Midnight 12.X Patches & World Soul Saga Speculation Thread

[Gurahk]

But they won't allow it, because dragon riding is an expansion feature that will be buried with Dragonflight.

You're insane if you think that.

[Hitei]

Yes they do need to change the world. How will you Dragonride if most of the world is flat?

The same way you dragonride in Ohn'ahran plains? Do people really struggle with dragonriding this much? You really don't need to be going downwards for it.

[Kiivar86]

The same way you dragonride in Ohn'ahran plains? Do people really struggle with dragonriding this much? You really don't need to be going downwards for it.

I admit I have a bit of trouble in the western portion of the plains and down by the southern shore in the span but only because going inland is uphill and have to expend some more vigor to get there but not overly much.

[ExiHext]

I admit I have a bit of trouble in the western portion of the plains and down by the southern shore in the span but only because going inland is uphill and have to expend some more vigor to get there but not overly much.

Not sure if I'm doing this right but if I start let's say at Iskaraa I just fly 7 to 8 vigor (as they already regenerate on your way up) vertical. At this point I am so high above that I can reach any destination in the plains by just gliding.

Regarding Dragonriding: I don't mind if they expand it to the rest of the world as long as they don't take away normal flying in the process.

[Makabreska]

Dragonriding is just flying with style. They don't need to make any changes on existing maps to allow dragon riding.

But they won't allow it, because dragon riding is an expansion feature that will be buried with Dragonflight.

You still living in denial that DR wont be a perma thing?

[Kiivar86]

Not sure if I'm doing this right but if I start let's say at Iskaraa I just fly 7 to 8 vigor (as they already regenerate on your way up) vertical. At this point I am so high above that I can reach any destination in the plains by just gliding.

Regarding Dragonriding: I don't mind if they expand it to the rest of the world as long as they don't take away normal flying in the process.

So you fly straight up?

That...never occurred to me. I feel dumb.

[Berkilak]

By "doing a cataclysm" you mean revamping the world, they absolutely will. The last time was "because flying" and this time will be "because dragon riding". They can't just scrap the main system of this whole expansion. They have a massive focus on reusing older raids and dungeons instead of rotting all the prior expansion content, and world zones will need to be reused as well.

Soar already works. Best case scenario, that's still a pithy reason and a completely out-of-scale return on the investment of resources. There's no reason for them to hearken back to the old world when they're infinitely more interested in putting out new content.

[Cheezits]

Soar already works. Best case scenario, that's still a pithy reason and a completely out-of-scale return on the investment of resources. There's no reason for them to hearken back to the old world when they're infinitely more interested in putting out new content.

A newly modeled Kalimdor with new quests/dungeons/raids is no different than any other new expansion.

[Makabreska]

A newly modeled Kalimdor with new quests/dungeons/raids is no different than any other new expansion.

Ummm, it kinda is. Compare the sizes. You think it is doable for them to re-model entire Kalimdor up to a new continent standard with quests/dungeons/raids, when we recently learned they barely managed to make DF in time?

[Berkilak]

A newly modeled Kalimdor with new quests/dungeons/raids is no different than any other new expansion.

It absolutely is. The only analogous expansion would be WoD, which was a retread itself. I would love for a revamp to happen, but I'm not going to confuse my desire with the plausibility of it ever happening. Which is virtually 0%. This team abhors retreading. The remodel would only serve to impose limitations on what they want to do creatively with no design benefit - only costs, in that they'll tick off everyone again just like Cata did.

[Fiercelord]

I like dragonriding a lot, but there are moments I don't. Example: I'm on the ground without any vigor. I see a rare nearby on the mini map, but it's on the high hill. The rare died before I could start flying up. I wish they add some kind of ability with long cd to fly high up for these situations.

[Raetary]

Yes they do need to change the world. How will you Dragonride if most of the world is flat?

The same way you fly around the Ohn'aran plains, one of the most flat zones in the game?
Flat zones are a non-issue.

And even with a revamp, Mid-to-South Kalimdor is not going to be any less flat than it already is.
No amount of revamping is gonna change those super flat and sunken landscapes, unless Blizzards randomly decides to chuck a mountain into the Barrens for some reason.

[Chickat]

They need to buff normal flying speed some imo. Maybe 450 or 500%. Dragon riding is still almost twice as fast at top speed, but having a fastish normal flyer would be beneficial imo.

[Nymrohd]

Yes they do need to change the world. How will you Dragonride if most of the world is flat?

