Revenge of the Jiyas: Deathknell

Revenge of the Jiyas is back again, and this time in Deathknell, starting area for the Undead. In case you've forgotten, this is a series of articles in which I speed test the  WoW-Pro Leveling addon.Today I'll be sharing the adventures of Deadjiya, the undead warrior.

Deadjiya embraces her new
life as one of the Forsaken.

Note: The 1-5 starter zones are very quick, with levels flying by so quickly it's hard to get an accurate measurement. Additionally,  the pacing of some starting zones is vastly different than others. It will be nice to have a comparison of how long each takes, but not too much should be read into these tests. The higher level tests will be much more accurate and indicative of zone and guide quality.

Total /played at level 5: 22min 
Deathknell (1-5): 22min

5.5 min/lvl

Previous Chapters:

• Project Overview
• 1-5: Valley of Trials | Echo Isles | Red Cloud Mesa | Kezan

I love what they've done with Deathknell and the rest of the undead starting area in Cataclysm. I had the privilege of recording this area's guide the night before the Cataclysm release, and despite the rush, I really enjoyed it, and that definitely hasn't changed. I was also pleasantly surprised by the speed at which I went through the zone. It was the second fastest time so far, losing out to Red Cloud Mesa by only 2 minutes.

Ah, the cheery Tirisfal Glades...

The guide for this zone didn't seem to have any issues that I could see - but as I recorded it, it's unlikely I'll find anything I dislike. Testing your own work is always a bit dangerous, as you don't always see the bugs that may be obvious to others. That said, I mindlessly followed the arrows and did what the guide said, and completed everything with ease.

I do have to say that one of the quests was extremely difficult, and could probably use some tips in the guide. The final quest in which you are sent to kill Marshall Redpath nearly did me in, and I seem to recall dying to it during my first run through of the zone. Not only is Marshall himself pretty tough, but the other mobs are also quite deadly. I could easily see a newbie having trouble with the quest. So, my only change to the guide file was to add a cautionary note for this quest.

Bye for now!

I've updated the guide page for this section on WoW-Pro.com, and the changes will be included in the next addon update. I wouldn't recommend trying to update the file on your own unless you are experienced working with addons. If you do decide to update early:

1. Go to the Deathknell page and copy the contents of the guide. 
2. Open up your WoW folder and go to Interface > Addons > WoWPro_Leveling > Horde 
3. Open up 01_12_Jiyambi_Tirisfal_Glades.lua
4. Copy the guide contents there.

Next Up: Sunstrider Isle!

Revenge of the Jiyas: Kezan

 After a long wait, chapter four of the Revenge of the Jiyas series is here! In case you've forgotten, this is a series of articles in which I speed test the  WoW-Pro Leveling addon. This time, I was testing the goblin starting area, the island of Kezan. I forgot to take screenies this time through, so you're sadly left without that entertainment. 

Note: The 1-5 starter zones are very quick, with levels flying by so quickly it's hard to get an accurate measurement. Additionally,  the pacing of some starting zones is vastly different than others. It will be nice to have a comparison of how long each takes, but not too much should be read into these tests. The higher level tests will be much more accurate and indicative of zone and guide quality.

Total /played at level 5: 35min 
Kezan (1-5): 35min

8.75 min/lvl

Previous Chapters:

• Project Overview
• 1-5: Valley of Trials | Echo Isles | Red Cloud Mesa

Sadly, this was the longest run so far. While a small part of this is because I was out of practice, I feel it's mostly due to the zone design. Kezan is a lot of fun, but it's very spread out and not particularly fast.

The guide played through wonderfully, aside from one coordinate issue, but there were definitely some stylistic problems that I'll be fixing for the next release. Level benchmarks were also unrealistic for a character with no heirlooms, and that will be fixed in the next release.

I've run through Kezan several times before, as I wrote the original paper guide for the zone, but I still love it. Despite it's slightly longer play time, it's one of my favorite starting zones!

