Allow me to defend phasing for a moment. I have been watching many Cata videos and I have seen phasing used to good effect that does not split up the population... for example.
There is a quest in depholm where you randomly come across an injured dwarf, he says he needs x,y,z to make a a bandage [gather quest]. you return with the items and the dwarf recovers he then asks you to escort him to the main camp [escort quest]. The difference is that while your doing this quest you wont see any one else doing it, any one else on this quest is phased out so from your persepctive you are the only one doing this quest, if you return to where you found the dwarf his body will no longer be there, cus for you the body is phased out.
There is another quest in the goblin starting area called "town in a box", you are taken to an island (you cannot get to this island unless you take the quest) you are told to use the plugger atop a pile of explosives.. you do so and your shot way up in the air, a layer of cloud cover stops you seeing the ground, when you return to the ground what was once a pile of explosive is now a little town full of NPC's and other players. Phasing achieved tis seemless transition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd1Ew7APXB0
Phasing is not just used to phase huge area's it is used to good to effect in quests too.
Some people love phasing, some don't.. There are some cases were phasing is ok.. I guess.. Then there are other cases that phasing is just plain stupid and not needed and should be removed from the game.. Along with some quest as well.. Phasing for ICC is one of the stupid ones.. I cant' begin to count how many times we could not summon members to the raid because of the phasing.. Have the Devs admitted yet that was just asnine and corrected it, or are they still clueless?
Same applies to some quest.. I remember one quest that in IC zone that you are required to use a vial in a cauldron while mobs spawn and try to disrupt you.. This is definately a group event, however the part that is just stupid is that at the time I did it you are required to team up with others that have NOT done the quest yet.. Once you have completed it, you can't help others with the vial timer.. Easy problem to correct.. Allow anyone that has completed the quest to ask for a new vial so they can help others that have not done it.. The Giant quest in ZD is another quest that makes no sense.. You phase into a different reality seperated from your group to ride a giant to kill various mobs.. That quest is bugged as much as it isn't, and for some people, it's next to impossible to complete without help.. POOR POOR design and could be easily corrected..
Anyways.. The game is polished to a B rating.. (end game not included) There are just too many blatent screw ups in my opinion to give it an A.. I just don't see much of a change coming with Cat. and why I and many others arent' going to play it.. It'll be just more of the same, just dressed differently.. Still the Holy Trinity dominant combat, still no social rading, and still no player and guild housing.. etc etc..
Some people love phasing, some don't.. There are some cases were phasing is ok.. I guess.. Then there are other cases that phasing is just plain stupid and not needed and should be removed from the game.. Along with some quest as well.. Phasing for ICC is one of the stupid ones.. I cant' begin to count how many times we could not summon members to the raid because of the phasing.. Have the Devs admitted yet that was just asnine and corrected it, or are they still clueless?
Same applies to some quest.. I remember one quest that in IC zone that you are required to use a vial in a cauldron while mobs spawn and try to disrupt you.. This is definately a group event, however the part that is just stupid is that at the time I did it you are required to team up with others that have NOT done the quest yet.. Once you have completed it, you can't help others with the vial timer.. Easy problem to correct.. Allow anyone that has completed the quest to ask for a new vial so they can help others that have not done it.. The Giant quest in ZD is another quest that makes no sense.. You phase into a different reality seperated from your group to ride a giant to kill various mobs.. That quest is bugged as much as it isn't, and for some people, it's next to impossible to complete without help.. POOR POOR design and could be easily corrected..
Anyways.. The game is polished to a B rating.. (end game not included) There are just too many blatent screw ups in my opinion to give it an A.. I just don't see much of a change coming with Cat. and why I and many others arent' going to play it.. It'll be just more of the same, just dressed differently.. Still the Holy Trinity dominant combat, still no social rading, and still no player and guild housing.. etc etc..
Phasing in wrath was the first attempt, I am sure it is much improved for Cata.. but hey atleast Blizzard is trying somthing new.
Some people love phasing, some don't.. There are some cases were phasing is ok.. I guess.. Then there are other cases that phasing is just plain stupid and not needed and should be removed from the game.. Along with some quest as well.. Phasing for ICC is one of the stupid ones.. I cant' begin to count how many times we could not summon members to the raid because of the phasing.. Have the Devs admitted yet that was just asnine and corrected it, or are they still clueless?
