Nightborne And The Night Elves

Friday is here and besides wondering where in the hell September went we look towards what is going on with this week's Reader Post. So what is on tap for this week's post? Well it has everything to do what the Nightborne will think about the Night Elves post Elisande. Well Mace is wondering the same thing so I am happy to let him take over.

I wonder how the Nightborne will actually regard the Night elves, who are actually the group that left Suramar to fight Azshara, and they won. Will they be ashamed that they hid under a shield? Would they venerate them? The Nightborne Thaedris Feathermoon seems to indicate that the Nightborne venerate the night elves who lost their lives defending the city. Which makes me wonder if they'll actually view the current night elves with awe - post Elisande ofc.. cos currently under Elisande, the loyalists seem to be the ones with the voice and they just look down on every one, like everyone. Therefore those who oppose them have been humbled and had to put away whatever arrogance they may have had to accept help, and as such will have more of an open and less judgmental mind especially after others have seen them grovelling for mana on the brink of death and have helped them. Thalyssra and the Nightborne alongside the rebels will never have that undiluted arrogance the loyalists and especially the Felsworn bunch have. 

I know how the Night elves view them, Valewalker Farodin, The Moonguard and Tyrande's views are being shown, and it seems to be endearing, the Valewalker really likes them and is confident they can be fully saved and are worth the efforts, the Val'sharah night elves and the Moonguard remnant have also found refuge under Thalysrra's wings and help the rebellion - Tyrande is upset with them, but it seems the kind of upset of a person who deeply cares and has been disappointed with a well loved family member they expected much better from is, it doesn't come off as a hate or disdain, but rather anger at a sibling who's been behaving foolishly - at least that's how it comes off to me. 

What I wonder is how the Nightborne populace will view their kin.. no one has really celebrated the Night elves victory over the Legion, twice - I wonder if the Nightborne under Thalyssra will find new heroes in their ancient kin who are from their city after all and probably have relations. I wonder if their memory is the stuff of Legends - The young High priestess who was thought killed before her time - the novel should be interesting. I wonder.. do you?

Well? definitely food for thought for the weekend. Enjoy!

The Rant That Wasn't Meant To Be

Thursday, and normally at this point in the week something is bothering me. For some reason or another nothing really has my blood boiling this week. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Why you ask? Well I like to be adamant about things as you know. If something isn't up to the standard that it should be then I am going to go on about it. If a game doesn't live up to expectations I am going to say something about it. If a game doesn't deliver everything it said it was going to, well you are going to hear about it. And if a game is just a rehash of the same game the previous year well you will know.

Now as you know I don't always rant about things which are bad. Sometimes I am surprised and want people to know how good something is, trying not to go all out fanboy. I have ranted about so many things on here or just randomly at home that there is just too many times to count. One thing has changed though people actually want to know what I am ranting about. They care what I have to say and respect my opinion. To me though this is also good and bad.

And why you ask? Well as you have heard in previous rants I sometimes have issues with peoples opinions where they are not warranted. If they don't have the background in something why should I listen to their opinion about it. I shouldn't. What all of you need to realize is my opinion like any other is just that my opinion. Now I like to think I know things and probably more than the average person, but doesn't mean you should believe everything I say.

Now I know not everyone does that, because I get enough emails telling me that I am full of crap. Most of those have to do when I make Call of Duty jokes, but still even you xbox live fanatics should try to have opinions even if they are more wrong than Fox News on a daily basis.

So I guess I did rant, but it was more a rant about how my rants shouldn't always be taken as the rant of rants. Yes, it really was that confusing.

It Happened

So here we are Wednesday is here which means it is the middle of the week and it is time for me to make a list. Now what is the list about this week? Well for awhile I have been asked to do a list about the worst things which could possibly happen while playing a video game. So here goes.

5. Game Won't Auto Save

This is a feature in many modern games, but what happens when it isn't working. The worst part is when you have been playing the game for hours and don't remember when it was working. Then realize you can't save directly and know you have to finish the game or you are just screwed.

4. Wii Remote Breaks TV

Can't say I have ever done it, but have seen it happen. Sometimes Wii Sports gets intense and that remote just goes flying right through the tv. Those straps exist for a reason.

3. Save File Deleted

Not as much as an issue today as it once was. Plenty of times I have had my save files saved over by my little brother or have someone wipe my memory card because they weren't sure it was still being used.

2. Internet Goes Out During Online Play

It is one thing to lose or die when it happens because of something you did. It is another thing when it happens due to something completely beyond your control. Yes this sucks.

1. Power Goes Out During Final Cutscene

So you beat the game most of the time after an intense boss battle and you are finally going to see what the end of the story is. All that time you put in, all that effort wasn't for nothing, and then all of the sudden it was...

There you have it this week's list. What are your worst things? As always if not let me know in one way or another.

