NEWS FOR Friday, April 30, 2004

PVP Article Updated - Deathwing @ 4:15:35 EDT
Today, we write an update to our PVP Article featured yesterday, taking note of a few common questions and adding more into our proposal. Today's featuring includes a comparison of our proposed system with systems inplemented in other MMORPGS, as well as a rundown on how experience can be distributed. Be sure to give it a read!

NEWS FOR Thursday, April 29, 2004

No GM's Available Tonight - Ian @ 22:38:09 EDT
Due to an electrical outage, Katricia announced earlier that from 7:00pm to 2:00pm tomorrow, no GM's will be available.  For you Beta Testers, let's just hope you don't run into any major problems, eh? 

UPDATE:  Well, looks like the World Server is down right now anyhow, so I guess it won't matter.  That is, at least until they get it fixed.  As of this moment, no Server Status updates have been made by Ogre, but I'll be sure and fill you in on what the problem is as soon as I know!

UPDATE:  Well, the server is back up now, and there's not an update from Ogre yet.  Maybe it wasn't any big deal :-)  I'll still let ya know if Ogre announces anything.


A Look at Faction PVP - Deathwing @ 4:08:40 EDT
In today's feature article, we look at the Player vs Player System that Blizzard is could inplement in World of Warcraft. Player vs Player has always being a dodgy issue in a Mass Multiplayer RPG Game...

How do you make it so every have fun, and yet no one gets slammed to the ground? How can PVP be enjouable for every participant, and not just the high level Pkers that go around slaughtering newbies? We take a look:

Be sure to give it a read!


NEWS FOR Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Blizzard Hiring for Community Managers - Ian @ 22:59:40 EDT
Blizzard announced today that they're going to be hiring for community mangers in Europe in order to provide top-notch service for World of Warcraft.  Currently, they are looking for German, UK English, and French community managers.  If you're interested in working for Blizzard, you outta give it a shot! 

[German CM] [UK English CM] [French CM]

Good luck to any of you you apply!  Who knows, maybe we'll be seeing your name on the credits of a game one of these days!


Patch 1.11! - Spider @ 20:09:25 EDT
Blizzard has released a new patch for StarCraft? Yeah...scary huh? Nothing all that earth-shattering...

  • Korean text is now preserved when it is sent to or received from Battle.net.
  • Fixed a bug that hindered sound on NT machines.
  • Fixed a bug that enabled you to make a Command Center slide into a location by building a Comstat Station then canceling it due to lack of resources.
  • Fixed a bug related to a Drone flying when surrounded by other units.
  • Fixed a bug that would give you an assertion when you tell a drone to burrow as it is about to morph into a building.
  • Fixed a bug that caused Templars to fly across the map when interrupting an Archon Merge.
  • Fixed a bug involving a drone getting confused when recieving a second build order while in transit to complete the first one.

While no balance changes took place, a number of bugs have been addressed. Nice to know Blizzard still cares about it's StarCraft community.

There are some rumors going around that no 1.10 replays work, but no official word on it yet.


New War3 Bonus Map - Deathwing @ 2:18:12 EDT
Blizzard has released a new bonus map for Warcraft 3, code named Deadlock. It's a melee map designed for up to 8 players. Find out here.

GameFAQs Poll - Spider @ 0:57:54 EDT
GameFAQs is known for their numerous polls, and this time it's between Halo and StarCraft; it's quite the close matchup. Personally I voted for StarCraft, and if you're any kind of a Blizzard fan...you know what the right choice is. :)

NEWS FOR Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Level Cap Increase - Ian @ 22:08:46 EDT
Katricia announced today that they increased the level cap from 35 to 39.  Kind of sounds like an odd number, eh?  Well, the reasoning behind this is because plate armour and mounts become available at level 40, and the drops for plate armour and their recipes are not available yet, and Blizzard isn't yet ready to release the mounts.  Most of them are finished, but a few aren't ready yet, and they can't release just a portion of them.  Stay tuned for more information as we keep you up-to-date!  Enjoy your cap increase, explore, level-up, and have a great time!

Gamespot Previews Push 2 - Deathwing @ 12:26:42 EDT
Gamespot has written up a preview of World of Warcraft based on the second push of the beta. While it doesn't contain too much new information, it does offer nice impressions of the two new classes. Read it here.

How Beta Match-up Work - Deathwing @ 2:57:14 EDT
People who currently play Warcraft 3 on the beta server will notice that they are being matched up to people of drastically different levels. We note that isn't a bug, but rather a implicit new feature for the Match Making System.

Blizzard aimed to get people playing players of the same skill level as them faster, and have noticed that level is not necessarily a good indication. For, a player who has played 500 games will certainly be of higher level than a player who played 2, even if the latter was better. The new matchmaking system takes into account of a player's record as well.

Level-1 players who are experienced and highly skilled will be matched more quickly against other highly skilled players after winning a few games. Level-1 novice players should also find themselves matched against other novice players after participating in several games.

Higher-level players should be able to find a game more readily, since they can now be matched with players of similar skill even if the level difference between players is greater than six.

When skilled, experienced participants of the Arranged Team Ladder create a new team, Battle.net will not merely classify the team as a new level-1 novice team. Instead, the team will be matched more appropriately against teams of comparable skill.

Opinions? Post them here. Again, apologies for focusing on WoW only the last few days!


War3 Beta V402 released - Deathwing @ 2:50:26 EDT
We apologise for the late news, but World of Warcraft fever is currently with the staff. In any case, Blizzard has release a balance patch for Warcraft 3. Key Changes include:

- Possession damage multiplier reduced to 166% from 225%.
- Wind Walk bonus damage increased to 50/85/120 from
- Wellspring now upgrades Moonwells to 425 mana, down from 500 mana.
- Cleaving Attack damage increased to 30%/55%/80% from 25%/45%/65%.
- Tornado can now cyclone a particular unit more often – once every 22 seconds, down from once every 30 seconds.
- Tornado speed increased to 75 from 60.

