Virtual Currency and the 2008 Presidential Election
March 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under RMT Industry
Over 10 million Americans regularly indulge themselves in the gaming phenomena of the 21st Century; Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). The genre has developed into a global, multi-billion dollar industry with titles such as EverQuest, Warhammer Online and the infamous World of Warcraft. These virtual online worlds captivate the minds of players and act as a space from which people can escape the real world.
However, there are numerous examples of where the real world breaks in to inform, capitalize on or entertain the virtual inhabitants. Musicians, charitable organizations and big business have all made their mark “in-game”, often making a big impression on the masses of orcs, elves and post-apocalyptic humanoids.
But now there is an opportunity to reverse the roles. Players of MMORPGs are being given the opportunity to make a difference to one of the biggest real world events in history – the 2008 US Presidential Election.
Massive Online Gaming Sales (MOGS), an American MMORPG services company, have started a new initiative to aid with voter registration in the USA. They are enabling players of seven major MMORPG titles to donate their virtual currency to make a difference to the democratic process. Players donate their currency to MOGS which is then converted into its US Dollar equivalent and donated to the prominent voter registration charity Rock the Vote. The company claims this is a way for MMORPG gamers to influence the democratic process in a way that is relevant to them and meaningful to the spirit of democracy.
The issue of voter registration is one that has sparked civil rights action and wide-scale government inquiries in the past, and remains an important issue today. By enabling a wider section of the electorate to have their say, the end result is more representative of the population and reflective of their views. This gives the future President and the government as a whole a stronger mandate from the people on which to act.
Whilst MOGS claims the programme is a fair and balanced way to encourage participation without them showing any leaning to one candidate or the other, it can be argued that great voter registration favours Barack Obama. The Illinois Senator has a commanding lead amongst young voters, those who are more likely to be disenfranchised without the help of organizations such as Rock the Vote. Encouraging voter registration therefore improves the chances of Obama more than it does McCain. However, the company stands firm on their claim; “We recognize that our customers, and MMORPG gamers as a whole, have a vested interest in the future Executive and are equally eager to support the democratic process. It is through this process that we are granted our freedoms and develop our ideals, two things which our company relies on and could not succeed without.”
Partisan politics aside, if you’re interested in increasing awareness of voter registration or have some spare MMORPG currency you’d like to donate then be sure to check out the Donate Your Virtual Currency page for further details.
On the search for Heavy Frost Weave Bandages
March 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under First Aid Leveling
One of the weirdest changes in Northrend so far is the way First Aid training works, strangely enough. Used to be that once you hit a certain level, you could just go run to the trainer to train up the next wave of bandages (or you could buy a manual from a trainer somewhere), but not so in the expansion: to get Heavy Frostweave Bandages, you have to depend on what seems to be a world drop.
The rules are still a little hazy, and the plans to get it seem to be somewhere between experiment and superstition: we know for sure that you need to have 390 First Aid already to get the book to drop (though you need 400 to actually use it), and we know that it can drop from almost anywhere in the world. But apparently there are a few places where it drops more often: in Zul’Drak, sometimes in Sholazar Basin, and sometimes in dungeons. Other than that, everything else is just rumors — I haven’t gotten the book yet, and I’ve been 400 since I had enough Frostweave to level up. I heard it was on the AH for around 20g, but of course that varies by realm, and when I checked today, it wasn’t on the AH at all. And we’ve also heard that once you learn it, it won’t drop for you again, so there may eventually be an AH market for these — until all potential sellers actually learn the recipe, that is. And then there’s this, which just makes my head spin. We may see another level of Frostweave bandages in a future patch.
Very strange, and strange choice by Blizzard to do it this way in the first place. It also appears that a stack of Heavy Frostweave Bandages sells to vendors for only 5g, so the days of nabbing lower-than-3g stacks of cloth on the AH and selling them to vendors for a profit may be over. Which is fine, because your guild’s tailor could probably use it anyway. But I am bummed I haven’t see the manual drop yet — the better my gear gets, the less the non-heavy bandages do for me.
Update: Yes of course they can’t be on the AH, because as you can see in the screenshot above, the manual is BoP. Never mind. Thanks, commenters.
