Avian Gamers Network

Game Play and Character Creation:

If abilities are purchased with points via a skill-tree, will a character at max level have enough ability points to have all the abilities at useful (or max) levels, or just some? If only some, what sort of tradeoffs in other abilities will we see?

Both the skill point system and the talent system are being iterated on. Each character will have to make choices as to which skills, tradeskills and abilities he chooses to specialize in. Players should be able to gain exposure to a wide variety of skills but no one character will be able to master all skills. Players also have the ability to forfeit skills in order to pursue other interests. --Tigole


You've stated that there will be encounters which require a "guild" size force. What is a guild size force? And will these encounters be the only means of getting the "best" gear, or will there be comparable gear available through other, more "casual" means (e.g., grouping, questing, etc.)?

Currently, our thinking is raid encounters will be designed for a force of approximately 25-30 people. We feel that a number in this vicinity captures the epic feel of a raid while allowing each individual involved to play a significant role. The exact numbers are still up for debate though. There will also be a handful of "world" encounters that will require the server to band together and overcome a great foe.

Some of the best items in the game will come from raiding. You will still be able to get great items through group encounters, quests and tradeskills. But the loot that drops off of raid bosses will definitely be highly sought after. -- Tigole


How important will having and/or earning money be to gameplay? How can a character in the game earn cash (e.g., dropped coin from mobs or quests, sell back on dropped items, selling tradeskill-made items, etc.)?

Money is very important in the World of Warcraft. Players need money to train skills and abilities, for tradeskills, reagents, extended bank space and vendor items such as weapons and armor. Money can be earned by killing creatures, selling back items to vendors or through the player trade economy. --Tigole


In current MMORPGs, the difficulty of instanced dungeons varies with the playing levels of the characters, but the look, style, and feel of the dungeons does not vary greatly. How will this be different in World of Warcraft?

Each of our instanced dungeons is tailor made for one level range. Early on we discussed re-using dungeons and swapping out creatures according to level range but we decided it would be more fulfilling for players to have new dungeons to experience rather than constantly returning to the same ones. Each of our instanced dungeons has a totally unique story and theme behind it. They are scattered throughout the world, on all continents and across all level ranges.

I think our four *newbie* dungeons stand as a good example of the variety of locations players will have to fight in. On Azeroth, the first dungeon experience will be the Deadmines, a full blown mining operation hidden within the hills of Westfall. In Lordaeron, players will adventure in Shadowfang Keep, a castle overrun with Worgen which were summoned by a deranged Archmage. On Kalimdor, Night Elf players will adventure in Blackfathom Deeps, an old sea temple infested with cultists and naga. Also on Kalimdor, Horde players will adventure in the Wailing Caverns, a lush, overgrown cave which is being terrorized by reptilian creatures summoned from a sleeping Druid's nightmares. These four examples are just the tip of the iceberg. These are the first four dungeons players will see. It only gets bigger and better from there =) -- Tigole


Having options to pick from a variety of faces, builds, etc.. while creating your character is important to the players; is this issue being addressed?

Yes it is. Character customization has been given a high priority status for the design team. It is being looked at carefully and the team is in the process of adding new ways for people to create unique characters. -- Katricia


Druid Spells and Shifting abilities:

Is shifting instant, or does it have a cast time? Can shifting be done while moving? Does shifting cost mana?


Shape shifting is done instantly with no casting time and can be done while moving. The “cost” of shape shifting will vary depending on the form. -- Katricia


Bear form is rumored to be a "warrior" form, Panther form is rumored to be a "rogue" form. What differences are there between a druid forms and the true classes?

The bear and panther forms are truly subsets of the in-game classes but with unique abilities that will not be available to the classes, making them very unique in their own rights. -- Katricia


What other spells will be available to druids?

One new spell that has recently been added to our classes section is Mark of the Wild. This spell is meant to really make the druids a valued part of any group. It will give druids the ability to aid themselves and others by enhancing attributes. At higher levels we anticipate this as being one of those buffs that everyone will be asking for. -- Katricia


Besides appearance, what things change when shifting into a new form (e.g., in Warcraft 3, a druid shifting into bear form gains AC, melee damage, and hp, while losing mana regen)?

