[Update] The Buzz in WoW #4!

[Glynbeard]

Hello everyone! Glynbeard here with week #4 in my little project 'The Buzz in WoW' (which mainly deals with some of the cool facts about what is going on in or concerning with WoW right now).

This week I will touch on some of the very important things happening around the website, an interesting release from PC gamer which may reveal some of Cataclysm's deep dark secrets and a couple other bits of information that I thought you all might enjoy reading.

You can consider the first part of the interview which talks about the website as your one-spot-stop on all the recent changes to the site.

On a side note HAPPY MARCH BREAK! Have a fun and safe week MMOwneders!

Enjoy the article

[BREAK=MMOwned Information]


So, I'd like to start of by saying 'WOAHHHHHHHHHH' we have had a busy couple weeks here!

Between some of the new faces among the staff, a couple heroes retiring, the public staff meeting, fpsowned nearing completion, MMOwned site updates and a whole new look at what Newsteam members plan to deliver in articles/interviews, I have barely had time to catch my breath!

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In KuRIoS's post (located here), the members Stoneharry, Errage and Dragonshadow are talked about. I highly suggest checking it out for full information, beautiful music, a message from Errage and some interesting notes from KuRIoS, who probably knew them the best. For those of you who are to lazy or don't know how to follow links here are some snippets to catch you up:

Regarding Stoneharry:

It is always great to have a fresh addition to a team, but I felt like you were something more than just a fresh face. You were ideas and a great and respectful colleague from day one on the team. Stoneharry resigned due to him not feeling into WoW or emulation anymore.

I had hoped to see him change his mind and convinced him to stay for an extra 10 days, but his decision couldn’t be changed unfortunately for me and for the rest of MMOwned. I really hope that you will change your mind and come back in the team sooner or later.
Stoneharry is not leaving MMOwned fully, but resigning as a moderator.

Regarding Dragonshadow:

Dragonshadow who has been a part of MMowned since April 2007 and a part of the staff team since November 2008 has chosen to resign as a Supermoderator. Dragonshadow has found it hard to find the needed time to be a Super moderator on MMOwned.

It is my hope that he will still be a part of the Staff team as much as he can and give his highly valued input on subjects in the staff lounge. He will still retain some of his powers or abilities to remove threads, posts or annoying members. So you are not safe from his hawk eye yet.

Regarding Errage:

Errage have also chosen to resign as a Supermoderator. Errage joined MMOwned in January 2007 and was quickly one of the most active members in the small community that we had back then. Just a few months later he was made a moderator. It has been a great and very fun run, with countless of hours spent together. All the way from our skype moments in the early days to our namechange wars, or my namechanging moments in the bawx.

I know it is a sad thought loosing some of our most revered members, but the good news is that they will not be completely leaving the website, just taking a break from their positions as staff members for the time being.

While we are on the topic of staff changes, please don't forget to congratulate Ground Zero on his newly appointed position as a moderator! As well as Unholy[S]haman who has been given the opportunity to be the very first MMOwned Helper and Parog on his advancement to the Super Mod rank!

EDIT: I'd also like put a special message for maclone in here now, because as of last night he is now a MMOwned Helper! Congrats mate!

Now, you might find yourself wondering 'What is a MMOwned helper?', well they are basically mods in training (helping with reports and such) but that doesn't mean they should be treated any different from any other staff member!

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The second topic I would like to touch on is the public staff meeting that was held on the 11th of March. Members partook in a group discussion to suggest opinions and ideas to staff members through IRC with a total of 61 members showing up! Full notes on what was talked about can be found here posted by KuRIoS, but again for those of you who can't be bothered to follow a link to the official post I'll leave a snippet below.

Newsteam:
We want the newsteam to be more focused on the job at hand, to write members that actually interest MMOwned members, not some interview on how life is in scotland or whatever..

Newsteam “leader/commander” will be assigned to setup meetings and such and arrange what the newsteam does and who does it. Newsteam leader also accepts/denies new applications for newsteam.
A leader will be assigned by the staff team later. Keep in mind that a lot of newsteam stuff gets easier when we upgrade to vb4.

