Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with warcraft

Use MacBook mic instead of headset in WoW? Why not?

musofire — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:02:29 -0800

Why can't I use my MacBook's microphone to play World of Warcraft? Why do I need a USB headset? We're out in the country without my stepson's headset, and anyway, I'd like to hear the chatter. (He's showing me the game.)

Is there a way in WoW to use the regular microphone and speakers instead of a USB headset? If not, is there software that will allow me to use the regular mic and speakers to spoof a headset?

Why is World of Warcraft so addictive?

Sully — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:40:20 -0800

Why is World of Warcraft so addictive? I've curious about WoW. I've heard a lot about it - how there's millions of people playing it. But I've also heard that it's ruined lives.

There are some sites where people talk about how WoW has ruined their lives, but they only go into details about how their lives are ruined. They mention that WoW is incredibly addictive, but they never go into detail about how exactly WoW addicts them.

Even the short Youtube documentaries about WoW just talk about how many hours they spend on the game, how they miss classes, or ignore responsibilities. They talk about the fallout from WoW without looking at the mechanics - which is what I'm interested in.

I have to say, I kind of want to try it. I play a lot of single-player games, like Fable 2, Fallout 3, Crackdown. I'm familiar with reward systems, and am curious about WoW's. I mean, to get millions of players, they must have an incredible reward system. But I am also afraid that if I try the game, I will find it so rewarding that I won't want to stop.

I've even read things where people say they've been playing this one game for years - doesn't it become boring? Can someone who has played WoW dissect for me how WoW compels or manipulates you into coming back for more?

Thanks.

World of Warcraft: Looking for a PvP Addon that marks enemy players by class for Arena and Battlegrounds.

spinko — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:06:32 -0800

World of Warcraft: Looking for a PvP Addon that marks enemy players by class for Arena and Battlegrounds. Fed up having to search for the healer to kill in BG or Arena.

Is there any addon that will put a icon (or anything) about the enemy team to indicate a 'Healer' class?

I use 'Gladius' in Arenas to show the other team. This would be great to do if it just shown the nearby enemy healers.

If you have any other recommended Addons to make Arena / Battlegrounds / Ganking easier.

Cheers

Small, Cheap, Plays WoW

Skorgu — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:03:41 -0800

I'd like to buy my ~10 year old nephew a laptop to play World of Warcraft on. Smaller is better, cheaper is better. I'm hoping that a netbook will work as it's just the right size for him but I can't find anything newer than a few years that gives a comprehensive answer.

I don't want him to be playing a slideshow but at the same time he doesn't need an alienware. I'm a sysadmin by trade so I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty to e.g. top up the ram if it saves some cash.

Guilds as social units

empath — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:57:58 -0800

I have a few semi-related questions about how MMORPG guilds operate inside: Are there any guilds that operate across multiple games? Guilds carry benefits and obligations within a particular game, but do they carry across from game to game? Can favors given in one game be repaid in another game? Do guild members tend to help each other with real life problems? How far do guild obligations go -- would you drop real life stuff if your guild asked you to do something in a game? Does anyone have any stories of kids and their parents being in the same guilds? If your guild were warring with another guild in Eve, would that carry over to other games or real life interactions?

I'm really just kind of interested in stories of how guilds operate as social units outside the context of individual games; if you have any that are outside the scope of the specific questions I asked, i'd be happy to hear them.

Fix my network connection

dagnyscott — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:20:18 -0800

I used to use a program called DU Super Controler to limit bandwidth to World of Warcraft and keep it from crashing my DSL modem. This doesn't appear to work with Vista. What will? Whenever World of Warcraft patches it crashes Speedstream modems. The only way I was able to get up and running before was using this program to limit bandwidth to WoW.

Also, one of the stock answers I keep seeing on the forums is to disable checksum offloading and changing duplex settings but I don't see those options available anywhere and the directions don't seem to acknowledge Vista.

Opensource Wiki Software

spinko — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:43:48 -0800

Open source Wiki software! I'm looking to setup an open source wiki service very similar to wikipedia.org (but slightly different). However I know there is open source software available to download... ...

I'm looking for:

1) Totally open editing (if registered)
2) Report if abused content
3) Upload images for the wiki post
4) SEO friendly i.e. www.wikipedia.org/post_name

Php, SQL, etc

Very simple, I like the way wowwiki.com is run. I know they use opensource but I dont know which one.