For a complete list, check out the thread.


NEWS FOR Monday, April 26, 2004

Map of the Week: Pacman - Deathwing @ 3:48:20 EDT
Feeling a bit bored? Well this week, we've got another scenerio for you to try. It's a mini-game, and while the game itself may be old... its one of those timeless classics that you can use to procrastinate.

In Pacman... well duh. Every knows what Pacman is. Except this version is well polished, featuing a really nice idea for pellets. If you liked Pacman, then here's the original game on a new engine.

Download it here. Got a scenerio? Be sure to upload it.


NEWS FOR Sunday, April 25, 2004

151 New Screenshots! - Spider @ 15:07:10 EDT
I have to apologize for the lack of updates, but life has a way of throwing 50 million things at you all at once. But that will all end in two weeks...at any rate!

This set of screenshots is from both phase one, and phase two; I figured clumping them together would be fine, you still want to see them regardless. :)

You can head on over to the gallery here and start checking them all out. They're sorted newest to oldest, so you don't have to worry about digging through a few pages like last time.

Take note of the dialogue going on in-game; there are some gems to be found there! I'll have another journal entry coming up soon, so keep an eye out for it in our beta forum.

Congratulations to all those accepted into the second phase, and best of luck to anyone still waiting on the third!


Shaman Guide Online! - Deathwing @ 1:35:57 EDT
So, the second push is here, and along with it, the Shaman and the Druid. This week, we present complete coverage for the first of the two new classes.

Like every other guide before it, this one features a complete listing of spells and their effects. Whether you're a beta tester looking for reference, or a eager fan that wants all the juicy information, you'll be interested in this:

Lightning Shield -Instant
Target: Self
Duration: 10 Min Max (See below)
The cast conjures three balls of Lightning that surround him. Whenever a creature attacks, there is a 50% chance that he is struck by a ball which does X damage depending on the rank of the spell. The spell dessipates once all 3 balls have been used up. Lightning shield offers a third way to damage the enemy, and thus stacks with direct attacks and daage over time spells. Compared to direct damage spells, Lightning Shield is quite mana efficient, and should thus be active at all times.

RankRequired LevelCostManaCooldownDamage/BallDamage/Mana
183 50 351.0s100.86
21618851.0s301.06
324501301.0s541.25
43211851.0s831.35
54022451.0s1161.42

We've also updated our Shaman Spell Gallery with a bunch of new spells.

 

Give them a look:

That shall be our weekend update!


NEWS FOR Saturday, April 24, 2004

Lock Picking Basics - Deathwing @ 2:44:50 EDT

The Official site has put up a section on how Lock Picking works in World of Warcraft. If you're interested, give it a read.


New Poll - Deathwing @ 2:00:24 EDT
Perhaps the most controversial event that happened in the Blizzard World this week with the introduction of the Rest State in World of Warcraft, where players gain progresively less experience from killing monsters as they kill... and in order to return to the state where they recieve maximum exp, they need to rest for 8 hours. Do you believe this is a good addition to the game? Vote today!

Poll Results - Deathwing @ 1:37:08 EDT
Oops, we left the Poll running for two weeks, but there was good reason! There was just too much essential stuff to cover the release of a new push for World of Warcraft. Anyway, here's the results:

You've read the Information, now which World of Warcraft caster sounds the coolest?
Mage   82   19% 
Warlock   140   33% 
Priest   79   19% 
Daboo?   125   29% 

TOTAL

426

100 %
..

Looks like Warlock wins, and we have to agree. The combination of minions, magic, and curses just make the Warlock so very diverse, where's the Mage is your standard Diablo II Sorceress and the Priest mostly a healer. Expect us to keep you updated about the class!


Penny Arcade WoW Comic - Deathwing @ 1:05:13 EDT
Pernny Arcade has written up a World of Warcraft comic over here, dealing with how the hell do you rationalise resurrecting undead. It's amusing, and well worth a look.

NEWS FOR Friday, April 23, 2004

Rest State Changes - Deathwing @ 20:08:08 EDT

Blizzard has heard everyone's suggestions about the Rest State, and here are some of changes we can expect to see:

The Rest State system will be undergoing some changes in the near future. Among other modifications, we will be adjusting the 8-hour timing to be much more flexible. Rest will be accumulated gradually vs. the “8 hours of rest or nothing” approach that is currently in place. To add to this adjustment, people who do not play for long periods of time (weekend warrior types) will accumulate extra rest. This will allow those who only play once or twice a week the added bonus of playing as “well rested” for longer than those who play on a daily basis.

Another anticipated change is to add the ability to rest from anywhere in the world. This should help players who forget or choose not to log off at an inn. Resting at an inn will remain the preferred method, as tiers will accumulate more rapidly if you log off inside an inn.

Lastly, we are planning on making the Rest State modifier a level-based sliding scale for how much experience you can gain at each tier. That is, at higher level-ranges, the amount of experience that you gain before moving down to the next tier of your Rest State will increase.

Sound's good!


World of Warcraft Second Push Review - Deathwing @ 5:55:11 EDT
It has been a week since the release of the second push, enough time for us to play the game, and judge each of its individual features to a high degree of accuracy. In today's feature article, we examine these changes one by one, and determine their effect on the game.

Included are overviews for each of the new classes, as well as opinions on how the Rest System and the new Skill System works. We also cover the increase in difficulty as well as other gameplay issues, be sure to give it a read!

We'll have more updates for you soon!


Official Site Druid Write-up - Deathwing @ 0:24:10 EDT
The official site has written up a nice overview of the Druid. If you're not familiar with that class, you should give this a read. We'll have a detailed list of all Druid Spells within the next fortnight!

NEWS FOR Thursday, April 22, 2004

Druid Spell Gallery Updated - Deathwing @ 6:23:55 EDT
We have updated out gallery was a set of new spells that are now available in the second push. You've seen the Shaman, now its time for the Druid. So what's available? Well we've got shots of Bear Form, Moonfire, Regeneration and a range of other cool effects.