You Fail At Thinking Sports Games Are New If...

Fail Day! Yes here we are once again the day of the week where we sit back and enjoy the rest of the world's failures. So what are we talking about this week? Sports games and gamer;s thoughts about them.

You Fail At Thinking Sports Games Are New If...

• You don't think the biggest thing about them are roster updates
• You believe the hype every year
• You say it is not big deal when they removed something you liked
• You think full price for an update is worth it
• You think a feature is "new" when really they removed it 3 years ago
• You think the best thing about them is online with horrible servers
• You don't think it is a bad thing when each game doesn't have a competitor
• You don't understand why these games have the worst trade in value of any game
• You have no issue with the "we will fix it next year" attitude
• You enjoy dealing with the same bugs year after year

And Finally

• You don't believe anything I an saying

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it and you don't fall victim to the the fail.

I'd Be Cool If Lady Vashj

Monday! Yes there is not much at all to be excited about, that is unless you have not watched the latest I'd Be Cool If video from Carbot Animations. If you have even wouldn't it be great if there was a place where it was showcased so you could watch it once again? Well what do you know here it is



You are welcome!

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Yes, it is Sunday again and your weekend is once again coming to a close. Yes there is plenty of time as always to be depressed in one way or another, but before you get there why not sit back and enjoy the questions I have picked this week. 

So who do you think the whispers from Il'gynoth are from?

Well the ones I think are really up for debate are "The boy king serves at the master's table. Three lies he will offer you." and "The lord of ravens will turn the key". So who then? Well besides Wrathion being the boy king you could also look to Anduin. The question remains though if it is Anduin what about the comic with him on Argus fighting for the side of the light? Or is this a misdirection completely. Meaning he is a slave to the light. The lord of ravens seems to obvious to be Medivh, we do know Medivh was essential to bringing the Legion minions the orcs to Azeroth in the first place. Problem being what about his former apprentice Khadgar? We have seen on many occasions he used the same raven form as Medivh. Just some food for thought I guess.

Is Jania more powerful than Khadgar?

I don't even think it is close. Just like Khadgar is nothing to Medivh. Now that was due to him being granted Guardian powers. Medivh's powers could still be transferred to someone at some point, but the fact he was basically "buffed" changes what is actually attainable. Khadgar was chosen because of his potential something that wasn't seen in a very long time by Antonidas and the council of six. He later traned Jaina and nothing was ever mentioned of her potential. I know people use the bomb exposure to say how Jania might also be "buffed", but I just don't see the argument with all the other available evidence. 

How Old are the Old Gods?

Well Old.

There they are questions all answered for the week. Hope you all got something out of them in some way or another. Thank you to everyone who sent in something as always this would not be possible without all of your input. You may not feel free to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Il'gynoth Whispers

So it is Friday and as always I am looking for a Reader Post. Also as always I am looking for something interesting lore wise Warcraft to think about. Well this week we got something with the Whispers before the Il'gynoth encounter in the Emerald Nightmare. What am I talking about? Well these specific whispers.

"To find him, drown yourself in a circle of stars.

"The boy-king serves at the master's table. Three lies he will offer you."

"Her heart is a crater, and we have filled it."

"The lord of ravens will turn the key." 

"Flesh is his gift. He is your true creator."

Being Old God things they always lead to be something interesting to talk about and Cirno writes in to give him his view of the them here.

1. Maybe this is referring to the a location in Suramar? The Nightborne have shown an interest in astrology (Star Augur Etraues, Court of Stars) and I think I remember hearing that N'zoth's prison was somewhere around there.

2. I think this could be alluding to Wrathion. Though his title is the Black Prince, maybe he felt he deserves the title of King. After all, he is the last black dragon, who have had a history of serving the Old Gods, who Xal'atath could be referring to as the master.

3. A tormented female character that felt dead inside, but was given a purpose by the Old Gods. This could mean that Sylvanas was somehow misled into pursuing immortality and power, which could be part of the Old God's plans. This could also be referring to Elerethe Renferal, who fell into despair after her death and then became empowered by the Old Gods.

4. Does this mean Medivh, or Lord Kur'talos? The Legion have shown interest in both, but I think it's more likely that Xal'atath is telling us that a treasure is to be found in Karazhan.

5. This could mean that Magni is being misled, somehow, or it could be referring to a yet to be revealed character. How interesting would it be, if Magni was actually being fooled by an Old God? We have seen that their influence still remains in Ulduar..

Well what do you think? I have my own thoughts, but I will leave those for Sunday that way you can think for yourself and enjoy your weekend

Rants Put To Use

I know this week I have talked about how there are plenty of fail features or consoles or all of these things in gaming. The fact of the matter is no matter what there are always going to be "bad" things in good games. Just like there will always be "good" things in bad games.

The most important things about both of those though is that developers and gamers alike realize that these things have happened. The greatest thing about modern games is that developers can fix mistakes they may have made instead of us having to live with them.

