Coming Soon: Guild Banks

[Rontor]

I recently got the latest issue of Games for Windows magazine and it had a cover story on the future of WoW. Here is an article that I thought you guys might be interested in reading:

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Say goodbye to your mules! One of the things Blizzard will be adding after patch 2.1 is a long-requested feature: guild banks. New NPC bankers will appear in every bank in the game where guild members can go to deposit and withdraw items--eliminating the need for guilds to create characters just for storage needs.

Guild banks are free and will have the potential to offer several hundred slots through multiple tabs and bags. "We want to actively give players a free alternative to using a mule character. We essentially already pay for that database storage anyway because of these mule characters, so theres no real reason for us to discourage using guild banks." You'll also be able to permit guildies of certain ranks to repair directly from guild-bank funds. Any repair NPC (bots included) will boast a new button allowing you to use guild-bank funds rather than your own.

The potential for abuse is obvious, but Blizzard seems to have it covered. Guild leaders will be able to set permission levels--so, for example, guildies of certain ranks can deposit but not withdraw, or only withdraw certain types of items, or only withdraw so many items per day. Guilds will be able to purchase multiple tabs (up to six, though Blizzard's toying with that number) to store say, all mining items, or all weapons, and only let certain members access those tabs.

Blizzard's website will track all transactions, so should any guild leaders try to scam guildies (by taking a bunch of stuff and transferring, for example), you've got a written record--at which point Blizzard's customer service would take over.

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They also mentioned that Blizzard is adding in-game voice chat in the near future and your name will have a bubble over your head when you talk. Sounds really awesome.

[TM]

now for better graphics and a massage chair to come w/ the game.