3.1 Beyond Ulduar

Ulduar is drawing near and Blizzard is releasing changes they are making to the game beyond Ulduar. First things first, duel specs do not require a Lexicon of Power anymore! The talent switch will take five seconds and will reset your mana/energy/runic power/rage to zero. You can’t switch during combat, arenas or battlegrounds, which is reasonable. Being able to switch during combat would be ridiculous, arenas would be entirely too hard, and battlegrounds are just zerg fests, where spec barely matters. When you change specs you also get a new set of glyphs to go along with it, which is going to be a great money saver as well.

Blizzard is slowly but surely ruling out third party add-ons, starting with Outfitter and Proximo. Equipment Manager is taking the place of Outfitter, allowing you to switch sets of equipment with a single mouse click. They are also in the process of adding in unit frames that show your enemies in arenas, just like Proximo. They haven’t said if you will be able to set focus targeting and macros to mouse clicks on this new unit frame like Proximo, but most likely you will be able to.

The Objective tracker is being improved allowing you to track more quests and achievements, and if an item is needed for a quest it will be clickable next to where it’s tracked, so you don’t have to search through your bags anymore. The Looking For Group UI is being updated to allow you to choose which roles you are able to fill, which will make finding who you need easier. Finally, there is the “Warhammer BG queue system” which will allow you to queue to any BG from any location, then return you to the location where you queued when the BG is over.

Now we just sit and wait for the patch to drop till we can enjoy these new toys to play with.

-Jon

Celebrities Love Warcraft

Have you ever wondered about the guy, currently tanking your 25 man Naxx group, that you have raided with since release? Or maybe it’s 4:00 in the morning and you’re PvP’ing with a crazy 29 twink in Warsong Gulch. They probably don’t talk much in vent or have erratic play schedules, but when they are there they put the work in and get the job done.

Let’s face it, I’ve raided Warcraft since release and I have heard every “Can’t make it” and “Have to go” excuse in the book. Everything from “oh crap my cat is choking afk” to my favorite flat out router unplug. But then again, I haven’t raided with Steve Preeg or PvP’d with Mila Kunis.

What happens when your guild leader says “Sorry guys I can’t run Heroic Naxx tonight, I have to go pickup this Oscar thing at the Academy Awards”.

Steve Preeg has worked on the digital effects team of some pretty big movies, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I, Robot. The World of Warcraft guild he leads has cleared all WOTLK endgame content so far except Sartharion, and (current endgame aside) that’s pretty impressive. This year at the 81st Annual Academy Awards his small digital effects team took home Oscars in the visual effects category for the (incredibly creepy) work they did on Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, beating the other contenders, The Dark Knight and Iron Man.

Then there’s Mila Kunis, ohhhhhh Mila. You may remember her as Jackie from That 70’s Show or Meg from Family Guy. No? Maybe there’s a couple other little movies you might have heard of, Forgetting Sarah Marshal or Max Payne? Ahhh… Now you remember, that’s right, Mila Kunis.

She is Warcraft addicted. There I said it. She completely geeked out over World of Warcraft while promoting Max Payne last year on Jimmy Kimmel and not only does she play, but she runs a twink in the 19-29 battlegrounds and looks incredibly cute talking about it.

She’s currently dating Macaulay Culkin and he has an 80 paladin or something, but forget about that. Mila, he can’t PvP like I can. “Home Alone” can bring it, 19-29, 80, or if he wants to get crazy.. I have a level 1 twink bank alt I’ve been working on. Just let me know.

Google tells me that other celebrity World of Warcraft players include Dave Chappelle, William Shatner, Jay Mohr, Matt and Trey Parker, and Robin Williams.

10 Upcoming MMOG's for 2009

Lego Universe

http://universe.lego.com

That’s right, Lego Universe. Not a whole lot of information is available at the moment, but from the start you will be able to fully customize your new little Lego buddy. From there you can run, jump, bounce and build your way through the ever-evolving Lego Universe. Being on more of the children’s spectrum, it’s not designed to be a PVP-centric game, but there are opportunities still to be found in a variety of competitive challenges. Players will also be able to designate their creations as “smashable”, or not, which brings me right back to my childhood days of Lego crash’em-up derby.