Cheers if you can help.

Why does World of Warcraft slow down when I ALT-TAB to Windows?

katala — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:17:09 -0800

Why does World of Warcraft slow down when I ALT-TAB to Windows? I'm having a weird graphics problem with World of Warcraft, if you're able to help I would be eternally grateful! :)

When I ALT-TAB out of the game to go back to Windows, and I do this 10+ times over say an hour, my World of Warcraft graphics get all 'chuggy' and the game runs so slow it becomes unplayable. I have to quit and restart it before it's useable again.

I've tried patching my graphics drivers, but it makes no difference. If it's helpful I'm using an Nvideo GeForce 6600 GT.

World of Warcraft filter: I want to create a group channel for all 3 guilds on the site channel. Possibly mod or addon?

spinko — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:20:35 -0800

World of Warcraft filter: I want to create a group channel for all 3 guilds on the site channel. Possibly mod or addon? We have 3 guilds on the same server and want to stay as we are, however we want to chat as 1. I was looking around the web for addons, mods and even 3rd party software for this.

We have tried the /join guildname but no one uses it as the colour doesnt stand out (yes I know we can change it) and we always have to do a /6 to speak (which is annoying). So I was thinking about a mod that would automatically connect to '/join guildname' but then discard the /g and mask it in that place. So /g is infact /6 and we wont have change the colours and type /6 everytime we talke. However, would this be a mod? or is there anything out there that does similar?

The other way around this is to use Xfire, however this 3rd party application doesnt allow groups of people to chat. Good for 1 on 1 not as a group.

Irc could be used, however we can then link our 2 other alliance guilds with the 3 main ones to make a global guild chat for other servers also. Is there any applications that work in the same way as Xfire but for group chats in games?

Hope you can help.

What games should my friends & I play instead of Warcraft?

iwhitney — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:38:03 -0800

Now that World of Warcraft has abandoned all attempts at creativity, my friends and I would like a fun, casual, multi-player game where we can hang out. Any ideas? While we're all big nerds and like Warcraft, it's become apparent that every expansion is going to follow the same formula

Add 10 levels
Add a half-dozen zones
Set up some big bad to kill
Add a ton of repetitive faction grinds

And, since it's obviously making Blizzard a ton of money, I'm not going to begrudge them. But I would like to find another game to play with my friends.

We're geographically diverse, smart, talkative 20 & 30-somethings. We play games not to be the 'best' or to while away entire days, but to have fun, unwind and socialize.

Most of them are more into the RP side of RPG. But all of us can enjoy a good game, even if we're not pretending to be a dwarf.

What games out there could work for us? I've poked at Puzzle Pirates a bit, and it seems fun, but it also seems that every player is off doing their own puzzle (maybe this isn't true, I only tried it for a few minutes).

Another option is online Scrabble, which I'd be more enthusiastic about if I weren't terrible at Scrabble. But online board games do seem like a good option.

We obviously don't mind paying for our games. But free is cool too.

A World of Warcraft mod to make life easier to quest?

spinko — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 12:06:17 -0800

World of Warcraft filter: Is there any mods out there that show you where to for the quest? instead of searching for hours... ...
I've been playing wow since beta, and played it to death. I've got 2 lvl 70's at the moment and levelling my priest.

The mods Im using are:

Monkey Quest
Cartographer

To make life easier, but is there a mod that when you pickup the quest it puts a mark on the map showing you where to go for the quest.

Or other mods to make life easier.

Santa plays the Horde!?

XiBe — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:25:48 -0800

In order to illustrate a part of a loooong blog post I'm finishing about World of Warcraft, I'm looking for a small, one panel comic that features Santa Claus raising his fist and, to his apparent disbelief, yelling "For the Horde!" to Rudolph. For the life of me I can't find it. Could any of you hope me on the matter? An Alliance counterpart would be fine too - doesn't have to be santa, just to be funny.

Additionnatlly, I'm open to any funny and/or representative illustration/video about WoW. I'm using a few videos already: Office Space commercial, "Live to win" section of the South Park episode, and the "Gay Bar" video from the Pretty Pink Ponies guild. I won't be putting the "Warcraft is for porn" video, 'cos my post is all written in French.

