Panda's are getting slammed so hard, even though I'm on board with Blizz stepping back and going with a more light and airy setting, yeah every mmo same thing, you start off in the shire and end up in the fires of Mount Doom, YAWN!!!

Leave it to Blizz to hit the big reset button, although i even scratched my head a bit with the Panda's i admit i like the overall setting.

But why Panda setting. Obviously they are rebooting, setting up a new foundation for future expansions, but why Panda, yeah i like the movies, but why so similar?

It then became obvious when one of my sons starting telling me allot of lore detail about PO, the Furious Five, the Valley of Peace, heck i know you watch the series faithfully, and we watched the second movie recently, but somewhere in there an interest spark was awakened and he's edging into teenage years. He's going on about the next movie already, and that in all there might be 6 movies which i had no idea about (but then i started to go, hmm and a major mmo with the world you can run around in after watching the movie, is there some behind the scenes deal)

He's reading anything and everything he can find on the net, I'm almost afraid to mention that Blizz is planning an entire expansion/world he could adventure in based on that setting, although he probably already knows.

Weird it's like Blizz can predict the future as this expansion will most certainly grab his attention and the attention of future movie goers of Kung Fu Panda 3,4,5,6.

does this guy think blizz made kung fu panda?

No diss on Blizzard as them keeping WoW alive for so long is impressive.  But nothing can save WoW now it is just too old, too dated, too much competition, and they have dropped the ball on PVP since Wintergrasp.  Their best hope now would be to announce their next all new MMO and somehow tie playing WoW to that new MMO.  For instance developing the backstory for the new MMO within WoW, and offering future perks in their new MMO buy achieving things in WoW, etc.

Other than that though, WoW is finally dieing.  And I'm no WoW-hater just saying it like it is.  My account has been cancelled for a couple years now but before that I thought it was a blast...

Imagine if Blizzard partnered with the makers of kung fu panda :P

Though I guess Blizzard can be pretty close to the movies and just use them satirically.

Kung fu pandas existed before the movies I bet anyway, so as long as Blizzard does not steal whole settings they can be close enough :P

I know what the OP means. It's all about getting new generations to play.

My first mmorpg was Ragnarok Online. Back then one of the only games worth playing. Nowadays there are so many free games out there that kids have no reason to pick this one.

Using a theme that attracts kids to get them to play is a smart move.

I recall reading an interview that Mists wasn't originally going to be the fourth expansion, and they had actually started working on different content for the next expansion when they decided in one meeting that a Pandaren expansion would be a good idea... so they dropped their existing work and picked up doing Mists.

I wish I could find a link to the interview... but anyways, it hardly sounds like "two steps ahead" to me. It sounds more like blundering their way ahead, scrapping their original plans and work for a half-baked idea.

Originally posted by Dakeru

I know what the OP means. It's all about getting new generations to play.

My first mmorpg was Ragnarok Online. Back then one of the only games worth playing. Nowadays there are so many free games out there that kids have no reason to pick this one.

Using a theme that attracts kids to get them to play is a smart move.

Whew! someone interpreted my post correctly.

Yeah knowing what i do now, you know this is what Blizz is banking on, and they are probably 100% correct.

I have to admit this is so left field of his regular interests it's surprising yet very refreshing tbh, needless to say it is a new interest.

Coincidentally a game world is coming which coincides with that ally of interest.

Originally posted by Sebali

does this guy think blizz made kung fu panda?

I believe so. Sounds like he thinks Kung Fu Panda lore = WoW lore. Not sure I followed the post either unless it was... My kid likes pandas woooo yeah WoW for having pandas to addict small children to their game.

Blizz put the Pandaren in because it has the most requested race addition for years.

I agree that MoP is a reboot though, but it's to focus the conflict back to Horde vs. Alliance for land and resources as opposed to saving the planet.