Sometimes we, as gamers, fail to realize what some of these companies have done for us. They listen to our feedback and suggestions and then move on. Now sometimes these requests go unanswered, but sometimes, and I would like to say most of the time, they make good on fixing things.

All of the examples on yesterdays list made good on fixing what was perceived as "bad". If you were to ask the developers directly about the mistakes they made in these certain circumstances I believe they would state directly it was from their communities feedback. That to me is something, which just shows game developers probably more so than anything else that is made listen to the consumer and want to improve.

Now games are a lot easier to change on the fly then other things with patches and such, but still it is not often that companies realize it was their mistake and they take the time to fix it. Normally the case is when a company makes a mistake you are forced to wait to the next iteration or have to pay to get the fix. Just take a minute to realize for a minute how lucky we are as gamers.

So with all the complaining and ranting I do. I guess it is nice to take a minute to thank the companies that make good on things when they have made a mistake, and I would like to think maybe even a little of my ranting has gone to good use.

Got 99 Problems And My Name Is One

Wednesday. Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad just like features in a video game. Now some times great games have horrible features that are removed and the communities rejoice. So that is exactly what this week's list is all about.

5. Minecraft - Infinite Water

Well this speaks for itself. The water would randomly update underground and cause serious problems while building, and would rise much higher than should have been possible. While this resulted in many hilarious videos wasn't good for the game as a whole.

4. World of Warcraft - Respec cost

One thing that was in WoW for way too long was the cost to change your spec that would increase based on how often you did it. This would basically penalize you if you were let's say PvPing and Raiding or changing your spec for your raid and so on and so forth. It was just a pointless gold sink that any player was glad when was removed.

3. Diablo III - Auction House

Something that has been talked about time and time again. The issue wasn't with the auction house itself it was that loot drops were inconsistent because of the Auction House. The whole thing was creating so trading could still be a central focus to the game even if it was automated. What Blizzard realized was if they fixed loot no one would miss trading and the game would be better for it, which is exactly what they did.

2. SimCity - Online

When SimCity launch it was coming off of massive success in its city building environment. The problem with it was that when they decided it was going to be always online they were not prepared with the servers they had ready and it resulted in one of the worst launches in the history of gaming. This caused them to months later to remove the online only requirement and also leaves the series in general in jeopardy.

1. Xbox One - Used Games

When the Xbox One was revealed they had all these features all of which didn't go over well with consumers. The one that caused the biggest problem was restricting games to one user. Basically making you unable to share a game with a friend or trade it in for other games later on. This caused an enormous outrage and something Microsoft eventually realized was a mistake and removed.

There it is. Do you agree or disagree? Any other bad features in good games you were glad when they were finally removed? Let me know one way or another.

You Failed At Predicting The Results Of Removing the Diablo III Auction House If

Fail Day! Yes here are here on yet another day where we get to be jerks talking about others failures. Something you may or may not be aware of 3 years ago almost to the day was when Blizzard announced they would be closing down the auction house for Diablo III. Obviously they didn't shut it down right away since people had a chance to adapt. With this in mind today is all about the people who failed at guessing what would go wrong with Diablo III when removing the auction house.

You Failed At Predicting The Results Of Removing the Diablo III Auction House If...

• You thought it would make Reaper of Souls a Failure
• You believed loot 2.0 would never work
• You thought everyone would miss trading
• You still think trading is one of the biggest draws of Diablo
• You didn't think anyone would be able to push top end content
• You thought it would kill the community and it would be a single player only game
• You believed gold would have no use
• You thought players gear in legendaries would never be the case
• You thought 3rd party sites would return
• You believe people wouldn't be playing end game
• You thought it would be impossible to gear followers
• You believed it would cause everyone to start playing Path of Exile

And Finally

• You are still hoping the Auction House comes back

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it in some way or another, and are able to look back and see the good.

Abathur & Vorazun

Monday! Yes it is Monday and the weekend is over, but before you get all depressed why not watch the newest episode of Starcrafts which is all about co-op this week with your friends Abathur and Vorazun. So enjoy I promise will make your day better.



Wasn't I right?

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Not only are you realizing that your weekend is about to end, but you are also realizing that what you heard about Chris Metzen wasn't a dream it has happened. So while you realizing that why don't we get to the questions for the week.

Will Chris Metzen's departure mean the end of the lore in Warcraft?

I am sure the story and the plan has been written for quite some time. They don't change the story week to week they know where it is going. The one thing I will say though it makes sense with how Starcraft II ended. That is the ending of the Raynor and Kerrigan story arc the perfect time to end his involvement. Diablo III is also in a spot where most of the leftover arcs are wrapped up so the story would be fresh and the perfect time for someone not involved with the old to start the new.

Final Fantasy XII remake coming in 2017 your thoughts?

