Ozzy Glasses!

[X-Posting this to the WoW suggestion forum]

Dear Blizzard,

With the inclusion of barber shops and abilities to change our hairstyles in Wrath of the Lich King, you took an extra initiative and helped fulfill the dreams and fantasies of Night Elf Mohawk-wannabes and Mr. T fanboys across the world by letting Nelf males have that mohawk hairstyle.

Good for you.

I think it's high time you took a new initiative with including items seen in your celebrity commercials. I'm speaking not as a Shatner-fanboy or a Vern Troyer follower, but I most certainly am an Ozzy fan, so I propose this.

In preperation for my future goblin mage once Cataclysm goes live, I think Ozzy Osbourne style sunglasses would make a fine addition to WoW as in-game items and would look especially good on an up and coming goblin spell-caster. I would bet that I am not the only one who would like to see this, so you really should get on top of this and make it happen.

Like, right now.

:)

Sincerely,

A Happy and Hopeful WoW Gamer

Deathwing's Homecoming (Chris Metzen at Blizzcon)

I'm sure some have seen this, but here's some information on Deathwing as told by Christ Metzen at Blizzcon.



That actually explains a great deal of things. After seeing the images of Deathwing on the Cataclysm website and reading how it was his return that pretty much turned the world on its head, I couldn't help but think "He seems a lot more powerful than he used to be." Now I know why. :)

It's kind of the reverse on what we saw with the Lich King thus far. At the end The Frozen Throne we see Arthas' ascension and him becoming the Lich King, and we get the impression that he's going to be the new "be all, end all" villain of Azeroth, the greatest threat to humanity. We're left kind of thinking that when it comes time for him to be seen on WoW, that's going to be the biggest and baddest raid boss that we ever fight. Lo and behold, here we are not far away from the end of Wrath of the Lich King, and the dude is on a fast track to becoming the most overrated villain ever.

What does he do throughout the expansion? At the end of the Death Knight intro quest he gets pwned a bit by Tirion Fordring, and all the subsequent appearances after that in Northrend involves him showing up, threatening the players, sending his followers to their deaths against the players, or getting pwned somemore. Not all that threatening. It could very well change with the opening of Icecrown Citadel. We'll have to wait and see.

However, Arthas is probably miffed about something else right now besides a tournament that is meant to be a symbol of defiance against him being setup in his own backyard. That thing is the unveiling of Deathwing and the future big ka-boom that he is going to make.

Those who know their Warcraft Lore will know that Deathwing started rather small when he was first introduced. He was little more than a normal dragon unit with beafed up stats and a cooler looking portrait. All we knew of him at that time was that he was an evil dragon who had metal plates grafted onto his hide.

Since then more lore was added about him and he became one of the five dragon aspects, lord of the Black Dragon flight, and one of the most notorious villains in Azeroth history. There was probably not a single civilization in the world who didn't know about Deathwing.

Now he's making an even bigger jump from his previous status than before. The shere potential for how badass this guy is now is kind of disturbing and exciting on what we'll be facing.

Jonesrogen

I posted this on my LJ and a couple other places, but I figure why not here too. :)

Anyway, my proposed goblin character for when the Cataclysm comes:

Jonesrogen
Goblin Arch-Pyromancer of Kezan,
World Renowned Archeologist, Demolitionist, and Burninator,
Illustrious Gambler, Womanizer and Taster of Fine Wines,
Loremaster of all things Ghostly, Goblinish, and things related to Dragons,
and General Destroyer of Random Crap while cruisin' on a Harley.

"I'll see you on the other side!" B-)



The guy in front is a mage but I don't think that's what Jonesrogen is going to look like. I'm hoping for a bit more hair on gobbies than this. We'll have to wait and see though.

Cataclysm: New Hero Class?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to remember Blizzard saying at some point after they announced Wrath of the Lich King that there would be a new hero class released with every expansion from here on out.

Did they say that? I think that's what they were alluding to, but they certainly said that more would be following after Death Knights.

Where is Cataclysm's hero class? I was hoping for something dragonish! Dragonknight? Dragon Wizard? Dragonjester?