WOW Jewelcrafting Guide 1-450
March 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under Jewelcrafting Leveling
Despite the overwhelming support from our readers during our brief but flower-tastic adventures as HKO-Insider, I will be unable to delve any further into the professions of the Flower Kingdom. That’s okay; they were prejudiced against jewelcrafters anyway.
Two weeks ago, I posted Insider Trader’s guide to the final stretch of Alchemy, and Runstadrey posted the following comment in response:
Excellent article, very in depth and thorough. I’m eagerly awaiting the same treatment for my stalled JC.
How could I resist a request preceded by flattery? I might have even produced this last week, had patch 2.4 not have dropped; after all, we can’t have all of our jewelcrafters stalled mid-level. I am looking forward to reading the comment section for this guide, as the cheapest way on paper always varies because of unique server economies.
For the first part of the guide, which will show you how to reach 355 jewelcrafting in the cheapest manner possible, pass on through the break.
Each week, Insider Trader takes you behind the scenes of the bustling sub-culture of professional craftsmen, examining the profitable, the tragically lacking, and the methods behind the madness. For more guides to maximizing your chosen profession, check out the final stretches for Leatherworkers and Alchemists alike. For a complete list of profession guides, feel free to peruse our directory.<!--more-->
- The market is particularly bad for an item mentioned here, or sufficiently profitable for another item in the same level bracket.
- The materials for other items and cuts are easier and cheaper for you to acquire for whatever reason.
- You want to wear or use one of your items; always milk a skill point out of that, even if it is not the cheapest point.
There are several existing jewelcrafting guides on the net, and here are the ones I found most helpful:
- From the forums, written by Highlander on EU-Terenas.
- A guide from Lootables.
- A guide from the Noob School.
To gain the first several points, you will have many cheap choices, not only because of the availability of the gems, but also because of the number of cheap options. You may actually find that you can purchase the gems you need from the auction house for less than you can sell the ore, so scope out your market before you start prospecting.
The following patterns begin at yellow, turn green at 320, and turn gray at 340. I am making the recommendation that you move on at 310 for efficiency, but that is a personal choice. For each cut gem, you will require one uncut gem. As an example, for the first recipe, [Inscribed Flame Spessarite], you will need one [Flame Spessarite] to cut.
All of the following patterns can also be bought or trained from the Master Jewelcrafting Trainers in Hellfire Peninsula; Kalaen for the Horde in Thrallmar and Tatiana for the Alliance in Honor Hold. I will also name a few classes to which you might be able to market each gem, but this is by no means an exhaustive list.
To start, let us avoid recipes gained through faction reputation to simplify things.
300-310:
- [Inscribed Flame Spessarite]: Rogues, feral druids, and retribution paladins, to name a few, might snap this gem up.
- [Glowing Shadow Draenite]: The spell damage is ideal for casters, and the stamina bonus makes this a likely warlock piece.
- [Solid Azure Moonstone]: The heavy stamina on this gem makes it ideal for tanking warriors and warlocks.
- [Teardrop Blood Garnet]: This gem is great for holy paladins and priests, as well as other healers.
- [Brilliant Golden Draenite]: Any mana-user who either stacks intellect like Lego, or is in need of an extra boost, will be in the market for this gem.
- [Radiant Deep Peridot]: Another caster gem, you might find an opening in the mage market.
The following are similar to the above patterns, with a few minor differences. You can begin using them at a skill level of 305, and also begin at yellow strength, not orange. They turn green at 325 and gray at 345. As they use the same basic gems, these are mainly alternatives in case you are crafting for yourself, friends, guildmates, or find a better market on your server for certain cuts over others. These patterns, too, can be purchased from your trainers in Hellfire Peninsula.
305-315-325:
- [Bright Blood Garnet]: With 12 attack power, you will find a market for hunters as well as any damage-specialized melee classes.
- [Bold Blood Garnet]: A pure strength cut, expect that rogues, warriors, and paladins might find this enticing.
- [Jagged Deep Peridot]: This gem is great for hunters as well as damage-specialized melee classes.
- [Sparkling Azure Moonstone]: Pure spirit is most notably a restoration druid’s delight, although other healers and mana users will stack spirit depending on their specs and playstyle.
