Video of the Caverns of Time

[Teleku]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7047626458387570198

Looks like somebody has a private server, with all the information on it....

Anyways, looks pretty neat.

[Ironwood]

Not entirely convinced.

[Paelos]

Cool looking.

[Modern Angel]

Legit. All that stuff is in files in your WoW directory. Seen most of the stuff in prior videos. All you need is a hacked server and you have access.

[Telemediocrity]

Some of it he got wrong.  For instance, the area that starts with a K that he put a "?" at the end because he wasn't sure if it's that or not?  It isn't.  Blizzard confirmed that that's a testing area slapped together a long time ago by someone learning the world engine, and not actual or future content.

[Driakos]

Some of it he got wrong.  For instance, the area that starts with a K that he put a "?" at the end because he wasn't sure if it's that or not?  It isn't.  Blizzard confirmed that that's a testing area slapped together a long time ago by someone learning the world engine, and not actual or future content.

He wasn't sure if it was Khadgar's Fortress, or some other location in the Outlands.  It was still the Outlands art.

[Telemediocrity]

Actually, no, the devs confirmed that that's not the Outlands art - they actually pointed out where you can see each of the textures/shapes involved used elsewhere ingame, that sort of thing. You are not looking at an Outlands zone there.

[Paelos]

Probably true, I think the Outlands would have a more distinct look than what essentially looked like a souped up Blasted Lands.

[kaid]

From what the devs have said that was a zone that the devs were using as a testing field for different ideas using existing features. But it does look interesting.

[Velorath]

That stuff seems like a nice shortcut to making new content.  "Look, it's the same zone you've been to BUT THE DEAD TREES ARE NOW ALIVE, AND RUINED TOWERS ARE WHOLE!"

[SurfD]

That stuff seems like a nice shortcut to making new content.  "Look, it's the same zone you've been to BUT THE DEAD TREES ARE NOW ALIVE, AND RUINED TOWERS ARE WHOLE!"

So by your logic, visiting the scene of a famous battle could be content, but going back in time and participating in the battle would be a cheap grab at halfassed content because you were already there once?

I suppose you hated Chrono Trigger since all you did was jump to the same places at various different points in time.

I personally love the idea.  Sure, the zone is still hillsbarad, but you now get to live a part of history of the WoW universe.   

[Jayce]

That stuff seems like a nice shortcut to making new content.  "Look, it's the same zone you've been to BUT THE DEAD TREES ARE NOW ALIVE, AND RUINED TOWERS ARE WHOLE!"

So by your logic, visiting the scene of a famous battle could be content, but going back in time and participating in the battle would be a cheap grab at halfassed content because you were already there once?

I suppose you hated Chrono Trigger since all you did was jump to the same places at various different points in time.

I personally love the idea.  Sure, the zone is still hillsbarad, but you now get to live a part of history of the WoW universe.   

I agree.  Everyone wins - they get to revamp an area and give it a whole new flavor instead of starting from scratch, and we get to see some familiar places in another context.  Whining that they didn't do enough work to suit your taste sounds like grasping at straws to bash Blizzard IMO.

[Paelos]

It's all good, the Caverns of Time is a very small part of the overall additions to the game. I think the Outlands opens the door for a lot of new and exciting graphics, as well as some of the screenshots of the new dungeons. That one of the new five man that's the prophet's old castle or something, that looks badass.

[Typhon]

I hate time-travel crap, but I love new content... and since I classify new content as people/places/things I haven't seen before this qualfies.  I think love beats hate here.

[Velorath]

That stuff seems like a nice shortcut to making new content.  "Look, it's the same zone you've been to BUT THE DEAD TREES ARE NOW ALIVE, AND RUINED TOWERS ARE WHOLE!"

So by your logic, visiting the scene of a famous battle could be content, but going back in time and participating in the battle would be a cheap grab at halfassed content because you were already there once?

I suppose you hated Chrono Trigger since all you did was jump to the same places at various different points in time.

I personally love the idea.  Sure, the zone is still hillsbarad, but you now get to live a part of history of the WoW universe.   

