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World of Warcraft - What's to Come in Patch 3.0
MMORPG.com World of Warcraft Correspondent Alex Howells writes this story about Patch 3.0, the lead-in update for the newest expansion, Wrath of the Lich King.
With Wrath of the Lich King (also known as WotLK) seemingly a few months away from release, it would have surprised many World of Warcraft players to hear that another major content patch is to be released prior to the expansion. The details of patch 3.0 were recently outlined; its aim being to ensure a seamless transition between the current game and the content of WotLK (well, that's the aim). Such was the case shortly before the release of The Burning Crusade, but it is interesting to note that patch 3.0 does in fact offer a couple of the features advertised as part of Wrath of the Lich King.
;)
The most notable of these is the introduction of Inscription. Inscription, as some of you may already be aware, is a profession that appeared to be an integral part of WotLK. It was flashed up alongside the main aspects of the expansion, which include the raising of the level cap to 80, the introduction of the continent of Northrend and the debut of siege warfare in player-versus-player combat. Inscription is designed to 'give players even more specialization options beyond the talent trees', according to Lead Game Designer Jeff Kaplan. Players who take up the profession will be able to increase the power of skills and spells. This could come in several forms, for example the ability to add components to already-existing spells. This alone would open up a whole world of new possibilities, with Inscribers able to do dazzling things ranging from adding knockback to Mind Blast to adding a damage-over-time component to Frostbolt. These finer details are predominantly speculation at this stage, but it has already been confirmed that any player will be able to use items created by an Inscriber. Mixed messages have been relayed regarding the form that Inscription-created items will take, though it is rumored that the form will be that of scrolls, which an Inscriber could then place on the Auction House if they so wish. Something that has definitely been confirmed is the sub-skill that will accompany Inscription: Milling. Milling will act in the same way that Prospecting does for Jewelcrafting, and is designed to allow the Inscriber to break herbs into reagents, which can then be used for Inscription recipes.
;)
I'm sure you will agree that a lot of thought and ingenuity appears to have gone into the profession of Inscription, making it all-the-more surprising that it will be an aspect of patch 3.0 rather than WotLK. However, it is not the only feature to see a pre-expansion introduction. Many were excited by the prospect of customizable hair when it was first outlined. It was recently confirmed that this will also be a part of the patch. As a result, patch 3.0 will see the arrival of barbershops in all capital cities. However, this is not quite as surprising as the inclusion of Inscription. Not that long ago a Blizzard employee on the official forums stated that there are 'no plans at this time to exclude people from using a cosmetic feature like this', indicating that it would be available to all players, regardless of whether they have purchased any expansion packs. This will go a long way to counter claims that World of Warcraft lacks character customization, and should offer players the chance to browse a number of different hairstyles before deciding on one. Of course Blizzard doesn't miss a chance to include a bit of humor - the Stormwind Barber Shop was apparently owned at one time by Sween Neetod. Rest assured that a friendly Goblin named Naznik Sharpshear has since taken his place.
;)
These two features alone make patch 3.0 an enthralling prospect, but there's more still. Quite incredibly the free patch will feature TWO new arenas which will apparently include moving obstacles. Zeppelin stations will also pop up in various new locations, hunters will receive a 'revamp' skill for their pets, and Stormwind Harbor (the point of travel from Azeroth to Northrend in WotLK) will become accessible. Guild calendars will also arrive, and it has been confirmed that new class spells and abilities are to be introduced, though details of them have not yet been revealed.
So then, on to the important question - when will the patch be applied? It has already been effectively confirmed that Blizzard is aiming for a release date of October, November or December of this year for the expansion. This leaves little time for the deployment of the patch without WotLK seeing a postponement to 2009. It is therefore encouraging that that 3.0 should be on the Player Test Realms (PTRs) 'soon', according to Tigole (Jeff Kaplan's forum-based alter ego). However, there is also an indication that there is a lot of testing to be done on the patch and as a result, it might not find its way onto public servers for around another two months. However, it is a promising sign that all posts in the European PTR forums have been wiped in preparation for the period of testing.
The introduction of so many apparently key features may leave you asking why Blizzard isn't saving them for Wrath of the Lich King. I certainly do not know the answer, and I'm not sure that any non-Blizzard employee does, but we can make some educated guesses. Perhaps the features are intended to entice players and further encourage them to purchase the expansion. Patch 3.0 would therefore be a case of 'if you like this new content, just wait until you see what we're offering in WotLK'. Conversely, it may be intended to demonstrate that Blizzard is not solely interested in making as much profit as feasibly possible, and does in fact care about the World of Warcraft player-base. If this is reality, the patch should serve to let players know that they don't HAVE to purchase expansion packs to enjoy new content (although there is no doubting that Blizzard would prefer it if they did). Alternatively, patch 3.0 could in fact be a device utilized to soften the blow of a yet-to-be-announced Wrath of the Lich King delay. All speculation aside, World of Warcraft players are sure to get a big chunk of exciting, free content coming their way sometime soon.
heheh its getting hot beneath blizzards feet ?
