Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Hitei]

It'd be nice if people could finally come up with an actual argument and not just repeat these dumbfuck statements ad infinitum, every time the topic of housing comes up.

It's a reasonable argument though people often simplify it. Player Housing is asking for a massive amount of developer time from a lot of teams (The zone team for basic setting if it's more than an interior; the team that does general buildings, doodads, world objects, etc. for hundreds of new assets in addition to their regular duties making stuff for new zones/instances/raids; the primary systems teams which has to code a whole bunch of new stuff for moving around and placing things and the systems to save and load an elaborate instanced collection of objects per character; the profession team to set up potentially whole new professions for it as well as the materials and like (which also require their own new world objects and stuff); the UI/Interface team who has to build the whole front end, tooltips for all the items, etc.)

It's one thing when you are doing that work in the background during the initial making of the game, or when it's the dedicated content update, but when you're asking for what is realistically as much content as a major content patch from every team but the quest and dungeons ones, in addition to the regular content that has to be put in a given expansion it's a lot.

The engine was never built with that sort of thing in mind. It's one thing to have something like Garrisons where you have a small set of plots that can accept a handful of building types, it's another thing entirely to have a satisfying housing system where you have hundreds of different objects in a region the player can much more freely place and rotate.

To be meaningful it also has to see constant support, which means some of those teams (not the UI or Systems, which are foundational, but the art, profession, etc.) have to continue to every patch dedicate additional time to making new items and things for the housing system next to whatever stuff they make for the actual patch.

Additionally this elaborate system with a ton of required work is a system that inherently encourages players to spend a large amount of time isolated in their own little instanced world building stuff just right, rather than out populating the world and running around. Sure, there are parts of it you can use to get people out into the world (gathering materials or doing activities for various resources or currencies) but those are activities that people are doing anyway for main system resources and materials, so it's not like you're increasing the amount of traffic in the world, you're just getting the normal gathering and running around farming and shit, but with the added caveat that when finished, instead of even running around in circles in Oribos, that person then hearths and completely removes themselves from the world.

I love building shit in games. I grew up playing build servers in Starsiege: Tribes/Tribes 2, which were like a prototype G-mod. I love adding big mod houses to Elder Scrolls games and filling it with neat weapons and armor and random books and objects to make it feel live a real home. I just don't think it's a great fit for wow. Like if we are talking hypothetical, elaborate systems that involve a ton of dev work, I'd rather see that time and effort go to some sort of world system. Revamp cities/towns to involve server community input with building projects decided collectively/build decay with repeatable resource turn-ins and quests for maintenance, etc. Get people doing shit together out in the world, not hiding away in a personal instance getting their furniture just right.

I'd rather spend time grinding Drust in Ardenweald to keep some constantly-draining zone-spanning anima slipstream active that players can enter for double mount speed than grinding drust to get the mats for nice table in my house my friends will see a couple times.

[Sondrelk]

It's one thing when you are doing that work in the background during the initial making of the game, or when it's the dedicated content update, but when you're asking for what is realistically as much content as a major content patch from every team but the quest and dungeons ones, in addition to the regular content that has to be put in a given expansion it's a lot.

I always find that with stuff like housing, and in general any new content you first have to start by asking what the least amount of effort Blizzard could realistically put into the game for it is, and whether that version of the system is worth the effort.

A wrold revamp with every zone being unique, with its own armor sets, and in which every zone has world quests, rares and secrets is of course someting I believe everyone can get behind, but the idea is just not realistic. Consequently, when discussing it the arguments usually end up being on how Blizzard could do it easily and with the least amount of effort.

With housing its the same. Garrisons are whether players like it or not a version of housing. It's an instanced area that the player is given the ability to customize. There are monuments that are gained from various activities that can eb used to decorate, and a room filled with the archaeological findings you have made.
Followers you have recruited around the world from various activities shows up, all your favorite pets are roaming around, and there is a stable you can go to where all your favorite mounts are walking around for you to admire.
If Blizzard made housing there is no way of knowing for sure whether it wouldnt be just a tiny bit better that Garrisons. There is no way of knowing whether interior customization is limited to 3-4 different preset house styles with 2 dedicated trophy spots to show off what you got.

[Gaidax]

In between world revamp and true housing, I'd pick housing.

[Nyel]

Can someone update me and tell me if there have been any new leaks or interesting datamining in the last days? Has the Fate of Eternity logo been proven fake or still limbo?

[micwini]

Can someone update me and tell me if there have been any new leaks or interesting datamining in the last days? Has the Fate of Eternity logo been proven fake or still limbo?

Still limbo. No talk about it at all. I think most are focusing on PTR 9.1.5 being up soon

[Dracullus]

They started pushing WoW blue posts on Monday, so I guess there is chance at least for retail news today.

[Nyel]

Still limbo. No talk about it at all. I think most are focusing on PTR 9.1.5 being up soon

Thank you!

[Lady Atia]

They started pushing WoW blue posts on Monday, so I guess there is chance at least for retail news today.

