Another "Blizzard art Dev AMA" at 4chan [kek]

[Traycor]

btw, Allied races have different racials. What happens to those racials if they become customizations of the original races?

It could basically be like a talent spec, only it's for race instead of class. In theory you could swap from one to another for gold just like talent changes used to be back in the day, or it could be a paid monetary service.

[RangerDaz]

Do they have to be mutually exclusive? If you still had to unlock the Allied Race, and you still had to level from 1 to max to get the heritage armor, I don't see a reason why these couldn't be customization features. Especially if they still came with a set of appropriate racial abilities.

It would basically be like a talent spec, only it's for race instead of class. In theory you could swap from one to another for gold just like talent changes used to be back in the day. Blizzard still gets the $$$, and players get a lot more freedom.

Hey Traycor, i don't understand much your idea.
How can the Allied Race feature coexist with the Allied races also becoming extra barber shop features of the current races?
Why would people buy a race change to an existing allied race, if they can get one for free in their current character with a traditional race?
It wouldn't make much sense to keep the allied races, if suddenly normal races can create the same thing as well.
Example: Darkspear and Zandalari. Why would i create a new Zandalari character, if i create a Darkspear troll that can be Darkspear and Zandalari both at the same time?

Besides, how would they solve the different racial thing? when in barber shop we would switch to an allied race, the racials would change as well? It wouldn't make sense to have zandalaris walking around, some with darkspear racials and others with zandalari racials!

- - - Updated - - -

It could basically be like a talent spec, only it's for race instead of class. In theory you could swap from one to another for gold just like talent changes used to be back in the day, or it could be a paid monetary service.

Yeah, but still you have two systems, the allied race system and the barber shop one.
And don't forget about the $$$$ Blizzard would lose by opening free race changes between a race and its "cousin" allied race.


Oh, i almost forgot: Allied Races have DIFFERENT starting screens and DIFFERENT classes from their "cousin" races! How would that work with the idea that the Allied Race feature would be incorporated in the barber shop?

[Traycor]

Hey Traycor, i don't understand much your idea.

This supposed "leak" never mentions the barber shop. It just says customization. Blizz has dropped several indications that we are getting a new (or revamped) customization system at some point.

I'm saying that "Allied Race" could be some form of racial spec, similar to a talent spec. So if you pick that "subrace" you get the appropriate racial abilities and customization options (which could be tweaked at the barber shop). So a blood elf wouldn't have void elf customization options unless they switched racial specs to a void elf.

This could still be a paid service if they want.

[RangerDaz]

This supposed "leak" never mentions the barber shop. It just says customization. Blizz has dropped several indications that we are getting a new (or revamped) customization system at some point.

I'm saying that "Allied Race" could be some form of racial spec, similar to a talent spec. So if you pick that "subrace" you get the appropriate racial abilities and customization options (which could be tweaked at the barber shop). So a blood elf wouldn't have void elf customization options unless they switched racial specs to a void elf.

This could still be a paid service if they want.

I'm still very skeptic how that would turn out.

Not that i like the current allied race system. It's just a cash grab + time consuming feature to lure players into buying them / keep being subscribed with "pretty" new options of existing races.

[Traycor]

I'm still very skeptic how that would turn out.

Not that i like the current allied race system. It's just a cash grab + time consuming feature to lure players into buying them / keep being subscribed with "pretty" new options of existing races.

I'm just saying there's ways to do it without just making the customization into barber shop mix and match with no racials. They could make it customization and still keep many of the systems that lure players to stay subscribed, such as making the new racial spec something you have to unlock (the Allied Race grind). Or making you level as that spec to get the heritage armor, or doing some other feat of strength.

[Nathanyel]

btw, Allied races have different racials. What happens to those racials if they become customizations of the original races?

That's another reason I don't think they'd be just another customization option at the Barber.

Allied Race/Subrace characters receive/keep their unique racials, they switch on a Subrace Change, too.
Possibly some overlap with the 'Parent' Races as those racials are reworked.
Access to the Heritage Armor also remains tied to the chosen Subrace.

And/or they ditch (combat-relevant) racials altogether. But that probably would've been in the leak, too.

[ravenmoon]

Wonder why people think "Tinker" is such a "fake" possibility when it's quite real. We've had quite a bit of mech themed things between mechagon bringing in the mechagnomes and the two island expedition teams providing very strong baseline for not just one but 3 specs.

Now, the one I think makes it obvious is "HIGH ELVES" when I do believe they've stated multiple times they aren't going to do them.