"This will go a long way to counter claims that World of Warcraft lacks character customization"
Oh come on, you've got to be kidding?
Though some may not like WoW, I must admit that that is a pretty awesome patch they have planned.
Sounds like they are working hard to stem the flow of players over to Warhammer.
To be honest I thought the 3.0 patch would be hitting next week along with the release of WAR. I am not so sure anymore this will be the case.
It said it should be hitting public test realms "Soon"..when blizzard says soon it usually means within the decade...maybe.
What gets me on this patch though some of the things they are includeding in the patch were supposed to be in the expansion, the inscription profession, new custo. hairstyles etc doesent that seem kind of a rip off for 40$ or 50$ bucks to pay for a chunk of new land and a new class? because with the patch your getting the other stuff for free.........
Awesome. Blizzard sure does know how to treat their player base. This will be a nice holdover for awhile until we get WoTLK.
"Oh come on, you've got to be kidding?"
My thoughts exactly. How is hair, which you can't even see as anyone lvl 20+ is wearing a helmet 24/7, a customization option to appease the masses. People aren't complaining about hair options. What people are concerned about, and the reason that I'm trying out other games, is that nearly everyone you see has a copy/pasted character build.
Yea, they're adding talents, 10 levels, and a new chunk of land. But it's still the same blah WoW they've been panhandling for the past 4 years. Because of the cookie cutter classes, and the focus on gear, everyone ends up in the same spot. So why bother making people level? Give them the items, and see if they can beat Illidan.
Like a pet gerbil running on an exercise wheel, people will eat this crap up unless they're shown something different. I know quite a few people who continue to play WoW solely because they've got obscene amounts of time spent on their characters. I approach it as, I'm paying $15/month anyhow, I may as well play something that doesn't require me to grind badges to get the new item, so I can get to the next dungeon to grind badges again...
Well, look at it this way, those are only samples people can check out before the expansion comes out. For instance, Inscription, without the expansion pack, you wont be able to get it past 375 the same with the other proffesions. They did the same thing with TBC before it came out.
YAY, can't wait to redo my hair. /sarcasm off
Inscriptions: cool, now we can have more threads in the forums asking: What is the best inscription to use with this spell, this spec.
WoW is a series of copy/paste specs... copy/paste armor... but now at least their hair will be different.
GL WotLK: The odds are against you in the fight of getting me to renew my account.
I think you have Blizzard confused with FailCom.
I sure wouldn't use the word ingenuity to describe any aspect of WoW's braindead crafting system.
Was the editor on vacation here? The writing style in this article doesn't flow well at all. It's like someone took a bullet point list of features and wrote an article to fit them. To the writer, please do not write so much from the perspective of authority. It comes off as condescending.
I am a big fan of MMO's and a big fan of WoW its one of the best games made by Blizz but now WoW isn't the same game i started to play few years ago big pre TBC fan.I have tryed some MMO's and found out that i was grinding even more than i did in WoW and didnt get the half of that in WOW and the fact that pissed me off the most was that in WoW it was more fun you get your nice conection nice pvp no lag ppl speak Eng at leats 80% of them.Most of you remember the time when you started to play you didn't want to go to bed and end up playing to sun rise you cant play somthing so much and not get bored.And for WotLK it's going to be nice there was a post here that explained that there is going to more than one new chars(demon hunter,blade master,death knight) and some new stuff so i will give it a try for old time sake.
I honestly don't care if you think I'm stupid, dull, a "carebear," or your grandma's left shoe - I think the hair thing is pretty cool (you DON'T have to show your helmet if you don't want to, previous poster); and the expansion of the capital city; and a new profession.
It must be sad to be so consumed with hatred for a game that actually works.
I don't hate WoW. I prefer other things. WoW worked for me for a while, but before long I found myself logging in and mostly just talking to friends and family who play the game as well.
What I don't understand is this sentence. "It must be sad to be so consumed with hatred for a game that actually works."
Consumed with hatred? No. Far from it. My opinion differs from yours. That is all. If you enjoy what WoW brings to the table, I'm not going to hold it against you. When you get the chance though, I'd recommend trying out a few other games if you haven't already. There are a lot of MMOs which offer experiences vastly different from WoW. This has been my experience.
