Latest & Greatest

[#1]

I stopped playing World of Warcraft a number of months ago, but I’ve somehow managed to stay up-to-date with the latest patch notes and add-on details.  Of the changes made to the game since I cancelled my account, however, the only ones that have really managed to catch my attention weren’t even developed as in-game content.  Instead, they’re a mobile version of the World of Warcraft Armory and a third-party add-on program called TweetCraft.

By now I’m sure that most WoW players are familiar with the Armory.  It’s essentially a database that allows players around the globe to compare character builds, equipment, and arena rankings.  Well, Blizzard decided to take the idea of unfettered character information access one step further and developed an app version of the website for iPhone and iPod Touch.  No longer do players need to be shackled to their computers to check their raid schedules – they can now do it while they’re on the go, be it at lunch with friends, on an afternoon walk, or at the grocery store.

This caught my attention for a fairly obvious reason given the past two weeks’ posts: it’s yet another function that has been absorbed by a hand-held device.  It also gave me pause to wonder why there’s been no major push to create a PDA/cell phone/handheld console hybrid that doubles as an e-book yet.  Perhaps it’s simply a matter of a time before someone does.

TweetCraft, on the other hand, caught my attention because it combines two services that can both be seen as forms of social networking: Twitter and an MMO.  The add-on not only allows users to post messages on Twitter (and screenshots using Twitpic) without having to first Alt + Tab to a different window or exit the game, but it can even be set to auto-tweet whenever players log into their account or earn an in-game achievement.  After all, what better way could there possibly be to tell your guildmates it’s time to raid Ulduar than to send their cell phones screenshots of your character waiting impatiently at the entrance?

Now, it has yet to be seen if TweetCraft is in violation of Blizzard’s end-user license agreement (EULA) or its terms of service (TOS), but even if it is it’s still certainly an interesting concept.  For more information regarding either program though make sure to check out the following links:


World of Warcraft Mobile Armory
http://www.wowarmory.com/iphone.xml

TweetCraft
http://tweetcraft.codeplex.com/