Filed under: WoW.joystiq.com/category/pvp/” rel=”tag”>PvP

In an informative tell-all, Cory Stockton, WoW‘s lead content designer, has posted a blog entry discussing the past, present, and future of Tol Barad, its cousin Wintergrasp, and his hopes for the balance changes that will soon be coming to Tol Barad. One particular issue mentioned is that the attacking side in Tol Barad is less favored as part of the design, but taking Tol Barad is too hard, as opposed to being just challenging. Check out the post on the WoW community site WoW/en/blog/2034541″>here, and check back later here on WoW Insider for my writeup and reactions to the changes.

For the most part, I think Stockton’s aims, goals, and intentions are good for Tol Barad, and people need to remember that the changes listed are not the end all, be all for the zone. We’ve got a lot of balancing coming, so hang tight.

WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider” style=”float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0″ />WoW.joystiq.com/2011/01/10/cory-stockton-addresses-tol-barad-balance/”>Cory Stockton addresses Tol Barad balance originally appeared on WoW.joystiq.com”>WoW Insider on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re just over a month into the expansion, and it’s continuing to set new records in PC gaming. Blizzard today revealed that the expansion sold more than 4.7 million copies in its first month, which is a new record for PC games.

This comes after incredible first-day sales of 3.3 million copies, shattering the previous mark of 2.8 million — set by Wrath of the Lich King, the game’s previous expansion.

“We created thousands of new quests, introduced new lands to explore, and extensively revamped the game world for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, making it our biggest and most ambitious expansion yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’ve been floored by the community’s response so far, and we’d like to thank them for their continued passion and support for World of Warcraft, and for helping Cataclysm reach this incredible milestone.”

Even though this is a record, it’s an interesting number considering the game has WoW-breaks-12-million-subscriber-milestone-proves-it-s-not-dying.aspx” rel=”nofollow”>more than 12 million subscribers. It makes you wonder how many of those 12 million players chose to enjoy leveling a new character or two before digging into the 80+ content. Or perhaps sales of Cataclysm do not include mainland China since the system is set up a bit differently there in comparison with other countries.

Still, after 6 years of service, it’s testament to the quality of the content in World of Warcraft that it continues to perform stronger over time. It’s not often you’ll find a game that can continue setting records more than half a decade after it was originally released. I’d say the game may end up being the Beatles of the MMO genre.

Image via Kotaku.

Brigitte Burdine, who worked on World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King as its Casting Director, and considered by many to be one of the best in the industry, was killed two nights ago in a hit-and-run accident inPlaya del Rey, a seaside community in Los Angeles, CA. She was said to be walking home from a late-night date with her boyfriend when a black sedan ran her over at approximately 1:45AM PST.

This has sent shockwaves throughout the industry, with a tremendous show of support for Burdine and her family. Unfortunately her killer is still at-large, with very little information about the accident currently available. One witness reported seeing the killer’s car come to a stop, but then take off, leaving the scene.

Voice actress Denise Gieser said, “Brigitte was instrumental in starting my VO career. I always enjoyed going into her studio to audition rather than send an MP3 because she was so awesome to be around. She was ALWAYS cheerful, smiling, positive, endearing, personable… loving. My heart hurts because of her loss.”

Burdine, 48, worked on a wide variety of video games as casting director, director, and in other sound-related areas. Earlier works also included film and television, and she’s contributed to quite a few projects as a voice actress as well.

If you feel that you’re able to provide information about the crime or the suspect, callLAPD investigator Martha Dominguez at (213) 473-0234 as soon as possible. Hopefully someone will be able to come forward and bring her killer to justice.

Image via Kotaku.

Brigitte Burdine, who worked on World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King as its Casting Director, and considered by many to be one of the best in the industry, was killed two nights ago in a hit-and-run accident inPlaya del Rey, a seaside community in Los Angeles, CA. She was said to be walking home from a late-night date with her boyfriend when a black sedan ran her over at approximately 1:45AM PST.

This has sent shockwaves throughout the industry, with a tremendous show of support for Burdine and her family. Unfortunately her killer is still at-large, with very little information about the accident currently available. One witness reported seeing the killer’s car come to a stop, but then take off, leaving the scene.

Voice actress Denise Gieser said, “Brigitte was instrumental in starting my VO career. I always enjoyed going into her studio to audition rather than send an MP3 because she was so awesome to be around. She was ALWAYS cheerful, smiling, positive, endearing, personable… loving. My heart hurts because of her loss.”