   

Check out the rest over here.


NEWS FOR Wednesday, April 21, 2004

War3 Board Game Expansion - Deathwing @ 4:35:59 EDT
Fantasy Flight Games has announced the development of a Warcraft 3 Expansion... n not for the computer game, but for their board game. Hah! Well, here are the features:

  • New rules and components for the sixteen Warcraft heroes
  • Random “creep” encounters
  • New special race decks
  • New specialized board tiles
  • New scenarios
  • New resource system

If you're interested, it will be available in June. Details are here. Kudos to Jay for the news!


Big Things - Deathwing @ 4:18:07 EDT
Chib has posted some of the big things that you'll come across in the World of Warcraft. named what you see at the bottom of Wailing Caverns. And yup, it is huge! Read about his encounters here.

NEWS FOR Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Blizzard World Wide Invitational War III Replays - Ian @ 22:45:14 EDT
For those of you who remember, back in mid-January, some of the best players from around the world met up in Seoul for a Warcraff III competition.  If you're wanting to see some hard-core, competition-level playing, definately give these a look.  Heh, you might even learn a thing or two from watchin' the pros!  Just remember that you need the 1.14 patch to view these.  If you're playing the 1.15 Beta, just connect to a non-beta gateway and patch it back to 1.14. 

Flying Wolves.. and other Things! - Deathwing @ 5:52:25 EDT
Today, we bring you selection of screenshots from our adventures in the World of Warcraft. Note spetacular screenshots, but rather mostly ones that demonstrate some most amusing things that can occure in the game.

Marching alone Westfall, a blue went across the sky.... a looked up, have the inplemented comets into the sky? It is grey, it was flying? Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No... It's super wolf! Too bad, the wolf wasn't super enough to avoid falling to death.

You see, there's currently a bug that causes random monsters to take off into the air. It's rather amusing really, who knows, maybe its the next world event. here's some more, a cool shot of a Druid in bear form jumping, and a picture showing just how tall those Night Elves are:

 

For more, check out the Screenshot Gallery!


Druid Impressions - Deathwing @ 5:00:41 EDT
BetaTesterSelack has written up short impressions of the Druid character character class in World of Warcraft. Considering that little was known about him prior to the beta, you can learn quite a bit of new stuff:

Current forms I know of are Bear(10th), Aquatic(16th) (Some sort of Seal), Cat(20th), and Storm Crow (Really high level).

The party buffs so far: Thorns (Deals nature damage when you are hit) and Mark of the Wild (AC increase and, as you advance this spell, ALL STATs increase)

Moonfire: Instant damage + DOT

Wrath: Nature damage

Entangle: Root + DOT

Nature's Touch: Healing

Read and ask questions about the class over here!


NEWS FOR Monday, April 19, 2004

International Gamers Association - Spider @ 23:54:04 EDT
A new service, the International Gamers Association, has just released preliminary information on what they call a "revolutionary new professional gamers league," that will include titles such as WarCraft III and StarCraft in their tournament line ups. According to an informational session that I was invited to, they will be running tournaments year round for games of several genres, both online and in live events that will take place throughout the world.

It isn't clear how the IGA intends to run these games when Blizzard has been particularly harsh with third party servers in the past, but if it pans out it could mean a new way to play the games we love.

From the IGA's website:

"With the release of the community site, the International Gamers Association™ hopes to begin developing a responsive community of members who they will be primarily serving. The new company hopes to garner grass roots support by staying in close contact with its fanbase to mould the IGA™ into an organization that will fit the needs of professional gamers everywhere."  (www.igamersa.com/press/4-16-04.shtml)

It sports incredible potential, and if they come through on their promises, I have a feeling it will change the gaming world forever. 

For more specific details, you can check out the IGA site, and their forums. They take suggestions very seriously, so if you have something to add, be sure to voice your opinion!

Be sure to stop by our news forum to post your opinions as well.


More Shaman Spells Uncovered - Deathwing @ 4:45:45 EDT
We've got screenshots of even more Shaman skills in action as CeptorShock levels his way through the World of Warcraft. Check out Lightning Shield, Molten Blast as well as various other spells:

 

Find the rest here.


NEWS FOR Sunday, April 18, 2004

Paladin Exposed - Deathwing @ 2:48:39 EDT
Today, we expose another World of Warcraft character class to its fullest extent. This time, it's the Paladin! Holy Warriors have always had a special place in role playing games, and its no different in this one.

Find out verything from Spell Stats, Spell costs, and basic combat and character development tips. We throw in a random spell:

Crusader Strike -Next Attack
Duration: 30s
Target: Enemy
The next strike causes the target to be more vulnerable to Holy Magic, increasing their damage taken from all holy attacks by a certain amount. Furthermore, up to five Crusader Strike stacks. Thus, 5 strikes of Level 1 Crusader Strike will increase the damage the enemy takes to Holy Magic by 25!

This is great with Retribution Aura, where each attack from the enemy now causes them 10 times more damage! It gets even better at Rank 2, where retribution will do 53 damage to theenemy whenever he attack you!

The spell also boosts the damage you do with teh next attack by a little.

RankRequired LevelCostCooldownManaAditional DamageDamage Increase to Holy Attacks
1107 501.02555
222401.0401510
3341 401.0552515

Read the rest at:

We'll have the Shaman or Druid next, so stay tuned!


NEWS FOR Saturday, April 17, 2004

Shaman Spell Gallery - Deathwing @ 5:20:57 EDT
With the second phase, we're just launched our Shaman Spell Gallery. There's only 4 spells right now, but we promise there'll be more as we level up our Shaman, CeptorShock. So if you see him adventuring around Durator, give him a few items :).

 

Check out the other two here. We'll have more coverage soon!


