As more travel changes come to the World of Warcraft old and new players may have different views on their affect on the game. Recently, a few new travel options have been revealed for the next update of WoW sending the forums into a buzz with praise or disillusionment.

First of all, travel changes are nothing new to WoW. Without going back all the way, like to beta, let's start with one of the major changes not too long ago. In the beginning, mounts were to be purchased for around 90 gold at level 40. In patch 2.4.3 mounts were changed to allow a level 30 to buy one for about 40 gold. Now, in the next major content update, mounts will be available to level 20s for approximately 25 gold.

Why does this matter? Well if you don't play WoW it really doesn't. But if you do play WoW and you've been playing since vanilla you could be a little upset that the "casuals" are "winning." Making things easier for those not as dedicated might seem like a way to make quick money or even baby newcomers along.

However, I'll argue a different point. The veterans of WoW with multiple maxed out characters don't directly benefit from mount changes immediately. But what of an alt or even a newly converted friend? That alt or that friend is going to love traveling in style at level 20.

Personally, I don't have someone maxed out on WoW. I don't really like WoW since most of my time was spent fishing and I play other games. I have someone hugging 70 with a ton of characters in the 20-40 range. A mount change like that could get me to go back to playing that game. Why? Because I only played WoW for 9 months I saw so much with my main that I didn't want to back and do it again. My fear of level caps and severe alt-itus only made WoW seem repetitive and slow. Being able to get around a little faster does make the grind a little less daunting.

Mounts aren't the only form of travel changing in this MMORPG. Harbors, zeppelins, and portals are popping up all over the place. In patch 3.0.9, Stormwind Harbor was added to the Alliance city of Stormwind. The harbor not only looks really nice but it allows Allies to travel to Northrend and Darnassus by way of Auberdine. This addition was meant with little complaint except for those wanting a graphical update to their preferred capital of choice.

Horde players were slightly upset since the travel between their druid starting area and their main city of Orgrimmar remained a long, boring journey. That will change in the next major content update as well. A zeppelin will be constructed in Thunder Bluff that transports players to Orgrimmar.

Changes likes these can be viewed as a helping hand to new players but it equally benefits those already established in the game. Sure it helps their alts, but it also getting around at any level. Aside from the obvious Northrend travel the harbor and zeppelins add, they also give players more freedom. Even a level 80 can't hearth if it's in cooldown. Perhaps they've ran through a Northrend portal to their preferred city of Thunder Bluff to do some auction house work. Before they were forced to grab a flight path to Org and then take a zeppelin back to Northrend. Now they be there for free in two, short zeppelin rides!

A third thing popping up around the World of Warcraft to aid you in your travels are portals. No one can really complain about portals except for mages. The way I see it, a mage is the only one getting hurt in any way by the addition of portals but that's all about perspective. Again, in the next major content update there will be portals in new places,

These portals will transport players directly to the Stair of Destiny at the Dark Portal. Travel is just so much more convenient when it's instantaneous! Players will then find that a new connecting flight path exists at the Stair of Destiny allowing players new to Outland easy and direct access to the city of Shattrath.

Yes that's two ports to Shattrath and mages don't seem too put off by the boats that lead to Northrend. Since a mage port is instant and you don't have to be the required level to enter Shattrath or Dalaran that you do of Outland or Northrend, their port is still the easiest. It's not always the cheapest though, so perhaps these new portals are more economical if you don't have your own personal mage friend to help you out.

Finally, changes to classes' travel abilities seem to get the biggest rise out of players. With the level requirement for mounts dropping to 20, it seems natural that abilities usually granted before you get a mount would be lowered to match the lower level. A druid's Travel Form, a hunter's Aspect of the Cheetah, and a shaman's Ghost Wolf will be available at level 16. The level requirement currently is at level 20. The main disagreement with this upcoming change is the effect it will have on the Warsong Gulch 10-19 battleground. Now the classes listed above might have an advantage by using their travel abilities while in the capture the flag type battleground.

WoW is an older game so there's a lot there. Previously, I thought WoW was doing the opposite of what I though an MMO game should be doing. I thought WoW was making it to where you had to be 80 to do anything. I think MMORPGs should be about the journey not the ending. It turns out I was half-right. WoW is trying to push everyone to 80, but at least they're making it easier for those new or not as "hardcore." That, I'm sure, is neither bad nor good to everyone.

Originally posted at Examiner.com , go there for more of this.

You see these lists quite often on the interwebs. I assure you this isn't just an excuse to view "teh hottness." You might be thinking, "What makes this list any different?" Honestly, this is still a list of beautiful digitally rendered women. All I can offer you in the "what's the difference" category is that I'm a woman who thought this would be an interesting investigation. Don't worry female readers; I'll be posting a male list in a timely fashion.

