Tag: World of Warcraft

07DECEMBER

Mists of Pandaria, Returning from Tyria

Greetings From BlandariaHiya Players! Last week during the crazy Black Friday deals I found myself picking up only one thing on a whim: World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. I hadn’t planned on ever returning to Warcraft, but the memories of raiding and the $20 price tag on the expansion made me stop thinking about all the stuff I didn’t like for a bit in lieu of hope. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the best results.

When first logging in I was actually greeted by the friendliness of guildies from my old raiding group, which was a much welcome sign. Unfortunately the next thing that came out of his mouth was that they were in desperate need of a good healer (IE me) since they’re not making much progress in raids. This made me feel wanted, if not guilted, into at least trying to level.
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24OCTOBER

The LFR Loot System and Why It Can Still Be Improved

The new Looking for Raid (LFR) loot system is slowly becoming a widely talked about topic. It’s different and greatly disputed for what can only be described as ghastly. The original LFR loot system was not without its faults, but the new system (which also applies to World Bosses) leaves the player with a lack of accomplishment or feeling of reward. By lack of a feeling of reward I simply mean this does a small gold return seem like it’s worth your time?

Warcraft LFR Looking for Raid QueueOne thing to quickly point out is that the new Mogu’shan Vaults (MSV) LFR is much more difficult than the LFR version of Dragon Soul. This may be a response to how short it has been live, but the coordination required is much higher for Mogu’shan Vaults than Dragon Soul. So far in my trek through MSV the bosses have felt much more difficult and fulfilling. Read more about The LFR Loot System and Why It Can Still Be Improved …

19OCTOBER

MMO Payment Models and Evolution

Payment Methods Wario CoinsHiya Players! Today we’re going to take a look at various payment models that MMORPG (and other MMO games) use, and see where they different and the success that each model brings. There is no ‘right’ way to make a profit off MMOs, and it will change based on not only the content of the game but the target audience as well. Without further adieu, let’s dive in.
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15OCTOBER

Did The Secret World Have Too Much Innovation or Not Enough Commercialization?

Hiya Players. Today we’re going to take a look at the current influence and acceptable range of innovation in an MMO environment, versus the commercialization of a product to make it more familiar to fans of the genre. Our primary focus will be on The Secret World, which made a less than anticipated splash when released. This can be a highly debated topic, so we welcome your feedback in the comments.

The Secret World LogoLast week Penny Arcade posted an Interview with Martin Bruusgaard, former lead designer for FunCom’s The Secret World, discussing Read more about Did The Secret World Have Too Much Innovation or Not Enough Commercialization? …

06OCTOBER

PVS Voice: Colleen Lachowicz

Santiaga Colleen LachowiczHiya Players. Today is going to be a little bit off from our normal topics, but still within our realm. Fair warning that it does include talk of politics, but not really.

Our story today is about a social-worker by the name of Colleen Lachowicz who is running as Democrat for a position in the Maine State Senate. Colleen is in the news because her opposition is attacking her based on the fact that she plays World of Warcraft. That’s right, she’s being condemned for stating she plays a video game. They’ve set up an entire smear campaign against her, focusing on quotes that she posted on various World of Warcraft forums over the years. Most of which have been taken our of context. The primary quote that has been covered by the media has been:
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19MARCH

PVS WoW: Cataclysm Expansion Post-Mortem

With Blizzard having completed their World of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion pack, and well on the way to releasing their next expansion Mists of Pandaria; It’s a good time to review the completed expansion’s good points and points that could use improvement. Let’s get started.

1) Looking for Raid: This was a really good idea. With Blizzard’s market the way it is and their lack of attraction for new hardcore gamers, they really need to reach out to those casual gamers. I think the Looking for Raid (LFR) feature was a good idea. Most casual players that I know personally have never been into a raid prior to Cataclysm. Those who had been, usually sucked and didn’t get far. This was a great way for those newer players to get some experience in a raid environment without all the stress that comes with hardcore raiding. To be frank, the difficulty of LFR was ridiculously easy and most mechanics could simply be ignored. I think the idea of LFR was simply to get people in, then once the foot is in the door hope they want to go on to normal/heroic raiding after. My only beef is with the gear: It shouldn’t have been as good as it was. For what little work people did for it, it should have been on par (or lower) than 5 man heroics.
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27FEBRUARY

Player VS SWTOR: A guide for Warcraft players (Part 1)

The biggest name now for years in the MMO gaming industry has been World of Warcraft. Even for those that don’t currently play it, it’s undeniable that you’ve heard of it or know somebody who has. It’s become a staple in the online gaming community and home to many, many gamers. Because of this, it’s an easy point of reference for many concepts used throughout the massively multiplayer online gaming universe.

Thrall VS The Sith
Things change though, games get old and people move; such is life online. Moving is hard though! My goal today is to not only give you a good guide on what Star Wars: The Old Republic and World of Warcraft share, but also those things that make SWTOR different and what you need to know. When you’re finished this, you can jump in feet first and feel totally pro. Let’s get started!
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09FEBRUARY

Player VS SWTOR: A Fortnight in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Aside from my short trip through the weekend beta, my time playing Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) prior to launch was limited. However thanks to a lovely birthday gift card, I decided to pick this game up and give WoW a break for a bit. I was pleasantly surprised at what came out of […]