WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[The Lighter Side of WoW Addiction]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/the-lighter-side-of-wow-addiction/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/the-lighter-side-of-wow-addiction/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/the-lighter-side-of-wow-addiction/#comments Blizzplanet has a humorous article online about the symptoms...and consequences of WoW addiction. And we're not talking the usual consequences here, like loss of friends, poor eyesight, getting fired from your job...no, some of these folk have created a sort of Darwin awards category for WoW addicts.

Like the surprising number of people who have left a pizza in the oven, only to forget about it in the midst of a WoW session & almost asphyxiate from the smoke (this is apparently now officially known as a "WoW Pizza"). Or kid who almost burned down his parent's house when his TV shorted out & caught fire a few feet behind him but he couldn't hear it for the WoW blasting out of his headphones. Even Blizzard employees apparently aren't safe, as they apparently have a bad habit of letting pastries explode in microwaves wile engrossed in their own game.

If you guys are like me, I know you've done some stupid stuff while playing MMO's. I once managed to spill an entire bowl of boiling-hot soup all over my keyboard while in the midst of a temple fight in Uldaman, rendering it immidiately useless and almost scarring my crotch for life. Fess up; what's the dumbest thing WoW ever made you do?

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The Lighter Side of WoW Addiction originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 12 Jul 2006 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> addictionblizzardhumormmowarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Wed, 12 Jul 2006 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Some Handy Gold-Making Guides]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/your-basic-new-players-guide-to-making-gold/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/your-basic-new-players-guide-to-making-gold/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/your-basic-new-players-guide-to-making-gold/#comments I'm always hesitant to post links to the various gold-making guides on the net, simply because manyt of them are on questionable sites, seem to lean towards straight-ahead farming, or if they are legitimate (i.e. don't advocate exploits or other shady behavior), still aren't really all that useful to the everyday player who wants to make gold legitimately as they play the game, not neccessarily to the exclusion of everything else. I have found a couple, however, that I think are pretty handy.

For beginning players, this guide posted recently over at societyofgamers is something I would have really liked to read when I was just starting out in WoW. It's very basic, and isn't anything a seasoned player wouldn't be able to tell you, but for newcomers to the game, it gives the basics of the major professions, the auction house, and other scources of income & gives a few helpful tips about each.

For more seasoned players, another handy guide is Cthulhu's Gold Making Guide, posted over at Allakhazam. It's semi-Horde-centric (that's a hyphen-hat-trick, by the way), but it has some really useful tips for specific areas & quests that will allow you to rack up some loot. I used this one a lot when I was leveling my first character.

Have any of you come across any useful guides or perhaps written your own? I'd ask readers to send in their tips, but nobody ever wants to give away their gold-making secrets. Lousy capitalism....

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Some Handy Gold-Making Guides originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New RP and RP-PvP Servers Today?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/new-rp-and-rp-pvp-servers-today/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/new-rp-and-rp-pvp-servers-today/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/new-rp-and-rp-pvp-servers-today/#comments There has been buzz on the forums & in-game for the last day or so about a new Role Play server and, more notably, a new Role Play-PvP server opening either today or tomorrow. I say notably because this will be the first new RP-PvP realm since the opening of Lightninghoof back in the fall, I believe it was.

There has been no announcement yet on the official WoW homepage, but there is a thread regarding the issue on the official Blizzard forums, and the response from the boys in blue when asked if & when the new servers were coming was that "They are currently scheduled for tomorrow (Wed), but that may slip to Thursday". I'd say that sounds like confirmation to me.

I'm an RP-PvP kind of guy, so this is exciting news for me. I'll be rolling Horde on the as-yet unnamed new realm, anyone else planning to?

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New RP and RP-PvP Servers Today? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 12 Jul 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Wed, 12 Jul 2006 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[At War With the Dawn]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/hated-by-the-dawn/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/hated-by-the-dawn/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/12/hated-by-the-dawn/#comments I really hope I never get this bored...

Then again, your options do get pretty limited once you reach level 60; the same raids & dungeon crawls over & over, the endless grinding for reputation. Or you can do what this guy did, and just say to hell with it all & declare war on the Argent Dawn. And he photoblogged the whole thing over at notaddicted.com.

Yes, I guess it can be pretty annoying to other players when quest NPC's & the like are killed...especially by members of your own faction. But after all, that 'at war' tab IS there for a reason, is it not? It would be a shame to let it just go unused forever...or not.

In any case, it's something I would never do or never hope to encounter, but it does make for some funny reading over your cornflakes....

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At War With the Dawn originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 12 Jul 2006 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> argent dawnArgentDawnblizzardfactiongrindingmmoreputationwarcaraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Wed, 12 Jul 2006 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Lag Monster Respawns Again]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/11/lag-monster-respawns-again/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/11/lag-monster-respawns-again/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/11/lag-monster-respawns-again/#comments As you have all probably noticed, and as we've been reporting, there has been a mysterious increase in the amount of server downtime lately, with official "maintenances": being scheduled with little notice & players becoming incresingly more disgruntled as visions of outages from months past creep back into their brains like carrion worms...