20. Liara T'Soni from Mass Effect
Asaris are pretty interesting. The whole attuning with someone else's nervous system is fascinating. As one of your romantic interests in Mass Effect, Liara is no exception. She's sexy in an alien way and smart. That's a great combination. The only reason she's so low on the list is because she's an alien. And she's not technically a "she," because I don't think the Asari don't have genders. Note the absence of Ashley for the obvious nagging reasons.

19. Maria from Silent Hill 2
Manifestation or not, Maria is still creepy hot. Silent Hill 2 is a game about a psychologically disturbed man looking for his wife. Maria is undeniably sexy since that's kind of her purpose in the game. But the more attached you become to her, the less attached you become to your wife, Mary. She's sexy, but it's scary to see how people react to her. It's also kind of neat to see which way you'll lean in the Maria vs. Mary ring. I suppose Mary should be on the list too, but really you could combine them here.

18. Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy VIII
Her relationship with Squall warranted an entire game, Final Fantasy VIII. That's actually sexy if you think about it. She's devoted and of course cute in that "not too gorgeous" way. Riona isn't just another FF looker, at least not to me, because her sexy is about love.

17. Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil series
Always looking for her brother, Chris, Claire is hot in a caring, girl-next-door kind of way. She's passionate and determined and happens to kill zombies. Zombie killing is always a plus in the sexy category. There's really not a lot you can say about her except that she's pretty fearless. That image is from Resident Evil: Degeneration, a CG movie that doesn't suck no matter what other people tell you.

16. Jade from Beyond Good and Evil
A reporter and a photographer, Jade is tough but gentle in Beyond Good and Evil. Her sexiness comes from an urge to do the right thing and tell people about it. She may look a bit tomboyish, but that's one of her strong suits in a genre dominated by scantily clad, voluptuous women.

15. Faith from Mirror's Edge
There's was a ruckus when an "improved" Faith hit the Internet, but as you can see, I've chosen the classic Faith for this list. Mirror's Edge showcased a lifelike character that does a little parkour. Okay, a lot of parkour, or free running, is in the game since it's pretty much the premise of the title.

Faith is a great example of someone that's not so pretty, but sexy in her own way. Clearly, she's physically fit and that's sexy. It's sexy for the amount of discipline someone has to have to be an athlete. Of course, she's not real so this is all gibberish, really.

14. Random Grand Theft Auto women (hookers included!)
There's nothing like this stylized art that appears with Grand Theft Auto. Most of us would easily recognize the lollipop girl, but the one to left isn't too shabby either.

GTA is known for a lot of things and that includes the various women in the game. I say the hookers of GTA make the list because they offer an experience not found in many video games. If anything their unique appearances throughout the GTA series earn them some place on the list for hilarity's sake.

To that end, I'm not leaving out the strippers in GTA. They're welcome here, too.

13. Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2
Admittedly, Half-Life 2's Alyx Vance should probably be higher on the list. Her sexy goes beyond her looks since her personality is the best in this list. Alas, everyone's got to land somewhere and being that this is an opinionated list she lands toward the bottom for me.

Alyx's smarts are what make her sexy. I don't think many would disagree. Her attainable, normal woman looks make her extra attractive. And although some may not see the beauty, I dare someone to play this game and not fall in love with Alyx.

12. Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series
It's not like I really have a choice in the matter. You must put this iconic lady in a list about sexy characters.

The picture to the left is from the latest installment of the Tomb Raider series. Tomb Raider Underworld gave Lara a much more realistic appearance. I'm not arguing that her proportions are accurate; however, I am arguing that the character looks much better. That's to be expected, though, as she grows with the technology making her possible.

Lara is oftentimes proclaimed as a negative influence on the appearance of women in video games. That's somewhat a hyperbole since her presence paved the way for many female video game protagonists. Whether we can make a solid connection from Lara Croft to "new female lead" is moot. Some would say Lara made it possible by just being created.

11. Chun-Li from the Street Fighter series
There's nothing like a woman with thighs that can kill. Literally. Street Fighter's Chun-Li has been seducing us with her powerful legs for years now. And nothing's changed with the upcoming release of Street Fighter 4 on the PC.

Having a body like that may not be sexy to all, but it earns a place on this list and many others. Her iron pantyhose will rule the fighter genre for years to come.

