MacG
02-08-2004, 3:58 PM
Are Fan sites getting free beta accounts?
http://www.blizzard.com/wow/fansitechat-040205.shtml
World of Warcraft Fan Site Chat - February 5, 2004. Members of Blizzard met with Blizzard Fan Sites on Battle.net to discuss World of Warcraft. The chat was attended by Blizzard Reps:
Donna Anthony (Katricia), World of Warcraft Community Manager.
World of Warcraft Development Team: Mark Kern, Rob Pardo, Shane Dabiri, and Jeffrey Kaplan
Public Relations: Lisa Bucek, Gil Shif, and George Wang
Web Team: Geoff Fraizer, Blaine Whittle, and Mike Hein.
Special Guest: Mike Morhaime, President. [LisaB.PR] Hey everyone, good to see you - we'll start the chat now - fire away
[Katricia] Hiyas all ... Good to see you all here this afternoon :)
[LisaB.PR] Question - if a group of people enter an instanced dungeon, how does a new player join that group or enter their dungeon?
[Katricia] Basically the group can invite that player into their party and when the player enters the instance they will automatically be in the same instance as that party.
[LisaB.PR] Question - what sort of information is the map going to display?
[Katricia] Which map are you referring to .. mini or world? :)
[Katricia] Well, lets go with the mini first ....
[Katricia] The mini map will show various points of intrests such as towns and major cities. You will also be able to see members of your group and if they are out of range, you'll get a directional arrow so you can easily find them.
[Katricia] ... and the world map ...
[Katricia] You can see the entire world at once, half the world or zoom into particular zones which will show areas that you've already discovered.
[Katricia] You'll also be able to place a rally point on the zone map which group members will see .. this will be used for navigational purposes.
[LisaB.PR] Will I be able to place flags down on the minimap to mark locations I wish to return to later
[Katricia] You can ping the mini map to make group members aware of a particular area.
[Katricia] You will also be able to make notes on the world map including key locations to use later.
[GilS.PR] How does pathing work? In other MMOs problems have resulted from players being able to affect NPCs without retaliation and vice versa, what are the solutions to these problems in WoW? Summoning, warping, line of sight, etc?
[Katricia] We have special creature AI so they can't be exploited. Creatures know when they are being exploited and go into "evade" mode and return to their spawn point.
[LisaB.PR] Will players be able to customize their interface?
[Katricia] Yes, you can drag and resize chat windows and later on we hope to enable dragging for other windows in the game as well ...
[Katricia] For those more technical types you can completely customize and change the interface using XML and Lua scripting ...
[Katricia] we expect users to create custom interfaces for PvP, tradeskilling, guild skins, specific classes etc.
[GilS.PR] how many trade skills can a player master on an individual character?
[Katricia] A player will have to pick and choose as they will not have the skill points to take everything. Skills can be "untrained" though, so there's no worry with picking the wrong one and being stuck with it.
[GilS.PR] EVERYBODY: You can just type your questions into the channel. We'll get to as many as we can. Don't worry, we can see 'em even though you can't ;)
[GilS.PR] How will the trading interface work?
[Katricia] You must be side-by-side. The interface is designed to be as secure as possible ....
[Katricia] A similar interface is used to provide a secure system for enchanting and unlocking boxes etc.
[Katricia] This is cool because in other games you actually have to hand over your items to the enchanter, who may not be honest ...
[Katricia] in WoW, the enchanter never has physical possession of your item
[GilS.PR] Can you give any comparisions, or lack of, between the drop system in World of Warcraft and Diablo 2?
[Katricia] Like D2, WoW supports a form of random item generation.
[Katricia] Unique items can be created by the system such as "Sword of Lifestealing" or "Breastplate of Stamina" ...
[Katricia] We take the base item like the sword and the system randomly combines it with a modifier such as lifestealing
[GilS.PR] We've seen from an older screenshot that the Dark Portal has been rebuilt (after having been destroyed in War2 expansion). Can you give us any background on why it's back or what role it'll play in the game?
