Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Khaza-R]

I read this on Wowhead. In the interview with Gamesbeat Ion had this to say.

GamesBeat: I know how much you probably love talking about something beyond the big patch that you’re promoting here, but without going into specifics, should players expect a longer than normal wait for the next content drop after this one? Normally we’d probably hear about the next expansion around the time of the last major patch, but there’s no BlizzCon. How long a wait are we in for, and how will players learn about what’s coming next?

Hazzikostas: Right now we’re definitely focused on getting Eternity’s End out into folks’ hands. We want everyone to see and experience the end of Shadowlands, and then we’ll have more exciting news following that. Stay tuned for news about when and where to learn more, but nothing specific to add right now.


I see that as it'll definitely be after the Jailer dies before we see anything about 10.0

Interesting. The where/when makes me think it will definitely be a livestream announcement.

Also like how he completely didn't acknowledge the question about how long 9.2 would be

[Catastrophy349]

Who doubted that? People high on copium were expecting 10.0 news before or right around 9.2, but it was never going to happen. Let 9.2 breathe and then several weeks later announce 10.0.

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Work from home shouldn't affect anyone whose job is 100% capable of being done on a computer. Especially not after 2 years. Companies adapted - granted, some way better than others. It's still a redundant excuse to bring up for anything and everything that's going wrong.

"Any 10.0 news today, you think?" will continue until actual 10.0 news comes out.

[Makabreska]

Work from home shouldn't affect anyone whose job is 100% capable of being done on a computer. Especially not after 2 years. Companies adapted - granted, some way better than others. It's still a redundant excuse to bring up for anything and everything that's going wrong.

And yet it affected, my man. It affected so many gaming companies. But for some reason you cannot accept that Blizz was, and still is hindered by it, just like so many other devs are (and no one says COVID it's the only issue, but a main one). Different games are still being delayed due to pandemic. But for you it's more believable and convenient to say they suddenly grew incompetent in releasing regular content.


And once again, since last time you didn't bother to respond to it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact..._game_industry

[Dragon ANX]

In case someone has missed

https://venturebeat.com/2022/02/22/w...-9-2-launches/

Ion gave an interview talking about a lot of things, i just finished reading it and compared to previous interviews i really got some good vibes from this one.

[Ersula]

Ardenweald lock is no more difficult than the sigils were. It also doesn't really make any sense as a main arc within the context of the story.

But we would have been the people defending Ardenweald against waves of the Jailer's forces. Instead, Sylvanas got there before us.

There's no "evidence" Ardenweald was supposed to be a raid, it's just a guess. Based on being in this fandom long enough to remember devs referring to every other raid as a "filler" raid. There are just beats of the story in every expansion that can be expanded into big raids but also aren't exactly necessary. Or how 9.1 had 4 cinematics when usually each major patch gets 2 or 3. We're guessing Ardenweald because it fits thematically with the two 9.1 cinematics set in Ardenweald. Nazjatar could have been skipped if BFA was lagging in development. Just like in WoD, there is unused assets and even maps eluding to a Shattrath raid & that raid would have gone between Hellfire & Foundry, not after.

[Catastrophy349]

In case someone has missed

https://venturebeat.com/2022/02/22/w...-9-2-launches/

Ion gave an interview talking about a lot of things, i just finished reading it and compared to previous interviews i really got some good vibes from this one.

Definitely points to 10.0 news AFTER the end of the Shadowlands story (as many have speculated). However, what does the "end" mean? Chapter 8 Campaign or Jailer cinematic?

[jeezusisacasual]

I would hope the next patch has more areas that look like Zereth Mortis and less like Korthia and the Maw, along with never having the non mountable bullshit again would be amazing. Also i hope the class balance is as good as it is currently in 10.0, people dont seem to mention it much but overall most specs have been balanced in most content and should get some praise for that small nugget.

[Fahrad Wagner]

The music of patch 9.2 is absolutely lovely, getting the same Westworld vibes as I did in some places of Naz'jatar.

[micwini]

The music of patch 9.2 is absolutely lovely, getting the same Westworld vibes as I did in some places of Naz'jatar.