I guess it was only a matter of time before the ubiquitous "SERVER OUTAGES CAUSE MASS CHAOS" news posts started to creep up, and Gamespot is one of the first major sites to renew the scrutiny.

Apparently, the official story from Blizzard is that server upgrades in June, undertaken to increase stability, have in fact done the exact opposite, and let loose some more ghosts in the machine. There is an official thread on the subject over at the Blizzard forums as well, with plenty of rabid responses to the boys in blue. 

Have you all noticed the recent increase in downtime? Has it affected your playtime? Does it seem as bad as it was before? Chime in...

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Lag Monster Respawns Again originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 11 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzarddowntimelagmaintenancerealmserverwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 11 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[45 Minutes or your Strat Run is Free...]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/11/45-minutes-or-your-strat-run-is-free/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/11/45-minutes-or-your-strat-run-is-free/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/11/45-minutes-or-your-strat-run-is-free/#comments No, I didn't come up with the clever Domino's Pizza analogy, but in the latest Weekly WoW over at Video Game Generation, they claim that the possibility of a pick-up group successfully completing a 45-minute Strat run is about as guaranteed as that old pizza gimmick that went the way of the dodo.

The focus this time is on the Dungeon 2 armor sets, the problems with them, and basically the lack of fitting items for the casual endgamer. I'm probably more on the casual side of the player fence myself (at least compared to some), and as I'm just entering the endgame again with my latest character, I have to say I have been a bit frustrated at the sheer amount of grinding & raiding that I will have to endure to procure the gear that I've been eying. Then again, I don't expect Blizzard to just hand it to me, either...

In any case, there are a lot of good points raised in the article, so check it out...

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45 Minutes or your Strat Run is Free... originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 11 Jul 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> armor setArmorSetblizzarddungeon 2Dungeon2mmotier 2Tier2warcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 11 Jul 2006 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: The Warlock & the Warrior]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/10/wow-moviewatch-the-warlock-and-the-warrior/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/10/wow-moviewatch-the-warlock-and-the-warrior/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/10/wow-moviewatch-the-warlock-and-the-warrior/#comments Sword & the Sorceror, possibly the coolest movie of my childhood...

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WoW Moviewatch: The Warlock & the Warrior originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 10 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> filmmachinimamoviewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Mon, 10 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Coming to the Philippines Soon]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/10/wow-coming-to-the-philippines-soon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/10/wow-coming-to-the-philippines-soon/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/10/wow-coming-to-the-philippines-soon/#comments In the next step in their plan for world domination, INQ7.net reports today that the Philippines is the latest market being targeted by Vivendi/Universal for expansion of the WoW franchise.

Gerry Castro, vice president of Asian Media Development Group, the company that handles Vivendi/U's lisences in the Philippines, says "Yes, the game will be in the Philippines soon; that we've been planning to bring this game to the country; that we have looked to several IDCs that will host the game"

AMDG is currently seeking partners to assist in hosting, supporting, and maintaining the game within the country, and claims that a "massive plan" is underway to bring WoW to the Philippines with a vengeance. No word on whether players from any other parts of the world will be able to access the Philippino servers, but seeing as it will be a self-contained entity of sorts, it seems unlikely> In any case, chalk up one more X on the big world map for Blizzard...

WoW Coming to the Philippines Soon originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 10 Jul 2006 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Mon, 10 Jul 2006 08:21:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blizzard to Venture Further into Console World?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/07/blizzard-to-venture-further-into-console-world/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/07/blizzard-to-venture-further-into-console-world/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/07/blizzard-to-venture-further-into-console-world/#comments Even though we've heard Blizzard announce time & again that there will be no World of Warcraft for the XBox 360 or any other consoles, a new job listing on Blizzard's website for a Senior Producer position, with one of the requirements listed as having "a proven track record in producing high-quality console games", has some gamers hopeful again that WoW may indeed surface on one of their favorite consoles.

The ad also specifies that the idea candidate must have "recently shipped at least one AAA game in a producer role for one of these console platforms: Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, or GameCube.", so apparently they're looking to cast a wide net, whatever their plans might be.

Personally, I'm not much of a console gamer, but I still can't imagine any way WoW could truly ever work on a console, at least without the addition of a mouse & keyboard; there's simply too much typing to do. Perhaps there's a way to accomplish this that I don't know about, but I just can't see one being able to have the true WoW experience in a console setting. Then again, what do I know?

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Blizzard to Venture Further into Console World? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 360blizzardconsolejobsmmoopeningsproducerwarcraftwiiwow (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:45:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New Look Online for WoW Website]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/new-look-online-for-wow-website/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/new-look-online-for-wow-website/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/new-look-online-for-wow-website/#comments The official Blizzard World of Warcraft site has a new look today, as they have finally switched over to their new template, as they announced earlier. The new design looks to be a huge improvement over the old one, but that's less a testimony to the designer's skills than to the fact that their previous website was simply one of the worst professional video game websites I've ever seen...

