DailyTech - World of Warcraft Expansion Not Ready for Holiday Launch

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Blog: Software World of Warcraft Expansion Not Ready for Holiday Launch
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - October 25, 2006 10:16 AM

23 comment(s) - last by Aikouka.. on Oct 31 at 2:02 AM

WoW players around the world simultaneously groan as they hear the news

Blizzard Entertainment's most popular game, World of Warcraft, will not have an expansion for the Christmas season, the company recently announced. Gamers will have to wait until sometime in January to pick up a copy of World of Wacraft: The Burning Crusade. Earlier in October, Blizzard began beta testing the expansion with the help from thousands of closed beta testers. The extra few weeks should allow game developers to further polish the game before releasing it. The expansion offers players two new playable races, new battle locations, enemies and items, and new professions. Gamers will also be able to reach a maximum level of 70.

By adding a few extra weeks to the development cycle beyond its original target date, Blizzard will be able to extend the closed beta test and further refine the new content that will ship with the game,” the company said in an official press release.

World of Warcraft reportedly has over 7 million subscribers worldwide. Analysts believe the impact from the delay will be minimal since most of the game's revenue comes from those 7 million gamers' subscriptions. The massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) is considered by many to be an online version of crack.

Blizzard has not yet announced an official release date or price for the anticipated expansion other than a vague "January 2007." WoW players, what say you?

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Well...

By Aikouka on 10/25/2006 2:39:44 PM , Rating: 3

Woo, more time to get Level 60 epics that will be outclassed by Level 70 blues ;).

I can't wait though... some of the (talent) changes are just plain great and have been needed for a long time. Rogue resistance to AoE? Garrote silence... my God, I may actually use Garrote for once! Cheat Death... I may actually drop my currently far superior shadow priest in favor of my better-geared rogue :P.

Also, it will finally somewhat mark the end of the overused phrase "ally ezmode" with the inclusion of Shamans into The Alliance and Paladins into The Horde. May Horde love Blessing of Kings and Blessing of Wisdom as much as I do :). My rogue will make sure to take part in all that is Windfury!

RE: Well...

By ninjit on 10/25/2006 3:00:56 PM , Rating: 3

Dude, that has to be one of the nerdiest/geekiest/lamest posts I have ever read on DT - and this is a tech site!!!

WC3 was one of my favourite games ever, but I've never even seen WoW running let alone played it (so I obviously don't understand anything of what you wrote).

And the more I read about it, the less inclined I am to try it - just doesn't seem like my cup of tea.

But kudos to Blizzard on this: $7 mil x $monthly-subscription-cost = $craploads of money.

I'd love to know what their running costs are for maintaining the servers, but I still think they are milking all you MMORPG crack-whores for every penny you have.

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RE: Well...

By Aikouka on 10/25/2006 5:17:00 PM , Rating: 2

I won't say anything bad about your comment, but I think you'd really have a different response if you played World of Warcraft.

Being that I'm one of the people that runs the Lightning's Blade Realm IRC chat, I see a lot of (color) commentary on Burning Crusade and how it relates to current activity. The usual response is either:

I'm taking off a week from work to level to 70!!

or

Why even raid right now when Burning Crusade gear will be better?

The second remark is actually a big controversy over the expansion, especially when Blizzard really pushes end-game content for those who have the time to do it. Whether you're starting Zul'Gurub or about to slay Kel'Thuzad in Naxxramas, in about 2 months, a level 70 guy who's never raided may have comparable gear to you.

You may say, "well, hey... it's a game." To a lot of people, the fruits of their effort is what they really enjoy, and Blizzard is spoilin' the fruit :P. Personally, I quit end-game PVE a long time ago after realizing how useless, repetitive and mundane it became.

Well, all in all, to each his own and World of Warcraft doesn't appeal to everyone. It can be a fun game to play, but as one of Blizzard's loading tips says, "Take everything in moderation, even World of Warcraft!"

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RE: Well...

By One43637 on 10/26/2006 11:58:22 AM , Rating: 2

quote:

by Aikouka on October 25, 2006 at 5:17 PM

I won't say anything bad about your comment, but I think you'd really have a different response if you played World of Warcraft.

Being that I'm one of the people that runs the Lightning's Blade Realm IRC chat, I see a lot of (color) commentary on Burning Crusade and how it relates to current activity. The usual response is either:

I'm taking off a week from work to level to 70!!

or

Why even raid right now when Burning Crusade gear will be better?

