I see nothing drasticly new with the cataclysm expansion when it comes down to it. All they are trying to do is create a new launch for the same game with a different paintjob. It has the same graphics engine, same combat mechanics, same quest mechanics, same classes. They made 2 races playable that were already in the game. The ONLY thing that caught my eye was new class/race combinations but couldn't find any links to specifics about which combinations were going to be changed. But even still, I doubt they are adding gnome druids.

They should of been making the current client more diverse instead of trying to pull a SWG NGE. Meaning, for example, it would of been nice to have A LOT more variety in character customization and also complete variety in which faction you join because in the lore, humans like the lich king(before being undead) character, joined over to the horde side and there were other races like Tauren who weren't originally with the horde who later joined them among others.

The game can be simple and still allow for individuality. { Mod Edit }. No, I don't subscribe. I cancelled after I realized the previous statement. The advertised expansion holds no interest for me until WoW can take responsibility and help the gaming community get back a better reputation for producing creative and inspiring media without catoring to haters and brain-dead gamers without ambition.

 First, the new race/class combos can be seen by clicking on the link "Class Combinations" at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/features/ (because the site is flash-run, it doesn't use a separate URL than the one I just linked to).

Secondly, the new expansion is more than a re-skinned Azeroth. They're updating the graphics of Azeroth to match that of WotLK, as well as updating Azeroth with new features that have been added in the expansions which were previously limited only to the expansion areas. They're also adding tons of new quests. And completely new zones. If every expansion needs a new class and radically new game mechanics, then I hope you aren't satisfied with most expansions from most other games either. Most are just new zones and raid content.

Edit: I don't subscribe either.

If I had a game with 11 million subscribers, I would change it as little as possible. If 11 million people want to pay for the same old watered-down crap, I would deliver the same old watered-down crap with a smile. Then I'd go home and sleep on my huge piles of money.

Originally posted by bonobotheory

If I had a game with 11 million subscribers, I would change it as little as possible. If 11 million people want to pay for the same old watered-down crap, I would deliver the same old watered-down crap with a smile. Then I'd go home and sleep on my huge piles of money.

That's the thing though, it's like they are trying to re-invent the game when it is successful already. My point is they should, if anything, add more depth and detail to existing features, not re-do artwork and re-write the whole thing pretty much.

I tried logging into the trial today but it's been so long couldn't remember trial restrictions on talking to others because I couldn't get anyone to reply to me to ask simple questions about the current state of the game. Only reminds me of the typical self-centeredness I always found on any of the servers before. Which is part of the reason I left, because it got old when you can't even ask a simple question without either being ignored or getting a smart-arse reply.

Which basicly says to me it's a failed trial if I can't even ask current players info and I am sure as heck not going to reactivate my account just to ask a couple questions and find out the game is still as bland as a sunday comic compared to a graphic novel.

For the love of god people need to stop referring to this as an "NGE". It is nothing like the NGE at all.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

For the love of god people need to stop referring to this as an "NGE". It is nothing like the NGE at all.

wow..thanks for the in-depth well thought reply...

• Hunters and locks will have different resource mechanics, hunters get focus, warlocks get 3 shards per fight they have to manage and use wisley. 
• Talent trees are being redone and will work different, no more +5% dmg talents, instead we get interesting/fun talents such as "warrior: charge has a 50% chance to knock back the target".
• Path of the titans is a character advancment system that kicks in at level 85 and gives you 10 stages of advancement.
• New abiltiies for some crafters to "reforge", redistribute stats on gear, example: gear has 50agi but 0stamina, a reforger can take some of the agi points and add them as stamina.

Thats 4 things that will change the way most people play, spec and gear their toons.

Originally posted by bonobotheory

If I had a game with 11 million subscribers, I would change it as little as possible. If 11 million people want to pay for the same old watered-down crap, I would deliver the same old watered-down crap with a smile. Then I'd go home and sleep on my huge piles of money.

lol yeah pretty much

Originally posted by Czanrei

I see nothing drasticly new with the cataclysm expansion when it comes down to it. All they are trying to do is create a new launch for the same game with a different paintjob. It has the same graphics engine,

Same? Well it's got the same name. Updated? Very much so. Blizzard constantly updates their graphics engines. Look closely at the expansion lands as compared to the original areas from the first release. They look subtly different. That's because the expansions took full advantage of changes and optimizations of the graphics engine updates. Instead of just updating the old zones they're completely redoing them. It's not just a coat of paint it's a trip to the body and fender shop for customization. It's an expensive process, almost as expensive as making those zones in the first place. That's ok, they have the money. I wish some of the older games had the ability to do that. Maybe people would still be playing them. New coat of paint and all.

Originally posted by Czanrei

Originally posted by bonobotheory

If I had a game with 11 million subscribers, I would change it as little as possible. If 11 million people want to pay for the same old watered-down crap, I would deliver the same old watered-down crap with a smile. Then I'd go home and sleep on my huge piles of money.

 

That's the thing though, it's like they are trying to re-invent the game when it is successful already. My point is they should, if anything, add more depth and detail to existing features, not re-do artwork and re-write the whole thing pretty much.

I tried logging into the trial today but it's been so long couldn't remember trial restrictions on talking to others because I couldn't get anyone to reply to me to ask simple questions about the current state of the game. Only reminds me of the typical self-centeredness I always found on any of the servers before. Which is part of the reason I left, because it got old when you can't even ask a simple question without either being ignored or getting a smart-arse reply.

