Classic World of Warcraft Discussion [Megathread]

[Florena]

Tell that to Disney cancelling their Infinity series, which was making a lot of money yet the cancellation has affected many professionals and studios world-wide.

Whether you approve of it or not, this shit happens on a regular basis in our industry. This is the norm. The fact that you don't hear about every game that's cancelled is because of all the secrecy involved with development in the first place. Don't believe for one second that this is the first time Blizzard is 'listening to the fans'; these decisions are measured and weighed long before you or I know about it. And it's not to say I trust their data or their word; but I know that they aren't so naive to think a few petitions and zealous fans are enough of a guarantee to warrant Legacy servers. We're talking in an echo chamber and none of our words here really reflect the situation at hand - whether Blizzard thinks it's financially viable.

Not only is bringing back vanilla wow not guaranteed to be profitable enough to be worth the effort and resources, but there's the issue of is there any interest in it? Would any of their devs be excited and passionate about bringing it back? Is it something anyone there WANTS to do creatively?

Also you can add StarCraft Ghost to the list, I'm not sure if it was as far along as Warcraft Adventures but it saw a lot of development time, and even had a novel written that was meant to accompany it.

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WoW is Blizzard Entertainment's bread and butter, I'd be inclined to think they won't cancel something that made them what they are today, as 'not worth spending marketting budget'. That would be a horrible PR statement to fans. Will they say WoW 2004 does not meet their standards? Slippery PR slope there, since that is the game that revolutionized MMORPG's to the mainstream.

What met their standards 12 years ago may not meet their standards today with over a decade of experience developing said MMO from what it was to what it is.

[Kyanion]

No, I assume because I'm a software engineer and know what porting games and systems over looks like, as well as rough knowledge of setting something like this up.

I have no delusions that it would take a sizable investment. The coding work is boring as hell, and staff does need to be hired to do that as well as maintain the servers.

But that investment pales in comparison to the amount of money that could be made.



We can definitely presume that as some of us have professional knowledge of what this undertaking would entail.

It is stupid for them to pass on Legacy servers, plain and simple. It would cost money to set up, and there is a little risk, but it's without a shadow of a doubt a serious money maker. The only reason they wouldn't do it is due to the bad PR of them lying for years.

Yes sorry random dude on the internet claiming to be in the know =/= what it would take for Blizz to undertake this project. You think it can make money hand over fist and maybe Blizz does not. Simple as that.

[Vineri]

Yes sorry random dude on the internet claiming to be in the know =/= what it would take for Blizz to undertake this project. You think it can make money hand over fist and maybe Blizz does not. Simple as that.

Actually what Blizzard really thinks is secret at the moment. They are having a conference with Nostalrius next month (June 2016). If they felt like you think they do, then they would not even entertain the idea or waste their time. Blizzard see's "something" coming from this meeting.

[Kyanion]

Not only is bringing back vanilla wow not guaranteed to be profitable enough to be worth the effort and resources, but there's the issue of is there any interest in it? Would any of their devs be excited and passionate about bringing it back? Is it something anyone there WANTS to do creatively?

Also you can add StarCraft Ghost to the list, I'm not sure if it was as far along as Warcraft Adventures but it saw a lot of development time, and even had a novel written that was meant to accompany it.

Exactly. This was something I've said a few times in this thread. Maybe the money is there but it is not a passion project they want to pursue. Maybe they'd actually want to keep the game/story moving forward. The lulls in content make it really hard to buy into some of that but maybe they think Legion will be worth it and want all attention on it once it releases.

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Actually what Blizzard really thinks is secret at the moment. They are having a conference with Nostalrius next month (June 2016). If they felt like you think they do, then they would not even entertain the idea or waste their time. Blizzard see's "something" coming from this meeting.

Why? Maybe they like some of the things Nost did coding wise and want to learn more about it. Maybe it is just a fact finding mission. Why does something have to come of the meeting? What if nothing does, you gonna be angry at the Nost team and Blizz?

