I posted this on the general board at wow's website, but due to the influx of peeps posting there, I have a feeling it'll get drowned out in the sea of posts. So I figured I'll copy/paste it here too, and get your opinion on it.

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TLDR version: Blizzard should add some content from time to time which utilizes phasing to help game from being too static.

So as I approach the level cap with some of my toons, I decided to take a small break and work on some lower level alts which I never bothered to level in the old world because questing wasn't very fun. And man, I must say, I really enjoy the new lower level content, which I fear won't get seen by most people because they won't want to level a new toon or lowbie, but for those who do, it's really neat to see how streamlined questing is now.

As I quested in various zones such as the Plaguelands, burning steppes, badlands (lol omg I love the quest where you get to punch deathwing in the face according to a dwarf, probably drunk), feralas, winterspring, etc, I noticed that they utilize phasing a lot. While reactions are mixed on it, I like that Blizzard can use the same zone to tell different stories based on what quest you're on at the time.

So my suggestion is that Blizzard add some content from time to time in which one of Deathwing's baddies, or even a local problem (such as the Defias in Westfall) becomes emboldened and they attack multiple areas, which requires players to defeat the mobs and push them back.

For instance, say you're browsing the auction house in Stormwind when one of the guards yells that Westfall, Duskwood, and Elwynn Forest are all being invaded by the Defias remnants and supporters, and needs players to help retake the areas. So as to avoid high level mobs from actually taking it over, players will have to take a quest (probably from the hero board), and upon accepting it, they enter a phased area where lots of defias are running around killing innocent people and the guards are heavily outnumbered by them. The purpose of the quest is to give players a reward for helping out, and also to prevent people who don't want to take part from having to enter an area where they could get 1-shotted. And to keep players from simply rushing to goldshire, have there be minions that have to be killed off before the bosses show up, and then have them appear in multiple areas (Vanessa Vancleef must surely have some lieutenants that she can rely on to attack such a huge area), and have trash mobs drop something that can be turned in so as to discourage peeps from simply waiting while others do the dirty work and then have them swoop down to kill the boss (and maybe the boss just drops 5 of the medals or something, and maybe a blue).

Given the revamping they've done with the quests, I think it would fit the lore well, and would give players something to do besides run a heroic dungeon for the 17th time in a row. After all, Deathwing seems more menacing than most of the previous big bads, so lets let him cause trouble.

Blizzard could probably change the content from time to time so that it's not always the Defias attacking, but it could be one of Deathwing's minions. Kind of strange that he'd land on Stormwind's towers, but then just fly away without doing anything else to it. Especially when you consider he sees the Alliance prouding displaying the head of his daughter Onyxia. He's probably really ticked off about that, and sends minions to show us that he means business, and wants to take the fight to us, rather than sit around waiting for us to come to him, unlike the Lich King who was content with taunting us and waiting for us to show up to him.

As far as a PvP aspect, well, Gilneas is sitting kind of empty in the regular game, and the worgen starting levels pretty much states that the Forsaken are trying to take over and ultimately seem to succeed. Alliance forces talk about retaking it, so why not turn the regular zone into a PvP battlefield similar to Wintergrasp, but keep it going so that as players capture certain points, they get benefits. What if Horde controlled one side of the city, and Alliance controlled the other side? The fighting from street to street would be pretty brutal, and ultimately one side will either begin to retreat, or a stalemate occurs until a secondary force hits the enemy from behind in a pincer attack. Throw the airships in there so that it gives players another area to fight in. After all, Horde/Alliance relations have gone down the tube ever since Grand Apothecary Putress kind of screwed up the attack on the Lich King in Dragonblight. And Deathwing's reappearance isn't making it any easier to hold off on the truce.

So while some heroes attempt to stop Deathwing and his minions, others try to retake areas lost to them by the other side. I think the game lore would make this work.

So what do you think? Does it sound like an interesting concept? Or is it a waste of time because you want to run Heroic Halls of Origination for the 26th time?

I'm tired of seeing herbs and flight paths that disappear because I haven't done the quests in that area.
I'm tired of not being able to help players/friends/guildies because they're in a different phase than me.
I'm tired of losing PvP kills to Alliance who 'disappear' across phase borders.


So, no.

 

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Used in moderation, phasing has it's place. (DK starter zone, Worgen starter zone, for example).


Gratuitous use of cut scenes and phasing to advance a story line when a one or two sentance explanation from an NPC would suffice, has become annoying.


I'm also tired of the constant /follow disconnects and seeing a guildmate erroneously "phased" when going over phasing boundaries.


The constant breaking of immersion is (for me) ruining one of the big-sellers (again, FOR ME) about this game. I feel like I'm in a badly done old-style RPG (from about a decade ago).


And I'm tired of feeling like I'm playing in a diorama inside a tiny, cramped shoebox. Having just spent the last 3 hours experiencing most of the above in one tiny compact zone, yes, I'm cranky.


I'm all for immersive lore and a dynamic world (that players impact).


I don't believe that phasing is the only way to accomplish that.

 

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Too much phasing...

Cutscenes...I like. But again in moderation. But I do think it helps with pulling you into the story...

first LK kill, I LOVED the cinematic. We all did.
Uldum, a tad too much....so somewhere in the middle

Yep, they went so over the top I don't feel like I'm playing in an online world anymore when I go to these zones to "quest". On the flip side, I do enjoy the storylines, but it really seems like I'm playing a single player RPG with a chat room at times.

 

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Personally, I like your idea. It has potential. I wouldn't mind seeing something like this for dailies or the like. Perhaps, even something like this for endgame as opposed to the endless raiding you hint.


Again, good idea.

 

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"Dynamic phasing" looks definitely like the next step for that technology. But I think Blizzard also worries a lot about giving every player the same experience, and not only those who don't have a life and are online 24/7.
The actual phasing delivers that. Everybody is equal and can enjoy all the content at his own rhythm.
If they start to add phased events that only happen once at specific places, you will have the "elite guilds" and other no lifers who will monopolize those, and the vast majority will never see them.

Dynamic content is definitely the next step for MMORPGs in my opinion. But for WoW? Not sure about that. The game isn't designed for such dynamic content. That kind of content seems more appropriate for the next generation sandbox MMORPG many here are waiting for, but not for a level/quest/instance/achievement based MMORPG like WoW.

 

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reminds me of the AQ gate opening

 

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^^ Yep! Started a new paladin, shut off all chat, and just questing the crap out of him. My new version of a single player RPG, and for that specific purpose, I love it.

Kind of bored with the rest of WoW, but at least I'm getting my money's worth.

Which was sounding good on the paper but an awful and useless lag fest in game.

 

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