Looking at a Stat Squish Soon.

Because it is out of control!!!!

     Let's be honest, there is no feeling like watching big numbers fly across your screen while you are killing the big beasty in front of you.  The feeling your character is getting more powerful is awesome and fun, and we love that feeling that we are this martial or magical juggernauts that are nigh unstoppable as we slam our way through foes.  In a game there is a cost to that.

    We are looking at the same situation now that we were in Cataclysm where the numbers our characters were putting out were hitting close to the ceiling of what the game can handle.  Add on the many new ways to get and improve armor, and that number is climbing higher even more quickly than before.  I am fairly certain we will have another stat squish at the end of this expansion.

    And that is not a bad thing.  Last time the players showed they were supportive of such a thing.  We managed to accept the feeling that we were still hitting hard with lower numbers because Blizzard did a great job of evening things out.  I imagine it will work that same way again.  I do have my normal advice to Blizzard to go with that, and yes you have all heard me say it multiple times.

    Let's do a level squish as well.

    Seriously, use the leveling experience in Legion, apply it to the rest of the world, and then squish it.  Make it so mobs level with you to the level spread of that expansion.  For example, if we make original WoW 1-30, make the mobs stop adjusting to your character after 30.  That way we can go back and still feel invincible when running older content.

    Make it, Original 1-30.  Burning Crusaide 30-35.  Wrath of the Lich king 35-40.  Calaclysm 40-45, Pandaria, 45-50.  Warlords 50-55, and Legion after this expansion 55-60.

    Do we need this you might ask?  Well, yes and no.  I mean when a new player starts, they get a character that just has to level through current content.  So, they get one main who gets the head start so they can play with their friends and become part of the end game.  That is great.  What happens though if they hit 110, and don't like the class they picked.  They are then reduced to two options.

    Pay $60 bucks, then level the last ten again, or level through 110 levels for another alt who may or may not be as enjoyable as the character they are playing.  If you are a new player and have never leveled through all the beginning areas, that is completely discouraging.  Us old hat players know that you can level through all that content quickly enough, but if you are new to the game, that looks like a daunting trip.

    I think this is partially a matter of accessibility.  When you do your stat/level squish you could throw ilevel on the pile too.  If we can pull back and lower the ilevels with the squish that could give us even more room to develop and grow.  If they do it right it like last time, the feel of the game won't even be very different.  Just the numbers our characters are throwing up when they fight.

How does everyone else feel though?  Are these opinions completely off base, or would this lengthen the longevity of the game.  Am I wrong to think there is a mental hurdle for new players to level up to 110, or am I just postulating an opinion that has no bearing in actuality? How would you all feel about a level squish?

Lag.

As always, if you would like to support Ben Marble and his carnivorous plant wrangling consider purchasing one of his short stories at Amazon.com.

The Wheel Keeps Turnin'

And the players keep playing.

     We are in the middle of many changes for World of Warcraft.  Content is flowing like never before, developers and keeping even the static content such as world quests flowing and changing.  There are more ways to get rewards and develop your character than ever before, and it feels like the world is full and populated with other players again.

    So the question becomes, looking forward how can Blizzard keep up this momentum?

    New and fresh ideas need to keep coming.  We know what the near future holds.  We are going to get mini-holidays, three full tiers of raids, and more throughout the expansion.  We are going to eventually go to Argus and take the Legion on their home ground, and we are going to have fully powered artifact weapons that we have spent hours on while doing so.  At the end, we will be looking at 8.0.  The next expansion.  And yes, it is a little soon but I am wondering what will come next.

     I don't think we will have another Legion based expansion after this.  It will probably be old God based, or maybe we will have to deal with Bolvar as the Lich King.  He has obviously changed in the role he now inhabits.  Whether he is truly on our side or not, defeating the Legion was probably in his best interest.  Whatever those interests are... I am not sure it will be in the living's favor.

     We could also find other stuff in the universe.  What about exploring the remains of the titan's homeworld(s).  We could have an outer space adventure that is completely different from anything we have seen before.  We may not beat Azshara this go round, and if so the naga may be something we have to deal with on a larger scale.  If she pairs up with the old Gods then it might be a bigger struggle.

    There might even be something new, something we cause if we defeat the Legion, because nature abhors a vacuum.  If they are gone, what will take their place?

     What features will the future hold?  We already have an option for Horde and Alliance to be mercenaries in PVP, will we eventually be able to blur the lines while raiding?  Will we see the end of the faction divide eventually as it ceases to make sense as we keep having to fight these bigger enemies?  Players are still, and will always, ask for guild housing or player housing, will Blizzard give in eventually?  If so how will that look?

