MMO Gaming

It’s time for interview number two (and three through six as well, but we’re getting to them in a bit). I was able to talk with several of the writers from World of Warcraft blog, WoW Insider (a must read site for WoW fans). I don’t want to clutter up this first interview with too many thank yous to the entire team over there so let’s just thank Paul at the moment for taking some time to chat with me about World of Warcraft. I’ve made a few “Editor’s Notes” which are put in parentheses and prefixed with “Ed.” and I’ll also probably write a wrap up at the end of posting all the responses. Onward!

1. What game(s) (aside from WoW) are you currently playing?

Battlefield 2142 (cuz sometimes you just gotta shoot someone), Star Trek Legacy (don’t bother, it sucks)

2. As a player of World of Warcraft do you think the success Blizzard has enjoyed is good or bad for MMOs in general?

Definitely. I think that MMO’s are being exposed to the mass media and the general public as never before. Of course, it does make it a little difficult for anyone else to make such a big splash. I think we’ll see MMO’s in other genres do better than direct competitors. I’m personally looking forward to Tabula Rasa
(Ed. Finally, someone who actually wants to see TR )

3. With the expansion just released what are your initial thoughts? What is your favorite addition so far? Least favorite?

LOVING IT! I’m addicted to my Draenei shaman, who’s level 34 after 4 days of playing. The outland is incredible. But the best addition - all my old friends and guildies who’ve come back to play. My least favorite addition - ravagers. Those things are just creepy.

4. Which unfinished quest line would you be most interested in seeing completed (King of Stormwind quest line or Uldum quest line for instance)?

Hmm, after a half-dozen level 60’s, I’m not sure there’s much left to do. Maybe the Nozdormu line that led up to the opening of the gates of Ahn’qiraj.

5. What is your biggest problem with WoW and how would you fix it?

The LFG system. The old chat system kinda sucked, the new system is a failure due to lack of usage. I wish I had a proper solution, but nothing comes to mind, except maybe trying to find a combination of the chat channel and a more open LFG tool in the interface.
(Ed. I’m personally a fan of my LFG system)

6. The launch of World of Warcraft in ‘04 was riddled with problems, did you feel that Blizzard learned from that with the Burning Crusade launch? What problems, if any, did you run into on launch day?

Blizzard completely learned their lesson, in my opinion. Launch day was completely smooth, no server downtime, no hiccups during the install, spawn rates in all areas were good. A thousand times better than I was expecting. Of course, Bliz did make the mistakes that led me to setting my expectations pretty low in the first place.

7. What is your favorite quest/instance/zone in the game?

Blackwing Lair is my favorite to run. The Nef fight is especially frantic and graphically involving. Outside of that, I’ve spent hours upon hours in the Scarlet Monastery, which with its winged instances is a perfect model for Bliz to follow in the expansion.

8. There are a huge number of UI modifications available. What mods, if any, do you use? Also, how do you feel about Blizzard taking functionality from some mods and implementing it in the basic UI?

I use a ton. Essentials include Bongos and Bagnon. Must-haves for me. I love that Bliz sees what’s out there and implements their own versions into the UI. It reduces processor/memory overhead for me, and I know it’s going to work every time.

9. What is your fondest WoW memory?

Finishing my judgment set on my paladin. YAY!!

10. Now, the most important question of all; Horde or Alliance?

Horlliance?

Final Comments:

Thanks for reading WoW Insider, I’m fortunate to be part of such a great team, and thanks for this opportunity to talk with you.

Thanks again to Paul for answering my questions, let’s not waste too much time though, there are several more interviews left to do!

interview, Paul sherrard, WoW Insider, World of warcraft, burning crusade, Blizzard