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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Closed Beta Begins
MikeB
Community ManagerAdministrator RarePosts: 6,555
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that closed beta testing for Cataclysm, the highly anticipated third expansion to World of Warcraft, is now underway.
Testers will be tasked with aiding Blizzard by providing feedback that identifies bugs, balance issues, and content polish issues. Of course, testers will get a sneak peek at all the new content as an added bonus!
For those of you living under a rock, Cataclysm represents an effort by Blizzard to explore "horizontal" development. Typically, major game expansions, and especially World of Warcraft expansions focus on "vertical" development: new levels, abilities and content that for the most part override previous challenges.
While Cataclysm will feature new content and a small level bump from 80 to 85, the key feature of the expansion is that of reshaping the entire Old World of Azeroth utilizing much of the knowledge that Blizzard has learned since launching the game back in November in 2004. Knowledge that is easily reflected in the quality of content featured in The Burning Crusade and subsequently in the Wrath of the Lich King expansions.
Veteran WoW players will have a reason to go through it all again (perhaps as one of the two new races!), and Blizzard hopes that new players will be hooked that much more by the improvement in content quality at lower levels and throughout the 1-60 progression.
Visit the official Cataclysm website for additional details on the expansion.
Comments
It seems a period found its way into the Cataclysm site link.
Ack! Thanks.
Bet by the first 3 months the starter areas will be burn out deserted like what happened in TBC, sad enough that Dranei are not popular like Blood Elves and the worse fact that Dranei are not getting a new class like all the other races are, shame on you Blizz. =p
That cause its hard to teach space goats new tricks
, seriously that does suck , didn't know that.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
Pretty much 6 years worht of sub through 3 beta's and still never gotten a beta invite from Blizzard doubt I am alone though with 11 million players still sucks though :=p
Pepsi1028
PEPSI!!!!!
Get out of your box already...
You wont see beta key on ebay, they are not sending any keys, your account (if chosen) is getting flagged for the beta if you opt-in.
I've been trying to avoid all the Cataclysm hype as I want to see the changes to Azeroth without 'knowing' everything that has happened or expect to see in each zone.
The starter areas will be a mess for the two new races for a few months, after that it will be the same as most. It's really dependent on server populations anyway. I tend to find the 30-50 zones really empty as so many people abandon their alts around the 20's.
I've always been surprised how empty the Draenei area is though, it's one of my favorites (like the belf start zone), very easy quest progression, good gear, and well designed.
Proud member of Hammerfist Clan Gaming Community.
Currently playing: RIFT, EQ2, WoW, LoTRO
Retired: Warhammer, AoC, EQ
Waiting: SWToR & GW2
"Veteran WoW players will have a reason to go through it all again (perhaps as one of the two new races!), and Blizzard hopes that new players will be hooked that much more by the improvement in content quality at lower levels and throughout the 1-60 progression." -per OP
What does this say about the viability of most of their content, if after expansions it's just largely sitting there as 'something to get through'? Granted, the lower levels weren't nearly as fun as the higher levels due to the skills you could use, however reading the quest text made it clear that you really were contribuiting to your given faction and race. It seems to me as though Blizzard had a really amazing concept and it caught on deservedly, however somewhere along the line Blizzard betrayed whatever core values caused the developer-turned-publisher to so overwhelmingly succeed.
As someone that came into the game in 2008 and left in 2009 I couldn't see when this turn took place but only that it had. Truly, it's something that can be seen in the DF tool: a great idea that was poorly implemented and supported. World of Warcraft was a great idea and gave MMORPGs the chance to really grow and become something more than an underground genre and every MMORPG player really owes Blizzard that. But this, this nearly pure vertical expansion with no real thought to horizontal expansion (viz. adding onto content v. enchriching current content) is something we should point a finger at Blizzard for: they've turned WORLD of Warcraft into not just Instance of Warcraft but Edge of the World of Warcraft. Somehow, years later, players are supposed to be ok with this 'novel' change.
It's just amazing what publishers do to a game when it could be or could have been great. It's not about money, it's about so much more than that. One would think that with all of that money they would find a way to keep their product mostly viable throughout the years, something that games like Final Fantasy XI and Guild Wars have done.
(1)TL:DR must be your way of saying that thinking hurts. Then again, this may explain why it looks like you responded to the post without using your brain.
(2) It's not about community, is it? You just have nothing better to do.
Unless you're an ex-employee of Blizzard's you are making far too many assumptions. You can't know what their core values are, nor can you know what Cataclysm will be like considering it's still in beta testing and based on the information you provided, you are ineligable for the test.
