Originally Posted by
SirCowdog
I've brought up this kind of idea in this, and other threads, before. I think it's an idea that has merit. Treating flight as some binary, simplified ability that's only either on or off, is a mistake. Here's a post I mad yesterday about taking the idea of flying a little bit further:
"What if there was a dual progression tree for mounts, just like there is for the class order hall, or like permanent buffs in Starcraft 2 as you progress through the campaign? Each time you complete a stage of the achievement, you choose between a buff for your ground or air mount. That way it's not just a choice between the "path of least resistance" by going with flight, but a real decision, with real benefits for ground AND air mounts."
Making your style of mount a real decision, and engaging players with the same type of choice they make in other areas of the game, like their talents, their spec, or what gear they're wearing. If Blizzard made each stage of of the achievement similar ot pathfinder, would it really be all that different than what they're doing now?
Added to changing how flight is unlocked, and how it slowly progresses over the course of the expansion, the idea of increasing the obstacles and threats that a flying player has to face would be the other side of the equation. We can take things a bit further than simply filling the air with a bunch of Kaliri birds, though.
Imagine a mid-air battle with multiple airships patrolling the skies like they did in Icecrown, shooting at each other and at the enemy demons the entire time. You get too close and they aggro and start shooting at you too. They would also provide a place to land if you aggro too many flying Legion Demons. Maybe there's quests or quest-givers, just like there were in Icecrown and in Deepholme. Grounded players could either use their aviana's feather, or talk to an NPC that uses a portal or a flight path to get there.
Another scenario:
Giant enemy fortress somewhere. Ground player enters in at the bottom floor and fights their way past whatever guards are inside to reach a boss. Meanwhile, flying players circle around outside, dodging cannon emplacements, looking for a balcony or something to land on in order to get in. Put guards on the balconies that harpoon and drag the flying player into themselves, or into the cannon fire.
Mix things up with some bombing runs or the vehicle mechanic to change the style of flight from travel to something more complex, the same way vehicles are used in ground quests.
The point here is that there are LOTS of ideas that could potentially enhance and use flight to make the game just as interesting and engaging from the air as it is on the ground, especially when you're talking about a team that's as talented, experienced, and well-funded. It doesn't even have to be every single quest, or every inch of every zone in the expansion. Just scatter some of these places around the expansion to keep flight interesting, and to provide variety.
Yeah, all that's going to make developing zones and content take longer. But really, if we're going to suffer through 14 month long content droughts and STILL buy the game anyway, does Blizzard REALLY think we wouldn't mind waiting a little bit longer for some added quality and options?