WoW - Burning Crusade....

With news of the WoW classic getting a Beta of the Burning Crusade expansion I took a trip down memory lane..... 

Only there weren't many screenshots of my original Burning Crusade entry. Which is strange as I recall taking a fair few screenies. Like the flying entry via portal which at the time was 'epic'. Yea I'm really surprised by the lack of screenshots. Nothing of my main 'druid'. Not even with my lock. Maybe I'd misplaced some from that 'era' or maybe they'e lost to time but in any case, the earliest screenie I have, my druid a day or two after the portal opened....

Killing boars, nothing much changes..... WoW is WoW.

Video aspect of it's time.

No addons working after expansion...... Yea WoW is WoW!

From the other screenshots I seemed more into creating a Blood Elf hunter and a Draenei shaman at the time. Alts of alts.... My gameplay doesn't change much either it seems.

The one big thing I do remember most are the green item drops being so superior to the vanilla gear. No surprise now as all expansions have been the same since. But back then, all players proud to be wearing such mish-mash gear, happy for the better stats, yet looking horrendously patchy.

WoW Classic....

While nostalgia is a good thing and retrospectives can make a gamer want to go back to a game(or a version of it) with visions of the past via rose tinted glasses. I've changed my mind about getting into WoW classic.

I was there back in the day. I've had my experiences and enjoyed myself. I wouldn't change it. It was special to me and not just because it was my first MMO. Going back to it now, so many years later expecting only 'the good' is unrealistic thinking. The old game mechanics are there but it's not a new thing. The playerbase has seen and done so much since vanilla that brings previous WoW baggage (mentalities/leetism) to classic now. It's not going to be the same playerbase in classic as it was at the originals time. That changes things as much as the mechanics. For better and worse. The longer classic is out the more like the original the games player-base will be imho(End game Vanilla was about raiding gear but the greater the gear the longer the grind for it. That's why there was also those that did PvP. An easier grind and active all the time. Either way there was a roadblock, an end to gaining gear. No expansions meant ti was also worthwhile spending (the slower grind) time to gear up alts. But that's all a very long term thing).

I fear that where I was once a noob in a forest sat in awe of the game, that now, I'll be an older bitter veteran eyeing everything with disdain; Mumbling about the past and how 'this isn't it'.

This isn't to knock players who are hitting up classic wow because vanilla was before their time, or who want to relive the past as much as possible. Taking away my nostalgia and I'm left wondering what I'd be looking for in it as a gaming experience. A more meaningful MMO filled with a world larger than the player? Where the adventure is a more true grounded experience? Sounds good but in all honesty I'm kind of past that. Even if I can get my head around the nostalgia to get into it, WoW is as WoW has always been; A grind. I've had my WoW vanilla days and I've had my WoW day's overall. I've not played the last expansion. Really didn't do anything with the previous one to that. Besides it can only be original and unseen once. If I go to Darkshore I'll know where things and quests are. The original wonder for me can't happen again. What is seen cannot be unseen.

WoW classic is a form of time travel. Great for those that were never there. But for me who was; Why travel back to the past to relive something I already recall as great, in order to 'just' relive old mechanics.

All my older contacts from back in the day are not playing classic either for one reason or another.
I'm not saying I wouldn't meet new people or join in on new guilds doing group content and 'having fun'. Thinking about classic now leads me down the road of 'I could do that in any MMO'. These day's that's me in Star Trek Online or Eve Online with the added bonus of not needing to pay. Different strokes for different folks.

If I experience old content and see with a broader more experienced eye that it really wasn't as good as I thought it was...... Well I don't want to pay to ruin my nostalgic retrospective memories.

Maybe I'll change or have my mind changed again in the future.....

WoW Classic....

I've found myself thinking a lot about the release of wow classic; Unsurprising since it's only a few days away. However the more I think about it the more I'm questioning my hype for it. Hype based on nostalgia. I've been trying to think about the 'old days' in a very mundane day to day kind of way. It's easy to relive the nostalgia for a day or two even on a starter character but to maintain activity and interest in the game for three months or longer. I've started to think about the more off putting roadblocks, like having to grind gold.

Straight off there's going to be a massive influx of players. Nostalgia will keep them in game for a while. WoW players are nothing if not persistent. So I might wait a month or two for the majority of players to hit the game and leave. Once the initial nostalgia kick is done and the world is 'normalised' I can see myself being more at ease with the game. Last thing I want is to be waiting about for hours of questing with large groups all ready to pounce on the next spawned mob.

I'm trying to be practical about a return to any form of WoW. The need for some mods will be paramount. It also depends on how serious I take progress etc.

