How should sub races be introduced now It's Official: they're working on them!

[Mace]

Just when I had given up on the Devs for missing frankly a golden opportunity to add a bucket load of new and highly desired customization to the races while making the new models through sub races, they reveal (although in played down language) they're working on sub-races.

The team has talked about more customization, such as sub races, for a long time. Some would require different models with different textures. A good way to give players access to the different races would also be required. Perks for the different sub races might also be interesting.

Okay they're thinking about this - is like when blizzard say soon. It's been in the pipeworks, and they haven't sorted out how yet, including the:

Question of how are they going to introduce them? Once out should they:
1. Have different class selections to the main race
2. Have different racials to the main race.
3. Have separate introductory narrative.
4. Make the effort to give them different emotes or:
5. Just slightly change the emotes of a main race. e.g. San'layan will not say "For the Glory of Quel'thalas"
6. Give them their own starting zone i.e. a level 1-6 or 1-12 phased version of their zone OR
7. Just let them start as advanced races in the level zones you meet them in game e,g, Dragonmaw at level 84s Twilight highlands. with one quest too show the hero is going to fight for the horde/alliance from then on if they don't already have that quest OR
8. Just let them start with the main race in their starting zones, no need to trouble with phased zones


There is no better time to add the extra customizations to make sub-races than when you're working on the actual new models. It's better than going back and fiddling with the models at a later date to change stuff, re-hire voice actors etc etc, the time to do it is when you're doing the main race model. And the majority are really easy to do compared to the work of designing a new race since they're just adding to the new model they've just done.

Some sub-races require very little extra work; e.g. Mag'har orc is just skin tone customization granting different shades of brown, same with dragonmaw - which grants different shades of black. Some are more work, like Taunka - which would require different face animations (not body), because their faces are different to Tauren. Some a lot more work like Broken, which would have to be based off a different model, require different voice emotes.

I have no idea how far they would go, but how far would you like them to go?

[Deleted]

Where does it say they are working on sub-races?

[Kelthos]

Ideally I would just like them to add in skin tones to the races where appropriate. (i.e. Mag'har Orcs and Wildhammer/Dark Iron Dwarves). I think that would be the best course of action because not every race really has a sub-race without deviating wildly from the original source material and customizing voices/racials/emotes would be a lot of work that I believe would deter from them releasing them anytime soon or doing them at all.

[Cyberowl]

Where does it say they are working on sub-races?

You may be interpreting it wrong, since they only thought about it, but didn't officially say that they are working on it.

[ravenmoon]

When they add races, I really feel they should add living forsaken humans as an undead sub-race and I would like them to add High elves as a sub-race either to night elves or humans on the alliance.

alliance players are complaining of the ver more horde centric themes, plots, boosts etc, I keep telling the public, blizzard has to keep boositng and maintaining the higher horde profile or you guys won't pick em up to play, you won't play them without the better racials, and the better storylines and will default to the prettier alliance. Alliance is still more popular than horde with all its "nerfs" because it's the only faction with humans, and most of the newbies and many roleplayers pick humans. The only way to break the cycle and find the balance they're looking for without needing to keep pumping the horde through stories, plots and racials is to give the horde their version of humans.

It has to be a different model than the alliance human model. Take the blood elf model, adapt it to human by giving that model human ears, eyes, eyebrows, facial hair and some human hairstyles replacing the more male elven long hair types no human would wear. Stick them in the forsaken faction as either a group of humans that were turned into unliving (not dead, not alive) vampiric san'layan or a bunch of forsaken that got cured by a mysterious event (algalon? titan machine? Cenarius? alliance weapon?) . and watch people pick horde without needing horde stories and horde racials, and watch blizzard balance things better cos they don't feel they have to push the horde up for you to play them.

[Mace]

For those who don't know what sub-races are: Every playable race actually consists of several factions or groups, some have notieceable physical differences like different skin colours, or eye colours or faces or body sizes, some look exactly the same and may need a something added to distinguish them, e.g highbourne - may have to use the blood elf model adapted to night elf so you have a different more arrogant blood elf/high elf look and feel (animation) whiles still clearly night elf in features. Here are a possible list of what they could introduce for each race.

Orc: Mag'har Orc, Dragonmaw Orcs, Blackrock Orcs, Hellfire Orcs, normal durotar orcs
Forsaken: undead elf, undead human, vampire san'layan human, living human (uses blood elf model adapated to human instead of alliance human model)
Troll: Forest troll, Ice Troll, Zandalari troll, Sand Troll, Darkspear Troll
Tauren: Taunka, Yaungol, Grim-totem, Mulgore plains Tauren
Blood Elf: San'layan Blood elf, Wretched Elf, Fel Elf, Darkfallen, normal Blood elf
Goblin: Gilgoblin, Coal goblin, Kezan goblin

Human: Half-elf human, Vrykul, stormwind human
Dwarf: Dark Iron dwarf, Wildhammer dwarf, Earthern, Frost Dwarf, Bronzebeard
Night Elf: Highbourne, High Elf, normal night elf, Child of Cenarius (more a new race tbh)
Gnome: Leper Gnome, Mecha Gnome, normal Gnome
Draenei: Broken DRaenei, Eredar DRaenei (left legion), normal Draenei, Lost One
Worgen: Bloodfang Worgen, normal Worgen.