I am excited about it, but I am iffy about the changes. That is not to say that I will not be buying it because I will be. As with FFX and X-2 I hope they give the option to choose the way to play through the game. Not that I think the international system is bad, but I enjoy the fact you could choose the job your character uses throughout the game mostly because different parts of the game require different jobs mostly due to hunts. Who knows though I might like it if I just treat it as a new game.

NHL 17 you getting it?

Will play, but as stated before I don't buy sports games anymore.

There you have it questions answered for the week. Hope you got something out of it in one way or another, and now you may enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Have A Great Retirement

So it is Friday and while I received many Reader Posts about the new Heroes of the Storm Battleground, Legion Lore, and some random Civilization VI information. I felt I still owed something to Chris Metzen for the time he has put into the games I love. With that in mind I was reading through the forums and found a post by WarlordPL on the Heroes of the Storm forums which really speaks to the common gamer who was touch by him so have a read.

Well,

I'm one of those 'far' person you touched virtually. (Since I live in Canada and never got the chance to go to a BlizzCon and meet you in person). 

But I must say I grew up with those game you started to work on. I started with Warcraft 2, (When I was 14 here) and was playing over a 56k modem that took the phone line when I wanted to play 'via TCP' back in those days.... I am now 33. I guess times goes by for everyone...

Hmm... wait did Lost Vikings was before WC2 ? Because I also remember this very fun puzzle game on PC.

Well, back to you, I wish you all the happy 'slow' time with your family and friends. (And I'm sure you'll keep in touch with your close friends at Blizz too ;-) as a 'partial time' consultant over a beer on a Friday night once in a while.

Anyway, thanks for all the game, the lores and what you have given to those franchises. (I remember reading the small bribe of lore in the Warcraft 2 game manual and I think I remember your name once in a while).

Well, thanks for this heartly farewell, best of the retirement for you!

I think that says it all don't you think? Have a great weekend.

A Farwell

First of all if you have not read Chris Metzen's Farewell here it is.

I had just turned twenty years old when I started working at Blizzard. Seems like a lifetime ago. Guess it was. Those first few years were the start of a very grand adventure for me, one that would take me around the world, introduce me to thousands of wonderful geeks just like me—and ultimately shape the course of my adult life.

Of course when I started, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to make games or build entertainment products.…

But I had an insatiable passion for ideas. For stories. For heroes.

My only real training before joining Blizzard was the long-running D&D campaign I had with my closest friends—Sam, Mike P., Daniel, and Mikey C. (you know who you are, boys…HAMRO!). Building ideas—vast worldscapes, characters, and plotlines with my friends was my first great love. I lived for it. It was a safe space amid the tension and change of some rough teenage years. The grand refuge of D&D was a glorious meeting of minds and imaginations where I felt I truly belonged. 

It was a space where friendship and imagination were inextricably linked. 

The sharing of ideas on the fly, the crazy, unexpected turns other players would take—it stretched our imaginations in ways we’d never have dreamt of on our own. I loved how roleplaying through adventures taught us so much about each other—and, more often than not, ourselves. Imagining together helped us make sense of the crazy world we were growing up in. It made us stronger together. 

I wouldn’t really understand the depth of it for many years, but I had learned an important truth from my friends back then: 

Creativity is relational. 

Looking back at my years at Blizzard, I see now how profoundly this idea has shaped my career. I see how profoundly my friends and coworkers at Blizzard have shaped me as a person. 

For nearly twenty-three years I’ve had the very distinct privilege of shaping worlds and building games with the brightest creative minds in entertainment. I’ve walked with giants (and stood on some giants’ shoulders, too). 

In short, I’ve had the time of my life. 

I pretty much had the coolest job ever—but the truth is, sometimes it was really hard. Building games with dozens of brilliant, passionate alpha-geeks with their own red-hot instincts and perspectives can be pretty tricky. Coming to consensus about certain design decisions, story motifs, or courses of art direction takes a lot of communication, patience, and “give and take.” It stretches you. Sometimes it wasn’t all that pretty. But engaging with your teammates and collaborating through the potential quagmire of all that creative tension is where the real magic happens. 

It’s not just the decisions you come to—or even the final shape of the product you craft.… It’s bigger than that—and infinitely more important. True collaboration builds trust—and trust is the basis of all lasting relationships. With trust you build more than just a great product. 

You build a TRIBE…that can build anything. 

A family of craftsmen.

That’s what Blizzard has been for me. My second family, through all of life’s ups and downs, it’s always been there. The great, geeky backdrop of my life. I don’t just mean “the job” or even the creative mission—but the people. The people who over and over lifted me up, believed in me—and pushed me to find my potential as both an artist and as a leader all these years. 

To my Blizzard brothers and sisters…I wish I had the words.

Everything just sounds…trite. 

