This is the first time I've been truly excited about something in WAR since release and I owe a lot of that feeling to the Tome of Knowledge blog. Greg has put together some amazing Land of the Dead guides and artwork that everyone should check out! I was a bit concerned that Mythic might take a direction with this new zone that strayed too far away from Darkness Falls in DAOC, but I'm thoroughly impressed by what I've seen so far. Even though many of the concepts are different, I think they sound great and work with Warhammer's current system better than a vanilla DF would have. More to come at Massively on this! I just thought you could all use a breath of fresh positivity around here. :P
I got tagged by a couple people on this, so here we go! 1) What is your current main character's name (or names, if you play multiple games)? Explain how you chose the name.
My main's name in both WAR and EVE is Snafzg. I chose it for WAR because it sounds Goblinish and because one of my old MUD characters was named Snafzg (Orc assassin). 2) What was the name of your very first character in an MMO? Explain how you chose that name.I don't remember what I named my Gnome necromancer in EQ1, but my first DAOC character's name was Fujin (Dwarf skald). I picked Fujin because it was short, sounded Dwarfish, and I was hoping someone would nickname me Fooge (no-one ever did). 3) Have you kept a specific name through various games, or do you tend to change your naming habits based on the individual game?I've gone with Snafzg lately because I've gained a bit of a reputation and it's easier for people to recognize that name. That said, I tend to change names in each MMO based on my particular class/race combo. Snafzg isn't really a universal name, so I doubt I'll use it again, unless I end up playing some sort of Orcish character again. 4) Do you ever reserve names, planning to use them for characters that you might play later? If so, what are they and why do you hold on to them?I never reserve names because I enjoy coming up with new and somewhat unique names. I rarely run into the issue of coming up with a random home-grown name that is already taken. 5) Of the three common archetypes in MMOs - tank, healer, DPS - which is your current main character?My current mains are DPS. I play a Squig Herder in WAR and plan to go the tackler route in EVE. However, in my MMO career, I have played them all as mains. 6) What archetype was your very first character in an MMO? Why did you choose it?My first MMO character was a necromancer in EQ1, so I guess you'd call that a DPS. I didn't play him for very long though. My second character was a skald in DAOC but I switched mains around level 42 to a warrior. After a year or so, I went back to skald. My very first MUD character was... hmmm, difficult to remember. I believe it was a thief/assassin DPS and that was back in 1996. I eventually settled on a shaman, then mage, and then warrior. 7) Are you usually attracted to one archetype over another, or do you play them equally? Why?I guess it depends on the game and the class options present. I try picking classes with a bit of utility. So, if I want to play a DPS, then I want to play a DPS with some CC or kite-ability. If I pick a healer, I want to make him a healer/damage hybrid. There needs to be some really unique traits to a certain tank career for me to want to play it, but I will if the options are there. 8) What is your favorite feature from an MMO you no longer play?I suppose my favourite feature is the Warlords List from back in my MUDding days. Basically, you got warpoints (wps) for killing an enemy. The more wps your enemy had, the more wps you'd gain for killing him. When you died, however, you would lose wps and the more wps you had, the more you would lose, especially if you died to someone with a lot fewer wps. The top 10 wps holders on each side were put onto a list. This made them huge targets but also icons of the game. This system meant there were great rewards for bravery but also great loss for too much foolhardiness. 9) Is there an MMO that you would play if it was free? Which and why?Time is the only currency that matters to me, so if the game is fun and casual-friendly, I don't care whether it's free or I have to pay for it. 10) How do you measure the success of a character in an MMO (total kills, titles accumulated, wealth, rare items collected, level reached, etc.)?
I measure success by how well I can do versus others in small-scale PvP competition (usually 1v1s). It isn't so much total kills as it is kill to death ratio. I consider a 3:1 kill to death ratio successful. 2:1 is decent. 1:1 is meh. 1:1+n means I'm either doing something wrong or I picked a horribly gimp class. I will tag Keen and Syncaine.
Traffic screeches to a halt. Please pay your respects and move along. It's been a blast, man! I can't wait to see what's coming next!
