“Gryphn Rider,” a 2004 print by Bill Petras. On view at Laguna Art Museum through Oct. 4. © Blizzard Entertainment.

Attention gamers and art fans: The Laguna Art Museum is hosting an artists’ forum at UC Irvine from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 1. The forum will take place at UCI’s Winifred Smith Hall.

The forum will include artists featured in the museum’s current exhibition, “WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon,” as well as Blizzard Entertainment’s cinematics project lead, Jeff Chamberlain. The forum will be moderated by the associate director of UC Irvine’s Beall Center for Art and Technology, David Familian.

The artists participating will be Antoinette LaFarge, Robert Nideffer and Eddo Stern.

LaFarge is an associate professor of digital media at UC Irvine. She’s a faculty member for the arts computation engineering graduate program in the studio art department, and is the director of academic computing at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Her digital print “World of World: The Adventures of Malbec and Player” is on view at the Laguna Art Museum.

Nideffer also teaches at UCI and is the director of the arts computation engineering program. He’s also director of the Game Culture and Technology Lab. His triptych, “2007 B.C.,” is currently on view at the museum, as is his flash-based game, “WTF?!,” co-curated by Alex Szeto.

Los Angeles-based artist Eddo Stern teaches game design at UCLA. He has three pieces currently on view at Laguna Art Museum: plastic, paper and electronic sculptures “MELF” and “Man Woman, Dragon,” and the animated video “Best Flame War Ever.” Stern also curated a portion of the machinama videos as well as contributed an essay to the manual that accompanies the show.

Immediately following the forum, a reception for the Beall Center’s upcoming exhibit, “Media Alchemy: Nam June Paik” (curated by Familian) will take place from 6:30-9 p.m.

“WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon” runs at the museum through Oct. 4.

Related links:

• ‘World of Warcraft’ quest leads to Laguna
• Some images from the ‘WoW’ show at Laguna
• Arts writer takes on World of Warcraft
• Check out this ‘World of Warcraft’ slide show
• The Arts Blog

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.

The other big shake-up, new class-race combinations, may not be available without purchasing the expansion, though. Chilton said he and his team were still discussing their options on that issue. (Speaking of, the current total of class-race combinations we confirmed, with information from Chilton and press releases, is nine: troll druids, blood elf warriors, orc mages and tauren paladins on Horde side; night elf mages, human hunters, dwarf mages, dwarf shamans and gnome priests for Alliance. No new classes will be offered for the draenei.)

However, aspirants to Insane or Exalted titles may want to put their efforts into higher gear. Chilton said that many old world factions will be adjusted and updated to the post-”Cataclysm” world,  but that there was a chance that some would simply disappear, swallowed up by earthquakes and tsunamis. He wouldn’t say who was being examined and who was up on the chopping block, but the Shen’dralar faction — the highborne elves in Dire Maul — came up as an example of the kind of factions that were likely to see a change. (Aspiring Loremasters have much less to worry about — all completed quests, even they’re removed from the game, will still count toward the total.)

What was confirmed was that the VanCleef and Arugal quest lines — the chief villains in the Deadmines and Shadowfang Keep dungeons — will be totally revamped to lead into the new level-85 versions of these dungeons. (The VanCleef quest line is especially in need of an overhaul — it tied into the kidnapping of Varian Wrynn, the leader of Stormwind, an event that was told in the comic book series and resolved in game almost a year ago.)

In addition to these lore updates are the additions, for the first time, of the elemental planes. These prisons for the ancient rulers of Azeroth haven’t really been touched upon in any of the WarCraft games, but were a heavy influence in some of the World of Warcraft pen-and-paper role playing books. Chilton said that much of the information in that game stands to be overridden with what’s in this new expansion, noting that WoW lore head honcho Chris Metzen was intimately involved in the creation of “Cataclysm.”

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:

Lots more images after the jump:

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And you know 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:

Sure, E3 had Project Natal and almost a half-dozen new Mario games, but this year’s BlizzCon looks to be chock full of exciting information. That’s what happens when a company’s got two blockbusters coming in the near future (“StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty,” is tentatively set for 2010; ”Diablo III” is being pushed fairly aggressively — its Web site is getting the same visibility as those for SC2 and “World of Warcraft”).

So, what can we expect?

