What do Bruce Campell and Tobey Maguire have in common?  Both of their careers were launched by the man just attached to direct the upcoming World of Warcraft movie.  That’s right folks, the man responsible for the Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogies, Sam Raimi, is now officially attached to the Legendary Pictures produced film.

Ain’t It Cool News first broke the story late last night, prompting Blizzard’s official declaration a few hours later.  It has since been revealed that the title will shoot after Spider-Man 4, a film that is expected in 2011.

Here’s Raimi’s take on the Warcraft universe: “At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story,” said Raimi. “I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen.”

Expect more details from this week’s Comic Con, the convention that was supposed to break the news.

This news is about a week old, but since I don’t play World of Warcraft I just stumbled upon it now.  Blizzard has launced a Mobile Armory app for World of Warcraft on the Iphone so now no matter where you are you can still access the World of Warcraft Armory.   The Mobile Armory app is free to download and has many of the same features the normal armory has including the following:

• Search for and view any character, item, guild, or Arena team in World of Warcraft.
• Access your in-game calendar of events.
• View achievement-point leaderboards.
• Plan out talent specs using the fully functional talent calculator.

Taking a look at the app store on the Iphone, I see that already 5,500+ people have downloaded it.   I think Blizzard should have named this app “Welcome WoW addicts”.   The first step to recover is admitting you have a problem and downloading the Mobile Armory app so you can keep tabs on your char and events is definitely a problem.   Maybe Blizzard should have added a feature that contacts a video game addiction support group to help anyone that gets this.

If you’re one of those addicted and have to have this, you can find more information about it at Blizzard’s Iphone page.

Those of you looking to take Fallen Earth for a spin this summer will have to wait a little bit longer.  Icarus Studios’ post apocalyptic MMOG, Fallen Earth, has been delayed from its original Summer time frame to the concrete day of September 9.  The FPS/RPG hybrid MMOG will launch via retail and digital distribution channels on the same day.

Fallen Earth is to feature 70 towns spread across over 1,000 square kilometers centered upon the Grand Canyon.  The post apocalyptic title will feature a unique economy thanks to nearly all of the title’s objects being player crafted and the ability for players to join one of six factions.

Today Codemasters accounced that Jumpgate Evolution has hit a lankmark of 250,000 plus beta signups, making it the biggest ever beta signup for them.  While 250,000 is an impressive number, it does not necessarily translate to sales.   Age of Conan broke the 1 million mark for beta signups, the largest beta signup ever, then bombed after it’s launch due to many many gameplay issues.

On the flip side, it does mean there is at least interest in the game.  I’m burned out on fantasy MMOs, so this one is on the very top of my list.

Jumpgate Evolution, currently in the Friends and Family testing phase, is an immersive space adventure that allows players to choose from one of three playable Nations and engage in an intense action-packed gaming experience.

I was looking forward to the new server in WarHammer. I went from Magnus which was a low pop server to Badlands which is home to a higher population. I was not disappointed at all. It’s amazing to log in and queue up for a scenario and have them “pop” within a few minutes of hitting the button. The RVR has been intense. Warbands are everywhere; zones are flipping at a regular basis, all ingredients for fun.

My handsome engineer who is a bane to destruction has been having non-stop action since day one of the server move. He has gone up two levels and 4 RR’s. This is all thanks to scenarios and RVR (and of course the increased XP for transferring). The first night I stuck it out with keep sieges and RVR. I was surprised to see the huge turnout of order and destruction. I do believe Order is somewhat outnumbered on badlands, yet you can find several forum posts that state that either side is outnumbered.

Sometimes server merges can signify the death of a game. I think in this case it proves that Mythic is trying to provide what players crave. I believe the server merge is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done. Mythic needs to attract new players while retaining their current player base. The game itself is good, really good. This is unfortunately offset by the mighty bugs the game is still plagued with. The worst bug is when the drivers stop responding and turn your screen into an 8 bit paradise, which is only solved by a reboot. This should be the top priority for Mythic. In game chat, people crash all the time, its normal and tolerated. I only have the 8 bit crash once a week, but at this age of the game that’s once a week too many. Mythic, fix the bugs and you could possibly be sitting on a game that is full of fun, excitement and potential that is only limited by the amount of work you are willing to put in.

The black flag has been raised, the servers have been targeted. Mythic has addressed the population issues in WarHammer once again. Certain servers are encouraged to transfer to target servers. This is a death sentence for the source servers. Here is the list from mythic;
Ironfist                   to    Gorfang

Vortex                     to    Volkmar
Monolith

Magnus                     to    Badlands
Skull Throne

Transferring is easy. Log on to Mythic’s account management page and select character transfer /copy. Click on the free transfer button next to the character you wish to move. It will then ask you to enter a name. If the name is taken you will be immediately notified which will quickly prompt you to enter a new name. Finally hit confirm. Easy, just like that you are on your new server.