 My good buddy, Nazgum just wrote a pretty cool post about the various phases he has gone through on his Shaman, which is widely recognized as one of the top 3 most gimped careers in all of WAR. As the most famous and deadly Shaman on our server, you might want to take a look at what he has to say about this class, especially if you struggle to make your own Shaman viable in RvR. His post in broken up into the builds his Shammy has gone through since release—from warband healbot to solo kiter and finally to utility/DPS war-machine. I gotta say, version 3.0 is my very favorite incarnation of his character because we're much more deadly in a duo now than ever before. I think the post has a lot of insight, especially for those who think Shamans are gimp. I'm not saying they don't still need some love, but until 1.3 drops, he has found a new way to enjoy his class.
Nazgum has a very cool list up on his new blog that I wanted to share with you all. He ranks the nine T4 oRvR zones by preference. Bear in mind, this is from a destruction point of view. I wonder how different each of your lists would be, especially if you're Order. My list matches Nazgum's almost identically, which may not be surprising since we both enjoy the same style of RvR (smaller skirmishes and avoiding/mitigating the zerg). What about yours?
Courtesy of Syp's lazy sunday Q&A: Favorite Zone?Blag Crag - I looooooove all the twists, turns, peaks, and valleys. It took a while to get used to the zone, but once I figured out most of its secrets, it became a very fun spot to RvR. Favorite Race?Do you have to ask? Greenskins! Favorite Career?I am really loving my Squig Herder, but I originally wanted to roll a Choppa. I'll stick with the SH until I can make an informed decision in a few weeks. Favorite WAR Feature?Hard to say really... RvR knockbacks? Favorite Skill?Squig Armor... once they fix it in 1.2. Until then my ranged on-the-run snare shot, because it gives me a chance in RvR. Favorite Scenario?Reikland Factory. I hope they bring it back one day. Favorite Live Event?Tie between Night of Murder and Heavy Metal because they really weren't a grind to complete. I still have 3 keeps and 5 of those Marked quests to complete for NoM. I should probably do those before it gets shut down!
Beibhinn over at the WAR Vault asked me to share something with you all: My poor old (not that old) brain is in need of assistance in keeping up with the influx of new blogs and community sites! If you're interested in reading blogs and keeping up on what's going on in the community side of WAR, and want to help out but don't want to write a blog or column, get in touch with me ASAP and report on the going's on of the blogging and community world. Check out the full story for more info.I don't know all the specific details but I do know Beibhinn is an awesome person who is always willing to spread the WAR community love. She has helped support The Greenskin since we launched, which I am extremely thankful for.Go. Apply. Now!
Stunty Stomper unlocks his map of Lost ValeThulf was running a fun Warhammer trivia contest to celebrate the unlocking of his amazingly detailed map of Lost Vale, unfortunately, someone put out their own map before it could be fully revealed, so he canceled the contest and released his "better" version for all to see!  He was kind enough to credit all those who helped unlock the map along the bottom, so now yours truly and several others will go down in Warhammer history as this map spreads to several hundred thousand seekers on the Internet! :) The Brasse accepts her Greeny with a comicBrasse didn't even know she was nominated for a 2008 Greeny Award but was happy to hear she tied for second place! She even put together a nice comic to celebrate.  Huge traffic spike due to Choppa announcementI broke my old daily pageview record thanks to Mythic's mystery Choppa package. I haven't seen that kind of traffic since the beta NDA was lifted back in August!  You can't tell from the graph, but I released this post on a Friday, which is usually the slowest traffic weekday on the Internet, followed by an even slower weekend. I was surprised to see it spike that high. The two previous peaks earlier in the month were due to the Greeny Awards nominations and voting announcements which were spread nicely throughout the community. Thanks everyone! Paul Barnett is loving the new blogsPaul is back from South Korea announced the names of three blogs he enjoyed reading from the past few days in video blog fashion. Rainbow MMO, Rav4ge, and Shadow War were the lucky recipients of his "props." It seems the Age of Blogging event has been quite a success. :) RvR tactics to keep in mindStefson asked me to read over his article on RvR tactics and share my thoughts. I think the strategies are sound, though I'm not too fond of encouraging zerging (Tactic #3 - The zerg is safer). Zerging can spin out of control when people aren't willing to attack an enemy unless they have numbers in their favour. Smaller groups of 6 can do quite well for themselves if the other side is all clumped together in a single warband (e.g., ninja BOs, pick off stragglers, light up keeps to divert enemy attention, etc.). 