“StarCraft II” information is going to be rampant, and for good reason: It’s the next game Blizzard plans to release. There are also the second and third titles in the series, which means that Blizzard will still be making this game long after the first copies are already in gamers’ hands, and they’ll be full-blown sequels instead of expansion packs.

Blizzard’s always been good about approaching content differently in sequels, so there’s a lot of information that still could be mined from this franchise.

There’s some vague event information at Blizzard’s BlizzCon Web site:

• Gameplay: Game creators will discuss the “design process and evolving mechanics” of the sequel.
• Lore: Writers will bring attendees “up-to-date on the defining characters and events” of the StarCraft universe.
• Art: Blizzard artists will talk about “the distinctive art style” of StarCraft.

That’s a starting point, at least.

Here’s what I’d expect: We’ve already seen dozens of interviews and press releases regarding multiplayer on “StarCraft II,” but very little on anything else. Look for the company to discuss the game’s offline aspects; nuts-and-bolts information regarding online play, both in terms of unit comparisons and Battle.net access; and hints about specifics in the series’ other two titles. The keyword in that last one is “hints” — Blizzard’s very careful and controlled about information flow, so seeing anything substantial from the zerg or protoss games is unlikely.

“Diablo III” will likely get a good dose of coverage, too. Not only is it in line to be released after “StarCraft II” — at least, it looks that way — but it still has several huge gaps in public information.

Consider: We only know three of the game’s five classes (barbarian, witch doctor and wizard), we only know a pair of settings (series-standby Tristram and a new location, Caldeum) and we have absolutely no clue where the story is headed.

Again, from Blizzard’s BlizzCon Web site:

• Heroes & Monsters: The design process of the heroes and the monsters that bedevil them will be the focus here. This looks to be one of the best panels to visit. If new class information gets spilled, this is a likely place for it to come from. Also, boss fights could be covered – in an IGN interview last year,  Rob Pardo said that one of the team’s goals was to have bigger and better end-of-act baddies, taking cues from the Zelda and God of War franchises. New, legendary heroes and epic beasts for them to conquer? Sounds like a winning combination.
• Lore: Here, Blizzard’s “lore masters” will “delve into the past, present, and future of the Diablo universe.” That looks like a peek into the “Diablo III” storyline is a sure thing — a definite must for Sanctuary story buffs.
• Art: Finally, the art of Diablo, which is some of my favorite — moody, evocative and classic — will be discussed by its creators.

In short, the many gaps in our information on “Diablo III” will likely be filled this year. We probably won’t get details, per se, like where chain lightning will fit into the wizard’s talent tree, but at least we’ll have a full picture.

“World of Warcraft” has seen two content patches since “Wrath of the Lich King,” and will get at least two more before the expansion’s done (Icecrown and the recently announced Onyxia revamp). There’s also the ever-present player-versus-player and class balance discussions (and often, the resulting flame war).

The BlizzCon events Web site is a little more direct when it comes to WoW:

• Class Discussion: This panel “gives insight into the intricate workings of class design and balance,” and, hopefully, will have bouncers. Class balance is one of those things that proves sensitive for many players. It may be worth going to just for the fireworks. However, I doubt much new information will come out of this; Blizzard’s already communicated its overall goal for class development. Its designers are also typically hesitant to say what specific changes they’re making — they’ve learned that even off-hand comments can be construed as binding promises by rabid fans.
• PvP: Here, Blizzard hosts a “lively discussion of competitive play and our PvP battle plan.” Again, another facet of the game that can really elicit, eh, impassioned responses from a boisterous crowd. Those looking for new information might have better luck here. Recent changes to battlegrounds (experience awards, experience toggling and the addition of a new field) suggest that Blizzard’s rethinking at least some of its PvP goals; it’s a possibility that we’ll get some new insights into the whole design process.
• Art: Another art workshop, this time focusing on WoW.
• Dungeons & Raids: “Learn how World of Warcraft’s most epic encounters are created and balanced.” Now we’re getting somewhere. With the new Onyxia dungeon incoming, there’s almost definitely going to be some information coming out of this panel. While the new Argent Tournament raids will likely dominate the discussion, it’s not totally out of the question to get some info on Icecrown or the broodmother revamp — perhaps some news on Onyxia mechanics, or who we might on our way to Arthas?
• UI & Mods: Here, players can ask designers about “the ongoing quest to make a simple yet highly customizable UI.” This covers features, too — so, there will almost definitely be some information on what Blizzard plans to add to WoW. Of all the announced WoW panels, this one is the most guaranteed to have some new insights into the game.