Join Clan IC And Win WoW Beta - Deathwing @ 4:09:59 EDT
With the Westfall Server for beta testing the new Warcraft 3 Patch up, and Clan Ladders for winning the WoW beta, here's a great chance for you. Check out this thread, and join Clan IC on Westfall. if you don't have a clan, here's a chance to go and win the Wow Beta.

Beta Test the new War3 Patch - Deathwing @ 3:47:28 EDT
Blizzard has announced that they're holding a public beta test for the new Warcraft 3 Patch, featuring a new neutral hero, the Goblin Tinkerer. For extra incentive, they'll be hlolding tournaments that'll allow the top people who join up will be awarded a place in the World of Warcraft beta:

As additional participation incentive, we will be running a clan ladder, Random Team, and FFA based competition where winners will be awarded spots in the World of Warcraft Beta. The competition will officially start on Tuesday, April 20 at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) and end Tuesday, April 27 at 6:00 PM PST. The competition will work such that the ten (10) highest experience contributors of each victorious clan will be awarded spots in the World of Warcraft Beta. Clans can compete in all four of the different ladders (1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3, and 4 vs. 4). However, clans and individuals can only win once. We will also award the top five (5) Free-For-All and top five (5) Random Team players a spot in the World of Warcraft Beta.

For details, read the rest. So sharpen up your skills, and win! Kudos to BlackfoxT for the news.


NEWS FOR Friday, April 16, 2004

Second Push Screenshots! - Deathwing @ 20:51:33 EDT
2Xtreme21 has just sent over our first selection of brilliant screenshots from the second push. There's tonnes of stuff to see, including Kodos! Check out what the Tauren have to offer below!

   

Check out all the other screenshots over here!


Penny Arcade on Resting - Deathwing @ 5:33:47 EDT
The guys at Penny Arcade has written up an article on the new Rest State introduce in World of Warcraft.

Maybe it still has it, I haven't played it in years - but Ultima Online had a feature called "Power Hour" that made the first hour of play each day more productive, which made the rest of the time feel less so. Now, extend that concept, defining why it's more productive and even adding a penalty phase where playing too long actually negates experience earned from kills. In a nutshell, that's World of Warcraft's new Rest System and many, many people hate it.

It's an interesting read.


New Skill Point System Discussion - Deathwing @ 5:18:30 EDT
The Second huge change introduce in the new push of the World of Warcraft beta the complete reconstruction of how skill points work. In short, character development has being completely altered. In summary:

Previously:

- Players earned skill points and talent points separately when and only when they gained a level.
- Talent Points were spent boosting character attributes and other combat oriented abilities
- Skill Points were used to learn Trade Skills and other Weapon Proficiencies
- While Skill Points were used to learn a trade skill, players increases their trade skills by practicing them.
- Players are unrestricted to choosing which attributes to level up when they raise a level.

In New Push:

- Talent Points temporarily removed.
- Skill Points used to learn Trade Skills, Weapon Proficiencies and Increase Attributes.
- 1 Skill Point is earned for 600XP worth of creatures killed, BEFORE rest state modifier is taken into account.
- Players now increase their trade skills by allocating more skill points. Practicing them doesn't help.
- Classes now have Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Attributes. Players can level up Primary Attributes by 1 per level, Secondary by 1 per 3 levels, and very very rarely tertiary.


Notes of About New Patch

- There is no cap on the amount of skill points you can earn.
- Players can gain skill points even when they've reached the level cap.
- Quest EXP does not give you skill points.
- Skill Points are given based on EXP gained, not total EXP, thus a player who dies and loses EXP won't lose skill points, and will gain skill points again when he kills to regain his lost EXP.
- People find that after they used their skill points to max their attributes for their given level, they almost always have skill points left for trade skills, but if they wanted to be good at a trade skill, the may need to sacrifice attributes.

As you can see, this is no small change, and its no wonder half of the community is up in arms. We make a preliminary analysis how the changes could affect the game in our latest article:

You might find it a interesting read!


NEWS FOR Thursday, April 15, 2004

How long does it take to get tired? - Deathwing @ 13:11:30 EDT
Syrinwow, who was lucky enough to get the beta downloaded very quickly, was able to post this on the forums:

It took me 3 hrs and 10 min to go from well rested to rested.

I reached level 8... 3k into the 10,900 exp of that level.

Exp has not quite been doubled... but it's close:

Quests exp has been increased as well... not quite doubled, but close. It seems to have been scaled up proportionately to the new exp requirements.

Sounds interesting. So the resting penalty shouldn't really affect anyone unless they play for more than 5 hours a day. Read the rest here.


Rest State Reactions - Deathwing @ 5:18:56 EDT
The newest World of Warcraft push is perhaps the most controversial patch we've had for any Blizzard game or beta so far. It introduces the rest state, where players gain extra experience for killing monsters to begin with, but get tried as they kill more. Eventually, they gain only a quarter of the experience they really should. To rest back to full levels of energy, a player must log off at an inn for 8 hours!

Has Blizzard's effort to make the game accessible to casual players backfired? Or is this the innovation that we need? Infoceptor explores the issue in our latest editorial:

World of Warcraft has excelled at first impressions and reviews because of its accessibility, and one of the biggest reasons that reviewers gave was the lack of downtime. Where's in other MMORPGS, a player spent half of his time resting and regenerating health after a battle... its constant action in WOW. Yet, with an hours rest time, one fears that World of Warcraft may have lost one of its biggest edges when compared to other MMORPGS of the same genre.

Of course, not all is bad. Is the time it takes to reach being tired is over 8 hours, most people probably wouldn't care. If a person played for more than 8 hours straight, he probably really does need to take a break!

The creation of an inn will also serve as a nice social point to gather, where people can easily go to trade items, talk about their latest adventures, fight in duels, and form parties for future quests. Blizzard also plans to give out PVP experience, and we can see the possibilities of some great organised tournaments and just general pub brawls!

Read the whole article below!