I guess it wasn't the design of it really, as much as the fact that the darn thing just never seemed to work. It seems (on my end, anyway) like every time the game servers have any trouble, the website goes down as well...which is the first place most people are going to go if the game servers are down. Oh well, let's hope the new website is more reliable.

What do you guys prefer? New or old?

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New Look Online for WoW Website originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardmmoonlinewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Mid-Midsummer Fire Report]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/mid-midsummer-fire-report/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/mid-midsummer-fire-report/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/mid-midsummer-fire-report/#comments Well, the festival of Midsummer Fire has been going on for a while now, and I have to admit, I basically forgot about it after about a day...

Oh, I took the quests to seek out the fires throughout the lands, and I did get that really nifty Cinder Elemental that saved my butt a couple of times, and some nice experience, but all in all, my opinion on the event so far has been...blah.

For one thing, I'm tired of Stormwind looking all dingy & smoky. This is one of the reasons I stopped spending so much time in Orgrimmar; the air is almost thicker in the game than in my room...and that's saying something.

What about you folks? Have you enjoyed the event so far? Should Blizzard make this an annual occurrence? Chime in...

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Mid-Midsummer Fire Report originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 06 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardeventfestivalmidsummer fireMidsummerFirewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 06 Jul 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Easter Eggs in WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/easter-eggs-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/easter-eggs-in-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/07/06/easter-eggs-in-wow/#comments I love discovering little hidden references in games, and during my time playing WoW, I've spotted a fair amount of in-jokes, from the various Goblins named after USS Enterprise crew members, to the Friday the 13th homage in Ellwyn Forest. The guys over at Blizzplanet, however, have done their homework far better than me. They've compiled an enormous list of easter eggs to be found throughout Azeroth, some of which I now realize that I had seen, but never made the connection before.

For example, the Psycho-themed names in the Undercity I should have gotten right away; I'm dissappointed in myself. And who'd have thought they'd squeeze in so many Thundercats references?

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Easter Eggs in WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 06 Jul 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardeaster eggsEasterEggsmmowarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 06 Jul 2006 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: South Park in Anvilmar]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/wow-moviewatch-south-park-in-anvilmar/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/wow-moviewatch-south-park-in-anvilmar/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/wow-moviewatch-south-park-in-anvilmar/#comments South Park in the title doesn't tip you off, before you yell at me, this video is NOT work safe! It is proof, however, that Eric Cartman's voice coming out of just about anything is funny. In any case, check it out.

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WoW Moviewatch: South Park in Anvilmar originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[A Slew of Essays on WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/a-slew-of-essays-on-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/a-slew-of-essays-on-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/a-slew-of-essays-on-wow/#comments Now this is something that could potentially provide endless debate fodder. While stumbling around the web, I came across this page; a collection of term papers written by undergraduates at San Antonio's Trinity University for the class "Games for the Web: Ethnography of Massively Multiplayer On-line Games".

The subjects addressed include "Sexism in WoW", "Real World Transactions of Digital Items from MMOGs", "The Prisoner's Dilemma and Factional Conflict in World of Warcraft", and my personal favorite, the oh-so-socially relevant "Wizards vs. Engineers: The Rumble in the Proverbial Jungle". There are several others covering a wide-range of topics; I haven't had the time to read them all yet, but since I eat this stuff up, I might not get much work done today.

Of course, the real question this begs is: why couldn't assignments have been this cool when I was in school? Do you have any idea how severely the nuns would have beat me if I had asked to write my term paper on a video game?

*sigh*

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A Slew of Essays on WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> essaysmmoonline gamingOnlineGamingstudieswarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Chinese Gamers Laugh in the face of Addiction]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/chinese-gamers-laugh-in-the-face-of-addiction/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/chinese-gamers-laugh-in-the-face-of-addiction/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/chinese-gamers-laugh-in-the-face-of-addiction/#comments Somewhere, Boris Badenov is laughing over his dinner of roast moose.

The ever-trusting Chinese government, which last year created legislation to erase the freedom of....er, I mean restrict the playing time of online gamers to less than five hours per week, has recently learned to its dismay that up to 14% of players have taken measures to circumvent the restrictions, such as setting up multiple accounts in games such as WoW.

Slashdot reports today that the next step for the lovable autocratic regime is to launch a massive campaign over the summer to ban minors from internet cafes. I suppose they don't really care if the adults are addicted; you know, the ones who are actually supposed to keep society running as smooth as a sweat shop. In any case, I'm honestly surprised that the percentage of folks bucking the system is so low. If this were a domestic issue, I'd like to think that gamers would be rioting in the streets. But then again, that's never worked out so well in China....

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Chinese Gamers Laugh in the face of Addiction originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> addictionblizzardchinagaming lawsGamingLawsmmowarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Minor Patch Released]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/minor-patch-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/minor-patch-released/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/30/minor-patch-released/#comments If you logged onto WoW yesterday, you're already aware that the latest version of the game has been updated to 1.11.1 (I'm only writing something in parenthesis here to allay the confusion that the period at the end of this particular sentence might cause).