In my original post I was pointing out how empty the article is. It was all fluff and fodder, nothing to actually think about or discuss. It was a nice summary of old news, but whether it deserves to be front page news is debatable. Back to your wheel now little gerbil, if you're good and keep your helmet on you'll get a carrot before bed.
Games not for me....Too much gear grind, then they just raise level caps so its a continous gear grind.
Your dumb if they think no one cares, On the majority of my characters, I never show my helmet, I know tons of poeple the same way. The helmets majority of the time are ugly as all get out. They are comming out with the new talents in this patch too, its the same thing they did with TBC expansion.
They release a patch, with the items given to everyone, so the expansion fits right in there. Only difference with this pre-wotlk patch and the pre-TBC patch is that they let you do the profession with out the expansion.
I don't understand some people, feeling jipped for paying for an expansion just when they giving stuff for free. Its giving parts of the expansion that people with out the expansion need, talents, charcter changes ect. Really, I swear most of you are trolls
My educated guess...
I think it is the best decision for the business side of the house . However, from the game play slash consumer perspective, it may be a very risky decision.
Now hear me out before you go ape shit on me. The features they announced are many great core features that are selling points for the expansion. Them making this announcement has actually blown me away. Unless they have an ace up their sleeve and have a secret sideshow... they may be hurting the expansion.
The expansion would be merely 10 more levels, Wintergrasp (PvP), a Deathknight, a handfull of 5 mans, a couple raids, and more faction. Seems kind of weak in my opinon, that will get old fast and the burnout syndrome will come quicker than TBC.
Also it will mess with WAR subscriptions to some degree. Many people are going to play WAR as a temporary filler while they wait for their beloved Blizzard:WoTLK. Im one of these individuals as well as my whole guild.
I will not ramble on any longer, at the end of the day it is a left wing move.
Your dumb if they think no one cares, On the majority of my characters, I never show my helmet, I know tons of poeple the same way. The helmets majority of the time are ugly as all get out. They are comming out with the new talents in this patch too, its the same thing they did with TBC expansion.
They release a patch, with the items given to everyone, so the expansion fits right in there. Only difference with this pre-wotlk patch and the pre-TBC patch is that they let you do the profession with out the expansion.
I don't understand some people, feeling jipped for paying for an expansion just when they giving stuff for free. Its giving parts of the expansion that people with out the expansion need, talents, charcter changes ect. Really, I swear most of you are trolls
Isn't that the point of the expansion? If people feel they need it, they buy the expansion? If I can get it without the expansion, why bother to buy it? Armor and weapons? Players will sell them, so I can buy them. PvP gear? I don't PvP, so no need. A new land? Frankly, I'm still unimpressed with Outland.
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
No, the point of an expansion, is to all a huge chunk of the world, with mutliple changes and to make more money for your MMO. If you can get basic character class changes with out tha expansion that are constantly being updated and done anyway?
Your unimpressed with out lands? Okay your point? You don't want to buy it to get all the new stuff then don't. Players selling new weapons so you can buy them? You do still need the expansion to reach level 80 to use those new equipment that people will sell. Thing with wow expansions is they are just totally remaking the game and are totally required for any serious player. If you don't need the expansion right away, they have this patch, gives you things that must be changed like the class fixes and revamps. Its not like this will hurt the expansion in anyway, far from it, lets people feel some of the changings comming.
Really what all you people should be complaining about WOTLK is like what TBC did with old wow, makes what ever came before totally obsolete. Outlands, all these blues you have been farming obsolete. This part of it is not what an expansion should be. Hell, they even make old wow more obsolete by letting your start a character at level 50.
More lame carrots to dangle in front of the addicts. I wouldn't be surprised if they pushed the expansion to Q1. They've already missed the release of WAR by a longshot, no point in pushing it out when you've got so many people continuing to pay while they do....well...exactly the same thing they've been doing in game for the past year+ straight. Ugh.
FYI, my account is cancelled until about 1 week after the expansion hits the shelves.
2 new arenas! ZOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /reactivatesnot
Just cracks me up, all the War people have not realized yet that War is so much like Wow it is not even funny.
Going to be a great update.
i imagine they're trying to steal a little thunder from warhammer soon release.
i played wow for 3yrs. and have been playing war beta for a month now....theres alot of differences.
The 3.0.1 - TBC - USMX patch is now downloadable via the WOW launcher in the background as you play or after you exit.
I have checked fileplanet and a few others and it is not released there yet. So as to when it will go live I have no idea. But I have heard possible next week!
