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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm-Me
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
In her latest Player Perspectives column, Isabelle Parsley reveals her love/hate relationship with World of Warcraft. After a two year hiatus, Isabelle is bac albeit in the form of a trial account. See what she thinks of Blizzard's World of Warcraft as it is today and then let her know what you think in the comments section below.
I’m going to start with the usual disclaimer regarding my WoW-position. I am neither a WoW-fangirl nor a WoW-hater. I think it’s a great game, even though it does sit in the corner of the MMO world like the 800 pound gorilla everyone wants to either emulate or kill (or turn into a hunter pet). And I do think its developers know a thing or two when it comes to designing a game, even if the playstyle they encourage isn’t necessarily one I always enjoy. I’ve played it several times, off and on, over the past 6 years, which is an experience most of the people I know share – I don’t know many people who have played nothing but WoW all this time (though I do know a few), but almost everyone I know has tried, left, and returned to WoW at some point.
Read more Player Perspectives: Cataclysm-Me.
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Comments
I wonder if you haven't changed your account over to the new battlenet system they have? I wanted to log in and see what was up in wow and I had the same issue where my password didn't work. Then I noticed an option to change over to battlenet and that is what did it for me.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Overall I think Cata has brought about some really nice changes upgrades. WoW continues to refine, and it is the little things that go unnoticed by make a huge difference. Just like the author mentioned about seeing available skills in your spell book. It's so minor most people probably don't even pay it attention, but all these tiny things add up.
The biggest downside for me in Cata is the overuse of phasing. I like phasing, Town in a Box (early goblin quest) was pretty cool. So far that has been my favorite use. However, I feel it has pushed leveling into even more of a solo affair. Just about every quest involves collections or driving/riding a vehicle/animal. You can't easily tell if you and your friends are in the same phase. I might see 3 NPCs in the cave and he might see none. It also makes the game so much more linear. No more skipping certain quests or jumping ahead to a new area. You can't...you have to ride the roller coaster. This takes out some of the freedom and fun.
I returned once again to check out the new content. I have to say I am really enjoying it so far. Not only have I been loving the 80+ content, but I have also been enjoying re-rolling new toons since the old lands are finally not old anymore.
haha...Ya I left for 4 months and reintall the game w/ cata. just to have a 7.5 GB update! Not good when u have moble braodband w/ only 5gb of data a month! it will take like 3-4 months to update for me. good job blizz. :P
Do not mistake Indifference for Hate. Nor Kindness for Weakness. for this is the Bane of Judgment !
I hope you attempt to recover your account. I'm curious to see if you find your toons sitting in the middle of nowhere, wearing nothing but their skivvies. I've read several tales of people having their accounts compromised while they were unsubscribed for several months, so I'd like to know if this is the case with you. Maybe you just forgot your password?
So if you want to get into Cataclysm and never played you have to buy WOW and ALL the update/expansions??? I don't think so.
Nope, all of the Cataclysm content except for the 80-85 level areas and the Goblin and Worgen races are available as part of the regular WoW subscription. After the Sundering patch the old WoW ceased to be, and the regular content is all post-Cata. So a vanilla WoW account still gets to see the level 1-60 post-Cataclysm content with the original 8 races.
Ultimately, though, you'd have to buy Cataclysm if you did get a character to level 80, or if you wanted to roll a worgen or goblin. Likewise you'd need Burning Crusade to get the blood elves and draenei along with the Outlands, and you'd need Wrath of the Lich King to get Northrend and Death Knights.
Current MMOs: Rift, GW2, Defiance
Blog: http://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com (old school tabletop gaming and more)
Cataclysm needed to do someting special to keep players going for the long term. I can't see how it has done that and even the OP states she is on the fence about resubbing. I think that speaks volumes right there that people are just growing tired of WoW. We want Blizzards's new stuff, not keep on going back to the old stuff.
Plus they reduced the price of the original game and first 2 expansions to like 10 bucks or so, so it's not so expensive, plus you'll get the first 30 days free (of course, Cataclysm is still $39.99)
I've seen a lot of new stuff - revamped starting areas, entertaining, interesting quests when before they were pretty bland, lots of phasing and storytelling, new talent trees, new mechanics, minor graphics update, etc.
If they change the gameplay too much, then it might cease to feel like WoW. I think they've done a good job with the things they did change, without disrupting the overall feel.