Just to be a smartass I'd like to point out that you could always live a part of the history of the WoW universe.  It's called playing Warcraft 1-3.  As far as Chrono Trigger goes, I'll give you all the time you need here to figure out why time travel doesn't work too well in an MMO.  I think with the sluggish pace Blizzard works at in generating new content (one of the only problems I have with WoW for those who think I'm just trying to bash Blizzard) when they actually do get around to adding shit I'd much rather see something completely new rather than something rehashed.  By the same token I hate it when Devs create new dungeons patching together modified pieces of old ones (and there have been several games guilty of that).

[Zane0]

I think this is a smart way to reuse stuff.  Blizzard evidently understands that WoW has potential long term problem if its slow rate of content creation is significantly outpaced, so they're trying to be smart with what content they have; I think 0.5 dungeons are an example of this approach, and they were received fairly well.  I agree that this is potentially great for them and the players, but it will have to be done right.

Will be interesting to see.  The big 'sands of time' thing could use a redo.

[Jayce]

I hate time-travel crap, but I love new content... and since I classify new content as people/places/things I haven't seen before this qualfies.  I think love beats hate here.

I think time travel is OK when done right.  The first space vampire nazi I see in WoW, though... I'm gone.

[Strazos]

I think time travel is OK when done right.  The first space vampire nazi I see in WoW, though... I'm gone.

You read my mind.

Though Blizzard could run into a problem if you are allowed to travel back in time to the settings of the previous Warcraft games....people may feel cheated if the "big names" are not there, and especially so if the players cannot really do anything in those conflicts - Everyone wants to feel like a hero. So either you won't be able to anything and will feel cheated by going through rehashed content, OR Blizzard puts themselves in the dangerous position of trying to modify the history of their own IP - Oh, now the Horde actually won at Blackrock Spire, the Alliance lost both wars, and....erm, how would WoW exist?

Time Paradoxes are BAD. Back to the Future had enough problems with it, as did a few Star Trek Series (and they probably had better writers than WoW does).

[SurfD]

From everything I have heard about the caverns of time instances, you get to go back in time and "assist" in makeing sure the future happens the way it is supposed to.

There are supposed, according to rumor, to be 3 instances in there; Old Hillsbarad, The Black Morass, and some kind of battleground.

In the Old Hillsbarad one (rumor puts it at somwhere around 5 - 10 person cap, You basicly take your team of heroes into the past to make sure Thrall successfully escapes from the guy who was running him as a Gladiator.  Depending on how scripted it is, it has a lot of potential.

The Black Morass event supposedly has something to do with The origional destruction of the Dark Portal which subsequently created the Blasted Lands.

Not sure which "battle" you will be doing in the Battleground.  If they were smart, they could design some kind of Time attack thing, where you have alliance at one end, Horde at the other, and wave upon wave of enemy NPC units spawning in, to parallel one of those battles where you actually had to survive as allies for long enoiugh (Battle of MT Hyjal from WC3 comes to mind).

[Glazius]

I hate time-travel crap, but I love new content... and since I classify new content as people/places/things I haven't seen before this qualfies.  I think love beats hate here.

I think time travel is OK when done right.  The first space vampire nazi I see in WoW, though... I'm gone.

Is it bad that CoH actually _had_ space vampire nazis for a stretch?

Now they're just space vampire COBRA.

--GF

[Simond]

Not sure which "battle" you will be doing in the Battleground.  If they were smart, they could design some kind of Time attack thing, where you have alliance at one end, Horde at the other, and wave upon wave of enemy NPC units spawning in, to parallel one of those battles where you actually had to survive as allies for long enoiugh (Battle of MT Hyjal from WC3 comes to mind).

IIRC, Hyjal will be one of the CoTime instances...and I think I remember someone saying somewhere that there'd be three 'normal instances (Old Hillsbrad, Black Morass, Battle of Mt Hyjal) and one battleground (one of the battles from the WC2 expansion pack...maybe?).

Take with a sizeable pinch of salt, though, as I cannot find where I saw this ATM.