The World of Warcraft Thread

[Justsomeguy]

Is the population of this game still growing? If so, I'm surprised. After playing several mmorpg's, I now hate pretty much all of them. Too time consuming and just not fun.

Everquest original was fun. I even enjoyed FFXI a little. And vaguely Ultima. However, WoW was bad when I played it and I could not imagine it being any better. It definitely never came close to offering what EQ classic did.

[Frosstbyte]

Originally Posted by Chingal0

Frosstbyte, here you go.

http://tkasomething.com/avatarfaq.php

That site helped me out a ton, course I already knew how to kite from years of EQ, but this guide helped alot.

Yeah, it's not a problem of knowing what to do, it's a problem of knowing how to do it. I don't know how to jump-shoot, so I have to strafe-kite and it's just a pain in my butt.

Thanks for the help, though.

[Scorps]

Quick question...Im rank 2 PvP I got 95 HK's in like 4 hours will that move me to rank 3??

[Lasereth]

The HKs don't matter...how many contribution points did you get (honor)? My guess is hell no, but I could be wrong. It depends on how PVP-centered your server is as well. On my server, it takes 30,000 CPs to get above rank 2. That's around 5 hours of Arathi Basin plus at least 400-500 HKs.

-Lasereth

[Frosstbyte]

It takes 30k CP to get rank 2? Damn. I'm going to be holding rank 6 with less than 40k on Shattered Hand. (our server sucks for PvP, by the way)

[Lasereth]

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

It takes 30k CP to get rank 2? Damn. I'm going to be holding rank 6 with less than 40k on Shattered Hand. (our server sucks for PvP, by the way)

Bleeding Hollow usually follows this CP statistic:

Rank 1 = 25 kills
Rank 2 = 30,000 CPs
Rank 3 = 40,000 CPs
Rank 4 = 60,000 CPs
Rank 5 = 80,000 CPs
Rank 6 = 120,000 CPs
Rank 7 = 150,000 CPs
Rank 8 = 180,000 CPs
Rank 9 = 300,000 CPs
Rank 10 = 500,000 CPs
Rank 11 = 1,000,000 CPs

You can imagine how bad it gets after rank 11. There are people on my server that get 400,000 a week, so it's not hard for the absolute freakshows. I personally can't sit in AB for 24/7, so I usually get 50-100k a week casually.

-Lasereth

[seretogis]

Well, 1.9 is on the public test realm now, so you can see what I look like in full Netherwind (tier 2). It's... different.... :P

Primary = Claw of Chromaggus
Offhand = Master Dragonslayer's Orb (Nef's Head reward)

[BigGov]

Do you get all the coolest equipment on the test realm automatically or do you still have to work for it?

[Frosstbyte]

All demons dead. Runed staff in hand. Onyxia must drop her sinew! You kind of have to wonder why it's so damn hard to get sinew from her. I mean, she's a huge freaking dragon. Can't I just reach in and grab a handful?

[Apokx]

Originally Posted by BigGov

Do you get all the coolest equipment on the test realm automatically or do you still have to work for it?

You copy your characters over exactly as they are.

So you work for new items.

[seretogis]

Originally Posted by BigGov

Do you get all the coolest equipment on the test realm automatically or do you still have to work for it?

I have full Netherwind on the live server, I just copied my character over to Test to see what it will look like when 1.9 is patched.

[Crack]

Originally Posted by seretogis

I have full Netherwind on the live server, I just copied my character over to Test to see what it will look like when 1.9 is patched.

Please tell me you are not on a PvP server, that would just hurt my feelings...


I just got my 3rd piece of arcanist (gloves/sholders/robe) on Bleeding Hollow and I was out rolled on my freaking ToEP... bastards... almost exaulted with AV though (about 2000 rep off), so I can finally get a nice off hand for my mageblade...

