Vision for the Lurker Lounge: World of Warcraft

[LavCat]

While I understand your desire to differentiate the Lounge from guild sites, I would ask that you not put so much emphasis on it so as to discourage a Lurker Lounge guild.  Although I have no desire to join any other guild, I would join a Lurker guild without hesitation.  It is my one and only community on the net and I would like to be able to have a formal declaration of that community within the game.  Even if it is considered duplicating the AB, I also think it would be good to have a forum dedicated to doing the business of a Lurker Lounge guild.  Perhaps I am the only one who feels this way, but I wanted my viewpoint known.  Is anyone else of the same mind?
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I am of similar mind.

Until Griselda asked me one day out of the blue if I wanted to participate in the beta, I had spent many happy months playing D2 in basin games. I have many basin D2 friends, and I still warmly participate in basin chat (trying to turn folks to the dark side).

That being said, I know almost no one from the basin WoW forum. In contrast this group has been my computer game inspiration ever since I learned of a guide written by someone named Jarulf. This is the group I would like to adventure with.

I am aware Bolty has said he does not want to run a guild site. If Bolty does not want a lurker guild, so be it. This is Bolty's backyard and he gets to make the rules. Barring a statement by Bolty I, for one, would like to see a lurker guild. The beta guild was open to all active posters on the lounge, and I think that is a good place to start. I am not sure having a guild requires a special forum though. I don't forsee having much business besides coordinating instance parties and raid groups.

[Bolty]

Whew! Now THAT'S an introductory post!

Yes, I'm quite giddy that MongoJerry is taking over the World of Warcraft administration of the Lurker Lounge. He's a perfect fit. Now, in case you're wondering "hey, who's this Mongo guy," allow me to refresh your memory.

Mongo's been around a while. You can find his works all over. Do you remember Grizabella? Or perhaps his tales of Gunter?

Perhaps you don't remember those. Maybe you remember Maldar instead. But I think Mongo will ultimately be remembered most before his time running the Lurker Lounge because he's the one that brought down the Lurker Lounge with his tales of Irene the Infirm that were linked to by Slashdot. Yes, you have HIM to blame!

Even still, Mongo's the author of an Enchantress Guide still here at the Lounge. He's no stranger to this community and no stranger to the authoring of great strategy guides. I know he's too modest to plug himself, so I'm taking care of that for him. :)

Mongo's no stranger to popularity, as you can see. His journals of Neriad are extremely famous in the WoW community as they outlined in detail the trials and tribulations of playing in high-level instances. He was very popular on the closed beta PvP server as one of the top priest players out there, and will join us with a huge wealth of WoW knowledge that surpasses just about everyone.

In short, he's ideal for the job. And I hope that you will all support my (very easy) decision to name him World of Warcraft administrator.

In a way, MongoJerry is the very future of the Lurker Lounge. He's going to be running the show, not me - and I'll simply try to keep up with him by providing him everything he needs to run this site the way he wants. As you may be aware, I have been working feverishly to get the site running on an all-new content management system, and that process is well under way. However, it won't be ready for launch until December. In the meantime, MongoJerry will be running things here on the forums in anticipation of the main content section opening.

The content area of the site will hopefully move from being the afterthought of the forums to once again deserving of being your home page, as it used to be years ago when new things to read came on a nearly daily basis.

To that end, as Mongo has already intimated, it starts with YOU - the forum posters - who drive the content of the site to begin with. He is quite correct that the level of posting here has been *shockingly* low, as the Lurkers who did get in the beta were mostly mute during the long months. It was disappointing to be sure - both to me and to the site. But now that the game is being released, new Lurkers are going to be getting in to the action and it's up to you to bring about the next era of the site.

In other words, as good as MongoJerry is, it's not even close to being a one-man show. This site has always lived and died by its forum. In the "old days" when this site was known as THE place to go for any strategy or tactical info on Diablo II, a good 90% of the news was simply links to forum posts right HERE. Don't believe me? Dig through the news archives from back in 2000-2001.

Simply put, we need new blood. It will come over time mostly because people are eventually driven to high quality sites, as I'm sure Mongo will provide. But for him to provide that, your help is needed. Please don't let him down.