I've updated the guide page for this section on WoW-Pro.com, and the changes will be included in the next addon update. I wouldn't recommend trying to update the file on your own unless you are experienced working with addons. If you do decide to update early:

1. Go to the Kezan page and copy the contents of the guide. 
2. Open up your WoW folder and go to Interface > Addons > WoWPro_Leveling > Horde 
3. Open up 01_05_Malorajan_Kezan.lua
4. Copy the guide contents there.

Next Up: Deathknell!

Pollinator Update - Time for Top Down!

With all the drama and business going on in my life the past month, I haven’t devoted much time to my game development work. I’m determined to change that this month, no matter how busy I get. My main objective this month is to re-write pollinator’s code so that it is top-down and radial-based, rather than side view and rectangle-based. My good friend and fellow game developer from V Squared productions shared some ideas with me for accomplishing this, as well as his radial collision detection code, so I should be able to get the re-write done with minimal headache.

After that, I plan on working diligently on the C++ version of the game, then porting it to a Java Applet, Android, and possibly HTML5 or even Flash. I plan to begin working with my artistic teammates this weekend to discuss ideas for graphics, sound, music, and voice acting. I’m quite excited and hope to be posting updates more regularly!

Once I get the basic top-down game ready, I plan to record a short video of the gameplay and post it here. Look forward to it!

LoL What? An Introduction to League of Legends

Since my WoW account was offline the last month, my friends and I revisited a game called League of Legends, also known affectionately as LoL. LoL is a free game - and when I say free, I mean FREE. Not pay to win, as so many free games are these days. LoL is legitimately, 100% free. You can pay for special cosmetic skins for your champions, or to unlock features more quickly, but there is no significant disadvantage in NOT paying.

So what is LoL? In short, it’s a team based PvP e-sport in which you combine macro and micro game elements to destroy your opponent’s base before they destroy yours. But there’s a LOT more to the game than this simple summary. If you've played DotA (a mod for Warcraft III), then you've played LoL. LoL is made by the same folks who created DotA. You control a single character (a champion), and team up with two to four other people in a team contest to destroy the opponent's base. Your character begins each game at level 1 and can advance up to level 18 by gaining experience through killing minions, creeps, and other champions.

The most popular map, for five
player teams, called Summoner's Rift

In the early game, players stay in one of three lanes - this time is often known as laning, though some champions are designed to jungle instead. The idea is to farm minions, which mindlessly walk from your opponent’s base towards yours down the lane. When minions die near you, you gain experience. Even better, if you get the last hit on a minion, you gain money which can be spent on gear. Unlike laners, junglers farm by running through the jungle in between lanes, killing the neutral creeps located there. They have to be much more durable than laners, since they must essentially tank these creeps from level 1. Farming well in the early game can give you a big advantage later on.

The shop, where you can purchase items

This introduces what is known as the macro game - how to build your character, in gear and in the order of the abilities you unlock. There are a wide range of items available, and there are many guides on exactly what items to get for each character. Often the best choices will change based on your team and the opponent’s team.

Ashe sets her sights on Teemo

Of course, even though the early game is more about farming than killing the opposing champions, it’s important to always look for opportunities to harass and possibly even gank your opponent. Keeping your opponent from farming effectively can also really help out late game. Killing the opponent keeps them out of the game for a short time, gives you an experience and money boost, and generally improves your team’s morale. Junglers, in particular, are designed to help where needed and assassinate unsuspecting opponents early game.

Tower pushing can be dangerous!

During the farming phase, it’s also possible to push the opponent’s lanes and take down towers, though this more often happens later in the team fight phase of the game. There are some champions that are much better at tower pushing than others, but most can succeed in tower pushing with enough skill. The idea is to kill the opposing team’s minions faster than they kill yours. Your minions will slowly move down the lane, and eventually reach one of the towers which guard the opponent’s side of the map. The towers are extremely deadly, but will attack minions preferentially over champions, as long as you don’t attack the opposing team’s champions while in range of the tower. With enough minions surrounding you to take hits from the tower, you can destroy it and move closer to the opponent’s base. Pushing towers is one of the most important facets of the game, and the number of surviving towers is a good way to measure how well a lane (or team as a whole) is doing.

Nunu's ult makes for an
interesting team fight.