All I can think of is…

You helped me believe in myself and achieve every one of my wildest dreams. 
I am forever grateful to you. 

I love you all with everything I’ve got.

Thank you.

And to all of you out there in Blizzard’s vast gaming community—those of you I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person and all of you around the world I’ve only heard about—thank you. 

Thank you all for letting me be a special part of your community. For letting me belong with you. We’ve shared countless adventures together and I’ve always been overwhelmed and humbled by your passion for our games as well your commitment to each other. Thank you for all the BlizzCon hugs, smiles, handshakes, and stories over the years. You will never know how much you’ve all touched my heart and inspired me to give my all into this craft. 

With that said, I’ll try to get down to the point, here. I’ve come to a turn in the road. A new, far quieter chapter in my life looms ahead. 

I am retiring.

Yup.

Hangin’ up my guns. 
Clockin’ out. 
Takin’ the last gryphon out of Stormwind. 
You get the picture. 

Crazy, I know.

It’s a massive change for me, but it’s one I’ve been looking forward to for a while now. It’s ironic given the fact that things have never been better or more energized at Blizzard. Just this year alone has been incredible. 

Legion’s arrival. 
The launch of Overwatch. 
The Warcraft feature film.

I’ve never been more proud of Blizzard and the quality of its products than I am now. It’s remarkable that even after all these years we can still reach new heights and take the world for an amazing ride. I believe Blizzard’s future is brighter than ever. 

I won’t lie—it’s going to be really hard stepping away from these worlds that I love. But I’m content that I’m leaving them in the hands of the most passionate, talented, and dedicated craftsmen ever assembled. 

I can’t wait to see where Blizzard’s worlds go next—and to experience them first-hand like everyone else does. As a fan. As an adventurer. Right back to the start. 

That’s just so cool…

The reason I use the word “retire” is because I’m not going to some other company or starting up new projects or anything remotely like that. It’s been a long, amazing stretch of years. Now it’s time to slow it down. Rest. Lay around on the couch and get fat. Well, fatter.…

Seriously though, I’ll be focusing on the one thing that matters most to me in all the world—my family. They’re the core of my life and the source of my deepest joy and inspiration. In addition to raising our two little ones, we recently welcomed our new baby into the family! Being home with them all, having time and space to really live…to love my wife with all my strength…that’s my career now. 

And I’ve never been happier.

Ever. ☺

Peace out, y’all.

I love you all.

I’ll see you online.

Chris

So I am sure there are many things going through fans minds. What is going to happen with the stories and lore of the games we love? Does this mean the final words Thrall ever speaks have already been recorded? Is this why Varian had to die? Does this mean no Chris Metzen speech at Blizzcon this year?

Honestly, I don't have the answers to all of those questions because I don't know the man personally. I do know he stated that he will continue to be the voice of Thrall. I also know it is hard to let people go when they have been apart of your life even if it is your gaming one for such a long time. Change is hard it really is, but it speaks volumes to Chris that people have all these questions about the worlds they love. So I like many others Say thank you Chris for everything you have brought to the world of gaming and in particular the world's Blizzard and you created for all of us to enjoy and love. It just isn't going to be the same without you.

He Survived

On Monday we learned something that will not only change Blizzard video games, but is my belief it will be gaming as a whole. Chris Metzen is retiring. He isn't jumping ship to another company or anything like that at the age of 42 he is calling it quits. He wants to enjoy his time with his family something he has earned the right to do. It doesn't mean us gamers cannot be sad for it. So for this week's list I decided to put together my favourite Chris Metzen moments.

5. Thrall's opening Words

Warcraft III was an amazing game. Not just because it mixed up the way the genre was played, but because it had a story for us to remember. A story that formed the basis for World of Warcraft as we know today. Thrall's words spoken by Metzen were what started it all.

4. Overwatch Reveal

I have never seen any game developer be so excited for the reveal of a game. They enthusiasm and the pride in his voice was something that I wasn't expecting nor accustomed to. It really was something to see and that was before we even got the cinematic.

3. Red Shirt Guy Returns

So the previous year the infamous "red shirt guy" you could say slightly embarrassed Chris Metzen with his questions about Falstad. The following year before he got any questions out Chris Metzen walked the audience to hug the guy for being such a super fan.

2. Geek Is

During the Blizzcon in 2010 Chris Metzen made a speech that will go down in the history of Gaming Culture. He showed pride in his past, present, and future and how it all unfolded. Let everyone in the audience and those at home know that there are much others like you and you all showed be proud of who and what you are.

1. Red Shirt Guy Owns Him

I wasn't sure this was going to be number one, but it had to be. We all know what happened and we all will forever know what happened. The moment itself is immortalized within the game with the "Ironforge Fact Checker" and the words "isn't Falstad dead?" are ones that will be forever be etched in our memories.