And Mongo? Maybe chicks DO dig game site administrators. I'm getting married in June, after all. :)

-Bolty

[Bolty]

That doesn't mean that every Lurker here has to go play with the AB crowd or even join the AB guild.  I just think it would vastly improve the experience many Lurkers will have by being on the same servers as the AB crowd.

I strongly believe that every Lurker that is going to be playign WoW should be on the same servers.  AFAIK, the AB is going to be playing Horde PvP and Alliance PvE.  So, even if we don't have an "official" guild, I think it makes a lot of sense to just play on the same servers as the AB crowd.
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I also want to back up this statement. Unlike Diablo II, where the choice was pretty much down to USEast vs. USWest, there will be many, many servers in WoW and the choice of which is very important. Once the Basin crowd chooses servers, it would be smart for us to match them, just so we have a common ground to play on for all of us here as well as them.

However, what Mongo is saying is that he does not want to get involved with the operation of a guild, just as I didn't. He'll have enough on his plate without having to worry about potential guild issues that may pop up if our group gets too large and there are too many differences of opinion present.

I'm sure that someone will step forward on the WoW servers and run things to establish an informal Lurker guild of sorts. Well, hopefully.

-Bolty

[Olon97]

Congratulations MongoJerry!

I applaud your decision to focus on the lounge's traditional role of high level discussion of the games we love. I came to the lounge from a Diablo guild (in the sense that I started posting on these forums more than the guild forums), and then the outage caused by your slashdot incident sent me to the AB forums where they welcomed the stranded Lurkers with open arms.

While I am very glad for that little accident (I love the Basin community), the traditional LL function is a very different role, and I very much look forward to reading (and contributing if I can) some insightful WoW analysis!

To anyone who identifies with the LL but for whatever reason hasn't joined the Basin (there is no "test" if you don't mind being a Community Member - I don't notice the difference), if you get anything with "lurker" in your guild tag, I'll be seeking you out for groups whenever the opportunity arises. ;)

/who Basin
/who Lurker
are my favorite in-game commands. B)

[Tal]

And Mongo?  Maybe chicks DO dig game site administrators.  I'm getting married in June, after all.  :)

-Bolty
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Congrats to you and the soon-to-be-Mrs. Bolty!

[MongoJerry]

While I understand your desire to differentiate the Lounge from guild sites, I would ask that you not put so much emphasis on it so as to discourage a Lurker Lounge guild.  Although I have no desire to join any other guild, I would join a Lurker guild without hesitation.  It is my one and only community on the net and I would like to be able to have a formal declaration of that community within the game.

Barring a statement by Bolty I, for one, would like to see a lurker guild. The beta guild was open to all active posters on the lounge, and I think that is a good place to start. I am not sure having a guild requires a special forum though. I don't forsee having much business besides coordinating instance parties and raid groups.

Terrific! I look forward to reading your upcoming posts on the server(s) on which you have chosen to start your chapters of the Lurker Lounge guild. Let us know, and we can provide a sticky that includes information on the server(s) you have chosen. What type of server (PvP or no, Horde or Alliance, role playing or no) and time zone are you thinking of?

No, I'm not kidding. This is what I mean. The Lurker Lounge "guild" will be a very informal thing, and individual Lurkers are free to make their own Lurker Lounge guild chapters on their servers of their choice. If you make one, then let us know, and we'll add your server and guild information to the list to let people know where to join if they want to join you.

What I will not be doing is running a structured guild like the Amazon Basin does. I refuse to dictate the servers on which we're going to play (I'll provide a list of servers that other Lurkers play on, but I won't dictate that someone *has* to play on one of them), and I refuse to get involved in any vetting of potential guild members or in disciplinary action taken against guild members.

Like the development of content on the site, starting a Lurker Lounge guild is up to you. It's as simple as making a post saying, "I'm going to create a PvE Horde Lurker Lounge guild on server XYZ in the Pacific Time Zone. Come join me!" After that, all you have to do is buy a guild charter, get 10 people to sign it, and turn it in. Pow, you have a Lurker Lounge guild.

For my part, I'll probably start a Lurker Lounge chapter on whatever server I happen to be on, and you're welcome to join me if you wish. I'm looking to go PvP Horde. Hopefully, that means that I will get to play with the AB community. However, their reason for picking a server might conflict with my reasons. If the AB administrators choose a "safe" server that avoids most of the big name guilds, I might choose to go off on my own. Yes, some of those big name guilds can be made of complete assholes, but I have thick skin and they also have some people who really get the inside scoop on some stuff and I wouldn't mind spying on them a bit to get those details.