This is essentially the same situation I am in. I played Vanilla WoW but left not very happy with the game just before BC came out. I let everything pass me by really but tried trials between times just for a day or two.
Reading into Cata I really wanted to have a look at what has changed so I have started another trial and its looking pretty good so far. Thing is like is said, I am not really item motivated and don't usually raid / have time to raid, so I wonder how long I will stick with the game. I guess time will tell.
I am also unsure if i should give cataclysm a try. I want to see how my fav class warlock plays now, plus the new talents/skills they get.
But since WoW is 90% Raid and i am 100% a non-raider, this game will never be my fav. To bad every game company (+their Grandma's) trying to imitate WoW, just to get a piece of the pie....
The biggest is not always the best.
If they change the gameplay too much, then it might cease to feel like WoW. I think they've done a good job with the things they did change, without disrupting the overall feel.
IMO the quests and most of the game is still the same. Yes, there are 1-2 different quests per zone - here you are a shredder, there you throw some bombs, just like in Northend, but you will do what you always did. New landscape, slightly updated graphics sometimes.
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But your experience may differ, just try a trial.
Hyjal is superb, almost done with it.
Damn queues!
Please do not hype any gam.. oh wait, nevermind... forgot what forum I was on.
That was an awful long write to basically put me to sleep thinking about how boring the game play is.Sounds more like a trip back to nostalgic lane.Talks about POLISH when Wow is far from polished and what little effort was needed,is bugged ,so they are not so good at polishing what takes effort,but i guess the simple things they can polish ..lol,not that anyone esle can't either.
Most graphical glitches i have ever seen in any release,she has not seen them ,and they might get fixed before she ever does,this would lead her to continue to talk about polish [blindly] like most Wow players do.I posted 3 videos in my other post to show just how bad they are,there are lots more.Also the couple new gimmicks blizzard added are bugged,can't finish the grim axe quest,wonder if it has been fixed yet?The fire extinguisher gimmick is really fake ,it ONLY works on the fire the quest is linked to,all those other fires,amazing the extingusiher don't work lol,and that is polish?Sorry that is cheap gimmicks 101.
Blizzard shut down the forums,to keep the bugs quiet,can't have a big money release that went through tons of testing on the Test realm show the public Blizzard's true face.
I think people can save their breath writing reviews about Wow,you chase xclamation marks around all game,playing solo,then run for end game to group when you have little to no experience grouping,because the game is designed to play solo.That is Wow in a nutshell,you can add in PVp/BG nothing more is creative or unique.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
The revamp had nothng to do with the content on your Cataclysm disk or download. The revamp was from The Shattering patches prior to Cataclysm. Still, if people like the OP are on the fence then there really is nothing special here. Even if they choose to resub how long do you think they will last before they get bored again, when they was skepticial in the first place about resubbing ? It is more hype than anything else.
Tens of millions of people have subscribed to WoW over the past 6 years, and some people are talking about being tired of it? Really? I think the volumes you are hearing is your own negative opinion playing loudly over and over again in your head. When we see substantial percentages of people leaving WoW like Warhammer Online or Age of Conan, you'll have a point...otherwise, you are just a troll.
This is another expansion pack (link for SaintViktor since he doesn't seem to understand the concept - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_pack). Of course it isn't going to radically overhaul the game. It adds new content (2 new starter races - BTW, the Goblin starting area is rather fun, 80-85 content, new dungeons, new raids, and the typical additional raids over the next 18 months or so that Blizzard usually releases), changed the mechanics moderately (back to being close to BC days which is why I'm one of those that have returned), added new profession, new recipes, etc.
Is WoW now not WoW? No. Go back and click on the link above if you have any confusion on this matter.
Yeah me the troll, totally got me. If you and many can't accept the fact that alof of us on forums have a very different opinion than some then maybe forum posting is not for you.
I know Vik does not NEED my defense, but....I'm going to give it ANYWAY.
WoW players that love WoW? Well of course! It's why they're still playing it. However.....when you come to a PUBLIC forum (i.e., this is not the WoW forums over on Blizzard's site).....you give up your entitlement to always have everyone agree with you that WoW is 50 flavors of awesomesauce. This is a PUBLIC forum. It is not run by Blizzard and people here MAY agree with you, but they are equally apt to DISAGREE with you. That is the risk you take when you choose to post on PUBLIC forums that are not owned and operated by the developers of your game of choice.
