Playing World of Warcraft For Free

I mentioned the other day a private server that I play on, WoWScape. I talked about briefly on how it is somewhat like a Micro-Transaction model.(Though a bit to the extreme in terms of regular gear and gear you can buy, to read the full post go here.) Other then that though I realized today that most gamers are pretty much in the dark about what a private server is. So today I'll go into it and make a few generic updates to other subjects at the end.

Private servers are where another organization will host the game instead of a public server. The servers you play on all the time in World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Warhammer, and other games are public servers. You pay a fee, they keep the servers running nicely and give you customer support, and so on. Since you're here at The MMO Experience I doubt I have to go into details about what these games provide.

Private servers are a bit different. While they keep their servers running, give customer support, and fix glitches (Though on a much smaller scale due to a smaller staff) there are a few difference. WoWScape for example you are not required to pay a monthly subscription fee. They fund themselves for server upkeep by donations from the community.(Which, depending on what server they are playing on, receives some items). Another key difference is, again using WoWScape, the different server options. WoWScape offers 4 different servers, catering to different needs. One for example offers a huge increase in experience gain(I can't understate this, A HUGE INCREASE) and making monsters drop nearly every item on their loot table. There is also a server that is "Blizz-like" meaning it tries to match Blizzard's official servers exactly in terms of experience and loot.

While Private servers seem like the real deal, there are a few things to note that will push you back to the public servers. Not all private servers are up to date with expansions/patches. Some don't have Wrath of the Lich King enabled or other instances. Others have a few(or a lot) of abilities that either don't work or partially work.(IE: Whirlwind only hitting with one weapon instead of two) However for someone wanting to simply goof off, try a class out here before trying it on the public servers to make sure they like it end-game, or to try out raids that you would not be able to on public servers then a private server is a blast. If you decide to give one a try, you can occasionally find me in WoWScape being goofy. Until then!

As I mentioned, there are a few site updates I need to make known. If you are having weird "glitches" in terms of the post background being black instead of blue, or the link buttons not having the neat little effect...pay them no mind. I suspect it's from my purchase of my own domain.(Isn't http://themmoexperience.com more spiffy?) It should go away shortly.

Also, time is almost over to vote between The Army of Gnomes and the Drunken Wizard! Vote now so you can pick your favorite. Afterwards I'll post a small fictional story of the great conflict. The next round is between a Peg-legged Fury Warrior and a Lagging Enchanter.(I'm insane..it's OK.)

Finally I have given up hope on Worlds.com answering my interview challenge.(You can read about it here.) So in my efforts to get some type of interview going I've emailed one of the admins over at WoWScape to talk about their server and private servers. Just something to chat about. Hopefully I'll get a yes from them.

The End.

Update - Worlds.com has answered my email. I'm currently talking with them about the details of the interview. However, obviously, some information will be limited due to that whole..law thing.