When/if I get into WoW classic I'll try to not mimic the way I played originally. I've searched the online forums to see if any old guilds/players I've been with are mentioned but nothing shows up. Pity. Maybe they are as undecided as I am. What was, was. This new Vanilla, this classic take, I'll stick with three classes that I really enjoyed in PvE and PvP a Hunter(beast), Priest (Disc) and a Warlock(demon). Still undecided on faction. Lots to consider....

WoW....

True, given my last WoW-ish post..... A lot is down to player perception!

For the full video (point I wanted to point at is at 11:34):

Taliesin & Evitel

STO.... WoW.... Everything in between....

No idea where I'm going with this but I'm gonna waffle for a bit..... Lots and lots of waffle!

My recent experience running the three Discovery based Task Force Operations has me thinking a lot about the similarities between STO's TFO's and World of Warcraft's dungeon running. From a PUG point of view.

Players with no knowledge of a run but gear can brute force content. Both games are forgiving from that angle. High DPS players can balance out their opposites, those with the knowledge but not the gear.

Knowledge may lead the way but DPS is progress.

Both games also share the normality of joining a group, not talking, doing the content and then leaving. Noting inherently too bad about that, slight social disassociation maybe but what you don't know about your not going to miss. In some ways maybe it's a blessing in disguise!

Till recently I've always thought of the STO random groups as being more civil to each other than other MMO's. I've never really had many run in's with players in either STO or WoW; But there now seems to be that overly loud 1% bemoaning a groups lack of 'better' DPS etc.. Maybe it's kind of inevitable no matter the game involved. It only takes one(ásshole) with a chip on the shoulder after all....

This also got me thinking about the upcoming Vanilla WoW. Players used to the pull everything'n'dps it all down day's will be frustrated by Vanilla WoW. Although the last expansion did change things requiring groups to think and have knowledge before running in. But doing dungeons in vanilla meant knowing more, watching your aggro was a must. Tanks didn't manage your aggro, it's where the "real" 'you pull it you tank it' comes from. I can foresee a lot of newer to Vanilla/classic WoW players being frustrated fast. That's especially true for healers. I remember playing a priest healer in vanilla and while bubbles and heals are great, heals over time can cause mounting aggro in a long battle. So leaving your group at 50% health instead of 100% was a viable tactic. You do that these day's and you'd be called all the expletive names under the sun for your lack of over healing.

With WoW classic coming up it's been interesting to see how many people are oozing nostalgia!
Small interactions meant more in Vanilla WoW. Looking through old screenies I came across a great example. Low level dungeon running; Even as a low level healer it was nice to be appreciated.

I don't think I've ever seen PUG groups thank a healer (Or tank) since way back when.... Real social networking!!

It was more apparent in the PvP circles where you knew your enemy. We all lived on the same server. It meant more. I've gone fishing and emoted with a PvP rival between battlegrounds!

Sudden memory of actually using a wand as an offensive ability..... .whhhhhooooooohhhh.

I also found a cool little moment of my first character with a friend, quest teamwork ftw! Unleash the nostalgia floodgates!

Anyway back to STO. In practice for players like me who are between the OP and the clueless, who does well but still gets blamed for not being O.P. enough. Yet also gets gg's from the not so geared. It's all confusing. All fine lines and grey areas. All unspoken. You have to be very adaptable to the current group and the situation they are in. STO lacks the little moments beyond generic GG's, at least for me these day's.

There used to be a great community atmosphere within holiday event areas (Winter/Summer) but it's declined so much as well.

Random WoW groups working well together may move on and do another dungeon, that's never been a thing in STO. Everyone just bails at the end regardless. 

One of the Operations from the Age of Discovery in particular is apt in seeing player knowledge. Operation Reposte; There are a few stages where you need to reposition in order to progress. It's obvious when a group doesn't move to the next location. Either they don't care or they are clueless. My hope during that time is that players learn. But there seems to be more clueless people every TFO! This TFO has been out for a while. It's been featured as a 'highlighted event', it's tactics should be known. Then again there have been so many OP groups maybe they were all carried more than anything. Ignorance of the tactics in this TFO are compounded when the transport escort stage begins. These need to be defended against waves of enemies in multiple locations and people with no knowledge just wander about and engaging aimlessly. Never mind them ignoring the anti ship missiles from the planet. I love that stage, so many moving parts, but with clueless players it's hard work to keep it all afloat. And I'm no OP player!

