Monday, May 25, 2009

Too short even to name...

I'm gonna make this one a bit brief. This weekend has had me swamped on pretty much all sides. Here's the video I did for the special live WoW Insider show.



~Jack

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Please take a seat...


So as many of you know I work in the film industry. If you did not know this it's ok, my Grandma still thinks I'm a civil engineering student. Anyway, my job picks up filming starting Tuesday and I'll have less time to post. I'll try to keep it every day posting like it has been but I may have to switch to posting every other day. And for those that wonder what film I'm working on I can't tell you the name cause of the NDA I signed, but I can say it's technically a sequel and it's starring a "chubby" Jewish comedian and a sexually deviate British comedian.


Also make sure you tune into http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show to see the project I did for a buddy that made me not turn out Nobody Like You Episode 3 like I was going to. But it's cool I'll finish up Nobody Like You as soon as I can and then It'll be money.
(p.s. That's a pic of my dog at Halloween last year)


~Jack

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Would you like another hour....


Downloadable content (dlc) is what I see as the future of video games. It has been appearing more and more with the recent economic troubles, and of everything that has been brought about because of the recession, dlc is the best. You know that game you love so much, and you wish they'd come out with the sequel "well while we're working on the sequel here's a new zone for you to have fun with."


This really was first made popular by WoW. They gave their players whole new zones and area's to explore with out charging the player anything but a subscription renewal. This kept the players interested in their game and the player didn't spend money buying another game.


This trend will really define games from now on. It will also ensure that those games you love stay around and the player base will stay pretty consistent.


And for all of you loyal fans, a new pic for the project I just finished. Make sure to turn in to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show Saturday at 3:30p.m. est.


~Jack

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

And now for something completely different...



Well WoW Insider is now WoW.com and the site has gone through the works. It's a whole new blueish toned look but all the bloggers are still there so no need to worry.

The main thing that the new site has is social networking. You just sign up then modify whatever you want to modify. Add me as a friend and I'll add you to mine; just don't tell anyone, my mom doesn't like me talking to strangers (jc my mom just doesn't like me talking to Decepticons ).

Another new addition is their add-on that sends updates to the site when you're playing the game. I think it's a cool feature, that way you can see what people are up to if they aren't on your server. It brings a whole new level to the game in my opinion.

~Jack

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I'm Back...


Hey everyone sorry for the lack of posts but some how the blog got flagged for "hurtful and demeaning attacks at a single person". Now that I've sorted it out with them my account has been unlocked and I can post again. And boy do I have stuff to post.


We'll I think I'll start off with how dependent I am on my left hand's pinkie. I broke it and let me tell you, it is tuff as sh*t trying to type with out it and playing wow is equally hard. I've been messing up my rotation and retching in pain because I used my pinkie. Now I'm sure you'll say "Don't you have pain killers?" Yes I do, but the problem I have is they make me fall asleep, so it's either pass out playing wow or not pass out but be in pain. I choose the later.


Anyway the picture about is a screen shot of the project I've been working on which will be reveled Saturday. Nobody Like You Ep 3 is going great and I'll try to it get done as quickly as possible.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Dude Stop the QQ...



I follow WoW Insider Moviewatch pretty religiously. I enjoy the variety of machinima that they show and Michael Grey gives every film a nice review. But there's a guy that keeps posting saying that "the film selection sucks" and "my movie is so great." The guy just really disappoints me as one a "machinimast" and two a person that does work in the film industry.


He just seems to be missing the point of making machinima. He says he's bitter for not being featured on Moviewatch, sorry no, I don't buy that. He's whining cause he's not getting what he want, and he's missing the point of machinima. Machinima is not something we get paid for, but is something authors do in their free time because they enjoy doing it. As long as you enjoyed making your movie, that's all that matters. It shouldn't matter if you get the kudos from a certain website or not.


Also as for him saying the selection of films stinks, Grey posts a new machinima M-F every week. That's just amazing in my book that WoW has that many fans out their that do that sort of work. I'm not saying I get everything that's posted there (not everything is everyone's taste) but I would never call any of it crap.


Authors make films of warcraft cause they enjoy the game. And when it all comes down to it, this is a game. Enjoy yourself in what ever your ventures are.