WO beta started today...FYI.
Sheesh. All the WoW haters and WAR fanbois is almost making me wish WAR fails. Are there any forums that encourage solid argumentation and constructive discussions these days, or is "game A sux a garden hose" and "game B is the best thing since pie" the pinnacle of MMOG players' evolution?
No, Mythic, relax. I'm still on your side. Go hit that 2 mill subscriber number, please. Just some of your fans (and a lot of Blizzard fans too, btw, and Turbine fans, and...) that really ought to chill. ;-)
I think that, even without the release of Warhammer and other new MMOs, it's a good idea to give some content to players that may want to continue playing but are not necessarily considering getting the expansion. I always felt they needed to accasionally add pre lvl 60 content for those players levelling yet another alt or for players not interested in BC.
I don't think there is any appeasing going on necessarily. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and just assume they're giving something to the players. I, for one, have probably burnt myself out on that game and probably won't get the expansion. We'll see if a new MMO can keep me entertained enough to avoid it.
i am downloading 3.0 now. I am guessing it will go live next tuesday.
Does anyone really think that someone isn't going to buy wraith because they are getting haircuts without the expansion.
The expansion is about 10 new levels, new lands and Death Knights. The rest of the stuff is fluff that won't make a single person 'not' buy the expansion by giving it to players for free.
This is just a company with 10.9M subscribers (5M in NA and Europe) who doesn't feel the need to hype the expansion. They know the majority of players are going to buy it because they enjoy WOW.
Nods. Anything other than new lands, levels and talents isn't expansion material its for the game as a whole.
I don't think patch 3 will be ready by Sept 18 but frankly WoW prints money... they will not risk that to beat WAR to market. That and WAR is a good MMO, no doubt, but its just another good MMO in a long line of good MMOs. It will take a great MMO to challenge WoW in the 1 million+ sub game.
i cant wait for this new patch i wanna try the new character customization.
UNinstalled WoW a few days ago. It's done. it's old and repetitive for me and the CSR's don't care. bnet kiddies are the future.
bye Bliz.
Oh and one more thing transfers to PvP servers from PvE servers.
lol bloody noobs. Your pvp servers are the same old boring crap all your pvp is.
WAR Sunday 7:00pm here we come
actually, I think releasing the expansion later is even better marketingwise. almost everybody is checking out WAR - with the "average" retention rate of 2 months wotlk will be right there when ppl start getting bored in war. not to mention all the ppl who buy a war box and just play the free month that comes with it.
when war get's old and the fresh paint has dried lotro and wow will have their expansions out, other mmos are getting new starter islands/updates to capture the "new" mmo players out there. imho the worst thing you can do is try to compete with the war-launch. I'd bet 3.0 comes mid october (month after WAR) and wotlk around early-mid november.
or, as someone pointed out, it's just to soften the blow that wotlk comes 2009.
Irony?
Nah, unless Blizzard is so worried about Warhammer and means to skip the PTR phase altogether (which could be disastrous); they are indeed late, they can't make anything go live in time for Warhammer's launch, so they're rushing ahead and introducing desperate* measure like the PvE->PvP transfers.
patches hit the downloader several weeks before it goes live anyway, and it's never the whole thing all at once (gives everybody time to gather it beforehand, etc). Right now we're downloading the bulk of models and textures, not the final settings (talents and such).
* = Not because I necessarily oppose it, but rather because Blizzard said over and over it would never happen for a strong set of reasons, "suddendly" that all went out the window.
Sure Inscription sounds awesome. But besides that does anything else really entice you? Not me. Hair customization, should've been in a long time ago. Sure WotLK sounds like a cool expansion, but with War I won't have time for it. Unless of course I don't want a life, which is what Blizz really wants.
Do you really expect people to want to read your crap color text?
Do you really expect people to want to read your crap color text?
Talk to a doctor, your crap shouldn't be pink.
Not that this matters: I have played WoW many times. I did not play on release, I chose EQ2... which was fun, but was rushed, and thus failed @ launch. I didn't have the willpower to stick it out until it became stable. I had 2 60s pre BC, sold that account and went back to EQ2. Then 3 70s post BC. Sold that account, stumbled around EQ2, EQ1 progression, DAoC, CABAL, LOTRO, you name it. >> 3 more 70s on WoW. Sold that, CS:S'd, AoC'd for a while. Resub'd to WoW to play with a friend, canceled again.
My reasons for disliking WoW (not hating) are as follows.