You're not completely wrong, but you come across as someone who loves to hate WoW, every flowery comment is followed by an insult. As far as keeping the product viable... WoW is far more viable than the examples you listed, if it were not it would not have the customer base it has. I get that the game wasn't for you, but what you don't seem to understand is that there are a lot of us who don't really mind their changes and think the game has been getting better over time rather than worse.
I have played since the closed beta on vanilla WoW. I have come close to moving on in more than one occasion however however each time I am on the verge Blizzard alters the implementation of the content and ultimately it brings players closer to the story. I trust that Blizzard will continue to improve the game however if there comes a point where they stop doing this, or move in a direction I don't like I'll just cancel and move on.
I'd suggest playing the expansion, or at least waiting for it to come out before making broadly negative statements about how it is merely a "novel" change. I'm not necessarily saying you are wrong, just that it is too soon to know for certain.
Well you admittedly only played the game for 1 year, so you can't really understand how much better the game has become over the years. Blizzard has always done verticle advancement within WoW, so I don't really understand why you're upset when they continue the trend.
What's truly amazing, and something people are overlooking, is that they have completely revamped the 1-60 content. All of the classic Azeroth are being changed in some regard, some zones more dramatically than others. All new quests, that not only deal with the Cataclysm, but also offer rewards that are more appropriate for leveling in different ways (good luck finding caster leather in classic to level an elemental shaman or balance druid). They also had to redesign both original continents since they added flight. There are also multiple new class/race combinations, some of which have been highly requested (like troll warlocks which was announced via the beta forums by Ghostcrawler). From that standpoint, there is quite a bit of horizontal advancement (for the game as a whole).
Blizzard has proven that they can keep their game fresh, even when rapidly approaching the six year mark. No other western mmo has had the longevity that WoW has had, and continues along that path. I'd say the product is extremely viable in it's current form.
World of Warcraft has done nothing but improve since 2004. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, and no game ever will be, but it's hard to deny the improvements this game has gone through.
Also it should be noted that in true blizzard tradition they are not hiding behind an NDA so those lucky few who got invites don't forget to post up pics of the new models, locations, talents etc.
It will be interesting to see how long the closed Beta process is going to take, will we see the expansion out for the holiday season or pushed back to the new year.
Either way if the expansion does live up to the reports then it is something that can only help WoW become even more sucessful likely opening up the game to newer players as vets and noobs try out the new races or class combinations.
The last two betas lasted 3-4 months.. so its on track for for a November release. Goona be a good few month for Blizzard fans, SC2 is released in 4 weeks.
"Blizzard has proven that they can keep their game fresh, even when rapidly approaching the six year mark. No other western mmo has had the longevity that WoW has had, and continues along that path. I'd say the product is extremely viable in it's current form."
Except for Ultima Online, Everquest, and numerous other MMOs that started prior to WoW and which are still running (the above quote refers to longevity, not numbers, though; I am sure WoW is the only MMO running for 6 years to keep its numbers up for so long). That said, I agree that Blizzard does an amazing job for the most part and am looking forward to Cataclysm.
Current MMOs: Rift, GW2, Defiance
Blog: http://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com (old school tabletop gaming and more)
all those upgrades and not a single polygon count upgrade to models, what-a-shame...
Check the armour designs of Tier 1 and 2 compared to Tier 10 and you'll see a BIG difference. Plus the fire and water effects in WotLK are far superior to those found in vanilla WoW. And if you watch the cataclysm promo's you'll see the WotLK fire and water effects are part of the facelift thats coming in conjunction with Cataclysm.
Even though the majority of race models haven't increased in polygon count, in general the polygon counts throughout the game HAVE risen. They may not be "realistic", but they're certainly a big improvement over WoW's launch graphics.
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
Yep.. and McDonald's have been the #1 Fast food chain for over 30 years with billions and billions served.. yet they can't seem to get a good rating from the New York Times or any other food critics.. and never won a James Beard award.. The point being just because you have quantity does not always mean quality.. There are more Ford Focus sold each year then Mercedes Benz's.. Does that equate to Focus being BETTER then a Benz? I think not.. Keep on gaming and have fun..
btw.. Happy 4th..
It all depends on what any one person defines as quality. I personally wouldn't class EQ as overall a "quality" product. But I would say that WoW is. Why? Because even with its faults, WoW delivers more of what "I" personally look for in an MMO, than what many others who came before AND after it can or have tried to offer. And it seems many feel the same way.