In short, I don't need much else than the Hordy Santa, but if you know of something truly good, please don't hesitate!

Thanks!

How do you sell a World of Warcraft account?

ssmith — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:22:06 -0800

So, how would one go about selling a World of Warcraft account? After a couple of years I just can't bring myself to play anymore. I realize selling an account is against Blizzard's TOS, but this is pretty much the only way I can guarantee that I'm not going to "relapse".

What's the best solution for a World of Warcraft Guild Website?

Kraki — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 15:39:44 -0800

Can anyone point me to a great, extensive all-in-one solution for Guild Website Management? I'm in a Guild with a bunch of members, and they're always asking about the guild site. We have a domain, but nothing on it. I've looked at guild portal, and I think its ok, but there has to be something better out there.

I Love wowroster, but I'm not a script ninja and can't for the life of me figure out how to display only what I want on a page.

Does anyone know of a good all inclusive site that would provide easy rosters, tradeskill tracking, events management, guildbanks, possibly DKP, forums, and a blog style front page?

Casual player looking for WoW guild recommendations

cyrusdogstar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:00:50 -0800

Can anyone recommend a World of Warcraft guild that meets my specifications? Follow the bolds for the abridged version :)

First off, I know there's a MeFi guild in existence--used to run its earlier incarnation--but right now it seems like it's moved Horde-side and I'm looking for an Alliance guild. Plus the MeFi guild never stays very large and I'd like there to be people on most of the time - I miss EarBucket and the rest a lot, but it kinda stinks when half the time you're alone in guildchat.

I'm with a good group of people right now, but on a very young server (Vashj) and recently came to the realization that the auction house is piss-poor, and it's making it hard to level since my gear is lagging at 10+ levels behind my own. So I'm thinking of rerolling on a medium (or high) population server where there are plenty of things to buy on the AH.

Making matters worse is that I don't raid and most guilds are all about the endgame - I'm hoping for a group of people more interested in leveling, PvPing, playing alts, and just having fun than in phat lewt. Not that raiding is a bad thing, but I just don't see the point of being in a guild where <5 % of the population is below level 60. and this should go without saying, but there's millions of medium/large guilds medium/high pop servers which aren't all about raiding...but they don't all have b>cool, laid back, intelligent people. Since most MeFites fit this description, I'm hoping some of you have found similar groups of people to hang out with.

If possible I prefer RP or RP-PVP servers, since it usually means about 5% less idiocy from the pubbies, but that's definitely not a requirement at this point. Ditto for my timezone - EST is nice but not necessary.

And I could just suck it up and try to deal with the situation on my current server - for example, I could run lots of instances to get gear drops - but for now let's assume I don't want to.

Use or Sell WoW:BC-CE?

ODiV — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:10:21 -0800

Should I use my copy of Burning Crusade Collector's Edition or sell it? If I sell it, should I sell now or wait? I don't really know if copies of the Collector's Edition are in short supply so I'm not sure how much the price will go up over time. Are they going to make more and meet demand? Also, I'm not sure if I'm entirely comfortable selling it at a markup. During the whole PS3 and Wii release hubbub it seemed like a lot of people driving the hype were just buying to turn around and immediately resell on ebay and that kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

I play a little, but not that much. I have one 60 Troll Shaman that took me maybe a year. If I was crazy into the game I'd use it, no question.

Help a Canadian MeFite in Paris play The Burning Crusade (Expansion to World of Warcraft)?

chudmonkey — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 07:23:21 -0800

Help a Canadian MeFite in Paris play The Burning Crusade (Expansion to World of Warcraft)? Gang, here's the skinny: I'm travelling in Europe (Paris this week) with my Macbook, and I have WoW already installed. It's the North American version, since I'm from Canada. Back home in Canada a friend of mine has purchased a North American version of Burning Crusade for me, so I have a CD-Key to use. I want to continue playing on North American servers. (Otherwise I'd just buy EU versions of WoW and BC and start a new account.)

I'm downloading (via BitTorrent) a North American copy of BC, but the torrents I've found for that version aren't performing that well, and it could be days before I have the whole thing.

So far my on-line research seems to suggest that upgrading a US copy of Wow with an EU copy of BC isn't possible, but I don't have a definite answer on that yet. I know that it's no longer possible to play on EU realms with a US copy of WoW, so perhaps Blizzard has comprehensively separated the regions.