Things will definitely change for a druid once they have shape shifted into a new form. For example, when in their aquatic form druids will swim faster and be able to breathe underwater, in bear form they will use rage much as a warrior would with the unique added ability to “roar” just like WarCraft III. -- Katricia


Are stat modifiers and effects from worn equipment, potions, and similar items taken into account in shifted form? How does the weapon held prior to shifting affect the druid's damage in shifted form?

Oh yes, every item worn by the druid while shape shifted will still carry it’s effects after they’ve transferred. For example, in bear shape the druid will be attacking with claws and teeth, but the speed and damage will come from their weapons with modifications added from their new found “bear” strength etc. -- Katricia

Anyone else trying to use Bit-Torrent on a college campus' network? I can't get above 2 kb/s and I don't know how to increase it.

There is no waiting for a flight. Once you buy your ticket, you're automatically placed on the mount, and your air journey begins!

Flying gives you an entirely different view of the world…if you think you know your way around, wait until you see Azeroth by air! The flight paths are specifically designed to delight passengers with entertaining sights and glimpses of new regions, such as dangerous high-level areas that you might not be ready to explore yet. You can also get a clear view of other players adventuring on the ground and see some of the monsters that you'll be encountering later in the game.

New World of Warcraft Cinematic Feature Coming Friday!
Ever wonder what a Blizzard cinematic movie looks like at the different stages of development? On March 5th, we will be releasing a brand new movie featuring a behind-the-scenes glimpse of World of Warcraft’s opening cinematic. This rare look at a Blizzard movie in progress will be available for download at Blizzard.com starting at 6pm PST this Friday. We hope you’ll stop by to check it out.

It's interesting they're moving to BitTorrent for d/ling movies.

Funny that you should ask this. Just two days ago I was called into one of the artist's offices for a "female's perspective" on the various armor styles available.

At the end of this little gathering, I had suggested to have a variety of armors available so that each individual could choose to be fighting in armor-bikini or in armor-tin man's suit.

Hope that helps.

~Kat

Some traditionally female items will be available to both sexes so folks can have as much fun with it as they desire.

~Kat

~Kat

Some traditionally female items will be available to both sexes so folks can have as much fun with it as they desire.

~Kat

Yay! At last my dwarven hunter can run around in leather skirts!

Is the Imp still a useful pet to the Warlock at higher levels?
The Imp will continue to be a strong pet through all of the Warlock’s life due to its keen buffing abilities. This is especially true in group play as the Imp will automatically buff all members of the party and continue to refresh these buffs when needed.

That is one thing that I had hope we'd have in SWG. But with these new games, it would take ALOT to redo all the textures you see around in the worlds. I'd at least like to see some new weather patterns... instead of rain, their might be snow floating by. I'd hope for something like that in WoW but I think it would be to big for them to pull of changing seasons right away (if they haven't already worked on that).

Snow, as in snow-covered landscapes around Ironforge? Or as in really snowing, and freshly covering the landscape?

Special Fish - Some special fish, such as a 22-pound catfish, can be held in your off-hand. Place them there to brag about your catch to other people. You may find other non-edible fish that are useful for trade skills. Find out what they are for before selling them to a vendor.

Another method of Enchanting for other players is to use the trade screen window. Instruct the other player to place the item they wish to enchant in the trade screen window. It's recommend that that player does NOT press the trade button yet. Now, the enchanter should perform the enchantment on the item in the trade screen. Run your cursor over the item, and it will indicate that the item has been enchanted and that it will not be traded. You can then both press trade, and the player will receive the item back, and the enchantment will be complete. You can only enchant one item at a time in the trade screen window. Players should not give you their items to have you enchant them. They should do it via the Trade Screen window, without actually trading the items.

there are either completely new forums or simply a new way to access the old ones...not sure yet.