The Age of Blogging initiative has been going strong for 22 days now and I'm quite shocked to report that the Warhammer Online community is now 53 bloggers stronger. This is my third of four updates about this event where I'll link to my favorite post from each new blog from the past 7 days. A Gamer's Yarn - The Greenskin is the best choice for WAR news when it's the only choice!Alt Much - Winning the lottery and moving uptown!Asuryan's Flames - Developing a clean and focused goal to stay interestedBlood, Faith, and Fire - A great place to start for Witch Hunter infozBootae's Bloody Blog - Why Slayers will boost OrderBow & Stab - What do you do when you hit a gaming wall?Bugman's Best - Also seems to have won the lotto!Cabal of WAR - Has a podcast. Listen!Chosen Poorly - A dwarven drinking song to rival TolkeinDa Bloogy Tingy - Fear and Respect. Is that too much to ask for?Dark Crag Dispath - Where is your favorite place to PvP?Doodz Wherez My Blog - Renown semanticsEpic Slant - Part 2 of how Ferrel would fix oRvRFrom the Forging of Ice and Fire - Getting bitten by the alt bugGirl IRL - I got the notion of a potion commotionGirly Elves - Got milk? Er, head? Er, a CE?Grumble and Mutter - On news, rumours, and developmentsHealer at Heart - Is a man without a face. I saw that on TLC actually, and it was kind of sad.High Magic - Wonders what all the fortress fuss is aboutIn the Xone - On how he got started bloggingIncoming Pull - The journey continues, but "are we there yet?"Knights of the Feathered Hats - How can Mythic improve Order?Kutu - His blog is live in Technicolor (this post is anyway)Laughing Lion Tavern - The pros and cons of his gaming gear - cool and nerdy!Live for the Ding - Dinging from PvP since 1969My Personal War - Using crafting to your financial advantageNerf 'em All - Has a take on the whole population balance thingNerf the Cat - A cat in a hat? How drole!One Side of the Fence - Uses his "2" hotbar key a lot... you know, me too!Printscreengg - Has some interesting spoof patch notes!Rainbow MMO - Can goblins be gay? HECK NO! Not that there's anything wrong with that...Rav4ge - His favorite thing about WAR is the community!Reroller - Here are five ideas that would help improve the mail systemScarbigrot - A lot can change in WAR when you're gone for two months!Schlotsky - The zone domination system can not come quick enough!Shadow War - Wants your advice on his WAR blogging effortsThe Grumblings of Gorbash - WTF moments are great, aren't they?The Kitchen Philosopher - Gratz on 40!The Weekend Gamer - Another weekly WAR wrapup!WAAR Stories - Farming renown is easy when you're a healerWar is Everywhere - The first ten levels...Warhammer Addons Reviewed - ISAssistTracker review!Wide Eyed Newb - Signs you have been playing too much WAR
Here are a few random magical beans I found scattered around the community over the past couple days.
- Book of Grudges wants to set up a EU community gathering for either GenCon or Games Day in 2009. Vote in their poll and keep checking their sites for updates if you're interested. I may just pinch this idea if I end up going to Toronto Games Day this year. We'll see!
- Stunty Stomper has a very unique and interesting Lost Vale map unlock challenge going on. He is asking several questions that vary in difficulty across several phases. Once all the questions are answered and all phases are complete, he will finally unlock the high rez version of his Lost Vale map loaded with useful information.
- Fires of War author, Raegn, had an opportunity to interview Warhammer Online's Creative Director Paul Barnett over email. The conversation largely revolves around blogging, which should provide some pretty good inspiration for all the new bloggers in the Age of Blogging initiative!
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "";">Raegn:<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "";"> What’s the most important community outlet that Mythic looks at when considering changes to the game?
