Has Blizz gotten more efficient with Zone use?

[Skytotem]

In Cata Blizzard made a bunch of zones like Gilneas, Kezan, and Lost Isles that got used once and then they forgot about them...

In BFA they made tons of island expedition areas that would've been fun to quest in and explore but then booted you out of at breakneck pace

I haven't heard of any ill-used or wasted areas more recently though, but I also haven't been subbed since BFA

What's the verdict, is Blizz getting better at one use and not spending loads of time on one-use areas?

[Daedius]

Gilneas is used multiple times, there was a recent questline there to reclaim it. o.O

Kezan and Lost Isles were just starting zones for Goblins, just like Exile's Reach.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

No. Blizzard is continuing to lower the bar trying to find out where the minimum viable product line lies. We went from getting 8 zones + a starter zone to getting fewer and fewer zones, and then only getting four zones and a starter zone, and now we don't even get that. Just four zones.

[Chickat]

No. Blizzard is continuing to lower the bar trying to find out where the minimum viable product line lies. We went from getting 8 zones + a starter zone to getting fewer and fewer zones, and then only getting four zones and a starter zone, and now we don't even get that. Just four zones.

Four zones that are the same sizer or even larger.

[Dracullus]

No. Blizzard is continuing to lower the bar trying to find out where the minimum viable product line lies. We went from getting 8 zones + a starter zone to getting fewer and fewer zones, and then only getting four zones and a starter zone, and now we don't even get that. Just four zones.

Yeah, who cares about small detail like SIZE of these zones, am I right?

But we went throught these many times. I would understand doubts before DF Alpha, but now you literally see Dragon Isles with size of Northrend - except they are not fucking wasteland. And what? You repeat same shit in TWW.

[xskarma]

Four zones that are the same sizer or even larger.

And with a CRAPTON more detail and hidden nooks in them than even as far back as Legion, not to mention older zones. Raw zone count is such a weird argument.

Same thing with people that feel the need to have more raid bosses, just for the sheer value of more raid bosses, instead of looking at the total picture of how fun and cool the raid is, and how novel the mechanics.


As to the question of the thread: Yes, Blizzard has VERY much gotten better at using the available space, and usually multiple times if they can.

A friend of mine and me used to have a game where we would designate places in the open world "Special Places" but the rules were that they had to have NO function, AND be pretty or be special in some way. Like for instance the hidden picnic spot in Valshara. If a place was used in quests or WQ or anything like that it was disqualified.

There used to be a TON of spots like that, but that has dwindled to the point we basically gave up on the game now. Every cool spot in every zone will have SOME kind of function, even if it is just a checkmark on a discovery achievement. It is bittersweet cause the world has a ton of cool spots now compare to the old days, but the game we used to love of staking out new hidden cool spots with no real function is dead.

[Zardas]

Yeah, if DF would have been released 15 years ago, each of the zone would have been divided in 2 or 3 zones at least. And that's not even taking into account the crazy amount of details in the zones themselves.