In addition, several other beta testers have voiced their comments.

"This seems like a pretty damn atrocious idea to me. The only effect that this would seem to have is to punish the people who play a lot, it's like it's some incredibly nasty way to stop people levelling so fast." - Chib

"I can see some benefits from this such as point of investing points into survival if survival can allow players to rest up to well rested. " -Frostbyte

Read the rest of what they had to say here. And yes, do discuss it, this is one of the features that will either make or break WoW.


NEWS FOR Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Changes changes changes! - Spider @ 20:54:45 EDT
I can't really describe them all here, but check out the changes listed for the World of WarCraft beta! Just when you thought the game couldn't get any better! =D

*goes to download the new version of the beta*


Backlogged - Spider @ 19:49:19 EDT
Talk about being slammed with a lot of news...most of which is very...WarCrafty. =)

So first off...Blizzard North has a job opening. (2 days ago) They are looking for a 3-D Character artist. They are mostly looking for someone who specializes using Maya, Photoshop, and can create great looking textures. If you fit the bill, you know where to go. Best of luck!

A new WarCraft novel has been released. This one takes place after the battle of Mount Hyjal...sort of. The three characters it's based on get thrown into a rift that puts them into the long distant past, before any of the known races roamed the land. It's called The Well of Eternity. This looks to be particularly interesting as it will delve into a storyline that precedes anything we know about WarCraft so far. It can be picked up at any bookstore, so if you're an avid reader, or just a rabid WarCraft fan, be sure to grab yourself a copy.

The new WarCraft III patch (1.15) is coming soon as well. It has a load of changes, including a new neutral hero, the Goblin Tinker! (So it wasn't a joke...) Other things include a Clan ladder (Frozen Throne only) an improved matching system, anonymous FFA games, and improved profiles. You can see all the specific changes here. Looks like WarCraft III got a lot more interesting; expect a beta of the 1.15 patch to come soon, as well as a page for the Clockwork Goblin. (I'll stick to WoW personally)

Speaking of WoW, the servers have completely gone down at the moment to prepare for the new push. Stay tuned...

Oh! And in case you were wondering...the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated. =)


Server Problems - Spider @ 19:01:32 EDT
More server problems arose this afternoon. In fact, they surfaced about 15 minutes ago. Everything but the PCs and world vanished. Nothing on the ground, no monsters, nothing. The GMs informed the players it was something to do with Kalimdor, but they were vague and didn't go into details. No ETA, so we just have to sit tight.

Sorry - Spider @ 15:08:29 EDT
I forgot to mention that the database that went down last night was fixed soon after my initial post reporting it going down. I was rather eager to play and...well yeah. =)

At any rate, the database is up and running, didn't mean to confuse you all.


Clan iC v. Clan FO Rematch - Ian @ 4:58:35 EDT
According to Wyverngod, Clan FO has requested a rematch for the WarCraft III clan match that recently took place.  It is slated for this Saturday.  Stay tuned to find out how our players did!  Read the thread posted on our forums about the rematch here.

Paladin Spell Gallery Released - Deathwing @ 2:50:27 EDT
This week's Paladin week, as we at Infoceptor launch a new character in World of Warcraft (look for Ceptorflame) to give you the latest coverage this class. So far his Level 15... not bad for two days work! Anyway, we begin by launching a gallery of spells.

 

Expect a First Impression soon... and of course, all the juicy stats on these spells. But for now:

Check back for more!


Database machine down - Spider @ 1:53:19 EDT
One of the WoW database machines crashed early this morning. Ogre doesn't have an ETA, so all we can do is hope for the best. Argh! I wanted to play some WoW! :(

Ctrl+Alt+Del Does WoW - Ian @ 0:31:34 EDT
Ctr+Alt+Del released a funny cartoon pertaining to WoW.  I suggest giving it a look here!  Kudos to Wraithfighter for the information!

NEWS FOR Tuesday, April 13, 2004

More Banned Accounts - Ian @ 23:45:45 EDT
Battle.net has once again cracked down, and 307,000 WC and SC accounts have now been banned.

A number of additional accounts and CD keys have been tied to the use of a hack or cheat program while playing StarCraft or Warcraft III on Battle.net. In keeping with our aggressive stance against cheating, we have permanently closed 291,000 StarCraft accounts and 16,000 Warcraft III accounts. 6,000 of the Warcraft III CD keys used with the now-closed accounts have been banned from ladder play for one month, and 1,500 more have been banned from ladder play permanently. Repeat offenders risk having their CD keys disabled, which will result in the permanent removal of their copies of StarCraft or Warcraft III from Battle.net.

Cheating does not pay.  For a related thread posted by GFrazier, click here.  Kudos to dislyxec for the news!


WoW Harrassment Policy - Ian @ 23:09:28 EDT
Nebu of Blizzard has released World of Warcraft Harrassment Policy today. 

Words are indeed tools, powerful tools. Throughout your travels in Azeroth, you will be using these tools to achieve your goals, whether those are finding the perfect group to help you with a quest or getting a great price on that dagger you've had your eye on. As anyone who has hit their thumb with a hammer well knows, tools can cause great pain when used incorrectly. Words are no different.

We reserve the right to evaluate each incident on a case-by-case basis. The action we take may be more lenient or more severe than those listed under each category. One major factor in considering what action to take is the number of people who the language is visible to. We have broken this up into three categories.

Hopefully this will help to prevent any problems that might arise on the World Server.  Be sure and give the entire piece a read here, and remember to have fun playing!


SC Comic: Phantom Shadow Additions - Deathwing @ 3:58:45 EDT
Jason Wittenberg has sent in two more pages of his interesting Comic based in the Starcraft World, detailing a Ghost and his shadowy past.

In the third and fourth pages of the first chapter, a peaceful interlude between friends is interrupted by a protoss attack. If you've follow the comic so far, and liked it or never heard of it, you should take look:

Also don't miss out on the prologue!