There you have it this week's list. I know all of you have plenty of moments to be remembered involving Chris Metzen. Share them and be sure to let him know everything he has brought to the gaming world as a whole.

You Fail At Being Ready For Machines Of War If...

Fail Day! Yes I am at it once again and there is no way to stop me. So what are people failing about this week? Well I thought I had not talked about Heroes of the Storm in awhile and plus with the new event starting what better time.

You Fail At Being Ready For Machines Of War If...

• You have no clue what I am talking about
• You didn't know this is a Starcraft themed event
• You are not ready to own it up with Alarak
• You have no idea who Alarak is
• You aren't going to take joy in killing SCVs at the start of the game
• You are one of those players who thinks nukes are dumb
• You don't like nukes
• You some how don't like nukes
• You don't think it is genius to have a Butcher Ultralisk skin
• You don't believe Rexxar could be part of Raynor's Raiders
• You are not wondering why Zarya is part of the this event and not Fenix
• You don't remember when Blizzard said they made Fenix, but chose at the time not to release him
• You think you can make an all Protoss team

And Finally

• You have no interest in playing

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it and maybe I will see you in the Nexus.

The Dark Riders

Monday and the start of the week is upon us. Which means while we are all depressed we need something to distract us. This week we have Nixxiom's new Machinima "The Dark Riders". His description will do it more justice than mine ever will so here it is

"Legion is out so that means you better get down to Deadwind Pass and get your artifact weapon! Just be careful, mighty hero... For the Dark Riders will be on your trail the entire way, bringing horror and chaos in their wake as they chase after you. Have fun!"



Well?

Ask Gauss

Sunday! It is the end of the weekend and it is time for some questions to be answered. So without going on some crazy intro to how I will be answering some questions here we go.

Is Hearthstone too RNG?

I think people are thinking too much about the Yogg play which has been taking over as of late. Old Gods has added a lot of randomness to the game while making it more exciting to watch, but it is frustrating for players. I think Blizzard has realized this and we see with Karazhan the move away from the insanely random to more strategic and skillful random. So really I don't think it is too random. It would be if they continued in the same direction for card making.

Is Legion going to hold the player base?

That is something we will have to see. Warlords saw a big boom upon release. Not nearly as big as Legion, but still a significant boom. They lost it after the first major patch so I believe that is why Blizzard is going big with the Karazhan patch. They know how much the older players love Karazhan like they love Illidan lore. I think it will hold for that the question is about after it.

Grats on your 7 years of blogging.

Thanks couldn't be done without all of you.

There you have it this week's questions all answered. As always thank you to everyone who sent something in this wouldn't even be possible without all of you taking part. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Future Races

Friday, and with Friday comes thoughts of the weekend and well the Reader Post around here. If you were not aware there is a new Warcraft expansion out. What comes with every expansion? Ideas for the next expansion. Most of the time it always has to do with new races or classes. Since a new class was added with Legion it comes to the idea of new races being added in the next expansion. Mace has plenty ideas for that going forward. So have a read.

Is it me or do people don't like the idea of Vrykul being playable? or don't want them alliance? Vrykul sound very horde, victory or death is so orc like, they'd fit well into the horde, but I think people don't like Vrykul on the Horde cause it's another Alliance based race and as such feel they should be on the alliance while the horde should be looking at fresh new race concepts like ethereals or horde related ones like Ogres or even Arrakkoa.. but I think it's a bit silly, because we shouldn't view every body in terms of Horde and Alliance just because a member of a race is in one faction doesn't mean all have to be. Take Nightborne, they are a different kind of Night Elf, they don't have to join the Alliance, they could join the Horde, didn't the Blood Elves leave the alliance to join the horde too, so they switched sides. What does it matter if Vrykul or Kvaldir are on Horde or Alliance? you still get to play them if they become playable.

However from where I stand, the Kvaldir are looking sweet with the forsaken. The Vrykul initially didn't like the humans, but they followed the Human Lich King, and of course now it's the a strong human connection to the Halls of Valor - the Vrykul just respect strength, so they'll be fine if humans show strength, which they always do in wow - it's not like the alliance has weak races, miniature, but not weak. Well Draenei and Night Elves aren't miniature. Vrykul and Kvaldir would be good counterparts as sub-races. Even as full races, they could introduce them both. But you need something like that.

I'm not sure Blizzard will ever do a Pandaren again, if a race is going to be on both sides, they are going to have to also be physically distinct. So if we had night elves on both sides, Night Elves would be on alliance, Nightborne on horde. Vrykul on Alliance Kvaldir on Horde, they'd only do it like that. They wouldn't do something like High Elves on alliance, Blood Elves on horde, because they look the same, unless they maybe gave Nightborne on both sides, which I've just stated they don't want to do.

