Q&A 01/14/03

[Balandar]

Below are the answers to some of the questions I?ve seen scattered throughout the boards this past week:

Because I know it?s what you want to hear, the beta questions are first on the list ?

What countries will be included in the beta?

The countries included in the beta test will be: Canada, Korea & the United States. Sorry to all the other countries out there, we just don?t have the server support up at this time.

Will people with dial-up modems be able to participate in the beta or just those with broadband?

Both broadband & dial-up modem users will be admitted into the test.

How are beta testers selected?

We have plans to give many beta tests away via contests (I hope to have more information on this next week). All other beta testers will be selected randomly from the applicant database.

Will people in the ?Blizzard Friends? program need to submit an application for the WoW beta?

People who are a part of this program will not need to submit an application for the WoW beta.

How will the beta be distributed - CD or Download?

The WoW Beta will be available both via CD and download.

After I sign up for the beta test, how long will it be until people are selected and testing begins?

I could tell you what we?re shooting for, but considering our track record for keeping dates ? you know that we?d end up missing it and then you would all be screaming, ?Katricia said!!!?

The development team wants to ensure that things are ready for the beta test. While they are working hard to make this happen (and happen by a specific date), there are always unexpected things that might happen which delay this or that. Rest assured that we want you folks to start testing just the moment that things are ready and everyone here is striving to make that happen soon.

Now onto questions which are not beta related ?.

Can a summoner destroy their own summoned pets before the time limit is up?

Yes, controlled pets can be dismissed.

Can the same account have both a Horde & Alliance character on the same server?

This is still being looked at and is one of the many things that will be tested during the beta.

Can you attack NPCs/Shopkeepers?

At this time you can not attack Shopkeepers or town NPCs, however this will be looked at and perhaps changed in the future.

What is the time cycle in WoW?

Currently, the game is set to run on a 24 hour time cycle which is dependant on where each server is located. This is one of those things that is being looked at closely and is subject to change before the game is released.

What are the differences between Mage Invisibility, Night Elf Shadowmeld and Rogue Stealth?

Night Elf Shadowmeld is still being worked on so I won?t be able to comment on that at this time. The difference between Invisibility and Stealth is mainly that they work off of different systems.

One is considered a skill (Stealth) while the other is a spell (Invis). Because of this difference, there are separate ways to deal with each. There are skills that allow players to detect stealthed characters while there are spells to detect invisible ones.

When a character is invisible/stealthed/shadowmelded can other players in the same group see them?

Yes, not only will players in the group be able to see them (they will be faded out), but anyone in the same alliance will as well. They will only go unseen to NPCs and players in the opposing alliance.

Do different races see differently? (i.e. Can Night Elves see better in the dark?)

No, all races will see the world in the exact same way (although Gnomes may see more knees then the rest of us). When the idea of racial eye sight came up on the table, the dev team wanted to ensure that all races would be enjoyable to play. They also didn?t want to give any specific race an advantage in this area.

What are the modes of transportation that are available to each race?

Not limited to the following: (land/air)

[*]Human: Horse/Griffin

[*]Troll: Undetermined/Wyvern

[*]Night Elf: Large Cat/Hippogryph

[*]Orc: Wolf/Wyvern

[*]Dwarves: Ram/Griffin

[*]Undead: Undetermined/Giant Bat

[*]Gnome: Undetermined/Griffin

[*]Tauren: None: Plainswalk/Wyvern

*Warlocks will have the ability to summon Nightmares as their mounts.

Can a Human ride a ram instead of a horse if they want?

Yes, the human would need to spend an undetermined amount of skill points to gain the ability to ride a ram.

Will an NPC remember if you talked to it before?

For quest purposes, yes, the NPC will remember that you?ve talked and will know where you stand as it relates to the task you were given.

Will NPC merchants close up shop at night?

No, however there will be wandering merchants that might not always be available where you last saw them.

Will shopkeepers have a limited supply of items?

Yes and no. Common items will always be in supply, however some shopkeepers will sell uncommon items which they might or might not have when you are visiting the store.

What is the minimum and maximum number of members allowed in a guild?

Currently, the minimum is set at 10 with no maximum at this time.

Will there be Blizzard Notepads included with WoW?

While in the past notepads were a staple in Blizzard games, the size reduction of the newer boxes has severely limited what can be included. I?m going to speak with the sales team later this week to see if/how we can make this happen.

Can some items only be used or worn by specific classes?

Yes.

Will there be non-combat or ?pacifist? classes that can gain levels from healing wounds, curing disease, ?buffing?, or by providing diplomatic or assistances to other players?

No.

How long can your name be and will last names be available?

Currently, all names are restricted to 12 characters. Last names are planned to be implemented, however; the criteria for obtaining one has not been determined.

Will there be monsters that randomly roam in packs from time to time?

Yes, we call this dynamic game play. The plan is to have numerous dynamic encounters in the game that will be randomly timed and placed.

Will druids be able to fight in their morphed forms?

Yes, including the underwater form.

Will there be a guide/volunteer program in WoW?

No.

How will ?griefers? be handled in the game?

While the GM team is still working on formal guidelines, I was told that it?s safe to say anyone who is intentionally trying to distract from a player?s gaming experience will be dealt with and disciplinary action will be taken.

Since the game will have a language filter, can we curse/swear as much as we want?

Even though there is a language filter, excessive, unsolicited or inappropriate foul language will not be tolerated.

Can Katricia summon a cute cuddly kitten in the game?

No, but I?m still working on this one! I just know if I keep bringing the dev?s donuts, they will eventually give in. (A little bribe can go a long way!)

Items which are still being decided upon or that I?m not able to speak about (so no answer available at this time):

[*]How will spell resistances work?

[*]Will there be non-trade/no-drop items in WoW?

[*]Will there be thief skills? If so will they be used on other players or solely NPCs?

~Kat

As always, everything listed is subject to change. I will let you all know if/when that happens.