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World of Warcraft at 5.6 million subs (was 7.1M, 10M), Diablo 3 has sold 30+M copies
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
Robin64
Member
The thought of playing a vanilla server without all the QoL improvements made over 10 years(and i'm not talking things like LFR or cross realms population) makes me shiver. Not to mention how so many specs sucked back then.
SDCowboy
Member
Annualized expansions don't mean content patches have to be abandoned. A year is a long time.
Rhomega Beta
Member
This is essentially why my parents quit playing. Everything became too easy, and dungeons that used to take hours to do (like Blackrock Depths) can be done in less than a half-hour. Then there's the class changes, like how Rogues used to be able to make their own poison, then it went to simply buying it, then having it integrated into attacks. Hunters used to be able to make ammo and feed their pets, now neither are required. The talent trees are gone, and you used to be able to put skills into multiple trees at once.
Even that is probably preferable. The whole "follow the map/compass/hud marker" gameplay in both MMO and single player games drastically alter the dynamic of the gameplay where you essentially just turn off your brain. At least reading an instruction guide requires some abstract thinking and paying attention to your surroundings.
Interfectum
Member
I think Blizz going to be pushing esports hard with the final SC2 XP. I expect to see a lot of SC2 talk but not much actual news.
And yeah you nailed the rest. They gotta have something new to announce considering they pushed WoW to Gamescom so it has to be D3 right? I can't think of anything else they'd have at this point. (id kill for Warcraft HD but that's a pipe dream)
I hate having to make poison. It was like a profession with skill ups too if I remember. Gross!
Buying was annoying too. I don't want bags full of poisons and vanishing powder.
I wish poison was integrated into attacks. But it's not. I still have to click that stupid button every hour. That's not cool or fun to me. It just means every hour I wonder why my DPS is so low and realize I have to reapply poisons.
Robin64
Member
FFXIV added some interesting quests at one point, where you had clues to figure things out. Everything was sufficiently randomised, so you couldn't just find the answer immediately. (Everything was catalogued eventually of course) I thought that was a pretty interesting attempt.
Interfectum
Member
IIRC didn't mounts also count in your inventory? (no mount or pet tab)
Should have the opening cinematic to show as well. Agreed though.
Thank you!!
It really does feel very soon for another expansion announcement, but I'm hyped. I highly doubt it'll launch this year, but it'd be a nice surprise, especially if they announce that a beta's ready to launch within a couple of months. No matter what though, I'd prefer they take the time to polish it rather than rush it out the door. We live in a world with plenty else to play in the meantime.
Well, the WoW move is likely due to them planning to release the game early in 2016, but I do think more Diablo 3 is likely. Otherwise there wasn't much point to not just showing up at Gamescom with some light info to share. The only other option is they went straight to Diablo 4 and it could be a while before we hear from them in that case.
There were 2-4 job postings for a Warcraft related product that wasn't tied to the RTS group, and it was supposed to be one of those nimble Hearthstone/HotS/Overwatch sized teams, so I'm guessing they're doing another genre expanding spin-off there.
However, given there have only been 2-4 jobs for that, and there are none currently, I'd be surprised if it was ready to show. Overwatch had 12+ open positions before its reveal since they wanted to hire on a bunch of people who were excited by the debut and had to ramp for production.
Matrix XII
Member
I'm hoping the expansion reveal is what we want to hear. Warlords has had some bright spots, but otherwise been a terrible expansion.
I see a lot of people saying WoW is dead and it's an 11 yr old game that people are tiring of. I don't believe that because look at the hype Warlords generated. Lots of people came back to the game after the initial hype and brought the sub base back up to 10M which I don't think many expected.
The problem was, and is, that Warlords does not have the top end content that keeps a player around. Quite simply, it's just a poor expansion that has many problems and players abandoned it.
I still think if this next expansion can deliver, WoW will safely have 8+ million subs for the next 2+ years.
I see a lot of people saying WoW is dead and it's an 11 yr old game that people are tiring of. I don't believe that because look at the hype Warlords generated. Lots of people came back to the game after the initial hype and brought the sub base back up to 10M which I don't think many expected.
The problem was, and is, that Warlords does not have the top end content that keeps a player around. Quite simply, it's just a poor expansion that has many problems and players abandoned it.
I still think if this next expansion can deliver, WoW will safely have 8+ million subs for the next 2+ years.
Interfectum
Member
I'm hyped because Blizzard knows they have to prove something with WoW so I expect some surprises with this announcement. Blizzard on the ropes is pretty great (see Reaper of Souls).
It makes sense in the bigger picture. They've been talking about wanting to make expansions shorter than the typical 2 years for a long time now. Warlords was released last Novembre. If they want to have any realistic chance of releasing the game within that timeframe and leaving themselves enough time to explain the new features / create buzz, they can't wait until Blizzcon to announce it. They've also been doing some smaller announcements at Gamescom in the past (MoP cinematic, Reaper of Souls announcement), and they generally have a huge presence at the show (they pretty much occupy half of hall 7.1), so it's not ountlandish for them to have something again this year.
Edit: Mixed up the release dates for MoP and WoD.
ChaosZeroX
Banned
I would expect a D3 expansion probably at Blizzcon. I think this event will solely be about Hearthstone, Overwatch and the new WoW Xpac
Another thing about people and WoW expansions, stop expecting another BC expansion. Take each one for what it is. I always hear of people comparing it to BC instead of just taking that expansion for it is.
