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  1. #1

    Where has the saved development time gone?

    Shadowlands is launching with fewer dungeons, zones, and less staple content compared to the past. In addition, there will be no new features, races, classes or professions with the expansion.

    So the question becomes, where has all the saved development time by not adding these standard expansion features gone to instead? Usually those resources are devoted to expansion gimmicks like Artifacts, Warfronts, Garrisons or other things. But in Shadowlands' case, it has no new gimmicks yet STILL has less staple content.

    There will be class reworks, but there are always major class reworks in every expansion, yet these expansions still manage to launch with new features like new classes on top of the reworks. So that is not an excuse either. And with the end game zone being barren with your typical reputation grind (Covenants), it makes you wonder what the questing and zone team have actually been doing with their time.

    All in all, it seems like Shadowlands has thinned out the amount of staple expansion content that WoW typically provides, without actually giving anything in return. The only explanation I can think of is that a significant portion of the WoW development team has been moved to D4 (similar to how much of the D3 team moved to WoW in Legion). As a result of this cost cutting for WoW, there is less raw content in Shadowlands.
    Last edited by styil; 2019-12-02 at 11:44 AM.

  2. #2
    Torghast and the covenant system seem like the likely contenders for this.

  3. #3
    I am Murloc! KOUNTERPARTS's Avatar
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    It does have gimmicks. Covenants.


    They are functioning as a silly mixture of Garrisons, Artifact Weapons, and Order Halls all watered down to sub-optimized brilliance. Class reworks? You mean they will just re-add abilities that were pruned out of the game before.


    "Back to class" means certain classes get some of their abilities back across all of their 3 specializations.


    You also forgot to mention the incredible amount of time and resources needed to develop new race customizations. No I'm not being sarcastic. The art team always hits winners in their department.
    Last edited by KOUNTERPARTS; 2019-12-02 at 11:45 AM.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Krinf View Post
    Torghast and the covenant system seem like the likely contenders for this.
    Torghast is essentially a M+ dungeon, and Covenants are effectively reputations with a different label. I just cannot see where the development resources have gone.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by styil View Post
    Torghast is essentially a M+ dungeon, and Covenants are effectively reputations with a different label. I just cannot see where the development resources have gone.
    Both have been stated to work very different from what you stated. No details are known yet, but it's not just an endless m+ dungeon, or just another rep grind.
    Last edited by Krinf; 2019-12-02 at 11:49 AM. Reason: typos

  6. #6
    They're keeping it a secret so that you still have a purpose in life.

  7. #7
    Maybe waiting to see with your eyes what's in the xpac instead of speculating on a few slides and interviews almost a year before the release would be a smart move?
    Blood DK. I hate leveling alts.
    BfA is great. I love HoA.
    Unpopular opinions ftw.

  8. #8
    In what way do you expect saved dev time be apparent in the expansion from which they're saving the dev time? What you would expect is that they're working on refining the crap out of whatever expansion is after Shadowlands.

