| Thalin | #156609 Friday October 28, 2005 at 12:21 | |
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So you may have heard about this game called World of Warcraft. It's pretty popular, clocking in at 4.5 million subscribers and counting. When it launched in November last year, the "experts" had determined, after cashing their consultation fees, that the massively multiplayer market was virtually saturated -- that pretty much everyone who was interested in MMOs was already playing one. Well, one year later, it turns out that those people are rather wrong, and Blizzard Entertainment is hard at work on Burning Crusade, the expansion to their blockbuster foray into the persistent online market. Nestled in an unassuming office park somewhere in Irvine (Blizzard prefers to keep the location of its main office discreet), Awesomeness HQ is a cluster of several buildings. Walking up to the main building, you wouldn't have much of a clue of what it housed. There's no huge logo on the building, and no signs to indicate what lays inside. After getting buzzed into the waiting room, you'll come face-to-face with twin statues. On the left is a World of Warcraft dwarf pulled right from the opening cinematic. On your right, the Starcraft Ghost heroine stares icily down from a rock outcropping. The walls are covered with enormous banners representing each franchise. Before you is a modest set of sofas and a coffee table on which sits two binders: one for fan mail and one for fan art, most of which you can view on the official WoW website. Beyond the seating area is, I kid you not, a riveted, bullet-proof window, behind which sits the receptionist and another buzzer-protected door. If it wasn't for the high-profile decorations, you might be sitting in a dentist's office. Well, except for the bullet-proof glass. And expensive-looking security cameras. Blizzard really does seem to appreciate its fans, but their incredible popularity has forced them to take some extra measures. This building houses "Team 1" and "Team 2" who work on their RTS projects and their MMO content, respectively. I actually got a tour of pretty much the entire joint, which is a rare treat. Blizzard endeavors to do all of its production in-house, and I was led into a voice recording booth (where I tried not to stare slack-jawed at what appeared to be the VO for a Burning Crusade's opening scene). The voice recording coordinator explained that they could rent space to do this work outside, and thus use that booth space for something potentially more important, but they didn't want to back into other people's schedules. We moved on through the building, and my guide George Wang pointed out the life-size replica shields and swords that some employees had up on their walls. You get a sword after five years with the company, and a shield after ten. Most everyone I saw was politely busy at some task or another, as we wound by the offices and through the huge, darkened tester room. Oh, and I also got to check out the expansion, which has no set release date, but I expect to see it before the end of next year. The presentation consisted almost entirely of concept art, but those who've played WoW will be able to get a good idea of what the polygonal version will look like. Burning Crusade opens up several new zones and two new races. The Horde gets Blood Elves, who are on that side because of their allegiance to the Undead, and Sylvanas in particular, the Undead leader who was formerly an elf. The Blood Elves are described as obsessed with magic, and the team says you definitely have mages, warlocks, and priests -- the caster classes -- and probably a warrior, but the last two slots are still being ironed out. They told us there would be no new classes, nor do they intend to introduce any for the foreseeable future, because of the balancing headaches. And we couldn't pry an update out of them regarding hero classes. However, they said there's pretty much no limit to the number of races they could introduce. The Blood Elf starting zone, Sunstrider Isle, is placed to the northeast of the Plaguelands, in Quel'Thalas, within those two uppermost zones on the world map that don't yet have descriptors when you hover your mouse pointer over them. The zone also features some new creature types, such as a glowing, floating Mana Wyrm, and a ghostly elemental called an Arcane Wraith. Overall, I would describe this zone as an autumnal Darnassus, with deciduous tree leaves turning bright colors. And Blizzard applies its usual fantastical style to the region, with artful architectural exaggeration, multi-tiered towers, twisting fountains; I would argue that Sunrunner Isle has the most personality of any starting zone. The Blood Elves also get a pair of active racial traits, consisting of two spells. One is Mana Tap, an instant cast which pulls 50 mana from an enemy, if they have a mana pool, with a ten second cooldown. (Keep in mind that the stats might change -- this is just what I observed from this build). This can be stacked up to three times. The other is Arcane Torrent, which