10. Ada Wong from the Resident Evil series
The picture to the left is how many know Ada Wong. I like this version just as much as the next person, and for listing purposes I'm using this photo. But when I really like Ada is in her mini-sequence in Resident Evil 4 called "Assignment Ada."

The classic red dress is nice, but there's nothing like seeing Ada go up against the plagas in her tactical gear. To each their own I suppose.

I guess any Ada is probably a good Ada. Her ability to fight in that dress is shows off in the side story "Separate Ways." Not only do you get a good look at Ada during the story you also get about five hours of extra gameplay on the PC, Wii, and PS2.

9. The women of Jade Empire
As three of the seven models available to players when starting their journey playing Jade Empire, these women are exceptionally sexy.

Radiant Jen Li, Scholar Ling, and Wu the Lotus Blossom all have their strong qualities. Each is a unique fighter with awesome abilities. What's true of all of them is their quiet strength and beauty.

8. Laia Martinez from Phantasy Star Universe
As a beast woman, you'd think Laia wouldn't make the list. Surprisingly, she does. It's as much of a shock to me as it is to others. As I was talking with my fiancee about who should be on the list, he reminded me how much I loved Laia while playing PSU.

It's true. I pulled her partner card out more than anyone else's when I played PSU. There's nothing like an NPC with that much attitude helping you fight all kinds of weird creatures on multiple planets.

7. Ladies' cards from the Witcher
The Witcher is an awesome RPG. It only got better with the release of the Enhanced Edition. What's made the game amazing is a lot of aspects like combat and an engrossing story. But there's nothing like doing deeds to be able to do the deed with a bunch of "interesting" women.

These women range from supernatural beings to good ol' prostitutes, from nurses to courtesans. Some of the cards may be a little creepy but maybe that's what makes them sexy. There's probably a card for everyone and the collection aspect to obtaining the cards is pretty addictive. It's enough to land the ladies mid-way through the list.

6. Zoey from Left 4 Dead
A lover of horror movies that knows her way around a rifle, of course Zoey is on this list. Her quiet good looks and honest-to-goodness ability to shoot zombies in the face are her best assets.

Left 4 Dead is about teamwork and it tells a story without actually telling it. Zoey's 1/4 a part of what unfolds in this FPS. Her sometimes nervous voice shows her vulnerable side while her kill count proves she's pretty awesome. She's sexy any way you look at it.

5. Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil series
As a member of S.T.A.R.S. and an outstanding picker of locks, Jill Valentine makes the list because she's tough. She's not so overtly sexy but rather a strong sexy. She's higher on the list than her fellow female Resident Evil characters because of her most recent performance. Without saying too much that's when I liked her the most.

4. Tifa Lockhart from the Final Fantasy series
In the huge realm of Final Fantasy, Tifa is the only woman from the series that I think deserves a position this high. This is purely based on personal opinion, but no one can deny her martial arts abilities. Her relationship with Cloud is one of sexual tension in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

3. The French maid from the Sims or Kaylynn Langerak
The Sim series lets you create pretty much anyone you want. One of the bonuses to the neighborhood is the maid you can hire. In the Sims 2 there was a Plesantview local named Kaylynn Langerak that had a sorted relationship with a man with three other girlfriends.

Not a session of The Sims go by that I don't try to marry the maid. Hence the number on the list.

2. Carla Valenti from Indigo Prophecy
As a detective, Carla Valenti drove the intriguing, story-driven plot of Indigo Prophecy. Nothing sexier than a woman solving crimes especially one as, well, weird as the one in Indigo Prophecy. In fact, she's one of the characters on this list most often found without her clothes on. I'm not saying naked makes you sexy but it probably helps.

1. Your character from many create-a-characters
Lets make no assumptions here. Making the girl you want is usually better than the ones that are already there. Sometimes they lack personality, but that's only because you haven't given them one yet. Everything in a created character is what you make of it and that's pretty sexy. They may not be for everyone but the ladies you can create in The Sims 3 can be beautiful and have extremely unique personalities.

Other games' character creation can also lead to amazing beauty. Saints Row 2 allows for a pretty in depth character creation as well as several MMOs like City of Heroes/Villains and Perfect World International.

This was originally posted at Examiner.com, visit the slideshow of the women there!

Casting a line and waiting patiently for a bite isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time. Plenty of people find that boring in real life. Why should it be any better inside an MMO world? It’s fun for the same reasons it’s entertaining in the great outdoors. The catch, although frustrating and time consuming, usually pays off either mentally or monetarily in most games.

This was inevitable. I love fishing in MMOs. I’ll try most MMOs if they have fishing just because I like doing it so much. Fishing games independent of anything else don’t interest me. The idea of a quiet distraction from the other aspects of a game is what I like about fishing in MMOs.