3 vigor is enough to get you anywhere on the map

[Sondrelk]

3 vigor is enough to get you anywhere on the map

Looking at it now I have to think it was a mistake to add so many upgrades to what you can do with dragonriding anywhere. It should have been more restrictive, but with far more stuff like vigor recharges and boosts scattered around the zones.
We have the updraft mechanic, but it's rarely used anywhere.

[Nymrohd]

Looking at it now I have to think it was a mistake to add so many upgrades to what you can do with dragonriding anywhere. It should have been more restrictive, but with far more stuff like vigor recharges and boosts scattered around the zones.
We have the updraft mechanic, but it's rarely used anywhere.

True, we should have had vigor recharges and speed boosts all over the map.

[Mafic]

Dragonriding is just flying with style. They don't need to make any changes on existing maps to allow dragon riding.

But they won't allow it, because dragon riding is an expansion feature that will be buried with Dragonflight.

I agree.

And as the months drag on its popularity is starting to wane.

[Grimbold21]

I think that Dragonriding will be a perma feature, HOWEVER, if there is a revamp of the old world, it will need to accommodate the feature. There isn't as much verticality in current Kalimdor/EK aside from some mountains.

Though I can see them redoing the layouts in general, especially where zones connect, as it looks silly to fly over now (see: Karazhan -> Stranglethorn)

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Yes they do need to change the world. How will you Dragonride if most of the world is flat?

I'm not going to claim they're on equal foot, but to claim the world is flat in comparison to Dragon Isles is quite a stretch. Half - if not more - of the Waking shore layout is paying service to Thousand Needles (the unflooded version).

The Azure Span - if we're toying with the word "flat" here - is flat. The obstacles it poses to flying lie in its hugely tall trees. You have forests elsewhere in the world, the difference lies in verticality.

The Plains, well, they don't require adressing, do they?

And Val'drakken is essentially cliffs and mountains with corridors for flat areas. Hardly anything new.

[Sondrelk]

I'm not going to claim they're on equal foot, but to claim the world is flat in comparison to Dragon Isles is quite a stretch. Half - if not more - of the Waking shore layout is paying service to Thousand Needles (the unflooded version).

The Azure Span - if we're toying with the word "flat" here - is flat. The obstacles it poses to flying lie in its hugely tall trees. You have forests elsewhere in the world, the difference lies in verticality.

The Plains, well, they don't require adressing, do they?

And Val'drakken is essentially cliffs and mountains with corridors for flat areas. Hardly anything new.

I would say the zones are vertical in the more general sense of sloping upwards on all sides. The closest set of zones we have to this is the zones surrounding Mount Hyjal in Kalimdor, which are very flat, even if the zones are clearly tiered apart from each other.
There is however nothing similar in The Eastern Kingdom though. The closest might be Loch Modan being significantly higher up then the Wetlands, and the Twilight Highlands sloping gently upwards.

But yeah, Valdrakken and the Waking Shores are really the only zones that really play to the strengths of Dragonriding. And the Waking Shores does it really just by having various plateus, as well as placing resource nodes on top of the pillars.

Overall EK and Kalimdor could easily accommodate Dragonriding. You would just need to make it slightly more restrictive, as well as ideally nudging players towards predetermined routes with things like pre-placed boosts and vigor recharges. Though really the same is true for the Dragon Isles.

[Grimbold21]

I would say the zones are vertical in the more general sense of sloping upwards on all sides. The closest set of zones we have to this is the zones surrounding Mount Hyjal in Kalimdor, which are very flat, even if the zones are clearly tiered apart from each other.
There is however nothing similar in The Eastern Kingdom though. The closest might be Loch Modan being significantly higher up then the Wetlands, and the Twilight Highlands sloping gently upwards.

But yeah, Valdrakken and the Waking Shores are really the only zones that really play to the strengths of Dragonriding. And the Waking Shores does it really just by having various plateus, as well as placing resource nodes on top of the pillars.

Overall EK and Kalimdor could easily accommodate Dragonriding. You would just need to make it slightly more restrictive, as well as ideally nudging players towards predetermined routes with things like pre-placed boosts and vigor recharges. Though really the same is true for the Dragon Isles.

Then I don't understand what is meant by verticality and flat. Is it just, by your example, some zones being higher than others? Because the only element that needs to be flown up to that I can think of is the capital city. If I'm not mistaken, you have to fly up to it from all the other zones.

I wouldn't be fan of redesigning zones for DR's sake. One doesn't need incentives to fly. The flying is the goal itself. Sure, populate higher areas with resources and treasures if you'd like, but that's about it