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "";">Paul:<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "";"> To be honest, all of them are vital. We use different sources of feedback for all sorts of things. I do read the greenskin a lot though and yours J <--- Whaaaaat?! :)
 The 2008 Greeny Awards attracted 2,472 votes this year, which have been tallied up by Polldaddy. It seems as though there was some voter apathy this year because many of the sites I thought would attract a tonne (or ton if you're an imperialist) of votes, didn't. Even the nominations were a bit soft compared to the 2007 awards. Maybe I'll take Syp's advice next year and hide the results until the end of the contest because seeing that your favorite site isn't winning can produce two negative effects: 1) voter fraud and/or 2) voter apathy. Some people may try deleting their cookies and refreshing their IP addresses to pad the votes and others might just get depressed and say, "We can't win; what's the point?" The opposite can be true if you see that your favorite site is winning; you may not bother voting at all because you think your site doesn't need the support. That's not to say that I have proof that any of this occured and I don't want to make is seem as if this year's contest was anything but a success. I think all the winners should be proud that the community voted them among their favourites in 2008. For those who didn't win, all I can say is that you shouldn't be too ashamed to ask your readers to share the love and throw you more votes next time. Self-promotion isn't a bad thing if you do it right and the fact that you were even nominated is great! Congratulations to all the nominees this year. Without further ado, here are the results tables with your winners! Favourite Warhammer Online News Source 1st Place - Warhammer Alliance2nd Place - The Warhammer Vault3rd Place - Ten Ton HammerFavourite Warhammer Online Resource Site 1st Place - WarDB2nd Place - Warhammer TV3rd Place - Curse (Warhammer)Favourite Warhammer Online Forum 1st Place - Warhammer Alliance2nd Place - Warhammer VN Boards3rd Place - F13.NET (WAR)Favourite Warhammer Online Blog
1st Place - WAAAGH! Blog2nd Place - Stunty Stomper3rd Place - Keen and Graev's Gaming BlogFavourite Warhammer Online Webcomic 1st Place - Tome of Knowledge2nd Place (Tie) - The Brasse and Pwnsan3rd Place - WAR-TornFavourite Warhammer Online Podcast 1st Place - WARP2nd Place - ChaosCast3rd Place - The Waaaghcast----------------------- Again, congratulations to everyone who participated and thanks to everyone who voted in this year's Warhammer Online community awards. All winners will be be displayed on our Greeny Awards page until next year's winners are announced. I will be in touch with each of you to request a banner image and a brief write-up for the site. You'll also receive badges as soon as I can get around to making them. 2008 was a great year for Warhammer Online and her community. Let's make 2009 even better!
Greg Moran is a widely respected blogger and webcomic artist in the WAR community and I'm happy to report that he's holding a very cool contest that showcases his artistic talent and gives Warhammer role-players a chance to shine! The rules are pretty simple. All you need to do is send him an interesting background story for your character (under 500 words) via email along with a screenshot and a few other details. He'll pick whichever story he finds the most interesting and draw a custom 11x17 portrait of your character based on the screenshot you submitted. He'll mail you the actual illustration and allow you to download a digital copy as well! Here are a couple samples of his own characters to whet your appetite. Oh, and this contest goes out to WoW players as well, so let's make sure a WAR player takes the prize, eh?   Good luck! :)
The time for nominations has passed. The time for voting is at hand! That's right, it's time to pick your favourite Warhammer Online community sites of 2008! But choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you. Or something like that... *** Voting will close Monday, January 19, 2009 at 9:00AM EST and the winners will be announced shortly afterward. *** Favourite Warhammer Online News Source Favourite Warhammer Online News Source? ( polls)Favourite Warhammer Online Resource Site Favourite Warhammer Online Resource Site? ( surveys)Favourite Warhammer Online Forum Favourite Warhammer Online Forum? ( polls)Favourite Warhammer Online Blog Favourite Warhammer Online Blog? ( polls)Favourite Warhammer Online Podcast Favourite Warhammer Online Podcast? ( polls)Favourite Warhammer Online Webcomic Favourite Warhammer Online Webcomic? ( polls)Good luck everyone! :)
This week has been pretty insane, but it's about to get "off da chain!" ChaosCast #9 just dropped and it's a juicy one! Seriously, it just left a wet mess on the floor. Ew. Special thanks go out to Keen and Syp, for making me look so good! *crickets* Here's the breakdown for episode #9! Round-table Discussion
- What have we been up to? No good of course!
