Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Nymrohd]

You're right, TWW is a good progression of the zone design from DF. TWW's verticality feels a lot more intentional than DF's did, and the zones feel easier to travel. It would be interesting if they tried for a zone that intentionally makes flying annoying to encourage ground mounts. I think a densely wooded area like this hypothetical Maisara Hills or Northeron area could serve that as a great purpose. Fly if you want, but you'll have a lot of hangups zooming straight through... it's easier to just ride a ground mount.

you just fly over the canopy.

The crazy thing to me is that the solution to flying letting you avoid danger was figured one patch after flight became available. Anyone who was around in the flying-centric subzones of TBC remembers having to constantly move to not get Legion cannons destroy you, Kaliri owls dismounting you in midair or dragonriding orcs chasing you around the zone. If Blizzard wants some areas to be dangerous for flight they don't have to restrict flight they just need to add danger. Like, Azj'kahet could have been surrounded by dense webbing that you'd collapse into, having swarms of flying spider things and if you triggered to many in a row you'd get something like Tkakth (or however it was spelled) on your ass.

Flight in Undermine could simply be illegal. Let people mount up and try to fly, in 5 seconds they'd get shot out of the sky by a goblin with a weighted net that has a chance to explode. There are options to make it immersive. It's all about design philosophy being based around saying yes instead of saying no. In TTRPGs it is one of the golden rules of being a good game master.

[Limayria]

you just fly over the canopy.

The crazy thing to me is that the solution to flying letting you avoid danger was figured one patch after flight became available. Anyone who was around in the flying-centric subzones of TBC remembers having to constantly move to not get Legion cannons destroy you, Kaliri owls dismounting you in midair or dragonriding orcs chasing you around the zone. If Blizzard wants some areas to be dangerous for flight they don't have to restrict flight they just need to add danger. Like, Azj'kahet could have been surrounded by dense webbing that you'd collapse into, having swarms of flying spider things and if you triggered to many in a row you'd get something like Tkakth (or however it was spelled) on your ass.

Flight in Undermine could simply be illegal. Let people mount up and try to fly, in 5 seconds they'd get shot out of the sky by a goblin with a weighted net that has a chance to explode. There are options to make it immersive. It's all about design philosophy being based around saying yes instead of saying no. In TTRPGs it is one of the golden rules of being a good game master.

they have those web mines in parts of Azjkahet that dismount you when you hit them even, they just didnt put them in places they'd be actually annoying

[Joszef Kiprich]

The way they did in WotLK was just perfect. Level your main to a certain level (78 I think it was) then unlock flying.

[SkyTides]

Traditionalist old me over here is just befuddled as to why everyone all of a sudden wants to turn WoW into Forza Horizon.

If it's a horse on a racetrack, a la Tiragarde Sound, sure. But riding all these vehicles around like we're on some Daytona race track just sounds awfully off-putting and immersion-breaking, regardless of whether goblins have technically had in-universe cars for a long time or not.

I just wish they'd update the horse running animations they're abysmal.
I wonder why the dragon riding races didn't really take off though. I enjoyed them but no one else was ever doing them. Maybe having one specific racing area will help rather than having it keep move around the continent

[Lady Atia]

I think they need a better system around it, and reasons for doing it.

It's a bit strange we're still meeting Bronze dragonkin, and the rewards are a bit mediocre.

1. Introduce an exciting NPC, like some type of Harrison Jones-esque person who is a famous flyer on Azeroth. Maybe several characters, in fact. Some kind of flying aces.

2. Maybe let them have some type of Renown or other reward system, perhaps like a currency you can earn by just doing the dailies whenever they appear.

3. Add a few tweaks to the gameplay loop. Perhaps two people can queue up and race each other, or maybe you can see a little "wisp" racing in front of you, representing the best time you need to beat.

4. Include some cool new rewards, currency and achievement based. Mounts, mount customisation, transmog, titles, etc.

5. Whenever those annual events are around (racing in Noethrend etc) it's pretty much the same, but different locations, a few unique rewards, and maybe higher currency acquisition.

Cool as long as you don't block rewards behind the (advanced) gold races.

[Cheezits]

So if dungeon testing starts at 1 PM EST the servers should be up at some weird time this morning?

[Avikur]

So if dungeon testing starts at 1 PM EST the servers should be up at some weird time this morning?

I’m actually surprised they didn’t put them up yesterday to ensure they were stable in time for dungeon testing

[Cheezits]

https://wow.zamimg.com/uploads/scree...al/1205166.jpg

Is this the first time we've got a horse mount in full barding in a long time? I was hoping they would update that kind of model as the Stormwind and Quel'thalas chargers have never been updated. Hopefully we also get a new skeleton horse.

[Enrif]

https://wow.zamimg.com/uploads/scree...al/1205166.jpg

Is this the first time we've got a horse mount in full barding in a long time? I was hoping they would update that kind of model as the Stormwind and Quel'thalas chargers have never been updated. Hopefully we also get a new skeleton horse.

we got the chargers in SL, but this is the first living horse in barding since the paladin class order halls or the BFA Kul Tiran horses (heritage/special edition)

[Joshuaj]

1 hour til that dungeon testing period begins.
When are the servers coming online for PTR?

[Avikur]

1 hour til that dungeon testing period begins.
When are the servers coming online for PTR?

Yep, cutting it fine!

[Cheezits]

I thought that time was odd from the start, but maybe the idea is that was when servers would start being online and dungeons are instantly testable?

[Joshuaj]

I thought that time was odd from the start, but maybe the idea is that was when servers would start being online and dungeons are instantly testable?

Ngl, probably.

[Avikur]

They just posted again that the testing begins today and confirmed the time as being at 8pm CEST (so just over 10 mins) and still no servers?

[Joshuaj]

It's likely they'll come online right on the dot

- - - Updated - - -

*is waiting*

[Cheezits]

Is the PTR in the room with us?

[Joshuaj]

...This is awkward.

- - - Updated - - -

[Avikur]

Yeah, I mean why put out confirmation of the time 15 minutes before when it's clear there is a delay?!! I realise they are under no obligation and we have no right to access the PTR but it's not a good look for them!

[Joshuaj]

When they announce something like this, they 100% are obligated to release it on time. Otherwise, delay it beforehand.

[Avikur]

When they announce something like this, they 100% are obligated to release it on time. Otherwise, delay it beforehand.

If it was an expansion release that people paid for I would agree but this is testing software, they can release when they are ready, but like it said, it makes them look incompetent when the time comes and passes with nothing and no acknowledgment