OCRegister.com
SUBSCRIBE | IN TODAY'S PAPER | E-REGISTER | CUSTOMER SERVICE | SIGN-IN | HELP | ADVERTISE
Search:
The Blizzard Blog ~ Covering OC's biggest game company

Author Archive

Bye bye Blizzard Blog

November 2nd, 2009, 4:31 pm by jsimmons

Visit the new home of the Blizzard Blog: gadgetress.com/blizzard

After more than a year of covering Orange County’s biggest and best-known developer, we’re ending the Blizzard Blog.

But not because Blizzard Entertainment is no longer worth covering. In fact, when we wrote exclusives about the Irvine game developer, we captured fan attention big time.  We’d like to thank all the fans who checked us out, especially especially the guys at WoW.com for the great linkage.

In the last several months, Tamara Chuang (aka the Gadgetress) and I had personal and professional obligations that  severely limited the time we had to devote to this blog. In the end, our editors decided the topic was best covered from Tamara’s Gadgetress blog, where it began, rather than use the resources required for a separate blog.

So we’re moving all future coverage to a category of Tamara’s main blog at The Gadgetress (here’s a shortcut: gadgetress.com/blizzard). You’ll find a new page with links to older stories, photo slide shows, videos and all good things Blizzard.

There are still plenty of Blizzard-related events that happen – from BlizzCon to the company’s developer-attended game launches. Thanks for following us and reading the coverage that we provided, and we hope to see you all again.

~ Joe Simmons, lead Blizzard blogger

“Diablo III” game director talks customization

August 26th, 2009, 10:56 am by jsimmons

Blizzard's Jay Wilson talks about Diablo III.“Diablo III” is shaping up to be a fine addition to the series. The demo Blizzard offered at BlizzCon was smooth, looked wonderful and — most importantly — built on the point-and-click Diablo interface without becoming cluttered or complicated.

We also talked with “Diablo III” Game Director Jay Wilson. While time was tight, we had a chance to go over some of the guiding principles behind the game as well as how the developers are tackling some of the thorny class issues from “Diablo II.”

One of Wilson’s goals with “Diablo III” is to expand the game’s role-playing nature. The core gameplay, he said, is still action — and our time playing the demo supports that — but Blizzard was looking to strengthen what role-playing elements, like quests and storyline elements, that help define the series. Read the rest of this entry »

Want a chance at a BlizzCon goody bag? Post soon, time’s running out

August 26th, 2009, 10:11 am by jsimmons

We haven’t closed entries to try out for goody bags yet, but we’re getting close — in fact, we’re closing the contest tonight, Wednesday, at midnight PST.

If you want a BlizzCon goody bag, make sure to register with the Web site and leave a comment on any of BlizzCon coverage. We’ll randomly select winners from anyone that’s said something on the coverage — it’s that simple!

Coverage so far:

What Blizzard gets out of BlizzCon

August 24th, 2009, 3:42 pm by jsimmons

BlizzCon may be a great thing for Blizzard’s fans — they get to ask designers questions, they get to hear breaking news and they get hands-on time with upcoming games. However, it’s not just the players that look forward to the annual convention — Blizzard employees find there’s a lot to appreciate at BlizzCon, too, including their interactions with the fans.

We got a chance to talk to some Blizzard designers and executives who talked about what they got out of BlizzCon and how the convention impacts their games — including “Cataclysm” and “Diablo III,” straight from the mouths of lead designers like Tom Chilton and Jay Wilson.

—————————————————————-

freeKnow those fancy goody bags Blizzard is giving out? We can’t keep ours so we’re going to give them away to readers. Leave a comment on any of our BlizzCon 2009 posts and when it’s all over, we’ll put all the names in a digital hat and pick some winners. Good luck!

Coverage so far:

Cataclysm interview: Tom Chilton

August 23rd, 2009, 8:27 am by jsimmons

Blizzard employees are always pressed for time at BlizzCon — they’ve got thousands of fans and hundreds of journalists and fan site representative clamoring to speak with them. We were lucky enough to snag a few minutes with Tom Chilton, game director for “World of Warcraft,” just before he slipped out to get some much needed rest.

Chilton was able to give us some clarifications on “Cataclysm.”

The biggest is that the revamp of 1-60 content is coming to all WoW players, whether or not they buy the expansion. This change wasn’t difficult to divine, given the unwieldy options for the small percentage of players who would go without the expansion pack, but welcome to hear.

Read the rest of this entry »

Details on WoW expansion: Cataclysm

August 21st, 2009, 12:51 pm by jsimmons

“Cataclysm” looks like it’s going to be a total reset for “World of Warcraft.”

Like “The Burning Crusade” or “Wrath of the Lich King,” the new expansion will add new dungeons, zones and raids; it will increase the leveling cap; and it furthers the game’s storyline.blizzconblog

Unlike previous expansions, it will completely revamp Eastern Kingdom and Kalimdor, remaking all the 1-60 content. Designers at the “World of Warcraft” panel said that zones will be broken up to make quest flow feel more natural, old-world quest items will be changed to be better and new race/class combinations will open up.

Read the rest of this entry »

Keynote: Azeroth to be reformed

August 21st, 2009, 11:10 am by jsimmons

World of Warcraft: CataclysmUPDATED, 1:41 p.m.: Images from the keynote with revealing details of the new WoW expansion:

Earth-shattering? Try Azeroth-shattering.

“World of Warcraft” heads to the maelstrom in the next expansion set, “Cataclysm.”

The premise — while the war against the Lich King grinds on, Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms will be “torn asunder” as an ancient evil awakens.

Goblins are driven out of the South Seas, where they are joined by the Horde. Gilneas’ Greymane Wall is shattered, allowing the worgen to run free, where they team up with the Alliance against the Forsaken.

That’s right. Horde goblins. Alliance worgen.

Level cap goes to 85, Archaeology will be a new second tradeskill, guild leveling will be added, a new character progression — “The Path of the Titans” — and the return of Deathwing, the black dragon aspect.

Whew.

More information, from the press kit:
Confirmed class-race combinations include gnome priests and blood elf warriors.
New battleground will be Tol Barad Island, a “new Wintergrasp-like zone.”
Rated battlegrounds are announced as a part of this expansion.
Flying mounts confirmed for old world.
Confirmed new zones: Uldum, Grim Batol and “the Sunken City of Vashj’ir.”

No word on what guild leveling or the Path of the Titans are.

Scenes from the keynote:

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm World of Warcraft: Cataclysm World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Lots more images after the jump:

Read the rest of this entry »

ADVERTISEMENT