w797 – The Collection of Game Post

You might remember that a couple of months ago we promised you an interview with all of the guys from Project Lore. Well, we snagged interviews with everyone except for Jerry Trainor, who left the show before we had the opportunity. His replacement is someone who needs no introduction. We recently had the opportunity to talk with Jeff Cannata about World of Warcraft, Project Lore and his some of his success in the entertainment industry. Check out what he had to say below.

ZAM: Hey Jeff ! Thanks for taking some time away from your busy life to talk with us about Project Lore!

Jeff Cannata : Wait, let me just log off my pally here… ah.  What now?  Who’s busy?  Ah yes, thanks for having me.

ZAM : What initially enticed you to try World of Warcraft?

Jeff : I have been following the game industry as a fan and professional journalist for most of my life, and as a huge Warcraft and Starcraft player I was anticipating WoW from the moment it was announced.  I remember waiting in queues to log in on launch weekend, suffering all of the server restarts and downtimes in those first few months.  But even with all those early inconveniences it was clear that Blizzard had delivered on the promise of Everquest and Ultima Online and created something special.

ZAM : Before you joined the Project Lore team, you played a Protection Paladin. Did you lose the Rock, Paper, Scissors match against ‘TANK DUDE’? Be honest, is that why you respeced Retribution?

Jeff : Honestly, I had stopped playing WoW for a while (my second attempt at quitting) before joining the Project Lore team.  Alex and I had leveled new characters after Burning Crusade was released, but reviewing other games for the Totally Rad Show had taken my attention away from WoW.  When Alex started up Project Lore we talked about my coming on as the tank, but my interest level in the game just wasn’t there.  Luckily, Joshua was playing a warrior, so he was able to jump on and rock the tanking duties.  When Wrath was released, I was predictably sucked back into the game, and that just happened to coincide with Jerry’s departure from the show.  It worked out to have Juggynaut move into the healer role and me to try out the DPS Ret spec.

ZAM : Which spec do you enjoy more: Protection or Retribution?

Jeff : I have really come to love Ret.  There is something very fun to the responsibility of the tank (and I love using shields , but I have recently gotten addicted to climbing that DPS chart.

ZAM : Moving away from your Paladin, do you have any alts? Tell us about them!

Jeff : My first character, back at the launch of WoW, was a Night Elf Druid.  I loved playing him, but the mechanics of Druids have changed so much since I logged him on, I would no doubt be lost now.  We have also started alts on the Horde side for the show, and I am having a blast learning my Undead Priest.

ZAM : Blizzard recently announced a new mounted combat system that they’re developing. What are your feelings on that?

Jeff : From the moment I hit 40 on my first character and bought a mount, I have fantasized about mounted combat.  I think that could be an incredibly satisfying element to the game.  And with flying mounts, I think it could be even more fun.  I just hope it isn’t a mount-restricted battle system like we see in the Malygos and Occulus boss battles.  I’d really like it to be dependent on the class/spec/gear of the character, rather than the inherent qualities of the mount.

ZAM : Let’s change the focus a little. World of Warcraft has nearly twelve million subscribers and it doesn’t appear as if those numbers will shrink anytime soon. With successful shows that have been inspired by World of Warcraft such as “The Guild” and of course “Project Lore”, do you think primetime television is ready for something similar?

Jeff : I doubt it.  The reason shows like The Guild and Project Lore work is because they come from a small group of creators who understand their audience and don’t need to serve masters who don’t.  I suspect if primetime television attempted a WoW-based show it would miss the mark, simply because so many network people have no idea what this game is all about, and have preconceived notions about the kind of people who play it.

ZAM : In your years within the tech and entertainment industry, how has gaming changed for you personally? Also, what do you think the future has in store for gamers?

Jeff : Gaming has changed for me quite a bit.  I’ve lived (and played) through the online revolution, and could only have dreamed of a video game where I could interact with hundreds of people, all at the same time.  I have no doubt that the future is bright for gaming as it continues to permeate the mainstream.  When I was a kid, gaming was a niche market – and a marginalized one, too.  It was looked down upon by the mainstream.  Now gaming is cool, companies are throwing massive resources behind creating ever more expansive games, and technology is allowing for grander, more immersive experiences.  I can’t wait to see what the game looks like that dethrones WoW.

ZAM : What is it like working with Alex Albrecht on multiple projects? Would you say that the work ethic involved differentiates between Project Lore and Totally Rad Show?

Jeff : Alex is a great guy to work with – and a fantastic business partner.  He’s fun and funny and has an energy that is contagious.  It also helps that we’re great friends.  Working with your friends is its own kind of reward.  The Totally Rad Show is really where the majority of my energies go.  Project Lore is a treat.  I get to go to a place and play WoW with my buddies for a while (rather than playing in my own home) – it doesn’t feel like work   TRS is a ridiculous amount of fun, too, but it sure takes a lot more work to get it out every week.

ZAM : Do you have any advice for your fans who want to make it in the entertainment industry?
Jeff: If you’re looking to work in front of the camera, get yourself in front of an audience as often as possible.  Get training, do as much live work you can, and take it seriously.  It is a very tough industry to be involved in, so make sure it is really for you.