     What do you all think the future holds?  How long do you think the game will go on?  I firmly believe if they keep releasing content like we have now, it is possible, not necessarily probable, that WoW could hit twelve million again.  What would that be like?  And would Blizzard even tell us?

So fellow players, what do you think?

Lag.

If you would like to support Ben Marble and his fear of drunken line dancing, please consider purchasing one of his short stories at Amazon.com

 

In and Beyond Legion

So, looking forward here.

       I've been openly critical of some of the things coming in Legion, I have also been happily optimistic over others.  This here is what I'm hoping that Blizzard will focus on a bit in Legion, and beyond.  I know this won't be the last expansion, If you have read the book Illidan I would hazard a guess from the end on where we will be going next.  however, let's take a quick look at what I want.

     Story is a big thing for me.  The last couple of expansions have been amazing (mostly) on story.  Pandaria was probably the expansion that sticks in my mind the most as a great example of story telling.  There wasn't a raid from Mogu'shan vaults, to Siege of Ogrimmar that had us wondering why we where there.  Story was given over the course of the expansion in good doses.  This made the expansion feel constantly fresh and interesting.  Every major patch had a minor event or something you interacted with that made what you character felt like what they did mattered.  This is what we need more of in Wow, this is what made Warlords feel so flat.  There was nothing outside of your garrsion in Warlords to interact with after the first bit.  Well, there was Tanaan jungle, but it was more of run around than participate in a story.

      I want more meaningful story in Legion and here on out.  Use Pandaria as your template.  I've said this before, but from the slow opening of the Isle of Thunder to Krasarang Wilds and landing your army everything you did felt driven and purposeful.  They lost that magic this last expansion, and I hope they see that and figure out how to fix this.

     Speaking of storylines, I want to see the different factions move and evolve.  Blizzard has a tendency to introduce a race and then just leave them there... in limbo.  I mean, what has been the major change for the Worgen since the beginning of Cataclysm?  Nothing.  Goblins, Worgen, Blood Elves, most of the races stay static.  Even the old races.  Forsaken, Dwarves, most of them feel like there are little advance behind the lines but there isn't much progress.

      Every now and then we get to retake gnomergon, or some such, but those events are rare.  Personally as a Forsaken I would be really worried since if we ever defeat the Legion, and the new Lich King/Scourge, and the Old Gods in the world, what then becomes what is most likely to destroy and threaten life on Azeroth?  I'm looking at you undead.  Unless something changes to give your race a place in the world you are poised to be the next big bad.  Even to most of the horde races.  Good luck with that...

     I want to see leaders and heroes step down without being corrupted and dying.  I would love to see a grey haired Varian Wrynn living peacefully in retirement while Anduin rules Stormwind.  However, in Wow everyone has to have a heroic death.  (O.k. there are a few exceptions.  Looking at you Saurfang) If they don't have that they have a tendency to be corrupted and go mad.  I'm hoping that in Legion Illidan will get a good redemption story arc, because lets be honest.  The reason people worry about Jaina Proudmore becoming a villain is because when a character in Wow is faced with personal tragedy and they get mad, they tend to slip down the villain path.

      I want a cast of side characters that stay with us.  Seeing the members of SI:7 re-appear in Warlords was nice for me.  Even though it was only a glimpse here and there it was nice to see familiar faces from Pandaria.  I would love to continually see some NPCs that go everywhere with us.  Along with characters that don't just disappear after being majorly important in an expansion.  I will be giddy with joy if I take Lag to the Paladins Class hall and Yrell is there.  Yes, we should have left her back in old Dreanor, but I don't see us just closing the portals off and pretending it doesn't exist at this point.  (I'm still for Blizzard blowing it up slowly and having us absorb the refugees that make it to Azeroth before every things gone so we can use the important characters some more)

     Last but not least, I want some new enemies.  The Legion, Orcs, and Undead are fine but one of the things that made Pandaria stand out was the Sha.  (Yes it was Old God essence, but still) Having a new threat that didn't resemble what came before was awesome.   So many enemies in Pandaria felt new and fresh that I think part of the issue we are having is that a lot of bosses lose their uniqueness when it's all orcs and ogres, all the time.  Give me Klaxxi (still want them as a playable race by the way) give us Mogu and Sha and all sorts of things we haven't seen.  Don't retread ground.

These are the things I'm hoping for not just next expansion, but going forward.

What do you all want?

Lag