Month: May 2019

Stress test #1 of World of Warcraft Classic is in the books and the Countdown To Classic listeners are here to regale you with their tales of the experience.

After hearing all about C’Thun & Hogger messing with people (that is if they even got in at all!), the show then  brings you a one on one chat between Josh and a beloved Classic content creator, Frostadamus.  Frost chats all about himself, grinding/farming, the economy, and the AH in a great intimate chat.

Following that, the show goes off piste slightly, as a bunch of listeners call in to discuss a topic that has everyone talking lately, Game of Thrones! Why the hell is GoT being discussed on a WoW Classic podcast?!? Well, the crew highlights the parallels between GoT and WoW, the references in game, and also can’t help but touch on some thoughts regarding Season 8 and the finale (FULL SPOILER WARNING!).

Finally, we touch on a quick call regarding a caution to those Classic fans who are going through school when the game launches (given that release date!), and reminding everyone to keep their eye on the prize that is real life while enjoying WoW Classic in moderation.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #106 – Stress Test, Grinding & The AH With Frostadamus, Game Of Thrones/WoW Parallels + Balancing WoW With School”

It’s time to break down the first playable version of World of Warcraft Classic that we’ve been given as the closed beta dropped this past week.

Josh speaks with Defcamp & Polydox in a call recorded after two days spent with the beta, and then takes another call from Ayle after six days with the game, as the callers cover off on bugs, PvP and whether or not the game is fun and running well.

After that, Josh hears from IT professional Linkson, who stops by to give further clarification on exactly what Blizzard’s proposed ‘layering’ system entails, explaining it further to the listeners.

And, finally, in saving the best for last, vanilla WoW class designer Kevin Jordan stops by for the last instalment in his fantastic ‘Ask Kevin’ series, as he sits down with the Countdown community to discuss WoW, MMORPG’s, the gaming industry and Blizzard in a candid, final interview.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #105 – Beta Impressions, Layering Technically Explained, & Kevin Jordan on WoW, MMO’s & Blizzard”

CAN YOU SAY RELEASE DATE BABY??!!?

Blizzard finally delivers the news that everyone had been eager to hear with a release date for World of Warcraft Classic, and brings a number of other huge news items along with it.

Josh gets a handful of dedicated listeners on the line to breakdown the news while it was piping hot and fresh, and the group discusses sharding’s lesser known cousin ‘layering’, closed beta, and cross-realm battlegrounds amongst other topics that came to light.

After that, former vanilla WoW class/talents/abilities designer Kevin Jordan is back for his final class breakdown as we rip through the design history of Rogues in vanilla WoW.

Finally, we hear from a few listeners all about what the predicted reception of Classic will be from the retail crowd who haven’t already made the commitment to try the game out.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #104 – Release Date!! Discussing Beta, Layering, Cross-realm BG’s + Kevin Jordan on Rogues + Retail Reception of Classic WoW”

It’s a Triple P kind of day over at Countdown To Classic as we discuss Paladins, Podcasting, and Playing Roles (that’s kind of cheating, I know).

Listen as as three very experienced and knowledgeable players, Theloras, Smiter, and Sonosuke, talk listeners through the minutiae of Paladin PvE across all three specs, in what was a very extensive and enjoyable chat.

After that we hear from a group of passionate RP-PvP’ers who want their voices heard all the way in Irvine, CA about why Blizzard should reconsider their position on not having RP-PVP servers at launch.

And, finally, the show is lucky enough to welcome some WoW Podcasting royalty in Star Mike (World of Warcast) & Rho (Realm Maintenance), along with two newcomers to the podcasting game in Allen & Anthony (The Classic Casual), to discuss the history and fun of podcasting about World of Warcraft.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #103 – Paladin PvE, RP-PVP’ers State Their Case, & Podcasting WoW”

Countdown To Classic calls in the big guns as the show welcomes a very special guest, and an MMORPG heavy hitter in Scott Hartsman.

Scott shares stories about competing against WoW as the technical director for Everquest and Everquest 2, as well as trying to trying to break away from the pack during his time as CEO of Trion Worlds with Rift.  He also gives some great thoughts on WoW Classic and the potential future of the MMORPG genre as a whole.

The great chat keeps coming as the episode also hits on the big news we got recently about Blizzard’s stance on progressive itemization in Classic with Nano (Nostalrius Core) & the listeners, as well as going through the design history and thought process behind making Priests in vanilla WoW with former class designer, Kevin Jordan.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #102 – EQ & Rift’s Scott Hartsman Talks EQ vs. WoW + The Future of MMORPG’s, Progressive Itemization News Discussed, & Kevin Jordan On Priests”