On youtube there is a 40 minute video with nazjatar and the first few tunes are almost 1:1 to the westworld intro. It also makes sense since both ZM and westworld involve printing "people"

[Ersula]

And yet it affected, my man. It affected so many gaming companies. But for some reason you cannot accept that Blizz was, and still is hindered by it, just like so many other devs are (and no one says COVID it's the only issue, but a main one). Different games are still being delayed due to pandemic. But for you it's more believable and convenient to say they suddenly grew incompetent in releasing regular content.

Sure it was a shock to the corporate game system. But it's also an environment that can be acclimated to: The biggest obstacle being people like Ion suddenly having to learn how to manage workers remotely. See: Smaller studios where WFH was the norm before the pandemic were impacted the least.

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I would hope the next patch has more areas that look like Zereth Mortis and less like Korthia and the Maw, along with never having the non mountable bullshit again would be amazing. Also i hope the class balance is as good as it is currently in 10.0, people dont seem to mention it much but overall most specs have been balanced in most content and should get some praise for that small nugget.

I love the sci-fi elements of WoW, but it looks like 10.0 will feel more like BFA or WoD than Legion or Shadowlands: Aesthetically speaking. They recently talked a lot about having to return to the classic fantasy "roots" of the franchise every other expansion. Though that's historically hard to do after you focus so much on the afterlife: That's the reason D&D never set any major content in the 9 celestial planes.

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First half is Drust have aligned with Zovaal and are beginning an assault so take the fight to them.
Oh shit they started the actual assault while we were in their realm.
Back half is the battle of Ardenweald scenario but paced out over 2 or 3 bosses.
Culminating in a Sylvanas fight that Tyrande would have played a large role in.

Totally. The Jailer's leveled-up form definitely incorporates a little drust/devourer motifs with all those blue gashes: I expect if they had time we would have got a direct connection between the devourers & zovaal.

[Revamp Man]

In case someone has missed

https://venturebeat.com/2022/02/22/w...-9-2-launches/

Ion gave an interview talking about a lot of things, i just finished reading it and compared to previous interviews i really got some good vibes from this one.

Eh I didn’t like him saying the borrowed power systems were deep and transformed gameplay because azerite did not do that

They still can’t admit fault so I’m fairly certain 10.0 will have a terrible system that won’t be changed until midway

[Ersula]

Eh I didn’t like him saying the borrowed power systems were deep and transformed gameplay because azerite did not do that

Honestly they took so much time to balance the covenant abilities probably should have been the same for all classes.

This is also why former devs describe Ion as a "backseat" developer, as his biggest weakness: Other than actually adding new abilities (shocking) we've just been rehashing Legion systems, but making them more complicated. Or the Dominion shards, a more complicated version of tier bonuses. Which as most players describe, just being complicated makes them less fun. This is because unlike past senior developers, Ion doesn't have either a programming, art or writing background. He's got the job just by being a high-tier raider. It means his era has been considerably less innovative. (The systems in Legion were largely credited to Holinka)

[Revamp Man]

Sure it was a shock to the corporate game system. But it's also an environment that can be acclimated to: The biggest obstacle being people like Ion suddenly having to learn how to manage workers remotely. See: Smaller studios where WFH was the norm before the pandemic were impacted the least.

You really tried to blame ion for this??

Literally every big studio is still having issues and still delaying stuff so while you might have an opinion and think it should be back to normal the truth is it isn’t and you should accept that

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Honestly they took so much time to balance the covenant abilities probably should have been the same for all classes.

This is also why former devs describe Ion as a "backseat" developer, as his biggest weakness: Other than actually adding new abilities (shocking) we've just been rehashing Legion systems, but making them more complicated. Or the Dominion shards, a more complicated version of tier bonuses. Which as most players describe, just being complicated makes them less fun. This is because unlike past senior developers, Ion doesn't have either a programming, art or writing background. He's got the job just by being a high-tier raider. It means his era has been considerably less innovative. (The systems in Legion were largely credited to Holinka)

You do realize while he has input he doesn’t literally control the system

[Ersula]

You really tried to blame ion for this??