 

Which basicly says to me it's a failed trial if I can't even ask current players info and I am sure as heck not going to reactivate my account just to ask a couple questions and find out the game is still as bland as a sunday comic compared to a graphic novel.

You do realize that's EXACTLY what they're doing right? They're adding more depth/redoing artwork etc.

As well as adding new features, races, zones, etc?

 Why are you even here OP? Do you think you add something new and exciting to the discussion, you should, judging by your standards. 

It's more WoW for people who like WoW. Incremental changes at incremental speed, it's exactly the oposite of NGE.

WoW expansions were never about radical changes.

Well either way, people are lapping it up. Where there's demand...

 I think it might be fun to play 1-85 on a new server (assuming they release some). Re-working Azeroth would make that a blast. Whether it could hold me long-term  is less likely.

If you see nothing new in Cataclysm, then I'm sorry, but you must be blind. Two new races, new race/class combinations, all of the classic zones being revamped, 3 new BGs, new skills, the list goes on.  Personally, I like that we're being put back on Azeroth instead of being thrown into a new continent/dimension to further thin out the player population and make things seem even more desolate to new players.If you had said this about WOTLK, then yes, I actually agree with that, Wrath was a bland expansion that I still haven't even bothered with and from what it sounds like, I'm not missing much.

Cataclysm on the other hand has me very excitied. And this is coming from somebody who usually thinks WoW is overrated. I think it's really laughable the way people want to compare this expansion to the NGE. If you really want to know how players feel about the changes, there was a strong positive reception at Blizzcon, so I think everything is pretty safe.

I'm glad they are making some changes to the game, it needs it imho. But let's be realistic about focus that Hunters are getting. If you watch the panel videos about it, it's descirbed to function basicly the same as power did but with a diff name and even seems to be more costly. Granted, the soul shards feature will be more useful to Warlocks but only being able to have 3 shards at a time kind of seems limiting.

Everything they said they are adding is for the sake of "fun" as they kept saying over and over. What are they designing it for kindergarten students that they have to dumb everything down so far? They are insinuating that the current gamers in WoW don't have the patience or ability to concentrate on the current skill systems so they are making everything more "fun" so they will play longer. Seriously watch the videos from the panel and notice how they keep playing off the word "fun".

Of course I expect the expansion to draw some old players and new ones back to WoW but what does that say about their ability to reason if they just automaticly get sucked in by a new shiny? There are a few new additions to WoW in the expansion but the majority of it seems to me to be smoke & mirrors. The only reason they are pushing the release back to 2010 is because they don't want to compete with the fall release of several other mmo's.

They know they can suck the gullible ones back after they launch in the spring. 3 weeks after the launch the same tired fanbois will be whining, claiming the new WoW is too hard  or too easy and will start cancelling all over again. Eventually Blizz will pay the price because they keep trying to cater to those same gamers with the attention span of a doormouse. Since the expansion isn't coming out for a few months, fans have plenty of time to send a message to Blizz that they don't want to be played down to and treated like 5 yr olds with a rattle being waved in their face. Hopefully Blizz will listen to their forums from those fans and add content worth experiencing.

Originally posted by UWNVME

If you see nothing new in Cataclysm, then I'm sorry, but you must be blind. Two new races, new race/class combinations, all of the classic zones being revamped, 3 new BGs, new skills, the list goes on.  Personally, I like that we're being put back on Azeroth instead of being thrown into a new continent/dimension to further thin out the player population and make things seem even more desolate to new players.If you had said this about WOTLK, then yes, I actually agree with that, Wrath was a bland expansion that I still haven't even bothered with and from what it sounds like, I'm not missing much.

Cataclysm on the other hand has me very excitied. And this is coming from somebody who usually thinks WoW is overrated. I think it's really laughable the way people want to compare this expansion to the NGE. If you really want to know how players feel about the changes, there was a strong positive reception at Blizzcon, so I think everything is pretty safe.

 

I watched all the vids from the panel, there was NOT a strong reaction from the fans there. Half the time it sounded like Blizz had to keep waking them up with "light-up applause signs" to get them to clap everytime they announced something they called new. There was only a immediate reaction of clapping maybe twice during the whole panel. The rest of the time there was a lot of hesitating.

:Edited for spelling

- Path of the titans is a character advancment system that kicks in at level 85 and gives you 10 stages of advancement.

Kinda like Champ Levels in DAoC?

- New abiltiies for some crafters to "reforge", redistribute stats on gear, example: gear has 50agi but 0stamina, a reforger can take some of the agi points and add them as stamina.

Kinda like the Arcane Transmuter in Runes of Magic?

Watch out, those rascally guys at Blizzard are redefining the genre again!
 

Originally posted by Abisbowa

Watch out, those rascally guys at Blizzard are redefining the genre again!
 

The point isn't to redefine the genre, at all. It's just to add more content to the game, simple as that. Add some stuff here, change this, and there you go... Cataclysm. In fact your post doesn't really make a lot fo sense. You could say, "Armor in WoW? Kind of like how they have armor in DAoC!" and that just isn't a real solid argument. You can't bitch about that fact that MMOs are ALWAYS going to share the same templates and all, so theres no point to bring it up.

Even though I have pretty much hated on WoW for the past 8 months since I quit after WotLK, I must admit most of these changes are quite innovative and are attractive to me as an ex-player. I have already resubbed.

Welcome to the gaming world where expansions build on a current game, instead of creating a new one.

I can think of two expansions that totally went the opposite direction of the game, and ruined the game for fans and the company. ToA for DAoC and PoP for EQ.  Not to mention NGE for Star Wars. Are you sure you want expansion to create a totally new game? Think before you type.