[Frosstbyte]

Ony coughed up her sinew as hoped. I'm the proud new owner of my epic bow and staff. Yay! I celebrated by two-shotting a bunch of mages in AB. Sorry Sere, your kind is just so squishy right now! (especially when they're too stupid to blink towards me or otherwise prevent my aimed shot from going off in their face)

[ObieX]

LOL its always fun to watch hunters when I blink close to themr. They always stand there confused as to what to do. Most try to back up to get range, and i just follow them dumping instant cast spells. Maybe i'll hit frost nova and stay in that sweet spot between melee and ranged. The confusion is priceless tho.

[Lasereth]

I did poorly last week!! I only got around 65,000 CPs. That won't get me to Knight Captain. Damn holidays! You'd figure it'd be easier to play more often during holidays, but stuff kept coming up and I just couldn't stay in AB for any extended period of time. Oh well, it'll get me pretty damn close to Knight Captain (I was already 2/5 through).

-Lasereth

[MrFlux]

Originally Posted by ObieX

LOL its always fun to watch hunters when I blink close to themr. They always stand there confused as to what to do. Most try to back up to get range, and i just follow them dumping instant cast spells. Maybe i'll hit frost nova and stay in that sweet spot between melee and ranged. The confusion is priceless tho.

I hate mages... however, sounds like these hunters need to get Scatter Shot so they stand a chance, otherwise that "sweet spot" is gunna get them fucked in the ass ~_~ Before I had scattershot, a mage beat me before I could even damage him because of the deadzone :/

[Carno]

Well, I did it.

I finally broke down and downloaded the 10 day trial of WoW. Two weeks before finals week, no less. I'm doomed.

[ObieX]

LOL i wouldn't start that till after finals. Seriously

[Gabbyness]

Every now and then a mage will blink next to me and get plowed with an 800pt raptor strike. It rarely happens, but I get pretty fired up when it does!

[Lasereth]

I got 7/8 towards Knight Captain. I'll definitely have it down on Tuesday. Getting awfully close to Lieutenant Commander! I'm stopping at rank 10. It's actually more absurd than I initially realized on my server to get past rank 10. A guy in my guild got 570,000 CPs last week and it put him 1/4 through rank 12...I don't think so.

-Lasereth

[Scorps]

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

Ony coughed up her sinew as hoped. I'm the proud new owner of my epic bow and staff. Yay! I celebrated by two-shotting a bunch of mages in AB. Sorry Sere, your kind is just so squishy right now! (especially when they're too stupid to blink towards me or otherwise prevent my aimed shot from going off in their face)

LMAO I blink away from people like you

[Lasereth]

I did Molten Core for the first time last night. That was really fun!! Had a bunch of great drops and hopefully next time I'll have a chance at the Obsidian Edged Blade (I'll have enough DKP then!). We took down Lucifron, Magmadar, Gehennas, Garr, Baron Geddon, and Shazzrah. The Obsidian Edged Blade dropped off of Baron and a Paladin used his DKP on it. Whatever!!

-Lasereth

[MrFlux]

Haha our first OEB went to a pally too, and the next one went to a Warrior who used it for about a week then got Bonereaver's Edge hehe.

[Crack]

My Mage Lucius in Arcanist/Azuresong Mageblade. I am only wearing 3 pieces in the Pic, got all my +damage gear on for PvP.

Frostbolts normal hit for around 820-860ish I have a SS somewhere of me criting a Rogue in AV with my battle standard/AV buff/Flask of supreme power for 2950-something. I love 1 shotting people.

Nice dress ehh?

[Hardknock]

Originally Posted by Carn

Well, I did it.

I finally broke down and downloaded the 10 day trial of WoW. Two weeks before finals week, no less. I'm doomed.

I've been thinking about getting this. Do you have to pay to play like star wars galaxies?

[seretogis]

Originally Posted by crackprogram

Please tell me you are not on a PvP server, that would just hurt my feelings...


I just got my 3rd piece of arcanist (gloves/sholders/robe) on Bleeding Hollow and I was out rolled on my freaking ToEP... bastards... almost exaulted with AV though (about 2000 rep off), so I can finally get a nice off hand for my mageblade...

Sorry! We're on Mannoroth, one of the first PvP servers that came up on release day. We have -- I think -- eight guilds that have killed Nefarian so far, which is more than I've heard of any other server except perhaps Shattered Hand.

