Filed under: World of Warcraft

One Shots: Goodbye, bear

by Krystalle Voecks Mar 9th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

It's always hard to retire a character you love -- or to see your friends move on from a game you've played together for quite some time. Today's World of Warcraft One Shots shows off one such bittersweet moment with a goodbye dance and /wave from Nakirush. The note goes on to explain: Oh bear tank... You shall be missed. It seems like only yesterday you charged valiantly at Festergut, adrenaline coursing through your veins like the avalanche down Icecrown's snow capped peaks. Too bad there weren't any healers present, jackass. I jest -- he's an awesome tank and it was a pretty picture.

If you'd like to celebrate your MMO friendships, or favorite characters, we'd love to hear about them. Just snag a great screenshot and send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. (Guild and server also always welcome.) Yours could be the next one we showcase on One Shots!

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

One Shots: Gonna fly with a little help from my friends

by Krystalle Voecks Mar 1st 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

There is something to be said for working hard and achieving a goal you've wanted for a long time. There's something even better about getting to that ending with your friends at your side. So while today's World of Warcraft screenshot is indeed pretty cool, we like the story that came in with it from Zamara of the Equilibria guild on the Caelestrasz realm.

Many times, [notes that come along with] screenshots often [talk] about personal achievements and the friends often [feel] left out and dishonored. [So,] this screenie is dedicated to all of you who I spent my wonderful time with in World of Warcraft. [It] was taken as a token of my gratitude and appreciat[ion] to friends and guild mates of Caelestrasz Server, in one of my all time favorite places in the world of Azeroth. I was dumbfounded after completing the achievement criteria and flew down upon Sholazar Basin, right in front of the Waygate. Finally, at long last. A Red Protodrake mount to call my own!

We love to hear what players are up to in their favorite MMOs -- especially when it involves great groups of friends. If you'd like to show off your adventures, send in a screenshot to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a note. We'll post it out here and give you the nod for sending it in.

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

One Shots: Ground beef

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 23rd 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

It's always sad to see our friends in MMOs go away. With that said, it's a little bit strange when your friend in an MMO is a cow. How does one moove on from the loss of such a bovine friend in World of Warcraft? Well, if you're occasional One Shots contributor Johanis, you could snap a picture of the poor perished pal and send it in to us with the following note: Here is Bambuzel my level 32 Mage in World of Warcraft. He had a cow he would often visit on this farm...until one day...well the picture says it all. Bambuzel thought he was only sleeping but soon thought otherwise.... As for others, well, it's a cow. That's a lot of virtual steaks (and potential related food buffs) going to waste!

We love to see silly screenshots of what you're doing, but you have to send those in to us. It's easy to do. Just email them in to oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post them out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

Gallery: One Shots

NetEase starts road back to operating World of Warcraft

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 18th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, MMO industry, News items, Legal

It's time for World of Warcraft players in mainland China to break out the party hats and streamers, because things are finally... well, they're not entirely back on track, but they're at least a blessed sight closer to being back on track. Digital East Asia is reporting that NetEase has finally obtained the license to operate World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade in China after a struggle spanning an insane amount of time.

On the down side, yes, that does appear to be the last expansion, rather than the present one. On the up side, it means that the seemingly interminable bickering between government agencies has finally been sorted out, and players can finally get back to the business of enjoying the game. No word, however, on what this may or may not mean for Wrath of the Lich King, which has allegedly run afoul of Chinese censors.

The entire fiasco may be clearing, but it may have far-reaching consequences even beyond the MMO arena. A recent Chinese fan video has been making the rounds and getting mentions in the Wall Street Journal for its summary and satire of the entire mess, with some rather sharp critiques of censorship and the government's actions in the affair. This post contains background and links to subtitled versions of the video on YouTube, which might prove interesting to those who've been following the madness since the beginning.

One Shots: Late to the party

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 15th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

Believe it or not, not every single MMO gamer on the face of the planet has actually played World of Warcraft. There are still those who are just now checking into the 800-pound gorilla, such as today's One Shots contributor, Maldronnar! He writes in to give us his thoughts:

I think I was the last MMO fan on the planet to play World of Warcraft, but I picked the game up for $5 on Amazon over the holidays and recently started playing with some friends from my office. Having also played visually-impressive titles like Lord of the Rings Online and Aion, I was initially unimpressed by WoW's graphics. However, as I played, the game's art style, consistent look, and sprawling, detailed world grew on me. I can now say that I'm one of its millions of devoted fans. I was playing the other night and came across a beautiful, tranquil scene while travelling towards Silverpine Forest, just east of Berin's Peril. The moon was out and nobody was around, save for a single Alliance player who didn't see my Horde Paladin, Jurdra, as he rode by. As I looked up at the moon, my Core Hound Pup by my side, I decided to snap this picture for posterity. I call it, "A Boy and His Dog."

