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[Column] World of Warcraft: Speculating on the Next Expansion
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
World of Warcraft has reached the end of the Warlords of Draenor expansion with the deployment of the v6.2 update, and now that players have voiced their concerns (to put it kindly) with what has been felt to be a rather lackluster expansion to date, it seems a good time to begin thinking about what could possibly come next for World of Warcraft.
Read more of Suzie Ford's and Catherine Daro's World of Warcraft: Speculating on the Next Expansion.
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Comments
I did not return for the last two expansions. Not matter how many they release it's still the same old WoW at the core. If they want me to return they have to overhaul the combat, make it closer to an action-combat one. Tab target combat is so extremely boring. Only reason I stay with SWTOR despite having beyond dull combat is because it being star wars and BW's storytelling system, my char can speak! WoW's stories no longer interest me and they have the old and lazy storytelling system that I've grown to hate.
Also, add a real character creation system please. Like face and body morphs. The current system is lazy and old fashioned.
The only individuals who thought it was a lackluster expansion are the same individuals who have something to complain about with EVERY expansion.
Nothing will ever be good enough for these people.
When you have millions and millions of players, five million more than any other western MMORPG, you inevitably also have a higher percentage of complainers as well.
These naysayers then take to the forums en masse to express how they feel about every little odd and end that they have some sort of issue with. It paints an inaccurate portrayal of how the average individual feels about the game, when in fact most players are very satisfied, or else they wouldn't continue to play.
Vested interest in a character due to time spent isn't enough to keep millions upon millions interested in a game for over a decade. It is the most high quality, polished, and entertaining fantasy themepark on the market - that is what keeps people playing. You simply cannot find a better fantasy themepark mmorpg, and until someone manages to trump that (no pun intended) Warcraft will continue to be King of the Hill.
I dunno- with the movie Warcraft on the horizon- blizzard should be focusing on a whole new engine mmo based on the movie. Imo.
and of course more diablo3 new content!- hoping they would start selling DLC packs for Diablo 3
The only thing that would bring me back is a new class and new race, plus a new area to explore.
WoD was good but not great!
Proud MMORPG.com member since March 2004! Make PvE GREAT Again!
I don't think story would change anything,i have never heard a discussion on WOW story telling.
I think the truth is players get tired of adding 5 levels and a new gear grind,it really is no reason to play any game.I feel gamer's like to feel an attachment to their player and just adding another 5 levels or even story does not do it.
Also story telling is nice i would never argue that but that si a single player game design not a MMO design.It is also content that makes every single player feel the same and not unique or different,just do the story and your done with it like everyone else.
Once a game gets to that boring part of the game ,i feel the proper way to create longevity is by adding FUN ideas,scripted content.I know some prefer just adding more pvp ideas,that is one aspect but you should also add PVE scripted content so players have something to look forward to every day.BTW the scripted content can be different each day ,it does not mean same old same old each day.
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I have to disagree, due to the fact that the people complaining aren't just your typical "naysayers". Dedicated players have raised their concern with this expansion, even blizzards MVPs have raised their concerns and disapproval of this expansion.
The lore they've chosen to focus on in the last three expansions has been a turn off. It sure is nice of the Burning Legion to hold back for years of diversions on Azeroth.
If the next expansion doesn't head to Burning Legion worlds then I doubt I'll buy it, which will be a first.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
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Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/As you say if people didn't like it they wouldn't still be playing. However 2.9M people stopped playing. The biggest ever quarterly drop in subs.
Yes WoW is the largest subscription based game - you erroneously added the word western and left out the word subscription by the way. Is it the "best" - that is personal but it is "huge". To think otherwise is delusional. Delusion goes both ways however. WoD has not gone down well. We will get another indication in next week's quarterly reports and - as Suzie Ford said last week - the true test coming in three months time.
Not "only" - my GF and I, despite having serious reservations about MoP before it released - ended up really enjoying ourselves because it was a paradise for the casual crowd. Dailies, farming, pet battles, rares, LFR (was still new and rewarding,) legendary quests, etc. all done very well. We actually took the fewest number of breaks during an expansion during MoP (both summers.) And then came WoD, which both of us were *excited* about. Except it was horrible - the leveling/treasures were great - and then it fell flat on its face at end game. LFR was gutted, meaningless horribly boring "daily" quests, practically no reason to be out in the open world, no flying, no reason to do dungeons beyond the first few weeks, god awful PvP balance/zone. The expansion is basically A) decent quality raids for the small % of the playerbase that do raids outside LFR,
facebook like garrison game for the casuals C) the same crappy PvP for the diehards (Ashran is an abomination) and D) ridiculous reputation grinds for the insane. Blizzard absolutely destroyed 90% of the casual content in the game (old stuff not included, I'm talking WoD content) and gave people zero reason to be out in the world. WoD failed as an expansion, and this is coming from an 8 year+ veteran that has enjoyed every expansion to varying degrees up until WoD. Will I be back for the next expansion? Maybe, but I certainly will not waste $50 on it at launch - it will be the first expansion I don't play at launch, no exceptions.
Okay, you're obviously seeing things through rose tinted glasses.
Take a step back, contemplate a bit and ask yourself: can really patch 6.2 carry the game for another 10 months to a year ? Do you in all honesty believe that WoD is an expansion comparable to TBC, WotLK or even Cataclysm ?
As for the naysayers you mention, 3 mill subs in 3 months is something more than just naysayers or complainers. I'm willing to bet that sub figures will continue to free fall during the summer. And don't presume that all these people will jump back in once the next expansion releases.
Let's call it: The Shores of Cashstoria...
j/k
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How will they handle the millions of players that didn't want to level through WoD bcuz disappointment.
Will they give instant level 100 to level 90's who buy the next expac?
Interesting to see what happens.
Blizzard devs have stated before they would consider F2P if subscriptions dropped significantly so I don't see why time-locked servers would be out of the question. I'd love to do it just for the PVP - find a season where class balance was good (say season 8) and just play to your hearts content!
That's not true at all. I have thoroughly enjoyed every expansion up to this one. The last time I really complained about WoW was when we went over a year on the last patch of MoP. Sadly, more people are leaving. People who used to be major fans of the franchise are hurt by this expansion. If you can't see what's wrong, then you are just keeping yourself delusional so you can justify your continued contribution to Blizzard.