Anyway. Depending on the level of the group I'll usually take the missiles. It's a part of the run that makes a player more blinkered to whats happening (above)elsewhere. I've found myself doing a 100% great job in destroy missiles yet hear "transport has been destroyed". And I'm guilty of my initial reaction "Noobs". I'm part of the problem, I don't want to step up as a leader because herding cats isn't worth it if you can DPS through the content, collect reward and leave. Which is what I've done. Whats the answer? I've no clue but as long as I can get a heap of marks and run my reputation gains I'll tolerate the 'lesser' runs and enjoy the OP ones.

STO players on the mid to lower end of the DPS scale tend to fade faster and sometimes not even put in any effort. Once they get killed they don't respawn, just wait AFK. Things like that are also on the rise.

Mention anything and players take offence even if you are in the right and say so. Drama!

Speaking of Drama. Local chat on Earth Spacedock is almost like city chat in Stormwind or Orgrimmar these day's. Some of those conversations! It had always been a helpful community chat. Yet it's easy to see the backstabbing and 'leetism' seeping in.

Maybe I do need to be vocal. Take charge etc. But I shrink away from it. It's not just about herding cats, in practice I don't want the hassle of dealing with players who have the potential to be ássholes to me. I could start by being vocal to those that are showing effort.... Maybe.... Ignorance has been bliss but the pot is boiling over now and actions are speaking louder....

WoW Classic....

The last free day's Blizz gave to players saw me back but not hooked. I was happy to revisit my characters, check their bank/bags and do some "admin" on them; But like the last 'while' there hasn't been people on. Those I do talk to are in the same boat. Of the large guild there's only really three players, one really hardcore and the other two play because they are a casual husband and wife team.
While I felt nostalgia it was tinged with loss at what had been. Free day's over and no need to go back.

I've bigger nostalgic feeling for when I started the game in vanilla. 90% of the players I befriended in Vanilla where still friends years later even after server/faction/guild splits. It was a version of the game that was a community builder. The interactions meant more because there was the feeling of more being at steak. I've waffled a lot on this blog about past experiences. It'll be fun to see how it lives up to the nostalgia, even if it's for a few months.....

I'm not the only one thinking of WoW Classic in that way.

wowcrendor

So WoW Classic is coming in August, with what looks like a massive rollout. Why shouldn't I be hyped for it?!


Nostalgia!

Nostalgia!!

Nostalgia!!!

WoW....

....Classic that is.

The more I see the more I want the option to play....

TheLazyPeon

Classic WoW....

With gamers spending some time with the WoW Classic demo it's interesting to see what they think.

BellularGaming's latest on the demo is interesting and I broadly agree with what he's saying.

My nostalgia is strong. I'm happy with what I'm seeing. To even go so far as to say that my nostalgia has boarded the hype train. I guess I'm officially hyped for Classic.

My vision of a vanilla wow experience wasn't always so hyped. Looking back to see where I posted about the meaningless grind of modern wow; And my yearning for vanilla with it's long term more meaningful immersive gameplay(I couldn't see my old post, link me if you do).... I did come across some other old thoughts: https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2016/11/wow.html

Time will tell.

Classic WoW....

While I don't have access to the WoW classic demo, the more I see about classic wow the more I'm hyped about reliving my first day's in WoW.

Given the demo now has play-time restrictions, I'm glad I didn't even contemplate getting a virtual ticket. It is however a massive boot to the groin of those that bought the ticket to play it.

Going back over my old early screenshots reminded me about the class specific quests. Like my druid in the sceenie below. I miss that kind of immersion(pun intended).

I also liked the Warlock quests, very cool. Or having to switch to Horde to play a Shaman. Visiting class trainers. Class's locked to race! Decisions with meaning and long-term effects...

The next year will be interesting to see how this all comes together.

BellularGaming

WoW....

It'll be interesting to hear what the demo is like once people have had a chance to game....

https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/22548005/dev-watercooler-inside-the-world-of-warcraft-classic-blizzcon-demo

WoW....

A classic WoW demo. That will add to the questions asked and the answers not given.....

World of Warcraft Classic is coming to #BlizzCon! Try it at home or at BlizzCon when you buy the Virtual Ticket.

🎫➡️ https://t.co/aeTbOgqZRM pic.twitter.com/lZXBUBtGf9

— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) September 26, 2018

WoW....

I've had no hype for the latest expansion and no thought of getting back into the game. I've kept up to date on the happenings through the video's from BellularGaming and Taliesin & Evitel.

But even hearing details like "Heart of Azeroth Artifact Power Farming & Azerite Gear Guide" makes my head involuntarily bang on the desk in front of me.

I spoke to a good rl m8 who got back into the game for the expansion and he already regrets it, mainly from game grind mechanics. 