ZAM : Well that’s all of the questions I could conjure up for you, thanks again for taking the time to answer them!

Jeff : My pleasure!  Let me just log back in here… gotta do my dailies….

Andrew “Tamat” Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
ZAM.com

Blizzard posted an updated testing schedule for Ulduar.

North American realms can test Flame Leviathan (Normal mode only) on March 3rd at 4PM PST (or after PTRs come back up), Ignis the Furnace Master March 4th at 4PM PST and Hodir March 5th at 4PM PST.

European realms can test test Flame Leviathan (Normal mode only) on March 4th at 1AM CET (or after PTRs come back up), Thorim on March 5th at 7PM CET and Freya on March 6th at 7PM CET.

More info after the jump!

The original post:

Here’s the current schedule for Ulduar PTR testing this week:

On the North American test realms:

Flame Leviathan (Normal, i.e. 10 Player Mode ONLY) – Tuesday Night, March 3 at 4PM PST (or after the PTR servers come back up) through tomorrow. We want a lot of testing on this, but take note that the Heroic version of this fight should NOT be tested at this time. Players should only form 10 player raids to test this. The Heroic/25 Player version is not properly tuned.
Ignis the Furnace Master – Wednesday night, March 4, starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST.
Hodir – Thursday night, March 5, starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST

On the European test realms:

Flame Leviathan (Normal, i.e. 10 Player Mode ONLY) – Wednesday Morning, March 4 at 01:00 CET (or after the PTR servers come back up) through tomorrow. We want a lot of testing on this, but take note that the Heroic version of this fight should NOT be tested at this time. Players should only form 10 player raids to test this. The Heroic/25 Player version is not properly tuned.
Thorim – Thursday night, March 5, starting at 7pm CET.
Freya – Friday Night, March 6, starting at 7pm CET.

We should have General Vezax (EU), XT-002 Deconstructor (US), and Razorscale(EU) available for testing soon after this.

This schedule could change at a moment’s notice due to server, bug, or patch status. I’ll try to keep everyone informed as much as possible. Ulduar and the bosses to be tested will remain also open a variable length of time. How long they stay open depends upon a host of factors including designer availability, bug status, etc.

We also hope to have the zone open on off days for each respective realm for a longer period of time. We have a couple special versions of Patchwerk setup. One of them is called Patchwerk (DPS Test) and is essentially a massive training dummy for your raids. The other is Patchwerk (Tank Test), and he does not have a Hateful Strike, but his melee damage increases over time.

We’re very interested in seeing combat logs and parses for all raid testing on the PTR.

Quick Ulduar FAQ:

Q) Will there be testing available on Oceanic, Korean, or other time zones?
A) There will be some testing available. Flame Leviathan will be up for an extended time, for instance.

Q) Where’s all the trash?
A) We don’t have everything turned on for these tests, and this sometimes includes trash creatures before each boss encounter.

Q) Where’s the loot?
A) We don’t have this attached to bosses yet, but we’ll have loot hooked up soon.

Q) What about achievements?
A) These aren’t implemented yet.

The original post by Daelo is located here.

WoW Europe today announced its Arena Shoutcasting contest, with a 30″ widescreen monitor and a polar bear mount up for grabs. Entrants will need to provide a running commentary on an Arena tournament video, downloadable from the official Web site. The best commenator will win the monitor and polar bear mount, with three runners up earning themselves a mount and a BlizzCon T-shirt.

Details on how to enter can be found on WoW’s European Web site here.

Blood of Gladiators, the newest World of Warcraft Trading Card Game expansion, will be released worlwide on March 24 following a sneak preview scheduled for March 7-8. While the expansion will include such features as the “Arena” location and the Duel Faction Ally card type, the most recent post on the official TCG site focuses solely on loot cards.

The three loot items, which will be live in patch 3.1 and can currently be tried out on the test server, have no effect on gameplay but look like a ton of fun. The super common Sandbox Tiger card contains a consumable item with 50 charges that places a stationary Spectral Tiger on the ground for everyone to ride. The uncommon Center of Attention card bestows upon you an epic purple shirt that causes you to flex when you put it on.

Last, but certainly not least, is the rare Foam Sword Rack card, which lets you set up a rack of foam swords anywhere. Players can grab swords and enter the fray as many times as they want for the 3-minute duration. Check out this post to read more about the cards or get the codes to test out the items on the PTR.

Blizzard poster Zarhym has posted some exciting news for Druids (like me). While there’s no detailed news to report, Zarhym has stated that new druid skins are currently in the works.

“Creating new druid skins is a task on which our artists have been working on very recently actually. I don’t have a time frame for you, but we did speak specifically with our developers about this in late January. Druid forms are a work in progress. I haven’t seen them, but have heard some cool things about them.”

In another thread, Zarhym said, “ it’s way beyond being an idea at this point. It’s in progress.” Just don’t expect them in 3.1.0. It’s difficult to discuss this topic without seeing any concept art or screenshots, but I’m still excited. You can discuss your thoughts in our Druid forum here, courtesy of Allakhazam poster PhoenixOmbre.

