Months ago Blizzard representatives confirmed a slight polygon increase in the Burning Crusade expansion. I hadn’t noticed any significant change, but I’ve recently come across several new styles of human NPCs. After two years with the same hairstyles and face textures, the differences are striking.

The textures have always given some variety to the players with hair being the most dramatic difference, but these new styles are a far cry from what we’ve grown accustomed to.

So, this raises the question: are the new styles restricted to NPCs, an attempt to differentiate players from non-players? Is Blizzard expanding player model choices, but hasn’t yet incorporated the changes into the character creation screen? Are they adding the salon people have been asking about for so long? I think we’ll find out soon.

I am definitely looking forward to this expansion.

I picked up RF Online over the weekend. It an MMORPG of Korean origin. Initial impressions are that it is very grind-oriented (many skills to level up, etc.) and PvP is a major part of the game. I have a level 7 Bellato specialist on the Water server.

I am not leaving WoW behind just yet, but I want to see what else is available. WoW has dominated, yielding only to brief interruptions by sundry Nintendo consoles and handhelds. It could stand to sit out for a round or two.

Mostly, I’m just biding my time until Vanguard is released.