Let's hope it's up tonight! Can't wait to see the new customizations and mounts <3

[GR8GODZILLAGOD]

Let's hope it's up tonight! Can't wait to see the new customizations and mounts <3

I’m being pessimistic and thinking the customization pics they showed is actually all of them.

And are there gonna be new mounts? I didn’t think anything in 9.1.5 added any.

[Sondrelk]

I’m being pessimistic and thinking the customization pics they showed is actually all of them.

And are there gonna be new mounts? I didn’t think anything in 9.1.5 added any.

I guess in a way the next patch increases the covenant rewards by four times, at least in the sense that if you stikc to a specific covenant or generally have not progressed in other covenant reward structures then the potential rewards have been massively increased.

Or actually, I just remembered. Legion Timewaling. That should add a mount at least.

[therumblings]

I guess in a way the next patch increases the covenant rewards by four times.

This will definitely keep people busy for a while, especially people like me who never bothered farming out all the mounts and pets on other covenants on alts.

[Raetary]

Hopefully the TW mount is worthwhile, and not just another ugly Fel bat.

[Sondrelk]

This will definitely keep people busy for a while, especially people like me who never bothered farming out all the mounts and pets on other covenants on alts.

Same here. The barrier for swapping covenants was large enough, and the potential rewards small enough that I didnt bother before. But now that the expansion is likely going into a longer drought and swapping covenants will be easy I imagine I will be going around collecting at least one more covenant set of rewards.

Annoying with the Path of Ascension though. I imagine that will be the only thing I will be missing from Kyrians, and unless it gets nerfed then I somehow doubt I will manage toget through it before swapping to something else for a while.

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Hopefully the TW mount is worthwhile, and not just another ugly Fel bat.

With the exception of the WotLK Timewalking mount they have all been recolors though, haven't they? So I guess the question is what recolor could we get that would be fitting.
A fel moonsaber would be great, though I almost wonder whether it will end up being a fel moose using a recolor of the Nightmare themed mount from the Glory of the Legion raider achievement.

[therumblings]

I'm hoping it's a Nightmare Drake, but it will most likely be another recolor of a mount we already can get.

[Raetary]

With the exception of the WotLK Timewalking mount they have all been recolors though, haven't they? So I guess the question is what recolor could we get that would be fitting.
A fel moonsaber would be great, though I almost wonder whether it will end up being a fel moose using a recolor of the Nightmare themed mount from the Glory of the Legion raider achievement.

I don't care whether its a recolor/reskin, just that it's a worthwhile mount.

I'd love if they added a recolor of the Suramar fox, or added the Highmountain falcon/eagle as a mount.

Just no fugly Fel bats or Argus abominations.

[therumblings]

Highmountain falcon/eagle as a mount.

That's another good choice, I was surprised they didn't have them as a rep mount during Legion.

[Lahis]

More like, 15 minutes of questing for 2 minutes worth of story progression.

Don't forget that those 15 minutes of questing will be spread out to three 5 minute time gated weekly parts, with the 2 minute cutscene coming in week 4.

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You sure about that one?

Well, the game should be World of Warcraft, but you are right. It is Instances of Warcraft.

[Revamp Man]

I think so too.

Rip heritage armor.

I’m actually let down about no MoP tw raid

[Sondrelk]

That's another good choice, I was surprised they didn't have them as a rep mount during Legion.

It's one of the things I still cannot forgive Legion for. All over Highmountain you had these amazing flightpaths with eagles, playing as a hunter you got the eagle theme all around you. And yet when the time came for the extra special mount from the Highmountain tribe to show up it ended up being a shitty little moose, and not even a flying one.

Stormheim you got a kickass dragon, from Aszuna you got a HD version of the classic Hippogryph, from Suramar you got a really cool flying carpet. But from Highmountain, not a kickass eagle, but a shitty little moose.

[Lady Atia]

I’m being pessimistic and thinking the customization pics they showed is actually all of them.

And are there gonna be new mounts? I didn’t think anything in 9.1.5 added any.

They already announced new mounts:



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Same here. The barrier for swapping covenants was large enough, and the potential rewards small enough that I didnt bother before. But now that the expansion is likely going into a longer drought and swapping covenants will be easy I imagine I will be going around collecting at least one more covenant set of rewards.

Annoying with the Path of Ascension though. I imagine that will be the only thing I will be missing from Kyrians, and unless it gets nerfed then I somehow doubt I will manage toget through it before swapping to something else for a while.

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With the exception of the WotLK Timewalking mount they have all been recolors though, haven't they? So I guess the question is what recolor could we get that would be fitting.
A fel moonsaber would be great, though I almost wonder whether it will end up being a fel moose using a recolor of the Nightmare themed mount from the Glory of the Legion raider achievement.

There are a bunch of cool mount ideas for Legion, sadly we won't get them all!

Fel Moose, Fel Stormdrake (already has a model with the gladiator version, just remove the armour), the missing Infernal recolours, an Eagle mount, a regular Felbat. The sky is the limit, really. I hope for 2-3 on the vendor this time, similiar to WoD.