Whilst WoW may not suit everyone's "palet" you cannot deny that any MMO that manages to hold onto over 2 million subs must be doing something right that others aren't.
I am by no means implying that WoW is perfect, far from it. But what it does, it does well. But that level of quality isn't unreachable. However, as of yet, not one single "competitor" has managed to equal WoW's OVERALL level of quality. Of course, many boast about "features" and "gimmicks", but they all fail to match the very basic needs of the customer. So such "features" are often just overshadowed by the products failures to meet the customers needs.
However, the day that another MMO matches, and maybe even surpasses the WoW level of quality, is the day when WoW finally has true competition.
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
and that would be YOUR opinion Tarka that WoW is the best quality MMO out there.. and I'll stay with my opinion that it is NOT the best quality mmo out there.. I'm sorry my McDonald's example is overyused, but it's a perfect example.. A person can google "best burgers in america" and you'll get hundreds of hits from food critics that will give you list, after list, after list.. Almost all these list have a few burgers in common.. Most have none in common, as each critic has their own palet of liking..
BUT.........................
One thing was certain.. NOT one single expert critic in the hundreds of "best burger" reviews had a burger from McDonald's on their list...... Why is that? While googling worst restaurant chains, McDonald's consistantly appears on almost all food critic list...
The McDonalds analogy doesnt work. McDonalds dont need to serve the best food, as long as people continue to enjoy its food(service), then its doing fine. Some people like McDs, some dont. It just happens that many people do, hence their success.
The same with WoW. its incredibly fashionable to bash wow amongst the MMO community, and many of the worst offenders are former players themselves. In the 6 years since Blizzard released WoW, enough people played and enjoyed it to make it the most successful MMO, period. Its about personal choice; many people dislike EVE, but it has a 300,000 strong population. Does that mean players who dont like EVE but play WoW are wrong? No, it just means that both games offer something enjoyable to those who play them.
Im willing to be that a huge portion of McD's customer base prefer other foods to a Big Mac and Fries, yet they still eat them due to the magic on convenience and enjoyment of the product. Out of all the MMOs in recent years people still choose wow, as none of them have yet managed to come out with the same quality that Blizzard attaches to its games.
I should have been more clear. In terms of longevity I do speak of longevity of overall success. Yes games like UO, EQ and AC1 are still running, those games have been around for over a decade. However, in terms of overall success those games pale in comparison to WoW. Quantity isn't always quality I can agree, but can you honestly say that if WoW wasn't a quality product it would retain the number of subscriptions it has? Do games such as UO, EQ and AC1 even have an impact on the genre anymore? Not really, but they can serve as very fond memories for those of us who played those games. If not for those three games in particular, we wouldn't have had so many other wonderful mmorpgs that followed.
The original designers and publishers of games like EQ, AC1, and UO would be completely thrilled if they ever achieved the success that WoW has. Those games, along with others, did carve a path for WoW and Blizzard delivered and continues to do so to this very day and Cataclysm looks like it will only add to the overall success of WoW.
Doesn't really matter what Blizzard does with their old content. the result will be teh same.
Blizzards problem is they do not focus on the journey to endgame but focus ONLY on end game.
As it stands and will stand there is NO REASON WHAT-SO-EVER to experience the content that takes you from 1-79 or 1-84. It can all be soloed right through so there's no point to groups no reason to ever even interact with another player until you reach the cap, and what you can't solo you can wait until you;'re a little higher and go back to for achievements.
So it kind of makes you wonder, why should you even bother? Why not just let everyone roll up 85's from the get go? Afterall that's all blizzard cares about. Endgame.
And to be honest blizzard's endgame content is pathetic. it's dull and boring in truth. but to be truthful I wouldn't be playing WoW at all right now if it weren't for friends and the dull and boring process of advancing through end game content. Basically if I'm not rading, I'm not playing. this will only hold me over for so long, as soon as a better option comes out I'm 86ing my sub, Failaclysm or not.
Be fair here.
The only reason WoW has reached the success that it has is because Blizzard has hand tailored the game for ease of play. WoW as it is takes next to zero skill to play and be marginally successful at, and they intend to dumb the game down even further in failaclysm.
Basically all they've done is create a game that ever gamer (and mostly non-gamers) can "skillfully" play.
Is it a good marketing strategy? Certainly!
Does this mean that it's good game design? Not by a long shot.
I know, "How can 11 million subscribers be wrong?"
With great ease and little skill.