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[maniac-kun]

Free livestream of the Opening and the Tournament stuff:

BlizzCon Opening Ceremony and Tournaments - Free Live Streams10/21/10

Hey, have you heard? BlizzCon 2010 begins tomorrow! You’ll be able to watch the opening ceremony and the action on the World of Warcraft and RTS tournament stages streaming for free at http://blizzcon.rayv.com. DIRECTV subscribers can also catch the opening ceremony for free on the 101 Network. The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin on Friday at 11 a.m. Pacific, and tournaments run throughout both days of the show -- check out the BlizzCon schedule for details.

If you’re interested in watching these in high def and accessing over 50 hours of BlizzCon coverage, including developer panels, the costume contest, the closing concert with Tenacious D, and more, you can still purchase a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, which also includes this year's World of Warcraft pet and StarCraft II in-game items. We’ll also be updating BlizzCon.com, our Twitter feeds, and our Facebook pages with news, photos, and more from the show, so we’ve got you covered pretty much anywhere you go. See you at BlizzCon!

Schedule:


See http://www.mmo-champion.com/ for a countdown

Panels:

BLIZZCON DEVELOPER PANELS
Developer panels are always one of the most popular attractions at BlizzCon, as they offer players a chance to discuss the development process with us in person and give attendees a glimpse at what’s in store for their favorite Blizzard Entertainment games. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the panels we’ll be hosting at BlizzCon 2010.

Diablo III
Diablo III: Crafting Sanctuary
Saturday 10:30am, Developer Panel Stage


The designers, artists, programmers, and writers share new information on the characters, creatures, game systems, and story of Diablo III.


Diablo III Gameplay
Friday 12pm, Main Stage


What's in store next for the heroes of Sanctuary? Learn about the latest game developments in this don't-miss panel for Diablo players.

Diablo III Open Q&A
Saturday 3pm, Main Stage


Got a burning question about the Burning Hells? The development team dedicates an hour to audience questions about the story, design, art, sound, and gameplay of Diablo III.


STARCRAFT II
StarCraft II Art
Saturday 12pm, Developer Panel Stage


Get a look at the tools used to create the art of StarCraft II, and find out how our artists develop the unique visual identity of the StarCraft universe. You'll see a range of epic artwork created for the game in this panel.

StarCraft II Custom Maps and Editor
Friday 3pm, Main Stage


Dive in with the designers of the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty campaign and learn more about the creation of custom maps using the powerful StarCraft II Editor.

StarCraft II Multiplayer
Saturday 1:30pm, Developer Panel Stage


Interested in the science behind the thrill of competitive gameplay? The StarCraft II developers give you a behind-the-scenes look at data collected from multiplayer matches, leagues, and ladders, and explain how it all comes together in the art of balancing races and units.

StarCraft II Secrets of the Masters
Friday 1:30pm, Developer Panel Stage


Hear strategies and advice for players of all skill levels, find out how to move up the competitive ladder, and learn more about the nuances of resource management.

StarCraft II Story Q&A
Friday 4:30pm, Developer Panel Stage


Finished the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty campaign and still have unanswered questions? Sit down with some of the storytellers who crafted the epic saga to learn more about the lore.


WORLD OF WARCRAFT
World of Warcraft Art
Saturday 3pm, Developer Panel Stage


See how the art team shapes Azeroth—and how they're continuing to shake things up in the wake of Cataclysm.

World of Warcraft Class Q&A
Saturday 12pm, Main Stage


Always an audience favorite, the class panel gives insight into the intricate workings and delicate balancing act of class design.

World of Warcraft Dungeons & Raids
Friday 1:30pm, Main Stage


World of Warcraft's raid and dungeon designers discuss how the game's most epic PvE encounters are crafted.

World of Warcraft Live Raid
Friday 4:30pm, Main Stage


Witness the thrill of victory and the agony of the wipe as one of the world's leading raiding guilds takes on a series of intense boss encounters live on stage.

World of Warcraft Open Q&A
Saturday 1:30pm, Main Stage


The creators of World of Warcraft dedicate an hour to answering BlizzCon audience questions about game design, lore, murlocs, and more.

World of Warcraft Quests and Lore
Friday 3pm, Developer Panel Stage


Embark on an epic journey with World of Warcraft quest designers and lorekeepers as they discuss the art of quest flow, the secrets of storytelling through gameplay, and much more.

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT
Blizzard Cinematics: Cataclysm
Saturday 10:30am, Main Stage


Blizzard's cinematic artists and storytellers give you a behind-the-scenes tour of the creative process that drives World of Warcraft: Cataclysm's epic cinematics.


Blizzard Cinematics: StarCraft II
Friday 12pm, Developer Panel Stage


Take an in-depth look at how the immersive in-game cut-scenes and pre-rendered cinematics for StarCraft II are created.

