Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Dracullus]

That's fair. But as the old saying goes, "show, don't tell".

2-3 years ago people asked for more communication. But as the old saying goes, "wow player always whine about something".

[Ersula]

11.1.5 appeared
https://x.com/algalon_ghost/status/1887211297927766319

Patches we knew were coming appearing on the push servers has become a lot less exciting considering the time between them appearing & going on the ptr has been growing exponentially. 4 expansions ago these patches would go to ptr in a week or less. 2 expansions ago it would be between a week or 2. Now it can be up to a month or more after it first appears on the server. So I guess we'll be seeing 11.1.5 in march. That's like the opposite of exciting.

[Relapses]

2-3 years ago people asked for more communication. But as the old saying goes, "wow player always whine about something".

It's where the term promised pony derives. You could give players the pony you promised but they'd just take it, refuse to say thank you and promptly start writing a multi-paragraph thesis on why Blizzard is literally worse than Hitler because the devs forgot to put a color slider on the pony before giving it to them.

[Cheezits]

Haven't seen it mentioned but the announcement that they will be changing the NPE and then notes it will be changed in both Midnight and TLT make me hope that we will be getting updated versions of racial starting zones.

[Xilurm]

Well that explains all the RP QOL features in 11.1.

I haven't been keeping up to date, what's all that?

[Merryck]

I don't get it. Are they revamping durotar and elwyn forest to fit these neighbourhoods, or are they in another dimension?

[Cheezits]

I don't get it. Are they revamping durotar and elwyn forest to fit these neighbourhoods, or are they in another dimension?

They are their own dimension. If anything the new assets may be used for a revamp later.

[Xilurm]

Before we go, we want to mention the concept of Neighborhoods as a small tease… Houses are organized into roughly fifty plot Neighborhoods, letting players live next to each other, work together, and share in the rewards of being part of the Neighborhood. Neighborhoods are instanced but crucially also persistent so your neighbors can be your neighbors for years to come (or until one of you moves).

They're going the FFXIV route with neighbourhoods, but you won't have to worry about your house getting demolished.

I really wish the houses were out in the open world...

Well either way all the other stuff sounds amazing.

But I wonder, this seems like a Warband feature, can you have only one house per account?

[Sondrelk]

I haven't been keeping up to date, what's all that?

Bunch of RP stuff added to let you do stuff like lean on walls, or more toys like the two you can get on Siren Isle that lets you do a bunch of NPC emotes like read bokks and such.

[Lady Atia]

I don't get it. Are they revamping durotar and elwyn forest to fit these neighbourhoods, or are they in another dimension?

It looks like the zones are part of the open world, hence you have your neighberhood (and can also visit different ones prolly similiar to garrisons?).

Also while we start with "just" two houses, it seems like the plan is to add more zones with one house each as time goes by?

[Nymrohd]

I don't know how to feel about this. I like the Neighborhood concept but the fact that these seem to be instanced zones does not work with me. I'll still use it and I think my guild will love building a private neighborhood together.

[Cheezits]

Actually I don't think they say the neighborhood zones AREN'T in the open world, so I'll admit it's possible. They probably are though because otherwise a revamp or gradual one is required.

[Hitei]

I don't get it. Are they revamping durotar and elwyn forest to fit these neighbourhoods, or are they in another dimension?

They are their own dimension. If anything the new assets may be used for a revamp later.

Gonna guess that the Ratt's instance was a testbed for this persistent state in instance tech.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't know how to feel about this. I like the Neighborhood concept but the fact that these seem to be instanced zones does not work with me. I'll still use it and I think my guild will love building a private neighborhood together.

How exactly did you expect a non-instanced housing system with several thousand players on larger servers to work?

[Xilurm]

It looks like the zones are part of the open world, hence you have your neighberhood (and can also visit different ones prolly similiar to garrisons?).

Also while we start with "just" two houses, it seems like the plan is to add more zones with one house each as time goes by?

The way they're talking about it reminds me a lot of FFXIV's stuff, which is hidden behind a loading screen. But then again everything in that game is. I'd be pleasantly surprised if this neighbourhood is part of the open world, because it seems like there will be multiple neighbourhoods there, (if not an unlimited amount?) considering you can enter one and just be by yourself or enter a public one where you share it with randoms or enter one where it's with your guildies and friends.

[Kiivar86]

People wanting housing in the open world, how exactly do you imagine it working? With the amount of players and the space we have, the only way it might work is basically like the Garrison which had a lot of issues at the start and was only one unit per person, not a 50 house neighborhood.

[Lady Atia]

I don't know how to feel about this. I like the Neighborhood concept but the fact that these seem to be instanced zones does not work with me. I'll still use it and I think my guild will love building a private neighborhood together.

Just because it's instanced doesn't mean you can smoothly transit to it. Garrisons were also instanced but part of the open world, remember?

[milkmustache]

If Housing somehow includes an unexpected full revamp of Durotar+Azshara and Elwynn+Westfall+Duskwood, man I'd be over the moon. I really, really hope that's open world.

[Lady Atia]

The way they're talking about it reminds me a lot of FFXIV's stuff, which is hidden behind a loading screen. But then again everything in that game is. I'd be pleasantly surprised if this neighbourhood is part of the open world, because it seems like there will be multiple neighbourhoods there, (if not an unlimited amount?) considering you can enter one and just be by yourself or enter a public one where you share it with randoms or enter one where it's with your guildies and friends.

Again, Garrisons were instanced and reachable without a loading screen aswell, so I doubt they will go the old "here is a blue portal in Org that sends you to somewhere in Durotar which isn't actual in Durotar route" of classic BG's.

I mean, maybe they do that, but it would be lazy and they already have the tech to have the housing zones being connected to the open world without a portal, Zaralek Caverns and Khaz Algar also work like that.

[Cheezits]

...wait, maybe it's like Delves with a smokescreen, menu option and then you walk in? So it's disconnected but it's a mostly seamless walk-in.

Again I think this is only feasible if both the capitals are getting revamped in Midnight, which is possible. That may be the reason for the human/orc focus to start.

[Sondrelk]

They're going the FFXIV route with neighbourhoods, but you won't have to worry about your house getting demolished.

I really wish the houses were out in the open world...

Well either way all the other stuff sounds amazing.

But I wonder, this seems like a Warband feature, can you have only one house per account?

Houses out in the open world is one of those things that kinda precludes being able to have other people see it.