Filed under: Humor

Sunday Morning Funnies: The Daily Blink

by Amanda Miller Jun 16th 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Each week, in addition to bringing you the latest in comic-goodness, SMF is featuring a regularly updating WoW-related web comic. Check out The Daily Blink:

The Daily Blink is a WoW-related web comic by Chris Hanel. It consists of funny, one-off jokes about Blizzard, the in-game experience, the developers, classes, characters, and the like. It experiments with a variety of styles; for example, there are mock magazine covers, meme parodies, and staged in-game situations. The subject matter is often topical, riffing off of the latest news or the popular complaints du jour.

Hanel uses WoW Model Viewer, Machinima Studio and Photoshop to create the comic.

The Daily Blink updates on Wednesdays.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Sunday Morning Funnies: Dark Legacy Comics

by Amanda Miller Jun 9th 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Each week, we're shining the spotlight on a WoW-related web comic from our weekly list. This week, we're looking at Dark Legacy Comics:

Dark Legacy Comics (DLC) is a funny comic featuring a group of 8 Alliance-based regular characters: Keydar, Donald, Miji, Gigz, Narya, Krom and Nyte, as well as the two little clones, pictured above. Many of its comics are one-offs, which makes it very accessible for new or casual readers, but it also features running story lines from time to time.

The subjects vary. Sometimes there are long story lines where something unique happens in the world (like an NPC strike). Other times, the comics focus on a character's hobby (like Gigz's cooking) or even comment back on the experience of playing WoW, such as with a sequence where the characters are raiding.

DLC is one of the longest running and most popular WoW-related comics, and is a great pick if you're new to either WoW or web comics.

DLC updates on Sundays.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Stormwind Keep valued at $10,293,472

by Sarah Pine Jun 5th 2013 at 4:00PM

The blog Movoto (tagline: "The lighter side of real estate") has done evaluations of fictional properties before. This time, they've set their sites on Stormwind Keep, of our own beloved Stormwind, to try and determine the following:

How big is it, actually?
What's its real world equivalent location?
How much would it cost to purchase, based on the previous two factors?

The answers, in brief, to those three questions are: 47,219 square feet, Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd, Wales, and US$10,293,472 ($218 per square foot), respectively. Ten million dollars seems like a whole lot to me, but article author Randy Nelson asserts that it's actually rather a pittance for a castle. Then again, he also points out that as far as we can tell, Stormwind Keep only has one accessible floor, and the rest is all for show. Even the Ruins of Lordaeron are bigger than Stormwind Keep. See what you've done, game designers?! You've devalued your own non-existent property!

Back at the blog, Nelson gives an in-depth breakdown of how he came about all the numbers as well as how he determined that Caernarfon Castle was the best approximation of Stormwind Keep in the world. I highly recommend a read of the entire article--don't just stop at the infographic! The whole thing is interesting and fun. I'd love to see more analyses like this, if the blog authors have the time and inclination, if only so that we players could have yet another aspect of our chosen factions and races to argue about.

Filed under: Humor

Hellscream's Kitchen: Sliced peaches

by Sarah Pine Jun 3rd 2013 at 7:00PM

Once upon a time, WoW Insider ran a food column wherein we made real-life recipes to correspond with WoW's in-game recipes. Since everything old is new again, and I really like to cook, we're bringing it back! I'm going to do my best to mirror the progression of the recipes actually in-game, so we're starting with one that only requires a cooking skill of one: sliced peaches.

Filed under: Humor

Sunday Morning Funnies: Looking for Group

by Amanda Miller Jun 2nd 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Every week, we're profiling a different WoW-related web comic. This week, we're taking a look at Looking for Group (LFG):

Looking for Group is, unlike many of the other comics, not just a (time-consuming and awesome) hobby. In fact, it has a whole team behind it. A team including personnel with titles like "logistics manager" and "communications director." They are part of the Blind Ferret network. LFG was launched in November of 2006 and has grown to be very popular.