For those of you both curious & lazy, here are the updated patch notes:

Fixes softlock issues.
General
* The Looking For Group channel is now global.
* Escape Artist now displays a message in the combat log when it fails.
PvP
* Significant changes to the battleground Deserter debuff. The debuff should no longer be applied to characters incorrectly.
Druid
* The Omen of Clarity talent now lasts 10 minutes. The tooltip does not yet correctly reflect the new longer duration, and will be updated in a future patch.
Mage
* Evocation - Cool down reduced to 8 minutes.
* Pyroblast - Cool down removed.
Shaman
* Frostbrand and Flametongue weapon buffs are benefited by +spell damage.

Too bad that first sentence doesn't read 'no longer' instead of 'now', huh? And why are they announcing that twice? Just to rub it in our face? Lousy LFG channel...get out of my head.

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Minor Patch Released originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Character Transfer Affecting Add-Ons?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/character-transfer-affecting-add-ons/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/character-transfer-affecting-add-ons/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/character-transfer-affecting-add-ons/#comments In the wake of the paid character transfer service going live recently, a few players have apparently been experiencing some issues with their custom interfaces & add-ons after transferring their characters. Reader Sean Bonner reports that after his characters' move to the Eitrigg realm yesterday, he has been having many add-on problems, and this post over at Metroblogging also reports similar issues.

"6 months worth of interface development and addon fine tuning is UP IN SMOKE. When I started up...on Eitrigg all my custom interface, addons and macro preferences got left behind on Stormrage, or at least in the Stormrage folder. I figured out how to move my macro files over and now all 60 of my macros are available. But, I can't figure out which addon .lua files to move to restore my add-on preferences. I've made copies and dropped them in all the folders I can think of with no luck."

Have any of you who have also transferred your characters experienced any problems after the move? Blizzard, any news on why this might be occurring? Chime in if you have any info on this problem; hopefully this can be brought to Blizzard's attention & the issues addressed.

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Character Transfer Affecting Add-Ons? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> add-onscharacter transferCharacterTransferinterfaceissuesproblemsrealm transferRealmTransferuiwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:20:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Yet Another Article on Gaming Addiction]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/yet-another-article-on-gaming-addiction/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/yet-another-article-on-gaming-addiction/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/yet-another-article-on-gaming-addiction/#comments Because I just can't get enough of this subject, the Dallas Morning News has an article online today about the by-now-familiar subject of online gaming addiction. Remember the article we linked to a few weeks back about the Amsterdam Clinic that had opened a program for gaming addicts? Well, they're not the only mental health professionals who are addressing the problem. This article contains quotes from several other workers in the field who claim that the number of instances of 'technology addiction' (the catch-all umbrella that gaming addiction apparently falls under) is on the rise, with no end in sight. Dr. John O'Neil of Houston sums things up with a telling quote:

"In a way, the Internet is like Las Vegas," he said. It offers anything you want; it seems like the perfect place to cut loose for anonymous fun; and it's open 24 hours a day."

My opinion on the subject is the same as it's always been: anything can be harmful if one becomes too deeply involved in it, and there are many other factets of the internet that can be just as all-consuming to the easily-addicted: chat rooms, online gambling, and, of course our old friend pornography are all things that can cause disruption in one's life if they are indulged in to excess. Of course, people have been addicted to sex & gambling for centuries; this whole video game thing is still pretty much uncharted territory. Maybe that's why I find this stuff so fascinating...or maybe I just like to read about people who make me look less addicted...

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Yet Another Article on Gaming Addiction originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardgaming addictionGamingAddictionmmoonlinerecoverysupportwowwracraft (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Character Transfer Controversy Continues]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/character-transfer-faq-online/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/character-transfer-faq-online/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/character-transfer-faq-online/#comments The announcement that Blizzard will now be offering paid character transfers for $25 has been met with more than a little controversy within the community. Many people, including many who have commented on it here, feel that Blizzard is milking customers out of more money for a service that they could easily provide for free. Others defend Blizzard's descision, claiming that the character transfer fee is nothing more than a way to discourage players from moving servers willy nilly in a never-ending game of musical realms, which I happen to agree with.

If players were allowed to freely transfer between servers as often as they wished, then it could potentially open up a huge can of worms; one scenario I can imagine is players possibly griefing or otherwise causing problems on one server, only to move to another when they wind up on too many peoples 'ignore' lists.

What about you readers? How many of you are planning to take advantage of the transfer service? Why have you chosen to move realms? population? Friends on other realms? Want to start anew with a fresh reputation? Let us know...