Aion

http://www.plaync.com/us/games/aion/

Aion is another MMORPG by NCsoft, creators of the popular Lineage series. Already a hit in South Korea, and having plans to bring it to the States, Aion combines player-vs-player and player-vs-environment in a fantasy dream setting. Arguably the best feature for this game is the flight combat, where players can battle in the air or attack players on the ground. Aion has already won the best Korean game of the year in 2008, so be ready for this MMORPG to hit it big everywhere.

The Agency

http://theagency.station.sony.com/

The Agency is a spy-themed MMO being developed by Sony Online for Windows and PS3. At the start of the game players get to choose between one of two agencies that will determine the style of missions they receive. Do you want to be an elite secret agent or a duct tape bombing mercenary? The game boasts a FPS-style gun fighting system, and also promises that skill will be the primary factor in the success of the player, although some RPG elements will come into play as well.

Hello, headshots… ohhh how I have missed you!

Stargate Worlds

http://www.stargateworlds.com/

Stargate Worlds is a science fiction MMORPG based on the hugely popular Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis TV series. Stargate Worlds focuses on squad-based ranged combat and utilizes modern and science fiction weaponry, cover and terrain, but also offers a non-combat experience in the forms of detailed crafting and construction gameplay.

A.P.B (All Points Bulletin)

http://www.apb.com/

APB is an action based MMO using the Unreal3 Engine. The game is set in a fictitious modern day metropolis and focuses on the conflict between 2 factions: Enforcement and Criminals. The game itself centers on PvP combat and will be the first MMO title where player skill will determine character progression, as opposed to the traditional model of time investment. Think of an MMO version of GTA.

DC Universe Online

http://dcuo.station.sony.com/

Sony Online’s Austin studio will be creating this game with Jim Lee as the Executive Creative Director and other comic writers. The demo version of the game features a lot of major superheroes and looks great. You can create your character from scratch, or choose one of your favorite superheroes or villains, and the game will generate a close resemblance to the hero or villain you choose.

Fallen Earth

http://www.fallenearth.com

Fallen Earth is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game set on a post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 2154. Within the Grand Canyon Province, an isolated pocket of settlements around one of the world’s most amazing landmarks, you’ll face threats to mankind’s continued survival, from irradiated zones to mutated beasts to raiders. Six factions struggle for dominance in the province. Over time, you’ll have the chance to pick a side in the effort to hold sway over what remains of the post-Fall world.

Jumpgate Evolution

http://www.jumpgateevolution.com

Jumpgate Evolution is a Massively Multiplayer Online Game set in the open expanse of space. With breath-taking visuals and an innovative twitch-based space combat, Jumpgate is the definitive space combat MMO, putting you at the heart of the action as you embark on your mission to explore the galaxy and progress from space rookie to elite commander.

Star Trek Online

http://www.startrekonline.com/

Cryptic Studios, the creator of the City of Heroes franchise, is developing a Star Trek MMO slated to be released later in 2009. Star Trek Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Star Trek universe. Star Trek Online will be developed for both console and PC formats. Game features will include customizable ships and characters, from the Klingon Empire and United Federation of Planets, ground, space and shipboard gameplay, and unique options for player-generated content.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

http://www.swtor.com/

3,5000 years before a shriveled old man in a kickass life support system claimed the paternity of his long begotten son, you find yourself facing the Sith Empire. Not some puny orcs, not some fancy pantsy high elves, the Sith Empire. And guess what… they’re recruiting.

It’s everything Fable promised to be, only done right and with the option to punch people in the face with a lightsaber. Let’s go down the list shall we? Bioware and Lucas Arts? Check. MMO? Check. True character progression? Check. Lightsabers to the face? Double Check!

I am hoping, no.. begging, that this is my alternative to World of Warcraft.