Right now, looking at the list of guilds on http://www.wowwiki.com/Guilds, I'm tempted to either join Tichondrius in the Pacific time zone or Archimonde in the Central time zone.

[Thecla]

Congrats to you and the soon-to-be-Mrs. Bolty!
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Yes indeed. I just hope that Bolty has got around to telling her that he's a game site administrator. ;)

[Grimjack]

Congratulations to the Bolty couple, as well as to MongoJerry.

Hope you all will have good experiences in your new relationships :) :P

Grimjack

Ps, I will not be seeing you in game, as I am stuck in the hinterlands of Europe, so I am not allowed in....

[MongoJerry]

Ps, I will not be seeing you in game, as I am stuck in the hinterlands of Europe, so I am not allowed in....

Isn't that like north of the Arathi Highlands? It must be tough dealing with all those trolls all the time.

[LavCat]

Barring a statement by Bolty I, for one, would like to see a lurker guild. The beta guild was open to all active posters on the lounge, and I think that is a good place to start. I am not sure having a guild requires a special forum though. I don't forsee having much business besides coordinating instance parties and raid groups.

Terrific! I look forward to reading your upcoming posts on the server(s) on which you have chosen to start your chapters of the Lurker Lounge guild. Let us know, and we can provide a sticky that includes information on the server(s) you have chosen. What type of server (PvP or no, Horde or Alliance, role playing or no) and time zone are you thinking of?
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Sounds great. As I posted earlier in the other thread, based on all available information, I will be starting on the Stormrage server (what an awful choice of name). Unless fifty other people beat me to it I will plan on acquiring a Lurkers charter.

I prefer the shorter, one word name myself -- for reasons given in the other thread -- but if others think "Lurkers" is not sufficiently distinctive, please let me know. I'd be proud to be a Lounging Lurker.

[NuurAbSaal]

And Mongo?  Maybe chicks DO dig game site administrators.  I'm getting married in June, after all.  :)
-Bolty
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Congrats! :)


Nuur

[maggellann]

Hi,


Gratulations to you MongoJerry for becoming this site's administrator and to Bolty for getting married next year.

It gave me a motive for coming out of the shadows and making my first posting at last, after more than six years lurking on these boards.
My interest in this community goes way back to the times of D1 and the DSF. As a casual player I learned a lot about the ins and outs of D1, D2 and LoD over here. Almost only playing singleplay with a small bit of multiplay on the realms. I have DSL just for six months now.


But these days it is all about World of Warcraft.

Being an absolute MMORPG newbie, I was very lucky by visiting Blizzards site just at the right moment and getting accepted as a participant outside the USA for playing in the open beta during the last week of it and I really enjoyed it.

The download of the client went flawlessly but took a bit long (23hrs). After logging in the first time I started a human mage an played him to lvl.6. Most of the time getting used to the UI and controlls, getting a feel of the gameplay and experimenting with the various skills.
I played successively a night elven hunter, an undead warrior and a dwarven paladin to lvl.6 - 8, mostly for getting a feel of the world, the scenery and the gameplay.
Until I sticked with a troll priestess named Nightingale. She was lvl.20 at the end of the beta.
I had a great time with her doing all the quests and strolling through the country.
I am an explorer and soloist at heart. But after first rejecting A LOT of invites for partying, I met a nice Tauren Shaman with wich I played a lot together during the rest of the beta.
Quests took us to Ragefire Chasm and in a groep of five that was an exiting event.
(Hmm, I could tell more about my experiences with WoW during the beta, but I don't think people are waiting for that now WoW is live).


Sreenshot of some skirmishes between Horde and Alliance invaders north of the Village of CrossRoads in the Barrens.

Nightingale was a curious spectator, surely not a participant.


As an older than average player (50+), I will be on a PVE server. PvP is nothing for me.

Preordering in Europe starts on the 26th and I will be there for reserving a Collector's Edition box.
WoW will be my next game. I am definitely hooked.