Whether you're an old hand at MMOGs, or you're new to the genre, we love to hear what you like in various games. All you have to do to contribute is to send in an eye-catching screenshot from your favorite game, along with your thoughts to oneshots AT massively DOT com. Be sure to add in your name (or nickname/alias) and the name of the game when you mail those in. We'll post them out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit. Easy!

Gallery: One Shots: Gallery II

Gallery: One Shots

World of Warcraft in China remains hopelessly mired

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 8th 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Legal

In much of the world, current complaints about World of Warcraft center around the resolution of the storyline of the latest expansion and whether or not it's had a negative effect on MMOs as a whole. In China, current complaints about World of Warcraft are more focused on the fact that the game is still mired knee-deep in government infighting to try and make it playable again. After the last salvo, it seemed as if an end was close in sight... but as it turns out, NetEase has been forced to suspend any new player registrations for a week.

The studio is re-applying for a license to host World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, with no mention being made of Wrath of the Lich King, which doesn't bode very well for the hopes of that expansion ever seeing release in China. Having been stuck in the middle of two squabbling agencies for quite some time, and with no clear resolution in sight, it seems like a stretch to assume that the expansion will be released in China before the next one is due to arrive stateside. Our condolences to Chinese players affected by the latest round of bickering, and we can only hope that this long struggle will soon come to a conclusion.

One Shots: Hanging with the boss

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 8th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

While our sister site, WoW.com, gets the lion's share of World of Warcraft screenshots for their daily Around Azeroth column, we do still get the occasional screenshot from a player -- albeit few and far between! Today's overlook screenshot comes to us from occasional contributor Deadend from the Exodar server, who writes in: Here is Mimiron's joint. Mimiron is, from a game play standpoint, probably one of my all time favorite bosses in WoW.

If you're one of the millions of players who have played World of Warcraft and would like to send in a screenshot, we'd welcome your contribution. All you need to do is email a screenshot to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, and a quick description of what's WoWing you in the screenshot. Please make sure your image is at least 1024 pixels wide and has as little visible UI as possible. Yours may be next!

Gallery: One Shots

Love is in the air in your favorite MMOs

by Robin Torres Feb 7th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Events, in-game

Love is in the air in World of Warcraft and the event has completely changed this year over previous years. WoW.com has the latest on this Valentine's Day-themed event.

Fool for Love Achievement: If you are into holiday achievements, the Overachiever guide has all of the details.
Love is in the air FAQ: Answers any event questions you may have.
New Boss Loot: The list of the loot from the three new bosses. Naughty, naughty loot.

But WoW is not the only MMO that has an event going on now or soon:

Spring Fling in City of Heroes
City of Heroes also has a Secret Admirer's contest
A chocolate related Valentine's event begins Tuesday in 4Story.
Valentione's Day in Final Fantasy XI
Lover's Jubilee in Lineage II
MapleStory has become a world of romance.
Double experience next weekend for Aion.
Valentine's Day UStream event for all SOE games on Friday, February 12th, which includes EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms, Planetside, and Star Wars Galaxies.

Which MMO do you think does this romantic holiday best?

The myth of the World of Warcraft tourist

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 26th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Opinion, Rumors

Last time we took a look at an elusive breed in the MMO universe, it was the sometimes spotted but never conclusively studied console MMO. This time, however, we should take a look at the World of Warcraft tourist, which should be compared to a brontosaurus. Not because it's a slow-witted lumbering creature -- because it doesn't exist except in the minds of people who find the concept easier than the real state of affairs.

As Serial Ganker points out, most people playing World of Warcraft aren't doing so until something better comes along -- they're doing so because they enjoy playing the game. The players who are lumped in as "tourists" are people who, more often than not, had already left the game and were looking for a new game to call home. This, in no small part, is why it's hard for games that clone WoW to find an audience, as the people who are looking for a new game want something different.

The ultimate conclusion is that the idea of a tourist shifts the blame from developers to players -- that the game was fine, but people just jumped ship because they really wanted to go back to WoW anyway. It's a convenient myth, but really, we'll all be better off if we just put the right head with the right skeleton.

Anti-Aliased: I've got nothing to hide

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 21st 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

So, it's late night on Wednesday night, I just got done watching Top Gear, and I need something to write about. Lucky for me that Blizzard has given me the perfect topic -- MMO privacy. Thanks to a new development in their World of Warcraft Armory program, privacy advocates are up in arms and I've got a topic to discuss.

For all those of you who may be late to the game, Blizzard is adding RSS feeds to the Armory. Basically, the Armory will now report on the exact time you do an "Armory worthy" activity, such as boss kills, achievements, item pickups, and more. People can subscribe to your RSS feed, so then they know exactly when you do something in World of Warcraft.

