I'll never really take Pandarens as a serious race in WoW but I do like the Asian theme of Pandaria. Though it's a bit overkill with no real creativity. To me, Blizz just took historical and contemporary elements and slapped it onto Azeroth with a different name. To avoid infringement, they just changed names and what not. But for those who think Pandaria, Pandarens, and all in-between are directly reflective of Chinese culture or take it as if it truly is Chinese culture, don't let the game fool you. It's Asian THEMED.
Lord of the Rings Online, perhaps? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Rings_Online
It's even free to play.
Professor of History at Dalaran University
Like I said, I was expecting more of our own hero darkening oneself with the "pillage of Pandaria" 85-90. Yes, Krasarang took a big hit, and plunging a bunch of ruins in Kun-Lai, but not much to the inner part of Pandaren society. For example, like you said, if the main fleets were already here, it could be like the human kingdom of Guild Wars 1 (don't remember the name) and pretty much be Valley of the four craters, and nearly most of the landscape be sha-touched, or Garrosh to get all $$'s on the powers of the waters in the Vale. Hell, the shrines face each other, I'm surprised he hasn't put Goblin rockets on them yet and turned the Alliance's shrine into rubble (game mechanics aside).
This war seems to dabble on the edges of Pandaren society, (aside the Jade serpent) like I said, I was hoping for extensive damage into the heartland of Pandaria, and less of "Chen Stormstout and the master to the rescue, *bashes 2 Mantid's heads in while chugging more ale*. The Sentinels and Sunwalkers could've helped, but even participate in some Guillaume warfare from the retreat of Stoneplow and widdle the forces down, not just stop a full fledged swarm by punching the innards of a colossus.
Hi, I'm scissors! Nerf rock, paper's fine. <---Class balance in a nutshell on the WoW forums.
Be careful of the shop though! Dang that shop is one evil cash-grabber.... "Want to learn to ride? PAY MEH!" "Want a horse to ride? PAY MEH!" "Want to look pwetty? PAY MEH!" "Want to play the fun classes? PAY MEH!".... Well that or grind those tokens, but that's more painful than eating pasta with ketchup for a month because you spend all your money on a poney for your hobbit.....
Amazing sig, done by mighty Lokann
So what? The "common" universe is not the Warcraft Universe. Orcs can be scholars in WoW, not just murderous brutes. Elves can be devious and malicious in WoW, not infallible pillars of perfection. Dwarves can be crafty and cunning, not just in your face bruisers. WoW is not whatever universe(s) it borrows from.
---------- Post added 2013-02-23 at 10:02 PM ----------
The Alliance didn't go to Pandaria to pillage it. And despite Garrosh's intentions, when Nazgrim landed in Pandaria with his Horde forces, they had no intention of pillaging the continent either...
Oh it's not that I disagree, because I don't, but I also think that Stoneplow's "true" role was to show that not every member of the Alliance and Horde is interested in bloodshed and mayhem. But yes, I agree that we should start fighting in other zones too, but perhaps that'll happen in 5.3? What really puzzled me though, was that the Horde only deployed Orcs and Blood Elves, and that neither the Huijin or Kushui (I can never remember the name of the Alliance pandaren) weren't send to Pandaria either to help, or the fact that the Pandaren allies from Kun-Lai weren't deployed either. That seemed strange and annoying to me.
---------- Post added 2013-02-23 at 11:04 PM ----------
Nazgrim, despite his loyalty to Garrosh, is a character that intrigues me. I can't help but wonder if he'll truly support Garrosh in the end. The guy isn't a fanatic or a complete idiot.
Amazing sig, done by mighty Lokann
Amazing sig, done by mighty Lokann
Nazgrim strikes me as loyal because discipline calls for it. I'd like to see him being a prominent member of the resistance against Garrosh in the end, perhaps a martyr. That's what I'd like for him. It'd be a shame to build him up through previous expansions just to make him a dolt.
Metzen is obviously a very passionate guy, if he didn't like the idea of Pandaren, he wouldn't have acted like he did at Blizzcon. Besides, he already admitted that he was the guy who said to Samwise that he thought Pandaren were awesome and that he wanted to use them. Heck, Samwise said that too.
And again - Metzen is the guy who writes ALL BLIZZARD GAMES STORY - therefor it's just pure freaking logic that he's involved in the process.
---------- Post added 2013-02-23 at 11:10 PM ----------
Whatever his role, the Alliance guy (Taylor?) would have to do something similiar - or perhaps the exact opposite... Hmm.
Amazing sig, done by mighty Lokann
Doesn't mean much when one person cannot oversee several games, expansions, patches in any reasonable detail. It depends on whether he was involved in decision making for the lore/theme and whether he was even aware of how pervasive and dominant pandas and Chinese theme have become in MOP.
---------- Post added 2013-02-23 at 10:11 PM ----------
Chen was in where in WoW? Wrath? Cata?
Yeah, I thought so.
Urgh, by each post of yours, I'm getting closer and closer to pulling a Pierce Morgan....
Being in charge of the story and lore for all the games, is obviously something that takes time, and obviously he isn't the only guy who writes or comes up with ideas, but he's still the main guy. He says so, and so does every other Blizzard employee. Honestly, go watch one of the (many) interviews with the guy.
And of course he's aware of it, he's been with the company since they started on Warcraft 1.... Jeesh.
---------- Post added 2013-02-23 at 11:14 PM ----------
I loved that bit! Only bit that really gets to me, is that Nazzy is wearing his Vashj'ir pants, instead of his General pants :S
Amazing sig, done by mighty Lokann
I absolutely hate it. It's disgusting to look at and that combined with the perpetual rape of warcraft lore in MoP made me quit. I could actually forgive the homogenization, the unending casualisation of the game, the dumbing down, the crappy easy mechanics, but when they took the lore, the design and world I loved and repeatedly raped it I had enough.
The asian theme is disgusting. And to people saying "how is it different from anything else based on the real world", don't be stupid, not 1 expansion in WoW ever depicted actual landmarks from the real world and certainly did not dedicate its entire design to a poor cartoon parody of one select country. It's disgusting, and has nothing to do with fantasy. Shame, SHAME.
Seems like someone's been possessed by the Sha of RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!
... Oh and the latter bit is just wrong. Uldum is Egypt all over for example, not to mention that Uldum is basically an animated version of Indiana Jones.
Amazing sig, done by mighty Lokann