Now....on topic:
Cataclysm and Me = Mixed Bag
I still do not feel compelled to play MOST of the time even WITH "all the myriads" of "new things" Blizzard has added. Some of us are just TIRING of more of the same ol' same ol' with different backgrounds. Sure some of the new zones are lovely, particularly Vashi'jr. BUT....once you get through the pretty new lvl 80-85 areas and once your goblin or worgen turns 20....it's pretty much back to the same ol' same ol', like I said.
You still have to level through Outlands.....AGAIN.....for the umpteenth time, etc. I don't think I have it in me to DO that.
Is it Blizzard's fault that people suffer burn out? You know.....yes and no. But the "fault" matters less to me than the result. If I'm sitting around in a game that just this week released an expansion and I'm bored to near death.......there's a problem. What I have to do is decide if I'm willing to keep paying a monthly fee for a game that bores me to death.
I think that decision should be pretty easy to make before too awfully long here.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I noticed the RIDICULOUS amount of phasing in the goblin starting area. What that did was force me to only play that charactger with my partner, because if we play separately....things get effed up FAST, and I can't help her with finding things or ANYthing.
I am NOT A FAN of things that take away player freedom to choose where and when to go and with whom. NO. I am finding more and more things I don't like to go with the few things I have noted are nice additions. They finally decided to copy guild leveling from EQ2, basically, but since there's no housing or guild halls, they went with buff perks, xp perks, etc. Essentially, it's just EQ2 guild leveling that has been WoWified. Meh.
They would impress me if they would add player housing and a new profession of carpenter with the gathering profession of lumberjacking. THAT would impress me. I'm not finding myself overly impressed with anything yet, other than......there are some cool new areas and zones. /shrug
Over all.....I'm underwhelmed.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Khmm... so is Blizzard problem you have bad connection or computer? To me, with 10mbit fiber optic, was finished I think in less then half hour. Everything went smooth. Ok, problem with login servers, took me 45 mins to get back . But his is maybe 1/10.000 of problems with any other game.
Bored to death?? I have so far accumulated 10 lv. 80 and bunch of up to 75 ... and still FAR from being bored. Game is fun as always. Always something new to be found. On the other hand ... i have played virtually all out there (Aoc, War, Eq, ...) ... but got bored before any of my alts got to max level. And being close to 50 can say played a lot.
People are DIFFERENT.
I'm 47. I also have played a LOT of games, MMOs and other genres as well. Just because it doesn't bore YOU doesn't make the fact that it bores ME a strange thing. My personality is probably nothing like yours. For instance, I find EQ2 to be a far less boring, more diverse, and more interesting game than WoW. That's just what appeals more to ME. After my 5th lvl 80 in WoW.....I was done. DONE DONE DONE. I have 3 90s in EQ2, and various other levels, and yet....I can always find something there to entertain me. BUT.....I can't afford to play TWO pay to play games, so....I had to make the choice. I chose to give WoW another chance. It was the wrong choice.....for ME.
I'm unlikely to have another KIND word about WoW until those bullheaded devs decide to add player and guild housing, which they should have done years ago, but they're more concerned with brown-nosing the PvP'ers and raiders, so.....whatever. I don't HAVE to think WoW is awesome. I know it might come as a shock, but....there are actually a handful of people who flat out HATE WoW. I don't HATE it.....I just find it LACKING as far as holding my interest as well as some other games.
It's okay for everyone to NOT be the same.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I really enjoyed all the phasing stuff, it makes for a great storyline. The Worgen and Goblin starters are both great for example, as well as a lot of the redone zones (blowing up Redridge, attempting to save Westfall).
However, it does concern me sometimes, what other players are seeing. In Westfall, there was a player sitting in the middle of the town around Deadmines for a quite a while, I wondered what they were doing. Later, a quest takes me there and the square is full of people listening to a speech. Someone else is running around me and I'm guessing they don't see what I see.
Another time, on the Worgen starter I was chatting with some other players and I started to updating my quest and all the players vanished, as I'd moved into a new phase.
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They have tech in for if you are grouped and the phases change though. Overall though the questing in Catyaclysm is a example of what future MMO[object Window]s should do with their quests.