This is a good step from Mythic, it proves they are constantly looking at the servers, the player base, the population and attempting to keep the game going strong. I am glad they made this move. I have had no shortage of RVR on Magnus where my ruggedly handsome engineer was located. Now that we are moving to a more populated server the action should be more intense.

RVR was always easy or fairly easy to get into most nights. Scenarios on the other hand, not so much. I hope to see scenario pops more often now that we are on a higher pop server. Scenarios are an aspect of the game that I really enjoy. I love the instant PVP action, this is great when you are doing a “drive by” gaming session (when you tell the wife you’re doing laundry).

What does this means for Mythic? Well this means that they are being proactive to the issues the game is facing. This means they are listening to players complaining about population issues. This could also mean they intend to continually provide support for this game and do what it takes to encourage its survival. The other side of the coin is that population is dropping. Servers dying are a bad sign. Under populated servers could also have been a result of the overzealous opening of servers during launch. Good idea on paper, not so good in practice. I do hope this game succeeds, it provides a good alternative to the 400 lb gorilla. You know who I’m talking about. Until next time, I will be introducing a whole bunch of new destro to the business end of my trusty rifle. WAAAGGGHHHH!!

The lone engineer steps out of his gyrocopter, surveying the new land before him. He is unable to discern friend or foe from the thick black clouds of artillery and magically mayhem all around him. The air is thick with the pungent smell of sulfur and gunpowder. The first task is to locate a friendly warband, but where in this alien land should he look? The engineer picks a direction, and begins to walk, in the same fluid motion he draws out his small hand cannon. He thinks to himself; “Bloody hell! What now” as he heads out. As he begins his journey there is only one sound that can compete with the distant noise of battle, the sound of his beating heart…..(to be continued)

As my adventure continues in WarHammer, my intrepid and ruggedly handsome engineer has finally hit level 30! 30 is an exciting level, on one hand you are at the top of your Tier while at the same time you can access Tier 4! This new Tier brings new areas, new keeps, new gear, and new scenarios. I am looking forward to spending some quality time this weekend in some good ole RVR and introducing some destroy players to the busy end of my rifle.

From what I have heard and read in guild and alliance chat, T4 can be quite busy. It appears that there is always some good RVR going on somewhere. I am looking forward to leveling my character in T4. I can honestly say my trusty engineer has leveled 98% of his total xp in RVR/scenarios, mainly RVR. I hope I can continue this trend in T4.

I tend to be a slow to medium leveler; I like to experience all the game has to offer. I am not a power leveler by any means. In the next few weeks I will post about how tough, easy, fun or boring T4 can be. T2-T3 has been very fun and exciting. I have enjoyed the RVR game play a lot more than I thought I would. I am glad there is a game that allows me to level with a play style I enjoy. Until next time, go grab some WAAAGGHHH!!!

I recently had a chance to ask Bill Roper, the Design Director and Executive Produce of Champions Online, a few questions about the upcoming superhero MMO.  You can find the Champions Online interview below.

Q1) Since this is a super-hero game, will players be able to have a side kick?

The side-kicking system in Champions Online allows younger, less experienced heroes to temporarily increase the effective levels of their powers to be able to adventure with a more experienced hero. Conversely, those superheroes with greater powers can “tone things down” to play on an even level with their less-powerful friends.

Q2) How soon will players get their travel abilities?

Heroes gain their first travel power at level 5, right after helping resolve the crisis in Millennium City. In order to allow for more flexibility in character design and role-playing, heroes have the chance to gain a second travel power becomes available at level 35!

Q3) If I make a melee character without a flying ability, will I be screwed in PvP when fighting someone that can fly and has a ranged attack?

We’re doing a lot of balancing right now to avoid just this sort of issue. Melee classes have attacks they can use at range (such as ripping up hunks of the ground to throw at enemies) – most of which knock their target out of their travel powers. This is especially nasty when used against a flying opponent.

Q4) How will teleporting work in combat, PvP and PvE. Seems like a very powerful power.

All of the travel powers are powerful in their own right, so every travel power has what we call “gears” associated with it. Heroes move fastest when they are completely out of combat, slower when being attacked but trying to escape, and slowest when actively participating in combat. Teleport has limitation on how far you can teleport and how frequently based on which of these “gears” the hero is in.

Q5) How will XP be divided amongst healers, tanks and DPS character? Will it be based off the amount of damage done only?

We not only track the amount of damage done and damage taken by a hero, but we also track how many points of damage a hero heals – both on themselves and on others. We make sure that proper credit is given to supportive heroes in both PvE and PvP in this regarding, making the choice of playing a hero that focuses on aiding others just as rewarding.