:Lack of Originality. Doesn't it seem odd that Blizzard manages to have all of the distinguishing concepts of ALL others games, about the same time that those games come out? WoW at launch was a noobed down version of EQ1... with a minor graphical update. Expansions are basically like Blizzard reaching their hand into each new game, and snagging its core concept, dumbing it down, and throwing into WoW as a side-game.
:Everything is a time-sink. Cap on arena points per week, lockout timers, gear checks. The timeline is not playerdriven. You either progress at a decent rate (hardcore - semi hardcore guilds), or you miss out on the action before the new expansion. Minor upgrades from PVP arena seasons... Dangling that carrot.
:Gear > Skill. This mixed with point 2 = Time > Skill.
:PVP = cookie-cutter combos. Nearly impossible to make an oddball combo succeed. Therefor playing with friends is a game of hit or miss.... did they make the right class to coop with yours? Do you want to play with friends, or do good? Pick one.
I like WoW, I've played it A LOT! But as soon as another option opens, I try it out and cross my fingers that it will hold my attention longer then WoW... because IMO, there is a lot of room for improvements.
I see alot of posts here about how excited and happy people are with blizz for this upcomming free content...Am I the only one that see's that this is not free? One thing that has really jaded me with wow is that very factor. I pay $15 a month and outside of 3 actual content updates in 4 years all i get is a tuesday morning away from the game and CONSTANT "balancing". I don't really call balancing totally rehashing classes but whatever.
I just am really turned off by the amount of revenue this game has generated vs. how far the game has progressed. To top it off it takes four years to get a new class but with the state of "balance" now there goes any hopes of content not loaded on a new disk. DK's are going to hit BG's and the tears will flow. Its a game based on grouping and gearing at its core. But with all this carrot on a stick pvp purples its taking over the pve servers also. I was on a 50 level paladin of mine not that long ago and was looking for a sunken temple group. Every player in the queue was either a rogue, hunter or (i can't tank i do dmg) arms warrior.
I tried WAR but i'm not on the boat with that game. World of roguecraft has me extremely jaded. Thank god the force unleashed is comming soon.
Have to disagree with ya there, ThePhil. Customization of *any* kind to a toon is a HUGE selling point in a MMO. People like to be able to customize their toons...period. The more customization, the better. To your statement regarding everyone wearing a helmet at lvl 20+? Yeah, for the most part, you're correct. However, there are many that hide helmet, while there are many head pieces that do not cover the entire head. To be honest, the full-head helmets are normally reserved for the mail/full plate armor sets, which still leaves the cloth and leather (headbands anyone?) sets that would, potentially, *show off* that nice haircut! Also, do not forget that there are several RP-ing servers/guilds where this customization will be a huge selling point. Peace.
Look, the sad truth is that BC did hurt the old world dungeons and grouping for old world dungeons. However, that issue *is* being addressed. Some of the old-world dungeons (10-man) are being made 5-man. Loot has been better since previous patches, where bosses now drop guaranteed blue(s). Regarding you not able to find a group for Sunken Temple? Find a good guild and join it. Pug groups are more disappointment that satisfaction, anyway. To be quite honest I'm starting to see more people actually forming groups for dungeons like Dire Maul, Scholomance, and Stratholme (of course could be just a bunch of paladins and warlocks attempting to get epic mounts :P). Even saw someone wanting to go to Blackrock. *shrugs* My friends and I are working on alts and have already decided to *visit* these old-world dungeons just to experience them. We're taking our time and enjoying the scenery so to speak. By the way, my wife and I are playing Warhammer Beta and we love it. But, as most MMO's usually do, we're going to wait a bit for the game to *mature* into itself before we make the move (which, ultimately, we probably will...Warhammer is *that* good imo). I don't want to be one of those that keeps whining about *the good ole days* when you *used to be able to do* this or that....I want to play a good, fun, stable game. And, I've played quite a few and I still keep coming back to WoW. Yes, the crafting is simple. Yes, it's very forgivable on character death. Yes, it is easy at times. But, ya know what? I want it/like it that way. I want the game I play to be *FUN*. I work 5-6 days a week. I don't want to have to *work* on my game. I want to play to have...you guessed it...FUN. For those of you that call yourself the Hardcore Elite Gamers: keep your two-hour corpse runs. Keep your experience-loss-on-toon-death. Keep all that hardcore bs. I'll take the fun :P. Peace.
Since EVERY player will be able to use the new abilities it DOES in fact lessen character customization.You are not customizing something if everyone is the same lol.Allowing every player to use the new scrolls or whatever form they end up taking takes away from CLASS definition.You might as well make a combat system where every class can do everything,that way there is no classes and it;s not even a MMORPG anymore.