Edit: Oh and all this "customization option" stuff would've worked had it been there at the start. But not now that Dwarves and Dark Iron Dwarves are two different races with two different racials and different features. Which to be honest that's what I originally thought was going to happen. You'd pick Dwarf and then you could choose Ironforge, Dark Iron, or Wildhammer and it would just be a cosmetic change you'd still have the same racials. That's not how it's gonna be now.

that's surmountable, you just change character creation, instead of having a tab for allied races, when you click on dwarf, you can choose dark iron or bronzebeard which loads different customization options. They are down as races, they have different class selections but they are now part of the tab for dwarves.

So yes what you thought is what they'd just switch it too, they'd just get rid off the tab "allied race" and fold it in.


I quite like this leak.

[Nathanyel]

Oh, i almost forgot: Allied Races have DIFFERENT starting screens and DIFFERENT classes from their "cousin" races! How would that work with the idea that the Allied Race feature would be incorporated in the barber shop?

Character screens were last overhauled in Cata, so it would be time to re-touch them. Still, no reason against having different ones for different Subraces.

Class options would be merged between Parent and Subrace, where necessary: Highmountain, Lightforged, Void Elves and Dark Iron have no 'special' class.
That leaves as new classes for older races:
Orc Priests - influence of the AU Shadowmoon or just the removal of factions could explain this.
Darkspear Paladins (Prelates) - a renewed contact with the Zandalari and Vol'jin as a possible Loa.
Human Druids and Shamans - no Human player will protest against that. If necessary, explain them as Kul Tirans.
Night Elf Warlocks - with the Kaldorei disillusioned after Teldrassil, some could turn to the dark arts.

[Rhlor]

that's surmountable, you just change character creation, instead of having a tab for allied races, when you click on dwarf, you can choose dark iron or bronzebeard which loads different customization options. They are down as races, they have different class selections but they are now part of the tab for dwarves.

So yes what you thought is what they'd just switch it too, they'd just get rid off the tab "allied race" and fold it in.


I quite like this leak.

all the "leaks" speak of the factions' end!

[bloodmoth13]

Taken in pair with a leveling squish, a world revamp could be an attempt to revitalize the game with new players. I have friends that won't touch WoW because it's been going on for so long and they feel like they'd be too behind. If 9.0 were branded as a fresh start, and heavily advertised as such, it could be a decent attempt at halting the decline of this brand.

And the Cata revamp was drastic for a lot of reasons, but the main one is that the zones had to be completely redesigned from the ground up to get rid of invisible walls and clipping issues and make it flying friendly. That doesn't have to be done again, and unless there's another Cataclysm level event to cause it then there won't be major terrain changes either, just moving doodads around. The biggest work would be updating quests and stories and characters to reflect almost a decade of change, but I'm willing to bet that a revamp wouldn't be as hard as some people think.

it would. it would be gargantuan. think of the amount of development for a single new continent, for that + a few islands. now project that onto the entirety of the old world just for leveling zones that wont be used. Its not just remaking zones either, its quests, dialogue and a shit ton of other things. Also whats the point in re-re-vamping azeroth yet again without touching BC? there are 2 azeroth zones stuck in BC phasing that shouldnt be, if they do rework azeroth then they need to address silvermoon and the draenie one.

With all of that said and done, id actually love an old world revamp on the condition that it has max level content. I want to return to silverpine and the barrens and walk around in those nostalgiac zones, id like to walk from winterspring to uldum and have interesting things to do on the way. i actually want this, i just dont think its gonna happen.

[wholol]

-Horde and Alliance are merging into one faction in 9.0.

Top kekz!!!

[kappalol]

High Elves / When Arthas returns

100% fake...

[ravenmoon]

all the "leaks" speak of the factions' end!

Yes..I like that. Faction handling has been rubbish in wow.

I hated blood elves joining the hotde
Night elves should have been their own empire, but instead were reduced to forest elf tree huggers instead of the dark elf/forest elf combo their overall lore presented them as, all to fit an alliance blizzard wrote trash for spoiling half their races so they could focus on and pump up horde purely to get players picking it.
They made so many good alliance races and characters crap for this, then fell in love with thehorde completely and over wrote them ruining them too

Instead of having a race focus and letting stories grow organically..

Good riddance. Now my nightborne toons will be free to connect to their kaldorei kin, my night elf toons can connect with their thalassian kin and my blood elf toons can connect with humans and Draenei and night elves to their hearts content.

My orc, Lauren, troll toons can ignore elves completely and all my toons can hate undead

[Rhlor]

Yes..I like that faction handling has been rubbish.

I hated blood elves joining the hotde
Night elves should have been their own empire, but instead were reduced to forest elf tree huggers instead of the dark elf/forest elf combo their overall lore presented them as, all to fit an alliance blizzard wrote trash for spoiling half their races so they could focus on and pump up horde purely to get players picking it.
They made so many good alliance races and characters crap for this, then fell in love with thehorde completely and over wrote them ruining them too

Instead of having a race focus and letting stories grow organically..