As you can see, the choices for the first 10-20 or even 40 points are quite numerous. If you do not wish to simply clean the auction house of one type of gem, you can pick and choose the cheapest, most useful, or most marketable. You can also put out a call to your friends and guildmates, as on most servers, the uncut gems such as [Shadow Draenite] sell for 2 or 3 gold at most. Using handouts and gems you pick up, you can cheaply motor your way through the first portion of your journey to 375.
315-325:
- [Glinting Flame Spessarite]: Unless you want to take any of the above cuts, primarily the second batch, right up to 325 when they turn green, or have already begun collecting faction rewards, this cut may be your only new trick for this bracket. Also available from your HFP trainer, this pattern will go green at 335 and gray at 355. The hit rating and agility make it desirable for hunters, as well as melee classes.
For the skillpoints remaining to take you all the way to 350 and thus two thirds of the way to 375, you need not yet stray from your trainers in Hellfire Peninsula. These gems will begin 325 at yellow, hit green at 340 (alas), and turn gray at 355. Although there are other options we will explore from 340-350 when you would otherwise be working on green cuts, sticking with the cuts of the cheap gems might be more cost-effective.
325-350:
- [Smooth Golden Draenite]: Critical strike rating is great for any class not dependent on spell critical strike rating instead.
- [Sovereign Shadow Draenite]: Strength and stamina are good tanking stats.
- [Rigid Golden Draenite]: Hit rating is keen for anyone who does not primarily make use of spells.
Alternatively, you can choose to manufacture [Mercurial Adamantite] and either sell it or, looking ahead in the guide, save it, depending on the method of reaching 375 that you might choose.
325-345:
- [Mercurial Adamantite] can take you from yellow at 325 to green at 335 before finally turning gray at 345. If you find a strong market for the stuff, know some needy engineers, or are choosing the jewelry method to 375, you might want to make this stuff while you can get the skill points.
- For each piece, you will need 4 [Adamantite Powder] and 1 [Primal Earth]. This is one of the places that your mining vocation will come in handy, although the materials can also be purchased from the auction house. To obtain the dust, simply prospect [Adamantite Ore] until you get enough. You should receive motes and gems for your troubles, as well as the dust.
The more expensive, albeit more interesting and perhaps quicker, route:
340-355:
- [Heavy Adamantite Ring]: Although there has been jewelry you could have been using to level your skills up to this point, for the most part, it was a more expensive, higher-risk endeavor, as the market for most jewelcrafting goods is quite saturated. Still, compared to spinning your wheels with green cuts, you might prefer to make this ring instead. With 42 stamina, this ring might sell to casuals of almost any class.
- This ring pops in orange at 335, turns yellow at 345, green at 355 and gray at 365. As you can see, it will more than suit your needs for this level bracket, and indeed is not horrendously expensive to manufacture. Each ring will require one [Mercurial Adamantite] and one [Adamantite Bar].
Tune in next week for part two of this guide, which will walk you through several different paths to achieve your last twenty skill points, including a discussion about utilizing patterns that can be obtained through reputation with various factions.
WoW Gold Prices Surge After Recent Bannings
June 30, 2008 by admin
Filed under RMT Industry
A wave of mass bannings instigated by Blizzard’s anti-RMT unit has shook the WoW Gold industry and sent prices soaring… well, kind of. WoW Gold has decreased in price month-on-month since January 2007 ($126/1000g) to it’s lowest point recently in June 2008 ($17/1000g). Prices have now doubled-up to the $35-$40/1000g range; a bitersweet blow for the Chinese farms that were hit. Whilst many have lost tens, even hundreds of account and thousands of dollars in lost Gold, the price hike will allow for double the profitability while it lasts.
Industry analysts predict this to be a temporary rise and for prices to return to the $20 mark within 2 months. Though some farms will have ceased operation after this latest Blizzard offensive, the rate at which new Gold farms are springing up will more than take up the slack.
Suprisingly the vast increase in price has not deterred the average RMT customer, with major companies only reporting a minor dip in sales. With the majority of gold-buying-gamers residing in the United States, this is an interesting turn of events when considering their economic fortunes in the real-world.