Blizzard Sound
Saturday 4:30pm, Developer Panel Stage


It's all ears on Blizzard Entertainment sound and music! Join us for a discussion on how topnotch voice acting, dramatic orchestral scores, and striking sound effects are used to make Blizzard's games even more epic.




Virtual ticket: 29.99€ - includes exclusive WoW pet and SC2 ingame items
http://blizzcon.rayv.com

 

[Scalemail Ted]

YES!!!!! FINALLYYYY!


Diablo 3 info!!!!

This is better than christmas! I hope.

 

[maniac-kun]

 

[Haunted]

Interested in Diablo III and the Starcraft II tournament.

 

[theultimo]

I wont be attending, but i got my virtual ticket ready to go for some tourneys.

 

[maniac-kun]

Inside the goodies bag:

 

[KaYotiX]

i have a friend there now, i got my virtual ticket though

 

[speedpop]

It'd be nice to see some snippet of Blizzard's next MMO, but they've already stated that it is going to be a no show. Still, a surprise would be nice.

 

[DieH@rd]

OK are the tournaments streams free free, or are they free only for those directtv subscribers?


I need the answer naooo. Im gonna kill someone if cannot watch Boxer vs Fruit Dealer live.

 

[Mush]

/hopes for updated WoW Battle Chest

 

[farnham]

is there a way to watch the matches like slayersboxer vs. fruit dealer for free (low quality livestream) or do you have to pay for it no matter what ?

 

[Haunted]

I thought the SC2 tournament was free, but HD quality is only available to those with a virtual ticket/pass whatever.

You’ll be able to watch the opening ceremony and the action on the World of Warcraft and RTS tournament stages streaming for free at http://blizzcon.rayv.com.

 

[speedpop]

I'm somewhat puzzled over the Cataclysm cinematics being dedicated an hour as well. Everyone has already seen the intro on Youtube, which lasts for less than 3 mins, so why bother slotting an hour for something like that?

Unless of course, there is more that they haven't shown.

 

[Haunted]

I'm somewhat puzzled over the Cataclysm cinematics being dedicated an hour as well. Everyone has already seen the intro on Youtube, which lasts for less than 3 mins, so why bother slotting an hour for something like that?

Unless of course, there is more that they haven't shown.

They'll just show it 20 times.

 

[speedpop]

Wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Belfast]

Well, they'll probably dedicate more time to the in-game cinematics this year.

 

[maniac-kun]

rehosted all pics ._.

 

[Fallout-NL]

It'd be nice to see some snippet of Blizzard's next MMO, but they've already stated that it is going to be a no show. Still, a surprise would be nice.

They will definitely not show that.

 

[Belfast]

A World of Warcraft expansion we already know everything about.

No, or very little, talk about StarCraft II expansions.

Probably very few surprises concerning Diablo III.

No new MMO/game news.

Most boring BlizzCon ever.

 

[Eliciel]

I know it, incoming PlayStation Move Support announcement.

somethings cooking...

 

[Fallout-NL]

Most boring BlizzCon ever.

You don't like Diablo?

 

[Belfast]

You don't like Diablo?

I do, but I can't fathom what they'd bring to the convention that would wow me far beyond what we already know.

 

[KAL2006]

some quotes from the Diablo 3 hype thread

Eurogamer: Are you going to have new stuff to show us at BlizzCon?

Jay Wilson: Yes. I'm not going to say what any of that is... But I will say, in terms of the amount of things that we're showing, this is our biggest BlizzCon to date (for Diablo 3). We've got a lot of stuff now. We're cooking a game now.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-10-07-designing-diablo-iii-interview?page=3

Friday - Diablo III: PvP - 5 p.m. to 5:50 p.m.

http://www.diablofans.com/topic/22345-diablo-iiis-pvp-system-to-be-revealed-at-blizzcon/

Diablo 3 surprise Custom Maps leaked

http://www.diablofans.com/topic/22375-blizzcon-2010-diablo-3-custom-maps-announcment-leaked/?

 

[Fonds]

I do, but I can't fathom what they'd bring to the convention that would wow me far beyond what we already know.

We hardly know anything of Diablo's main game mechanics atm.

- Will it be a lobby game like Diablo 1 and 2?
- Wil the game be cut up into acts like Diablo 1 and 2?
- How will you move from area to area?
- Will there be more MMO aspects incorperated into the game?

List goes on and on. Then there's also more trivial stuff that would still wow me.

Like:

- New class (probably)
- An HOUR of gameplay.
- Etc etc

This is all stuff that would wow me... I've just got high hopes for Diablo 3.

 

[Pooya]

SCII Story QA should be good.

 

[IrishNinja]

woooo, Diablo 3! finally, a blizzcon with something i give a fuck about.

Spoiler

sup, angel? :lol

 

[farnham]

heart of the swarm teaser would be enough to make this the best gaming event in history

 

[Tacitus_]

heart of the swarm teaser would be enough to make this the best gaming event in history

I'd say that there's a 50/50 chance of it happening. If they are truly aiming for the 18 month release cycle for the expansions then next years Blizzcon would be way too close for anything but concrete info.