NEWS FOR Monday, April 12, 2004

It's Almost Time! - Ian @ 22:34:31 EDT
Katricia told us today that the next push for WoW is almost here!

In preparation for our next push, we have removed the ability to download the current version of the beta test. The new download will be made available later this week.

This is very good news!  Stay tuned - We'll keep you well informed!


Map of the Week: Battleships - Deathwing @ 3:18:49 EDT
Battleships, the classic turn based game that you played as kid, is now available in real time on computer, using the World of Warcraft Engine! As your latest map of the weeks of course

In Battleships, players set up the positions of their fleet, and then its a race to locate and destroy the opponents fleet before yours. This Warcraft III map features a few nice twists, including some items just to add a little more the gameplay. If you enjoyed the original game when your kid, here's a chance to play it again, except you can be sure the opponent isn't cheating!

Download it here.

Got a scenario? Be sure to send it in.


NEWS FOR Sunday, April 11, 2004

Concerning Recent WoW Bugs - Ian @ 23:48:46 EDT
Ogre of Blizzard addressed a couple issues pertaining to bugs on WoW and their current status.

Several people have reported getting repeatedly loaded in instances even after leaving, having their experience and gold lost (but not items). The cause of this has been located and fixed... for the next patch. In a nutshell, if the user server crashes, some players may not get cleared from their world servers, and if that server is an instance, it may never find out that they are no longer connected.

Both today's user server crash that caused this and the bug that's leaving player objects around in instances after a crash are now fixed in the upcoming server version.

Like you, I hope that this version will go live soon :)

As we all do, Ogre.  As well all do.

 


Blizzard's Easter Bonus Map - Deathwing @ 3:43:37 EDT
Blizzard has released a bonus map for Warcraft 3. Egg Hunt is one of the few scenerios that they've created, and this one looks huge.  According to a viewer:

OK I just finished a game with it, and this map is too cool. There is like dozens of new models and sound effects (all easter related of course) that aren’t in wc3 plus the game itself is really fun when you have a full house to play with. Blizz did a pretty good job with this one

So, give it a try.


New Poll - Deathwing @ 3:37:31 EDT
Over the last three weeks, we've published complete guides on the three pure Spellcasting Classes featured in World of Warcraft. The Mage, the Warlock, and the Priest. Which one of them sounds like the coolest the play? Vote this week!


Poll Results - Deathwing @ 3:23:46 EDT
It's a new week, time for a new poll. Without delay, here are the results of the current one:

Which World of Warcraft Character Class do you want in-depth Coverage next?
Rogue   94   26% 
Priest   67   18% 
Warrior   45   12% 
Paladin   94   26% 
Don't Care   67   18% 

TOTAL

367

100 %

Well, oops, apologies for putting up the Priest guide first, but he was winning on the first day! At any rate, it doesn't look like the Poll decided much, since the Rogue and Paladin are completely tied! So next week's coverage will be a toss up between the two, and we'll do the Warrior's skills very last.


Gamespot Previews WOW - Deathwing @ 0:20:29 EDT
Now that over three and a half weeks have passed since the beginning of the beta, Gamespot has written a deeper preview for Warcraft 3, which each staff member assessed the game from a different perspective. It is quite long, and definitely worth reading.

Oh, and I can answer the question, where are the Goblins? You'll find some pretty nasty ones when fighting the Defias Brotherhood.. including one very nasty Shredder!


NEWS FOR Saturday, April 10, 2004

Ultimate Priest Guide: Complete - Deathwing @ 3:43:52 EDT
So, the Priest, the character class that's associated in any other MMORPG as a healer who's only useful in parties... But does that also apply in World of Warcraft? After all, Blizzard has promised that every class will be fun, and soloing will be an option for anyone.

So, this week, we've got a complete guide for you, detailing every single Priest Spell and its states. So, grabbing a random spell out of the box:

Resurrection -Sorcery
Cooldown: 0
Target: Ally
Brings a target ally back to life. This spell is quite mana intensive, and has a casting time that makes it almost impossible to cast in battle. However, many players will be thankful that they don't need to make another corpse run. Resurrection is as essential as it sounds, however, since resurrected players will suffer resurrection sickness of several minutes, where all their attributes are severely decreased. Consequently, some players may prefer to do a corpse run over being resurrected.

Resurrected players return to life with a fraction of their life. The higher ranked the spell, the more life players begin with.

RankRequired LevelCostManaCasting TimeRange Starting Life/Mana
1103 5015010.0s40 yrd15%
2402 25010.0s40 yrd30%

Read more below:

Enjoy!


NEWS FOR Friday, April 9, 2004

Starcraft Ghost Preview - Deathwing @ 20:38:31 EDT
GMR has written up a preview of Starcraft: Ghost, Blizzard other much anticipated game title. There's not much new information though, but it does offer a concise summary of what we not so far. Find out more about it here. Kudos to Phoen for the news!

Spell Gallery Updated: Warrior and Rogue Skills - Deathwing @ 6:34:05 EDT
It's time for that weekly update to our Spell Gallery, which aims to feature a complete archive of visuals for each individual spell in World of Warcraft.

What's new this time? Well, we've got several new Mage Spells on display, including Flamestrike and Arcane Explosion. In addition, there's an all new archive of Priest Spells, with the likes of Resurrection and Holy Smite.

  

It's well worth a look

Enjoy!


NEWS FOR Thursday, April 8, 2004

Next Beta Push not this week - Deathwing @ 23:21:09 EDT
Direct from Katricia:

Just to update y'all, there will be no push this week. We were working hard to bring you one later this evening (and believe me, some of the good folks on the team were here well into the wee hours) .. but it was not meant to be.

We're hoping to do something next week; I'll keep you all posted as more information comes my way.

Too bad, discuss it here.


New WoW Review - Ian @ 21:32:23 EDT
GameGossip.com has released their preview of World of Warcraft.

