The next x-pack - random thoughts

[Aktavite]

It's more of an incomplete thought process, but criticism is welcome.

I'm not sure where this idea came from, however I'm beginning to think that Blizzard is done with major launches of expansion packs and will move to smaller building block/piecemeal patches.

Although not too dissimilar to how the game currently functions, it would see less initial content delivered and more zones opening up as the patch cycle continues. So instead of 10 zones open straight away, you have access to 3-4. And with each additional major content patch, 2-3 more zones are opened up.

Whilst overall content would be reduced it would increase the apparent amount of accessible content available to the players and would act as the carrot keeping players subscribed if they know that a major patch is just around the corner.

I'm not sure how the leveling process would work as it would limit the ability to increase the level cap beyond 5 levels without major restrictions on end game experience.

Thoughts, questions?

[thewallofsleep]

It's interesting that WoD has only been out for 5 months and people are already concerning themselve with th next expansion, rather than what comes next in the current one.

[Deleted]

It's interesting that WoD has only been out for 5 months and people are already concerning themselve with th next expansion, rather than what comes next in the current one.

Because we know whats coming up in the current expac. Another raid. Some questing region. And a shipyard.

And thats it. I think the next thing to look forward infact is the next expac. Even if blizzard plans another no-content phase for 12 months. Until the movie is being released.

[Extremities]

It's interesting that WoD has only been out for 5 months and people are already concerning themselve with th next expansion, rather than what comes next in the current one.

It's sad isn't it? But I kind of agree with people and wondering about it as well, reason being, this current expansion once all the newness of it dusts off, you quickly realize just show shitty it really is and little to do. This expansion was one of the most exciting hype - pre expansion and the quickest to go down as the most boring so quickly. The shits gone down quickly and you gotta admit that it has. 6.1 was a HUGE disappointment so you should expect people to be looking forward to the next expansion. I know I am and all my friends who quit about a month into the expansion because of the severe lack of shit to do.

[mvaliz]

Youre not the only one whos thought that OP

And what may make you think this is the recent success of Hearthstone and the subsequent design pholosophies of Heroes and Overwatch, combined with tge odd design decisions of endgame WoD.

I too am a little worried that this may be their current direction, but only time and whatever comes after 6.2 will either confirm or deny that.

Personally, i want to believe the lack of well-designed content at endgame outside of raids in 6.0, 6.1 was due to whatever current internal derp-up that resulted in a new staff and serious training time, but we shall see in time...

[Deleted]

It's interesting that WoD has only been out for 5 months and people are already concerning themselve with th next expansion, rather than what comes next in the current one.

That's because WoD will probably end after 6.2, and what will we've gotten out of it? The memory of an entire continent being a glorified Timeless Isle? a legendary questline similar to MoP but with a shitty reward you will barely get to control yourself? Being locked up in a capital city by yourself? the daily routine being sending out followers to go to Farahlon and other such cool areas we should've been experiencing? The only thing added to PvP being a 2x2 island which no one likes? The second expansion in which no new dungeons were added after launch? Going through the entire timeline bullshit just to put up with the "time is a flat circle" garbage in the second patch? etc, etc...

[Rosstafa]

I guess I feel like WoD had a lot of wasted potential, made a lot more mistakes than MoP did, but it also did a few things very well (the new raids/raid structure is awesome, the questing experience is better than ever), so I'm looking forward to an expansion that learns from the mistakes of WoD but builds on the improvements they made in MoP and WoD.

It's interesting that WoD has only been out for 5 months and people are already concerning themselve with th next expansion, rather than what comes next in the current one.

People have always done that though. They're always itching for new stuff, wondering where things are going.

[rda]

Although not too dissimilar to how the game currently functions, it would see less initial content delivered and more zones opening up as the patch cycle continues. So instead of 10 zones open straight away, you have access to 3-4. And with each additional major content patch, 2-3 more zones are opened up.

