hishadow
Level N+1
Often I see people arguing that Warcraft has evolved in the wrong direction being accused of nostalgia. Well, I'd like to present some evidence that might not be the case, and that the focus on grinable dungeons as a guiding design principle is one of many such gameplay optimizations some of us find detrimental to the game (and the genre as a whole).
To avoid speculation on fluffy old feelings I want to make my example with the dungeon Sunken Temple which was redesigned in the latest expansion. It exemplify everything I find wrong with this particular game's evolution. Originally one of my favourite dungeons, entering it and completing it to end was a whole adventure in itself. It was also one of very few dungeons to feature some simple puzzles. On first runs it was quite easy to get lost because you'd taken the wrong hallway, or suddenly seeing one of your teammates dead because he had bumped into some trolls on his own.
Before entering the dungeon you had to navigate through a maze-like entrance. Nothing spectacular but interesting that such a large section being shared by every player on the realm (in particular when meeting the opposing faction). As seen on the map the redesign team thought this was a waste of time, cut it in half, making a straight path to the entrance.
Then comes the actual dungeon. When entering you're faced with several hallways. Some parts are blocked off, thus you are required to complete certain parts and puzzles for unlocking others. Even though the actual mechanics of the dungeon are fairly simple it adds to the overall experience, giving you a sense of adventure. The encounters are many and varied, with each section of the dungeon having a distinct theme.
Then comes the redesigned dungeon. The entrance and dungeon was literally cut in half. It is very telling of how of they view dungeons are mere tools for distributing loot. A great dungeon design simply reformed on the whim. The updated map speaks for itself.
Even though loot has always been a major feature in earlier dungeon design, there was always a sense of adventure entering dungeons like Sunken Temple, Uldaman, Blackrock Depths, Upper/Lower Blackrock Spire, Dire Maul, Scholomance, Stratholme. I don't know why these kind of dungeons suddenly seemed to grow fewer and fewer. The trend seemed to start with The Burning Crusade expansion. There have been a couple of exceptions, like the Karazhan dungeon, but in general these tiny loot-oriented trips seems to be the norm.
Some of these issues might also feed directly into Blizzards ongoing problems of keeping players engaged. Players burn though content faster than Blizzard is able to produce. Blizzards solution is to produce even more content at ever faster rates. I personally believe the issue raised here, hint systems, and fast travel solutions is working against them. Instead of making life easier for players, try challenge them instead. Create interesting places to visit. Bring back the journey. Give the players an adventure. When loot become the sole motivation for keeping a player enganged, the mmo has simply failed as a game.
This post was initially triggered by this video from one of the dungeon artists who used to worked at Blizzard. I went back reading about the old dungeons, then discovered the rewamped content for the latest Cataclysm expansion. I'd also like to note that the period I played this game actively was between 2005-2007.
Bonus: You might have noticed that I left out Gnomeregan. I could never get my friends to enter that place. At the mere utterance of the word I would receive objections.
To avoid speculation on fluffy old feelings I want to make my example with the dungeon Sunken Temple which was redesigned in the latest expansion. It exemplify everything I find wrong with this particular game's evolution. Originally one of my favourite dungeons, entering it and completing it to end was a whole adventure in itself. It was also one of very few dungeons to feature some simple puzzles. On first runs it was quite easy to get lost because you'd taken the wrong hallway, or suddenly seeing one of your teammates dead because he had bumped into some trolls on his own.
Before entering the dungeon you had to navigate through a maze-like entrance. Nothing spectacular but interesting that such a large section being shared by every player on the realm (in particular when meeting the opposing faction). As seen on the map the redesign team thought this was a waste of time, cut it in half, making a straight path to the entrance.
Then comes the actual dungeon. When entering you're faced with several hallways. Some parts are blocked off, thus you are required to complete certain parts and puzzles for unlocking others. Even though the actual mechanics of the dungeon are fairly simple it adds to the overall experience, giving you a sense of adventure. The encounters are many and varied, with each section of the dungeon having a distinct theme.
Then comes the redesigned dungeon. The entrance and dungeon was literally cut in half. It is very telling of how of they view dungeons are mere tools for distributing loot. A great dungeon design simply reformed on the whim. The updated map speaks for itself.
Even though loot has always been a major feature in earlier dungeon design, there was always a sense of adventure entering dungeons like Sunken Temple, Uldaman, Blackrock Depths, Upper/Lower Blackrock Spire, Dire Maul, Scholomance, Stratholme. I don't know why these kind of dungeons suddenly seemed to grow fewer and fewer. The trend seemed to start with The Burning Crusade expansion. There have been a couple of exceptions, like the Karazhan dungeon, but in general these tiny loot-oriented trips seems to be the norm.
Some of these issues might also feed directly into Blizzards ongoing problems of keeping players engaged. Players burn though content faster than Blizzard is able to produce. Blizzards solution is to produce even more content at ever faster rates. I personally believe the issue raised here, hint systems, and fast travel solutions is working against them. Instead of making life easier for players, try challenge them instead. Create interesting places to visit. Bring back the journey. Give the players an adventure. When loot become the sole motivation for keeping a player enganged, the mmo has simply failed as a game.
This post was initially triggered by this video from one of the dungeon artists who used to worked at Blizzard. I went back reading about the old dungeons, then discovered the rewamped content for the latest Cataclysm expansion. I'd also like to note that the period I played this game actively was between 2005-2007.
Bonus: You might have noticed that I left out Gnomeregan. I could never get my friends to enter that place. At the mere utterance of the word I would receive objections.
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