The Case of the The Indecisively Color'd Rhino Pet - 2009-06-27 23:55:10
Before I start this hunter story I'll just go ahead and cheat and give you the "useful lesson that I learned" first! And that would be: always research your pet on Petopia prior to taming. Read the notes, and you'll not have any goofy questions later.
It all started when I was questing in the Sholazar Basin and I saw another hunter with a rhino pet. This was soon after a patch, a month or two ago. And the more I looked at the rhino the more certain I was that the size had been reduced a bit. "Finally!" I thought! I've loved rhinos since beta, and this seemed the perfect time to re-tame one and see if the size change made the rhino a bit easier to work with. And I loved the blue-grey color of the rhinos in the Basin even more than the slate colored one I'd tamed in the Borean in beta.
So I whap the taming spell on the first bluish rhino I came across.
I can't remember when someone asked me what was lurking in my stable, waiting to be let out (ok, they didn't phrase it that way at all) - but I figure it's time for a review of the troops. Especially since some of them haven't been let out in ages, and they can gain a few levels just by being taken out for a bit, now that my hunter's level 79. Also I've been going through the list of blogs trying to tag the blogger who did a post like this recently - and because I was silly and didn't make a note - now I can't find it. So I'll add the link later - I know it's someone on my list!
Since the stable master was there anyway, the Magical Menagerie (Dalaran's pet store) was the easiest place to take screenshots of the gang.
More..... 0 CommentsComicCon 2009: Any Suggetions? - 2009-06-26 19:08:37
Since we didn't manage to get tickets to Blizzcon this year, we're going to ComicCon 2009 instead next month. This isn't too hard on us since we happen to live in San Diego, but I'm expecting to have some discomfort dealing with the massive crowds. Last year we went to look at the line just to get to the door (it went around the building, on and on) and decided we'd much rather spend the day elsewhere. I admit, I'm never excited by the prospect of standing in line, but I'm willing to give it another chance. And this year we're going to get downtown extremely early in the morning, which may help. We'll be taking lots of crowd photos, and I'll be able to enjoy the costumed folk and get my pop culture convention fix.
The year that I did go to Comic Con (I think it was 2006? Not sure.) I remember learning afterward that Blizzard had a Warcraft table and/or session in there somewhere. So I'm looking out for any and all Warcraft related information at ComicCon. If you have any info or links to pass on that will help, please let me know!
Also I'm probably a bit overly respectful of the authors and artists, so I'm trying to research ahead of time who would prefer not to be photographed. Note that I don't intend to get too close - I was thinking of taking shots from a distance, in a non-stalkerish, "I'm too shy to go say hello because I assume you have too many weird fans you'll already have to deal with this weekend" kind of way.
Still Googling and reading through their website - so far I haven't managed to find anything...
Intravenous Healing Potion: A Cool Thing I Never See Anyone Use - 2009-06-26 17:46:42
I realize that by calling the Intravenous Healing Potion "A Cool Thing I Never See Anyone Use" I'm probably not breaking news. I'm pretty sure that we're not seeing these on the streets of Dalaran on a daily basis on any server. This is possibly something that there isn't really a need for, or that no one's managed to find a practical way to use. However I'm also finding that WowWiki doesn't even have a page on it, which is probably the first time I've turned to them for trivia help and come up empty handed. Hmmm.
So, we'll cut to the chase - what DOES the Intravenous Healing Potion look like? Just like an IV:
Kinda cool looking, huh?
So what does it do?
More..... 0 CommentsDid I Always Die Like This And Just Not Notice? - 2009-06-26 16:53:11
You know who really suffers with all this focus on playing at levels 70 to 80? The little alts who are under level 60. And why? Er, well because of people like me who manage to forget that they're not level 70 and go happily running into an area just to check on something, since I'm in the Shattrath neighborhood and....nom nom nom go the basilisks. Who I hadn't remembered like to hang out around the lake there because of course my level 70 characters can sneeze them to death.