~Jack

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I'm a whore...


It's come to my attention that I am not the distinguished nerd I thought I was. I thought I choose my nerdisms based on their merit and how they reflected humanity as a whole. Nope, I'm just a nerd/geek media whore. For example, I was trying to say that I'm a Star Wars fan and not a Trekie, but alas this is not the case. I mean everyone is going to love the new Star Trek movie but, I knew that the T in Jame T. Kirk stood for Tiberius even before going into the theater.


This has lead to a self realization that I just hop on the wagon for every new popular sci-fi/fantasy media that comes out. I feel dirty... like syphilis dirty.


~Jack

Monday, May 11, 2009

Evolution vs Divine Intervention...


So the guild I'm in, of which I'm one of the guild leaders, turned two years old this last week and it has made me think of where I've been and how far I've come since I was a blue eyed noob.


So my first toon ever was my Paladin (who is still my main) and let me tell you, I was amazed at how fast the levels were going and the humor that was involved in killing things (You no steal candle!). But when I reached those damn murlocks by the logging camp, I met my first real challenge and noob moment. I didn't know until lvl8 that I as a paladin could heal myself, yeah I know. Hey I read the text and it said "heals friendly target for X amount" little did I know that I was in fact a friendly target to myself. But hey we're all noobs at one point and time.


Another thing about myself I thought was funny is in vanilla WoW I was Ret, Holy in BC, and I'm now Prot in WotLK. I guess we all evolve in this game over time. Also EP 3 of "Nobody Like You" is coming along wonderfully and I also have another project I'll be starting soon and it should be another great project. I'll try to get ep 3 out this week but if not this week it'll be out next week.


~Jack

Saturday, May 9, 2009

I have a dream...



As many of you know I play Warcraft, shocker I know. But to my disbelief I was called a noob, by no other than the raid leader of the raid I was in. Such hurtful words have led me to cancel my subscription and *reads prompter* quit the game... no really... oh god... oh god... the words hurt so bad... Yeah right, like I'd quit something I enjoy because a d-bag is doing what it is that makes them a d-bag.


So I was in 25man Vault the other day and the raid leader called me out saying I was a noob for not having deadly boss mods. I then informed him that not only do I not have deadly boss mods, I don't have any add-ons except recount. This lead the the whole raid mocking me since it was their guild run and I was the only pug. But to their dismay I was top dps for both Emalon and Archavon. So a melee dps (Death Knight) was not only top dps for both fights but also took the least amount of damage and was a good 4% dps above everyone else (everyone was in Naxx gear with a couple Ulduar drops, my DK is in naxx and pvp gear, I was doing 3.5k dps).


So here's my question, Why does it matter what add-ons you have? If you're a good player you're a good player. Just because you have a thing that flashes for you saying "you're standing in a place you shouldn't be standing in" doesn't make you the best player out there. I judge people by how they do with what gear they have and if they learn fast what has to happen. I think there's a lot of good players out there that aren't getting the praise they should. Yes I know gear matters once you're in Ulduar, and if your raid leader requires a certain add-on you should probably get it.


I don't think anyone should judge someone by the fact that they don't have the same add-ons and they do. Judge them because they're a troll or gnome! Yes judge them by the fact that they're stoners or if they can't reach the top shelf.


~Jack

Friday, May 8, 2009

Do the Dew Justice...


With the new Warcraft themed Mountain Dew only a week away (I know this because while I was doing my research I found their website that has a count down until release) many players in the WoW community are asking "And why do we care again?" and I completely agree. There are a few things that bother me with this whole thing. I know this is all subject to change since the product hasn't been released yet.


Ok Mountain Dew, I get you're trying to establish that you're the drink for gamers since Dr. Pepper has been moving in on your turf. But hey, they won the contract with MLG fair and square. The problem I have with you is you're not even doing the research for your target audience. Your "flavors" are "Horde Red" and "Alliance Blue". Is that really the best names your marketing team can come up with? Why not "Blood and Thunder" for the horde version and "Thunder Brew" for the Alliance. Hell I would have been happy with Runn Tum Tuber Surprise and Kungaloosh.