I think it'd be just plain less content overall and somewhat faster than before (mostly because it's easy to be faster when you are doing less, but perhaps they'd also finally make some use of the increased dev team by *really* working on two newer-format = way smaller expansions at once).

So, it'd be like this: 6 zones with something like Ashran / Dalaran / whatever on top at launch --- a small-ish zone or two during patches --- bam, 18 months passed, next expansion (pay again). In other words, like WoD, maybe even smaller, but in 18 months (WoD will very likely be slower, that's their first expansion with the new "model").

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

I don't want to pay for patches, that simple.

If Blizz moves to smaller expansions multiple times a year, they gotta be free or I'm out. I ain't made of money.

[thewallofsleep]

Too bad WoD being an alternate timeline diminishes any sense of purpose. Going out to Draenor to stop Garrosh from doing stuff makes the entire thing feel like a setback. Hopefully the next expansion storyline feels like it actually matters.

[Eurhetemec]

It's interesting that WoD has only been out for 5 months and people are already concerning themselve with th next expansion, rather than what comes next in the current one.

You know that has happened in LITERALLY every expansion, right? Even in Classic "WHEN R EXPANSION?!?!!" started in months. Just askin'.

If you think it's new or unique, well, you're pretty new.

- - - Updated - - -

It's more of an incomplete thought process, but criticism is welcome.

I'm not sure where this idea came from, however I'm beginning to think that Blizzard is done with major launches of expansion packs and will move to smaller building block/piecemeal patches.

Although not too dissimilar to how the game currently functions, it would see less initial content delivered and more zones opening up as the patch cycle continues. So instead of 10 zones open straight away, you have access to 3-4. And with each additional major content patch, 2-3 more zones are opened up.

Whilst overall content would be reduced it would increase the apparent amount of accessible content available to the players and would act as the carrot keeping players subscribed if they know that a major patch is just around the corner.

I'm not sure how the leveling process would work as it would limit the ability to increase the level cap beyond 5 levels without major restrictions on end game experience.

Thoughts, questions?

I'm pretty sure the shareholders would be rather skeptical of removing the infusion of cash that expansion launches bring. It's not impossible, though.

[SlippyCheeze]

It's more of an incomplete thought process, but criticism is welcome.

I'm not sure where this idea came from, however I'm beginning to think that Blizzard is done with major launches of expansion packs and will move to smaller building block/piecemeal patches.

Although not too dissimilar to how the game currently functions, it would see less initial content delivered and more zones opening up as the patch cycle continues. So instead of 10 zones open straight away, you have access to 3-4. And with each additional major content patch, 2-3 more zones are opened up.

Whilst overall content would be reduced it would increase the apparent amount of accessible content available to the players and would act as the carrot keeping players subscribed if they know that a major patch is just around the corner.

I'm not sure how the leveling process would work as it would limit the ability to increase the level cap beyond 5 levels without major restrictions on end game experience.

Thoughts, questions?

Why are you putting this here, rather than in your application to Blizzard as a game designer? You know they pay well for people who can solve these sorts of problems, and are hiring, right?

[Deleted]

I am scared they will continue the alternate timeline in the upcoming expac.

Which would drive the lore even more off the main story, which stopped in cataclysm, from my point of view.

Pandaland looked like a intermission. So did WoD. And so will probably the next expac.

[SlippyCheeze]

I am scared they will continue the alternate timeline in the upcoming expac.
Which would drive the lore even more off the main story, which stopped in cataclysm, from my point of view.
Pandaland looked like a intermission. So did WoD. And so will probably the next expac.

I don't mean to be snarky, but folks complaining about the accuracy of the lore vs the game world are frequently also unhappy with the handling of the developers of the lore. (Not without reason, in my personal opinion.)

Are you *sure* it would be better to have them touching the lore, rather than leaving it alone and working on this AU stuff where it can be written off if they break things?