- Fortress changes. More caps than Fiddy Cent!
- Crowd control. It's like Tiananmen Square out there... well, maybe not that bad!
- Mythic's Top 5 Priorities for 2009. We have opinions and we're not afraid to use 'em!
Welcome to the CommunityThe Blowhole (listener mail)
- Squigzog asks: “Why the bleedin’ hell doesn’t anyone know how to roleplay properly?! it seems not many people know any lore.”
- Belkoth asks: “What are your feelings on how some game mechanics restrict your ability to gain Tome unlocks? E.g., Getting the T1 Decimator set is impossible once you enter T2+, unless you somehow manage to win the loot as a chicken. Also, lairs on PvP servers. The tome also hides many related unlocks, so it isn’t always obvious what you must do next. Would you prefer a more transparent Tome?”
- Jay asks: “In trying alts on the other faction, I’ve found that the classes I most enjoyed were the mirrors of my Order characters. The DoK, SH, and Marauder just seemed to click with my playstyle. Do you find yourselves drawn to certain class mechanics like this, and how long do you give a new class before you decide whether or not to continue?”
- Warhammer42 and Vampiya ask: “WOW vs. WAR vs. AoC? How do you see these titles stacking up against each other in the next few months? years?”
- AndrewSquared asks: “Now that all the dust has settled after the combat and careers update, and we’ve all had a good amount of time to get a feel for the changes, what are your guys’ thoughts on the changes? I’m specifically interested in your thoughts on the relative power of the beefed up RDPS classes (Squig Herder, Shadow Warrior, Magus, Engineer).”
- Tilbert asks: “I’ve never been a member of a guild until I joined WAR when it was released. (he describes an apathetic guild experience) I don’t know if I expected too much based on the blogs that I read or just didn’t find a good match for a guild. The question is, what is the best way to find a guild that matches my style and expectations?”
We'd love to hear your feedback!
 To start blogging about Warhammer!Folks over at blogwarhammer.net have started up a little initiative called WAR: Age of Blogging, which is basically a drive to get more people involved with the Warhammer Online blogging community. Here's a brief snippet from the forum: Who are we looking for? Anyone with a passion for the game who wants to share their Warhammer experience with others.
Why are we doing this? With the rise of pre-release hype and fall of some unmet post-release expectations, we've noticed the shrinking of a once large and booming Warhammer Online blogging community. We think there's room for this community to grow again and we'd like to help new bloggers get their feet wet!
When are we running this initiative? While we're always available to help out with whatever blog-related assistance you need, the blogwarhammer.net community will be running the Age of Blogging initiative from Jan 01-31 2009.
What will we do to help? We will help promote your blogs by showcasing them on our own blogs. We will also provide as much technical support and blogging advice as you need.