Burdine, 48, worked on a wide variety of video games as casting director, director, and in other sound-related areas. Earlier works also included film and television, and she’s contributed to quite a few projects as a voice actress as well.

If you feel that you’re able to provide information about the crime or the suspect, callLAPD investigator Martha Dominguez at (213) 473-0234 as soon as possible. Hopefully someone will be able to come forward and bring her killer to justice.

With Arena Season 9 starting this week, Blizzard today posted details on WoW/en/blog/1597874″ rel=”nofollow”>a new feature introduced with Cataclysm called War Games. Players will be able to participate in pre-arranged arena and battleground skirmishes against teams of their choosing, either to prove who is truly the best or to just get some practice in. It’ll also be great for trying out potential recruits in a format that doesn’t risk you losing team rating.

Because this new system will no doubt be confusing to some players, they also put together a FAQ to better explain it. The most important thing to remember is that you do not earn ratingfrom participating in War Games skirmishes. These are unranked matches.

Q: What’s a War Game?
A: A War Game is an unranked match in which one group of players challenges another group to an Arena or Battleground skirmish in a setting of their choosing. You will be able to initiate a War Game by using the /wargame or /wg command, as explained below.

Q: When will War Games be available?
A: War Games will become available with the start of Arena Season 9. After that point, you’ll be able to play a War Game at any time, regardless of whether a season is underway.

Q: How does it work?
A: After you’ve formed your group, use the /wargame or /wg command to challenge another group leader to a War Game match, like so:

/wg groupleadername mapname

Ifmapnameis left blank, a random Arena or Battleground will be chosen automatically based on the initiating team’s size.

For example: JohnnyRaider wants to challenge TommyPvP to a 2v2 Arena skirmish in the Nagrand Arena. After each forms a separate group with his respective Arena partner, JohnnyRaider uses the following command to start the War Game:

/wg tommypvp nagrand arena

TommyPvP will receive a pop-up notice stating “JohnnyRaider has challenged you to a War Game in the Nagrand Arena.”

TommyPvP then has a little over a minute to accept the challenge. Once he accepts, each group will be placed in the queue and will receive a pop-up window prompting them to enter the skirmish once it’s ready.

Q: Can I play War Game skirmishes against members of my own faction?
A: Yes! The War Game skirmish system allows you to challenge players in your same faction to Arena and Battleground matches. You can also challenge those of the opposite faction.

Q: Do I have to type the whole map name, or can I just type “/wg tommypvp warsong” to enter Warsong Gulch?
A: You can type only part of the Arena or Battleground name, and the system will select the closest match. If you want to be safe, you can use the entire name (as below) to launch a War Game skirmish.

Arenas:
Blade’s Edge Arena
Dalaran Sewers
Nagrand Arena
The Ring of Valor
Ruins of Lordaeron

Battlegrounds:
Alterac Valley
Arathi Basin
The Battle for Gilneas
Eye of the Storm
Isle of Conquest
Strand of the Ancients
Twin Peaks
Warsong Gulch

Random map options:
Random Battleground
All Arenas

Q: Can I challenge a team from another realm to a skirmish?
A: No, you can only challenge opponents on your own realm.

Q: Can I start a game if one team has fewer group members than the other?
A: You are able to create a Battleground War Game with uneven team sizes, but you are not able to create an Arena War Game with uneven team sizes. For example, an 8v5 Warsong Gulch War Game is possible, but launching an Arena War Game with uneven team sizes won’t work.

Q: What’s the largest possible size for a War Game?
A: Arena War Games can support up to 5v5 matches. Battleground group sizes are limited to the maximum number of participants each map normally allows.

Q: Are any statistics recorded from War Game skirmishes?
A: No, they work similarly to the old Arena skirmish system. Kills, damage, and healing are tracked and displayed at the end of the match, but wins and losses are not.

Q: How long does it take for a War Game match to start?
A: Once the challenge has been accepted, you will generally be through the queue in less than 30 seconds. War Games offer you a quick way to get into practice matches with other teams, test out potential recruits, or just have fun with your friends.

Q: Can I receive achievements or guild experience in a War Game?
A: Because you can pick who you play against, nothing is awarded for playing in these skirmishes — except for the rush that comes with a hard-won victory, of course.

Q: Do I get honor for killing players in a War Game Battleground?
A: No. These are skirmish matches, so no honor is awarded for objectives or kills.

