Filed under: World of Warcraft

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

China's decision on World of Warcraft imminent

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 4th 2010 at 8:00PM

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

2009 wasn't exactly a bad year for World of Warcraft players -- they had an expansion with plenty of content to play around in, one that was outselling, well, pretty much everything else on the planet. Of course, if you were a Chinese World of Warcraft player, the picture looks a little different, with the expansion being delayed, then stalled as the companies in charge changed hands, then banned again shortly after it was finally released. So while it's nice to hear that there should be a decision on the game's status in the near future, most gamers probably aren't holding out a lot of hope.

It gets worse -- the brief news item announces that the two squabbling agencies, the GAPP (General Administration of Press and Publications) and the Ministry of Culture, have reached a consensus and will announce the punishment in mid-January. "Punishment" obviously doesn't bring to mind a heartfelt apology and a pat on the back for NetEase, who at best might find themselves even further negatively impacted by the whole debacle. At worst, they might wind up being forced to stop operations altogether, which would be bad news for the popular MMO. Nothing's certain, but it looks like there are still a few downturns ahead.

Teen found safe after running away to meet "WoW Soulmate"

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 4th 2010 at 6:30PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, News items

We all know that online gaming can strike up a romance between players, but sometimes romance can be taken a bit too far.

Over the holidays, 16-year-old Andrew Kane of Barrie in Ontario, Canada, decided that he had to meet his 42-year-old online lover, Lauri Price from Texas.

Price had taken a trip up to Canada to meet Kane, but when Kane had asked for a ride from his parents to a nearby hotel to meet Price, his parents returned with the pretty much expected, "No." This lead Kane to run away from his house at the early morning hour of 2 A.M. on an awkward quest to meet his "World of Warcraft soulmate."

Kane went missing for two days until he and Price were found at a Future Shop in Orilla, Ontario on December 31st via a tip from the public. Kane had apparently lied about his age to Price, saying he was 20. The legal age of consent in Canada is currently 16.

Police have said that Price will not be receiving any criminal charges and is free to travel back to the United States. Kane had been "seeing" Price for over a year via their relationship on World of Warcraft.

[Thanks for the tip, Eric!]

From Azeroth to Canada: Tracking down a fugitive in World of Warcraft

by Seraphina Brennan Dec 31st 2009 at 12:30PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Legal

If you thought you could hide online, think again. Alfred "Rastlynn" Hightower just found out that when you're playing World of Warcraft, you can't hide from the law.

Hightower was wanted in Howard County, Indiana for two charges of dealing a controlled substance and for dealing marijuana, but had fled the country to Canada. Howard County sheriffs had enlisted the help of the U.S. Marshals to track down the suspect, and were working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to extradite him. However, they had to locate him first.

Anti-Aliased: How the game of the decade haunts us

by Seraphina Brennan Dec 31st 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

Yesterday I posted the interesting find that Gamasutra readers had voted in World of Warcraft as the game of the decade, which inevitably caused a huge spark of rage in the comments. Some readers lashed out against WoW while other readers defended the game's award. Needless to say, this is a very opinionated topic on our site.

On Twitter, the choice was more clear cut. I asked my Twitter followers in a non-scientific Sera Survey (TM) if they believed that World of Warcraft deserved the game of the decade award. Of the 32 people who responded, all 32 said that they believed Warcraft deserved the honor. Some even went the extra step and said that while they personally didn't play anymore, they felt that the honor was well-deserved.

When it comes to this subject, I'm completely torn in half. As a former raid leader and player of World of Warcraft during much of its five year existence, I too agree that the game is worthy of this very weighty title for a number of reasons. However, once I begin to pan backwards and look at the rest of the market, all I can see is how we as an industry may be haunted by the ghost of success.

World of Warcraft changed this industry in many ways, and not all of them are worthy of laurels.

World of Warcraft: Game of the Decade

by Seraphina Brennan Dec 30th 2009 at 4:00PM

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

Well, the fans and readers of industry site Gamasutra have voted for their game of the decade, and their choice is simultaneously surprising and yet unsurprising. In a list that's full of single player games, the MMO that redefined MMOs has hit the top of the list: World of Warcraft.

Why was it chosen for the very, very hefty spot of game of the decade? Well, the readers have spoken on the final article, and it seems the list is almost as massive as the game. Everything from massive game design, to how it single-handedly changed how MMOs were played in the last 5 years, to how the game itself impacts a player's life. For those reasons and more, it's been voted in as the game of the decade.

For the full list of quotes from Gamasutra readers, and for the list of the top 12 games of the decade, check out Gamasutra.