[Katricia] The foundation of the dark portal was never destroyed even though the connection of the worlds was severed ...
[Katricia] and while it is no longer to open, there is legend of a ritual contained within Medivh's spellbook
[Katricia] which might one day allow powerful Warlocks to open the portal.
[GilS.PR] What happens when a player fails to complete a quest? Will there be an option to try that quest again?
[Katricia] Yes, players can always go back to the quest giver and try again.
[GilS.PR] Can you tell us more details about group spells and/or rituals?
[Katricia] The Warlock has the ritual of summoning. With three people in a group, the Warlock will cast a portal that two others must touch that will summon a distant party member to that location.
[GilS.PR] Will it be possible to journey into Outland (or if not for the initial release, is this planned for later)?
[Katricia] Ahhh .. we've got to keep some secrets :)
[GilS.PR] Will there be class-related quests that take you to enemy towns and/or cities? (For example, can a rogue get to sneak in, steal stuff, and sneak out for a quest?)
[Katricia] Yes, there are quests in the game that take you into enemy towns.
[GilS.PR] Will the quests progress the Warcraft storyline, and can we expect to see this storyline drastically affect the Warcraft game world as time progresses?
[Katricia] We have a story planned over the next few years which affects the world in dramatic ways.
[GilS.PR] For people who have friends that want to play together from the start, but play different races, is it going to be easy and/or quick to start playing with your friend as soon as possible?
[Katricia] For some races it's easier than others ...
[Katricia] For example, the humans and dwarves have easy transit between their two cities while the night elves are in a distant land.
[GilS.PR] Will there be a variety of fish to catch while fishing? Will there be special items, treasure chests, or SOS bottles that are able to be fished up?
[Katricia] Yes .. we're even planning on having seasonal fish -- and they can tie into quests and other tradeskills.
[Katricia] You can also fish up things like lock boxes, unique armors and other things :)
[GilS.PR] How will players use mounts? Will they be available through a summonable skill, or merchant (ie stables). How long will they last and are there different levels for mounts?
[Katricia] Mounts become available to each race at a high level. We also have other specialty mounts ... Warlocks for example can summon a night mare. Mounts can be "called" when needed by the owner.
[GilS.PR] Will Hunters who train in bows and rifles always be better than say a Warrior who has trained to the same level of said weapons?
[Katricia] They will very likely be very similar in skills, however; the hunters will have additional abilities with those weapons that are unique to the class. This will ultimately make them more powerful with ranged weapons.
[GilS.PR] Will there be "named" or "unique" monsters in the World of Warcraft? If so, will they appear randomly or will they only spawn under certain circumstances?
[Katricia] Yes there are many unique monsters in WoW. Some will appear randomly while others will only spawn when certain conditions have been met.
[GilS.PR] Will items crafted in WoW be more useful to other players than crafted items typically are in other RPGs?
[Katricia] Throughout your career as a crafter, there will always be items which you can create that will be the best items a player can use at that level...
[Katricia] For example, at level 40 the best bracer might come from a blacksmith while at level 45, the best bracer might be from a quest.
[Katricia] There are also a number of consumable items that can be created such as armor patches and sharpening stones.
[Katricia] Tradeskillers can sell these consumable items to players who use them to improve their existing armor and items.
[GilS.PR] Will players be able to recreate the same item over and over as long as they get the right materials?
[Katricia] Yes :)
[GilS.PR] Will there be a follow option to have your character automatically follow your group leaders?
[Katricia] Currently, you can follow anyone and not just the group leader.
[GilS.PR] Hey everyone, that was the last question. However, we have a special announcement for you, so hold on a sec', and I'll turn it back over to Katricia.
[Katricia] Just wanted to thank you all for coming today and wanted to let yas know that all of the sites in the Fansite Program have automatically been entered into our beta program ...
[Katricia] this includes international fan sites.
[Katricia] Also, we will be handing out additional beta accounts to fan sites to use for contests ... (more on this at a later time).