Q: What’s the difference between the /wg command and the War Game button in the PvP interface?
A: The War Game button is used only for launching Battleground matches. The /wg command covers both Battleground and Arena skirmishes. We plan to further integrate the War Game feature into the PvP interface in a future patch.

Q: Why have you added this feature?
A: Players have long been asking for a way to challenge specific teams, guildmates, friends, and rivals to skirmish matches in Arenas and Battlegrounds of their choosing. We hope you enjoy this new feature, and we look forward to seeing you on the battlefield!

With Arena Season 9 starting this week, Blizzard today posted details on WoW/en/blog/1597874″ rel=”nofollow”>a new feature introduced with Cataclysm called War Games. Players will be able to participate in pre-arranged arena and battleground skirmishes against teams of their choosing, either to prove who is truly the best or to just get some practice in. It’ll also be great for trying out potential recruits in a format that doesn’t risk you losing team rating.

Because this new system will no doubt be confusing to some players, they also put together a FAQ to better explain it. The most important thing to remember is that you do not earn ratingfrom participating in War Games skirmishes. These are unranked matches.

Q: What’s a War Game?
A: A War Game is an unranked match in which one group of players challenges another group to an Arena or Battleground skirmish in a setting of their choosing. You will be able to initiate a War Game by using the /wargame or /wg command, as explained below.

Q: When will War Games be available?
A: War Games will become available with the start of Arena Season 9. After that point, you’ll be able to play a War Game at any time, regardless of whether a season is underway.

Q: How does it work?
A: After you’ve formed your group, use the /wargame or /wg command to challenge another group leader to a War Game match, like so:

/wg groupleadername mapname

Ifmapnameis left blank, a random Arena or Battleground will be chosen automatically based on the initiating team’s size.

For example: JohnnyRaider wants to challenge TommyPvP to a 2v2 Arena skirmish in the Nagrand Arena. After each forms a separate group with his respective Arena partner, JohnnyRaider uses the following command to start the War Game:

/wg tommypvp nagrand arena

TommyPvP will receive a pop-up notice stating “JohnnyRaider has challenged you to a War Game in the Nagrand Arena.”

TommyPvP then has a little over a minute to accept the challenge. Once he accepts, each group will be placed in the queue and will receive a pop-up window prompting them to enter the skirmish once it’s ready.

Q: Can I play War Game skirmishes against members of my own faction?
A: Yes! The War Game skirmish system allows you to challenge players in your same faction to Arena and Battleground matches. You can also challenge those of the opposite faction.

Q: Do I have to type the whole map name, or can I just type “/wg tommypvp warsong” to enter Warsong Gulch?
A: You can type only part of the Arena or Battleground name, and the system will select the closest match. If you want to be safe, you can use the entire name (as below) to launch a War Game skirmish.

Arenas:
Blade’s Edge Arena
Dalaran Sewers
Nagrand Arena
The Ring of Valor
Ruins of Lordaeron

Battlegrounds:
Alterac Valley
Arathi Basin
The Battle for Gilneas
Eye of the Storm
Isle of Conquest
Strand of the Ancients
Twin Peaks
Warsong Gulch

Random map options:
Random Battleground
All Arenas

Q: Can I challenge a team from another realm to a skirmish?
A: No, you can only challenge opponents on your own realm.

Q: Can I start a game if one team has fewer group members than the other?
A: You are able to create a Battleground War Game with uneven team sizes, but you are not able to create an Arena War Game with uneven team sizes. For example, an 8v5 Warsong Gulch War Game is possible, but launching an Arena War Game with uneven team sizes won’t work.

Q: What’s the largest possible size for a War Game?
A: Arena War Games can support up to 5v5 matches. Battleground group sizes are limited to the maximum number of participants each map normally allows.

Q: Are any statistics recorded from War Game skirmishes?
A: No, they work similarly to the old Arena skirmish system. Kills, damage, and healing are tracked and displayed at the end of the match, but wins and losses are not.

Q: How long does it take for a War Game match to start?
A: Once the challenge has been accepted, you will generally be through the queue in less than 30 seconds. War Games offer you a quick way to get into practice matches with other teams, test out potential recruits, or just have fun with your friends.

Q: Can I receive achievements or guild experience in a War Game?
A: Because you can pick who you play against, nothing is awarded for playing in these skirmishes — except for the rush that comes with a hard-won victory, of course.

Q: Do I get honor for killing players in a War Game Battleground?
A: No. These are skirmish matches, so no honor is awarded for objectives or kills.