Q6) Since you get to create your own Nemesis, why wouldn’t I just create a really weak one?

The powers for your Nemesis are drawn from defined, balanced power sets. This ensures that players can’t “game” the system and make a weak arch-enemy. Nemesis is designed to be the biggest challenge a single hero can face, so we want the villain you create to live up to that standard.

Q7) Can other players participate in my nemesis fights or is that strictly solo?

You can invite your friends and allies into any Nemesis mission you have. This is one of the reasons we’re excited that Nemesis is the first of our ways to allow players to generate their own content. We also are going to be expanding the Nemesis system in the future to accommodate multiple Nemeses on a map, which will completely kick things up a notch!

Q8) In PvP, Tournament of Champions, B.A.S.H and Apocalypse, can I join these events using the PvP queue?

Absolutely! The queue system is designed to allow players to get in line to jump into PvP while still adventuring and saving the day until another Hero Game is ready to go.

Q9) Why can’t I be a villain?

We wanted to focus on the heroic side of things with the launch of the game. The missions, interactions of citizens, and so forth are all directed to your being a hero. There are so many stories to be told, justices to be upheld, and worlds to be saved that we’re excited to bring those chances for good to life. We do let you design a villainous foe with the Nemesis system, and some day we might even delve into the darker side of superheroes.

Q10) If I’m a superhero, why do I need to craft things? I’m already super.

Not every hero has powers that come from within. Many have lots of wonderful toys they use to fight crime. This is just the type of hero that will be crafting new goodies in the Arms school of crafting, which also has non-physical elements such as fighting styles. And our crafting system goes far beyond the creation of just physical items like guns and armor. There is the Science school where things like mutagens and serums and nano-bots are created. Mystical crafters design new spells or arcane artifacts. We’ve spent a great deal of time and effort to allow players to experience crafting while staying true to whatever the concept of their hero is.

Today Hi-Rez Studios announced that closed beta for the upcoming MMOFPS Global Agenda is set to begin on July 24th.  You can find the full article with more information and signup for the Global Agenda closed beta here.

Ok. Great. When does Closed Beta Begin?

The exact timelines for Closed Beta Testing Phase 1 (CBT-1) could change based on Hi-Rez’s assessment of the games’ readiness. But, at present, the plan calls for Closed Beta Phase 1 to begin on July 24th, 2009.

Testing for CBT-1 will unfold over a series of short testing windows, each labeled CBT-1A, CBT-1B, etc. The servers will only be available for testing during the specified times for each test. The first weekend of testing, CBT-1A, will have separate test windows for “NEW BETA PLAYERS” and “CURRENT ALPHA PLAYERS”.

NEW BETA PLAYERS will test from FRIDAY JULY 24th AT 3 PM EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME through MONDAY, JULY 27 T 6 AM EASTERN.

CURRENT ALPHA PLAYERS will test on MONDAY JULY 27 OM 6PM EASTERN to MIDNIGHT EASTERN.

The dates and times of subsequent CBT-1 testing phases will be released as we progress further. However, generally, testing will be concentrated during extended weekends (FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY).

When and how will I know if I made it into Beta?

Invitations for Closed Beta Phase 1 (CBT-1) will be sent in groups.

The first group was sent in late June and was primarily directed to existing Alpha testers. Subsequent invite waves will be sent during the weeks of July 8 and July 15, 2009.

In order to participate in the Beta, players that receive an Invite must RSVP by visiting the Global Agenda website and following the instructions in the invitation. Each invitation will include a date by which a player must confirm their participation prior to the invitation expiring. Once a player confirms their participation, additional information will be sent regarding the test program.

Crafting, while an important part of any MMO, is at heart a mindless grind fest.  Gather X materials, to create Y new materials that can be them combined with A & B materials to create the desired item.  While crafting tends to mirror real-life crafting, it’s about a million times more boring.  Is it a wonder that bots and macro scripts have become so popular in today’s MMOs?  Why in hell would I want to spend hundreds of hours of my life mindlessly gathering matrials and then watch my characters crafting bar slowly progress as they craft for hrs.

I for one don’t craft in MMOs.  My highest level crafting character ever was probably in the medium low range of his crafting career.   I just refuse to waste my time grinding away gathering resources.

So why do developers continue to use the same tired crafting system.  Why not create a crafting system that’s more like a mini-game based on skill instead of grinding.  While not very realistic, I’d rather play a small mini-game then run around for hrs looking for iron deposits or some rare flower.

I’m sure some people might have a problem with that since it’s not how crafting really works.  If someone in medieval times wanted to craft a sword, they would have to go collect the materials or buy it, so that’s how it should work in games too.  To those people I say, good for you, feel free to waste your life gathering materials in a video game, I play to have fun and I have yet to find a MMO where crafting is.