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Character Transfer Controversy Continues originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardcharacter transferCharacterTransferrealmserverwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Why Am I Addicted to WoW?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/why-am-i-addicted-to-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/why-am-i-addicted-to-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/29/why-am-i-addicted-to-wow/#comments No...not me; I know why I'm addicted...'cus it's a flippin' sweet game. And because I've been an avid RPG'er all my life, and WoW is simply the logical progression of that. No, the person asking that question is in fact the author of this article over at flickrgaming, a relative WoW 'noob' (sorry for using the 'n' word) who has found themselves hopelessly addicted to the game we all know & love.

The atricle gives some insight into just what the appeal of WoW is to a casual gamer, comparing the learning curve & playing experience to the much more demanding world of online RTS's (real-time strategy games) to illustrate just how impressive a job Blizzard has done in making it's flagship product accessible to not only the 40+ hour per week raiding guild member, but the relative newcomer to the genre as well. It's an interesting & well-thought out read; check it out at this link, and let us know just what it is that keeps YOU addicted to WoW....

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Why Am I Addicted to WoW? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> addictionblizardmmoonlinewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 29 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Rob Pardo on The Burning Crusade]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/27/rob-pardo-on-the-burning-crusade/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/27/rob-pardo-on-the-burning-crusade/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/27/rob-pardo-on-the-burning-crusade/#comments Computerandvideogames.com has posted an interview with Blizzard VP Rob Pardo in which he discusses the eagerly-awaited Burning Crusade expansion pack. Aside from the usual questions (What's the new level cap? What about the new races?, etc.), Pardo also gives some insight into his background as a game tester, and offers his opinion on WoW's economy spilling over into the real world with players buying & selling items for real cash (he doesn't like it).

No earth-shattering revelations here, but the most exciting bit of information in my book is Pardo's claim that PvP will be expanded in Burning Crusade to include the much-rumored contested PvP zones, which will allow the controlling faction access to new flight paths & more. Great news for those of us who shun the battlegrounds, and long for a return to the days of world-PvP. You can read the full interview right here.

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Rob Pardo on The Burning Crusade originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardblood elfblood elvesBloodElfburning crusadeBurningCrusadedraeneiexpansionmmopvpwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:32:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[On Quitting WoW]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/27/on-quitting-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/27/on-quitting-wow/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/27/on-quitting-wow/#comments Burnout: it happens to the best of us, even with the best of games. And with a game like WoW, where you can literally whittle away hours upon days upon weeks of your time trying to advance, sometimes the grind can just get to be too much, as it did for the author of this article; a 40-something gamer who's guild has decided to leave WoW after becoming disillusioned with some of the changes made to the game since release.

The article goes into great detail about why certain changes, the battlegrounds system in particular, caused the game to simply no longer be a rewarding experience for him & his guildmates, echoing statements that I've heard from a wide variety of players. While I agree with many of his gripes, I've yet to become burned out myself, but then again, I haven't yet reached the ranks that the players in question were able to reach, nor have I invested quite as much time yet; I'm somewhere in-between a casual & hardcore player, usually playing about 10-20 hours per week.

The article does raise some good points, however, about the state of the game almost 2 years since its release & the reasons why certain aspects of it can become tedious & frustrating. What about you all? Have any of you experienced 'game burnout' before? Have you quit this, or any other game, over changes that you didn't agree with? Do you still enjoy playing WoW as much as you did when you first began? Check out the article here, and then let us know what you think.

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On Quitting WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Jun 2006 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 27 Jun 2006 10:16:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Paid Character Transfer Confirmed]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/paid-character-transfer-confirmed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/paid-character-transfer-confirmed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/paid-character-transfer-confirmed/#comments Looks like Elizabeth's earlier report on paid character transfers was right on the money, as today's report on UkGamespot confirms. They have an interview with
Blizzard developer Shane Dabiri, who sheds some more light on the process, including official details for pricing & realm transfer rules.

Dabiri also touches on some of the reasons for the transfer regulations, and addresses some other related questions, including the oft-mentioned cross-realm battlegrounds. So, if you're planning on switching realms when transfers become available, check it out & find out all you need to know!
 

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Paid Character Transfer Confirmed originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardcharacter transferCharacterTransfermmorealmserverstransferswarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Undocumented Changes in Patch 1.11]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/undocumented-changes-in-patch-1-11/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/undocumented-changes-in-patch-1-11/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/undocumented-changes-in-patch-1-11/#comments It seems that, with every new patch, there are always a few changes that, for one reason or another, don't make the release notes. But never fear, Blizzard won't be able to pull the wool over your eyes once you check out this list of undocumented changes in 1.11, compiled by the folks at WorldofWar.net.

Nothing extremely signifigant was left unnoted, it seems, but there are plenty of little tidbits that are very helpful to know relating to specific quests, factions, and other things. Check out the list at their forums, and be sure to add anything you might have found, as well!