Don't tell me that the recent class balance fiasco with Death Knights scared Blizzard away from introducing new classes into the. I guess that would be understandable because the concept of "Hero Class" was kind of a fail when it came to Death Knights. They should have just called them a new class that started out at level 55.

Well, after doing some research, it seems that Blizz is deciding not to include any new classes with this expansion. Too bad. :(

Cataclysm: Mini-Expansion?

Howdy all.

I can't help but think that Cataclysm is going to amount to something more on the lines of a "Mini-Expansion" rather than a full blown expansion like Burning Crusade or Wrath.

Sure, we have a great deal of new content coming out such as two new races being released, and the level cap is raising. Just by five levels though instead of ten?

Also, there really isn't all that much being added as far as new zones are concerned. A lot of old world material is being redesigned, yes. But actual new zones? Hyjal, Twilight Highlands, South Seas, Gilneas, and a few others.

It doesn't seem to amount to what we were given in BC or Wrath, yet it's enough to amount to its own software.

I say this because I wonder, will Cataclysm take less time to release than Burning Crusade or Wrath of the Lich King?

Wha...?

From WoWwiki's Cataclysm page:

"Stats armor penetration, attack power, block value, defense, mp5, and spell power are being removed from the game."

0_O

0_o

@_@

~_~

So...what then?

Back In Business...Sort Of

I renewed my WoW account today. I didn't think I would be able to do to some freaky computer issues, but the computer itself seems fine. It's my connection that sucks balls right now. I'm not sure if it's the modem or my ethernet card that's giving issues, and hopefully I'll be able to get it fixed soon. In any case, glad to see the inside of WoW again. :)

PS: I'm still going to keep my time to a relative minimum compared to before. Probably not much on raiding, assuming VR is doing any right now. I'm hoping they are.

So, Mankirk's Wife...

What's going to happen to the poor girl's body once the Barrens gets its face lifted I wonder.

Will Mankirk have finally gone out and retrieved it and given it a proper burial after all these years? Or will she fall down into a deep, fiery ravine and have her be burned not-so-alive.

Either way, I see it as a win-win situation for her. The poor woman has had to put up with five years now of her dumbass husband not going out to where her body was, taking it a graveyard, and giving her the proper burial one think she is entitled to, yes? Instead, it's four years of him begging noobs to go out and help him find it for him, and they go out, fondle her corpse to make sure it's her, then go back and let him know where it was.

Just how many times did that happen accross all the game servers combined over the last five years? Probably in the millions I would guess. Imagine a million noobs being sent out to poke your corpse and then go back to tell your husband, and then he never comes out to get you. He just gets another noob! That would piss me off! Right now I'd be willing to bet that Mankrik's wife is wishing that the Lich King had come to visit her to join the Scourge and make her into a Death Knight, so that she would have been able to come back and Scourge Strike him in the junk. Instead she's likely going to have to wait until the Barrens gets torn in half and her body falls into the lava, never to be seen again, much lest to be prodded by noobs. I'm sure she thinks that is a bonus!

And what's more, what's going to happen to Crossroads when the Barrens go up in flames? It is kind of right in the middle of Barrens, so unless the rift kind of does a zig and then a zag at exactly the right time, there will be no more crossroads.

Mankrik's Wife: "Did you hear that, you dirty bastard! I may be going down in flames, but I'm taking you with me! Thank you, Deathwing!" XD

I also kind of think that the other NPC's of Crossroads will be happy to go as well. Never again will they have to put up with Alliance assholes sacking the entire town and then wonder why no one came out to help, and they'll never again have to facepalm whenever they hear Barren's chat! Win! They had to put up with about five years of such silliness and apathy, I think death would be most welcome for the poor souls.

Well, that's just my opinion though. We'll just have to wait and see what fate has in store for Mankrik, his wife, and the people of Crossroads.

Alright, I Confess

I think it's about time I started getting back into WoW, but I'm still having computer issues. I might download some AVG anti-virus to compensate for the Norton I refuse to pay for (can't afford right now), but that doesn't change the fact that my home internet is still slow. I might give Comcast a buzz about that and see if they can get someone to check it out. We'll see.