Finally, once champions start getting a significant number of levels, teams will start grouping up and pushing a specific lane. This begins what is known as the team fight phase of the game. These massive brawls usually involve all members of each team, though clever teams will find ways to pick off members of the opposition or set up ambushes in order to gank some or all of the opposing team. Synergy of champion abilities and communication between players is essential during this phase. Even if all players are highly skilled by themselves, they won’t be able to succeed in the late game without supporting eachother in team fights.

Nexus destroyed!

The game ends when a team destroys the opposition’s nexus, at the heart of their home base. However, it is possible to surrender early if most team members agree that it’s a lost cause. Experience points (used to level up as a player) and influence points (used to purchase new champions or runes) are awarded both for winning or losing, though you gain the most from winning. Surrendering awards the fewest points, but it allows the team to more quickly move on to a new game.




Outside of games, your player (known as a summoner) has a level as well. This level ranges from 1 to 30, and increases the more games that you play. This level determines how many mastery points (think talent points from WoW) that you have to spend, and what rune slots (think glyphs in WoW) you have available. It also determines what summoner spells you can use - you have two spells which you chose at the beginning of each game, which act as extra utility and customizability for your character. This level-based mechanic gives high level summoners a mechanical advantage, in addition to their experience advantage. In general, when using the matchmaking service, you’ll be placed with summoners of similar levels.

As a whole, LoL is very enjoyable to play even without knowing your teammates. However, it really shines when the entire team is coordinating in a voice program such as Skype or Ventrilo, and has arranged their champions and skills to compliment eachother. There are a huge number of champions, builds, items, and spells available, and more being added constantly. Additionally, Riot (the makers of LoL) just announced a brand new game mode which will be playable at PAX Prime later this month. I’m extremely excited about this, and will report my reactions to this game mode here on the blog when I play it at PAX.

I can’t recommend LoL enough. If you want to jump in and get your feet wet, I suggest trying a game against bots (computer opponents) first before going up against other players. Riot has really improved the AI on the bots, but they are still much easier than real opponents, even newbies. Just pick a champion that seems interesting to you out of the free champions, look up a build on Leaguecraft (or use the recommended items that Riot provides for you in game!), and get started! The free champions change every week, but if you find one you like, you can use the points you earn playing each game to purchase them (that’s right, you do NOT need to use real money, though you can if you want to get champions more quickly).

Hopefully you’ll try it out! I’m still quite a League of Legends newbie, but I’m enjoying it quite a lot and may write some character specific guides later on if the fancy strikes me. If you play, be sure to look me up and request a game! I go by Jiyambi, as always.

WoW Insider Recommends the WoW-Pro Addon

WoW Insider just threw another recommendation our way in their most recent Addon Spotlight column. A user wrote in seeking a questing replacement for the over-bloated Carbonite, and the addon columnist Matthew McCurley gave us a solid referral. Thanks WoW Insider, we really appreciate the shout out!

How to Host a Successful Guild Meetup

So you’ve decided to finally take the step forward and get your guild together for a meetup. This is a huge undertaking, and you should expect to put in a lot of work if you want it to be a success. That said, it’s one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. So read on if you’d like some tips on making your guild meetup the best it can be!

Get Help!

Hosting a guild meetup is a LOT of work. As the host, you’ll be setting up and organizing events at the meetup locale. Unless you are lucky enough to have guild mates in your area, you’ll have to do a lot of that yourself. So anything else that you can get help with, do so! Examples include planning meals, organizing carpooling or airport pick up / drop off, non-location-based activities, etc. Often officers in the guild are good choices for this, but they also have their in-game duties, so if any enterprising and reliable guild members offer to help, be sure to give them a chance!

How Long is Too Long?

Most likely, you’ll have people traveling long distances to attend your meetup. You want to make sure they’ll be staying long enough to make it worth their while. However, too long and your guildies can end up sick of eachother. You want to find the right balance. The meetup I attended lasted four full days and nights. This was the perfect amount of time for our situation, but as everyone has difference circumstances, this might not work for your guild.

Plan Activities!

