WoD Screenshots, Dev Interviews, PAX Beta Key Redemption Issue, Blue Tweets, DLC #436

[Toiran]

Rather disappointed about the screenshots. I was hoping that WoW would finally lose it's cartoonisch look in WoD, but mountains are still as pointy as well, not real mountains, and the tusks are not rounded at the bottom. Also the textures are all the same for the Elekks. Go big or go home imho. Trees look a bit better though, as well does a campfire.

Eh? That will never happen, never.

It's not only WoW's style, it's Blizzard's style, Diablo is a bit more realistic because of the tone of the game, but it's still using a similar palette and hand painted textures and so on.

A lot fits in each game, compare Diablo's Mystic, Jeweler and Blacksmith stations to the profession buildings for Garrisons for example.

Theres clearly a huge detail and fidelity upgrade in WoD, even over MoP.

As for Trees, well, they've never got them right, it's kinda hilarious if you go back to Quel'Danas now and look at the trees, which looked pretty amazing for TBC trees tbh.

I think the tusks are unfinished though, they clearly look out of place in regards to quality in comparison to the rest of the body, at least on that screenshot, but it may just be from artifacts and compression.

[Nozuka]

i love the elekk screenshot. the new textures make it look like WoW 2.0.
or maybe 1.5

[Deleted]

Eh? That will never happen, never.

It's not only WoW's style, it's Blizzard's style, Diablo is a bit more realistic because of the tone of the game, but it's still using a similar palette and hand painted textures and so on.

Maybe cartoonish wasn't the right word to use. I understand they have their own style, which is ok I guess, and I care for gameplay more. But when I see new character models (and they look nice) in a world that doesn't look in line with those models, it feels out of place. When going to an old instance of zone, will it still feel like being part of the same world? Why the spikey mountains, which mountain has spikes like that?

I find Diablo more "the same game" than WoW at the moment and by the looks of the gameplay screenshots. Just my 2 cents

[ttak82]

Rather disappointed about the screenshots. I was hoping that WoW would finally lose it's cartoonisch look in WoD, but mountains are still as pointy as well, not real mountains, and the tusks are not rounded at the bottom. Also the textures are all the same for the Elekks. Go big or go home imho. Trees look a bit better though, as well does a campfire.

I wish spires of Arak had forest green sky (like that in Skettis/Terokkar - one of my favorite skies/ambiences) or something reddish. Maybe its me just being nostalgic. At the end of the day, Will have to experience it on live to see how it feels. It feels very bright at the moment. Maybe it has something to do with a) a theme of being high in the mountains and therefore somewhat sunny or b) a bright theme to match the whole Arakkoa sun god worship.

[Deleted]

Really enjoyed reading the interview points, it really puts things into perspective and i believe will cool a lot of people down who are not too fond of the changes being made. Very happy to see

Enhancement AOE addressed a bit more and will be excited to see what they do . Also really like the changes being made to hunter specs to make them feel different. Making an emphasis on Survival being based around traps and dots vs MM which is more long ranged cast times is a great idea- looking forward to the next installation

[Arvandor]

the pics look fantastic! good job blizzard!

but please bring more and deeper hunter news..

on petopia you can see the new pet families spells.. amazing! pls blizzard post this official..

[SecPro]

Oh my...those Garrison pictures. That looks amazing.

[Jueles]

Another expansion another 180 degree turn on healing, it's getting superior boring now. Tired of re-learning healing each and every expansion. ...

Playing a priest since Classic, I feel like healers are the only ones who really need to work in this game.

I too have been healing on a holy priest since vanilla, and getting fed up of relearning how to heal each expansion. As to healers needing to work in the game....and this is old school...when I took my first rDPS alt into MC, I realized the healers and tanks were the only ones playing 100% of the time...as a rDPS I could put myself at the back of the 40 man pack and go AFK for a minute mid fight and nobody noticed (yeah no dps meters running). Kinda funny in retrospect.

[Deleted]

Garrisons will be part of the leveling experience.

bad idea blizzard forcing people to use garrisons just like google force you to use google+ when you sign up for youtube

[Mellrod]

Maybe cartoonish wasn't the right word to use. I understand they have their own style, which is ok I guess, and I care for gameplay more. But when I see new character models (and they look nice) in a world that doesn't look in line with those models, it feels out of place. When going to an old instance of zone, will it still feel like being part of the same world?