[Katricia] Thanks again for joining us .. yas all have a great night :)\
[GilS.PR] Thanks everybody. Katricia has left the building ;) See you next time.
http://www.blizzard.com/wow/fansitechat-040205.shtml
World of Warcraft Fan Site Chat - February 5, 2004. Members of Blizzard met with Blizzard Fan Sites on Battle.net to discuss World of Warcraft. The chat was attended by Blizzard Reps:
Donna Anthony (Katricia), World of Warcraft Community Manager.
World of Warcraft Development Team: Mark Kern, Rob Pardo, Shane Dabiri, and Jeffrey Kaplan
Public Relations: Lisa Bucek, Gil Shif, and George Wang
Web Team: Geoff Fraizer, Blaine Whittle, and Mike Hein.
Special Guest: Mike Morhaime, President. [LisaB.PR] Hey everyone, good to see you - we'll start the chat now - fire away
[Katricia] Hiyas all ... Good to see you all here this afternoon :)
[LisaB.PR] Question - if a group of people enter an instanced dungeon, how does a new player join that group or enter their dungeon?
[Katricia] Basically the group can invite that player into their party and when the player enters the instance they will automatically be in the same instance as that party.
[LisaB.PR] Question - what sort of information is the map going to display?
[Katricia] Which map are you referring to .. mini or world? :)
[Katricia] Well, lets go with the mini first ....
[Katricia] The mini map will show various points of intrests such as towns and major cities. You will also be able to see members of your group and if they are out of range, you'll get a directional arrow so you can easily find them.
[Katricia] ... and the world map ...
[Katricia] You can see the entire world at once, half the world or zoom into particular zones which will show areas that you've already discovered.
[Katricia] You'll also be able to place a rally point on the zone map which group members will see .. this will be used for navigational purposes.
[LisaB.PR] Will I be able to place flags down on the minimap to mark locations I wish to return to later
[Katricia] You can ping the mini map to make group members aware of a particular area.
[Katricia] You will also be able to make notes on the world map including key locations to use later.
[GilS.PR] How does pathing work? In other MMOs problems have resulted from players being able to affect NPCs without retaliation and vice versa, what are the solutions to these problems in WoW? Summoning, warping, line of sight, etc?
[Katricia] We have special creature AI so they can't be exploited. Creatures know when they are being exploited and go into "evade" mode and return to their spawn point.
[LisaB.PR] Will players be able to customize their interface?
[Katricia] Yes, you can drag and resize chat windows and later on we hope to enable dragging for other windows in the game as well ...
[Katricia] For those more technical types you can completely customize and change the interface using XML and Lua scripting ...
[Katricia] we expect users to create custom interfaces for PvP, tradeskilling, guild skins, specific classes etc.
[GilS.PR] how many trade skills can a player master on an individual character?
[Katricia] A player will have to pick and choose as they will not have the skill points to take everything. Skills can be "untrained" though, so there's no worry with picking the wrong one and being stuck with it.
[GilS.PR] EVERYBODY: You can just type your questions into the channel. We'll get to as many as we can. Don't worry, we can see 'em even though you can't ;)
[GilS.PR] How will the trading interface work?
[Katricia] You must be side-by-side. The interface is designed to be as secure as possible ....
[Katricia] A similar interface is used to provide a secure system for enchanting and unlocking boxes etc.
[Katricia] This is cool because in other games you actually have to hand over your items to the enchanter, who may not be honest ...
[Katricia] in WoW, the enchanter never has physical possession of your item
[GilS.PR] Can you give any comparisions, or lack of, between the drop system in World of Warcraft and Diablo 2?
[Katricia] Like D2, WoW supports a form of random item generation.
[Katricia] Unique items can be created by the system such as "Sword of Lifestealing" or "Breastplate of Stamina" ...
[Katricia] We take the base item like the sword and the system randomly combines it with a modifier such as lifestealing
[GilS.PR] We've seen from an older screenshot that the Dark Portal has been rebuilt (after having been destroyed in War2 expansion). Can you give us any background on why it's back or what role it'll play in the game?
[Katricia] The foundation of the dark portal was never destroyed even though the connection of the worlds was severed ...
