Changelog/Version Log
3/12/12: Updated for Patch 4.3.2
Introduction
Subtlety Rogues are the spies and infiltrators of Azeroth. With improved stealth and malicious intent, they prowl through the back alleyways and massive, spanning dungeons of the planet with poisoned …
Change Battle.net Name
We’ve seen too many players buy World of Warcraft accounts to have them stolen back by the sellers or original owners in a dispute. Even if you spend thousands of dollars on an elite-geared main with some …
Interview with Dave Kosak on World of Warcraft in 2012
Recently Videogamer.com posted an interview between one of their authors named Emily Gera and World of Warcraft lead quest developer Dave Kosak, also known as Fargo from the World of Warcraft forums. She asked a few questions on the direction of World of Warcraft is headed in the following year. If you don’t feel like reading through the entire thing, I skimmed it and wrote a quick summary. It’s not a very eventful and it’s important to keep in mind that Dave Kosak is the guy responsible for your leveling experience, not your overall experience while playing the game.
Highlights include:
- Thinks the updated 1-60 experience was best aspect of Cataclysm
- Not sure why they’re losing subs
- Thinks that the Raid Finder was a big success
- Happy with how 4.3 turned out
- No plans for any more Cataclysm content
- Looking at ways to push out content faster in Mists of Pandaria
- Looking to expand on Varian Wrynn for the Alliance
You can head over to the Videogamer.com to read the entire interview or check below as I’ve included a copy of the interview conducted by Emily Gera.
Q: How has the response been to 4.3 so far?
Dave Kosak: So far I’m really happy with it. One of our big design experiments with this patch was the Raid Finder option and people are really taking to that. They are really having a good time with it. And the other thing I’ve been really happy with is we’ve added transmogrification in patch 4.3 and the community has really supported that. There’s websites where you can browse all the different types of clothes your character can wear and make a shopping list then go out and explore the content. So I’m really happy with how the community has taken to that. So far great response.
Q: What do you think the most successful aspect is?
Dave Kosak: Right now? So far for me it seems to be Raid Finder. I know there are a lot of players that really wanted to see that content, and they really wanted to ramp up their character and then have a real challenge of fighting a raid boss but the logistics of getting together with a guild where everyone was available at the same time to raid – not everybody can do that. So Raid Finder opens up a whole lot of content for a whole lot of people and we definitely want to do it with this patch because it’s our most epic raid fight we’ve ever done.
World of Warcraft 64-Bit Client on PTR
A few months ago I posted about a 64-bit client and other possible graphic updates being in the works for World of Warcraft. 4.3.2 will introduce, if all works as planned, a new 64 bit option along with some file improvements. The new file optimization is basically a tool to help delete old left over files from people that have very old installations. Older installs are about 30 gigs, where as a fresh install of World of Warcraft can run about 15-20. I’d estimate that this file optimization will slim about 5 gigs off most older World of Warcraft installs. This will mostly help to keep the installation size down for Mists of Pandaria and allow for World of Warcraft to fit on smaller solid state drives.
A 64-bit client is now available for use with the 4.3.2 PTR. You can download it at the link below, unzip it into your PTR directory, and then run the executable to test it.
• The 64-bit client is being distributed separately from the PTR as it is not yet supported for use with World of Warcraft.
• This can only be used with the 4.3.2 PTR, it is not to be used with the live version of the game.
• A Mac version is not available yet, though we are working on one and plan for it to be available in the near future.
• The game’s built in voice chat does not currently work in the 64-bit client.
If you encounter any issues while using the 64-bit version, please report your findings in the PTR bug report forum (http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/2359401/), and return to using the 32-bit executable.
Recently a Community Manager known as Nevalistis answered a forum post in regards to a concerned player that was disgruntled about mining bots.
“It is a paying account, why ban them? “
This is one of the biggest misconceptions we have, and I genuinely wish we could permanently clear it up. I’ll provide a few hypothetical situations (mind you, these numbers are ENTIRELY made up).
Let’s say 90% of botters were compromised accounts. This means that 90% of these botters aren’t paying accounts; they’re stolen accounts, which are generally fueled by stolen credit cards. These payments usually get disputed and taken back, which actually costs us money. If we’re looking to make a purely fiscal observation, it makes no financial sense to let these continue (aside from the fact that we don’t like compromised accounts to begin with – we want our players to be playing their own accounts safely and enjoyably).
Let’s go on the other side of the fence and say 90% of these botters were otherwise legitimate players paying for their accounts, as you purport. When players bot, other players are inconvenienced by this behavior (and trust me, you guys outnumber the botters, even if you may feel it’s the other way around). The inconveniences range from normal players having difficulty farming on their own to struggling to keep up with an economy that’s being forcibly fluctuated via unfair advantage. When players are inconvenienced in this manner, they submit petitions.