Q: What’s the difference between the /wg command and the War Game button in the PvP interface?
A: The War Game button is used only for launching Battleground matches. The /wg command covers both Battleground and Arena skirmishes. We plan to further integrate the War Game feature into the PvP interface in a future patch.

Q: Why have you added this feature?
A: Players have long been asking for a way to challenge specific teams, guildmates, friends, and rivals to skirmish matches in Arenas and Battlegrounds of their choosing. We hope you enjoy this new feature, and we look forward to seeing you on the battlefield!

WoW/Murloc-Epic-Front.jpg” rel=”nofollow”>Fans of WoWpedia.org/Murlocs” rel=”nofollow”>Murlocs rejoice, now you can even drink out of them! Taverncraft today announced the availability of the newWoW/Murloc-Epic-Front.jpg” rel=”nofollow”>RAWGRLRLRLRRLGLRL!!! Murloc stein, the latest addition to the Epic Collection Stein series.

The stein — illustrated by fantasy artistMatt Cavotta — is available immediately. Priced at$99.99 / 81.99 EUR each, the stein is 10″ tall and features numerous Murlocs from the World of Warcraft universe, including the Winterfin Oracle, Bluefin Murloc and Murloc Tidehunter. It’s topped with an exclusive Murloc-themed solid pewter lid.

You can order your stein in the Taverncraft World of Warcraft section. While there, be sure to check out the selection of World of Warcraft-themed products currently available.

WoW/Murloc-Epic-Front.jpg” rel=”nofollow”>Fans of WoWpedia.org/Murlocs” rel=”nofollow”>Murlocs rejoice, now you can even drink out of them! Taverncraft today announced the availability of the newWoW/Murloc-Epic-Front.jpg” rel=”nofollow”>RAWGRLRLRLRRLGLRL!!! Murloc stein, the latest addition to the Epic Collection Stein series.

The stein — illustrated by fantasy artistMatt Cavotta — is available immediately. Priced at$99.99 / 81.99 EUR each, the stein is 10″ tall and features numerous Murlocs from the World of Warcraft universe, including the Winterfin Oracle, Bluefin Murloc and Murloc Tidehunter. It’s topped with an exclusive Murloc-themed solid pewter lid.

You can order your stein in the Taverncraft World of Warcraft section. While there, be sure to check out the selection of World of Warcraft-themed products currently available.

No doubt influenced heavily by digital pre-orders, Blizzard today revealed that World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has shattered previous marks for first-day sales in the PC gaming market. In its first 24 hours the expansion sold approximately 3.3 million copies, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time by eclipsing Wrath of the Lich King’s 2.8 million sold mark set in November 2008.

“We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content.”

Interestingly, GameStop is stating that Cataclysm sold better in its first day than StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, which is a bit surprising considering the lackluster turnout at our local San Francisco midnight opening. Perhaps other locales faired better, because I expected the digital download to have a severe negative impact on box sales. Then again with Lil’ Deathwing coming out of the Collector’s Edition, that was a sure hit, and something that you couldn’t digitally download — at least not in advance from Blizzard.

With so many first-day copies sold, it will be interesting to see how the expansion fairs in its first month. Will we see WoW-breaks-12-million-subscriber-milestone-proves-it-s-not-dying.aspx” rel=”nofollow”>a majority of the playerbase own the expansion by the end of the year? Or heck, do they already own it and Blizzard just hasn’t released week one numbers yet?

No doubt influenced heavily by digital pre-orders, Blizzard today revealed that World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has shattered previous marks for first-day sales in the PC gaming market. In its first 24 hours the expansion sold approximately 3.3 million copies, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time by eclipsing Wrath of the Lich King’s 2.8 million sold mark set in November 2008.

“We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content.”

Interestingly, GameStop is stating that Cataclysm sold better in its first day than StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, which is a bit surprising considering the lackluster turnout at our local San Francisco midnight opening. Perhaps other locales faired better, because I expected the digital download to have a severe negative impact on box sales. Then again with Lil’ Deathwing coming out of the Collector’s Edition, that was a sure hit, and something that you couldn’t digitally download — at least not in advance from Blizzard.

With so many first-day copies sold, it will be interesting to see how the expansion fairs in its first month. Will we see WoW-breaks-12-million-subscriber-milestone-proves-it-s-not-dying.aspx” rel=”nofollow”>a majority of the playerbase own the expansion by the end of the year? Or heck, do they already own it and Blizzard just hasn’t released week one numbers yet?