Now this is all speculation, but it appears that a minipet will be offered with the release of your product. That's cool in my opinion, but is this your doing or Blizzard's? I know this isn't the first time Blizz has used a soft drink to market for them but this isn't Peggle that we're talking about. World of Warcraft has one of the largest player base (if not the largest) for the current gaming community. Bring out the big guns guys, I'd love to see a WoW mountain dew commercial and I do hope the codes on the caps have in-game rewards. Hell do some viral advertising for it. Have some Warcraft characters roam the streets of L.A. And I'm not talking about some humans wondering around, I want tauren and murlocks!


But most of all, please please PLEASE let the drinks taste good. I remember the Halo 3 stuff you guys had and I remember me not drinking anymore after the first sip.


~Jack

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Where Nobody has gone before...


As many of you know the new Star Trek movie is coming out Friday. In honor of a sci-fi series that has touched the lives of billions (I'm a starwars man myself) with the premise of exploring new worlds and meeting new species, I decided to go where no WoW player has gone before... I went to Second Life. Here is a recounting of the half hour I spent in Second Life.


Stardate: 90210 year of the Ox-π... mmm pie...


After downloading the free trial and creating an avatar I logged into Second Life. Looking around I saw fairies, moose-men, vampires, and smurfs; clearly my human avatar stuck out like a swore thumb. As I took my first steps on this strange planet I was bombarded with several what we would call tells. They are as follows "Do you want to get raped by a lion?" "How do I move?" "Fast cheap gold delivered to you in-game for World of Warcraft, prices starting at..." I sh*t you not, those are the exact tells.


Deciding that being raped by a lion just wasn't my thing, I moved to a "market" place where you could buy a plethora of items. Guns, fake boobs, pizza, everything that you could think of was there. After browsing a few stores I noticed that you could purchase statues of what ever you wanted, one that got my attention the most was the large and intricate unicorn. I noticed a "walrus man" approach the unicorn. As he neared it the unicorn came to life, grabbed him,and then(to my horror) started to f*ck him (That's right, go play Second Life for all of your unicorn statue that will rape people needs).


I logged off immediately, uninstalled Second Life, and then sat in the fetal position for a couple hours. After I regained some of my sanity I vowed never to step foot into that hell hole again. I'll stick to Warcraft where the sane people are at.


~Jack

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Not a piñata...


Emalon the Storm Watcher is the new boss in the vault of--what? You were expecting Algalon today? Well since no one has downed him yet I'm going to say that I'm not qualified on telling you how to fight him. And besides Emalon is a good boss too!


Emalon is not a loot piñata, this should be made clear at the beginning of the fight. He's pretty simple once you've got the fight down but understand HE IS NOT A LOOT PINATA! Ok so he has some adds that should probably be picked up by an OT, but if your MT is geared they can be tanked by the MT as well. He will do a Lightning Nova that all melee needs to run out of. He will also occasionally overcharge one of his adds and if it is not killed fast it will wipe your raid. I know some people say that your OT should be able to mark the add for the dps, but come on. If you can't target the add that is 3 times larger than the rest you are--well I don't want to be mean so you're just bad at targeting large things. Rinse and repeat until desired effect.


~Jack

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

It's a she...


Ah good old Yoggy--err Yogg-Saron, whatever I like Yoggy better. Yoggy has influenced the minds of the mortal races of Azeroth for countless years now. Also apparently Yoggy is a girl, I say this because his--her first persona is Sara. So when you're fighting that beast of a million maws, just remember it's a she and don't be insensitive about how big her mouths are.


As for the fight, I have no f@#king idea how to fight this boss, nor am I going to pretend like I do. From what I've read and what I've heard from friends this fight is a lot like C'Thun. Aka this boss is tuff as hell and you're gonna need to do your research on him--err sorry her and be prepared to wipe a lot. Here's a link for a strategy and a description of the boss fight.


~Jack

Monday, May 4, 2009

Mr. Stinky-fish-face-lobster-giant-thing...


General Vezax, or Mr. Stinky-fish-face-lobster-giant-thing as I like to call him, is the last boss before Yoggy. He's a faceless one and what you think is his face is actually more like an elbow than anything else. Vezax is actually the former TV star Kirk Cameron... What? There's no joke here I'm being serious. What do you mean he does a bunch of Christ promos?!? Yeah right, and Doogie Howser is co-staring in a show with Jason Segel that's narrated by Bob Saget... Ok now you're just f@#king with me.