Sorry! but copying a movie isent "two steps ahead"... rather two steps behind

Originally posted by rottN

Sorry! but copying a movie isent "two steps ahead"... rather two steps behind

But Pandaren Brewmasters predate Kung Fu Panda, so they were two steps ahead after all

Originally posted by teakbois

Originally posted by rottN

Sorry! but copying a movie isent "two steps ahead"... rather two steps behind

But Pandaren Brewmasters predate Kung Fu Panda, so they were two steps ahead after all

I know blizz came first bro.. just playing along since the OP thinks he knows it all :)

Originally posted by teakbois

Originally posted by rottN

Sorry! but copying a movie isent "two steps ahead"... rather two steps behind

But Pandaren Brewmasters predate Kung Fu Panda, so they were two steps ahead after all

True, but I would guess the average person doesn't know that. Therefore, most people look at this and what comes immediately to mind is a mediocre children's movie. Personally, I'm not really a fan of the whole "panda monk" idea...

The question will be:

Will the Monk Class be a fun class?

If the answer is yes then I predict more pandas than there are in china.

If it is NOT a fun class then the expansion will not amount to much.

We KNOW it will be overpowered (for a while) like all of the new flavor of the month classes before it gets its nerfs an expansion or two down the line.

----

Personally I think the classes are the weakest aspect of WoW. 

Originally posted by centkin

The question will be:

Will the Monk Class be a fun class?

If the answer is yes then I predict more pandas than there are in china.

If it is NOT a fun class then the expansion will not amount to much.

We KNOW it will be overpowered (for a while) like all of the new flavor of the month classes before it gets its nerfs an expansion or two down the line.

----

Personally I think the classes are the weakest aspect of WoW. 

Why?

Every race can be a monk. No need to be a Pandaren for that.

Why? 

At least for me, if I come back to a game after missing a few expansions, and I am going to start a new character of a different class -- What reason would I have to start as any race other than the NEW race?  I mean if I start as the new race then I have a whole new starting area to work my way through.  If I start with a familiar race then I end up doing the same things as I did the last time.  Albeit cataclysm changed some of it. 

Still -- since I didnt play WoTLK, or Cataclysm, if I do come back for the next expansion it will likely be as a panda monk.

Originally posted by rt33

Originally posted by Dakeru

I know what the OP means. It's all about getting new generations to play.

My first mmorpg was Ragnarok Online. Back then one of the only games worth playing. Nowadays there are so many free games out there that kids have no reason to pick this one.

Using a theme that attracts kids to get them to play is a smart move.

Whew! someone interpreted my post correctly.

Yeah knowing what i do now, you know this is what Blizz is banking on, and they are probably 100% correct.

I have to admit this is so left field of his regular interests it's surprising yet very refreshing tbh, needless to say it is a new interest.

Coincidentally a game world is coming which coincides with that ally of interest.

So Pandas to WoW is like what Clone Wars was to Star Wars.

Don't mind to alienate your veterans (there are only few left anyway), but adjust your product to the next generation and get them kids into business.

True, dat.

WoW has always tried to appeal to younger gamers than most MMO's, and I don't mean anything derogatory by that.  The tweens to 20-somethings that came into this game at launch have mostly gotten everything they can get out of the setting, and the key to staying successful is the NEW generation, not trying to cling to the old.

I liked Kung Fu Panda, myself, but that doesn't mean I want to play an MMO in that world.  But up and coming tweens will, and the asian market will eat it up.  I may not like the direction of the new Xpac, but that doesn't mean it was a bad idea.

Originally posted by Akais

Blizz put the Pandaren in because it has the most requested race addition for years.

I agree that MoP is a reboot though, but it's to focus the conflict back to Horde vs. Alliance for land and resources as opposed to saving the planet.

This guy is the most right of em' all, since BC we were whining on about having panda as the new race and now they decided to give us one.

IMO blizz  isnt thinking ahead, especially regarding WoW , but rather pulling every possible tricks to maintain its player-base.

My only statement regarding the pulling in of the younger generation is this:  How many of these youngsters will understand Floyd Pinkus' relevance?  =(