So, can anyone think of anything for me? US copies of BC that may be in Paris somehow, somewhere? A tourist-friendly 'net cafe that has anticipated my need? A trick for installing EU BC over US WoW? A faster/better torrent to download?

Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. My fiance is going a bit mad not being able to play, and the taunting text messages from her guild-mates aren't helping. =)

Join the ranks of the unwashed?

Doublewhiskeycokenoice — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:36:42 -0800

Should I start playing World of Warcraft? So, a new computer is on the horizon and with that comes an OS newer than 10.2, so I shall, at last, be able to run WoW. I've got many friends who play, and the social aspect of it seems like a lot of fun, and the game itself looks right up my alley. The problem is, I'd just be starting out at the end of December, and all my friends are either at 60, or are pushing it hard. With the expansion coming out, is there a risk of them leaving me in the dust, and thus remove any chance of my getting to play with them on a meaningful level anytime soon? Has the game sailed over it's shark yet? Should I care about that last one? Any advice WoWers could give on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Also, my sister takes care of all the "WoW is for losers" talk for the entire world, so don't worry about that.

Marriage, nerd-style

Anonymous — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 16:38:24 -0800

NerdProposalFilter: Looking for a creative way to ask my boyfriend to marry me, via World of Warcraft. (Anonymous because he occasionally reads AskMefi, and I'd rather this be a surprise.)

We both play WoW, and have a few level 60s between us. Unfortunately, we share an account, so that takes out asking him face-to-face in the game. I've thought about finding an appropriate ring on the auction house, and mailing it to him with the proposal, but I'd like something even more creative than that. It'd be awesome if I could create a quest somehow, with the end result being the proposal. Do any of you WoW nerds have suggestions? If it matters, we're Horde, and our mains are an Undead Priest (me) and an Undead Warlock (him).

I know this would absolutely delight and surprise him, so I'd like to make it good. Thanks!

Oh WOW this will be bad!

j-urb — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:39:54 -0800

Today I find myself in a precarious situation. I am a college student who happens to live in a four bedroom apartment with two other guys; however, I have discoverd that one of my roommates is flying his internet girlfriend in from Alaska on Saturday morning so that they can live together (The story gets better/worse - they developed their relationship through playing Warcraft). I am usually open minded about siuations similar to this, but I have some deep reservations over the matter. I first met David when he moved into the apartment, as he was a friend of my other roommate. Since I've been living in the apartment, I've noticed that David spends almost his entire day and night playing Warcraft. He rarely makes it to any of his classes, mostly due to the fact that he is too tired from playing Warcraft. David also tends to have some problems with remembering personal hygiene when he gets caught up with playing Warcraft (my other roommate has tried several times to get the game's administrators to message David and tell him he needs to take a shower; however, this plea for help has been ignored). Although we could have just came in his room and confronted him there, actually getting through to him would be a problem because he is so entrenched in leading his guild in search of new armor.

Apparently David and this girl from Alaska have been having phone conversations for eight hours at a time (from what I've heard). I don't know of anyone in a relationship who talks for eight hours straight. At least this is just talk, but the big shocker will come when David (and his roommates) actually meets this girl for the first time. For one thing, David has never met the girl in person - only seen pictures. David seems to, from what I have heard disregard the possibility that she may not be who he thinks. I could accept this if she was just staying over to visit and meet, but they have decided to live together - as if they were in a long term committed relationship before. Like I said, this can't end well. The reason I say "from what I've heard," is because David has not actually talked to me about this (and it is Friday). I was at the Campus Union and I saw my other roommate who brought the matter to my attention. David informed him Thursday night that this girl would be arriving in Omaha on Saturday morning.

David told my roommate that they would pay extra for electricity (apparently they will be playing Warcraft at the same time), but he didn't mention anything about paying additional money for the rent and gas bill. Of course my other roommate did not inform David that this girl, if she is to live with us, she will be required to chip in on the costs. David thinks that she will just live in his room 24/7 and not use the bathroom, kitchen, living room, or any other part of the apartment. Something tells me that this girl doesn't have much money, especially considering the fact that she's 19, plays Warcraft all the time, and had David pay $300 for a one-way ticket to Nebraska. Once she is here though, how exactly will me and my other roommate get rid of her if she or David doesn't pay? I am afraid that David thinks he is pulling a fast one by talking to my other roommate because he knew there wouldn't be any inconvenient questions. My other roommate is tends to avoid confrontation whereas I tend to seek it. Unfortunately I don't think that I will be able to confront him before she arrives due to school related projects and general homework. I think he may have even already left for Omaha by now.

