Cataclysm

[Typhon]

Typhon, your idea is interesting. But it wouldn't work in WoW.

Agree it's not something that WoW is going to do.  I just can't understand why if content is so expensive to create, no one has attempted to implement something like that.  90% of an MMOs content sits idle waiting for someone to level an alt?  Seems stupid.

[Lakov_Sanite]

I have sat dead, watching a 30min hiegan fight.

[Sjofn]

And you deserved it, no doubt! ;)

[kildorn]

I miss old unholy aura, where you could kill your good dancers by turning on a random 15% runspeed buff <3

[K9]

The one nice thing about Heigan is that as long as a few people can handle it, and one of them is a healer that can cure disease and another one is a tank, you can eventually beat it even after most of the yahoos explode on the first dance phase.

You can kill him before the first teleport now, easily.

[Mnemon]

Typhon, your idea is interesting. But it wouldn't work in WoW.

Agree it's not something that WoW is going to do.  I just can't understand why if content is so expensive to create, no one has attempted to implement something like that.  90% of an MMOs content sits idle waiting for someone to level an alt?  Seems stupid.

I completely agree. The content is out there. There are always going to instances folks miss out on grinding up the first time, so why not have worthwhile, top level versions people can do?

Especially for some of the old favorite places like SM, ZG, BWL, UBRS/LBRS, etc.

Heck some of them can even be broken into three or four instances, ala SM.

[Mnemon]

Gotta say after recently jumping back into WoW I like the whole badge/dungeon finder system they have in place. And I also like Blizzard making the 10 and 25 man dungeons have the same loot table, making the 25 man runs optional.

A big reason?

I'm tired of having to spend time in game with people I'd rather not deal with. Especially the egomaniac guild officers who tend to make up the upper echelons of a lot of middling raiding guilds.

been there, done that. and when its all said and done, it wasn't worth dealing with to get a few extra 0s and 1s next to my name in a database some where.

Instead you and a handful of friends can create a guild, login and run dungeons whenever you're on - regardless of whether there's 1 of you on or 5. And when Cataclysm comes out, it isn't going to be too hard to find 15 or so people who can run the 10 mans together.

[Ratama]

90% of an MMOs content sits idle waiting for someone to level an alt?  Seems stupid.

I think this is more of an issue with Dikus in general; spending millions of developer/designer hours on content that has an artificial shelf life IS pretty stupid.

Not as stupid as any idea that adds more grind between yourself and being able to play with your friends/family's chars, though.

[Minvaren]

Closed beta has officially begun according to Blizzard...

Cue fake beta emails in 3, 2, 1...

[Malakili]

90% of an MMOs content sits idle waiting for someone to level an alt?  Seems stupid.

I think this is more of an issue with Dikus in general; spending millions of developer/designer hours on content that has an artificial shelf life IS pretty stupid.

Not as stupid as any idea that adds more grind between yourself and being able to play with your friends/family's chars, though.

Well, thats the trick.  As long as people have bars to fill people will keep chasing the carrot, and stay subscribed to the game.  I've noticed a growing trend of people questioning why there are even level systems to begin with in lots of games lately.   Frankly I've been more or less done with RPGs and MMORPGs especially (but not exclusively)lately simply because I just can't be fucked to level up AGAIN in another game.   Its a fairly major switch for me, as RPGs have been my favorite genre for over a decade, but maybe i'm just burnt out on the concept at this point.

[Simond]

http://cata.wowhead.com/item=53412

 

[Sjofn]

God, even the goblin quest rewards are fucking awesome. Arrrrrrrrgh, why did we have to pick Alliance all those years ago!

Oh right, because they had dwarves.

[koro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQqIPjT9ulM&feature=player_embedded

Female Worgen /flirts. Let's see how many of these survive to see Live.

[Sjofn]

Holy shit are the troll feral forms ugly. The bear ones are slightly less hideous than the cat but wow. Colorblind artist guy is in FULL EFFECT.


EDIT: Maybe you'd like a link! http://static.mmo-champion.com/mmoc/images/news/2010/cataclysm/cataclysm_models/cataclysm_druid_troll_bear.jpg

http://static.mmo-champion.com/mmoc/images/news/2010/cataclysm/cataclysm_models/cataclysm_druid_troll_cat.jpg

[caladein]

I kind of think I want to stay a Tauren Druid now... .

[Musashi]

Haha.  Those are awesome.

[apocrypha]

Dear god! I automatically twitched my mouse hand to apply a hue/saturation layer to those 

[Nevermore]

Holy shit are the troll feral forms ugly. The bear ones are slightly less hideous than the cat but wow. Colorblind artist guy is in FULL EFFECT.


EDIT: Maybe you'd like a link! http://static.mmo-champion.com/mmoc/images/news/2010/cataclysm/cataclysm_models/cataclysm_druid_troll_bear.jpg

http://static.mmo-champion.com/mmoc/images/news/2010/cataclysm/cataclysm_models/cataclysm_druid_troll_cat.jpg

I just saw those and came here to post the same thing.  Dear God those forms are hideous. 