I find Diablo more "the same game" than WoW at the moment and by the looks of the gameplay screenshots. Just my 2 cents

It's an art-style adapted from the Warcraft 3 series since this is World of Warcraft. The character models do look in line with the new zones. Definitely. Have you not seen any screenshots? they look HD but still keep that 'cartoony' feel that WoW has always had.

Why the spikey mountains, which mountain has spikes like that?

To you, and anyone else complaining about the spikey mountains, let me just refer to their vision of the zone:



"For travelers limited to two legs, Arak is an autumnal, swampy forest, framed in crooked trees that rest chin-level with giants. High above the trees towers a landscape rarely seen by outsiders: impossibly tall rock spires too steep to scale. The Arakkoa gaze out from these treacherous perches, watching their land like incarnate gods . . . and paying homage to the blessed sun by burning the “low races” alive."

It's Alpha so of course it'll be touched up. I imagine they'll refer back to their concept art, but it's supposed to have high peaks that stretch to the sky. It's called Spires of Arakk for pete's sake. Not Hills of Arakk, lol.

Anyways, i love they detail they are putting into Garrisons. it shows that they are improving their AI and they could definitely apply the level of detail for NPCs in Garrisons to other places such as Stormwind & Orgrimmar. Or more importantly, Karabor and Bladespire Keep (The two main citiy hubs for H & A this expansion).

- - - Updated - - -

Garrisons will be part of the leveling experience.

bad idea blizzard forcing people to use garrisons just like google force you to use google+ when you sign up for youtube

Please note that it does NOT say "*Garrisons will be a mandatory part of the leveling experience"

[Deleted]

NPCs in your garrison will also wave to each other and dance with you if you start dancing with them.

That's why so many 5mans had to be replaced with some more crappy scenarios.

[Nutri]

Well I sure like the ambiance, look at that darkness!
Hope this is not just the zone, but an actual day/night cycle like we had in vanilla. :-)

[Deleted]

Dear MMO Champion team,
Please do use Lightbox everytime you post some photos. It's a nightmare to check them oout without it.
Thanks.

[Frozenbeef]

Well I sure like the ambiance, look at that darkness!
Hope this is not just the zone, but an actual day/night cycle like we had in vanilla. :-)

Think it's just the zone >.<

[SkyTides]

The colour palette on Spires looks a lot better in the concept art than that screenshot - hope they tweak it a bit

[Deleted]

nice ele shaman explanation there i can cast shocks and unleash weapon(which no longer does any dmg) while i am moving... its a good thing all of those spells do a lot of dmg and are not on cd otherwise i might be in a little bit of a trouble! OHHH WAIT! And its even better that we are not the only class that is loosing his chance of moving and doing medicore dmg. Actually wait wait wait i think i got this one wrong too.

I just cant bring myself take blizz seriously when i see them open their mouth and say something so utterly stupid.Like someone said a while ago `Take your stupid and go away noone wants you here!` -.- get a little bit of a grip come on!

[Nutri]

Think it's just the zone >.<

Afraid it was :-(

[TheBaron87]

It provided a utility that allowed healers to slack in their mana management or to provide a boost in damage heavy situations... that's kind of the definition of gameplay value...

A button doesn't allow you to slack when fights are designed around having the button. Fights in Cata and MoP were designed with the fact you have innervate in mind. What let you slack was playing below your skill level or overgearing for spirit.

Giving a boost in heavy damage situations is called a healing cooldown. You don't need a mana cooldown for that unless mana regen is balanced around you having one. You're just copying a single function (dealing with heavy damage) to two different buttons (burst healing and burst mana regen). That's not more gameplay, that's just bloat.

By removing everything that gives it dimensions? 0o Yay no mana management, yay no choosing the best spells for the situation, yay no more utility spells, yay removing all unique class spells <3

Yay you didn't read anything else regarding their goals for healer design in WoD. Yay you're stating the exact opposite of everything they've said aside from this one line you've chosen to take out of context.

which mountain has spikes like that?

I thought the point of fantasy was being able to create things that don't exist in reality.

[Darksoldierr]

Those screenshots looks amazing

[Asphyxiate9]

Well I was going to choose nagrand but now I'm not too sure....