[Vineri]

Exactly. This was something I've said a few times in this thread. Maybe the money is there but it is not a passion project they want to pursue. Maybe they'd actually want to keep the game/story moving forward. The lulls in content make it really hard to buy into some of that but maybe they think Legion will be worth it and want all attention on it once it releases.

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Why? Maybe they like some of the things Nost did coding wise and want to learn more about it. Maybe it is just a fact finding mission. Why does something have to come of the meeting? What if nothing does, you gonna be angry at the Nost team and Blizz?

Nost won't be releasing the code, they already said that. Even if compelled to, I'd bet they would rather "lose" it than give it away, since it could be used against them at a later date.

I don't see a problem with my statement either way. It's how you interpreted it that is the issue.

Original:
Blizzard see's "something" coming from this meeting.

You even substantiated this statement by saying they want to know more, yet ask why something will come from this meeting? /spins-circles

[Kyanion]

Nost won't be releasing the code, they already said that. Even if compelled to, I'd bet they would rather "lose" it than give it away, since it could be used against them at a later date.

I don't see a problem with my statement either way. It's how you interpreted it that is the issue.

Original:
Blizzard see's "something" coming from this meeting.

You even substantiated this statement by saying they want to know more, yet ask why something will come from this meeting? /spins-circles

Or maybe Blizz sees nothing coming from this and is doing it as a PR gesture. Who REALLY knows what the fuck the meeting will do. Do you?

[Vineri]

Or maybe Blizz sees nothing coming from this and is doing it as a PR gesture. Who REALLY knows what the fuck the meeting will do. Do you?

If it is a PR gesture as you say, and nothing comes from the meeting, then Blizzard will be inherently saying that WoW 2004 (the game that revolutionized MMORPG's to mainstream) was an inferior game, not worth spending money or time on.

That could be what comes from the meeting. Or something else. Either way "something" will come out of it - not nothing - certainly more than what has happened in the past 5-6 years of people asking for Legacy with no response (back when I first remember reading those threads).

[Kyanion]

If it is a PR gesture as you say, and nothing comes from the meeting, then Blizzard will be inherently saying that WoW 2004 (the game that revolutionized MMORPG's to mainstream) was an inferior game, not worth spending money or time on.

That could be what comes from the meeting. Or something else. Either way "something" will come out of it - not nothing - certainly more than what has happened in the past 5-6 years of people asking for Legacy with no response (back when I first remember reading those threads).

But why would Blizz come out and say that about 2004 WoW? They have no reason to bash their own version of the game from the past. It is a PR gesture to listen to people involved with the petition and the Vanilla servers. Does not mean anything has to come of it. Blizz has said in the past that it isn't something they want to do at this point. It might change in the future but who knows how long it could be before that future happens.

You think 'something' will come out of the meeting but one of those 'somethings' that could happen is just a PR stunt and that's it.

[Thimagryn]

Except Infinity did not make Disney. Mickey Mouse made Disney. Infinity did make money initially, but it's currently a product with little real physical value. Nobody is petitioning for more Infinity products.

Whether it affects other professionals and studios worldwide is beyond this scope. That part is irrelevant to discussions here actually (Less cheap stuff from China - Horray!).

Mickey is not what makes Disney the most money today. And no, Infinity products are still in demand and highly profitable. Saying that they aren't shows your lack of knowledge of the reasons why Infinity was cancelled in the first place.

http://disneyinfinitycodes.com/disne...at-went-wrong/

As I'm trying to be as objective as I can in this discussion, I emplore others to do the same and stay as informed as they can. Forming your arguments based solely on what you believe rather than what you know only takes us so far. There are always factors beyond what we simply think are in play, like believing Infinity was cancelled because 'it's no longer in demand'. That's simply not true, and sales have actually gone up in recent years rather than fall down. The problem stems in other regions, that ultimately lead to a corporate decision to drop it.

And guess what? Blizzard's own internal projects will ultimately be subject to corporate decisions. Like I said before, they aren't an Indy studio who can do what they want any more. There are multitudes of levels of administration to go through for every single decision. Keep in mind that we had the leaked projection report of Blizzard's internal projects a few years back, which stated things like Diablo 3's 2nd expansion and Starcraft Phoenix (suggested to be a Brood War remake) as well as the SC2 Marketplace. A lot of things change and a lot of those decisions are likely driven by finance and marketting over ability-to-develop.