Also in WoW, there’s been a some speculation floating about the Web, summed up best by BlizzPlanet, that Blizzard recently filed a new trademark: “Cataclysm.” What does that have to do with anything? Well, the summer after “The Burning Crusade” was released, Blizzard announced “Wrath of the Lich King.” Coincidentally, this BlizzCon is the summer after “Wrath of the Lich King” was launched. It’s highly possible that the next WoW expansion will be announced this year.

In fact, I’m pretty confident it will be announced. Of all the speculation about unannounced panels and news releases, this one feels like it’s the likeliest, mostly due to the timing.

Finally, there’s that mysterious new MMO that was quietly confirmed some months back. We still have no information on the game’s setting, except that it will be a new intellectual property — the first new world Blizzard’s created since the original “StarCraft” came out in 1998. It’s possible that Blizzard will release more information on this title at BlizzCon, but I doubt any formal announcement will come this year. There’s so much already on Blizzard’s plate — “StarCraft II,” “Diablo III,” a probable “World of Warcraft” expansion — that promoting a new game just seems like it’s overkill. That being said, there’s room for a fourth bug at the top of Blizzard’s Web site after the “BlizzCon” tag disappears, so who knows?

Earlier on The Blizzard Blog:

The long-time arts writer did a lot of research into his lengthy piece considering he initially asked us at The Blizzard Blog, “So, is World of Warcraft big?” 

But cut him some slack. He chats with Blizzard, the museum director and others and comes out with insights like this:

“Think about it, culturally: 11.5 million people spending 10 hours a week on that game – what does that mean? That’s a lot of time,” said Bolton Colburn, director of the Laguna Art Museum. “It certainly begs the question: How does computer gaming and the change in our culture at that level begin to affect us? When’s it going to affect us all?”

Chang’s story is more of the story behind the WoW exhibit, which is sponsored by Blizzard, by the way. I would have preferred his critical eye to offer insights into what he thought of the pieces, being such an outsider. After all, Chang is more into coffee table fare like Joan Miró, Georgia O’Keeffe and Andy Warhol.

In other Blizzard updates, Chang also notes that Blizzard is still working on that WoW movie (see low in the story).

Check out his piece, “‘World of Warcraft’ quest leads to Laguna.”

More on the art of Blizzard:

 

• Several of the largest changes are addressed in an internal Q+A with WoW’s lead designer, Cory Stockton. The list? Battlegrounds will provide experience; experience will be toggle-able, so players can choose if they want to advance in levels; and a rundown for the Isle of Conquest, the game’s next new battleground. Blizzard
• Epic-quality gems are coming down the pike, and every profession’s gotten a little boost to compensate for the fact that smithing gets an inordinate increase from the new gems thanks to its extra sockets. How much does everyone get buffed? Well, that’s the $64,000 question, but it’s good to see this is being addressed before it becomes an issue. Blizzard

And in the “yeah, I could see that, maybe” department, “EverQuest” lead designer Ryan Barker takes a guess at what the next hot new thing in MMOs will be — Facebook. In a larger interview, he said he thinks that a casual MMO integrated into existing social networks has the ability to eclipse everything that’s come before. It’s an interesting idea, and one that ultimately has some merit, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Not only could existing MMOs work backward to integrate into Facebook, Myspace or whatever, but there’s a handful of new IPs coming out, including Blizzard’s next MMO, and we really don’t know what to expect from them. Massively

The “World of Warcraft” BlizzCon pet’s been announced — it’s a murloc marine with a gauss rifle. Looks like the Terrans will take anyone into their military these days; on the other hand, players now have a first line of defense against collector’s edition zergling pets. Blizzard ]]> http://gaming.freedomblogging.com/2009/05/13/blizzards-new-mmo-is-gonna-be-brand-new/2243/feed/ 3 http://gaming.freedomblogging.com/2009/05/06/sizable-harvest-for-gold-farmers/2191/ http://gaming.freedomblogging.com/2009/05/06/sizable-harvest-for-gold-farmers/2191/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 12:22:39 +0000 2009-05-06T04:22:39+00:00 jsimmons http://gaming.freedomblogging.com/?p=2191