A good portion of your game time will be spent in combat. Combat takes place using the tried and true turn-based method. It’s really no different than any other MMORPG – once you start attacking the computer automatically attacks the creature once per turn until one of you is dead. The only control you have over combat is the use of abilities and spells.

GameGossip has provided a good amount of information and opinion, as well as several really nice screenshots!  Be sure to give it a look here!


Priest: First Impressions - Deathwing @ 4:32:37 EDT
The Priest.... the MMORPG class that's always associated with parties. Ever since Everquest, every game developer has made the priest a class that simply cannot be used to solo... and it was design decision that was never changed...

Tell now. Or at least, that's what Blizzard promised. So how good the is priest at soloing? We take a look in this week's update:

Be sure to give it a read!


Some Funky Graphics - Deathwing @ 4:16:10 EDT
Those of you whore observant will notice some funky graphics on the right hand side menu... designed courtsey of Harbinger (for all of them except WoW Walkthrough), and Handle (for the WoW Walkthrough). They highlight some of the key World of Warcraft updates Infoceptor has brought to you over the past three weeks. Scroll down and check each of them out if you haven't already done so!

NEWS FOR Wednesday, April 7, 2004

Shall We Dance? - Ian @ 23:29:34 EDT
Katricia of Blizzard has asked for people's opinions on what they think about the dances in the game. 

Feedback time: How do you like the dances that are currently in the game? Which ones are your favorites .. which do you like the least?

What other types of dancing (if any) would you like to see in the game?

~Kat :)

There are lots of ideas, opinions, and suggestions, like this one:

The human female is such a white dance. I love it! :p

I think that the male dwarf is kind of boring compared to the others. I also think that the sexuality could be toned down a bit on the night elves and gnomes.

All this, and more, can be found here at the World of Warcraft Forums!


Killing Bandits: Wow Quest Guide Updated - Deathwing @ 3:40:49 EDT
Whether you're a beta tester looking for tips, on one less lucky looking to see what quests a like, this will interest you. Infoceptor has put up a detailed walkthrough a series of thre quest dealing with bandits in Northshire.

Where are the bandits? What should you watch out for? Should you party for this quest? Find out:

We'll be posting new guides periodically!


NEWS FOR Tuesday, April 6, 2004

New World of Warcraft Wallpaper - Ian @ 22:35:58 EDT
Blizzard has released a new wallpaper for you to adorn your desktop with! 

 

It's a great "bird's eye view" of Stormwind!  Be sure and give it a look if you would like to see it and it's various resolutions.


Infoceptor's WoW TV - Deathwing @ 2:55:18 EDT
2Xtreme21 has set up a World of Warcraft TV for all of you Wow fans out there! Basically, whenever he's playing the game, he'll be automatically uploading a screenshot onto the server 20s on what he sees on the screen.... that way, you can follow his progress as he kills dude after dude.

To find out whether it's online, be sure to bookmark the following page:

Log on during daylight and evening hours EST, that's when he'll mst likely be playing!


The Warden Only Challenge - Deathwing @ 1:37:17 EDT
Dislyxec has published a few replays of him taking a new challenge... where you must win games on Battle.net using nothing other than a Warden, Moon Wells and Shops. Sounds impossible? Well you be the judge!

Pertaining to Vulgar Account Names or Signatures - Ian @ 0:25:06 EDT
Looks like the folks at Blizzard are cracking down on account names or signatures that contain vulgarities or vulgar links:

If your signature or your account name is vulgar or offensive in nature you will be temp. banned/perma banned/deleted. (This includes links that are offensive.)

If you think your signature or account name might fall into this category, please take this time to change your signatures and if necessary create a new account name.

Thanks!
~Kat :)

You might take that into consideration especially when making a new account :)

You can view the entire thread here, as well as the responses of others.


NEWS FOR Monday, April 5, 2004

Trouble Finding the Enchanter Trainer in Stormwind? - Ian @ 21:37:46 EDT
Penny Arcade released a new bit today detailing step-by-step how to find this elusive enchanter.  Several screenshots are also provided to assist you.  Be sure to give it a read here!

Spider's Beta Impressions - Deathwing @ 4:13:40 EDT
Spider has wrote up an excellent article on his journeys in the beta, with even more game impressions for you to read! This one covers trading, partying, death, questing and a lot more... it's a great read, so that you can look past and all the stats and spells, and ask yourself... is the game really fun to play?

My skills are already paying off; the leather items I create I put out on the market, and to my surprise people gobble it up. To me it seems like just another item, but then I realize the amount of micromanagement I'm putting into getting the materials just to make these items, and the price jack that the NPC stores put in place, not to mention the small buffs I can implement into pretty much anything made of leather that I come across. "My leather is just better." Msg Spider ingame if you're in need of my quality work. Provide the materials, and you get your items at no cost! *shameless plug* smile.gif

The fact that you can find recipes for items that aren't usually around can give you a huge advantage in the market as well. If no one in the area can make a certain item, and you know that people want it; ding ding ding! Suddenly you have a wonderful business opportunity. You can always get the basic recipes from the trainers, but it's always a good idea to spend that small fortune on a rare item recipe.

Read the rest here! And what's his final verdict?

"Where is the pre-order button already!? I thought the patch would fix it!"

And you know what? I totally agree!


New Poll - Deathwing @ 3:46:42 EDT
As you guys requested, Infoceptor has focused much of its coverage so far on each of the character classes featured in WoW, and we've got in-depth spell stats for two of them... the Mage and the Warlock. Now, which just need to know which ones you want next!

Remember of course, we can only write up on classes in the beta, so what will it be? Priest, Paladin, Warrior and Rogue? Your choice!


