Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[micwini]

Late to the party, I've been offline for some days.

Holy crap, the new Arbiter model looks hideous.

On another note: Did something interesting happen in the last days that gives us a hint for the upcoming expansion? Or still nothing going on in that regard? Can someone update me?

No and most likely not until 2022 since they announced the current PTR build is the last one they will publish in 2021

[Lahis]

Late to the party, I've been offline for some days.

Holy crap, the new Arbiter model looks hideous.

On another note: Did something interesting happen in the last days that gives us a hint for the upcoming expansion? Or still nothing going on in that regard? Can someone update me?

Soon the question won't be "What the next expansion will be?" but "Will there be a next expansion?"

[Beloren]

I'm surprised they still (at least by Shadows Rising) haven't made Anduin gay, tbh. Even though he's one of the easiest to make so.

Waht is the obsession with Anduin being gay?

Although the current pandering to the extreme woke fanatics that's going on, I can see why it is surprising.

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Soon the question won't be "What the next expansion will be?" but "Will there be a next expansion?"

Only figuring that out now?

[Sondrelk]

Waht is the obsession with Anduin being gay?

Although the current pandering to the extreme woke fanatics that's going on, I can see why it is surprising.

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Only figuring that out now?

Some players never grew out of the juvenile middle school phase where Anduin being gay is endlessly funny.

Also some people want Anduin to be gay because they see it is Blizzard pandering, and therefore being bad.

[Nyel]

No and most likely not until 2022 since they announced the current PTR build is the last one they will publish in 2021

Ah, that's super lame. I really hoped for some slightly exciting WoW news until next year...

Soon the question won't be "What the next expansion will be?" but "Will there be a next expansion?"

That I am pretty sure of. But I still expect a major change in business model for WoW's future with 10.0 and after.

[Khaza-R]

That I am pretty sure of. But I still expect a major change in business model for WoW's future with 10.0 and after.

I feel like you're probably right. Hopefully they're not going to normalize 2 major content patch expansions moving forward as well.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Some players never grew out of the juvenile middle school phase where Anduin being gay is endlessly funny.

Also some people want Anduin to be gay because they see it is Blizzard pandering, and therefore being bad.

Some people are also shippers and seem to want to project their stupid fantasies onto others.


OT: No Blizz's business plan isn't going to change drastically.

[Lahis]

OT: No Blizz's business plan isn't going to change drastically.

Well less patches for more money would still be a change, even if not a large ine

[Nyel]

I feel like you're probably right. Hopefully they're not going to normalize 2 major content patch expansions moving forward as well.

My guess is: they're going to copy ESOs business model. You need to buy the base game / base expansion, but then can play for free. If you want to play specific kinds of content, you need to either sub or buy it.

Annual expansion for $39/$49 + one smaller content patch free for all (think like x.x.5 patches) one major content patch per year (free for subscribers, $20 for non-subscribers). And the schedule would look like: Expansion release -> smaller content patch after 2/3 months -> big content patch after 6 months. New expansion after 12 months.

What I could see as well: 1.5 years per expansion. 2 big, 2 small content patches (x.1 + x.1.5 + x.2 + x.2.5) while a subscription is still required. I really don't expect 2-year expansions with 3 content patches to be the get go for the future.

The goal is obvious: less money spent for developing content while generating more money overall due to an accelerated expansion cycle.

[Dracullus]

So now we are pretending current patch schedule is something Blizzard has planned and want for future? You keep saying that pandemic/lockdown argument is overused, yet forget about it every 5 minutes.

Of course it isn't only reason for droughts, there is also scandal that force changes which always slow down things. But it's not like Blizzard hate money, obviously longer patches lowered their potential income from SL.

[Beloren]

Some players never grew out of the juvenile middle school phase where Anduin being gay is endlessly funny.

Also some people want Anduin to be gay because they see it is Blizzard pandering, and therefore being bad.

And some people want him to be gay cos they find him hot and want to live their precarious gay fantasies through the character

while others yet again, just love the ide of two cute boy men getting it on.

question is, would the move make Anduin very popular or just turn people furthe roff wow.. it's hard to say.

The shipping crowd are always very vocal on social media, they can make something appear to be really wanted, but just one other thing the far greater and silent majority would frown over and be put off by. Maybe Anduin was a character they liked or were okay about for a change and would feel him going gay is just another needless nod trying to force them to pick up something they don't want to.

[UndedoKoleda]

Is the team that is working on the Classic(s) completely different than the one working on Retail? Is it possible that they were sending people to help on Classic? That, plus working hard on the next expansion*, plus the ongoing pandemic, plus the entire harassment thing, it's not a surprise that they're cutting Shadowlands short.

* 10.0 is a milestone, so I believe that it's getting extra attention from Blizzard. We might yet get the best expansion of WoW.

[Khaza-R]

Is the team that is working on the Classic(s) completely different than the one working on Retail? Is it possible that they were sending people to help on Classic? That, plus working hard on the next expansion*, plus the ongoing pandemic, plus the entire harassment thing, it's not a surprise that they're cutting Shadowlands short.