Patch 3.1.0 is going to bring some exciting major changes to World of Warcraft, but it’s also going to contain numerous minor changes as well. Blizzard poster Eyonix recently confirmed the cooldown on hearthstones will be reduced to 30 minutes in the patch.

The topic was brought up in the midst of a discussion on “ghetto hearthing.” Eyonix said a cooldown reduction would be discussed with the developers, who in turn agreed to the new 30-minute timer. “Enjoy your sweet victory,” Eyonix said. “Thanks to those who provided feedback constructively.” It’s always helpful to voice your ideas and concerns to Blizzard.

Is this game-changing? No. Will I enjoy more flexibility in my travels? You bet. What do you think?

A post from Blzzard on the offical forums details the testing schedule for Ulduar on the PTR.

On North American servers you will be able to test Hodir starting Thursday February 26th at 7PM EST (GMT -5) and the Iron Council starting Friday February 27th at 7PM EST (GMT -5).

On European servers you will be able to test Thorim starting Thursday February 26th at 7PM CET (GMT +1) and Freya starting Friday February 27th at 7PM CET (GMT +1).

All of this is subject to change at any time.

More info after the jump.

The original post:

Ok, we’re going to attempt to have some playtest sessions for Ulduar starting tonight and through this weekend.

The following is the tentative schedule for this weekend:

On the North American test realms:
Hodir – Thursday night, February 26, starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST.
Iron Council – Friday night, February 27, starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST

On the European test realms
Thorim – Friday night, February 27, starting at 7pm CET.
Freya – Friday night, February 28, starting at 7pm CET.

This schedule could change at a moment’s notice due to server, bug, or patch status. I’ll try to keep everyone informed as much as possible. Ulduar and the bosses to be tested will remain also open a variable length of time. How long they stay open depends upon a host of factors including designer availability, bug status, etc.

We also hope to have the zone open on Sunday for each respective realm for a longer period of time. We have a couple special versions of Patchwerk setup. One of them is called Patchwerk (DPS Test) and is essentially a massive training dummy for your raids. The other is Patchwerk (Tank Test), and he does not have a Hateful Strike, but his melee damage increases over time.

We’re very interested in seeing combat logs and parses for all raid testing on the PTR.

Quick Ulduar FAQ:

Q) Will there be testing available on Oceanic, Korean, or other time zones?
A) There will be some testing available. We do plan on allowing for extended testing on Flame Leviathan, and possibly other bosses. We want encounter designers to be present during testing, which makes testing during some time zones difficult.

Q) Where’s all the trash?
A) We don’t have everything turned on for these tests, and this sometimes includes trash creatures before each boss encounter.

Q) Where’s the loot?
A) We don’t have this attached to bosses yet, but we’ll have loot hooked up soon.

Q) What about achievements?
A) These aren’t implemented yet.

 

You can find the original post here.

Ulduar is the raid dungeon on everyone’s lips as testing of Patch 3.1.0 continues on the PTR. Well, Blizzard has provided a little taste of what the dungeon will look like as we anticipate patch day:

We’ve just released a video teaser for Ulduar, the new raid dungeon being introduced in the upcoming content patch for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Check out the video now to get a taste of some of the environments and denizens that wait within this ancient Titan structure.

The music alone is worth loading this video up. So what do you think of the teaser? You can discuss it in our general forum here.

While most World of Warcraft excitement seems to be focused on the PTR and Patch 3.1.0, there’s still a ton going on both in and out of the virtual world for you to enjoy. The most notable news is that the Arena Tournament has begun, but there’s a couple of other updates for any music fans and artists out there.

• You can find out all about the 2009 Arena Tournament here. Players from around the world compete on tournament realms for cash prizes totaling more than $200,000, as well as an Armored Murloc in-game pet and the “Vanquisher” title.
• The Eminence Symphony Orchestra has just released Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment. You can order it or listen to samples on the official Web site.
• Blizzard is asking fans to illustrate their own Blizzard Entertainment theme parks with rides and attractions based on Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo. Prizes include a digitizing tablet and StarCraft II beta keys, so start drawing! More information can be found on the contest page. Submissions are due by March 30.

In case you haven’t heard, the dual spec feature will include a one-time cost of 1,000 gold. Of course, there’s all sorts of discussion surrounding the price, ranging from comments that it’s fair to it’s too steep. While there’s a ton of blue comments on the price (and will certainly be more as time goes on), I thought Bornakk’s response to a post complaining it won’t save money for some gamers was worth nothing:

If you respec consistently between 2 exact specs it does save you money in the long run. If you have needed to respec as little as you mention, it won’t save you money, but it adds a convenience if that is what you want and you still have quite a bit of time to get the gold if you want it. By respeccing so few and far between it would be pretty easy to not pick this up and just do the classic respec whenever it is needed which should be pretty cheap.

Bornakk also states that most players worried about the price should have more than enough time to earn 1,000 gold before Patch 3.1.0 launches. What do you think? Discuss it in this thread in our forums.