That is the purpose of classes ,each has it's own abilities,that gives it definition.You think if everyone in the real world drove the exact same cars and they all had the exact same engines it would be fun/cool? no way.They should have brought in new abilities for EACH class,but in the way they do everything cheap,it was much easier to add very little and let everyone use it.That shows poor effort by there design staff.Some of these new abilities sound VERY powerful,like knockback,i can't see how you can just throw in new powerful attack ideas without re working the combat system.It sounds more to me like they just add things in with no thought at all,they try to guise there actions calling it new content,but it's all done meaningless.That's like adding in SIMS content and football content and everyone can fly in the game content,unless you plan it around the storyline[if there is one]and show some reason and thought into the added content,it looks like amateurs are doing it.
As usual they will build up it's hype and fool there player base as they usually do.....WHOA look at these cool new spells/potions we get..lol.I don't mind across the board stuff if it's in a First person shooter ,because that fits the design of the game and there is no classes.You don't add across the board stuff in a MMORPG and say here everyone can use it,like i said it looks like they were just too lazy to make content for each class,this was the simpler route.
Gear grind....mm'kay.
I'm not really sure why the Warhammer fans think WAR is any different. No...you're not grinding for heroic badges, raiding (necessarily), or grinding for honor marks. No, instead of doing that assortment of things, you'll be grinding for RENOWN. You have to have enough RENOWN to have the "right" to buy your renown rank gear. There are also some PvE dungeons that will have....gear drops. You'll get to roll on them.
Anyway....I tried War out during Preview, then again during OB plus, now again during OB, and....that's what I got for my 50 bucks, because....I won't be playing it. It's the same thing, wrapped in a different "package", so to speak.
Unless something is vastly different, there's no reason for me to leave the characters I have in WoW, the effort and time invested in them, the wonderful people and guild I play with, and all my gold....for....something similar, with RvR instead of BGs, some public quests (admittedly fun), and crafting that is so simplistic that it makes WoW's crafting look like rocket science. No thank you.
If (and WHEN) a game is released that really DOES have a tremendous amount of innovation and really grabs me when I play it....then I'll probably leave WoW. Until then, for me....it's still the most fun thing out there, and I have 4 70s, a 60, and way too many 50 somethings. But strangely enough.....I still find ways to have FUN. Maybe I'm just in a better guild than some people are, or maybe ....we use our imaginations and come UP with creative things to do....idk. But Warhammer just doesn't seem to "do it" for me. Maybe the NEXT big game? Time will tell.
It's not outside of the realm of possibilities for me, to play 2 or more MMOs at a time. I've done it...a lot. So really, with WAR....time will answer a lot for me.
WoW's next patch and the expansion though? I'm all about that, and I WILL, for SURE, be buying and PLAYING that. WoW's already established in my household....we all play it, so....regardless of what all is in the patch....we're still going to be there. :)
Since EVERY player will be able to use the new abilities it DOES in fact lessen character customization.You are not customizing something if everyone is the same lol.Allowing every player to use the new scrolls or whatever form they end up taking takes away from CLASS definition.You might as well make a combat system where every class can do everything,that way there is no classes and it;s not even a MMORPG anymore.
That is the purpose of classes ,each has it's own abilities,that gives it definition.You think if everyone in the real world drove the exact same cars and they all had the exact same engines it would be fun/cool? no way.They should have brought in new abilities for EACH class,but in the way they do everything cheap,it was much easier to add very little and let everyone use it.That shows poor effort by there design staff.Some of these new abilities sound VERY powerful,like knockback,i can't see how you can just throw in new powerful attack ideas without re working the combat system.It sounds more to me like they just add things in with no thought at all,they try to guise there actions calling it new content,but it's all done meaningless.That's like adding in SIMS content and football content and everyone can fly in the game content,unless you plan it around the storyline[if there is one]and show some reason and thought into the added content,it looks like amateurs are doing it.
As usual they will build up it's hype and fool there player base as they usually do.....WHOA look at these cool new spells/potions we get..lol.I don't mind across the board stuff if it's in a First person shooter ,because that fits the design of the game and there is no classes.You don't add across the board stuff in a MMORPG and say here everyone can use it,like i said it looks like they were just too lazy to make content for each class,this was the simpler route.