[Frosstbyte]

I'm on Shattered Hand and I don't think we have eight yet. Drama, Indomitable and Death and Taxes have kills for the Alliance, but I believe only Relentless has a kill for horde. There are at least four guilds, I think, that are ON Nef but haven't killed him yet. WarEnsemble and Riders of the Apocalypse are very close, but haven't done it yet, so you guys might be ahead of us. For having the first kill, our entire server certainly isn't all caught up to that point.

In other, less exciting, news, my second guild in as many months fell apart, so I'm on the hunt...again. Thank goodness Onyxia coughed up her sinew on Monday before things went to shit. I could've been waiting for a LONG time if I didn't get it then. Ah well, I think I have pretty good prospects in a guild that's working on Firemaw now. Assuming I get in, that's a pretty lateral move for me, so I'm hopeful that stuff will work out.

[4evar]

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

I'm on Shattered Hand and I don't think we have eight yet. Drama, Indomitable and Death and Taxes have kills for the Alliance, but I believe only Relentless has a kill for horde. There are at least four guilds, I think, that are ON Nef but haven't killed him yet. WarEnsemble and Riders of the Apocalypse are very close, but haven't done it yet, so you guys might be ahead of us. For having the first kill, our entire server certainly isn't all caught up to that point.

In other, less exciting, news, my second guild in as many months fell apart, so I'm on the hunt...again. Thank goodness Onyxia coughed up her sinew on Monday before things went to shit. I could've been waiting for a LONG time if I didn't get it then. Ah well, I think I have pretty good prospects in a guild that's working on Firemaw now. Assuming I get in, that's a pretty lateral move for me, so I'm hopeful that stuff will work out.

Yup only 4 guilds on SH have killed Nef.

[Carno]

Originally Posted by Hardknock

I've been thinking about getting this. Do you have to pay to play like star wars galaxies?

You don't have to pay for the trial, but you do have to cough up a credit card number. It then asks you what payment plan you want so it can auto charge your account after the ten days is up.

So if you decide you don't like the game, make sure you cancel your account or you will buy a month of game time.

[Lasereth]

I have 50k this week. YEE HAW for Knight-Captain tomorrow. I've been waiting for this rank since April (no joke!!). After Tuesday, it's only 2 ranks to my WoW goal (Lieutenant Commander). Then I'm done with my warrior for a while and it's priest time.

-Lasereth

[Crack]

Originally Posted by Lasereth

I have 50k this week. YEE HAW for Knight-Captain tomorrow. I've been waiting for this rank since April (no joke!!). After Tuesday, it's only 2 ranks to my WoW goal (Lieutenant Commander). Then I'm done with my warrior for a while and it's priest time.

-Lasereth

come outside and duel me laz, I wanna see how the warrior has progressed! :P

[dabossy2k]

Hey video tape that I want to see you guys battle.

[MrFlux]

So I got to rank 6 this week and all you get is a new Tabard?

~_~

[Lasereth]

I got rank 8!! My warrior is totally badass now. I still need a new weapon though. Here's a few screenshots.

<IMG SRC=http://www.appstate.edu/~bt52438/rank8b.jpg>

<IMG SRC=http://www.appstate.edu/~bt52438/rank8A.jpg>

-Lasereth

[Lasereth]

Originally Posted by crackprogram

come outside and duel me laz, I wanna see how the warrior has progressed! :P

For some reason I have the feeling you're a Frost mage. No thanks.

-Lasereth

[Cynthetiq]

COMM 3344: Games for the web (Interactive multimedia)
Spring 2005

Dr. Aaron Delwiche (adelwich@trinity.edu)
Course meeting times: T + TH 2:10 - 3:25 (RCC 400 /402)
Office Hours: M + F 10:30-1:30T + TH 9:30 - 11:30
Office: Laurie 363
Phone: 999-8153

Course description

A staple of nerd subculture for almost three decades, role-playing games have taken on new life in the era of networked computing. High-speed connections, sophisticated graphics and powerful microprocessors have paved the way for massively multiplayer games (MMOs) such as City of Heroes, Star Wars Galaxies, and Second Life.

