Blizzard is having a Theme Park Contest

Create your own theme park? Well, that sounds fun; I only wish I had known about it sooner.

You can come up with your very own Blizzard style amusement park and compete for prizes.

There's not much time left to get your entry in (deadline March 30) but hey, Blizzard fans are known for all-nighters. So, bust out an energy drink and get busy if you are a creative type and would like to enter.

The winning submission will be all over the Internet and will be seen at BlizzCon. The winner gets a “Wacom Cintiq 12WX Digitizing Tablet, a pair of StarCraft II beta keys, and more…" see the Blizzard Site for more details.

Level Playing Field?

Yeah, yeah, level this.

Life, as well as any competitive game, is not supposed to have a level playing field. That would be like playing a game of musical chairs, using as many chairs as there are players. No one wins, but of course the point is, no one loses. Bah.

That’s the way I feel about some of the nerfs that Blizzard has implemented in WoW. For example, I earned my paladin mount. I was so proud. I had help, yes, but I earned it. Not everyone had one, because they didn’t jump through the hoops to get one.

That’s what made it special.

Now, all a pally has to do is wait until level 61 and buy the mount. While I believe the quest is still available for those who want to do it, what’s the point really? The paladin mount is now just another mount, which is why I may never ride mine again. If I'm not flying, I generally ride my black war bear, since one still has to earn it and it cannot simply be purchased (at least not yet, as far as I know).

Dual Spec Coming Soon?

We’ve been hearing about dual specs for quite awhile. The idea led to much excitement and anticipation. Well, apparently, the wait is almost over. This comes from a “blue,” the well-known, and well-loved (okay, sometimes) Ghostcrawler.

Dual specs may be available to play around with on the PTR as soon as the next patch.

While you may have heard the term dual spec and have a basic idea of what it means, there are some details you may not be aware of. While nothing is really set in stone at this time, the basic concept is pretty well laid out.

Here are a few details:

• You cannot switch specs mid-fight but apparently can switch mid-raid.

• You must be level 80 to train for dual specs.

• There will be a fee (rumor has it that the cost may be 1,000 gold, but we’ll know for sure once it’s released).

• It looks as though you’ll be able to make changes, move around those talent points if necessary, before your spec is saved (this is a good idea and a welcome change for anyone who has misplaced a point while respeccing).

You can learn more by reading the interview with Ghostcrawler at worldofwarcraft.com or checking out Mike Schramm’s article at wowinsider.com.

I'm excited. Are you excited?

UPDATE 4/15/09: Dual specs are live!

The cost is in fact 1,000 gold, but you only have to be level 40 to train for dual specs.

Noob Moments

Okay, let’s break the ice a little and share some noob moments. These are usually good for a laugh.

So, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.

One of my first noob moments came at around level 14 of my first toon (of course I was a noob then, but I didn't know how much of one I was).

I read one of those game tips on the loading screen and had to laugh at myself. You know the ones, the little snippets that we so often ignore as we tell the screen to hurry up and load? Well, one day I was logging in and saw, “Your character can eat and drink at the same time.”

Really? I’d been eating to restore health then sitting back down and drinking to restore mana for 14 levels. Duh.

That’s pretty minor stuff, considering other things I’ve seen (and done).

This will probably become a regular feature of this blog, but I’ll fess up more after you show me yours…

Intro

So, I never thought I’d be playing a game like World of Warcraft. Didn’t think I’d like it at all. I’m no leet gamer. In fact, I never really got into gaming much before, especially not role playing games. They seemed to take up too much time.

What would I be doing instead, watching TV?

My husband and his cousin were already into WoW and talked me into a trial version. The next day, I asked for my own copy, and not long after, I asked for The Burning Crusade. I swore I would not buy the expansion. No Wrath of the Lich King for me!

Uh huh... my main is level 80, my alt is 71.

Blizzard says 10 million + people can't be wrong, so who am I to argue?

How did you get started playing WoW?

(Please note that this is an unofficial site and in no way related to World of Warcraft or Blizzard Entertainment)