Disclaimer: not saying all these will be given or even qualify, I just brainstormed to fill out as many sub-races to each race I could think of in lore.

[hrugner]

I think a starting zone is probably too much to ask for a sub group of a race. Maybe an introductory quest string and start them off wherever that race is abundant: mechagnomes and taunka in borean tundra, wildhammer in the highlands, that sort of thing. Nothing too big, just enough to explain why they aren't like all the members of their race sticking around.

The voices should probably just have some sort of filter over the original to mimic a new voice, and not be rerecorded unless really necessary.

I'd prefer their availability be opened up via questing and achievements, but I expect them to be made available through the cash shop though, that's just where that sort of thing ends up in all free to play games.

Maybe one racial should change. Just pick anything that's too much part of the original group and change it.

[-Superman-]

The team has talked about more customization, such as sub races

Seems like you are reading WAY more in to it. Talking about it and working on it are two entirely different things.


But, if they are, I would love some red draenei warlocks (Eredar) as a playable Race/Class.

[Kraenen]

where's a source for this?

[Fish and Hook]

What sub-races could be even added to the Undead, Blood Elves or the Pandaren?
Aren't all humans considered the same race?

[-Superman-]

What sub-races could be even added to the Undead, Blood Elves or the Pandaren?
Aren't all humans considered the same race?

Undead could potentially start raising other races if the supply of human corpses ever runs out

[Scabb]

They're just throwing the idea around, they aren't working on it and given that it's taken them over a year to get 3 races to the point they were at blizzcon, you're talking about an undertaking that won't get any attention until after WoD, at the earliest.

That being said I do think that increasing the customisation options is worthwhile and should be done to at least give players access to races that are in the game such as brown and grey skinned orcs and dark iron dwarves etc.

Non-human undead options would be fun too.

[Mace]

You may be interpreting it wrong, since they only thought about it, but didn't officially say that they are working on it.

cos we know what happens when they do that on something they haven't fully formulated on how they'll execute. Just like they never promised they'd do the new models until they had decided on how/when to target, because you get x-player that will come out when the models hit and say.. "where are our sub-races" you promised and failed again. "I hate blizzard and i'm un-subbing" - if they don't come.. and it could easily be a case of, "We had to make a decision on whether to delay the new models further to add the sub-race so they could be released together, or release the model now, and add the sub-race later.

You don't make a full on promise when you've not decided how exactly you're going to do it. Anyway, I'm realistically optimistic based on what THEY said.

[liam78]

OP is lying. they are not working on subraces.

[Amerissis]

Damn, I was all excited coming in to this thread, that it was finally official, but... IT IS NOT. No one said they were working on sub races. Why do you post that? Damn.

[Aldrahan]

Personally, I can only think of a few races that I would actually give sub-races to, namely orc and dwarf. I would have them just start out in the same zone and everything for simplicity's sake. The only differences would be the character create screen where under gender you could click through available sub-race skins, and maybe change the quest text a little in the first few quests to show the differences in cultural heritage. It would just be little cool touches and nothing more, I don't think we need more racials, etc. to balance, and I definitely don't think every race needs them. Keep it limited, keep it simple, and keep it as a little bit of extra looks.

[Deleted]

can we get the thread title changed to something accurate?

[ravenmoon]

Ideally I would just like them to add in skin tones to the races where appropriate. (i.e. Mag'har Orcs and Wildhammer/Dark Iron Dwarves). I think that would be the best course of action because not every race really has a sub-race without deviating wildly from the original source material and customizing voices/racials/emotes would be a lot of work that I believe would deter from them releasing them anytime soon or doing them at all.

I would hate that, it's like the most boring way you could ever introduce the sub-race. I'd be thinking like "WTF Blizz !! where's the pride gone? i'd expect a move like this from Bioware not Blizz" - besides actually having them as a race rather than a skin-tone slider can make it really interesting by giving each sub-race an additional perk too.

besides, after not getting any new race, this would more than make up for it, it would feel like getting 10 new races if they give 1 sub-race per race, and 20 if they give 2. How on Azeroth is a slider option better?

[Gozzu]

They're just throwing the idea around, they aren't working on it and given that it's taken them over a year to get 3 races to the point they were at blizzcon, you're talking about an undertaking that won't get any attention until after WoD, at the earliest.

That being said I do think that increasing the customisation options is worthwhile and should be done to at least give players access to races that are in the game such as brown and grey skinned orcs and dark iron dwarves etc.

Non-human undead options would be fun too.

Over a year for 3 models is just lazyness though. If they'd get some focus into it, I'd expect all subraces to be done within half a year. Dear god, they already have the structures and skeletons, they'd just need skins for it, which is work that an amateur could do. Honestly, they'd just need some recoloring and a new voice-intro.

[Mace]

can we get the thread title changed to something accurate?

i doubt I can remove the it's offiical.. maybe i can add it's officially being discussed.. or maybe a mod can edit the title.