Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Baedril]

My point is that an FFXIV patch has like twice as many cutscenes as an entire WoW expansion. I'm sure they can make the effort if they really want to.

That's probably also why FFXIV has better looking cutscenes, it's more value to them putting in the effort whilst WoW is still experimenting with it. I'm sure if Blizzard sees the value of cutscenes in SL and decides to up the production value we'd see WoW in-game cinematics rapidly improving as well.

[Lady Atia]

I don't think it's not that they don't want to or don't want to put the effort into it, it's just that they don't see the point.

Your character is not a part in the story. Sure, the character is "the Mawwalker" or "the Champion", but at the end of the day, you are just a blank slate with no real connection or anything to the world, unlike in GW2 or Final Fantasy XIV.


You are a side character in WoW while you are a main character in the other two.

That's your own headcanon though - our characters *are* part of the stories and still considered leaders of our order hall to this day. Hell, we even appeared in the new Sylvanas novel.

[AngerFork]

To add to my previous post, 14's animations also flow easier situationally because the WoL can hypothetically be any class at any given time with the right training and crystal, so we kinda go with certain concessions.

This (big spoilers) would never fly in WoW being done by a gnome mage or something. But it's metal as hell being done by the player character here because the tone and expectations are completely different.

We're AFGNCAAPs co-starring to big name leaders and that's fine.

It would still work in WoW. If you look at the scene closely, you'll notice that you never actually witness moments of impact, just the animations. The camera angles & splashy effects hide it well. Because of that, you don't have to be as precise with the animations as you would otherwise, so the only real issue is making sure the animation doesn't clip & that your race is at the right height.

[huth]

I don't think it's not that they don't want to or don't want to put the effort into it, it's just that they don't see the point.

Your character is not a part in the story. Sure, the character is "the Mawwalker" or "the Champion", but at the end of the day, you are just a blank slate with no real connection or anything to the world, unlike in GW2 or Final Fantasy XIV.

Hard disagree. Your character is most definitely part of the story. That's why the whole "Mawwalker" "Champion" etc. are being done, so Blizzard has a way to refer to them without having to pin down their specific makeup.

[Khaza-R]

I mean, really, the only races in FFXIV who aren't just basic humanoids in FFXIV are Lalafell, Hrothgars and Roegadyns, maybe Au Ra.

The races aren't as extreme as they are in WoW.

To be fair that's just typical of Asian-marketed MMOs. "Monster races", old people, and overweight body types are unpopular with the demographic so naturally the diversity is lower than what you see in Western games.

[huth]

To be fair that's just typical of Asian-marketed MMOs. "Monster races", old people, and overweight body types are unpopular with the demographic so naturally the diversity is lower than what you see in Western games.

Eh, that's an oversimplification. Western games are often rather limited on the matter as well, especially if any customisation is offered. WoW is rather unique on this aspect.

[Zelk]

Wow isn't a story game, stop trying to make it a story game.

[Civciv]

Wow isn't a story game, stop trying to make it a story game.

excuse me what

[Soulwind]

Wow isn't a story game, stop trying to make it a story game.

You mean the MMO that was more story-based than all other MMOs of its time which spawned from one of the few story-based RTS of its time?

It's not a singleplayer RPG, sure, but it's always been story-driven, even if gameplay came first.

[ercarp]

Wow isn't a story game, stop trying to make it a story game.

Maybe not in the "glorified visual novel" sense that FFXIV is a story game, but lore is extremely important in WoW and everything falls apart and people lose interest in the game when things stop making sense. The main reason I didn't give a shit about SL was the terrible story-telling and terrible lore that shat on everything we love. If it no longer feels like Warcraft, what's the point?

[Raetary]

Blizzard is incapable if properly implementing the PC into the story, so we are both 'the champions of Azeroth' as well as absolute nobody's at the same time.

[draugril]

You mean the MMO that was more story-based than all other MMOs of its time which spawned from one of the few story-based RTS of its time?

It's not a singleplayer RPG, sure, but it's always been story-driven, even if gameplay came first.

A lot of people never had to talk to NPCs with the equivalent of /say to progress completely unmarked quests and it shows.

[Nymrohd]

The seventh force seeking to take control of Azeroth is... Forum Armchair Developers!

I mean, Ion WAS an armchair developer before becoming an actual dev. So he kind of did take control of Azeroth.

[huth]

A lot of people never had to talk to NPCs with the equivalent of /say to progress completely unmarked quests and it shows.

"Our interface design sucks, what should we do?" "Just call it immersion."

[Soulwind]

I mean, Ion WAS an armchair developer before becoming an actual dev. So he kind of did take control of Azeroth.

He's the Arbiter (Watcher) that replaced Zovaal.

It all makes sense.

[Khaza-R]

Eh, that's an oversimplification. Western games are often rather limited on the matter as well, especially if any customisation is offered. WoW is rather unique on this aspect.

Every statement on this forum is an oversimplification. I am not looking to write a thesis on the subject. Most people tend to gravitate towards attractive, idealized characters in MMOs, that's true of any region. Everquest, ESO, Wildstar, however? Western-based MMOs that certainly seem to embrace monster races more than their counterparts in Asia.

[Vakir]

It would still work in WoW. If you look at the scene closely, you'll notice that you never actually witness moments of impact, just the animations. The camera angles & splashy effects hide it well. Because of that, you don't have to be as precise with the animations as you would otherwise, so the only real issue is making sure the animation doesn't clip & that your race is at the right height.

I feel like you didn't read the post.

It's not about if it can be done technically. It's about whether it fits tonally with the setting and characters.

It's an amazing moment in EW. It's full blown nekketsu Shonen GAR accompanied by a medley with lyrics including early aughts buttrock. It encompasses some of the best and most gloriously silly aspects of FF14's story and the sheer confidence in itself. But it's not something that gels with Warcraft.

14 has more freedoms to depict combat this way. It's also a heavily dialogue driven story that edges toward being a "soft" Visual Novel. Warcraft doesn't do that.

[Khaza-R]

Wow isn't a story game, stop trying to make it a story game.

Regardless of the current quality, if it weren't a story based game then they wouldn't be selling novels and have multiple communities and YouTube channels devoted to their lore.

[Zelk]

Regardless of the current quality, if it weren't a story based game then they wouldn't be selling novels and have multiple communities and YouTube channels devoted to their lore.

They sell novels precisely because the story isn't told in the game

[draugril]

"Our interface design sucks, what should we do?" "Just call it immersion."

EQ hardly sucked, for its time. It's just that it was designed primarily as a world for players to interact with each other in, rather than to tell a developer-led story. WoW came along and revolutionized that by placing a focus on narrative that has only grown stronger with time. Hell, in modern WoW, the needs of the story inform the very geography of the world - the next plot point is almost always the next subzone, and almost never in a different zone entirely.