But who knows, they are entitled to change their mind. I would say the best option is sub-races, and do to races in next expac what they did to classes, so you have racial halls i.e. capitals, mini quests and race themed quests that explore the new sub-races and the role of the race in the new expansion. WoW races are big enough to each be factions on their own.. think about it. Look at the family associated with each race

Draenei: Broken, Man'ari Eredar (Illidari), Draenei Eredar, Lost Ones
Orcs: Half-orcs, Mok'nathal, Mag'har, Dragonmaw, Blackrock, Hellfire 
Humans: Half-elves, Vrykul, Azotha, Stormwind Human, Kul'Tirasian, Gilnean, Alterac
Forsaken: Undead, undead half-elf, Kvaldir, Undead Azotha
Worgen: Night Elf worgen, human worgen, blackhowl worgen
Troll: Darkspear Troll, Zandalari Troll, Drakkari Troll, Raventusk Forest Troll or Amani
Dwarf: Ironforge dwarf, Dark Iron, Wildhammer, Frost Dwarf, Earthen
Tauren: Yaungol, Tauren, Taunka, Highmountain
Gnome: Mechagnome, Gnome, Leper Gnome
Goblin: Gilgoblin, Bilgewater/Steamwheedle/Blackraider/Venture Co etc cartels, Tinker Goblins
Night Elf: Nightborne, Night Elf, Highborne, Cenarion (dryad/keepers)
Blood Elf: Half Elf, High Elf, Blood Elf, Darkfallen

Each group has at least 3, some have like 5 or more, this is incredible diversity in each race, notice how there are several cultures within each racial groups, differing looks physiological variations - they are diverse enough to be factions of their own, they need to use this, and whiles all will not be plalyable, they can have a role in the affairs of the race they are associated, whether as friends or enemies. e.g. High Elf will always be part of the Blood Elf group or vice versa, regardless of whether they are friends or enemies. or even on different factions, every time you see High elves around you are seeing Blood Elf lore expanded and vice versa 

It would be nice if Blizzard really made use of this, and you saw a lot more interaction, i love what they've done with classes, if they repeat the same with races, that would be really cool.

Well thoughts?

As always thanks to everyone who submitted a post, this would not be possible without all of you. Enjoy your weekend!

Why A Spell?

As you all know I play a bunch of Hearthstone. Probably more than I should, but hey it is a great thing to do when you are just sitting around. For awhile now something has bugged me. When you go second in Hearthstone you get "The Coin" now". Now I am not arguing weather or not going second someone should get something. They obviously should and "The Coin" is great at trying to balance the case for going second. Why a spell though?

The reason for it being a spell really doesn't make sense. Why? Well it being a spell favours certain classes and cards more than others. It being a spell allows for in some cases an advantage when what it should only be is something to make you even. 

If it was not a spell it would still do everything it is needed to do without doing the the extra things it can be used for. Sure there is also the case that it cannot be discovered or casted by Yogg, but neither can toxin or spare part cards or other things like that. These types of "spells" cannot be put into a deck on their own so it makes sense,

Now I don't changing it to a non spell would make much of a difference in the long run in most cases because really there are only a handful of situations this effects, but it is something that has bothered me for awhile. Maybe when they chose to make it a spell it was for balance, but then with the types of cards they have added over the years things can change.

I just believe it is something to look at, don't you?

Clean, Simple, Devious

Wednesday is here and the middle of the week of the first week of school is here. So what does school and gaming have to do with each other? Well there are those games that I played while I was in residence in university. So I figured I would give you all my top 5 games I played in residence.

5. Unreal Tournament 

Game which first caught on in my residence where we would face off against the other floors of the residence. Turned into quite the battle and bragging rights all throughout the residence. 

4. Age of Empires II

Game which we played for a few weeks because a few other members in the residence were tired of getting owned in another RTS. Game which is fun, but not balanced didn't work out too well for people who were new to the game.

3. Diablo II

Played mostly with a couple others on the floor while we slayed demons again and again in preparation for the soon to be released expansion Lord of Destruction.

2. Counterstrike

This game became the most house involved game. It turned into a massive war between people screaming and yelling across the hall no matter if you were the terrorists or not. Didn't help that you could watch everything unfold after you were killed.

1. Starcraft Brood War

I had loved Starcraft before I went to university, but this made me love it even more. It also allowed me to learn from others more than I ever had. The people I had played with earlier weren't near to the same level as others in my residence. This experience also got me into the eSports scene that I love today. So without this none of that would have been possible.

There you have it my top 5 games I played in my university residence. What were yours? Or what are yours currently? As always let me know in one way or another.

You Fail At Going Back To School If...

Fail Day! Yes it is Tuesday and following a long summer it is time for people to head back to school from everywhere. Now even though I have been out of school for quite some time now I still get this feeling on the day following Labour Day. On those days many things go through your mind besides school so here we go.

You Fail At Going Back To School If...

