It's the Little Things... (part 2)

Ooh! It's a red launcher!

Blizzard has unveiled a new system for delivering patches and updates. The launcher now tracks what kind of data is being updated into your WoW client and Blizz categorizes it as essential, secondary, and "less-important."  The trick is that once the "essential" files are downloaded and in place, you can turn the game on again and the secondary and "less important" files will fill in as time ticks by.  Inside the game, there is a new indicator near the mini-map that shows file traffic coming in.

It's the round red thing at the bottom.

General reports are that if you do start the game while the patch is still incoming, you can expect a wide range of um... experiences.  WoW might be playable, or you might be sorta stuck in a place like Dalaran that hasn't loaded in yet and so you're just going to lurk there in the sky until the scenery comes back. 

• I have realized that despite everything, Sylvanas cannot really be an evil mastermind. A real evil mastermind, when giving her lickspittle an assignment that goes horribly wrong, is supposed to torture said lickspittle horribly and then say "You have ONE MORE CHANCE to redeem yourself!"  In reality (as much as WoW is reality) Sylvanas just blames herself and then gives the lickspittle a pair of magical britches.

• There was a one line note that the Zul'Gurub raid instance will be gone in Cataclysm. As far as I'm concerned, there are enough troll related instances in the game already (but don't we need a few new ones in Cata anyway?) But, /sniff, I would still like to get Merinna a rideable raptor, and ZG is the only place to do that.

• I had the chance to stop by Stormwind Keep this evening and discovered what was unmistakeably new flavor music. And I like it. It's the same theme that existed in SW before, only now, deeper, edgier and perhaps more militant sounding, being led by a gang of cellos rather than the non-distinct tone of synthesizers. I am really looking forward to finding some more of that.

• Winklestein is back! The "Great Goblin Purge of Last Thursday" indeed was not a purge. She did wake up with no talents, no pets and ... somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Dustwallow Marsh. I was pretty sure she had a bow too, but now she has a gun again. Guns are noisy :P

• I know that it is kinda passe among most players to like... actually read quest text, but I hope it makes a comeback in Cataclysm, because somebody is making a big effort to make those enjoyable. I was just reading a wanted poster written by some ogres:  "SPIDERS IN NORTH CAVE. BAD. POISON OGRES. OGRES GET SICK. BAD.  BIG BIG SPIDER IN CAVE MAKE MORE SPIDERS. BAD. KILL BIG SPIDER, STOP MORE SPIDERS. KILL BIG SPIDER, GET BIG PRIZE. GOOD." 

• I dropped by Ogrimmar, which also has new music. And it is kinda goofy. It has some effects of blaring war horns in the background, but the general tune is warbling and a tad whimsical. Like... cross some orc music with some gnome music, and that was the impression this tune gave me.