Poll Results - Deathwing @ 3:42:24 EDT
It's a new week and time for a new poll. Without delay, here are the results to the current one:

Looking at all the information released with the beta, are you hyped up enough about World of Warcraft to buy it?
Totally!   252   47% 
Maybe   134   25% 
Not Really   85   16% 
No way   64   12% 

TOTAL

535

100

Looks like World of Warcraft is generally well recieved, with the majority willing to give it go. In fact, nearly half of oure viewers will most certainly get the game, which is pretty high for a game that requires subscription fee. That said, the proportion isn't quite as high as previous Blizzard games, but with MMORPGs, you can really expect that.


Clan iC vs. Clan t4r - Spider @ 0:49:07 EDT
From time to time Infoceptor has clan matches; we usually have the results posted on our boards. This matchup was against the clan t4r, who, after reading the report, acted rather shamelessly. They lost to boot.
  • Clan iC: 3
  • Clan t4r: 2

Contrary to what the score might lead you to believe, the match was not a close one. Our players totally dominated the scene, and had the manners to act polite and courteous despite the immature trash-talk that went on throughout the entire ordeal; in-game and out. You can check out Wyverngod's full report; be sure to post your thoughts.

Post in Clan iC's forum if you're interested having a match.


NEWS FOR Sunday, April 4, 2004

World of Warcraft Beta FAQ Updated - Deathwing @ 3:06:25 EDT
Yup, it's that time of the day again! We've got an updated version of the WoW Beta FAQ just for you! Drawing out a random question:

If you were to give a good range of how long it takes to get to every 5 levels how long would you say it takes to reach 1-5 levels, 6-10 levels, 11-15 levels, and so on?
Level 1-5: 1-2 hours
Level 5-10: 5-10 hours
Level 10-15: 20 hours?
Basically, it's really easy to rise the first few levels, so your character has a decent range of spells at his disposal. After that, raising levels becomes a chaollenge.

Read the rest here!


Map of the Week: Medieval Total War - Deathwing @ 1:46:53 EST
We break this week's Wow Coverage with another map, designed for your viewing pleasure. This one is a game that'll last a long time... but will be fun all the while.

Medieval: Total War is based vaguely on the game of the same name, where you as they player control sities from which you launch attacks. Unit stats have being adjusted, and players can now launches armis of hundreds against each other. In addition, the Tier Tree has being expanded... so that there are now 6 tiers dating right from Axemen to Cannons.

Sounds interesting? Download it here.

A talented map maker? Be sure to upload your creation!


NEWS FOR Saturday, April 3, 2004

Fan of Knives Nerf in Next Version - Deathwing @ 23:09:50 EST
We take a break from this message from Tom Cadwell, a member of the Game balance team for Warcraft 3 at Blizzard:

We agree that Fan of Knives at levels 2 and 3 is a bit on the strong side.

- TCadwell
Warcraft 3 Team

It looks inevitable that Fan of Knives will be nerfed in the next patch for Frozen Throne. Good news? Bad news? Post here.


Complete Warlock Coverage Revealed! - Deathwing @ 2:45:41 EST
After over a full days hard work, we're proud to release the complete archive all things Warlock, including a detailed compendium of every Warlock Spell available in the beta. From spell costs, spell damage, to all the pets that are available, this should server as the one stop source that'll keep you reading for hours.

Taking a random spell:

Immolate:
Cooldown: None
Target: Enemy
The basic offensive fire spell that's a cross between a direct damage and a damage over time spell. A player should cast this no more than once every 20 seconds, so that its damage over time portion takes full effect. So, no replacement of Shadow Bolt here! However, when used in conjunction with fear, it is quite effective. The spell is available right at the start, and should be purchases immediately.

RankRequired LevelCostManaCasting Time Range Damage Damage/Mana
1110252.0s30 yrd11 + 14hp over 21s1.00
21010502.0s30 yrd22 + 42hp over 21s1.28
322401052.0s30 yrd55 + 112hp over 21s1.59
4341 201852.0s30 yrd116 + 210hp over 21s1.76

 

Read the rest here:

And in case you haven't noticed, this means the Spell gallery has being updated with all your favorite Warlock spells in action:

And that concludes Infoceptor's major weekend update!


NEWS FOR Friday, April 2, 2004

For Those Who Missed the Jokes. . . - Ian @ 19:04:12 EST
Today Blizzard revealed that *gasp* they were indeed joking on recent news that they announced.

The Blizzard Joke Team™ will see you again next year. Just Kidding! We’re always around waiting to pounce!

If you missed out on the jokes, here is your chance to see them again:

Playable Two-Headed Ogre Race

Goblin Tinker Neutral Hero

.999~ = 1 Press Release

It's very entertaining indeed!  Well worth a look!


Additions in the Next WoW Push - Ian @ 18:55:19 EST
Today it was announced that the next push is just around the corner!  In addition to adding the Night Elf's cloaking ability, Katricia has also given us some more things to look forward to:

  • Many objects in the world have undergone data format changes to reduce memory usage. As an example, Stormwind in particular will use half the memory that it currently uses. Framerate Improvements!
  • If everything goes as planned, Druids will be available for y’all to try out!
  • Several new zones and dungeons are being added!
  • New class specific quests are being added!

    And so much more ...

    ~Kat :)

Well we have this and more to look forward to!  Stay tuned - We'll keep you up to date on the latest Blizzard news!  View our forumers remarks concerning this news here.


Game Over Online Previews WoW - Deathwing @ 16:50:52 EST
Gamneover Online has written up a preview for World of Warcraft. While it doesn't offer much in the way of new information, at least nothing you couldn't read here, it does offer another perspective. Though I have to disagree with the statement about items not being as exciting... World of Warcraft is saving all the good items for high levels players! Kudos to Phoen for the news!

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Cloak Visibility in next WoW Push - Deathwing @ 16:33:44 EST
Blizzard has announced that the next push of World of Warcraft will contains cloak visibility. So far in the beta, cloaks could not be seen on a character, but that will now change.

To demonstrate this, they've got a female night elf (who else?) as a model, and got 5 screenshots of her in all different angles. See them in the Screenshot Gallery