 

[Zzoram]

Panels look surprisingly bland.

I'm only going to watch the starcraft tournament stream.

 

[KaYotiX]

I heard this blizzcon will be more D3 focused, time will tell I guess. I hope so!!

 

[Bisnic]

I'm somewhat puzzled over the Cataclysm cinematics being dedicated an hour as well. Everyone has already seen the intro on Youtube, which lasts for less than 3 mins, so why bother slotting an hour for something like that?

Unless of course, there is more that they haven't shown.

My guess is there going to show some ingame cinematics like that Goblin one we've seen.

I really would like to see a teaser for Heart of the Swarm, i mean we got the "Hell its about time" Wings of Liberty teaser YEARS before the actual game came out. Why not the same thing for the expansion?

 

[Interfectum]

dude, custom maps in diablo 3 would be fucking badass

 

[J-Rzez]

Diablo 3 news is welcomed. More curious if we'll get new info on their "next-gen MMO". After all, they mentioned it over a year ago, and they said they were working on it for a year or two before that. Hope so, because WoW is really outdated now.

 

[Won]

I'm somewhat puzzled over the Cataclysm cinematics being dedicated an hour as well. Everyone has already seen the intro on Youtube, which lasts for less than 3 mins, so why bother slotting an hour for something like that?

Unless of course, there is more that they haven't shown.

I think we will see Metzen run around in a Deathwing costume on stage for an hour.

 

[Interfectum]

Diablo 3 news is welcomed. More curious if we'll get new info on their "next-gen MMO". After all, they mentioned it over a year ago, and they said they were working on it for a year or two before that. Hope so, because WoW is really outdated now.

yeah, no it's really not.

maybe we'll see if ArenaNet can pull off Guild Wars 2, then you can come back and say that.

 

[Tacitus_]

yeah, no it's really not.

maybe we'll see if ArenaNet can pull off Guild Wars 2, then you can come back and say that.

J-Rzez makes it a habit to badmouth WoW in every Blizz related thread. You'll get used to it at some point.

 

[HolyCheck]

Pumped for the SC2 tourney.

 

[farnham]

havent you heard FF XIV is now the future of MMORPGS hur durr durr

 

[Nirolak]

Grand, the only time I'm likely to be busy today is right in the middle of the Diablo 3 gameplay panel. : (

 

[[Nintex]]

I know it, incoming PlayStation Move Support announcement.

somethings cooking...

In your head maybe.

 

[Interfectum]

havent you heard FF XIV is now the future of MMORPGS hur durr durr

What have you done??

 

[Fonds]

Diablo 3 news is welcomed. More curious if we'll get new info on their "next-gen MMO". After all, they mentioned it over a year ago, and they said they were working on it for a year or two before that. Hope so, because WoW is really outdated now.

How could you even think of saying that while there are 12 million people (and counting) playing that game? It might not be up to your standards graphically (though it looks better than most MMO's) but it's still the most complete and polished MMO experience on the market. Period.

 

[KaYotiX]

I'm sure there are TONS of ppl like me will jump back into WoW once Cata launches.

 

[Aesthet1c]

I'll be salivating over anything they give us that is Diablo III related.

Have they even announced what the 5th class will be? If not, you can probably count on that being shown today.

 

[farnham]

so we have


witchdoctor
barbarian
monk
wizard

how about

pirate, ninja and archer

 

[ultron87]

Pumped for the tournaments. Mostly for Starcraft 2, but I might watch a match or two of the other games.

And Boxer vs Fruitdealer exhibition match!

It really seems like this is the appropriate time for a Heart of the Swarm teaser.

 

[J-Rzez]

How could you even think of saying that while there are 12 million people (and counting) playing that game? It might not be up to your standards graphically (though it looks better than most MMO's) but it's still the most complete and polished MMO experience on the market. Period.

It has the best gameplay out of any MMO out there, sure. Polished, it should be considering how many years it's been out there. Though 4.0 so far has been an absolute disaster, so I'm curious how much damage control they'll be doing at the show over this. Graphically, it's in pretty bad shape, especially considering that they refuse to update the old vanilla races models.

I don't think we'd see a SC->SC2 leap in visuals obviously, but it would be nice to see what Blizzard can do with a newly engined MMO. And, if it's going to be a shooter as some rumors hinted at.

 

[Door2Dawn]

 

[Rur0ni]

So.. can we see D3 gameplay for free or no?

 

[farnham]

Pumped for the tournaments. Mostly for Starcraft 2, but I might watch a match or two of the other games.

And Boxer vs Fruitdealer exhibition match!

It really seems like this is the appropriate time for a Heart of the Swarm teaser.

they only need to show a lurker and a dark archon and people will go insane!