The fight can be broken into 4 steps:


step 1:
Before pulling General Vezax assign casters to groups to rotate through the process of regenerating mana through the clouds.
step 2:
Pull General Vezax, and start DPSing.

step 3:
Interrupt Searing Flames when General Vezax starts casting it.
step 4:
When General Vezax casts Surge of darkness stop all DPS on him. Have the tank kite him, since General Vezax will move 55% slower. It should be the perfect time for your casters to start taking the clouds for mana regeneration, and the healers to start AOE healing them.
Rotate through the caster groups to not overwhelm your healers.


~Jack

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Karaoke Night


Brief post today but I think you'll like it. It's the song from the credits of Nobody Like You Ep 3. Episode 3 is coming along great and it will be done in the next couple of weeks since I've got real life $%!# up the wazzoo right now. Anyway it's Sunday Night at the World's End Tavern and you know what that means! It's Karaoke Night! Click the link to listen.




~Jack

Saturday, May 2, 2009

With great power comes great responsibility...


Since today's topic has been getting a lot of publicity I thought I'd try to give a fairly logical look into the Martin Fury-Karatechop incident. For the full interview with Karatechop by Lesley Smith(a wonderful writer for wow insider) on the subject you can you can check it out here. I'm going to look at the holes that I see in the story and what I know from personal experience with blizzard. I've been temp. banned for trolling from the forums because I re-posted a topic that was deleted because of of the posts by a actual troll was sexual. But hey I didn't know and yeah I was upset but it was only for a week.


The short version of what happened was Karatechop's guild bank got robbed and in the process of blizzard refunding their items they sent them Martin Fury. The shirt is a end all, it kills everything in a 30yrd radius. The item was designed by blizzard for testing purposes, to see if death animation work and doors properly open when a boss is killed. Karatechop says that they had it for a few months and had used it on Malygos once when they were bored. And after the release of Ulduar they used it after not being able to down Flame Leviathan. They killed everything, including Algalon. He was permanently banned because of this.


From what I can see here's the major points for both sides:


Karatechop:


  1. A GM sent them the item, they didn't hack.

  2. The shirt only has a hundred charges, it can't be used forever.

  3. They thought blizz was being cool for everything that had happened.

  4. The item could have been a typo on blizzards part, item 17 instead of item 17206.

Blizzard



  1. We don't know what blizz knows about the situation, dude might be a GM or have a friend who is and had the item given to him that way.

  2. Karatechop is defiantly not the wide-eyed gnome he tries to make himself out to be. They knew to kill the bosses on their hard modes or else they couldn't get to Algalon. They cleared new progression content before everyone else, even Vodka and Ensidia.

  3. They got a world first by using it and the item says "Cheater" on the bottom.

My personal belief is that this is a simple case of WoW espionage. Karatechop had uncovered a plot that blizzard was trying to gain legal control over all the water reserves in various Central and South American countries. He was attempting to get the word on the matter to the press, but blizzard got to him first. They have him detained in a undisclosed location.


~Jack

Friday, May 1, 2009

You better not pout...


Yes it's Hodir, father of those Sons that you hate grinding rep for. He is the lord of winter and has a mouth in his stomach. A nifty thing I thought was he may in fact be Father Winter. Since he is the lord of winter and the father of the giants, this could have easily been changed over the years to become the Father Winter that we hope gives us the right mini pet each year.


The fight is a combination of Saph from Naxx and the last boss in Nexus. You need to keep moving so that the frost dot doesn't stack up on you too much. A nice way to combat this is to stand by one of the cozy fires, this only applies if you are ranged. If you're melee, you're f@#$!d. Also remember that frost resist gear you were gonna get rid of, this fight is a lot easier with it and your OT is gonna have to have it when he uses his horn (OT with frost resist will need to taunt the boss so the MT doesn't take the frost damage). And he does flash freeze which you'll need to get onto the snow drifts (they form from the icicles that drop from the ceiling), if you don't you'll get frozen and you're raid will need to break you out of the ice cube. He also roots people so have mass dispel or hand of freedom is really nice for this fight.


~Jack