silences spellcasters within 8 yards for 2 seconds, and will convert 12-140 mana per stacked Mana Tap. Arcane Torrent is also instant cast but has a two minute cooldown. Like I said, these guys like their magic. All that lore isn't just there for show. The Blood Elf capital city will be Silvermoon, nestled in Eversong Forest, a level 1-10 zone. There will also be a Zul'Gurub-like raid dungeon nearby called Zul'Aman, and The Ghost Lands, a 10-20 zone. Unfortunately, Blizzard elected to not show us the new Alliance race yet, although the word around town is that it's the Pandarens. As of noon Friday, there was no word on what the Alliance race is, but we got a hands-on with the Blood Elves in their starting zone. It doesn't show up on the world map, though (nor do any other new zones). Burning Crusade also raises the level cap to 70, and I'm pleased to report that we won't just get upgrades of previous skills (Fireball 6, Greater Heal 9, and the like), but they wouldn't get into specifics just yet. But they did say that there would be new Talents as well, and a re-working of the trees to adjust some abilities that either aren't that useful or are situated in the wrong tier. (Talent restructuring is still an ongoing process for the live game -- they haven't put that on the back burner). You can also get a Nether Dragon flying mount at level 70, after a challenging and time-consuming quest, although you can only use it in the Outlands (formerly known as Draenor, the broken planet on the other side of the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands). It won't move as fast as the existing airborne transportation, and you can't attack while mounted (nor can you on any other mounts), but the flying capability will allow you to reach some content that's impossible to access on foot. The dev team also understands the possibility of people abandoning the current zones for the Outlands, when the expansion comes out, so they'll be introducing new raid dungeons in existing zones at the same time. One is in Deadwind Pass (situated between Darkshire and the Swamp of Sorrows), and it's rather enormous. Karazon Tower, Medivh's former home (the guy who opened the Dark Portal), is going to be geared towards a smaller 10-20 person raid group, with progressive instance points that will save your progress. This dungeon introduces some cool new artwork ideas and incorporates elements of the expansion, with an eye-popping reveal at the climax that ties things together nicely. I'll just say that you'll be impressed at the visuals they'll be pulling off at the end. There's also an Opera House, with the curtains getting pulled back to reveal a randomly chosen boss mob, and the disorienting Library, which looks influenced by the bizarre library in The Name of the Rose. There will also be a waypoint near the top for griffins, wyverns, and the like, so you won't have to trudge all the way up on your second time though. Another dungeon will finally unlock the Caverns of Time in Tanaris, which was previously guarded by an elite dragon. And true to its name, the Caverns will introduce some decidedly cool elements that I've never really seen attempted before. (From this point on, spoilers abound, so be warned.) The Caverns differ significantly from any dungeon I've encountered before, because they actually take you to currently existing zones… as they appeared before the events in Warcraft III. You'll stumble into Hillsbrad Foothills, which already makes this dungeon colossal, so you'll get to visit Tarren Mill when it was still occupied by humans. The dev team envisions several scripted events that will be inside jokes for Warcraft fans, such as the mayors of Tarren Mill and Southshore meeting up and exchanging friendly words and promises of loyalty. This quest line leads up to a high-level raid where you rescue Thrall himself from the internment camp in Durnholde Keep (which is currently occupied by the Syndicate). Another time-twisted zone in this dungeon is The Black Morass, which was divided into the Swamp of Sorrows and the Blasted Lands when the Dark Portal was opened. You'll actually witness Medivh opening the Portal, but you'll be unable to stop him. Blizzard plans to explain here why the event was inevitable. Lastly, you'll go into Hyjal, a wilderness raid zone, and fight Archimonde in a re-enactment of the last mission in Warcraft III, alongside the Orc and Human representatives. Like the other two, Hyjal is a huge zone, and you'll be fighting all the way up to the top of the mountain where the historic showdown takes place. And the expansion will introduce another Battleground, this time the Hellfire Peninsula from Warcraft II, and it will be geared towards levels 54-70. Last but not least, Blizzard is introducing socketing items, like in Diablo II. They're still hammering out the details (can gems be removed, what would be the penalty, etc.), but there will be the Jewel Crafting profession, which will allow players to make necklaces and rings in addition to socket jewels. But that's not all, kids. We also got a peek at