The second remark is actually a big controversy over the expansion, especially when Blizzard really pushes end-game content for those who have the time to do it. Whether you're starting Zul'Gurub or about to slay Kel'Thuzad in Naxxramas, in about 2 months, a level 70 guy who's never raided may have comparable gear to you.

You may say, "well, hey... it's a game." To a lot of people, the fruits of their effort is what they really enjoy, and Blizzard is spoilin' the fruit :P. Personally, I quit end-game PVE a long time ago after realizing how useless, repetitive and mundane it became.

Well, all in all, to each his own and World of Warcraft doesn't appeal to everyone. It can be a fun game to play, but as one of Blizzard's loading tips says, "Take everything in moderation, even World of Warcraft!"

that's what happens when Blizzard tries to cater to casual gamers. to me, that PvE grind is nothing but a carrot on a stick. hell, everything in that game is a grind. i'm not sure if they changed it recently, but they treated PvP as a grind too! the majority of the people you see PvPing regularly were only doing it for Honor so they can, guess what, get more gear!

nothing killed it for me more then seeing people Fishing in AV instead of taking part of the battle.....

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RE: Well...

By whalenapp81 on 10/26/2006 12:20:02 PM , Rating: 2

im not playing wow till the expansion for exactly this reason, i got tired of the raiding grind, and if i can get some gear thats just as good as tier 3 gear, then im all for it, this will give causal gamers a way, to get even, at least until, hardcore raiders get to level 70 content

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RE: Well...

By KristopherKubicki

(blog) on 10/25/2006 3:19:11 PM , Rating: 2

I picked up a level 67 blue pattern drop in the beta yesterday, it had like +45 stam/int on it and some spell ratings. I'm only running around in MC gear, and after seeing that I'm kind of reluctant to even devout time to WOW until the expansion comes out.

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RE: Well...

By Aikouka on 10/25/2006 5:19:42 PM , Rating: 2

Dude, Kris... that's crazy. What type of armor was it? I'd love to get something like that on my priest as I de-ranked too far when they redid the PVP sets in WoW, so I'm still using the older PVP1 set. PVP, like PVE, became too much of a chore playing 10 to 12 hour days just to rank up.

Oh and you should ummm let me play on your account ;).

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Whats wrong with you lot?

By Woolie on 10/27/2006 12:56:52 PM , Rating: 1

Can't you see what this is doing to you? Why on earth do you want to spend so long trying to increment a number in some database?

quote:
I'm taking off a week from work to level to 70!!

Get a life!!! Do you really just want to sit at home slowly rotting away, allowing some game makers to make tons of cash out of you?

quote:
Also, it will finally somewhat mark the end of the overused phrase "ally ezmode" with the inclusion of Shamans into The Alliance and Paladins into The Horde. May Horde love Blessing of Kings and Blessing of Wisdom as much as I do :).

I don't think anyone needs to know anything about WoW to know that whatever you're saying there is the most pathetic, sad, and nerdy dribble I've ever heard.

In conclusion, I think all MMORPG makers should be shot for transforming large majorities of the world to people who have their nose glued to the screen trying to "level up" in a reality world just because they can't "level up" in the supposed "real world".

RE: Whats wrong with you lot?

By Flunk on 10/27/2006 7:03:17 PM , Rating: 2

I played WoW for a few months and I have to agree with Woolie. There are a good number of people wasteing their lives on games like this and taking it too seriously.

I quit because I didn't feel I wanted to spend that kind of time playing a game but some of my friends still play and it's like an obsession. I'm not going to stop you from playing but I think that there is something wrong with spending all your time on the computer. I'm sure some people play less seriously, I'm not talking about you guys.

I do not agree with you on one point Woolie, you can "level up" in the real world. You do it by having experiences, learning new things and exercise. Anything you do to improve yourself, that's the way to really "level up".

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RE: Whats wrong with you lot?

By rushfan2006 on 10/30/2006 3:11:32 PM , Rating: 2

Well Flunk, you said it a lot better and reasonable than Woolie did so this is mostly aimed at him/her...

First in ever of "full disclosure" (though don't know how much good that'll do me with such a sarcastic and cynical crowd as these boards tend to be..lol)....I play WoW -- I play a rotating schedule of about 4 days a week, then the next week I play 3 days a week....average about 3 hours a day, the only variance is sometimes I'll play 4 hours on one of the weekend nights -- it all depends on what is going on.

