Why not release WoD one zone at a time?

[Callace]

If they're postponing Tanaan to get the expansion out faster, I think they have the potential to release the expansion in just a few weeks: one zone at a time. Frost/Shadow in early Sept., Talador in late Sept./early Oct., etc...

If the goal is to get WoD out as soon as possible, and they're already cutting into the mainline continent, what could a method like this hurt?

Would you support an idea like this? Personally, I prefer that they take all the time they need, but if that's off the table, I don't see a tiered release schedule being any worse than what they're planning now, especially if it accomplishes their goal of releasing the expansion faster. What do you think?

[Daetur]

No.

The leveling flow needs to be released at the same time. If they release leveling content and stall people at, for example, 92, then we're going to be plagued by balance and scaling issues. SoO raiding will stagnate even further because power levels will drop as we level (due to requiring more stats for the same effect, resulting in reduced crit, haste, etc. levels).

[Callace]

No.

The leveling flow needs to be released at the same time. If they release leveling content and stall people at, for example, 92, then we're going to be plagued by balance and scaling issues. SoO raiding will stagnate even further because power levels will drop as we level (due to requiring more stats for the same effect, resulting in reduced crit, haste, etc. levels).

Is SoO really relevant though with new leveling content? That WOULD be the biggest drawback, no new raid instances at launch. Maybe they could have planned for a lvl 95 mini raid to tide people over? Just brainstorming.

[Daetur]

SoO would be the only raid content until the raids from WoD are available, meaning that people who want to be raiding would still want to be raiding that, and developing an additional raid would divert resources from current expansion development.

[Deleted]

Why not go even further and release it one quest at a time? That would make the expansion last a long time.

[Bluesftw]

ye, why not go a step further , 1st zone free, next just for $19,99, obviously on top of subscription and expansion cost

[Eazy]

Because it'd be boring and stupid, they cannot just say "Heeey! Here! Have an expansion with JUST ONE ZONE!".

Can you even thing about the amount of HATE on the forums after they did that?

Why not go even further and release it one quest at a time? That would make the expansion last a long time.

I lol'd, but yeah, you have a point.

[Callace]

SoO would be the only raid content until the raids from WoD are available, meaning that people who want to be raiding would still want to be raiding that, and developing an additional raid would divert resources from current expansion development.

If raids have so much prestige, why are they bothering to develop anything else? They could just raise the level cap when the time comes, or better yet, do away with the current leveling system.

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Can you even thing about the amount of HATE on the forums after they did that?

Honestly, I'm trying to figure out if the hate for not having a lot of new content is greater than the hate for having no new content at all (currently). I was trying to devise a compromise.

[Atherions]

much rather wait untill december for a full exp, than get 1/5 now

[Daetur]

If raids have so much prestige, why are they bothering to develop anything else? They could just raise the level cap when the time comes, or better yet, do away with the current leveling system.

Raiding having prestige has nothing to do with what I am talking about, especially in terms of development.

My point is this- if they were to give us 1 zone for a month, they effectively remove all endgame content in order to give very little lasting entertainment value. Raiding becomes basically unplayable due to character weakness, PvP becomes imbalanced for the same reasons as well as Draenor's class design being balanced for level 100...

[Deleted]

It's not a Telltale game.

[Thimagryn]

artificially gating content makes people get tired quickly. I could run through any expansion content within a week's time. Hitting max level is where the game begins, so artificially gating the leveling process only forces people to unsub and resub when the gates are open for end-game.

[Callace]

Raiding having prestige has nothing to do with what I am talking about, especially in terms of development.

My point is this- if they were to give us 1 zone for a month, they effectively remove all endgame content in order to give very little lasting entertainment value. Raiding becomes basically unplayable due to character weakness, PvP becomes imbalanced for the same reasons as well as Draenor's class design being balanced for level 100...

I understand your point, but bear with me. What I'm suggesting, is that if they're running aground with design obstacles that create barriers, i.e. level cap, that they remove the design barriers. They could make potentially change the level cap and stats with upcoming raids by using their legacy squish system -like running old dungeons that scale to max level like they're planning. I'm not saying they're prepared to do this by any means. I'm saying it just might be a solution that lets them release content on their own terms. This way, the raids would level up with the cap as the new content came in. SWTOR already has something similar implemented, and it works.