Hopefully it really is them and not my computer.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with the announcement of the new cataclysm! Well...almost nothing. I admit, that expansion looks damn cool. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Death Wing shows up again.

And we still have Arthas to deal with! 0_0

Another Facepalm Pic...

Or even better, an Implied Facepalm!


I think it's a bit more fitting for this situation.

Picture this. A system where your class is determined by what weapon you are currently wielding. So, if you want to be a fighter you take up a sword, or if you want to be a wizard you take up a staff. It seems kind of ass backwards to me and it was a system I hoped that a certain game I've been looking at would not use.

Unfortunately it looks like they are using that system. Not only that, but they are going to apparently allow players to switch weapons, and their class, right in the middle of combat. Furthermore, when they change weapons then they change their appearance as well, so fighters will look like fighters just by holding their swords just as wizards will have gandalf hats and robes when they bring a staff out. Just pick a weapon and *poof*.

There is no certainty that FFXIV will be using this system, but reading their website descriptions, that's the vibe that I am getting. If it is, this game is badly setting itself up to fail very early in its career. What happens when a player masters life as a healer and a warrior? All they have to do is fight with one, switch to the other, heal himself to full, and switch back. It's like WoW paladins set on infinite God mode and something that will turn out to be very, very boring.

Disappointing to say the least. I was really hoping for better with this game.

Uh-huh....

Why in the nine hells didn't I see THIS coming?

Ridiculous, but to be expected at this point. The earlier news released that multiplayer Starcraft 2 will be restricted to Battle.net only, and will not be supported for Lan play, was a close factor in making me wonder if I will bother getting this game or not. I consider it to be a sign of greed on the part of the developers for this game. Kind of like what EA did with Spore and that "can only install this game from one disk a few times before it becomes useless" issue.

Are you becoming the next Sony Online Entertainment, Blizzard? The next Electronic Arts? You used to care more about your players than you did about your dollars. With what's been going on with WoW over the past number of months and now this, I think it's become kind of apparent to me that that's not the case anymore. I guess we can see the outcome of that whole deal with Activision now, can't we?

Someone mentioned Diablo 3 will probably be pushed back to late 2011 as well. Dudes, don't make me laugh or cry. Okay? 2011 is when we'll see the next expansion for World of Warcraft get released, which will probably be announced sometime very early next year, or at the end of this year. There are some new MMO's coming up in development that are scheduled to get released sometime next year and Blizzard is going to need something to compete with that, so whatever the next expansion is for WoW, THAT will become their next pet project.

Diablo 3? We can expect it sometime in 2013, that is if it doesn't go the same way as StarCraft: Ghost.

...but I also might make a wrong choice.

They released some information on the races for Final Fantasy XIV today.

I had a hunch that even though the avatars and looks of these races were about the same as their FFXI counterparts, they would do something like change the names. Well, they did, and this is what they have to offer.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w62/Egobrane/1249399178914.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w62/Egobrane/1249399056298.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w62/Egobrane/1249399301196.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w62/Egobrane/1249398998514.jpg

Let me say that yes I agree, these races do look very nice, though I will miss the original Tarutaru cuteness. Personally I think the old version did look better than the new, but I seem to be in the minority with this opinion.

I also seem to be in the minority on the fact that I really do not like the new names of the FFXIV races. First off, I have to say, why the hell even change them up? They are the same races, and though they are in a new world, new setting, did you guys have to give them new names? And such lame names as well?

These names make it sound like it was from a poorly crafted, poorly translated anime that is more childish than Pokemon.

Sorry, but Lalafell instead of Tarutaru?

With the way they look now and that name to go with it, it's going to feel like I'm playing a damn teletubby.

I LOATHE teletubbies!!!

Will I be able to play this? I don't know. I would still like to try it out but now I have to see some game mechanics, class mechanics, and other things to keep my interest. I hate to think that a silly think like race looks and what they are called is going to be a deciding factor, but I would rather play a damn WoW gnome than play something that feels like a teletubby. That's all there is to it.