Literally every big studio is still having issues and still delaying stuff so while you might have an opinion and think it should be back to normal the truth is it isn’t and you should accept that

"big" being the key word here. Which is what I said: Big studios had a harder time acclimating to a working from home model. 2nd Quarter 2020, probably nothing got done in terms of development. But they would acclimate to this style of work, and style of management, which Ion probably had very little experience with at that time.

I think they will & have been getting better at WFH as time goes on. Since being effective at WFH is possible.

[Khaza-R]

You really tried to blame ion for this??

Literally every big studio is still having issues and still delaying stuff so while you might have an opinion and think it should be back to normal the truth is it isn’t and you should accept that

They have a point though. About a year of delays is reasonable given that everyone was trying to acclimate and normalize new processes. But beyond that, a normal company should of adapted by now.

I work in the US legal system. One of the most old school and antiquated facets of American society. And if 70-80 year old, obstinate judges can adapt to zoom trials and virtual hearings then I find it hard to believe a gaming company is still struggling 2 years later. That's not to say there can't be other reasons for delays that ultimately go back to COVID as a reason, but I agree with Ersula that WFH simply isn't one of them at this point.

[Makabreska]

They have a point though. About a year of delays is reasonable given that everyone was trying to acclimate and normalize new processes. But beyond that, a normal company should of adapted by now.

I work in the US legal system. One of the most old school and antiquated facets of American society. And if 70-80 year old, obstinate judges can adapt to zoom trials and virtual hearings then I find it hard to believe a gaming company is still struggling 2 years later. That's not to say there can't be other reasons for delays that ultimately go back to COVID as a reason, but I agree with Ersula that WFH simply isn't one of them at this point.

But again, it is not only Blizz that has delays. Loads of other companies also delayed their releases.

[Kiivar86]

I work in the US legal system. One of the most old school and antiquated facets of American society. And if 70-80 year old, obstinate judges can adapt to zoom trials and virtual hearings then I find it hard to believe a gaming company is still struggling 2 years later. That's not to say there can't be other reasons for delays that ultimately go back to COVID as a reason, but I agree with Ersula that WFH simply isn't one of them at this point.

Ah, a fellow legal system employee! Yeah the judges here adapted pretty fast (for the most part, we still have a few hiccups but eh) though it was certainly a dumpster fire at the start.

Definitely at this point they should be used to it yeah.

[Izalla]

The anima 226 catchup gear is great and cheap, wish something like this becomes the standard for future patches. Have it be a currency from previous patches that is easily farmable or just passively accumulates while doing other stuff

I still don't understand why they removed the currencies we used in Wrath and Cata. They should just have the justice points for older tiers and valor points for current tier item level (or whatever they want to call them) and then they don't need to come up with a new currency and system every new patch. There is nothing wrong with letting little Johnny Casual get a tier piece every few weeks of point grinding (or grinding however much he wants for justice gear) while the raiders are getting their gear drops every week. He literally cannot get his tier set faster than a raider who had the worst luck in the world because they would just be collecting their points faster than him from raid bosses and buying their own pieces that haven't dropped yet before he can. It worked, it was lovely, I miss it.

[Nyel]

And yet it affected, my man. It affected so many gaming companies. But for some reason you cannot accept that Blizz was, and still is hindered by it, just like so many other devs are (and no one says COVID it's the only issue, but a main one). Different games are still being delayed due to pandemic. But for you it's more believable and convenient to say they suddenly grew incompetent in releasing regular content.


And once again, since last time you didn't bother to respond to it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact..._game_industry

Respond to what? I know that. It’s still a lame excuse after two years. There’s nothing more to say.

Yes, games have been delayed. Yes, companies have been affected. Most of the adapted, others didn’t. Blizzard obviously didn’t.

[Ersula]

You do realize while he has input he doesn’t literally control the system

I was referring to game systems. Artifact power, Azerite, Anima, Mythic+, Gearing, etc. The exact things he is supposed to be in control of per his job description. Rather than "Systems developer" who is making those systems work on a numerical level.

That's the Senior Dev's job: Brainstoming ideas & Management