I thought reviewing World of Warcraft books would be easy but I was wrong. I have started 3 of them and put them down because they just rehash the story already told in-game. To me, they are lacking originality needed to keep a reader interested. I chalk it up to the game developers putting so many stories in-game that it is hard for an author to come up with something original set in that world without having to change the Lore. So what is a gamer to do other than find something similar to read? Fantasy seems to be the answer to this quest!
So with that in mind, I was asked to come up with a list of fantasy books that I thought would appeal to WoW gamer. This was perfect timing as I just attended a SciFi/Fantasy conference this weekend and was lucky enough to meet a ton of authors. I was really impressed with how popular Fantasy is becoming again. Creatively, I think this is the most diverse genre as basically the rules are whatever the authors mind can create. There are some great creative minds out there so the options are limitless. Read more…
Links to topics discussed this week:
EXCLUSIVE THIS WEEK
- Eulixe dives into the lore behind the Murlocs and their possible connection to a few submersed Old Gods we may see in Cataclysm
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Giving criticism is one of the hardest things you can do in WOW. Players, if they can take it at all, often take critiques as a personal attack on themselves. For instance, many players translate, “Try to have higher uptime on your DOTS”, as “You’re not good enough”. It’s even harder to give criticism when you take a step back and realize that folks are paying $15/Month…and your criticism is not included in that bill.
Putting all that aside, there are players, for whatever reason, that do need feedback to play the game better. Finding the right way to give this feedback is essential to building a competent and progressive raiding team. Here are a couple tips that have served me well in the past when delivering criticism.
1. Present a Data Based Argument. Dig through your logs and come up with hard data to back up your points. Oftentimes, you can take cover behind data and assure the other party that you aren’t carrying out a personal vendetta against them.
2. Come up with a list of Actionable Feedback. Giving general feedback (Tank Better!) is a great way to reach no outcome other than a pissed off guildie. Find very specific things that the player can change to get better.
3. Speak in a neutral, helpful tone. Pinpointing one player and brow beating him will not make him a better player. Speaking about the good of the guild and improving all players will help the player take the feedback without feeling attacked.
Using the tips above (and the ones provided by my much more insightful readers), you can hopefully make a painful conversation much easier.
That’s right, Greatjohn, your friendly neighborhood depressive and scourge (small “s”) of Bound’s applicant forum is now a Cataclysm beta tester! What does this mean for you, dear readers? Well, other than being absolutely green with envy, you’re going to read all about my experiences in the beta.
Lately I’ve been completely bored with the current game. So bored that I actually downloaded LotRO after it went free-to-play just to have something new to look at while I’m at home just waiting to go back to work. In other words, I have a lot of time to test stuff out and give you my impressions.
I’ll mainly be concentrating on questing and as many dungeons as I can stand. Sorry to disappoint all you PVPers, but you’ll just have to stroke your epeens somewhere else. I suck at PvP and don’t feel the need to broadcast just how bad I am at it. I’m terrible.
Please leave any questions, requests or offers for carnal encounters (just so you know, I’m not willing to travel. If you want a piece of this, you’ll have to work for it) on the Rawrcast forums and I’ll do my best to answer, fulfill and/or lubricate up for you. Read more…
There are always choices when you buy something. Paper or plastic? Pepperoni or Sausage? Standard or Collector’s Edition? For a lot of people, including myself, money is really tight and there are choices that have to be made. I am sure that if the price on the standard edition and the collector’s edition were the same, everyone would opt for the fancy collector’s edition. So is the collector’s edition worth it? Let’s take a look and find out. First of all, if you were to believe all the spin that Gamestop puts out, there are only 20 of these things out there and you can get one of these rare editions for only $5 down! I am going to just say this, right here right now. I HATE Gamestop. There, now you know where I stand on this, let us move on.
Read more…
On this special episode of Rawrcast we welcomed Stoneybaby from Big Crits, and Kevin Michael Johnson from “The Raid”. Together we present an impassioned discussion about how Social Media has influenced how we play together.
If you will be in the Anaheim area for Blizzcon, join the raid team from Big Crits by snagging your tickets to “The Raid” Pre-Screening & Blizzcon After-Party! Visit the film’s website for a full list of podcasts and websites that are giving away tickets!
This morning BB over at MMO-Champion.com posted what he believes to be the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Release Date - November 2nd, just two weeks after Blizzcon, and 2 weeks before the rush of holiday shopping. It seems like the perfect way to renew interest in the game at the start of the “raiding downtime” that typically happens during the holiday season. Used to be you couldn’t find enough people on the server to raid during the holidays. But, now two years in a row Blizzard has kept players engaged by offering new content just as the lull would have otherwise set in.
by Boubouille
So, when is the release of Cataclysm?
Now that Patch 4.0.1 is on PTR, I get a lot of mails asking for a release date and I guess I can answer that without too much risk now.
Keep in mind that Blizzard didn’t announce it because the release can still be postponed, but as far as I know the target release date for Cataclysm is the first week of November (that would be November 2, if you like numbers). The first part of the Cataclysm prologue started exactly 8 weeks before that and the next part of the pre-Cataclysm event will probably happen in 2 or 4 weeks depending on their schedule.
Better plan ahead now for the sudden onslaught of 24-hour leveling fiends and a fresh batch of new players by scheduling that vacation time you have been sitting on. I’m not a betting woman, but if I were, my money would be on BB. When has he been wrong? After all, if it were any later than the first week of November, most of us would be at each other’s throats with our “Unsubscribe” forms at the ready.
- Stompalina
Republic’s
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Rawrcast Ep 158:
Well well well… Look at what that proverbial cat dragged in from the freezing cold. See how decrepit and soaked he is? See how he shivers like a cracked brown autumnal leaf gripping fearfully to a naked branch? That’s what a year without WoW will do to a man, ladies and gents. Well, he was pretty ugly to begin with, let’s be honest.
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