It is a fantasy-themed comic that is loosely based on WoW; however, it's very accessible to non-WoW players. It "follows the adventures of Cale'Anon and Richard, as well as their companions." It's story-based but also humorous. The warlock Richard is the primary source of comedy as well as the entry point for readers who don't usually enjoy comics heavy on story.

Looking for Group is Canadian. It's written by Ryan Sohmer and drawn by Lar DeSouza. You can read a bit more about them and the rest of the team on their About page.

Looking for Group updates Mondays and Thursdays.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

I hate scenarios

by Sarah Pine May 28th 2013 at 7:00PM

Behind the scenes at WoW Insider, we've been talking a lot about scenarios recently, for various reasons - some of which we hope to be able to soon share! In those discussions, I relatively quickly had to come out and admit, yeah, I kind of hate scenarios. It's not that I think there's anything actually bad about them. Maybe individual scenarios have certain annoying mechanics, I honestly haven't done enough of them to know. But I kind of dread doing them, and avoid them for the most part, and there is a very simple reason why: when I first go into one, I don't necessarily know what I'm supposed to be doing.

I cannot communicate how much I despise that feeling. It's why I love being a healer. Here is your job as a healer, in any dungeon or raid ever: you stay out of the bad stuff on the ground and you play Rejuvenation (or Holy Light, or Healing Wave, or whatever) whack-a-mole with health bars. It's great. It's structured and straightforward and it's always the same. Sometimes there are additional mechanics you have to be aware of but, here's the thing - boss needs interrupts? Not a healer's job. Mobs need kiting? Not a healer's job. Turtles need kicking? Not a healer's job. Boxes need clicking? Not a healer's job (usually).

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor

Sunday Morning Funnies: Away From Reality

by Amanda Miller May 26th 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Each week, we're featuring a regularly updating WoW-related web comic from our list. This week, we're shining the spotlight on Away From Reality:

Away From Reality (AFR) is a comic by Erik Jensen. Professor of ancient Mediterranean history by day, WoW-player by night, he has been creating AFR comics since 2007 but adventuring in Azeroth since 2004. It is made using software programs such as Poser, Bryce, GIMP and Paint, and most comics take 2-3 hours to do up (not counting the days or weeks spent with the jokes percolating in the back of Jensen's mind, of course).

Jensen aims for humor and accessibility, so new readers can jump straight in and won't feel lost. The tone is light and on the occasions when the comic is critical, he tries to keep it fair and maintain the silliness. Most of his inspiration comes from his own play-time, but he also gets ideas from engaging with WoW-related media.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Sunday Morning Funnies: Gratz

by Amanda Miller May 19th 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Each week, SMF is placing a regularly updating WoW-related web comic under a spotlight. This week's feature is Gratz:

Gratz is a humorous comic by Lackinganame (Jason Nebeker). It is a relatively new comic, and family-friendly. It's fun and a great one to check out each week if you enjoy watching an artist evolve.

It began as a few character sketches and evolved into a full story-based comic. It features five main characters: Vancore (a leader, hero), Starfire (gifted, insightful druid), Red and Green (brothers; jokers, trouble-makers), and Gorak (wise, grandfather-figure, trainer, aging leader).

Gratz Genesis was written from 2009-2011 but not published until 2012, when the artist was able to devote more time to the comic. This is also when Gratz Transition was born, which not only features the characters as older, but also an updated art style.

Gratz updates Mondays, usually with 3-4 pages (and sometimes more!).

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Patch 5.3 is pending, but when will it drop?

by Olivia Grace May 16th 2013 at 4:00PM

Now, don't pretend you're not already guessing. There have been several official Blizzard blogs, on the new scenarios we're expecting, as well as a general guide to how you can best prepare for patch 5.3, and what's more the devs have begun their latest round of interviews. The official World of Warcraft twitter account even went as far as tweeting to confirm that the patch wasn't landing on Tuesday May 14. So, all this being said, what's your prediction for the launch date? Where's the smart money?