It’s much better to have too much to do and end up not doing some of the planned things, than to be bored. Some things we did at our meetup:

• WoW
• Minecraft (guild server)
• XBox (rockband)
• Movies
• Cooking
• Board Games
• Card Games
• Tabletop RPGs
• Shopping
• Swimming

If your location has some awesome tourist attractions, you might want to plan some outings involving those. Just keep in mind various athletic abilities of your guild mates, as well as different spending budgets. It would be a good idea to have alternatives if people didn’t want to or were unable to attend some of these.

One thing to remember if you decide to have computer gaming as one of your activities: Not everyone plays on laptops, or has portable desktops. Not everyone will be able to play at once. We solved this by being generous with sharing computers, and having other activities going at the same time.

Eat In

You’ll definitely want to plan meals ahead of time. Avoid racking up a huge dining bill by eating in. Cooking together can be an awesome bonding activity for guild mates. Just make sure one person isn’t doing ALL the cooking! Have a menu planned out and the week before the meetup go to a bulk store such as Costco or Winco to get all the ingredients. Keep in mind that some of your guildmates may have special dietary needs, and not everyone likes the same foods - try to have a variety of things available. 

At our meetup, we served a main dish as well as a fairly substantial side dish with each dinner. That way, even if someone didn’t like one, they might like the other. Lunches were simply leftovers, sandwich stuff, or hotdogs/sausage dogs. Breakfast was served each day but leftovers were also an option.

Space Planning

The only thing I could fault our meetup with was lack of space. Our host lived in an apartment, which made things interesting for us. With a gaming meetup, you need lots of table space and chairs. We were okay on that account, with a dining room table as well as a large coffee table available. However, we were all in one room and after four days it started to feel pretty crowded. Having a separate room for people to spread out into, especially if different groups are doing different activities, would be an improvement.

During the meetup, people sometimes got tired mid-day. Everyone has different schedules normally, and jet lag can hit hard. Having a place for exhausted folks to crash mid-day was very nice. Our hosts graciously let tired guests use their bed, but a futon or air mattress set up in a quiet place would work just as well.

Our group would not have all been able to sleep in our host’s apartment. Additionally, some of our guildmates could not afford a hotel. We worked it out so that some stayed on our host’s floor while others got a hotel room a block away. This worked well for our location, but it might not work if there are no nearby hotels. Keep this in mind when choosing a location.

Stay Chill and Have Fun!




Having a large group all in one place can be difficult. The most important thing to remember is that you're all there to have fun, so stay relaxed and enjoy yourselves!

Triumphant Return

Hello internet, it’s been a while!

I just returned home from my guild’s first RL meetup! It was a weekend of awesomeness, hosted by my wonderful guild leaders. I’ve been hanging out in virtual space with these people for years, and it was lovely getting to meet them face to face. If you are close to your guild mates, and it’s feasible for you to meet eachother, I highly recommend it. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

Aren't they awesome? (I'm taking the picture)

I have been scarce around here as I’ve been adjusting to my new job and dealing with a lot of drama at home. I will be moving this month, so I may not be able to blog every day, but I plan to try none the less. Not only did I take a break from blogging, but I also deactivated my WoW account for the last month. I’ve reactivated it and will be resuming my speed testing plan for the WoW-Pro addon.

In the following month, I’ll be writing some articles about:

• More details on my guild’s meetup and ideas for YOUR meetups!
• Speed testing the WoW-Pro Addon
• League of Legends - what is it and how to get started with it
• The progress of my game, Pollinator
• The progress of my second game, under the working title “Creature Caretaker”
• How to make a game development portfolio
• Book Review: The Kingkiller Chronicle (why you should all go out and buy it right now)
• Dark Heresy - grim dark awesome
• Ideas and dev progress for a Minecraft addon under the working title “Clanks”.
• Thoughts on leveling and gearing up an assassination rogue in WoW
• Reactions to PAX Prime
• Discussion of D&D delves and my campaign
• And more!

I also plan to create some videos, particularly to document my game’s progress, but possibly also some WoW related videos. My computer sadly doesn’t play very nice with FRAPS, as my video card and RAM leave something to be desired - but I’ll see what I can do.

It should be a very exciting month, and I’m really looking forward to writing these articles!