I'm not a stranger to the debate of "get a life loser, you are wasting away at your computer" --- I've been a gamer for over 20 years...I've heard it all before.

And I immediately go to how much tv do folks watch each night? According to some studies -- the average american watches 2-4 hours of tv each weeknight. So then, where does the difference lie in if one chooses to spend 2-3 hours watching tv versus playing a computer game? In fact if you want to get anal about it...(and people who knit pick about these issues I do believe are anal)....I'd say its better positive stimilus for your brain to play a game and be interactive then just sitting on the couch.

In the end..I agree -- all things in moderation, I do feel for the folks who play 10-12 hours a day all the time...in those cases you guys are right....in cases where folks put relationships BELOW the game....you guys are right...in cases where someone goes "no hon I don't want to make love to you tonight, we are raiding MC!!!"...you guys are right....people like that need SERIOUS help.

However, I have my priorities right in my head, I pay my bills, go to family functions, spend time with my gf (and yes I cut out game if I must), I exercise 3 times a week, play with my nieces and nephews, go on vacations etc.....so if I then do all that and choose in my "spare time" to get engrossed in a game for as much ast 12-16, sometimes 18 hours a week....what is wrong with that? And more importantly how is it anyone's business?

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RE: Whats wrong with you lot?

By Smurfer2 on 10/27/2006 7:55:12 PM , Rating: 2

quote:

Can't you see what this is doing to you? Why on earth do you want to spend so long trying to increment a number in some database?

As soon as I read this, it reminded me of a similar type post on something comepletely different. Anyways, the gist of it was, we will all die someday, so why do we waste time on this or that? (whatever it may be) Course, that is true, but if I thought that I would be quite depressed for sure, heh it is a depressing thought. I have never played WOW either, your post just shocked me.

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RE: Whats wrong with you lot?

By TheBaker on 10/28/2006 12:54:31 AM , Rating: 2

Why are you people so anti-WoW? So what if people want to waste time playing a game and giving a big company money to do it? Would you have more respect for them if they spent that same time reading classic novels instead? Playing golf, maybe? Building model trains? Maybe you would prefer it if they went out clubbing and trawling the bars? Should they become world travelers? What makes any of these things better than playing a computer game? They're enjoying themselves. What is going to make you happy? Do they just need to recognize that your life experiences are far superior to their meager mortal existence?

It's called escapism. Everybody has a hobby. Some people play video games. Others get off on calling people pathetic in anonymous forum posts. Should forum moderators be shot for transforming large portions of the world into self-righteous snobs who jump at the chance to bad-mouth other people's hobbies?

It's their money, and it's their life. Let 'em play. If you hate the game so much, try this on for size - don't play .

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RE: Whats wrong with you lot?

By Aikouka on 10/30/2006 8:38:59 AM , Rating: 2

God, I played World of Warcraft all weekend and I missed this post because of it... shame on me ;). Now, it's time to get down and dirty!

quote:
Get a life!!! Do you really just want to sit at home slowly rotting away, allowing some game makers to make tons of cash out of you?

You do realize that I never said that, right? I said I was mentioning what I heard other people say. I guess us World of Warcraft players can read better than you laymen, because we have to read everything presented to us ;).

quote:
I don't think anyone needs to know anything about WoW to know that whatever you're saying there is the most pathetic, sad, and nerdy dribble I've ever heard.

God, what were the last words in this article... oh that's right, "WoW players, what say you?" Wow, it's like I was almost just really kind of pretty much completely on topic with all of that. Also, how is me talking about Paladin buffs any different than discussing how well I did in Lumines Live! last night on my Xbox 360 or talking about the inane football game that was on yesterday? It isn't! Quit the predisposition toward seemingly mindless entertainment, Mr. Thompson! That's right... I went there.

quote:
In conclusion, I think all MMORPG makers should be shot for transforming large majorities of the world to people who have their nose glued to the screen trying to "level up" in a reality world just because they can't "level up" in the supposed "real world".

Wow, you really do assume quite a lot. Curretnly, I go to work Monday through Friday at my job that pays quite well and then go home and play World of Warcraft, because I enjoy it. If you don't like that, well that's your business as this is mine =).

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RE: Whats wrong with you lot?

By rushfan2006 on 10/30/2006 3:16:22 PM , Rating: 2

While even I and members of our guild jokingly even call it WowCrack......