the 1.9 patch, which will introduce no fewer than two raid dungeons in Silithus, one for about 20 people and another for 40. This patch will trigger a dynamic world event, where everyone can contribute resources to the war effort that will unlock Ahn'Qiraj, which has been closed for thousands of years. And from what I saw, it's definitely worth the effort, if only to gape at the scenery. I was already impressed with WoW's existing art direction, but this is truly some sweet stuff. The team has done some great things with scaling. You'll fight against some gigantic monsters in gigantic areas full of gigantic objects. Apparently, the mandate was "Make it bigger," and make it bigger they did. You'll get to see some all-new character models as well, including the towering Anubisath Guardian and the Qiraji Gladiator, both 60+ elites. Both of the new dungeons look like they'll take quite a while to go through -- I saw quite a few clusters and patrols of mixed mobs that won't be taken down easily. In other news, Blizzard will finally introduce auction house linking. Each capital city will now have an auction house, and they're considering another system linking up the major Goblin towns. When I asked how this will affect enchanters (who don't have physical items to sell but must advertise in the chat channel), the team assured me that players will probably still pool in a couple areas like Orgrimmar and Stormwind. I'm not as optimistic, but I've learned not to doubt these guys. WoW has has its share of quirks and quibbles, but it's still a gas. Maybe the next patch will finally allow enchanters to sell items instead of services. Whatever the case, my time at Awesomeness HQ gave me an impression of a company staffed by down-to-earth, dedicated, experienced and talented people. I'd say the future of World of Warcraft looks good. Unfortunately, I have no info on when the beta phase will kick in, so keep your eyes peeled as we find out more about the expansion. Hope that helps those deprived at work, that can't get on IGN. 
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| Gwen | #156610 Friday October 28, 2005 at 12:48 | |
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muchos <3's Thalin!
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| Linaster | #156611 Friday October 28, 2005 at 12:58 | |
Exploding Priest |
Wow, Thalin, wow! Thats alli have to say -- Wow! and thanks. -lin |
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| Plato | #156612 Friday October 28, 2005 at 13:25 | |
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Arcane mage |
Dang it now I need to get a different weapon.... |
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| xerph | #156613 Friday October 28, 2005 at 13:38 | |
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<The Rising Shadow> |
Odd, the fortress upgrade to their building must be new within the last couple of months. Last time I checked it was a pretty standard looking receptionist desk with an unlocked door next to it leading to the back areas of the office where they had, get this. Are you ready? Cubicles! =o |
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| Thalin | #156614 Friday October 28, 2005 at 13:55 | |
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Member |
I'd imagine the MMO genre in and of itself can spawn some pretty intense if not "scary" fans. Let's not forget the mass death threats Blizz gets from wives and hubbys of dedicated players almost daily as well
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| Lacus_Clyne | #156615 Friday October 28, 2005 at 14:09 | |
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Fidei Defensor |
Xerph, don't you get it? They upgraded it after you last paid them a visit... They upgraded because of you! What did you do to them? 
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| xerph | #156616 Friday October 28, 2005 at 14:10 | |
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<The Rising Shadow> |
Maybe I shouldn't have asked them how long they thought it would take for the entire building to catch on fire if somebody snuck in and put a bunch of silverware in the break room microwave 
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| Lacus_Clyne | #156617 Friday October 28, 2005 at 14:14 | |
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Fidei Defensor |
And here I thought you held the receptionist hostage while demanding Warlock talent fixes... | |
| xerph | #156618 Friday October 28, 2005 at 14:20 | |
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<The Rising Shadow> |
I hadn't..though of that. *considers it for a minute* I have to, uh, go do something. I'll be back in an hour. |
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| Lacus_Clyne | #156619 Friday October 28, 2005 at 14:58 | |
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Fidei Defensor |
Flash-forward two months: the bulletproof glass in the reception area is replaced with transparent alumina, and the expensive-looking security cameras now double as laser turrets. All thanks to Xerph! | |