This has, of course, sent privacy advocates into a tailspin of anger. There's no opt-out button for the Armory, so your playing style in World of Warcraft is going to be exposed whether you like it or not. The topic has even spawned a 59+ page thread on the European forums!

So what's my take on it? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here at Anti-Aliased, I've got nothing to hide.

Blizzard CEO calls shipping an unfinished product, 'devastating'

by Kyle Horner Jan 19th 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, MMO industry, News items

When you're going to make a statement, you may as well make it a good one, right? Well, Blizzard CEO Paul Sams has delivered in that regard. Speaking with Gamesindustry.biz (a free account is required to read the whole article) Sams went on to make a bevy of remarks that reinforce the developer's stance of, "It's done when it's done." while also commenting on the "devastating" effects of shipping an unfinished product.

So what gets devastated? The people who put in all those long hours of hard work, says Sams. We believe it, too. This kind of issue is bad for any game, but for an MMO we can only begin to imagine the sort of downtrodden emotions that can permeate a dev team after seeing their work pushed out into the world before it's ready. And while we all know MMOs are living, breathing things that are never "Finished." there's still a point where more gestation time is far better than getting pushed out the door prematurely.

One Shots: The Purification of Quel'Delar

by Krystalle Voecks Jan 19th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

When we recently said we didn't get very many World of Warcraft screenshots, a few readers heard the call and decided to send in some truly lovely images to us. Today's One Shots is one such screenshot that we received from Michelyne of the Caelestrasz (US Oceanic) server. She wrote in to tell us a bit more of the scene: My recent best shot is when I was doing The Purification of Quel'Delar at Sunwell Plateau - part of the Quel'Delar chain quest. I was lucky to win the Battered Hilt on the first day, during my first run after the patch! This quest sent me back to Sunwell plateau, and the chamber is absolutely beautiful! I'll recommend the player who gets this item, don't sell them (even they are selling like 12K+ on my server) -- do this quest! You will be stunned by the amazing experience. It comes with an achievement too!

We love to hear about fun moments while out gaming - and if they're in beautiful areas, all the better! Just snag a screenshot and send it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots

The Daily Grind: What are your thoughts on the World of Warcraft couple?

by Rubi Bayer Jan 11th 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Lauri Price and Andrew Kane raised a lot of conversation (and eyebrows) in the MMO world last week when the 42-year-old married mother of four traveled from her home in Texas to Ontario, Canada to meet with Kane. The pair -- who met in World of Warcraft over a year ago -- proclaimed their love for one another, with Kane declaring Price his "soulmate".

Of course, Kane's parents were fairly unhappy about this, and even more so when he left home late at night to be with Price. The couple was eventually tracked down, and Kane was brought home to his family. Price (pictured above on her way to Kane's home) returned home to Texas, where she was arrested on two counts of online solicitation of a minor and one count of enticing a child with the intent to commit a felony.

The discussion that followed once this news hit had a huge range, with opinions all over the internet ranging from "they're in love, let them be," to "that is disgusting." We'd love to know what you think, particularly in light of Lauri Price's arrest. Leave your thoughts in that handy little comment space down there!

The Daily Grind: Would you buy a magazine dedicated to your MMO?

by Kyle Horner Jan 10th 2010 at 8:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, EVE Online, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Both EVE Online and World of Warcraft now offer a high quality official magazine to anyone interested. Is this going to become a trend? Sure, you could argue that World of Warcraft's immense subscriber base supports such a venture, but what about the considerably smaller (although no less dedicated) EVE Online base? That game has seemingly started this whole business of MMO magazines and EON is still around and kicking.

It seems to us that producing something of this nature would appeal to players of several other MMOs, so long as the price matched the quality. So our question to you is: What game would you want a magazine for, how much would you pay, how often would you require it to arrive (monthly, bi-monthly, etc) and what type of quality would you expect?

One Shots: Are we there yet?

by Krystalle Voecks Jan 6th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots

While graphical glitches in World of Warcraft seem to be few and far between these days versus five years ago, we do still get the occasional report of weirdness going on in the game. For example, we have today's One Shots sent in by Aaron G. whose Druid decided to try to make off with his kitty mount for some reason. We'll let him explain what went on: I was soaring high above Shattrath City on my druid, Jehlro, when I entered Arathi Basin in my flight form. At the end of the match I left on my mount. This specific formula gave me a nice little surprise when re-entering to Shattrath City; I came back as a mounted, flight form druid. Too bad the speed bonuses did not stack for some swift traveling!

While there are 11 million players in Azeroth, there are very few World of Warcraft screenshots in our One Shots mailbox! If you'd like to show off some interesting shots from your time there, then send those along to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game (or area in the game, if you're feeling nice), and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in.

Gallery: One Shots