Interfectum
Member
The livestream that's coming up is only about WoW I think. They've already talked about Hearthstone, Overwatch and Heroes.
Milly Osworth
Member
I'm excited and ready for disappointment!
They already had a separate event yesterday for Heroes of the Storm (three new characters, a new map, and a bunch of vanity items), StarCraft 2 (allied commanders mode), Overwatch (new hero and two new maps), and Hearthstone (12+ new cards and new ranked rewards).
Today's event is only World of Warcraft.
There's a livestream on Friday where they're unveiling more Heroes of the Storm content. I'm not sure about the other games.
I think both mounts and vanity pets took up bag space.
So when it comes to WoW Blizzard has always had a tendency to swing way too hard in the opposite direction when the community complains. Too many daily quests in MoP? Well now there aren't any in WoD. Heroics too easy in Wrath? Let's make em brutal in Cata. What has been the community's biggest complaint with WoD? Not enough content.
I'd be okay if blizz overreacted once again for this.
I'd be okay if blizz overreacted once again for this.
Interfectum
Member
They'll overload us with content and you'll be on a flying mount the entire expansion.
That would be hilarious, you have my vote.
Interfectum
Member
Courtesy of the WoW facebook.
Blizz trolling.
Good times, I haven't touched this game since then.
Schweinehund
Member
F2P is just an eventuallity, tokens were the first concession.
I can't see vanilla ever happening and it would be shit, people have huge nostalgia glasses in this area.
Skill trees aren't coming back. The current talent system is superior in that it actually gives you choice and gameplay shifts.
It's practically F2P already. The tokens are absurdly cheap on the US realms and on EU realms just require a bit more effort.
So you're never coming back then.
Are they still 20-25k gold on US realms? That wasn't too hard for me to get with 2 Garrisons, but I fear that without them, it might get more difficult, as I kinda doubt I'll waste my time with them in the next expansion.
Vanilla servers and/or F2P/B2P will happen eventually. I'd bet anything on it.
Interfectum
Member
F2P will happen, vanilla servers no.
I manage the 45k on EU realms with 2 garrisons - or one, since only one of them has gold finder followers. You can get 10k+ weekly from just soloing some old raids.
People said that about RS, and as soon as the sub numbers dropped dangerously low from their 2005-2009 peak, they added them.
I can see Blizzard doing similar in the future. It's cash, at the end of the day.
Seems unprofitable to me tho.
Didn't Jagex get over a million subs for the RS07 servers? I'm not saying Blizzard would get more or less, but they wouldn't need to develop new content for it, really. Just keep it well maintained and crack down on bots.
Classic servers won't happen this year, or next year, but they will at/near the end.
I don't see what F2P could even solve. The problems of WoW have nothing to do with that, the only thing they would achieve is sinking the income. You go F2P when your population reaches critical status and need people trying the game (as a MMO needs people to keep being functional, there is nothing worse than a MMO server without people).
Blizzard doesn't have any of those problems. Most of the old crew will be interested in check any expansion (as we saw in WoD) and the gate of entry is well opened with the 20 free levels and the tokens
The puzzle that Blizzard must solve is how to keep people playing once they release an expansion.
Blizzard doesn't have any of those problems. Most of the old crew will be interested in check any expansion (as we saw in WoD) and the gate of entry is well opened with the 20 free levels and the tokens
The puzzle that Blizzard must solve is how to keep people playing once they release an expansion.
Just out of interest (I played from 2006-2009 so this doesn't concern me as much as current players); how difficult / viable would it be for Blizzard to introduce 'Origins' servers with all content roll backed to the state of the very first game then introducing patches every month and expansions every 3 months or so..hypothetically.
Yes there would be major imbalance with some classes which will be negated in subsequent patches, but surely the fun factor and nostalgia will far outstrip this. Unless there are back-end development technicalities?
Yes there would be major imbalance with some classes which will be negated in subsequent patches, but surely the fun factor and nostalgia will far outstrip this. Unless there are back-end development technicalities?
Hearthstone on console wouldn't be worth it. They update the shit out of Hearthstone, and that would mean either Sony/MS skipping the patch authentication process (which wouldn't happen), or PC/mobile users having to wait for MUCH slower updates, which would be suicide.
Everyone has a device capable of playing HS anyway. Any shit laptop, decent phone or tablet can get HS running.
Hari Seldon
Member
This is what I want to see.
1. Cheap or free (< $5) server transfers and faction transfers.
2. Eliminate all cross server bullshit.
3. No more garrisons ever, no more farmville, no more design queues from shitty mobile crap
An absolute top priority has to be to bring back the server community. Without that there is no point in playing at all once you finish the content.
1. Cheap or free (< $5) server transfers and faction transfers.
2. Eliminate all cross server bullshit.
3. No more garrisons ever, no more farmville, no more design queues from shitty mobile crap
An absolute top priority has to be to bring back the server community. Without that there is no point in playing at all once you finish the content.
100% this. You can still find a community, technically, but you have to go searching for it... Back when WoW was at its prime, you just automatically fell into a community, and it was awesome.
Yup. If there is not some measures taken in this next expansions to breathe life back into the person-to-person interactions of WoW, then they can expect the cycle of mass exodus to continue. Without a base of friemds and the need to collaborate, there is no reaon to keep playing. You'll just quit as soon as something even remotely more interesting comes along.
Liferebooted
Banned
They're 24-25k on us and I have no problem doing that logging in 1 time day for 5 minutes with 1 garrison.