nowhere near 100% profit for Blizz. Again, though, without the offer, how many of those players would be doing this?
People who wouldn't have otherwise come back are again pure gain for Blizzard.
Each Cata player who comes back, pays for one month, then desubscribes again...is a pure gain for Blizzard since the original player isn't getting a free month.
Of course, any player who comes back, and stays back for even a few months is a definite win for Blizzard.
Certainly, there will be some number of people who game the system by bringing back inactive accounts they may have had on the side, but those people will just be paying Blizzard $15 for the benefit of having an improved account that they weren't using anyway and a single-character mount.
Really, the biggest issue I see with this is that it lowers the cost of entry for returning players, but does nothing for new players. While the RAF bonus reduces the time commitment of leveling considerably, I think they'll still want there to be some commitment to people having to level at least once. The cash cost of entry, though...I'd expect to see either "Cataclysm is all you need to buy" or "RAF accounts automatically get Cataclysm when they upgrade", or *something* like that. I'd also expect to see more ways to get ding-to-80, but only after you've already got an 80.
Nina Katarina Mar 7th 2012 11:13AM
Blizzard has been great at putting together April Fool's jokes in the past, but they usually revolve around the armory or fake press releases. Do you think we'll ever get in-game April Fool's jokes?
Coming around the time of the lifting of the NDA, this could be interesting timing.
Gordal Mar 8th 2012 8:57AM
I agree with you. Wholly, fully, and without question. An in-game April Fool's would be pretty much the best thing ever and I sincerely hope that it will happen. Guild Wars has a long-standing tradition of in-game tomfoolery (I remember one year every single player character model was replaced with a stick figure. Awesome times), so I don't see why Blizzard shouldn't do something for us.
However, the problem lies not with Blizzard's imagination, but with the community; or at least the more vocal idiots within the community. Remember that the website April Fool's tend to get no small amount of whining on the forums from mouthbreathers that have nothing better to do than complain that Blizz are wasting their time with jokes when they should be doing proper work, or the gullible few that do actually believe in the joke. Plus, it doesn't help that some of the April Fool's would have actually been pretty good if they'd been implemented (I'm still holding out for Pimp My Mount and Dance Battles in my heart).
And of course given Blizzard's patch process the joke would be datamined out of the game well before the date, spoiling the surprise.
I want it to happen, and I wish I wasn't so negative about it; but the only way it would happen is if after the event the account assets of all the funsuckers gets liquidated and distributed among the players that can actually take a joke.
zEagleEye` Mar 7th 2012 11:22AM
Question about the new mount for "returning citizens of Azeroth".
Will the LOYAL citizens who never left to begin with get it too?
Sounds like with all the effort done to bring people back maybe not enough is done to retain people from leaving.
Pre-emptive strike (before the comments show up): The "special deal" of 12 mnoths commitment in return for a mount and free Diablo III will also be available to those returning players.
Doesn't it sound like you're better off leaving and returning than just staying?
Food for thought, Blizzard.
Jamie Mar 7th 2012 11:25AM
I thought the mount was the the scroller. Not the scrollee.
(cutaia) Mar 7th 2012 11:40AM
"Doesn't it sound like you're better off leaving and returning than just staying?
Food for thought, Blizzard."
You can't get the free Cataclysm, level 80 character, etc., if you leave and return. It's only for accounts that have been unsubbed since before March 4th (3 days ago).
So, your food for thought is that Blizzard should worry people are going to unsubscribe from the game in the hopes that sometime in the next 7 years there will be another promotion where they won't have to pay for an expansion or level a character? Where's the logic in that? Nobody's going to quit playing the game with the hopes that one day Blizzard will try to motivate them to play the game.
(cutaia) Mar 7th 2012 11:42AM
And yes...Jamie is correct...the mount part IS for loyal players who help get a friend back into the game. The person who had quit doesn't get a mount.
RogueJedi86 Mar 7th 2012 11:56AM
Blizzard is just trying to get people back to the game and paying the sub. They don't need to try hard to lure existing players because they're already here. It's just a fact of business, they love bringing back old customers more than worry of their preexisting customers whose loyalty and money they already have.
jealouspirate Mar 7th 2012 12:09PM
You're not "better off leaving and then returning later" if you're still enjoying playing the game.
The only thing Blizzard owes 'loyal' subscribers is the same thing that 15 dollars a month has always given you: access to the game. Subscribers aren't suddenly getting LESS now that this new promotion gives goodies to returning players.
And really, as RogueJedi said, it's just business. Blizzard made you an offer and you accepted it. Others didn't, so Blizzard decided to offer them more in hopes that they'll think it's worth it. Blizzard has no reason to give you more than you have because you already think what you have is worth 15 dollars a month.
Puntable Mar 7th 2012 11:30AM
In a Blue post yesterday I noticed he said that "we aren't even in beta yet". I believe that every time something like this was mentioned before, they always said they were not in ALPHA yet. Am I reading too much into this?
Noyou Mar 7th 2012 12:36PM
I am pretty sure they have been in alpha since they put out the last talent calc for Mists. Pretty much because a prior post specifically said they wouldn't put it out until they were in/near F&F Alpha. So, no you are not reading too much into it. Kind of late to the party though :p