Sorry, I disagree. Character customization allows a player (count 'em...one player) to customize his/her player to his/her preferences. That is customization by definition. So what if I customize my toon, and then you customize your toon only to discover that we chose identical avenues during our customization? I customized mine, and you customized yours. That they are similar/identical changes nothing regarding the PROCESS of customization. Now, it may not be ORIGINAL but everyone can't be different. Also, I completely disagree that every class can use the same thing (concerning the new inscribe). Blizzard has not only brought new talents to EACH class IN ADDITION to the inscribe ability/skill that will allow people the ability to CUSTOMIZE existing abilities, making each class build unique (depending on the player). Of course there are only going to be a limited amount of different builds. That's inevitable. But, you cannot deny that this opens up many avenues of venture concerning classes/skills.
Concerning your lame attempt to call the player-base of WoW fools (one who has been *fooled*), as that is a very ignorant remark based on biased dislike of the game and the people who play it. I play WoW because it's fun, plain and simple. Hell, if they can fool me into *thinking* I'm having fun, what's the difference? I'm either having fun, or....I think I'm having fun! Win-Win situation.
Anyway, I say we wait until the game expansion comes out, play the thing, then decide whether to bash it or boast/toast it.
Peace.
I'd just like to comment that if blizzard is indeed delaying Wotlk further we would have seen a new tier instances not just random content that won't give the hardcore anything new to do.
Yes.
Well I can speak only for myself.
Have been playing WoW intensely for about year and half. It is the first game to which I experimented true addiction. :-) But even of very good things one has in time enough. After two lv. 70, two 68 and all other remaining possible classes between 64 and 67 ... I was looking for something new. For now however nothing beats WoW in how realy complete package is in all senses, how fun, how interesting and fresh at all times .... And yes, graphics are cartoon style ... but I love them.
The best graphics as for realism goes for sure has AoC ... but a way most uncomplete package and constant beta feeling. Have been playing it for 2 months from start but then i left. Maybe at some time I will come back.
And for sure I would not leave Lich King for War! Have played open beta War, actually I like game. And will play it for some time. Graphics are kind of more realistic cartoon style, but far from realisim of AoC. Only that in EU beta start was one of the worst for now. However in addition I have terrible lag problems with beta client with War. As my computer is a way far superior then minimum and runs smoothly even AoC (not to mention Wow) ... it is not my computer to blame or optic internet connection. As not so many players have this problem I guess there must be some kind of incompatibility with.
Lich king will be im sure great continuation of great game.
seems a LOT like they are scared of certain upcoming games. Hell all incoming reports suggest that WotLK is very very disapointing. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm
best post describing wow ever. especially the bit about reaching into new games. that is EXACTLY what they do, and sadly they dont even do it well. WoW has such potential, i mean the engine could be brilliant instead of dumbed down ok-ness. the story (for the most part) is so well written that it makes me cry they are wasting it on wow and not war 4. dear god i want war 4 so badly, even just a re-run single player rts of the wow story. i cudnt give toss about wrath any more, even if you do ill arthus and end that story thread. ill play on a private server at most. tbh ill play happily knowing im ripping them off
QFT, I couldn't have said this better myself. Not to mention the fact that a lot of mmorpg fans are looking for a fresh game/fresh start. Grinding 1-80 and finding groups could turn out to be brutal. It's Pretty sad when WoW is concerned of losing (Hopefully a lot) of the 9 million player base.
i watch the wife play wow. i watch friends play it. i've still yet to see anything "good" about it. nothing that makes me want to return. the wow that is today is definitely not the wow that was advertisde pre-retail release, not by a long shot. i see kaplan/pardo as being the ones who changed wow into what it is today.
for all the complaining i do about COx... they've actually added 10 *classes* since release (2 heat, 6 villain at, 2 veat) and have plans of more. everything in that game is customizable. while the mission generator may be a letdown as it is not a new underwater/space-station zone, it does mean there will be a crapton more content available soon after i13 is released.
eve-online is going to be introducing human avatars either this winter patch or possibly a bit later. every expansion pretty much adds more professions and specializations, along with new ships and star systems.
neither of these is a fantasy-setting game. honestly, depending on how mines of moria look and if they expand upon the monster play, i may well end up playing lotro for my fantasy game.
it's really not a matter of this game vs. that game. that's a fanboi thing, and as we all know -- fanbois actively pursue a course which ruins games. i want a game that's fun. a game that's fun for me IS the best game out there.
billions of people eat at mcdonald's and burger king... that seriously does not make me want to eat at either of those places more than i want to currently. something that has a lower common denominator should, by definition, have a larger customer base. that does not in any fashion, imply quality. rather, by having a lower common denominator, it would imply the quality IS lesser.
wow doesn't have housing or customization. i can't pick some oddball talent set-up and expect folks with whom i'm playing to be cool with the fact that my talent build isn't "optimal" for raiding/arena/whatever. add to that the tier-progression of gear... adding a few hairstyles isn't providing any type of customization that i care the least whit about.
