After a horrendously long registration line — next year, Blizzard Entertainment needs to just mail tickets to folks, and if they don’t, make sure to get your tickets the night before the show, no matter what — Blizzard President Mike Morhaime welcomed gamers to the company’s first-ever convention, BlizzCon.
“Eleven years ago, we created the first Warcraft game, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. It could be played by two humans over a modem, and we thought that was pretty good,” he said. “When Frank Allen and I started Blizzard, we just wanted to make great games.”
Almost 8,000 people were expected to attend BlizzCon over the weekend, he said.
“So, on behalf of everyone at Blizzard, we want to thank you.”
He also had two bits of news. The second — that Blood Elves would be playable in the first World of Warcraft expansion, the Burning Crusade — was already fairly well-known via leaks from the international media prior to the show.
But the first was greeted with applause and cheers: The zerg will be playable in multiplayer StarCraft: Ghost, the forthcoming console game.
Shane Dabiri, the lead producer for World of Warcraft, then took over the presentation, segueing into a presentation of the Burning Crusade.
Like Morhaime, Dabiri thanked the players in attendance for making it all possible, and reaffirmed the development team’s commitment to content updates for the current game. Among the forthcoming additions to World of Warcraft were the two dungeons of Al’Qiraj, Kel’Thuzad’s flying necropolis of Naxxramas, linked auction houses “in every city” (at which the audience predictably went crazy), weather (“I’m not talking about Southern California-type weather,” but sandstorms, blizzards, driving rain, fog and so on) and more.
As for the Burning Crusade, he covered what had been rumored in light detail:
“You’ll be able to play two new races, the first of which we’re debuting today: The Blood Elves of Quel’Thalas.”
Also included in the Burning Crusade will be Medivh’s Tower of Kharazan and the Caverns of Time, along with a chance to face off with Illidan Stormrage himself, the main villain of the expansion.
“You get to go to the Black Temple and kick his ass.”
Epic flying mounts will be available in Outland, the shattered remains of Draenor. And they’ll be needed, since there will be areas that cannot be reached except by flying.
The new profession of Jewelcrafting, which owes a lot to the Diablo II socketing system, will also be added in the expansion.
“There’s just too much. I’d rather just show you,” he said, signalling for the video to play. (The video is also available at the Burning Crusade official site.)
“Blood elves, huh? I guess that means more guys playing girls,” he grinned.
 Motley Sue was put to sleep today.
When a cat gets as old as she was — she was 20, and nine months away from being able to legally drink alcohol — it turns into a race as to which worn-out part will end up killing her. For a long time, it looked like kidney disease was going to win the race, but in the last few days, her colon, in a stunning come from behind upset, passed her failing kidneys.
This morning, she spent more than 10 minutes in the litterbox, straining, her little back muscles rippling, trying to get the tissue paper of her intenstines to work, but only succeeded in sprinkling drops of blood on the litter. She moved throughout the house, trying over and over. In my study, she suddenly hissed loudly in pain and frustration. This is a cat who, in 20 years, has bitten three times total and probably hissed fewer than a dozen times.
I’ve always said that when her age and infirmity became a burden to her — remarkably, she adapted to the blindness of these past six months quite well — I wouldn’t be selfish, and would do the right thing. The hissing told me: It was time.
So, at a little after 3 today, our veterinarian, who’s always marveled at how healthy and down-right tough she was for a cat of her advanced years, gave her a strong sedative, followed by two super doses of tranquilizers that slowed her breathing, and then stopped it.
In her 20 years, Motley had gone from Maryland to Virginia to California, back to Virginia, then to Wisconsin, right back around eight or nine weeks later, around Virginia, over to Egypt, back to Virginia and finally, back to California.
She was my brother’s confidante when he was a high school freshman trying to readjust to America after five years overseas.
She was my comfort when my first love dumped me, and then got engaged five months later to a guy she’d only met just as we broke up.
At some point along the line, Motley decided I was hers, and she was mine, and would walk across roommates and family members, just to be with me.
She lived alone for a month in a national forest, when she went walkabout, as all cats want to do at least once.
She knew over a dozen words of English, and used to race up the stairs of the townhouse I shared in Springfield, Virginia, and leap four feet through the air to land on my bed when I called her at bed time.
When I came down with a mystery illness earlier this year, she curled up against me, there when I fell asleep from my fatigue, and there when I woke up.
At the end of her life, she nuzzled my hand, getting her cheeks a good scratching one last time.
When I follow her into the dark one day, I expect to find her there waiting for me, waiting for me to pop open a cat of cat food already.
She was a hell of a good cat.
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Tracie Troha, the new Hesperia/county reporter for the Daily Press, has the story:
Planning Commissioner Todd Turoci announced on Wednesday he is dropping out of the race for the 59th Assembly District.
Turoci, 43, who announced his candidacy in July, said he decided to withdrawal from the campaign after realizing he would not be able to balance being a single parent and representing his constituents as an assemblyman.
“If I won I would be away from my children, who range in age from 7 to 13 years, for six years,” Turoci said. “I realized I couldn’t do both jobs effectively.”
Turoci’s departure leaves Anthony Adams of Hesperia and three Los Angeles County candidates in the race for the Republican nomination for the seat in the June 2006 primary.
Look for the Hesperia Star’s take on it, which will be framed somewhat differently, in the November 1 edition of the paper.
Rock Star: INXS contestant Jordis Unga has landed a record deal with Epic Records, according to published reports (including more here).
Although she ran out of emotional steam, she was one of the standout performers, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Jordis has up her sleeve.
(Source.)
Halloween has always been big at Blizzard Entertainment, and this year, they celebrated in World of Warcraft in grand style. The fun included masks, candy that cast different magical effects, trick or treat quests, vandalism quests (including stink bombs and making beer in a bar go rancid) and so on.
Here are some screenshots that Jenn took:
Some treats from Blizzard holidays past.
