Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Ersula]

I agree, they started doing this so much in SL and they look terrible. It really throws me off when I show ppl who don’t play the game the brilliant cinematics and CGI blizz is capable of and then compare it to this. Just keep it as in game dialogue and stop cheapening the game with something that looks like a grade 7 stop motioned this in 2013. I know you can’t do high end cinematics for everything cuz $$$$ but just don’t do it then..

This cutscene was amazing: But the above cutscene is terrible. There's an easy rule to follow here. If you don't want the in-game, in-engine cutscenes to look like crap, don't do extreme closeups of the models. Save extreme closeups & dialog for the pre-rendered cutscenes.

[Makorus]

This cutscene was amazing: But the above cutscene is terrible. There's an easy rule to follow here. If you don't want the in-game, in-engine cutscenes to look like crap, don't do extreme closeups of the models. Save extreme closeups & dialog for the pre-rendered cutscenes.

Except they can do in game cutscenes with closeups and dialogue.



They just kinda didn't bother for any of the cutscenes post-Forbidden Reach. Even the Emberthal/Ebonhorn in-game cutscene was good.

[Treegdar]

Except they can do in game cutscenes with closeups and dialogue.



They just kinda didn't bother for any of the cutscenes post-Forbidden Reach. Even the Emberthal/Ebonhorn in-game cutscene was good.

Uhhh, that is not a simple in-game cinematic lol, that is prerendered with tons of custom animations. Would love it if we got these instead of the ones that are just existing emotes, some dialogue, and some matching lip flaps, but those clearly take way more time and effort than the 10.2 cinematics we've seen so far. I do wish they'd just have NPC's do the dialogue in game for more of these than the crappy cutscenes tho. Easier to suspend disbelief when the presentation stays the normal in game POV than when it goes to a cutscene that is distractingly bad.

[Reive]

do you think dragonflight was cut short? that would explain the drop in quality.

[Treegdar]

do you think dragonflight was cut short? that would explain the drop in quality.

Idk about cut short, I'd guess before 10.0 launched they knew where they wanted to go with everything since we'd already known about an underground zone that became Zaralek and there was some datamining pointing to what became Amirdrassil, but I wouldn't at all be surprised if there was a bare bones team for the questing and story telling of 10.2 with most people working on WW or even Midnight stuff since theyve apparently re-organized the team that they can work on more than one thing at a time.


Edit: In a different direction I'm curious what theyll do for the new dungeons in Midnight. I'd bet a revamped Zul'Aman ends up as the megadungeon if it doesnt become a raid of its own. But outside of that it feels like basing it off of TBC Quel'thalas there aren't a ton of different notable areas to turn into dungeons that won't have a similar feel to each other. Here's a potential list that I can think of:

1. Deathholme - leftover undead stuff. (also could justify updated art assests that can then also be used in The Last Titan in Northrend revamp)
2. Magister's terrace - legacy of Kael'thas stuff, maybe demonic leftover? Or could make it void stuff since its so close to to the Sunwell.
3. Windrunner Spire - Seems like it could be easily made into a dungeon. Cool location on a clif overlooking the sea. Lore significance. Could be void or ghost focused.
4. Troll dungeon - maybe not if Zul'aman ends up as a raid or the mega dungeon just for enemy/environment variety but otherwise easy add.
5. Some sort of void invasion - Think it'd be cool to see the ruins of silvermoon or some section of silvermoon city being invaded and overrun by void forces.

Thats all I've got really. There are other existing locations that could be made into dungeons but without a pretty significant change in environment or the inclusion of a whole new zone with new locations, everything else feels like it'd just be more troll or Blood elf towns.

[Barator]

Uhhh, that is not a simple in-game cinematic lol, that is prerendered with tons of custom animations. Would love it if we got these instead of the ones that are just existing emotes, some dialogue, and some matching lip flaps, but those clearly take way more time and effort than the 10.2 cinematics we've seen so far. I do wish they'd just have NPC's do the dialogue in game for more of these than the crappy cutscenes tho. Easier to suspend disbelief when the presentation stays the normal in game POV than when it goes to a cutscene that is distractingly bad.