Every petition submitted goes to a Game Master for review. A living, breathing person that is paid to provide customer service looks over it, does what’s necessary for the situation (in botting cases, usually forwarding the info on to our exploitation/hacks team), and provides a response. Let’s say 1-2 people are inconvenienced by a single botter (in all likelihood, we probably get many more petitions per botter than that). This would mean each botter is inconveniencing at least as many, and likely more, players that are positive to the community (the kinds of players we like and want to continue to play our game). For each botter we allow to continue botting, we potentially stand to lose more than we gain for a single subscription, just out of the sheer inconvenience it causes other players.
Even if you change those numbers around of legitimate players versus compromised accounts – we only stand to lose more if we don’t take action on bots (which we do, regularly).
“Blizzard needs to step it up. Unfortunately, the bots you see are no longer just hacked accounts…it’s actual players exploiting the game by using bots to farm when they sleep or are away, therefore when blizzard sends a message investigating the matter they respond as a real player and no action is taken..at least that is my assumption since two of these jerks are still regularly botting Uldum.”
Hot Fix Notes
A list of nerfs, buffs and general fixes were pushed out Tuesday during maintenance. It looks like there have been a lot of nerfs to the ZA/ZG content to make it more attractive for players looking to cap their valor points quickly. Other than that, I don’t see a lot of huge changes. Nothing on class balance and just a few fixes toward the Dragon Soul raid.
General
- Algaefin Rockfish no longer swim in schools, and schools of Deepsea Sagefish have taken their place along many coastlines.
Classes
Hunters
- Multi-Shot, modified by the talent Serpent Spread, should now properly spread Serpent Sting to other targets that are within range when a nearby player is affected by Serpent Sting.
Paladins
- Horde Paladins should find that Judgement of Truth now properly triggers item procs that it is intended to trigger.
Dungeons and Raids
Deadmines
- Helix Gearbreaker’s Stickybomb should no longer break Stealth.
- Vanessa VanCleef’s Vigorous VanCleef Vindicator achievement should no longer break Stealth.
Vortex Pinnacle
- Minister of Air
- The knockback for Lightning Nova has been reduced from roughly 12 yards to 8 yards on normal difficulty, and from18 yards to 12 yards on Heroic difficulty.
Well of Eternity
- Mannoroth — Felhounds, Doomguard Devestators, and Felguards are no longer capable of dealing critical hits.
Humor Me: A quick round up of funny World of Warcraft Videos and Pictures.
Dungeon Dan – The Helpful Companion Addon
This video beyond amazingly epic. Not only does it make fun of Clippy (The old Microsoft Word assistant that everyone hated,) but it also insults bad players in the Looking for Dungeon tool. While I try not to be elitist, it’s just hilarious hearing him try to give the guy directions on how to play his class and the guy telling him to shut up. This is certainly a must watch for anyone that hates the Looking for Dungeon tool. - “Recount shows you’re doing an abnormally low amount of damage…” Oh how many times have I experienced that one as a tank from random people in the Looking for Dungeon tool. I’m sure everyone can find something they relate to in this video.
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The Battle.net BattleTag FAQ
Recently Blizzard added and improved two new features, the biggest being called the Battle.net BattleTag and they’ve managed to improve their support site. I’ll post a few screenshots of the BattleTag system from Diablo 3 since I’m in the beta and repost the official FAQ posts for anyone interested in reading them. The BattleTag system seems like it’s not that important, but I guess it’s a good alternative to those that don’t want to give out their Real ID. Giving out your Battle.net email is pretty annoying due to amount of scam emails it’s possible to receive, so that’s an upside as well. It also seems like it will replace the Starcraft2 Character code and friend system while allowing that system of “name plus character code” to expand beyond just Starcraft 2. It’s a great way of offering a name change to Starcraft 2 players as well, it’s something they’ve been demanding for a long time.
Battle.net BattleTag FAQ
What is a Battle.net BattleTag?
A BattleTag is a unified, player-chosen nickname that will identify you across all of Battle.net – in Blizzard Entertainment games, on our websites, and in our community forums. Similar to Real ID, BattleTags will give players on Battle.net a new way to find and chat with friends they’ve met in-game, form friendships, form groups, and stay connected across multiple Blizzard Entertainment games. BattleTags will also provide a new option for displaying public profiles.
When will BattleTags go live?
We will soon begin limited testing of some features and functionality of BattleTags in the Diablo III beta test, and the feature will be available to Diablo III players at launch. BattleTags will be integrated into other Blizzard games and services such as World of Warcraft and StarCraft II at some point in the future, but we don’t have exact rollout plans to share just yet.
Will my BattleTag be unique?
A player’s BattleTag is not unique, so you won’t need to worry about whether your preferred name is available. You can use any name you wish, as long as it adheres to the BattleTag Naming Policy. Only one BattleTag can be associated with each Battle.net account.