There’s only so much questing one can take before he/she gets tired of running to a quest giver, going terribly out of the way to pick up a backpack, killing some boars, and then running back to the quest giver. The grinding of quests aside, fishing can be a nice interlude to the other activities in an MMO. No, it’s not for everyone but those that embrace fishing usually end up happy with the results.

Personally, my first experience with fishing was in Star Wars Galaxies and then World of Warcraft. SWG’s fishing was slightly more advanced than what most are accustomed to practicing in an MMO. The most familiar fishing to the masses is probably WoW’s fishing function which basically uses cast and bobber click. However, SWG’s fishing required bait to be truly successful and the player had to keep up with the fish and its direction changes. Otherwise the line would tense and break. WoW fishing, on the other hand, is simpler. I made the majority of my money in WoW from fishing. After a lucky drop of the recipe for savory deviate delights, the money started rolling in on my server. Of course, I didn’t do much on WoW except for fishing since I’m part of that introverted MMO player base. Now, with the recent changes to the fishing system, more WoW players might be inclined to try fishing since there will be a mount available.

Recently, I’ve been playing Lord of the Rings Online. Its fishing mechanic is relatively new and it uses a similar system to WoW. The player uses the skill fishing and then clicks that skill again when a fish bites. It’s not complicated and many fish can be given to a taxidermist to be mounted. Then that mounted trophy can be placed in a personal or kinship house. But after catching so many I ended up selling them which actually turned a nice profit.

Fishing is present in the first of the MMO genre. Ultima Online and Everquest both contained a fishing task. In Everquest, this skill allowed a player to make a little money and keep themselves fed. Although, Everquest 2 contains fishing it’s not of the same caliber since it’s a node-clicking system. There’s no casting like in Everquest.

It was only a few months ago that this diversion was added to Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Its fishing is the most similar to SWG’s. With a pole in one hand and bait in the other you can cast your line. You can let the line fly until it runs out or you can activate the fishing skill again to make the line stop. From there, you wait for a fish. After a fish bites you’ve got to react to the fish’s movements. You do this by using WASD or the arrow keys. Fish also have combos that can be learned to quickly catch them.

The fishing fun is also in the console MMO world. Final Fantasy XI and Everquest Online Adventures both feature fishing. FFXI’s fishing requires a rod in one hand and bait in the ammunition slot. The check option will turn into the fish option when in front of a body of water. EQOA’s fishing uses a unique cast system that dictates the quality of fish caught. In short, you begin casting and the goal is to land the perfect cast by using the UI bar that’s visible while fishing.

Last of the pay-to-play games for me to cover is Lineage 2. This system uses more than just the fishing skill since it also requires skills to reel in the fish. Of course, you have the fishing skill which allows you to fish. Then there is a fishing expertise skill used to measure the quality of fish caught. The pumping and reeling skills are also needed. After casting your line and waiting for a fish, a fish’s health will pop up. If the fish is gaining health you’ve got to reel, but if it’s not moving you need to pump.

Free-to-play games are no stranger to the lure of fishing *hysterical laughter*. Mabinogi and 2Moons both contain fishing. Mabinogi’s fishing is interesting. After using the ability your character casts his/her line and waits. Once a fish bites a UI box pulls up. The box contains a risk bar at the top, a fish inside a red outline, and a timer at the bottom. The objective is to keep the silhouette of the fish inside the red lines before time runs out. For 2Moons fishing is simple enough. Like other games, you must have the fishing pole equipped and be near a body of water that supports fishing. In 2Moons, your mouse will appear as a fishing hook where fishing is available.

There is money to be made in fishing whether it is through selling LotRO trophies or whipping up savory deviate delights in WoW. Money can’t be made in all MMOs with fishing, but usually there’s at least a reason to try it. If anything, you’re making money for doing very little at minimal risk. Fishing typically offers a chance to fish up items. These items could be scrolls in Mabinogi or treasure chests WoW. These items have value to you personally or to a vendor. If you’re not getting items, you’re getting fish. Fish can be something to brag about like the trophies in LotRO or Vanguard’s fishing log. Not to mention, many MMOs use fishing as a means to cook, another valuable skill in MMOs.

Fishing in MMOs is altogether a fun experience for the right person. There’s no doubt that some people will hate the activity, but there are several people who love it. It’s also different in each MMO just like the combat or crafting systems. There are good fishing mini-games and there are not so good ones. Finding the right fishing in the right MMO can make a big difference. Persistence pays off with fishing and it’s well worth a try.

Originally posted at Examiner.com