Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Reive]

https://www.wowhead.com/news/housing...me-shop-380362

and so it begins

[extasy]

https://www.wowhead.com/news/housing...me-shop-380362

and so it begins

More revenue for wow = less chance microsoft firing devs so im ok with it.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

https://www.wowhead.com/news/housing...me-shop-380362

and so it begins

Good. And good on Blizzard for understanding that their audience is willing to pay real money for in-game things

[Hitei]

I refuse to believe there is any internal data showing that customization can't sell, especially with Housing being such a massive selling point for them. They're two sides of the same coin IMO.

These aren't really comparable things. Housing is actual gameplay. People can spend time in their house decorating and messing around with stuff, each time they unlock some new decor item they can think about where to put it or try it in different spots or come up with a whole new room idea to showcase it.

"Customization" is just that. You'd be better off comparing it with decor--not housing, solely decor alone--in that it's just options and without the above gameplay system, it offers effectively no gameplay beyond the same earning thing that all vanity stuff (mounts, pets, titles, transmog, decor) has. Once acquired, you just go to a barber and turn click twice to activate it and it's done forever.

It has no real sales power because it does not offer much engagement. Night Warrior eyes or the Eredar stuff isn't something I ever properly interact with or "play" now. I just have those options forever when making a character or changing a character's look.

[milkmustache]

These aren't really comparable things. Housing is actual gameplay. People can spend time in their house decorating and messing around with stuff, each time they unlock some new decor item they can think about where to put it or try it in different spots or come up with a whole new room idea to showcase it.

"Customization" is just that. You'd be better off comparing it with decor--not housing, solely decor alone--in that it's just options and without the above gameplay system, it offers effectively no gameplay beyond the same earning thing that all vanity stuff (mounts, pets, titles, transmog, decor) has. Once acquired, you just go to a barber and turn click twice to activate it and it's done forever.

It has no real sales power because it does not offer much engagement. Night Warrior eyes or the Eredar stuff isn't something I ever properly interact with or "play" now. I just have those options forever when making a character or changing a character's look.

I understand what you're saying, but I still stand by my point solely for the reason that it's essentially the base function of the game: you make a character. It's a massively important part of the game to a large group.

So strike the "two sides of the same coin" comment then, and say they're rather in the same family.

EDIT: I thought about it a little more, and I agree more that it's not a selling point. Customization is really only an important matter to those who already play, and it can't really be a "selling" point to someone who's already buying. I guess I am only confused that in an era of player expression, we still lack a lot of advancements in how we look.

[Zardas]

More revenue for wow = less chance microsoft firing devs so im ok with it.

Bold of you to believe that this money will benefit in any way to wow devs and not go directly to the pockets of the shareholders. More monetisations is never good and it's concerning that some people are ok with "micro"transactions in a subscription-based game. 30 years ago, this would have not fly so easily.

[Skildar]

Since the end of Bfa I've got sick of Allied Races, I wish they would do away with this cheap trick.
ALIANCE

• fire dwarves
• light draenei
• shadow blood elves
• metal gnomes
• fat humans (no honestly these are okay)

HORDE

• Legion elves (love these)
• Legion Taurens
• MoP Trolls
• WoD orcs
• Vulpera

Most Alliance AR are very weak in terms of fantasy and only established factions (DarkIron and Kultirans) work well. While Horde ones are already existing factions and good fantasy incarnations (we're setting aside Highmountains) they're taking away from their already playable base race.

One thing that was playing in favour of this system was the race-class combinations. Maghar could be priests when regular orcs couldn't for instance. That was selling a real culture difference but since they've decided to do away with this design, we're losing most of what would make such races shine a bit. And now with the World Soul Saga they're pludging the knife deeper into the wound by making Allied Races throw away designs, you really get the feeling that all of these will end up facing the after-expansion Padaren treatment, where even when the situation could invite them to play a role, they will be cast aside as if they're not part of the game and its story.
Wouldn't Mecagnomes interact with Earthens? One aspires to mecagnize itself and the other is a bio-automaton.
Wouldn't Lightforge interact with Arathi? One accepted to be reborn in the Light and the other in the flame and both worship a Crystal infused of Light.
Some do get a bit of presence - DarkIrons, VoidElves, Maghar - but every time I feel like it would have been easier to put the right characters and races under the spotlight if there weren't so many different subraces. The most glaring nonsense being Turalyon and the Lightforged missing during Ka'resh/Dimensius patch.

I don't know if that's in anyway tied to the issues other people could have with Haranir but I've realized that I'm growing more and more tired of Blizzard use of Allied Races. I fully expect that in the next 10 years they will rework this into an "origin" choice or something along these lines. But for now it's embarrassing because while visulaly updating Core Races and their assets is a definite priority, not doing the same to Allied races will hurt them even more, for their customisation and implementation in the story. And all of that could have been avoided by changing the paradigm during TWW and Midnight instead of introducing 2 more Allied Races.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Bold of you to believe that this money will benefit in any way to wow devs and not go directly to the pockets of the shareholders. More monetisations is never good and it's concerning that some people are ok with "micro"transactions in a subscription-based game. 30 years ago, this would have not fly so easily.

Maybe not directly into the pockets of the developers, nor any real guarantee developer's jobs are safe, but at the very least proof of viability is seen with this... ensuring developers retain their jobs?

Definitely a glass half full perspective, I guess.

[Lady Atia]

Omg the new plushies are soooo cute, although I had hoped for the cherry blossom trees. Grrrr

[Nibelheimy]

Young me very much wanted a playable grummle during Pandaria. I rushed to the forums and begged for a neutral Grummle race.