Meanwhile the upcoming changes to mount speed and how soon you can fly in Outlands - all good in my eyes. (As are hints that either next patch or sometime later leveling speed may be bumped again, but I don't have a link for that.) I don't think we should punish people who are just now getting into the game by saying, sorry, since you're not 80 you're doomed to spend weeks/months alone, unable to play or raid with folks until you have an upper level character. Especially when we get into the summer months, when frankly everyone with a normal life has so many things to do out in the world ("Wow, there's a sun up there! In real life!" *gasp*) that it's not always a sure thing to be able to gather enough folk online to raid, or whatever grouping you're interested in. But then, this is what happens every summer, or at least it happens on US servers pretty much across the board. (And everyone blogs and comments and worries about it, year and after year, but we all still keep playing.) So the summer months are mellow, and a good time to get alts leveled and new folks in. Us oldtimers can grumble about how "when I was a lower level it took me months to get a land mount" - but we know we'd never want to go back to that! The days of having to spend time getting a level 9 flamingo up to 60+ are no more - thankfully! The game should be more fun and less of a grind in as many ways as possible. And the upcoming changes are good signs that this is what the designers are attempting to do. (Understanding that some grinds - like gathering rep - are fun and we'll do it anyway. Because of course we're all somewhat happily addicted, right?)
In short - Big Patch 3.2 is coming, and it's like we're being given a whole new game to play with. I'm reading Mania's peek at the PTR and getting psyched. Sometimes I think we get a bit jaded and don't realize - even as I know addons will get fussy and there will be the odd bugs to deal with when Patch Day hits - these patches full of new content are why we're subscribers. No need to go to a physical store, no need to stand in line (in real OR virtual stores thankfully - yes, I'm thinking of Blizzcon) - boom, the patch will hit and you'll suddenly have new game places and mechanics to explore. I love that.
Oh wait - yes, I did have a question for you out there, actually! Or at least those of you that have died. (If you haven't yet died - I both am envious and leery of you!) So, note the dead shaman screenshot above. (Death was completely my own fault, as we've covered.) Um, did I always die like this before? Meaning, toss my weapons to either side and then fall? (I remember the draenei overly dramatic fall to the knees and then over onto the ground part, I remember laughing at that.) I'm mostly curious about dropping the weapons, because I'd never noticed that before. And I suppose the fact that they're still equipped on my character means that they're really just ghost weapons, right? Truly, did we ever drop our gear like that before? I've not noticed til now, and am feeling incredibly unobservant.
0 CommentsDual Equip'd Flamingo Pets: More Screenshots Than Was Probably Necessary - 2009-06-24 19:25:09
I admit it, I've been known to stalk Windle Sparkshine. But honestly, he doesn't seem to mind. Windle's the gnome dressed in purple who stands next to the mailbox just outside the Dalaran inn A Hero's Welcome. (In the Eventide area of Dalaran, in case you need more direction.)
Windle passes a hunter and spirit beast pet while on his nightly round.
Now that you can locate him, I'm going to encourage you stalk him as well. Because Windle has a nightly job in Dalaran that is rather fun to watch.
More..... 0 CommentsCerellean Whiteclaw and Night Elf Drama - 2009-06-24 16:17:09
"Hello, I'm busy being inconsolable right now..."
This is Cerellean Whiteclaw, and if you've ever finished the Auberdine area night elf quests then you'll remember him. You'll find him kneeling (and sighing mournfully) on the pier that leads to the boats to Stormwind, Azuremyst and Teldrassil. Because it's been a while since I completed those quests, the wikipedia entry fleshed out Whiteclaw's story a bit more than I remembered it (yes, there are spoilers!):
More..... 0 CommentsSucked Into The Advertising Vortex: Mountain Dew and Warcraft - 2009-06-18 16:51:34
Gnomes always make the non combat pets look larger than they really are.
Which means that Mountain Dew now has my information and I've looked at multiple videos and website pages and images of their product. Somehow I'm not bothered by this.
I especially like that the big orc is actually played by a chick. Thanks advertising beings for realizing that some of us femalefolk do enjoy playing male characters! Even though they could be trying to get the male viewers sucked in by "oooh look, hot chicks in a catfight" - I'll ignore that possibility and focus on the positive view of female gamers.
Also I admit - I've been looking for the Mountain Dew to try the stuff. Other people have given me positive feedback on it, and I'm now very curious. Only no one will be able to look at me and know my faction - because I'm buying both colors! As soon as I find the stuff. It wasn't in my normal grocery store - will have to look elsewhere.