* 10.0 is a milestone, so I believe that it's getting extra attention from Blizzard. We might yet get the best expansion of WoW.

I haven't been following TBCC so I don't know if it changed. But no, Classic was its own team and only consisted of a handful of devs to begin with.

[Sondrelk]

Classic might have had more devs recently with Season of Mastery, but even then likely what amounts to a skeleton crew.
Unlike live the team doesn't really need designers or writers, just a few people ensuring the code still holds together.

[Ersula]

Nothing indicates he is gay outside wild reaching in his interactions with Wrathion.
He has been close to a dwarf lady, mentioned to have a thing for Draenei women, and is being hinted at getting a relationship with Talia.

Honestly the game is bereft of all romance. Some of the Warcraft characters have hetero spouces but they never spend any time with them. Lor'themar is dating Thalyssra but that's it. It's nice that they have one single solitary trans & a single monogamous gay couple but that's it so of course we get a constant "the homosexuals are taking over wow" blathering from the likes of asmogold & his parrots.

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My guess is: they're going to copy ESOs business model. You need to buy the base game / base expansion, but then can play for free. If you want to play specific kinds of content, you need to either sub or buy it.

Annual expansion for $39/$49 + one smaller content patch free for all (think like x.x.5 patches) one major content patch per year (free for subscribers, $20 for non-subscribers). And the schedule would look like: Expansion release -> smaller content patch after 2/3 months -> big content patch after 6 months. New expansion after 12 months.

What I could see as well: 1.5 years per expansion. 2 big, 2 small content patches (x.1 + x.1.5 + x.2 + x.2.5) while a subscription is still required. I really don't expect 2-year expansions with 3 content patches to be the get go for the future.

The goal is obvious: less money spent for developing content while generating more money overall due to an accelerated expansion cycle.

That did look like that was the idea in Warlords of Draenor, but since Legion the subscription model still works. They wouldn't copy ESO's model, they'd copy FFXIV business model because its much more successful & its the same one WoW is currently using. So expect no change there. And if they ever hope to dig themselves out of this rutt, they need to show off a big new shiny expansion, not a half-sized annual one.

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So now we are pretending current patch schedule is something Blizzard has planned and want for future? You keep saying that pandemic/lockdown argument is overused, yet forget about it every 5 minutes.

Of course it isn't only reason for droughts, there is also scandal that force changes which always slow down things. But it's not like Blizzard hate money, obviously longer patches lowered their potential income from SL.

Despite people keep claiming the contrary, Metzen said years ago: They plan a filler content patch every expansion. And they abandon it if they're running behind. They abandoned it during shadowlands. Examples of content patches they could have skipped & nothing major would change about the story: Nazjatar, Throne of Thunder, Trial of the Champion, & Argus (they could have stuck the Seat of the Pantheon fight after Kil'jaden in ToS if they had to)

My guess they could have taken all the elune story stuff & made Battle for Ardenweald a fully-fledged raid: That was the planned filler tier of Shadowlands. Doesn't it seem strange to jam all that Tyrande stuff into where we're storming the Jailer's enormous bastion?

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Is the team that is working on the Classic(s) completely different than the one working on Retail? Is it possible that they were sending people to help on Classic? That, plus working hard on the next expansion*, plus the ongoing pandemic, plus the entire harassment thing, it's not a surprise that they're cutting Shadowlands short.

* 10.0 is a milestone, so I believe that it's getting extra attention from Blizzard. We might yet get the best expansion of WoW.

No but you will get a rushed Q4 2022 expansion that will have Post-Launch issues again.

Don't worry, the fun starts in March. Enjoy yourselves until then. Because once this trainwreck begins anew it will be fireworks.

[Dracullus]

Despite people keep claiming the contrary, Metzen said years ago: They plan a filler content patch every expansion. And they abandon it if they're running behind. They abandoned it during shadowlands. Examples of content patches they could have skipped & nothing major would change about the story: Nazjatar, Throne of Thunder, Trial of the Champion, & Argus (they could have stuck the Seat of the Pantheon fight after Kil'jaden in ToS if they had to)

What was filler patch of Legion? Or BfA? Current patch system started when Ion took over, Metzen has nothing to do with it.

And no, Argus wasn't a filler patch. It's like saying final battle in Mordor in Return of the King was filler scene, they could end movie in Minas Tirith.

[Makabreska]

No but you will get a rushed Q4 2022 expansion that will have Post-Launch issues again.

Don't worry, the fun starts in March. Enjoy yourselves until then. Because once this trainwreck begins anew it will be fireworks.

That's the spirit!

[Dracullus]

That's the spirit!

WoW is amazing for whiners. Expac will come Q4 2022 - you can whine, expac will come 2023 - you can whine, Sylvanas will be arbiter - you can whine, anyone else will be arbiter - you can whine.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

WoW is amazing for whiners. Expac will come Q4 2022 - you can whine, expac will come 2023 - you can whine, Sylvanas will be arbiter - you can whine, anyone else will be arbiter - you can whine.

Its so exhausting, like if you are that miserable, just log off. (Not you specifically of course). God if I hated a game that much I'd of quit.