[Katricia] and while it is no longer to open, there is legend of a ritual contained within Medivh's spellbook
[Katricia] which might one day allow powerful Warlocks to open the portal.
[GilS.PR] What happens when a player fails to complete a quest? Will there be an option to try that quest again?
[Katricia] Yes, players can always go back to the quest giver and try again.
[GilS.PR] Can you tell us more details about group spells and/or rituals?
[Katricia] The Warlock has the ritual of summoning. With three people in a group, the Warlock will cast a portal that two others must touch that will summon a distant party member to that location.
[GilS.PR] Will it be possible to journey into Outland (or if not for the initial release, is this planned for later)?
[Katricia] Ahhh .. we've got to keep some secrets :)
[GilS.PR] Will there be class-related quests that take you to enemy towns and/or cities? (For example, can a rogue get to sneak in, steal stuff, and sneak out for a quest?)
[Katricia] Yes, there are quests in the game that take you into enemy towns.
[GilS.PR] Will the quests progress the Warcraft storyline, and can we expect to see this storyline drastically affect the Warcraft game world as time progresses?
[Katricia] We have a story planned over the next few years which affects the world in dramatic ways.
[GilS.PR] For people who have friends that want to play together from the start, but play different races, is it going to be easy and/or quick to start playing with your friend as soon as possible?
[Katricia] For some races it's easier than others ...
[Katricia] For example, the humans and dwarves have easy transit between their two cities while the night elves are in a distant land.
[GilS.PR] Will there be a variety of fish to catch while fishing? Will there be special items, treasure chests, or SOS bottles that are able to be fished up?
[Katricia] Yes .. we're even planning on having seasonal fish -- and they can tie into quests and other tradeskills.
[Katricia] You can also fish up things like lock boxes, unique armors and other things :)
[GilS.PR] How will players use mounts? Will they be available through a summonable skill, or merchant (ie stables). How long will they last and are there different levels for mounts?
[Katricia] Mounts become available to each race at a high level. We also have other specialty mounts ... Warlocks for example can summon a night mare. Mounts can be "called" when needed by the owner.
[GilS.PR] Will Hunters who train in bows and rifles always be better than say a Warrior who has trained to the same level of said weapons?
[Katricia] They will very likely be very similar in skills, however; the hunters will have additional abilities with those weapons that are unique to the class. This will ultimately make them more powerful with ranged weapons.
[GilS.PR] Will there be "named" or "unique" monsters in the World of Warcraft? If so, will they appear randomly or will they only spawn under certain circumstances?
[Katricia] Yes there are many unique monsters in WoW. Some will appear randomly while others will only spawn when certain conditions have been met.
[GilS.PR] Will items crafted in WoW be more useful to other players than crafted items typically are in other RPGs?
[Katricia] Throughout your career as a crafter, there will always be items which you can create that will be the best items a player can use at that level...
[Katricia] For example, at level 40 the best bracer might come from a blacksmith while at level 45, the best bracer might be from a quest.
[Katricia] There are also a number of consumable items that can be created such as armor patches and sharpening stones.
[Katricia] Tradeskillers can sell these consumable items to players who use them to improve their existing armor and items.
[GilS.PR] Will players be able to recreate the same item over and over as long as they get the right materials?
[Katricia] Yes :)
[GilS.PR] Will there be a follow option to have your character automatically follow your group leaders?
[Katricia] Currently, you can follow anyone and not just the group leader.
[GilS.PR] Hey everyone, that was the last question. However, we have a special announcement for you, so hold on a sec', and I'll turn it back over to Katricia.
[Katricia] Just wanted to thank you all for coming today and wanted to let yas know that all of the sites in the Fansite Program have automatically been entered into our beta program ...
[Katricia] this includes international fan sites.
[Katricia] Also, we will be handing out additional beta accounts to fan sites to use for contests ... (more on this at a later time).
[Katricia] Thanks again for joining us .. yas all have a great night :)\
[GilS.PR] Thanks everybody. Katricia has left the building ;) See you next time.