MMOwned v2:
MMOwned v2 is a new version of MMOwned we will rearrange the forums, yet the wow forums will almost keep their current form. A lot of sections have been merged and new ones added. In case any of you haven't seen our proposed layout; FPSOwned it has been our test site for the last 2-3 months. We are waiting on vbseo to go gold before upgrading.
All the experience, ToTW/M, etc stuff will be gone. All posts, rep, usergroups, etc, will remain intact. However, posts/threads will most likely be moved (so a little hunting on your part may be required).

If you can think of a better structure for a specific area of the forum then send the staffmember that is in charge of that section a PM
Our idea is simple; every MMO can have its own section, so long as it warrants one. New MMOs will start in an "Other MMOs" forum, and once they get busy, we give them their own forum (Such as the AION/Darkfall/AoC/etc sections). If they continue to grow, we keep adding more sections for them, until they turn into our WoW section. We're not trying to be the best WoW hacks, exploits, guides site anymore. We want to be the best MMO site. Period.

Yes, and both the new forum arrangement and look/layout is not set in stone, we want any feedback/suggestions and how to make it look and feel better, we can make changes now. Especially the front page, that is simply a default page right now. So anyone that is good at designing layouts and such please fire away.

We can promote posts, blogs, pictures, etc, to the front page. So if you make a seriously awesome post, and a staff member deems it should be on the front page. It's only 1 button to do it.
The backroom
We have added a forum called “The back room” sort of anything goes, obviously the usual stuff like racism, bigotry, etc, still isn't allowed. It'll be mostly 'unmoderated', but we'll still make sure people aren't starting WWIII from MMOwned.
Blogs
MMOwned v2 gives us one more awesome thing. Every single member on our site has their own blog. Unless staff has taken away your blog priv's, but that's only for the select few who abuse it.
Trading
MMOwned v2 is bringing new trading sections. With (when I get around to it) special trading priv's for ID Verified members.
Gold system
We will be getting a sweet new gold system. With the ability to buy 'stuff' with your gold. User titles, colored titles, new name colors (restricted colors, so you can't look like staff obviously). Possibly more stuff depending on what the rest of the staff agrees on. It is not yet decided how to gain gold, but hopefully, you'll be able to buy (with $$) gold if you want, but there will be other ways as well.
Lighter skin
1 last thing; I wanna know how many people would actually benefit from a lighter skin. (We currently have 2 to choose from, a 3rd won't hurt us)

Community:
How do we get more community into MMOwned?
More contests will be held, not section specific, but gaming contests, wc3, HoN, Hello Kitty etc.
More public staff meetings like this one, had a turnout of 61 people so that was nice. We will definitely do more of these.

Staff members:
We're looking for ACTIVE staff members! So if you think you have what it takes, then write an application to KuRIoS and say why we should chose you.

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Finally, a new contest here on MMOwned posted by KuRIoS (he's a busy man ) today can be found here.

I am hereby arranging a small MMOwned contest, it will run for a week and won't have anything to do with gaming.

I want you to arrange/create/cook your food/drinks in a way so it resembles MMOwned, it can be mashed potatoes forming out the clutter in exploit section while the beef is the muscles on me... (BIG BEEF remember!!)
Or it can be a cake shaped as MMOwned - basically be creative.
I will compete too and at the end of the day I will find have someone determine which is the greatest...

All entries must be submitted as a picture as I do not want rotten food in my mailbox thank you. You must send it as a PERSONAL MESSAGE to me, so the person I ask to determine which picture should win won't be influenced by our titles. I will post the pics in this thread as/if I receive them.

1st place: A gamecard for WoW + 50 rep
2nd place: 35 rep
3rd place: 25 rep

All entries must be submitted before 18:00 COPENHAGEN TIME the 19th of March
Yours Truly KuRIoS

My one weakness... cooking! I'll be putting in a submission as soon as I buy more macaroni .