In game news from his perspective wasn't sounding fun. The guild we were all in has disintegrated. If the guild had been back up and running I would probably be back on. The social aspect of the game can be so strong. Good while it lasted at the time. But now....

I think I'll have to wait for what classic wow holds.....

My Classic WoW....

With the new Battle for Azeroth expansion close to release I've been trying to keep up with the changes it'll bring. None excite me. None draw me in. None have made me want to log in never mind get the expansion. I'm convinced I'll not be returning to WoW.
I got on facebook etc and asked what guildies were returning to reform the guild. I got nothing but tumbleweed. Those that have stayed in game have all moved on.

My wife has already resub'd and started back at the game. Connecting back with handful of old guildies on another realm
.
So I'm surrounded by WoW in one form or another. The more I hear the more I'm reflecting on previous expansion and reminded of the initial expansion excitement followed by grind and disappointment. I'm also reminded that there will be a WoW classic release(at some stage). Still so many questions to be asked and answered about it. But my nostalgia is driving my hope that it will be the version of WoW I'll be 'happy' in.

The biggest driver in motivation for me to relive the level 60 day's is that as a character the world felt larger, more unknown and my character felt small in it. It was an adventure to quest. Not like today's characters that are god like.

Saying the world felt larger I'm reminded of the long run's up and down Darkshore to do handin's and get the next quests. The roads were busy with people doing the same. Life in action.

There was one flight path not two every 10 steps. Level 40 got the "slow" mount and 60 the "faster" version. Class quests made levelling and gaining items feel like achievements. Class trainers gave immersion. I could drone on.

Anyway it all got me thinking about it and being all nostalgic. There were downsides.
Bag space was stuffed with pets/mounts/materials and more(Keys!)
I decided to pull out the old screenshots, it wasn't all that bad was it?
The laptop I was using back in the day was a low end one, no fancy graphics card etc. So I'm surprised the screenies look halfway decent!

My first character was a druid. Looking back at the screenies I remember a lot of fond memories. It's only made my nostalgia worse. The old mods! The buffs!
The local chat LFG/LFM/LF2MDPS DM. Warlocks selling summons, mages selling portals. Players asking to be decursed, healed and buffed! The world was more alive! Networking was real; The warlock who knew a warlock that had the materials to complete the quest chain for the level 60 mount. It all seems such a a far cry from today's push button/receive bacon.
I sound like a Vanilla WoW leetist.  Maybe I am...
Hour long AV battles of strategy and endurance, a battle of will and meaning. I miss it. I miss it all!

Could Classic WoW alter the community? Divide it?

So many questions.

Blizz has a lot more to do than replicating the game software of the time. They need to bring the experience back to the players that crave this time in history. That's a tall, tall order.

WoW....

An interesting post from PCGamer on the latest WoW watercooler news.

It talks about Classic wow being based on the last patch to hit wow before TBC. I'm perfectly fine with that. I'd like some of the more modern updates when it comes to pets/mounts/collectibles etc.... But in essence yea, that time in wow is very nostalgic for me.

WoW....

I've been keeping an eye on the news of the next wow expansion due out this October. My waning interest in the game over the last two years can only be rekindled by something big. In the new expansion I don't see that new big hook that will reel me back to the game. Every time I think about the game and the upcoming expansion I keep thinking of what the classic servers will be....

I don't like that the expansion is grind heavy, reputation grind heavy let alone that you need reputations to unlock the allied races. Nor the fact that you don't seem to get any more free spaces per server/realm. The more I hear the more I'm off-put by the expansion. That's not to say that it wont' be good story telling, graphically splendid or add good updates to the game. But the more things change the more they stay the same. Grinding for the same of grinding isn't for me any more, not in wow. If I can have a maxed out level 60 "classic" wow I'd feel more invested long term, and that feels a lot better of a situation to be in. At least for me.....

For the best news:

BellularGaming

Taliesin & Evitel Do Games

To classic or not to classic....

The experience of vanilla wow with or without true vanilla coded servers. So many questions about the 'new' classic wow. They wont' be in a hurry to release it..... What will Blizz deliver as a final product?

The Orange Hatter has a good video on What Made Vanilla World of Warcraft so Memorable? - HatterRants

WoW....

WoW classic has hit me with so much nostalgia I'm willing to forgive a lot of the older mechanics....
Like farming soul shards as a warlock before going to a dungeon....
Like needing a mod to help not out aggro the tank....
Like trying to avoid PvP rogues....
Or calculating the old talent tree...
With a new team and a new version of Vanilla WoW I'm sure there will be lots of news to come.