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Undocumented Changes in Patch 1.11 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 26 Jun 2006 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 1.11blizzardmmopatchpatch notesPatchNotesupdateswarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Mon, 26 Jun 2006 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: Eternal Legend]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/wow-moviewatch-eternal-legend/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/wow-moviewatch-eternal-legend/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/26/wow-moviewatch-eternal-legend/#comments

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WoW Moviewatch: Eternal Legend originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 26 Jun 2006 13:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fan filmFanFilmfilmmachinimamoviewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Mon, 26 Jun 2006 13:47:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Scourge Invasion FAQ]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/scourge-invasion-faq/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/scourge-invasion-faq/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/22/scourge-invasion-faq/#comments For those of you who have left comments asking specific questions about the ongoing Scourge Invasion event, this post over on the official forums might just be what you're looking for; it's a FAQ (frequently asked questions, for you acronym-impaired) all about the Scourge event, that answers just about all the questions we know the answers to so far. We still don't know how long the event will last or what it will take to defeat the invasion, but there are plenty of tips here to get you started on the path. Kudos to player Ghostwalka for putting it all together.

My experience so far with the event has been limited to taking on a few isolated undead in Stormwind & encoutering a Necropolis in Winterspring that scared the heck out of me when I first saw it. I plan to dive headfirst into the events this weekend, though, and this post has me surious to see some of the things that will happen. Check it out & while you're out there battling the Scourge, report anything new you find back here to us!

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Scourge Invasion FAQ originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 1.11blizzardeventinvasionmmonaxxramaspatchscourgewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:24:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Superman In Azeroth?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/superman-in-azeroth/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/superman-in-azeroth/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/superman-in-azeroth/#comments As the momentum for the Warcraft film (I'm just taking a wild stab & guessing that it will indeed be called simply Warcraft, and not World of Warcraft...but who knows) continues to build up, an interesting bit of news came to light on Aintitcool.com yesterday. In a conversation with Brandon Routh (the new Superman, for those of you who live under a rock), the topic of the WoW film came up, prompting Routh to proclaim his love for the game, and to voice his interest in being a part of the project. The exchange in part went:

Harry - ...as soon as I read the news, knowing that you were a Warcraft guy, I just had to bring it up cuz you're the title character of Legendary's biggest film to date and that's their movie.

Brandon - Yeah, I know. They told me they went down and met with BLIZZARD's guys, that's pretty... that's interesting.

Harry - Get your agent on it immediately.

Brandon - YEAH! My manager is right here, he's perked up.


I haven't seen Routh in action yet, as most of you haven't, but he's been getting rave write-ups for his performance as the Man of Steel, and his star will almost certainly be on the rise after Superman Returns is released next week. His potential involvement could bring a lot of buzz to the project, so it will be interesting to see how this develops.

In any case, I'm reminded of one of the endlessly quotable lines of dialogue from William Peter Blatty's The Ninth Configuration: "Would you please tell this idiot that there is no room in any of Shakespeare's plays for Superman?"

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Superman In Azeroth? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardbrandon routhBrandonRouthfilmmovierouthsupermanwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[The Scourge Invades!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/the-scourge-invades/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/the-scourge-invades/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/the-scourge-invades/#comments When I first flew into Stormwind yesterday, I thought there was something wrong with my monitor. A thick, choking haze filled the air, and a group of mysterious soldiers had set up camp in town and were spreading disturbing news. The Scourge has invaded Azeroth, and all able-bodies have been called to her defense.

The invaders chosen method of conquest is by the use of an armada of flying necropolis'. Yes, it's an odd concept, and no, I have no idea how they make cities fly, much less dead ones, but I saw it with my own eyes, so take my word for it...these things are huge.

Swarms of powerful undead have flooded the Plaguelands, Azshara & other areas, gaining their power from mysterious obelisks scattered throughout the land. Horde & Alliance could be seen fighting side-by-side against the unholy legions, trying to destroy the crystals. Who knows how long the combined forces of both factions will be able to stave off the invaders...but it's been pretty freakin' cool so far.

Have you heeded the call to arms against the Scourge? Seen anything interesting during the event so far? Let us know...

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The Scourge Invades! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 21 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 1.11blizzardinvasionmmonaxxramaspatchscourgewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Wed, 21 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Global LFG Channel Causes Mass Chaos]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/global-lfg-channel-causes-mass-chaos/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/global-lfg-channel-causes-mass-chaos/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/21/global-lfg-channel-causes-mass-chaos/#comments We expect there to be some bugs & annoyances on patch day, but one little surprise that we didn't count on was the revelation that the Looking For Group channel is now global, meaning whatever you type on it can be seen by anyone, anywhere on the server.

While the reasoning behind this is clear (to make it easier for players to form groups without having to be in the same area), the actual implementation of it has wrecked havoc on  both the servers I play on. As soon as the servers came back online yesterday & players realized the channel was global, the spam began in earnest, and has not slowed down one bit a day later. Completely off-topic conversations from LFG have taken over the entire text window, making reading any other chat a chore. Being on a RP server only makes it that much more annoying...it's like everywhere is the Barrens now.

Hopefully, Blizzard will correct this well-intentioned yet tragically-flawed mistake soon, before I'm forced to stay off the channel forever. Have you had this problem on your realm? Report in....

