234 – The Instance: The Chinese WoW Time Machine

Opening Comments
We kick things off talking about what Titan might be all about.

Big News of the Week
Break out your tank tops! Midsummer Fire Festival is HERE! Same as every year, other than all the dungeon finder integration. Do we care about this one?

4.2 in game cinematic was released! Across the breadth of Azeroth, the Horde and the Alliance have dealt crushing blows to Deathwing’s elemental minions and fanatic Twilight’s Hammer cultists. Through it all, the Earthen Ring has never wavered from its tireless charge, holding Azeroth itself together amid the tidal fury and errant magical energies that churn at the Maelstrom. Yet as the elements continue their chaotic upheaval, it seems that the noble shamanic order might finally be on the verge of breaking beneath the great weight that rests on its shoulders.

Cataclysm Launching in Chinese Mainland on July 12. When World Of Warcraft’s Wrath of the Lich King expansion was released in Chinese mainland on August 31, 2010, the rest of the world’s players had played it for about 2 years and they would get Cataclysm 4 months later. But WOW(CN) then sped up and tried to shorten the distance between WOW(CN) and the global version. While Chinese WOWers just enjoy the 30% buff against Lich King, they are about to witness the shake of the earth and the catastrophe of Azeroth – Cataclysm is coming to China.

Rumors & Scuttlebut
Let the “WAR” games begin. Last December we introduced a new feature to World of Warcraft called War Games. This feature would provide players with the opportunity to face off in battles of epic proportions for fun and bragging rights. Arena teams and Battleground teams could meet up, pick their field of battle, and go toe-to-toe to hone their skills, see who was king (or queen) of the hill, and settle a score or two. While this was an exciting new feature, starting a War Game wasn’t as visible or easily accessible as we had wanted it to be. To address this issue, patch 4.2 implements a new interface option within the Player vs. Player (H) tab that makes it easier than ever to call out friend or foe for a face-off.

Some smack about what Ghostcrawler leaked regarding possible Titan details.

Blizzard interested in making games for iPhone, iPad. “Activision-Blizzard’s Greg Street, a lead designer behind the company’s highly successful World of Warcraft online game, told Eurogamer that his company was interested in making games built for the iPhone.

“Everyone I know here has an iPhone or an iPad so we’re huge fans of the hardware,” Street said to Eurogamer. “If we could make the right game changes to make that work, it’s something we’d be interested in. It’s not something you’re going to see in the next week or two, but it’s the kind of thing we’re always looking at.”

Drop of the Week
Amazing Stained Glass-Style World Of Warcraft Fan Art World of Warcraft fan art depicting various stories and legends within the the World of Warcraft setting, in the form of stained glass art. Created by artist Jian Guo.