The worgen ones look good, though.

[Sjofn]

So far the best part of the NDA dropping is all the BUT SYLVANNAS ISN'T EVIL HONEST people losing their shit because oh oops she totally fucking is. And they're acting like it came out of no where, as if the Forsaken starter quests didn't have you poisoning and plaguing from level 6 or so. 

[caladein]

The Forsaken are totally assholes, and that's what I kind of like(d) about them.  It's race that can't decide if it's the Black Knight or just a bunch of badasses.  At this point though, with the Horde going through its angst-y phase, I'm not sure I like doubling down on that part of their character.

Still, LOL LORE and all that.

Edit: Its, not it's.

[Rasix]

Closed beta has officially begun according to Blizzard...

Cue fake beta emails in 3, 2, 1...

I've gotten 4 so far.

[Sjofn]

Sylvannas plaguing anything that moves (and some stuff that doesn't) seems entirely in character and a completely logical next step for her, provided you weren't heavily invested in fooling yourself that she barely had anything to do with its development and she would never ever REALLY kill everything on the planet even though that's been the Forsaken's Mission Statement from day one. Some of the other shit she's pulling is even more hilariously evil, and I look forward to people trying to rationalize the shit out of it.

[Simond]

Can you clarify? Are you talking about using the plague despite what Warchief Pinhead said, the recruiting of errant Val'kyr to raise the dead as new Forsaken, eradicating that Stormwind-occupied military outpost known as Southshore, or killing Prince Galen Trollbane and then, ahem, 'recruiting' him to the Horde?

[Mattemeo]

Oh, HAI Baron Ünderbheit!

[Sjofn]

Can you clarify? Are you talking about using the plague despite what Warchief Pinhead said, the recruiting of errant Val'kyr to raise the dead as new Forsaken, eradicating that Stormwind-occupied military outpost known as Southshore, or killing Prince Galen Trollbane and then, ahem, 'recruiting' him to the Horde?

So raising new undead? That's fine? No problems raising people against their will to serve you? Not a single precious qualm about that?

You're adorable. <3

[El Gallo]

Can you clarify? Are you talking about using the plague despite what Warchief Pinhead said, the recruiting of errant Val'kyr to raise the dead as new Forsaken, eradicating that Stormwind-occupied military outpost known as Southshore, or killing Prince Galen Trollbane and then, ahem, 'recruiting' him to the Horde?

So raising new undead? That's fine? No problems raising people against their will to serve you? Not a single precious qualm about that?

You're adorable. <3

Killing is OK, but using the spare parts left behind isn't?

[Lakov_Sanite]

I think he's asking for the details of what happens in the expansion that makes sylvannus evil(er)


EDIT:  So I looked it up and on the expac sylvannus has recruited leftover val'kyr to raise already dead corpses as forsaken(minds intact).  Now while I'm not sure this counts as a good act it doesn't seem wholly puppy killing evil either.(except for the parts where they kill worgen)  Basically they are trying to procreate(eww) and they are picking the lesser of two evils, since its actually ~worse~ if they go around giving people the plague. This way they're just digging up some corpses.

edit2 spoilered text between garrogh and sylvy

[Musashi]

Three factions next expansion.  Totally calling it now.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Three factions would be neat but is going to be near impossible for them to manage.

[Bzalthek]

If they keep their static faction system, then yes, it will be impossible to manage.  People would be pissed if their characters were suddenly enemies to half their guild.

However, it would be plausible if they make the factions more malleable and allow for "traitors."  They'd have to get rid of the language barrier though.

[Rendakor]

They'd just make the language barrier faction-specific. It wouldn't make sense for traitor-orcs not to be able to talk to Horde-orcs, but then, it doesn't make sense now that living humans speak common but undead humans speak orcish.

[caladein]

The female Blood Elf salute is what turns this from morally questionable to awesome.

More generally, I wouldn't be surprised if this just worked out the same way as well... the last two expansions.  "Oh no, the Alliance and Horde are coming to blows.  Wait, over there, a new big bad!  Let's all work together, yaaaaaaaaaaaay."

[Lantyssa]

Finally.  About time Sylvanas acted like an undead monstrosity.

[Lakov_Sanite]

I'm trying hard to think of how the factions could be split three way(I doubt they'd do four) but blood elves and undead being together I would think is a given. Also, I hear vol'jin is getting very pissy at the orcs now. so it might be ud/be/troll and goblins/orc/tauren


edit to add new version of garrosh that looks decidedly less douchy

[Ingmar]

It seems unlikely to me they'd ever do something that would, you know, blow up everyone's guids.

In any case story-wise elves+trolls in the same faction without the orcs and taurens mediating would be kind of ridiculous.