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artificially gating content makes people get tired quickly. I could run through any expansion content within a week's time. Hitting max level is where the game begins, so artificially gating the leveling process only forces people to unsub and resub when the gates are open for end-game.

The gates would be opening on a monthly basis though. So when people go to unsub for the following month, the new content is ready to go.

[Halicia]

I understand your point, but bear with me. What I'm suggesting, is that if they're running aground with design obstacles that create barriers, i.e. level cap, that they remove the design barriers.

I'm all for that, but it would require a new game from the ground up, you can't just replace the skeleton from the game without ending up with a ... mess.

[Deleted]

Do you want to completely kill the expansion?

[Callace]

I'm all for that, but it would require a new game from the ground up, you can't just replace the skeleton from the game without ending up with a ... mess.

Not a new game from the ground up, but a new expansion cycle from the ground up:

Instead of several Zones+Raids @ launch & Occasional zone/raid @ patch, it would be

new zone + raid almost EVERY month. Indefinitely.

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Do you want to completely kill the expansion?

I want them to finish killing off their current release structure.

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Why not irrationally respond to development structuring by suggesting hyperbole.

Who's more foolish? The fool or the fool that follows him?

[Rivin]

Not a new game from the ground up, but a new expansion cycle from the ground up:

Instead of several Zones+Raids @ launch & Occasional zone/raid @ patch, it would be

new zone + raid almost EVERY month. Indefinitely.

It takes them six months to finish a new raid now...what makes you think they could suddenly start pumping out new raids every month? Unless you want a bunch of single-room (probably single-boss, too) raids, that's not going to happen.

[Thimagryn]

The gates would be opening on a monthly basis though. So when people go to unsub for the following month, the new content is ready to go.

What reason is there to stay subbed each month when you could wait for all gates to open, then play it all through within a week's time? The content we get from zones isn't enough to last an entire month. At best, leveling content takes about a week to finish, beginning to end. Some players will play slower and work at their own pace, but there's no reason to have all players set at a casual player pace artificially just to make the expansion seem longer.

Would you be capping levels each month as well? Gain 1-2 levels every month so that all the questing content is relevant? Just think about that. You play for an entire month, and you can't reach max level until 5 months down the road just because. You'd lose interest pretty quickly, considering you can't control your own pace of how you run through content - you're made to wait at each door. You may as well unsub and wait for the last gate before you go in sprinting.

[Callace]

It takes them six months to finish a new raid now...what makes you think they could suddenly start pumping out new raids every month? Unless you want a bunch of single-room (probably single-boss, too) raids, that's not going to happen.

They did single boss raids back in WotLK and it was the most successful expack. Doesn't mean they couldn't vary it a bit.

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What reason is there to stay subbed each month when you could wait for all gates to open, then play it all through within a week's time? The content we get from zones isn't enough to last an entire month. At best, leveling content takes about a week to finish, beginning to end. Some players will play slower and work at their own pace, but there's no reason to have all players set at a casual player pace artificially just to make the expansion seem longer.

Would you be capping levels each month as well? Gain 1-2 levels every month so that all the questing content is relevant? Just think about that. You play for an entire month, and you can't reach max level until 5 months down the road just because. You'd lose interest pretty quickly, considering you can't control your own pace of how you run through content - you're made to wait at each door. You may as well unsub and wait for the last gate before you go in sprinting.

If those zones have a raid or half a raid at the end that will scale up with the level cap, I think people would pay for that.

[Thimagryn]

There are a lot of asian MMO's that tried that. Phantasy Star Universe comes to mind, where they gated content monthly, exactly the way you're talking. Populations were basically driven away from the game because of that system.

When content comes so regularly that you know there will be better upgrades if you just wait next month, people will eventually just stop because their efforts for obtaining that epic gear from that raid before anyone else is going to be made irrelevant by the next one. Green is the new purple every month, where is the fun in that?