You might be asking yourself, " That sounds cool daddy-o, but how can I get involved?" It's quite easy; just create a new blog for yourself, post a few entries, and introduce yourself on the blogwarhammer.net forums and you're set! Blogging is so simple that a monkey at a keyboard could do it (I'm proof of that)! Step 1: Find a blogging platform you're comfortable with. For beginners, I'd suggest WordPress because it's insanely powerful and easy to use. I'd consider myself an intermediate to advanced blogger and I still think WordPress is the best option out there. Step 2: Experiment with your new blog. Don't worry - you won't break anything (that can't be fixed)! A number of WordPress' basic functions are explained in the codex, which, in addition to blogwarhammer.net, is a great resource for blogging information. Step 3: Start pouring your thoughts onto virtual paper in the form of new blog posts. The simplest way to define a blog is that it is your own personal journal on the web. A more complex definition can be found on Wikipedia: ‘A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”. Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts,” “posts” or “entries”. A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”. A blog comprises text, hypertext, images, and links (to other web pages and to video, audio and other files). Blogs use a conversational style of documentation. Often blogs focus on a particular “area of interest”, such as Washington, D.C.’s political goings-on Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Some blogs discuss personal experiences.’ Source. Step 4: Get involved with the Warhammer community, learn, and grow! You don't need to be the best writer or a Web guru to start a blog, however, you will hone these skills over time. Self-improvement is never a bad thing! Step 5: Why are you still reading my blog? Get to it!Current WAR bloggers who support this initiative are:waaagh!Stunty StomperThe GreenskinWizards & WenchesWay of the ChosenWeritRP That WayLagwarRerollerTome of KnowledgeFires of WarObsessive FocusBlame the HealerEchoes of Nonsense
What's better than a farty squig? A tardy squig to be sure! ChaosCast #8 has finally arrived after much arranging of the schedules of Keen, Syp, and I! Don't worry, future episodes are already in the works! *stares threateningly* at Keen and Syp! Hopefully, you'll all enjoy this early Christmas present! Here's the episode breakdown for episode #8! Round-table Discussion
- Progress update and general impressions of where the game is at now
- The miracle patches (1.0….. whatever)
- Class balance refinements
- RvR incentives (influence, XP, renown, etc.)
- Our thoughts on the Live events (Witching Night, Heavy Metal, Keg’s End) - Cool or crap?
- EXP Curve Changes
- Competing against WoW (and, y’know, other MMOs)
- In it for the long haul?
- 2009 Speculation: two more classes? Big surprise in spring 2009 (according to an article from PC Gamer)? Expansion news?
Welcome to the CommunityThe Blowhole
- Phoenixr asks: “I’d like to hear you guys discuss the fact that even after putting oRvR inf rewards, and after the larger crowds hit the rvr lakes, people still take the path of least resistance. Instead of engaging in open combat, I’ve seen warbands run from BO to BO, if they can roll a keep quick they will, but usually they’ll just head to the next pairing and do it again. I’d love to see some full scale warfare. We had a bit yesterday in DW each side had a keep and we pushed the battle front to them, got pushed back to our keep, and so on… it was tremendous fun, and I got a ton of kills, even as an AM.”
- Paul asks: "Blackguard 2H or sword & board? Thoughts on a Blackguard anti-caster build?"
- Many of the other questions left on my blog were submitted after the recording date, but don't worry, we'll get to them in the next show!
We'd love to hear your feedback!
WARheap released another awesome tool that will let you compare any two characters in Warhammer Online. I love tools like this because I'm a self-admitted intermediate min/maxer! Basically, it lets you see where you might be better or worse compared to one of your allies or even your arch nemesis. You can even compare different careers of the same or opposite realm, just for fun. The characters are linked up to the official Realmwar page too, so you can quickly check out what gear they're wearing. It's a simple and fun tool that will probably add a lot more depth to the game for many gamers, myself included. Great job! Step 1: Add your character!"In order to track characters more efficiently, we only track characters that are submitted to our tracker. By doing it this way, we don't waste time going through every single character that was ever created. That would take days for each update and would make Mythic unhappy! Instead, we reduce the number of characters tracked by only tracking characters that matter." Step 2: Browse submitted characters!Find out who else has been submitted for comparison or compare more than two characters at once. Step 3: Compare characters!Here's Snafzg compared to a bigga git! He's 7 battle ranks and 20 renown ranks higher than me, but it's interesting to note that I'm actually ahead in a couple categories, given that there should be a pretty big gear/renown ability disparity between us.  It should be very interesting to see how this develops and affects the WAR community. Once people start getting decked out in the various sets, a quick comparison using this tool will show you if there are any major differences between them. Maybe you won't feel a sense of urgency to grind for that next set, but maybe you will! At the very least, you can always compare your stats if you keep losing to someone and then place the blame accordingly! Then again, you may find out that you're simply being outplayed, which could be discouraging. :P
The Waaagh Blog's new RSS feed address is: http://chaosmoon.gameriot.com/blogfeeds/WAAAGHSyp asked me to pass this along since he has finally made the complete transition over to GameRiot. Go say HI!
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