[Vineri]

But why would Blizz come out and say that about 2004 WoW? They have no reason to bash their own version of the game from the past. It is a PR gesture to listen to people involved with the petition and the Vanilla servers. Does not mean anything has to come of it. Blizz has said in the past that it isn't something they want to do at this point. It might change in the future but who knows how long it could be before that future happens.

You think 'something' will come out of the meeting but one of those 'somethings' that could happen is just a PR stunt and that's it.

Hence, "inherently". Unspoken words, yet there for others to see and infer.

[Aehl]

They are having a conference with Nostalrius next month (June 2016

Probably to ask them what they have in the bank and how much they will be willing to pay to prevent another mutimillion dollar damages judgement against them.

[Thimagryn]

If it is a PR gesture as you say, and nothing comes from the meeting, then Blizzard will be inherently saying that WoW 2004 (the game that revolutionized MMORPG's to mainstream) was an inferior game, not worth spending money or time on.

No, that's what we call projecting. If nothing comes from the meeting, then nothing comes from the meeting. It's silly to infer that you have any insight on their reasoning.

[Vineri]

No, that's what we call projecting. If nothing comes from the meeting, then nothing comes from the meeting. It's silly to infer that you have any insight on their reasoning.

It is also silly to assume Blizzard will waste time on something they have no interest in. Oh well, perhaps time will tell. /peace

[Deleted]

If it is a PR gesture as you say, and nothing comes from the meeting, then Blizzard will be inherently saying that WoW 2004 (the game that revolutionized MMORPG's to mainstream) was an inferior game, not worth spending money or time on.

But thats just the truth isnt it? Vanilla is an inferior game compared to current wow. only sad thing is that most people are blind to the truth.

[Kyanion]

It is also silly to assume Blizzard will waste time on something they have no interest in. Oh well, perhaps time will tell. /peace

You think it is of much cost to them to talk to Nost and Kern? Lol okay. Time will tell indeed! *eyeroll

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But thats just the truth isnt it? Vanilla is an inferior game compared to current wow. only sad thing is that most people are blind to the truth.

Woah man watch how you talk to those zealots. They don't take kindly to those things. They'll just try to twist it into GarrisonCraft and other BS and then clamor for Vanilla class balance (lols) and most of the content being 'leveling to cap'. What fun.

[Uurdz]

But thats just the truth isnt it? Vanilla is an inferior game compared to current wow. only sad thing is that most people are blind to the truth.

It's a different game catering to a different player base. Better/worse is subjective to an opinion, similar to being either a halo player or a call of duty player.

Both games have merits and both games have downsides

[Eleccybubb]

You think it is of much cost to them to talk to Nost and Kern? Lol okay. Time will tell indeed! *eyeroll

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Woah man watch how you talk to those zealots. They don't take kindly to those things. They'll just try to twist it into GarrisonCraft and other BS and then clamor for Vanilla class balance (lols) and most of the content being 'leveling to cap'. What fun.

To be fair. Garrison was utter shit imo like a lot of WoD but Vanilla wasn't perfect either.

[Kyanion]

To be fair. Garrison was utter shit imo like a lot of WoD but Vanilla wasn't perfect either.

Oh I know Garrison is utter shit but they make it seem like nothing else was in the game but garrisons.

[Daffan]

But thats just the truth isnt it? Vanilla is an inferior game compared to current wow. only sad thing is that most people are blind to the truth.

Inferior in some ways but not all, or else nobody would of played Nostalrius at all. Ironic you are calling other people blind when that fact is sitting right in front of your eyes.

[Eleccybubb]

Oh I know Garrison is utter shit but they make it seem like nothing else was in the game but garrisons.

Yup. Wod had imo the second best levelling experience. First for me would be MoP. Raids were awesome except Highmaul and 2 tiers was way too short.