Patch 53 is pending, but when will it drop

What do we have in the way of additional clues? Well, there's the PTR build information, which previously has flipped from "Test" to "Release" when a patch has crept closer It still says test, as you can see to the side. Also, the patch 5.3 PvP information has previously talked about a conquest catch-up of 15,000, and it'd be 11,000 right now. But of course, these are just clues. So what's your bet? And why?

When will patch 5.3 launch?
May 21st	1830 (28.9%)
May 28th	1811 (28.6%)
June 4th	804 (12.7%)
June 11th	256 (4.0%)
June 18th or later	233 (3.7%)
Soon (TM)	1401 (22.1%)

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor

Sunday Morning Funnies: Fox Rain

by Amanda Miller May 12th 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Each week, SMF is putting a comic into the spotlight. This week, the focus is on Kuo's Fox Rain:

Fox Rain is a WoW-related web comic surrounding the mysteries of the Scythe of Elune. Since October 2012, it has been undergoing a reboot. Although it is being redone in a different style and feel, the comic still features a WoW-inspired world.

The story follows Lis the genius and Biryuk the mysterious, who are on a quest to search for what's most dear to them. The comic is driven by the narrative and geared towards WoW-playing adults who love an involving story.

In the new version, more focus is being put into the artwork and pages often have only two or three panels, giving the story a slower pace that requires readers to invest their time in the characters and their world.

Kuo Comics started making WoW comics back in 2009 with one-off funnies based on raids, cooking dailies and the adventures of the author's Horde guild. After exhausting every punchline she could find, Jenn (aka Volucris) changed the comic to be story-based, linking the old Warcraft 3 and WoW lore together. It also featured guest comics from Keen (Rory) and Ssantoki (a Korean web comic artist) from time to time. Fox Rain was created to weave story, action, and humor into one.

The comic updates every Thursday New Zealand time (Wednesday US time).

"Fox Rain" is a word used in East Asia for what is commonly known as a Sun Shower. The bright light above the falling rain goes perfectly with the theme of Fox Rain.

In the near future, the comics will be translated to Korean and Japanese, so if you're interested, check those out too!

Words from Volucris - "Thanks so much for everyone who reads Fox Rain! And to those who haven't started, please go take a look! The comic will deliver story, fun, action, lotsa wolves and tons more mischief."

Words from Keen - "I love you readers."

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Sunday Morning Funnies: Teh Gladiators

by Amanda Miller May 5th 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Every week, SMF is shining the spotlight on one of our weekly WoW-related, regularly updating web comics. This week, we're looking at Teh Gladiators:

Teh Gladiators is written by Uros Jojic and drawn by Borislav Grabovic, both Serbian. They describe it as "a labor of love." Jojic is a player and fan as well as novice writer; Grabovic "is an accomplished artist," and it shows.

It is primarily a story-based comic. Originally, it was a story about arena but has since evolved into "a more free-flowing story about the adventures of three principal characters." Gorrok (the aging warrior), Spin (Tauren) and Vallant (a hunter with two rats) are the stars of the show.

Since the change, it has been less gag-based and moves at a slower pace. In order to keep it moving, the pair started posting two weekly updates.

Teh Gladiators updates every ~~Sunday~~ Wednesday with two comics.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Your silliest WoW moment

by Sarah Pine May 2nd 2013 at 1:00PM

This is a timely forum post, considering our topic the other day we had on our favorite ways to die. Mearl the gnome warrior asks, "What is the silliest thing that's happened to you in Azeroth?" A good number of the responses include people's own goofy deaths, but there are some more unconventional responses, too. I'm quite partial to Hippeaux's reply early on in the thread of the GM who clearly accidentally copied multiple people on a ticket, resulting in a baffling stream-of-consciousness-like list of instructions on how to accomplish a variety of things in game. Suddenly, I long for the day when something similar happens to me!

As for the silliest thing that's ever happened to me in game, well, this isn't strictly silly, but it's a story I laugh about heartily in hindsight. When I was a wee druid, at level 14, I got the quest for swim form. You needed to collect two halves to an amulet, both of which were underwater. The amulet's first half was at the bottom of the lake in Moonglade. Easy peasy, that's where you got the quest!

