Blogcraft Turns 2 - 10.13.2008

Exactly two years ago today, I thought up the idea of doing a blog based on World of Warcraft. I had seen others doing it and it seemed like it could be fun, so I tried it out for myself. The goal was to at least make one post every other day. Well, just by scanning the post calendar to the left you can see that it didn't really turn out that way. :p But, I try. I post when I can. I'm not getting paid for this and site traffic isn't a big deal to me, so my philosophy is, "Why force myself to post? I'll post when it's fun for me to do." I've stuck by that, and I still do. However, even with that said, my resolution for the next year is to attempt to post at least once every other day. I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do. If it begins to feel like work instead of fun, I'll stop. There'd be no reason to kill myself over it.

So, that's not all I hope to bring you, the reader. Hopefully, coming really soon, I will be able to reveal a surprise. This "surprise" is not yet set in stone, but I'm working things out. :D

These first two years have been amazing! I'd like to thank all my loyal readers! Now here's to another great year!

-Matt Graham

Here's What Day Two Looks Like - 10.11.2008

It looks like today is gunna be the good stuff. PvP panel, Raid and Dungeon panel, another Class panel, general Q&A, etc. Sounds great to me! So, here's today's schedule. (Again, keep in mind that all times are EST.)

1.5 PM - 2.5 PM: WoW PvP Panel (and DVD Production)
3 PM - 4 PM - WoW Raids and Dungeons Panel
4.5 PM - 5.5 PM - WoW Q&A (and The Guild)
6 PM - 7 PM - WoW Class Panel Part 2

Also, like yesterday, the WoW Arena tournaments and open gaming stations will be going on all day.

The events above are hyperlinked to audio streams from WoW Radio. If you click on the event during its running time, you'll be directed to the event via audio. Enjoy!

-Matt Graham

Finally! Some Confirmation! - 10.10.2008

MMO-Champion is reporting that, "Blizzard's "secret project" confirmed to be a new MMO with a brand new universe, but we won't hear anything about it before a while."

Interesting...

Meanwhile, the WoW UI Panel is starting now. Have a listen!

-Matt Graham

Here it is... Wizard? - 10.10.2008

The opening ceremony was only about 20-25 minutes, as opposed to Blizzard's usual hour long ones. The usual "big" announcement at this BlizzCon was the Wizard class for Diablo III. This was kind of expected. :(

-Matt Graham

Get Ready! - 10.10.2008

With BlizzCon starting in just 10 minutes, I thought I'd link you all to some sites that I have tabbed in Firefox, ready to be spammed with F5.

WoW Insider - Of course you gotta have the WoW Insider locked a loaded!
MMO-Champion - Seemingly not as great BlizzCon coverage as last year, but, like WoW Insider, you always gotta have MMO-Champion ready.
World of War - WorldOfWar.Net is liveblogging the event, so it should be pretty good.
Twitter - Following Patrick, Scott Johnson, etc.
The Geek Media - Leto and I will be bringing you the news!
WoW Radio - WoW Radio promises quality audio streaming from the BlizzCon floor. Currently 10 minutes remain beofore the event begins and no streams are up, so we'll have to see what happens. If they do manage to deliver, it should be good.

Now, of course, Blogcraft should be the first tab in your browser. ;p

-Matt Graham

T-Minus Two Hours - 10.10.2008

Just over two hours remain until the beginning of the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2008 in Anaheim. Here's the schedule for today that you, as a WoW player, don't want to miss! (All times are in EST!)

2 PM - 3 PM: Opening Ceremony
3 PM - 4 PM: WoW UI Panel Discussion
4.5 PM - 5.5 PM: WoW Class Panel Discussion
6 PM - 7 PM: WoW Art
9 PM - 12 PM: Contests (Machinima, Costume, Dance, /Silly, etc.)

WoW Arena tournaments and open gaming stations will be going on all day during both days as well.

I'll be AFK for a few hours in the evening, but every other minute of today and tomorrow, I'll be getting constant updates and feeding you all with news and info!

-Matt Graham

1 Day 'Till BlizzCon 2008 - 10.9.2008

Well, I'm back from my short, unannounced hiatus just in time for BlizzCon 2008! I apologize to everyone that may have been disappointed with me going AFK unannounced. The past month has been crazy busy. But, I'm now back, and hopefully I'm here to stay.

So, what do you guys think the big announcement will be at BlizzCon this year? At each of the past two BlizzCon events, '05 and '07, a new expansion for WoW was announced. However, it just doesn't seem like it'd make sense for Blizzard to do the same this year because we don't even have Wrath of the Lich King yet! While I'd love for the "Big Announcement" to be WoW-related, it appears as though it won't be this time. Now, what else could it be then, you ask? The only thing that I can think of for a possible big announcement is a new MMO for the Starcraft or Diablo universes, or for a new IP (intellectual property). If I remember correctly, after the announcement of Diablo III at the last Worldwide Invitational, the only remaining unannounced project, that we are aware of, is Blizzard's "next-gen MMO".

I gotta say, this has to be the first BlizzCon that Blizzard has really kept under wraps. All the big announcements from their events (including WWI's) seem to be leaked a few day ahead of time. Now, with the convention starting in about 24 hours from now, we have ZERO knowledge of what will be seen at BlizzCon (besides, of course, the game panels and demo stations that are always announced ahead of time).

I guess it's also possible that there won't be a "Big Announcement" this time, but I just can't picture Blizzard leaving the players hanging like that.

-Matt Graham