[The3rdCatalyst]

It's interesting that WoD has only been out for 5 months and people are already concerning themselve with th next expansion, rather than what comes next in the current one.

Are you really that surprised? The day Barack Obama was inaugurated for his presidency an interviewer asked him who he thought would run for president in 2016. People are often unnecessarily curious of the future.

It's more of an incomplete thought process, but criticism is welcome.

I'm not sure where this idea came from, however I'm beginning to think that Blizzard is done with major launches of expansion packs and will move to smaller building block/piecemeal patches.

Although not too dissimilar to how the game currently functions, it would see less initial content delivered and more zones opening up as the patch cycle continues. So instead of 10 zones open straight away, you have access to 3-4. And with each additional major content patch, 2-3 more zones are opened up.

Whilst overall content would be reduced it would increase the apparent amount of accessible content available to the players and would act as the carrot keeping players subscribed if they know that a major patch is just around the corner.

I'm not sure how the leveling process would work as it would limit the ability to increase the level cap beyond 5 levels without major restrictions on end game experience.

Thoughts, questions?

I think Blizzard is actually moving more in the direction of having a big launch and then slowly trickling in content instead of a mediocre launch with limiting content and then big patches like we saw in Vanilla (though that was for a completely different reason).

Blizzard makes a lot more money by having a big launch and I believe Blizzard knows that no matter how good the later patches are people will still leave. They make a lot of money through expansions and big releases. No doubt we'll be left with another 12month+ of no content but a big new expansion once we haven't played the game for a few months to bring us back in.

Short of it is no matter the patched content they would see a greater economic gains by launching expansions more frequently rather than sparsely making expansions and letting out frequent patches.

[Golden Yak]

Lots of people are predicting Burning Legion and/or Azshara - I'm interested if any of their predictions will come true. No one really saw Cataclysm, Pandaria, or WoD coming... will Blizzard surprise us again, or will long-prediction expansion concepts (Azshara, Emerald Dream, etc.) start coming to pass?

[ninizhebeg]

I too am a little worried that this may be their current direction

[Laerrus]

That's because WoD will probably end after 6.2, and what will we've gotten out of it? The memory of an entire continent being a glorified Timeless Isle? a legendary questline similar to MoP but with a shitty reward you will barely get to control yourself? Being locked up in a capital city by yourself? the daily routine being sending out followers to go to Farahlon and other such cool areas we should've been experiencing? The only thing added to PvP being a 2x2 island which no one likes? The second expansion in which no new dungeons were added after launch? Going through the entire timeline bullshit just to put up with the "time is a flat circle" garbage in the second patch? etc, etc...

I highly doubt that 6.2 is going to be the final patch.

-There is still one more tier to go after HFC (I am guessing that it will be Shattrath)
-Fall/Winter 2016 is still a long way off, I just don't see HFC being another SoO.

[swisscheese]

You know that has happened in LITERALLY every expansion, right? Even in Classic "WHEN R EXPANSION?!?!!" started in months. Just askin'.

If you think it's new or unique, well, you're pretty new.

- - - Updated - - -



I'm pretty sure the shareholders would be rather skeptical of removing the infusion of cash that expansion launches bring. It's not impossible, though.

I don't remember that at all, especially 5 months into launch. 5 months into launch was right around the time AV was added(?). There were loads of people that were not even max level yet, and there was still so much of the world to explore.

Granted I know an expansion is going to have less content than a title launch, but from what we know so far WoD seems like such a tiny expansion.

[Beelzabi]

I highly doubt that 6.2 is going to be the final patch.

-There is still one more tier to go after HFC (I am guessing that it will be Shattrath)
-Fall/Winter 2016 is still a long way off, I just don't see HFC being another SoO.

I don't want 6.2 to be the final patch either, but the main problem with this is their previous answers about the final raid will have the Legion in it. And Archimonde, I mean, they will have to put Kil'jaeden or even Sargeras to be the end boss of the next raid, another one, just NO.