• You didn't finish getting to 110 beforehand
• You think you will still have time to get to 110 after
• You don't have a plan to complete your Hearthstone Dailies
• You didn't try all the big name games of the summer
• You have no witty comment about No Man's Sky
• You don't have a list of games you are getting in the next month
• You have not made a decision if you are getting the next NHL game
• You have more than 1 RPG currently uncompleted
• You have no reasons to  explain why you are going to get or not get the new Final Fantasy
• You have friends you avoided playing Call of Duty with all summer
• You are friends with people who play Call of Duty

And Finally

• You forgot you had school today

There you go this week's edition of fail, hope you all enjoyed it. For those going back to school enjoy for those who aren't well I know you are thinking about it.

WoW Craft Legion

So here we are Monday and in my neck of the woods it is a holiday. In my case that means that I don't have to worry about my weekend being over yet, you on the other hand may have to. Also if you were some how living under a rock and didn't know Legion has been out for a week then this showcase from Carbot may not make too much sense otherwise enjoy!



Enjoy the rest of your long weekend if that is a thing for you!

Ask Gauss

Sunday! The day where we reflect on what we didn't do on the weekend. Also time to be disappointed with the newest Fear The Walking Dead episode and lastly time to see the questions I am answering for the week. So let's get to that.

Successful launch for Legion don't you think?

Truthfully I cannot remember a WoW expansion which has been so calm without much drama. During BC it was all about mob spawns, during Wrath it was how the zones were too large and players had to travel to far between quests, Cata it was all about how Vashj'ir was the worst possible zone ever created, Mists people couldn't stop complaining about Panadas and how they were ruining the lore of the game, and Warlords people just couldn't shut up about not being able to fly.

No comes Legion and even though the last expansions were minorities complaining about those things they were loud. Now all you hear about is how much everyone is loving the leveling experience in every way.

Are you liking what you are hearing about Civilization VI?

Actually I am loving everything I am hearing about it. I thought after V they would have to do something different to keep from entering the sports game level of "game changing". They did that by creating a space civilization adventure which was fun, but did lack some of the traditional elements that made the game fun. Going back to the traditional game and modifying features to make them more strategic and skillful which makes the game much more fun on the replay and on the multiplayer side. So bring on October 21st.

Is Legion the last expansion?

Are you one of those people who ask that every expansion?

There you have it this week's questions all answered. Hopefully you got something out of it in one way or another. Now feel free to enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Blogaversary, Well Almost

Well it is that time of year, well almost. I thought since I normally don't post on Saturdays and since that is when my Blogaversary is I would do my thanks. On September 3, 2009 I started this blog, which really seems forever ago. It is hard to remember a time when this blog didn't exist. I started it because people were curious how the gamer Gauss thinks and I wanted something to occupy my time and keep me on some sort of schedule.

Well that is how it started and it is still going. I must say it has been a ride through it all, and a great one at that. Sure I started this just being about World of Warcraft and my time there, it has expanded to the gaming world as a whole since then, something that I wasn't sure you as my readers would accept.

I am overwhelmed with the support over the years I have gotten from all of you. Even if it comes to questions if I am dead or not because I missed a post. All of you have something to say regardless with what I am writing about. It could be because you agree, disagree, or maybe even want to pick a fight over something I have written. Who would have thought it would have come this far.

If you would have asked me back then if I would still be doing this I would tell you, that you were crazy. I would have ran out of ideas and no one would be reading anything I wrote. The crazy thing is the amount of people reading my blog has gone up. There are people sharing my posts everywhere from places all over the globe something I would have told you was crazy back when it all began.

So before this gets crazy and too sentimental I wanted to say thanks you are all awesome, and I won't be stopping anytime soon. There will always be fail, always be questions, ranting, and of course Ret Pally's to make fun of.

So cheers and enjoy your weekend.

Simply Awesome

Thursday! This is normally the day where I go off about something that has been bothering me. Or go off about someone who has been saying something and it is driving me insane. So what is it this week? Well really it is none of those things.

As everyone knows World of Warcraft's new expansion was just released and really I have heard nothing bad about it at all. People all around the world are thrilled with it. One thing though that when I first heard about it that I wasn't completely on board about has surprised me.

Order Halls are something that seemed like an interesting idea, but the extent they have gone to make these what they are is something special. They make you feel like a true hero like you are what you always wanted to be in this game. After all you were the hero all these years that has killed the worlds biggest villains and really what did you get from it? Well you get a fancy weapon specific too you and a bunch of people that are looking up to you now.

The quests to get these weapons are fun and make you work for it. They intertwine the stories of the past to what is going on right now. Something I never thought Blizzard would do. They are above and beyond all of my expectations and that just isn't my inner fanboy talking.

Who knows maybe it is just everyone I have talked to or heard things from. If so please let me know. This really has the making of some great story telling coming our way, and I for one am beyond excited about it.