Good riddance. Now my nightborne toons will be free to connect to their kaldorei kin, my night elf toons can connect with their thalassian kin and my blood elf toons can connect with humans and Draenei and night elves to their hearts content.

My orc, Lauren, troll toons can ignore elves completely and all my toons can hate undead

that's a lie and you know it! the history of the horde is trash no player of the horde is happy with the lore of the horde from WOLTK!!!

the lore of the alliance is fucked by humans! Not for the horde! They could tell more stories about the other races and their characters but it would require less screen time for humans!

kill the humans!!

I hope that now that there are no more factions we can have lore focused on the races! that's what I like most about this "leak" and that we have a new quelthalas!

[Zyrinx]

For me that's the biggest proof that the leak is fake.

Blizzard won't back off of their most recent $$$$$$$ maker.

They clearly created the concept "Allied Races" to become an easy cash grab, a good thing to show to stockholders.
Would they really move away from that direction on the following expansion, after being proven that they earn lots of easy $$$$$$$ with that new feature?

I also don't understand why do many people think Tinker class is a fake concept, when literally half of BfA has tinker elements...

Facts unfortunately, since i hate both Allied Races, and Tinkers.

- - - Updated - - -

it would. it would be gargantuan. think of the amount of development for a single new continent, for that + a few islands. now project that onto the entirety of the old world just for leveling zones that wont be used. Its not just remaking zones either, its quests, dialogue and a shit ton of other things. Also whats the point in re-re-vamping azeroth yet again without touching BC? there are 2 azeroth zones stuck in BC phasing that shouldnt be, if they do rework azeroth then they need to address silvermoon and the draenie one.

With all of that said and done, id actually love an old world revamp on the condition that it has max level content. I want to return to silverpine and the barrens and walk around in those nostalgiac zones, id like to walk from winterspring to uldum and have interesting things to do on the way. i actually want this, i just dont think its gonna happen.

World Revamp makes zero sense unless somehow the revamped world is the setting for the expansion, like Cataclysm. But they've said over and over that they didn't like how that turned out with no "new" expansion area, so I just do not see it at all.

[tehdef]

Facts unfortunately, since i hate both Allied Races, and Tinkers.

- - - Updated - - -



World Revamp makes zero sense unless somehow the revamped world is the setting for the expansion, like Cataclysm. But they've said over and over that they didn't like how that turned out with no "new" expansion area, so I just do not see it at all.

I don't think you understand.

Just because it would be a complete world revamp, it doesnt mean it can't have a new large zone that isn't attached. Give us 3 new zones on a single island, and make the rest of it the old world revamp.

In addition, kill leveling. I'm so tired of it. Put us all at 60, and make expansions "merit" leveling. By doing certain things, completing story lines, dungeons, etc, you get merits. The merits let you equip certain items, etc. Leveling has to die, or we will just be right back where we are now, wanting to squish levels again. Switch to a merit system, and all of that done with. You can get your merit stacks during the expansion and a FoS for completing merits. If you arrive after, you auto get the merits necessary to wield older gear, but no FoS.

But yeah, I like most of this. I just want leveling dead.

[ravenmoon]

that's a lie and you know it! the history of the horde is trash no player of the horde is happy with the lore of the horde from WOLTK!!!

That's cos blizzard hasn't been able to write great sotries using wow, I can assue you the horde was portrayed better, but it wasn't great either. I always played both

the lore of the alliance is fucked by humans! Not for the horde! They could tell more stories about the other races and their characters but it would require less screen time for humans!

It's not the horde's fault that blizzard went lazy on the alliance just to write upthe horde, it's blizzards fault, the only reason humans are so prominent in the alliance I s because blizzard took the quick and easy option in doing lore, so they could focus more time on the horde,a nd didn't do that well either.

I hope that now that there are no more factions we can have lore focused on the races! that's what I like most about this "leak" and that we have a new quelthalas!

I agree 100%

[shuubu]

You guys remember all the times when these "I have a secret developer source" leaks turned out to be true?


'Cos I don't.

[ercarp]

A few things:

1) The leak contradicts itself halfway through. First it's stated that Sylvanas dies in 8.3 by sacrificing herself, but a few lines further down she supposedly dies in 9.0+.

2) Someone in the art team could not possibly know this much about the inner workings of the game. Last I heard they were given only surface details to prevent leaks like these from happening.

3) This leak is nothing but another repeat of the age-old formula of somewhat reasonable expectations + popular feature requests + rundown of "new" features that we're already aware of + some fan fiction peppered in.

I like everything I'm reading, I will say that much. But the chances of this being a real leak are 30% at best.

[Lidenbok]

This would snap me back from FFXIV in an instant, but it's far too good to be true.