  9. #9
    Herald of the Titans Vorkreist's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sangfoudre View Post
    Maybe waiting to see with your eyes what's in the xpac instead of speculating on a few slides and interviews almost a year before the release would be a smart move?
    Oh I can't wait for the Shadowlands edition of 9.XX patch will fix it once the alpha and beta issues are exposed.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Sangfoudre View Post
    Maybe waiting to see with your eyes what's in the xpac instead of speculating on a few slides and interviews almost a year before the release would be a smart move?
    It's too early now while it's still in development? Is Alpha too early too? What about beta? Pre patch? First month of launch? 9.1? Or maybe they can fix it in 10.0.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Vorkreist View Post
    Oh I can't wait for the Shadowlands edition of 9.XX patch will fix it once the alpha and beta issues are exposed.
    Are you blind? Just wait to see if the xpac really HAS less content than previous xpac. It's not due until almost a year, things might change, zones could be bigger than usual.. It's moronic to judge a book until you read it.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by styil View Post
    It's too early now while it's still in development? Is Alpha too early too? What about beta? Pre patch? First month of launch? 9.1? Or maybe they can fix it in 10.0.
    Have you played it? Leveled to 60? Embrace the size of zones and the rest of the content? No you have not, so too early to speak about saved dev time.
    Blood DK. I hate leveling alts.
    BfA is great. I love HoA.
    Unpopular opinions ftw.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Sangfoudre View Post
    Maybe waiting to see with your eyes what's in the xpac instead of speculating on a few slides and interviews almost a year before the release would be a smart move?
    You're essentially just saying :"Shut up and buy it" when people are curious if they even should buy it.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemonpartyfan View Post
    You're essentially just saying :"Shut up and buy it" when people are curious if they even should buy it.
    No I say wait to have someone see the final product with his own eyes before speculating and telling it's shit while no one know exactly what's inside.
    Blood DK. I hate leveling alts.
    BfA is great. I love HoA.
    Unpopular opinions ftw.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Sangfoudre View Post
    No I say wait to have someone see the final product with his own eyes before speculating and telling it's shit while no one know exactly what's inside.
    I think you are confused. Not only that, but the "final project " is a bad time to start asking questions.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemonpartyfan View Post
    I think you are confused. Not only that, but the "final project " is a bad time to start asking questions.
    You are either completely high or speaking another language.
    Blood DK. I hate leveling alts.
    BfA is great. I love HoA.
    Unpopular opinions ftw.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemonpartyfan View Post
    You're essentially just saying :"Shut up and buy it" when people are curious if they even should buy it.
    If you like WoW and are a regular player, the only thing you really want is some new art work and game changes to mix things up.

    WoW is not a single player game thats needs a killer feature for 1-day-players. A cool new mechanic that works out in the long run, like M+ in LEGION, is all it needs.

    If you want some hyped up shit-feature that is only cool for 1 week, MMOs/WoW or shadowlands will be a huge disappointment for you.
    -

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemonpartyfan View Post
    I think you are confused. Not only that, but the "final project " is a bad time to start asking questions.
    We all have to wait until release before having an opinion, didn't you know? Especially beta, when effectively 95% of it is feature complete. No way can we complain yet, we need to wait until release after people have bought it before making our own opinion.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Sangfoudre View Post
    You are either completely high or speaking another language.
    This is a straw man. People are asking questions,. which is A-OKay. Its stupid to wait until after the fact to start complaining and asking questions. How ios this confusing.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Ange View Post
    If you like WoW and are a regular player, the only thing you really want is some new art work and game changes to mix things up.

    WoW is not a single player game thats needs a killer feature for 1-day-players. A cool new mechanic that works out in the long run, like M+ in LEGION, is all it needs.

    If you want some hyped up shit-feature that is only cool for 1 week, MMOs/WoW or shadowlands will be a huge disappointment for you.
    I've been playing this game since it began. I don't think I need someone to explain to me what MMOs are about, or if they are "for" me.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by PenguinChan View Post
    We all have to wait until release before having an opinion, didn't you know? Especially beta, when effectively 95% of it is feature complete. No way can we complain yet, we need to wait until release after people have bought it before making our own opinion.
    And even then, people will say " well you don't get the big picture, and don't understand the long term!"

    NO one is even saying this game is "shit" in this thread, they are asking questions. I don't get the problem lol

  19. #19
    Really makes you wonder. When have the big expansion features ever turned out to be better than we thought when they originally announced them? Usually they end up being really bad in reality (Island Expeditions, Warfronts, Ashran) or they get pruned (RIP dance studio lol) or changed beyond recognition before launch (Garrisons).

    But yeah, preorder and wait until they fix it in 9.1/9.2/9.3. What could possibly go wrong?

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemonpartyfan View Post
    This is a straw man. People are asking questions,. which is A-OKay. Its stupid to wait until after the fact to start complaining and asking questions. How ios this confusing.
    Because, and I will try to use words a 8 yo could understand, saying that there is less content based on a few slides in Blizzcon and 1 yr before release is too much speculation, thus saying that Blizzard saved development time is almost as idiot as trying to make you understand how to boil water.
    Blood DK. I hate leveling alts.
    BfA is great. I love HoA.
    Unpopular opinions ftw.

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