PS: Don't get me wrong. I had these inhibitions when I first saw the Tarutaru and what they looked like, and today I love them. I'm still an avid fan of the little guy with high capability for nuking (except WoW gnomes who sound annoying and look like mini-pedophiles). I might still be willing to give the new Taru...er, the Lalafell a chance. It might work out pretty well. We'll see.

Looks like I made the right choice...

Blizzard just released the patch notes for Patch 2.3: "Call of the Crusade" or whatever. Like I give a fuck anymore. After reading these patch notes and seeing that my suspicions are now verified, I am now undoubtedly finished with this game.

Fuck you, Blizzard. I may see you in StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3, but hell if I'm going to give you any more time for World of Warcraft or your new MMORPG that is supposedly in development.

Let's take a look. Click here to see the newest patch notes.

The first glaring nerf to the DK: "Frost Strike: This ability can now be dodged, parried, or blocked. Weapon damage bonus reduced to 55%, down from 60%." If that's not a nerf, I don't know what their definition of a nerf really is. DK tanks depended on this ability as a way to gain hate on mobs because it could not be blocked, dodged, or parried. Now this and it's damage has been decreased as well as an extra slap in the face. Tell me Blizzard, just how many of your arena regulars needed to bitch and moan to get you to make THAT change?

It doesn't end there either. Look at these gems:

Icebound Fortitude: Cooldown increased to 2 minutes.

Frost Presence: 10% bonus health reduced to 6% bonus stamina.

Toughness: This talent now grants 2/4/6/8/10% armor instead of 3/6/9/12/15%, placing it in line with similar abilities of other classes

I really, really, REALLY feel sorry for Death Knight tanks now. I am also really really glad that I no longer play this game. I hope Dathaniel the tauren DK and Dakore the orc shaman are enjoying their retirement back home in Mulgore and Durotar. The chances that you'll see them in this game I now consider about ruined are slim to none. I've had enough of seeing PvE players get screwed because Blizzard's rampant asskissing of their PvE player base.

I'll read about the Lich King's downfall in the newspapers.

Final Fantasy XIV and MMO Essentials #3: Keep Your PvP Out of my PvE (part 2)

Continuing on this subject of PvE players being screwed by a PvP system that sucks yesterday's crack pipes, I come to you with another issue. Last time it was about PvP'ers who would get their way when they complain enough to developers and get the nerfs they want, and PvE'ers are the ones who have to compensate for the sudden difference in their toon's capabilities.

Now I'm going to talk about something different, and I hope that SquareEnix is paying attention to this (more wishful thinking).

Bottom line: I don't want to see another situation where some bored, high level asshole walks into a low-level enemy town, kills all the NPC guards, kills all the NPC vendors, kills all the quest givers, and then sits there and mocks the low level players who just got screwed, and then get away with it with nothing happening to him.

Ever.

I swear on the name of God and Jesus, if this happens once in Final Fantasy XIV I will quit the game right then and there. If they get to the point where they've killed a few vendors and then a mass of guards equal to the player runs out and stomps his skull into the mud, then I would laugh, because that's what should happen. If they let it progress to the point where a town is destroyed and people are sitting there waiting for something to happen... No. Just no.

If I wanted to keep participating in that shit, I would not have quit WoW. I gained interest in FFXIV because it's a new Final Fantasy MMO and I'm hoping to escape that ludicrous bullshit. I know there are a few proponents to PvP being in the game. They can have it, just keep it in its own designated areas and have no world PvP in the game whatsoever. I could live with that better than anything.

So this is my suggestion to SquareEnix. Please, please, please leave world wide PvP out of the game. You can keep in stuff like the Balista matches or assigned battle grounds if you want to, I don't care. Just keep tucked away in a corner where I don't have to see it if I don't want. Those players who want unrestricted world domination PvP that like to go in and slaughter entire towns can get bent. If they're upset by my words I'm telling them now to ship off back to WoW and Warhammer Online.

Leave Final Fantasy XIV for the PvE players!