The popularity of these virtual environments is staggering. At any given moment, at least 90,000 players are interacting with one another in Norrath -- the fictional world of Everquest. With game characters and virtual objects fetching thousands of dollars on eBay, sweat shops have been set up in developing nations to service this micro-economy (Dibbell, 2003). According to one recent study, the world of Everquest is the 77th richest “nation” on the planet with a per-capita GNP that outstrips China and India (Castranova, 2002).

In recent months, we have seen the emergence of second generation MMOs characterized by stunning visuals, improved artificial intelligence, and game dynamics that appeal to a broader variety of playing styles. One of these games, World of Warcraft, sold 250,000 copies in November 2004. It was the most successful PC game launch in history, outstripping the sales of Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Half-Life 2.

Of course, MMOs are just one subset of a much larger videogame industry. From home gaming consoles to arcade-based machines, gamers are confronted with a staggering array of choices. As more individuals turn to interactive media for entertainment, television and film audiences are dwindling. In 1999, “total videogame software and hardware sales in the U.S. reached $8.9 billion, versus $7.3 billion for movie box-office receipts” (Poole, 2000, p. 6). Clearly, videogames are here to stay.

In this course, we will conduct an ethnographic study of the behaviors, cultural practices, and motivations of MMO gamers. Along the way, we will play and critically analyze a variety of videogames. In addition to exploring game mechanics and video-game aesthetics, we will investigate sociological and psychological dimensions of virtual worlds as well as social controversies surrounding game violence and gender representations.

We have three objectives:

1. to explore themes of cyberculture studies through sustained interaction with other residents of World of Warcraft

2. to understand the behaviors, cultural practices, and motivations of MMO players through the use of ethnographic methods

3. to develop a critical vocabulary for analyzing all types of videogames

Prior technical and gaming experience is not required for this course.

Course requirements and materials

Readings will be drawn from the course packet and from two assigned texts.

Communication 3344-1: Games for the web

Richard Bartle (2003) Designing virtual worlds. Berkeley: New Riders Games.

Vernor Vinge and James Frenkel (2001) True names: And the opening of the cyberspace frontier. New York: Tor Books.

World of Warcraft game software ($45)

World of Warcraft monthly subscription ($15/month. First month is free.)
The course packet, which costs $___, is available at Kinko’s Paw Prints on the third floor of Coates Library. You are responsible for all assigned readings, even if they are not addressed during class.

Throughout the semester, we will spend a significant amount of time in World of Warcraft. This virtual world is an ideal location for studying on-line gamers, cyberculture, and videogame aesthetics. A significant amount of class time will be spent in the game-world, but you are also expected to devote at least five hours a week to ethnographic research within World of Warcraft. To ensure that everyone spends enough time in the virtual world, two group gaming sessions will be held between 6:30 and 9:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. You are expected to attend at least one of these sessions each week.

You are welcome to play the game on the lab computers when other classes are not using the facilities, and you may also be able to install the game on your personal system. If you want to install the game on your home system, it must meet basic system requirements.

If your computer is more than two years old, your graphics card may not be capable of rendering this three-dimensional environment. If this is the case, you will have to access the game via the lab machines.

LINK

Woah.... now that's pretty incredible...

[Frosstbyte]

Did I mention I'm going to drop out of law school and take that class?

Kthx. In other news, new guild, broodlord dead on first try, firemaw to 10%. He's going down tomorrow. Go us!

[dabossy2k]

Now thats a class. But in other news any guilds recruiting on any server I want to join a raiding guild.

[Halx]

Heh.. my guild is recruiting.. we're going to start doing MC/BWL runs. We actually know MC inside and out, but we haven't ever been big enough to run it by ourselves - only in an alliance. How fast can you get to 60? We're Alliance on Silvermoon.

[lagoonguy]

Anyone playing on Deathwing server as Horde? I'm a lvl 19 troll rogue, ReeRov.