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor

Sunday Morning Funnies: Guilded Age

by Amanda Miller Apr 28th 2013 at 12:00PM

Sunday Morning Funnies is your weekly list of WoW-related web comics.

Each week on SMF, we're highlighting a regularly updating comic from our list. This week, we're focusing on Guilded Age:

Guilded Age is inspired by WoW, and much more loosely based on Azeroth than most of the other comics on the list. It is written by T. Campbell and Phil Kahn and illustrated by John and Jason Waltrip. It is heavily story-based and features beautiful artwork.

It takes place on the continent of Arkerra. The Kingdom of Gastonia and the World's Rebellion (dubbed "The Savage Races") are at war. Gastonia hires a select group of adventurers (the "Peace-Makers") for diplomatic and reconnaissance missions, as well as criminal investigations.

Meanwhile, on Earth, a man is CEO of a major corporation. He devotes himself to working on a virtual world that he insists is real; he claims to have bridged Earth and another realm.

Read all about the characters or learn more about the crew behind the scenes.

Guilded Age updates every weekday.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Humor, Comics, Sunday Morning Funnies

Poll: Do you cheat on your faction?

by Olivia Grace Apr 26th 2013 at 1:00PM

We all know how it starts. A stolen glance across the sands of Silithus. That moment where you eyes meet, a shared second in the Deeprun Tram as you chase your foe back down the tunnel with your finger hovering over the Hammer of Wrath, but hesitate to hurl it home. You know your past, your history, your ambitions, you're a draenei, you're a member of the Alliance, it's all so clear. But somewhere, somewhere there's a longing for something more. Something different. Something... green.

And before you know it, you're being catapulted from Kezan into a new world, a world of orcs and blood elves, of trolls and tauren, of bloodlust rather than heroism. It's new, it's exciting, but is it anything more than just a fleeting visit? Can you really stay in this place, with the in-fighting and the slums and the ramshackle, riotous city of Orgrimmar as your home?

Have you ever cheated on your faction? Been deepsing with the enemy? You're far from alone. It's certainly safe to say that some players are like swans: when it comes to factions, they mate for life. But others are like sparrows, flitting from faction to faction. If you're a sparrow rather than a swan, are your dalliances with the dark side flippant flings, or full-blown affairs? Are you truly bi-factional, or will one always take precedence, always be your home and your heart?

Do you cheat on your faction?
Yes	2646 (59.6%)
No	1796 (40.4%)

Filed under: Humor

The wait continues for Pierre and the Skyclaw

by Olivia Grace Apr 24th 2013 at 4:00PM

The mystery of Pierre and the Sky Claw continues. These creations burst onto the scene in the patch 5.2 PTR patch notes back in January, when we were enthralled by Pierre's cooking capabilities, and the Sky Claw's two-person mount potential. Engineers were thrilled at their appearance, but alas, it was not to be.

When we last heard from our potent pair, they had been recently removed from patch 5.2, for undisclosed reasons. This last update came our way in early March, and we have had no word since. Until now. Blizzard Lead Content Designer Cory "Mumper" Stockton tweeted the following:

@tasenilein Not in 5.3
- Cory Stockton (@mumper) April 23, 2013

What has happened to Pierre and the Skyclaw? Have we sent out a search party? Are they in Vashj'ir, solving underwater crimes? Is it simply that Lil' Ragnaros is jealous and has banished Pierre to the Elemental Plane, and the Skyclaw is trying to build up the stones to fly down and snatch him out? Or is it possible that something more sinister is afoot...

WoW Insider recently made mention of a new contender for engineers' hearts and pockets, the Bad Robot, due to grace our screens in 'a future patch'. Could it be that the bad robot has lived up to his name and put paid to Pierre and the Skyclaw? Could this be the darkest hour for our dynamic duo? Who will help them now?

Filed under: News items, Humor

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