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Global LFG Channel Causes Mass Chaos originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New Patch Brings Midsummer Fire Event]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/new-patch-brings-midsummer-fire-event/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/new-patch-brings-midsummer-fire-event/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/new-patch-brings-midsummer-fire-event/#comments Well, it's about time for another holiday...and no, that Children's Week crap didn't cut it. As reported on XGPGaming, starting tomorrow, June 21st, the festival of Midsummer Fire will kick off in Azeroth, with dancing, quests, and a huge fireworks display to close it all off. The report states:

* Bonfires have been lit across Azeroth in festival camps to rekindle the spirits of its celebrants and ward off ancient evils. These sacred flames are guarded by flamekeepers and it's rumoured that the myriad powers of the flames includes both cleansing and blessing.
* Dancing around ribbon poles is a popular activity amongst friends and fellow celebrants in the many festival camps. Although traditionally a focus for the joyous celebrations, all participants will without doubt appreciate the resulting resistance to heat!
* Fire Festival quest givers can be found in the capital cities. As the celebration of the flame is spread throughout the land of Azeroth there will be many new perilous journeys to embark on with exciting seasonal rewards to match those heroic enough.

There is no announcement of the event on the official Blizzard page as of yet, and the patch notes don't make mention of it, either, but it sounds legit to me, so I guess we'll see if it appears tomorrow. If so, remember you heard it here first....or, second, rather.

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New Patch Brings Midsummer Fire Event originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 1.11blizzardeventsfestivalholidaysmidsummer fireMidsummerFiremmopatchwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:39:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[1.11 Patch Notes]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/1-11-patch-notes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/1-11-patch-notes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/1-11-patch-notes/#comments For those of you who, like me, are still waiting patiently for your realm to come back online after today's patch, you might want to take a gander at the things that have changed with version 1.11.

IGN has posted the patch notes on their site, and it looks like, as usual, every class recieved at least a little bit of tweaking. The biggest news for me, though, might just be the fact that the stacking numbers of certain items have been increased, so I can now carry stacks of 20 leather (among other things) around instead of 10! That's huge news for the slot-impaired, like myself.

Anything in the notes you weren't expecting? Anything you found shocking? Chime in....


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1.11 Patch Notes originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 1.11blizzardmmonaxxramasonlinepatchupdatewarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 20 Jun 2006 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: Billy Bob's Outdoor Adventures]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/wow-moviewatch-billy-bobs-outdoor-adventures/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/wow-moviewatch-billy-bobs-outdoor-adventures/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/wow-moviewatch-billy-bobs-outdoor-adventures/#comments

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WoW Moviewatch: Billy Bob's Outdoor Adventures originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Industry CEO Says WoW Too Strong to Compete With]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/industry-ceo-says-wow-too-strong-to-compete-with/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/industry-ceo-says-wow-too-strong-to-compete-with/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/industry-ceo-says-wow-too-strong-to-compete-with/#comments With over six million gamers playing World of Warcraft, you wouldn't think there would be too awful many gamers left over to play anything else....and the gaming industry apparently thinks so, too.

As reported over on Gamespot today, at a recent breakfast event for investors, game developer THQ's president & CEO Brian Farrell was asked why none of the major publishers are trying to crack the stranglehold Blizzard has on the online gaming market. Farrell's response was, basically, that there simply may not be enough room on the block for another contender. In his words:

"I think what you will not [Farrell's emphasis] see THQ do is come out with another fantasy-type game. The other thing we're thinking is these things tend to have a window. Right now that product is World of Warcraft, so the idea would be to time something for when that product is going to be on its downward slope. To come out with something competitive now I think would be misguided for anyone, including THQ."

So, basically, the big strategy now is for the other game companies to just take their ball & go home? Wait until Blizzard is laying bloody on the battlefield? I can see what they're thinking from a numbers standpoint, but have a little faith in your own industry, people. There are untold scores of great online game ideas, just ripe for the developing (do I even have to mention my lifelong dream of a western MMO again?). Fantasy has been done; stop looking to the past & sideways at the competition and innovate, dammit! The next big MMO idea is out there somewhere....

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Industry CEO Says WoW Too Strong to Compete With originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardmarketmmoonlinethqwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Spielberg to Helm WoW Movie? 'Fraid Not...]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/spielberg-to-helm-wow-movie-fraid-not/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/spielberg-to-helm-wow-movie-fraid-not/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/20/spielberg-to-helm-wow-movie-fraid-not/#comments As Elizabeth reported earlier, the rumor about Spielberg directing the new Warcraft film flew across my desk yesterday, but I hesitated to report it, as I was convinced that it couldn't possibly be true. And after seeing this article today on Gamespot, it appears that, for the 134th time this week, I was right.

Since the news first hit, debate has raged as to the plausibity of such a rumor, with some fans claiming Spielberg to be an avid fantasy fan who would be a perfect match for the project, and others claiming that he wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Well, as of this morning, it looks like no pole will be needed, as nothing in today's Variety (the reputed source of the news) mentions the WoW film or makes any mention of Spielberg's involvement, and if it was happening, it would very likely be in there. So, it's looks like this one is more kindling for the rumor pile. Personally, I'm still crossing my fingers for John (Conan) Milius's Warcraft: The Motion Picture, but that may be too much to hope for.