Greetings,

Maggellann



Disclaimer: Living in The Netherlands, English is not my native tongue, so please refrain from too harsh comments on errors in spelling and grammar. :)

[Walkiry]

As usual, my repy will be close to useless, but I just wanted to congratulate Mongo and the soon-to-be Boltys ;)

And somehow, congratulations in both cases feel a little bit tongue-in-cheek :P ;)

[--Pete]

Hi,

As an older than average player (50+), I will be on a PVE server. PvP is nothing for me.[right][snapback]60931[/snapback][/right]

Being 50++ (more like 60-) myself, I know what you mean. :) A few months back, I would have agreed with you. But my limited experience with PvP (a couple of duels) has partially changed my mind. PvP in WoW seems to be at least as much about how *well* you play as it is about how *fast* you play. Give it a try, you might just find you like it.

However, Blizzard still hasn't really made PvP meaningful within the game universe. Maybe they eventually will.

--Pete

[--Pete]

Hi,

Maybe chicks DO dig game site administrators.  I'm getting married in June, after all.  :)[right][snapback]60830[/snapback][/right]

Congratulations. I presume we're all invited to the wedding and you'll post particulars as they're settled ;)

--Pete

[LochnarITB]

The Lurker Lounge "guild" will be a very informal thing, and individual Lurkers are free to make their own Lurker Lounge guild chapters on their servers of their choice.  If you make one, then let us know, and we'll add your server and guild information to the list to let people know where to join if they want to join you.
[right][snapback]60851[/snapback][/right]

That is what I wanted to hear. What I was reading into your statements was that we were free to form our own guild (Loch's Lovelys anyone?) and that you would post our info but that you were discouraging a Lurker's Guild. I would only be interested in wearing the tag of a guild that identified me as part of the Lounge community. As I said, I have no interest in that identity being any other guild. I also did not expect nor see the need for any formal policing or administration of a Lurker's Guild. The people that would want to carry the LL moniker tend to be a very civil self policing group. I would ask that, short of a guild(s) forum, there be a stickied guild thread (such as the D1 meet 'n greet) for not only guild info but requests to join, announcements, etc. I don't see that as requiring more supervision than any of the other informal forums on the Lounge.

(Now, I'm off to an appointment. I've got this box sitting next to me, screaming to be opened, that will have to wait another hour. If I were to open it now - POOF! no more appointment. :lol: )

[bernard shakey]

  Is anyone else of the same mind?
[right][snapback]60817[/snapback][/right]

indeed!

I'm currently applying to the AB for the fourth time(i chalk the 1'st three times up to aol (which I no longer have) though it might have been me!)
The LL"guild" sounds like it will be very informal and slow building, so I'm thinking of starting the voucher process over at the AB.
But I wonder, are you limited to joining just one guild? (not on the forums but in game) I wouldn't want to waste their time, only to turn around and join a guild here if it takes off in the coming weeks. I'm sure anyone in a LL guild would be welcome to join an AB group and vice-versa, but I to would prefer to be identified with the LL

On a side note, is every one still planing to use Lurker as a last name?

[smithy]

Congratulations, MongoJerry! Let's hope you have a good start. :)

Elegantly
@smithy: Smithy, are you the one with the char Smithex that grouped with me several times during Open Beta? If so, it was fun. :D
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@Elegant:

Yep.

I'm really inventive with my names as you can see. :)

I'd be on right now except I lost my wallet and ATM card today. Can't get money out of my account to go vuy the game. Hope to have that issue resolved tomorrow and will be in game.

Side note: I HATE THE DMV. I went out there to get my liscense (sp?) and they literallylocked the doors on me as I was walking up to them,.

Smithy

[Bolty]

PvP in WoW seems to be at least as much about how *well* you play as it is about how *fast* you play.  Give it a try, you might just find you like it.
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Wow. Pete, endorsing PvP? Folks, see, it's not just me - PvP can be quite fun. :)

-Bolty

[MongoJerry]

On a side note, is every one still planing to use Lurker as a last name?

No, that was a Guild Wars thing to let people find each other fast. There's no need to do that with WoW. Just join the channel "Lurkers" for now via the commands:

/join Lurkers

You'll be told what number channel Lurkers is on. Let's say, it's on channel 5. Then, to post, you say:

/5 Hi! This is Shakey!

To see who is on, type:

/chatlist 5

This will do until we actually get the guild set up in game.