While me and my other roommate worry about David, I can't help but also be concerned for the girl and what she might experience living with David. If there is any good which can come from this, David will shave and take showers regularly. But if he doesn't and she is stranded here, what happens then? Would David be willing to pay for her to be sent back? What she stays around when the love falls apart (may I remind readers that this could happen the first time they meet). My other roommate has his own concerns, mainly the fact that his room is next to David's and has walls which are no so thick. I wish we could send this girl back, and talk some sense into David, but this doesn't seem to be the case in the slightest regard. Maybe this will work out for everyone, but there are many more reasons this will turn out for the worse than the better.

Help my night elf look pretty

Nelson — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 13:03:25 -0800

Is there a website or tool that helps me choose fashionable outfits for my World of Warcraft character? I am fascinated by the variety of costume options in WoW. There are plenty of sites to help me find things like the Arcane Deviate Windbreaker of the Lemur to make me a better monster grinding machine. But are there any sites/tools to help me find outfits that are just, well, prettier?

I'm aware you can "try on" things in the game with Ctrl-click. And Thottbot has screenshots of some items but not enough to be really helpful. What I'm really looking for is something like a web site catalog of pictures of all the blue shirts in the game, all the purple shirts, etc... for all item classes.

World of Waahcraft

theredpen — Sat, 06 May 2006 20:14:54 -0800

Advice needed on how to get my husband away from World of Warcraft, and whether I should. I realize this is far from the worst problem in the world, but it bums me out. My husband is having a great time online with WoW, late every night, sometimes before work in the mornings, and frequently when he gets a chance during the day.

He's a wonderful father; our kids worship him. He does his share of the housework and yardwork. But I am lonely on the nights that I'm not working. I've suggested the occasional "movie night" (we're pretty much stuck at home due to budget and kids), and that's worked a little. I'm sad that he does the date night thing mostly to appease me and is happier with online "friends." I've said all of this, and he reassures me but goes right back to it. He knows what I think, and feels bad, but still likes the game. A lot. He has other interests -- plays sports -- but this is what takes up most of his time.

I don't want to be a shrew (a side issue is that our house is old and needs an infinite amount of work, and cleaning). I considered playing it also, but it really doesn't interest me, and I have little free time as it is.

Has anyone dealt with this situation? Any proven methods? (The look-at-my-new-lingerie approach has not had the effect I'd hoped for.) Or should I just let it go, be glad that he's happy (I am), and appreciate those evenings I get to spend with him?

Recording Warcraft chat?

aladfar — Mon, 01 May 2006 06:25:28 -0800

Researching World of Warcraft: I'm a graduate student studying online communication and social organization. I'm very interested in analyzing the chat interactions that happen in WoW. So far as I can tell, however, there's no way to save a transcript of the chat window. Is there any way to capture these interactions? It gets a little more complicated, of course. I'm running WoW on a Mac with OS X. I imagine most players are running the game under Windows. As I can't afford an intel based Mac, a cross platform solution would be ideal. Ultimately, I want to capture my chat as well as those of friends/guild members who might be willing to help me out be recording their communications. Thanks!

Making Elder Scrolls IV Accessible

wintermute2_0 — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 15:22:17 -0800

GamesFilter: Can this gamer with a physical disability play Elder Scrolls IV? Although I don't play as many games as I used to, I'm really interested in checking this game out However, I'd like to know if I can play the game with my adaptive computer equipment. To operate the mouse, I use a device called a HeadMaster. I was thinking I could run the game in a window and enter keyboard commands with my on-screen keyboard. Any thoughts on whether this will work? Will I have any trouble switching between the game window and the on-screen keyboard?

I'm also interested in whether this will work for World of Warcraft. Thanks for your time.

3D Printing Online

MintSauce — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 09:36:31 -0800

3D printing. Does anyone offer it online, at a consumer level price, in the UK? I'm itching to give this a try, but dont have $18,0000 for my own printer.