They should improve vanilla doodads/terrains without changing them

[KurenaiXIII]

People by and large don't want to spend their time on the leveling experience. That's why Blizzard keeps compressing it. Their business model is supporting the end-game and I think, by and large, their success and others' relative lack of success has proven that they're pretty much right. There's only so much extend in leveling content, even doing it over and over again--the *best* leveling content will grow stale. The only way to keep the game fresh and appealing is by creating new content.

[Supercool]

People by and large don't want to spend their time on the leveling experience. That's why Blizzard keeps compressing it. Their business model is supporting the end-game and I think, by and large, their success and others' relative lack of success has proven that they're pretty much right. There's only so much extend in leveling content, even doing it over and over again--the *best* leveling content will grow stale. The only way to keep the game fresh and appealing is by creating new content.

I've mentioned this before, but the real issue is that old xpac leveling is all setup and no payoff.

It's not that they're trying to get you to max level, but they want you in current content, which in WoD means 90+.

If you level in Outland, you're learning about all these threats (Kael's blood elf loyalists, the naga, Illidan) that you're going to bypass when you ding 68 and run off to Northrend. Then you'll learn about Arthas and Yogg-Sargon and never deal with them either, rushing off to level in Mount Hyjal at 80.

But then you get to Draenor, and now you're starting to establish plot threads that you, the player, might actually be able to resolve.

The leveling content really only works when you cap it off with endgame. Since the endgames of previous expansions are now skipped entirely in the leveling process, this makes the rest of leveling nothing but a series of establishing threats and never dealing with them.

[Pull My Finger]

Or maybe I just genuinely don't like it? But that can't be, right?

Not if you have any objective sense. Which is the point I'm obviously arguing.

[Alleji]

Cata made many low-leveling zones EXAGGERATEDLY EPIC.

That's a great way to put it.

I hate what they did to old world zones in Cata and that I can't play through Elwynn, Westfall and Redridge again like they were originally.

The zones were peaceful, slow-paced for the most part and had wonderful atmosphere. Now they are cluttered with quest givers to the point that it doesn't feel like a world anymore, but a theme park. Exploration has been replaced with hand-holding. Blizzard throws you into an epic story immediately instead of letting you be just another adventurer hunting kobolds.

Epic storylines should be reserved for raids and max level content, not for level 10.

[Deleted]

That's a great way to put it.

I hate what they did to old world zones in Cata and that I can't play through Elwynn, Westfall and Redridge again like they were originally.

The zones were peaceful, slow-paced for the most part and had wonderful atmosphere. Now they are cluttered with quest givers to the point that it doesn't feel like a world anymore, but a theme park. Exploration has been replaced with hand-holding. Blizzard throws you into an epic story immediately instead of letting you be just another adventurer hunting kobolds.

Epic storylines should be reserved for raids and max level content, not for level 10.

There is a huge case to be made for making the first 30 minutes of your game as epic as possible. Since that is a crucial moment where a lot of people leave it if doesn't work or it's boring, complicated, etc.

[Obelisk Kai]

I'm with the guy who says they should at least upgrade the trees, it's really off putting to look down and see green hexagons in every direction.

Of course the zone palettes could do with a bit of work, from above you can see the grid used to 'paint' them onto the game world.

And the mountains look like what they are, bits of texture pulled populous style from a flat base.

Content wise Cataclysm improved the old world.

Old world looks increasingly hideous though.

[Glorious Leader]

The reason they're trying to get people inside raids is not because they think raiding is super fun. It's because that's where the story culminates.

The story can culminate anywhere . It needn't be in raids.

[SirBeef]

That's a great way to put it.

I hate what they did to old world zones in Cata and that I can't play through Elwynn, Westfall and Redridge again like they were originally.

The zones were peaceful, slow-paced for the most part and had wonderful atmosphere. Now they are cluttered with quest givers to the point that it doesn't feel like a world anymore, but a theme park. Exploration has been replaced with hand-holding. Blizzard throws you into an epic story immediately instead of letting you be just another adventurer hunting kobolds.

Epic storylines should be reserved for raids and max level content, not for level 10.

Exactly what exploration was there in WoW? You were given breadcrumb quests to go from camp to camp. Along the way you may have found a quest giver. Those profession trainers had clues as to where to find them when talking to other NPCs or from an item that began a quest. It is not like there were secret areas or quests that were only found if you took the time to explore the world. WoW has always been a theme park not a sand box. There have never been any sand box elements to WoW. I found the 1-60 leveling experience more satisfying after Cata thanks to zones having structure and leading to the next zone not the zone across the continent or on the other continent. The only thing I would want back would be elite quests/mobs, or at least one or two elite patrols that you need to watch out for like the old Stitches.

[Supercool]

The story can culminate anywhere . It needn't be in raids.

Easy to say, much harder to do.

Plus, people already complain about Blizzard trying to make every player feel like the Chosen One. How much worse would that be if a campaign-level threat like Arthas was dealt with as a solo quest.

The game has always centered around big bads and the only dignified way of dispatching them is in raids. People feel gypped when Thrall kills Garrosh in a solo quest.

[Gadzooks]

Cataclysm did a terrible job in changing classic maps into other zones. We will never see again those areas, and new players don't even know that it was different once.
Cataclysm had the chance to make new areas in a different continent (the other face of Azeroth?) , but they preferred to ruin/chance the classic world.

It's not like you should demolish the Coliseum to build something else instead, cool or not.

Anyway, there are Vanilla models like trees and buildings that are horrible looking nowadays. I would throw money into a patch that make old content look as cool-looking as MoP/WoD.

Just something about adding polygons, improve texture and smooth terrain.

Imagine your loved starting areas be excactly the same, but ten times better graphically.

Please Blizzard throw some more polygons into the classic Azeroth, but not in the way you did in Cataclysm!

Do you understand how much work that would be?

- - - Updated - - -

I'm with the guy who says they should at least upgrade the trees, it's really off putting to look down and see green hexagons in every direction.

Of course the zone palettes could do with a bit of work, from above you can see the grid used to 'paint' them onto the game world.

And the mountains look like what they are, bits of texture pulled populous style from a flat base.

Content wise Cataclysm improved the old world.

Old world looks increasingly hideous though.

They won't take the time to fix Stormwind City, do you really think they'll let the art department spend months redoing all the old terrain and textures and models?

Don't hold your breath.