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Spielberg to Helm WoW Movie? 'Fraid Not... originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> adaptationblizzardfilmmmomovieonlinespielbergwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:30:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Unlikely Allies]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/19/unlikely-allies/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/19/unlikely-allies/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/19/unlikely-allies/#comments Over the past weekend, I was leveling my Night Elf Hunter, grinding him through the early 50's, mostly solo, but I ended up finding help in some of the most unlikely of places; on two separate occasions this weekend, I found myself 'grouped' with the most unlikely of allies, the Horde.

Playing on a PvP server, I run into the Horde quite often, and the meetings are, as you can expect, usually less than cordial. I do occasionally meet a member of the opposing faction who doesn't immediately want to kill me, but it's a rare event. So, I was all that much more surprised the other day when I found myself being beat down by an elite MOB at the Altar of Zul, only to suddenly that there was someone behind him helping me kill it. It was a close fight, and I was grateful for the help, but after it was over, I was shocked to see an Orc Warrior standing beside me, smiling & waving politely...


Continue reading Unlikely Allies

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Unlikely Allies originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:31:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: WoW Apple Switch]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/wow-moviewatch-wow-apple-switch/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/wow-moviewatch-wow-apple-switch/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/wow-moviewatch-wow-apple-switch/#comments
Via: VideoSift

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WoW Moviewatch: WoW Apple Switch originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Faction System to be Reworked in Burning Crusade]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/faction-system-to-be-reworked-in-burning-crusade/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/faction-system-to-be-reworked-in-burning-crusade/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/faction-system-to-be-reworked-in-burning-crusade/#comments Worldofwar.net has a quote today from Blizzard developer Rob Pardo, which states that the faction system in WoW will be getting somewhat of an overhaul in the upcoming Burning Crusade expansion. According to Pardo:

"...we are looking to overhaul the way faction works in the expansion. It was one of those features that was put into the game in late beta and never really received the polish and refinement that it deserves."

So, hopefully that means that, unlike now, reputation will be somewhat easier to raise than the Titanic. I've probably grinded away more hours in this game trying to raise my faction rating with various groups than doing anything else; any restructuring of the system would be welcome in my book. Unless they make it harder, of course...but they wouldn't do that....would they?

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Faction System to be Reworked in Burning Crusade originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 16 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardburning crusadeBurningCrusadefactionmmoreputationwarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 16 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[New Module Available for WoW Pen & Paper RPG]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/new-module-available-for-wow-pen-and-paper-rpg/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/new-module-available-for-wow-pen-and-paper-rpg/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/16/new-module-available-for-wow-pen-and-paper-rpg/#comments White Wolf Games, makers of the WoW pen & paper RPG, have made a new adventure module available for download from their website. 'Bones of Ironforge' is said to serve as an introductory adventure into the WoW RPG world, although I assume players already familiar with the game could still enjoy it.

If you're interested in diving deeper into the WoW RPG, White Wolf is also holding a Week of Warcraft special event beginning on June 14 through June 21st; you can read more details at the official White Wolf WoW page.

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New Module Available for WoW Pen & Paper RPG originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzardmmoonlinepen paperPenPaperrpgwarcraftwhite wolfWhiteWolfwow (Mike D'Anna) Fri, 16 Jun 2006 08:35:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[WoW Moviewatch: Creating Kaos]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/15/wow-moviewatch-creating-kaos/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/15/wow-moviewatch-creating-kaos/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/15/wow-moviewatch-creating-kaos/#comments

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WoW Moviewatch: Creating Kaos originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 15 Jun 2006 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzrdcreating kaosCreatingKaosmmoonlineserieswarcraftwow (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 15 Jun 2006 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Screenshots Suppressed on Flickr?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/15/no-more-screenshots-on-flickr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/15/no-more-screenshots-on-flickr/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2006/06/15/no-more-screenshots-on-flickr/#comments For those of you who, like me, enjoy taking screenshots within WoW & other games to share with other people, you might just be looking for a new place to host them soon. Flickr.com, the large online image-hosting site is apparently trying to discourage users from making their site a repository for video gamegame screenshots, as per this article from Wired.com.

Flickr, for its part, states that screenshots are still allowed on the site, but if more than half a users account consists of screenshots, then they will not appear in a search. The rationale behind this, in their words, is that "when people do a global search on Flickr, they want to find photos", which I can't really argue with. Even so, the sudden change in policy has upset some users, and I can see where they're coming from as well, as I use the service quite a bit myself.

Maybe someone should take this opportunity to make a site for uploading only screenshots? if you make a million on the idea, though, I want in, dammit...

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Screenshots Suppressed on Flickr? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 15 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Mike D'Anna) Thu, 15 Jun 2006 10:00:00 EST WoW Insider