The reason folks have to make the statements they do about time spent playing a game, w/o knowing the person at all to which they are talking -- its more about making THEM feel like they aren't the loser than it is about the other person feeling like they ARE the loser.

I honestly can't say that I ever ridicule someone for a hobby they enjoy (unless its illegal, gross, twisted, etc.).

and my base statement to those types is Me get a life because I enjoy a game? Obviously YOU need to get the life, since you are so concerned with everyone ELSE's! ;)

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Good for the game industry

By tuteja1986 on 10/25/2006 1:21:06 PM , Rating: 1

Wow would have sucked up most of pc sales :(... When you buy WOW expansion you don't have time to play other games , its like a life ending game. Let the 7million subscriber and all the people that are going resubscribe to the game (maybe me).

RE: Good for the game industry

By leidegre on 10/26/2006 3:51:52 PM , Rating: 2

I will, at least try it out, i've played WoW for about 10 months after the rease in february 2005, but the quit out of boredom. But I do wanna try out the expansion, the boring was the lack of freedom, and repeated quests and stuff, now there are all new stuff.

But then I dont get it why they dont push it out during the holidays, the players will not care how many bugs thier is, they will pay, play and slay until they drop, and blizzard will get all the feedback they need for making changes. Then again, it's never fun to release something which doesn't feel as it's complete. Even tough they will continue to patch it forever.

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RE: Good for the game industry

By just4U on 10/28/2006 3:26:41 AM , Rating: 2

As a gamer I stayed away from wow up until a few months back... and I've played a fair amount of games in my time so ill try to give a objective opinion for those who have never played.

First off ... forget the crack idea. Like all things in life if you enjoy something you will invest your time in it. The reason they say it more so about WOW is because their are accually more gamers playing it then any other game out there.

As to the reasons why... lets look at those. First it's Blizzard we are talking about here. Many gamers .. casual or not have had atleast some experience with their titles. Hense the idea of checking it out.

They try to cater to all crowds. Something for everyone. Weather your a hardcore gamer/ casual/ first timer/ or like pvp. They don't do it perfectly (nor do others) but they offer more then enough content to keep people coming back for more.

One aspect I found sorta slick was the battlegrounds. It's the first time I've seen something like that outside a shooter Match-up and a novel idea on Blizzards part to offer that sort of familiarity to the crowd that loves stuff like that.

It's a good game, and maturing nicely. For the Mmorg crowd that likes that type of game it's probably a big bang for the buck to not have to PAY to beta test a game that was released far to early. Blizzard did well.

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RE: Good for the game industry

By rushfan2006 on 10/30/2006 3:21:11 PM , Rating: 2

Not mention for myself and for most people I know in game the real attraction to playing the game is more the interaction with the folks you play the game with....there is kind of social element there....I'll be honest I stopped playing for 2 months out of boredom myself....and at the time the guild I was in was just fighting among each other and it just sucked....

Then I found a new group in a new guild and my enjoyment of the game was renewed. We joke around all the time. And everyone is helpful....its truly like a community feel.

But again as I always say "moderation in everything".

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MMmmm, crack...

By Trisped on 10/25/2006 2:09:05 PM , Rating: 3

quote:
The massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) is considered by many to be an online version of crack.

Yeah, that sounds right.

RE: MMmmm, crack...

By ahkey on 10/25/06, Rating: 0

RE: MMmmm, crack...

By Schadenfroh on 10/26/2006 9:28:31 PM , Rating: 1

Ahh, so WoW is a physical addiction now eh?

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RE: MMmmm, crack...

By xFlankerx on 10/27/2006 12:59:02 AM , Rating: 2

Warcrack, it'll eat your soul.

I never liked the game, actually. People say its because I never got to level 60, but I really don't care about the game, lol. The PvP is supposed to be the best around, but I didn't care much for it. And the generic quests got SO old. "Go kill 5 of these, then gather 14 of these, then find him, then kill 9 more of these." No thanks.

Too much of a hardcore game, not worth the time spent on it at all. It's definitely crack for some people though.

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1.13

By Aikouka on 10/31/2006 2:02:28 AM , Rating: 2

Seems Blizzard is releasing an interim patch between now and the expansion to bridge the gap. It will include all content that you would receive if you didn't upgrade to the Burning Crusade (such as the new talents, spells, etc). Getting to level 70 will still require the expansion, though.