That Cutscene absolutely isnt pre rendered and we got lots of cutscenes with custom models and animations in dragonflight. The one posted above with Fyrrak and Alex also uses special custom models and custom animations. And there probably will be more in the encrypted story like there was in 10.1

[Raetary]

Uhhh, that is not a simple in-game cinematic lol, that is prerendered with tons of custom animations. .

It isn't.

That's an in-game custscene.

[milkmustache]

The Dream looks very pretty for what it is, but it feels very clean in a way that is a bit disappointing. I was really hoping to see some untamed wilderness, but I also understand its ties with both Order and Life so I can understand the reasonings for it being how it is. Happy that the Nelves are primed to finally get the W they've needed. Excited to see the roadmap and what's coming.

[vintage79]

[ZyntosAran]

how is that news.
Chris said on the opening ceremony, that the ws saga will shape the path to the next 20 years of wow.

[Sondrelk]

So what are people first impression of 10.2 so far?
Personally I think it's a big improvement on 10.1, insofar as I feel far more compelled to engage with the various mechanics of the patch. As opposed to Zaralek where I mostly engage with it on a superficial level of new expansion.

How much longevity the zone has is a different matter of course. Though I do at least feel they got the minigames more correct.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Definitely feels like the iterative progression of learning from feedback and continuing to apply it. I think Delves will leave the pressure on the World Events and Public stuff and make it more appetizing to consume again.

I think a lot of the current discourse about the Timeless Isle Repetition will kind of die down with TWW even if the Patch structures remain the same.

Major Patches definitely do need to feel a bit more "spiked out" as the Minor Patches really shone this expansion and were what really drove most positive sentiment while Major Patches kind of just felt like they had a formula and stuck to it.

[Ersula]

Except they can do in game cutscenes with closeups and dialogue.



They just kinda didn't bother for any of the cutscenes post-Forbidden Reach. Even the Emberthal/Ebonhorn in-game cutscene was good.

That cutscene was pre-rendered. Notably its using a more detailed version of Sylvanas & Anduin's in game models. I know it's hard to tell the different between in engine cutscenes & pre-rendered cutscenes that use in-game assets & environments but there is a difference.

[Throren]

so wowhead datamined the models for the hammers that match the pre-order set, and got I love them - there's even a 2nd thundering version with lightning vfx like the set has - and multiple recolours

https://www.wowhead.com/news/datamin...ng-post-336011



I just 'wish' there was a 2 handed version so I could use them on my arms or fury warrior

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I think they did a really good job with the set and it will probably look even better in-game.

Absolutely stunning, in my opinion.

[Nerdslime]

Yeah, the art team continues to nail it in so many ways.

[Barator]

That cutscene was pre-rendered. Notably its using a more detailed version of Sylvanas & Anduin's in game models. I know it's hard to tell the different between in engine cutscenes & pre-rendered cutscenes that use in-game assets & environments but there is a difference.

its easy to tell the difference, because ingame cinematics have that compressed look, which that cutscene doesnt have. That cutscene even gives you a loading screen because the game needs to load the maw first. i dont know if you have noticed it, but since patch 9.2.5 we had lots of cutscenes that use the "high quality ingame cinematic model". They even talked in a few interviews after 9.2.5 about these cutscenes being live rendered. And as a last giveaway, the cutscene uses the old white subtitles and has black bars, while pre rendered cinematics are full screen and have yellow subtitles.

[Makorus]

That cutscene was pre-rendered. Notably its using a more detailed version of Sylvanas & Anduin's in game models. I know it's hard to tell the different between in engine cutscenes & pre-rendered cutscenes that use in-game assets & environments but there is a difference.

That is literally not pre-rendered.

It is in-engine, in-game. Yeah, they use higher-polycount models, and custom animations, but it still is in-game.



You can literally see your character in this cutscene.

[Civciv]

Friend, that was not a literal claim. It's just something you say. "Thanks for these past ten years, and here's to the next!"

duh???
/10chars

[Hitei]

Friend, that was not a literal claim. It's just something you say. "Thanks for these past ten years, and here's to the next!"

They didn't say "thanks for these past ten years, and here's to the next". They said multiple times that they were attempting to set up or shape the next decades of wow.