The evolution of legacy servers

[Sagenod]

The logical question that the Classic team and likely Blizz at large is asking themselves is: How do we keep Classic going? How do we keep it "evergreen" and sell this product over and over again with the least required expenditures?

Part of their answer is TBC Classic. So next is Wrath, Cata, Mists? Servers for every past expansion? Who knows how feasible that is.

Let's take a look at three examples:

- Skyrim (and Fallout)
- Minecraft
- Warcraft 3

What do these three games have in common that they're best known for? The modding community. As it turns out, video game player bases often hold within them untapped creative potential, sleeping engines of creativity that only go noticed on forums. Creative people love to create things, especially when they're inspired by something they love. All three of the aforementioned games have retained their player bases over the years because they gave their players the power to express that creativity. They let us mess with the files and now all sorts of awesomeness has made the games better than they ever would have been...

I think you know where this is going. The WoW fan base holds an absolutely massive creative engine that we see in every damn form of media out there. Thus I extend to you the notion of the "World of Warcraft: World Editor." Give us the keys to the city, Blizzard, and the city will last forever.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

How long have we been asking for a dungeon creator again?

Since... MoP? WoD?

[Le Conceptuel]

To expect even the decent coders to actually be able to make alterations to an MMO, even with a world editor holding their hand through the whole way, is not quite accurate. There's quite a lot to how an MMO works and updates itself, and furthermore the servers may not be able to take the strain. Unless there were a very specific engine and editor used for this, and there were some way of assuring quality, this would likely be doomed. Even if these things were screened and released in bundles as patches, that still seems like it wouldn't do much for the game other than result in waves of terrible fanfiction that are worse than canon writing and gameplay.

Admittedly, this is actually a fun idea to entertain and it's rather nice to fantasize about, but I doubt it could possibly work.

[Lost controller]

I think its safe to assume that so long as it isn't visibly damaging their main product they lose nothing by making legacy servers.

[Sagenod]

To expect even the decent coders to actually be able to make alterations to an MMO, even with a world editor holding their hand through the whole way, is not quite accurate. There's quite a lot to how an MMO works and updates itself, and furthermore the servers may not be able to take the strain. Unless there were a very specific engine and editor used for this, and there were some way of assuring quality, this would likely be doomed. Even if these things were screened and released in bundles as patches, that still seems like it wouldn't do much for the game other than result in waves of terrible fanfiction that are worse than canon writing and gameplay.

Admittedly, this is actually a fun idea to entertain and it's rather nice to fantasize about, but I doubt it could possibly work.

And yet we've seen independent developers create private servers with phenomenally different mechanics from the original game. Look up Project Ascension if you haven't heard of it, you might be astounded!

[LordVargK]

I highly doubt Blizzard would allow modding. Their reaction to Warcraft 3's modding scene was... salty. I'm surprised we are allowed so many interface mods in WoW (honestly, my main reason why I view WoW as the best MMO to date), but Blizzard never actively supported modding in their games (evident by the fact that we get our mods form third party sites) and with Warcraft 3 reforged they actively put profit over creative freedom of their content creators.
And I've always got the vibes that Blizzard does not like community suggestions in WoW. They have a set vision for the game and nobody must interfere with it. That was obvious in Legion and BfA Alpha/Beta, where most (valuable) feedback was ignored, while in SL at least some feedback was heard. So maybe there's hope, but I highly, highly doubt it.
Blizzard is not the company to develop a community content driven game. They have their style, are established in the market and are very profit oriented. Giving away control of their content contradicts all of these notions.

[Le Conceptuel]

And yet we've seen independent developers create private servers with phenomenally different mechanics from the original game. Look up Project Ascension if you haven't heard of it, you might be astounded!

The difference is between entrusting a private team with a single project and entrusting loads of people with numerous projects. Even with strict quality control, unless you have a sort of oligarchy of editors, which would then just make it a private server for the public, it would likely result in a confused mess of a game. If you were to separate them based on server (if such a thing is possible), that would cause the whole thing to go to shambles because there would be fairly few people per servers, given there would both likely be large numbers of them and this would be an idea attracting a niche audience.

[Lochton]

Think it is safe to assume that classic is, and is created to be, stuck in its own bubble. Classic happens -> TBC Classic happens -> WOTLK happens -> etc

And with the fact that Classic isn't changed to TBC Classic but just put aside, making a new museum means that it'll just water out the player base, and players staying in a certain expansion will in the end experience the eternal drought.

[mojusk]

my opinion has always been that it wouldnt make sense to take classic any further than wrath. not sure why, maybe because thats when the game was in its prime, and based on original warcraft lore and not catering to antisocial players. oh and it was before deathwing changed the world.

or maybe just because i didnt start raid untill late trial of the crusader. so classic is just a chance for me to do the raids that i missed as they were when it was current content.

[Unlimited Power]

The thing is, people are primarily nostalgic for classic vanilla WoW, TBC and WotLK. Very few if any are nostalgic for Cataclysm, but plenty of people are nostalgic for MoP. So how do you progress to MoP without first doing Cata?

I've certainly got no clue, but I look forward to seeing how Blizzard decides to handle that or if they'll even move beyond WotLK at all.

[Elias1337]

The thing is, people are primarily nostalgic for classic vanilla WoW, TBC and WotLK. Very few if any are nostalgic for Cataclysm, but plenty of people are nostalgic for MoP. So how do you progress to MoP without first doing Cata?

I've certainly got no clue, but I look forward to seeing how Blizzard decides to handle that or if they'll even move beyond WotLK at all.

People are not nostalgic for WOTLK. That version of WoW have way more common with retail than it have with classic vannila or TBC. It have everythig what classic audience hate about modern game and are reasons why people wanted Vannila and TBC in first place.

[huth]

I don't know. I don't think i'm quite ready to raid Pen Island yet.

Sure, those games have some impressive mods. They also have a lot of... less impressive mods, often with very puerile themes.

[enigma77]

Sounds too good to be doable.

[socialmaker]

They could easily port Torghast tech into older expansions and create some sort of funky new content.

[Soon-TM]

The thing is, people are primarily nostalgic for classic vanilla WoW, TBC and WotLK. Very few if any are nostalgic for Cataclysm, but plenty of people are nostalgic for MoP. So how do you progress to MoP without first doing Cata?

I've certainly got no clue, but I look forward to seeing how Blizzard decides to handle that or if they'll even move beyond WotLK at all.

I've been no fan of Cata (or WoD, for that matter) but it would be interesting to see what would happen if their "classic" versions included all of the cut content. Especially when it comes to WoD.

[Sagenod]

I've been no fan of Cata (or WoD, for that matter) but it would be interesting to see what would happen if their "classic" versions included all of the cut content. Especially when it comes to WoD.

Now there's an idea. Get Farahlon in there

[Relapses]

I've certainly got no clue, but I look forward to seeing how Blizzard decides to handle that or if they'll even move beyond WotLK at all.

RE: Cata Classic: "Some angry people on a forum said they think this expansion is poopy doo-doo so we're skipping it and going right to MoP." -what this forum expects Blizzard to say