So make sure you submit yours before 18:00 COPENHAGEN TIME the 19th of March to support your favorite website (and maybe even win a fabulous prize!).


[BREAK=The 50 reasons why you should play WoW: Cataclysm]


So, I don't know how many of you read this magazine but recently issue 212 of PC Gamer UK has hit the stands, and included a fascinating six-page article with fifty reasons why lapsed subscribers should probably return to Azeroth. Forget the lapsed subscribers, there's enough information in here for current subscribers to drool over with unbridled glee. For those of you on this side of the pond, here are some highlights from the article. Keep in mind this information has not been confirmed to be from Blizzard as of yet while you are reading.



Also, a little warning that these do contain spoilers. So if you'd like to keep everything a surprise, don't read any further. If you'd like to know more about the upcoming content, read away!

Reason number twelve: Cataclysm chooses fun over efficiency. The talent trees will be completely redone, something we've covered a little with previous posts on the new mastery system that will be made available. A quote from Tom Chilton states "I'd expect to see a further pruning of critical class buffs and debuffs, because it's still a little more restrictive than what we'd like to see. A lot of what Mastery and the talent changes are about is making sure that the choices players make about their character are interesting. Hopefully that will add character depth without making the game more complex."


Reason number twenty: It's going to tell better stories. Through the use of phasing technology that was introduced in Wrath, zones will change according to the progress characters have made. For example, the goblin and worgen starting zones will make heavy use of this as you level towards the Cataclysm event itself. The article also states that the narrative of Cataclysm is going to be even more heavy embedded in the quest chains that it was in Wrath of the Lich King. "We don't really approach any quest line or story with the idea that we need to use phasing here," Chilton explains. "We approach it based off the needs of what it is that we're trying to achieve. So if we're talking about the Barrens, we'll try to identify the most core thing to do with what's going on with the story of the Barren and we'll try to focus more on those than we ever did before. And if in the process of doing that we have an idea that's awesome and will be supported really well by phasing, then we decide whether or not to use it."

Reason number twenty seven: Thrall is off. According to the article, Warchief Thrall will leave Orgrimmar to take up a 'meta-position' as Guardian of Tirisfal, a position currently held in the comics by Med'an, the son of Garona Halforcen and the former Guardian Medivh. His replacement? Overseer Garrosh Hellscream, leader of the Horde expedition in Northrend.


Reason number thirty: The Horde are getting political. This is a given, if Hellscream is taking over, but the article has some shocking information -- Garrosh is going to execute Cairne Bloodhoof for treason, and throw the forsaken and blood elf forces out of Orgrimmar. If this information is correct, it really won't be the Alliance the Horde has to worry about so much as other branches of the Horde wanting to politely remove Garrosh Hellscream's head and use it for a rousing game of kickball.

Reason number thirty-one: There's a new emphasis on raiding. The reason the new level cap is only five levels is so that designers could concentrate on getting more endgame content ready for the launch. According to the article, there will be four new raid dungeons and eight heroics open from the start.


Reason number forty-two: You'll be going to Egypt... ish. Remember Uldum? According to the article, it's home to a lost Titan city and a race of 'giant stone cats', the Tol'vir. PC Gamer thinks that the final Uldum dungeon will be patched in as a later raid. The real question is, will Brann Bronzebeard be running around to angrily shriek at Uldum's programming?

Reason number forty-three: You'll be back at Blackrock. In Cataclysm, Deathwing's return as the head of the Black Dragonflight will stir up more trouble under the mountain. According to the article, the new raid dungeon Blackwing Descent will see you face off against Nefarian, alongside a new five-man instance, Blackrock Caverns. Nefarian? Apparently that whole bit with his head on a pike was... merely a setback.