i'm not afraid to start a new character in a new game. my COx toons and Eve toons actually have *stuff* that would make me feel attached, even moreso as time progresses and new expansions allow them to customize and have any more *stuff*. games like eq2 and uo also have *stuff* like your home and such.
wow offers me nothing other than an endless grind to maybe get what i'm looking for... and then no housing (either personal or guild).
i'm happy that fans of wow are getting some new content and goodies. i'm thinking... wow fans that post on forums make up the minority. ofttimes i ask the wife, friends, etc about different aspects of wow and they don't know/care. these are items that my OCD-self am intimately familiar with, in any game i play; but, i would seem to be in the minority there.
so, for people quite content in their gameplay being 80%+ of nothing but "dailies"... i'm sure wotlk will be great fun... for THEM.
for me, i'll try war, i'll try wotlk to make the wife happy; but... odds are i'll still be playing COx & Eve and may even take up lotro... who knows. but i'm willing to be open-minded and hold out hope that wotlk is FUN. the lack of a base/housing will always be a LARGE drawback for me, as will the lack of power/talent/gear customization.
I know that to some people it sounds trite, but....my biggest complaint with WoW has always been the lack of player housing. Not that I don't have some other complaints as well, but that one has bugged me from day one.
Originally posted by PinkCat
Also it will mess with WAR subscriptions to some degree. Many people are going to play WAR as a temporary filler while they wait for their beloved Blizzard:WoTLK. Im one of these individuals as well as my whole guild.
I agree, I ordered WAR last week and EA still hasn't processed my order, so I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be getting into the head start thing, Wouldn't be surprised if the WOW patch comes out before I get into WAR.
EA it's because we're lame.
Arent people sick of WoW yet?? When I played in beta I thought players would play it 4-6 months max then get bored and move on to something else........
what are all these retardo
doing in here anyway?
These are quite nice and funny features giving out before the expac. Compared to certain other games, you know what you are dealing with and that blizzard will change things if people dislike it. The last part obviously goes for both good and bad, since some of the harder things got a lil too easy and some other things got too tedius but on a side note there's a bunch of good things and seriously, there's no mmorpg out there which can rival with WoW's content and quality.
WAR`??? see you in 1 month when people are whining just like AoC.
I'm pretty sure i'll be coming back to wow when WotLK arrives.
all mmos are grinders.....
" I certainly do not know the answer, and I'm not sure that any non-Blizzard employee does"
So has anything happened in the MMO world that might bring about an announcement of more cool skills and more pvp options from the boys at Blizz? Anything? Anything? Nope, I can't think about anything either. It's great for WoW fans that they are getting some of WoLK early, probably not so great that they are probably being softened up for another delay.
However as to why this exciting announcement was made this week is something I do know. I recognise this is a fan site and it makes sense for games to be reviewed by game-lovers but let's not get entirely taken in by the marketing eh? Oh, and while you are at it you may want to try the other pvp game. It's lovely to have one that actually works as described (makes a brave effort not to whine about the druid range bug or anything about Funcom).
If you can get on... Now if GOA can get its act together before main launch and get the destro queues down to less than 3 hours we might have as much fun in Europe as our American cousins. But if you are in the good ol' US of A and feel like a break from WoW there now is an alternative. if you are happy with WoW you'll be pleased to hear they'll be incorporating lots of the shiney bits from WAR in WoLK and you can pretty much guarantee weave the ol' Blizz magic. So either way you're a winner.
This IS totally awesome. I don't know why. It just is.
I could care less about housing. But I will admit that I know many people who enjoy that aspect very much. One of my best gaming buds loved his house in Asheron's Call. As did quite a few others I played with there.
Even though I don't care about it, I would very much like to see what Blizzard would do with it.
One thing I certainly reccommend when it comes to housing is not to have it instanced. I thought EQII housing was a waste.
While the housing in AC was done non instanced, other then apartments, they removed them too far from towns. It pulled everyone away from towns and made the world seem dead. I don't think WoW would have this issues as the World does not have enough room to put housing out of the way. AC's landscape is just so huge.
So while I don't care about housing, I would very much like to see Blizzard's take on it. Maybe we have?
Jon Wood....for shame!
Pointless thread is pointless.
The date of launch was confirmed the day before you posted this.
Blatant traffic-magnet and flamebait thread.
Utterly disgusted at the standards you now believe to be acceptable.
FOR SHAME!
[quote]It has already been effectively confirmed that Blizzard is aiming for a release date of October, November or December of this year for the expansion.[/quote]
Release Date - November 13th