There will never be a story scenario where grummle is top of the list for a playable race. So put it on the store. £5. Neutral. Any non-hero class. Starting zone is escorting an Alliance/Horde hero up kun-lai. They get killed by yeti. You take up their weapon and finish the yeti off and become the hero, taking on their bags and quests. Racials are some dumb bullshit like 'Lucky-do. This trinket increases the Grummles luck. Supposedly."

Alas, it was not meant to be.

In all seriousness. At this point, some of my most wanted races are probably never going to be added. I can come up with many reasons why Id expect them to release Ogres or Ethereals for examples, but it never happens.

Id rather they just sold them to me. I rarely buy mounts, I've bought maybe one cosmetic set. Toys and pets are pretty much 0.

At least then, people who don't care don't have to buy them, and I'd probably buy them all. They could even do a public vote so show them which is going to make them the most money.

[Capivara]

Young me very much wanted a playable grummle during Pandaria. I rushed to the forums and begged for a neutral Grummle race.

There will never be a story scenario where grummle is top of the list for a playable race. So put it on the store. £5. Neutral. Any non-hero class. Starting zone is escorting an Alliance/Horde hero up kun-lai. They get killed by yeti. You take up their weapon and finish the yeti off and become the hero, taking on their bags and quests. Racials are some dumb bullshit like 'Lucky-do. This trinket increases the Grummles luck. Supposedly."

Alas, it was not meant to be.

In all seriousness. At this point, some of my most wanted races are probably never going to be added. I can come up with many reasons why Id expect them to release Ogres or Ethereals for examples, but it never happens.

Id rather they just sold them to me. I rarely buy mounts, I've bought maybe one cosmetic set. Toys and pets are pretty much 0.

At least then, people who don't care don't have to buy them, and I'd probably buy them all. They could even do a public vote so show them which is going to make them the most money.

Agreed, i can tell u i would pay a full expansion price to play a hozen.

[Nibelheimy]

Agreed, i can tell u i would pay a full expansion price to play a hozen.

I think they could make some serious money with it. Could even do it in packs for some Horde and alliance ones who aren't neutral.

Kalimdor pack / old alliances pack for Horde Ogre and Alliance Furlbog.

Pandaria pack for Horde Hozen, Alliance Jinyu and Neutral Grummles

Northrend pack for Taunka, Frost Dwarves, and Tuskarr.

Midnight pack for High elves and Amani.

It just makes sense to me. Otherwise we may never get them.

[Cheezits]

A player race is one of the few cash shop things I would actually pay for. However, if they can sell a $90 mount, I dread to know what a Naga cash shop race would look like.

They really should just go F2P/freemium at this point. There are enough people who already sub who would keep paying if it went F2P, and I'm sure there are a LOT of disgruntled ex-players who would come back if they didn't spend a dime. And the playerbase would grow of course.

[Pyrophax]

I think they could make some serious money with it. Could even do it in packs for some Horde and alliance ones who aren't neutral.

Kalimdor pack / old alliances pack for Horde Ogre and Alliance Furlbog.

Pandaria pack for Horde Hozen, Alliance Jinyu and Neutral Grummles

Northrend pack for Taunka, Frost Dwarves, and Tuskarr.

Midnight pack for High elves and Amani.

It just makes sense to me. Otherwise we may never get them.

How in Earth do you come with ideas such as these?
Who would play stupid Ogres, furry bears, furry walruses, stupid monkeys or elves with fish heads? 4th race of dwarves, totally similar to Earthen? Taurens with bison faces? Like, really?
Playable races are huge marketing deal, not for 3 people who want to play them. Thats why we got Void Elves, Nightborne and Haranirs. And thats why we unlikely get Amani. Only small amount of players interested in your ideas of races. And even smaller part of playerbase want to play Grummles or Furlbogs. Mechagnomes prove that.

Also, its not BfA, not Legion - we will only get smaller and smaller content - there will not be like 10 new races. Maybe 1 or 2 in next 3-5 expansions, combined with 1-3 new specs, not classes.

[Sondrelk]

Putting ARs on the cash shop seems like a lose/lose situation for the devs. Either the races are high quality and they get horrible PR for making popular choices hidden behind a paywall. Or it's low quality, and they get bad PR for releasing slop.

[Nightshade711]

How in Earth do you come with ideas such as these?
Who would play stupid Ogres, furry bears, furry walruses, stupid monkeys or elves with fish heads?

I know plenty of people who would've loved a Jinyu/Ankoan allied race. They actually would've been somewhat unique instead of being something that should've just been customization. (Like Mag'har, Lightforged Draenei, Dark Iron...)

[Count Zero]

I don't see them paywalling races (beyond needing a given xpac of course), as racials have an element of player power.

[extasy]

Bold of you to believe that this money will benefit in any way to wow devs and not go directly to the pockets of the shareholders. More monetisations is never good and it's concerning that some people are ok with "micro"transactions in a subscription-based game. 30 years ago, this would have not fly so easily.

Learn to read please.

[Cheezits]

I wonder if they will be changing the Silvermoon neutral section's music (replacing it with the Horde section music) as it seems like the most overwhelmingly negatively received aspect of the expansion so far- which will only grow over time and with release.

I get the vibe but people are really not geling with the new aesthetic of a brighter, happier Silvermoon. It makes sense lorewise, but that isn't always the best option.

EDIT: Or they keep it on purpose to use as ammunition for why we aren't getting future revamps. YAY!!!!

[Nymrohd]

I don't see them paywalling races (beyond needing a given xpac of course), as racials have an element of player power.

Easy solution to that, remove or revamp racials.