Reason number forty-six: Wintergrasp's getting a sequel. The new world PvP zone in Cataclysm is the Isle of Tol'Barad, an off-shore prison policed by mages from Dalaran and Stormwind, but its main purpose is to host faction level battles between Alliance and Horde. When the battle for control of Tol'Barad is over, it will become a daily quest hub similar to the Isle of Quel'Danas, which the designers are hoping will encourage yet more fighting. "We thought that when the battle wasn't going on in Wintergrasp, it would be a good environment for spontaneous world PvP," Chilton explains, "But the way the Lich King economy developed players didn't stay after the battles to farm for primals. What we're trying to do is meld the idea of Wintergrasp with the Isle of Quel'Danas. That felt like that players were naturally there and had activities they wanted to do, and PvP spontaneously happened without us needing to force it."

Again, those were just a couple of the highlights I found around the web and if you really want to read the rest you're going to have to either search on your own time or pick up your own copy of Issue 212 on most newstands in the UK.

If you are like me and don't live anywhere near there you can purchase a digital copy online here.

[BREAK=Will we see WoW on consoles?]


To simply answer this question... No, we won't. Ever. In a recent interview with G4, J. Allen Brack stated that almost any MMO currently out there will never be brought over to the console because of obvious issues like controls but also trickier ones like patching issues and HD space limitations.

I think there's a lot of reasons," said Brack. "There's not one thing. One is, it takes a long time to develop an MMO. The lifecycle of consoles being what they are, you have to really time when your console's going to come out, what its projected lifecycle is going to be with when your game is going to be, which is challenging.

He did end on a positive not though:

I think it's unlikely that WoW comes to the consoles. It is something that we talk about on a pretty regular basis, but someone is going to figure out how to make an MMO on a console and they're going to be wildly successful. I have no doubt about that.

In the end, I really don't care that much. I'm in love with my PC and I'm fine with these types of games staying put for now. If you have any comments feel free to leave a comment after finishing the interview .

[BREAK=Gaming MMOments]


As I posted in my previous update, I will be putting a ScreenShot submitted by a member each time one of these articles goes up. It can be anything as long as it is MMO-related.

This weeks picture is brought to us by Zantas92!

If you want to submit and image, feel free to PM one to me at any time and I will take it into consideration for next time.

[BREAK=Conclusion]


Well guys, that's it for this week. Again, you will be seeing a change in content released by the Newsteam members over the next couple of weeks so don't be surprised if our regular releases are delayed or disappear completely, it is all for the greater good.

I would also like to note, please donate to the site! In the midst of all these changes, we as members need to help out as much as we can .



Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Glynbeard
MMOwned News Team

Sources:
website #1
website #2

[Unholyshaman]

Very well formatted post, nicely laid out and good information. Big fan, big fan!

[alj03]

/agree with Unholy[S]haman. Great layout and well done overall.

[Zantas]

o0o My old Bear made front page =)

[Glynbeard]

Thanks for the compliments guys . Yep Zantas, I shrunk the picture down though to avoid stretching.

[Xspence]

What do you mean MMO on a console? Like Terminal or Command Prompt? Like that?

Like Basic?? How's that more fun than WoW?!?

[Zantas]

Console = PS3 Xbox etc

[ßetray]

I don't think any of the MMOwned staff/website changes are relevant in this thread. This is "The Buzz in WoW", not "The General Buzz", not to mention the events described above happened only about a day prior to this thread.

The Cata info was pretty cool, but the screenshot was a little small to really tell wtf was in it besides there being a Druid in bear form.

[Glynbeard]

I don't think any of the MMOwned staff/website changes are relevant in this thread. This is "The Buzz in WoW", not "The General Buzz", not to mention the events described above happened only about a day prior to this thread.

The Cata info was pretty cool, but the screenshot was a little small to really tell wtf was in it besides there being a Druid in bear form.

I was going to create two different articles for this except I didn't want to post anymore then I had to right now because of all the other things going on so I compiled it into one. The next article will be separated again, don't worry.

Screenshots in these threads have to be below 500 in width to avoid stretching the front page when they appear there. Next time I will post a link to a larger version if you wish though.

Thanks for the constructive criticism