Same applies to some quest.. I remember one quest that in IC zone that you are required to use a vial in a cauldron while mobs spawn and try to disrupt you.. This is definately a group event, however the part that is just stupid is that at the time I did it you are required to team up with others that have NOT done the quest yet.. Once you have completed it, you can't help others with the vial timer.. Easy problem to correct.. Allow anyone that has completed the quest to ask for a new vial so they can help others that have not done it.. The Giant quest in ZD is another quest that makes no sense.. You phase into a different reality seperated from your group to ride a giant to kill various mobs.. That quest is bugged as much as it isn't, and for some people, it's next to impossible to complete without help.. POOR POOR design and could be easily corrected..
Anyways.. The game is polished to a B rating.. (end game not included) There are just too many blatent screw ups in my opinion to give it an A.. I just don't see much of a change coming with Cat. and why I and many others arent' going to play it.. It'll be just more of the same, just dressed differently.. Still the Holy Trinity dominant combat, still no social rading, and still no player and guild housing.. etc etc..
Phasing in wrath was the first attempt, I am sure it is much improved for Cata.. but hey atleast Blizzard is trying somthing new.
Aye and they should be given credit for that. The developers have been quoted as saying that they didn't like that the phasing did separate players who were on different stages of it. I imagine they have corrected that for the expansion.
Altough im an old wow player i dont know anything about cataclysm besides what i readet in this post.
Even if this expension is the best from all of them doesnt change anything and when i see they removed some stats so the game could be easier .. all i can say for it is wtf WoW with new expansion will be for 8+ years lol
I loved aspects like hit raiting that u needet to dps or heal or def raiting for tanks and avoid every stat had big meaning for each class and it was what made i special now any boon can play lol no thx im not even gonna buy the expansion WoW R.I.P. for me.
The stats that are being removed are so complex that nobody (even the smart people) cannot figure out if an item is an upgrade without using an excel spreadsheet. (armor penetration) And the whole idea behind spirit and MP5 was just redundant, they both do exactly the same thing.. there is no reason mp5 should have ever been put on gear.
And wow, you should be happy that Blizzard is dumbing down the game because you just said that healers need hit rating, which makes me wonder why you would even complain about armor penetration being removed. I mean, if you don't understand how hit rating works, you certainly would never understand armor pen.
I am not so impressed by phasing as the OP. It was originally invented by Turbine to make LOTROs story move forward like in the books.
It however also divides up the population of the game more than the instances already does and that takes away a little more of the epic MMO feeling.
I do believe more in ANETS dynamic world instead because it does not divide up the population while it still feels like the world is moving forward and what the players do matters. That idea is not perfect either but it is better than phasing.
Also I think Blizz should have added another hero class to the expansion.
OP might still be right but not because the reasons he stated in the first post. Cata seems good enough and they finally add some stuff I know many people have waited for a long time like flying mounts in all zones and more guild things so that might be enough but phasing will only make the servers feel less populated.
To me it seems like Blizz are going head to head with Bioware now, putting more and more into story and there is nothing wrong with that but splitting up the population even more is a mistake. If CATA will be the best expansion or not is something we really wont know until a few months after it is released.
Do you people even play WOW? have you ever seen how they use phasing? You make it sound like hours and hours are required to get to the final phase and that players are languishing in the 'old' phase while their friends can't help them.
Let me set the record straight
1. Phasiing is only used in quests, which are solo-able. There is NEVER an instance where you are stuck not being able to kill a hard mob because your friend is ahead of you.
2. Phasing is always a very short time between phases, usually less than 30 minutes. Even if you are 'stuck' behind your friend in a phase, simply finish a quest or two and suddenly you are at the end with them. You are never permanently behind someone because of phasing.
This whole reoccuring garbage about being 'separated' from your friends because they are in a different phase is a joke. To get from the very first phase to the very last phase never takes more than an hour or two, and that is through multiple phases. So not only will you not need help (because it is solo questing) but even if they are completely finished with the zone, you are still only an hour or two behind them... it's not like a permanent thing.
I agree with the above poster about the all "phasing" element. It adds a new element to world of warcraft. Considering how CATA is making you return to azeroth just like in the vanilla days its almost refreshing to walk in the same areas you did before but with a whole new atmosphere around it. I have high hopes for this expansion because of how wow is slowly advancing. sure people can complain and bitch about certain mechanics and classes, but from playing through classic to here you see how much Blizzard has evolved this game for better or for worse.
All in all its an expansion so you'll either like what you see after playing through it or you'll just stop playing like alot of people do its really all preference and opinion.
If all fire is extinguished, will life still continue?
Phasing is just crazy.. Think about it.. phasing is nothing more then having alternate timelines in a game that EVERYONE should be in the same timeline.. Phasing belongs in console games, not MMOs.. As many have said over the past year or longer.. WoW is quickly becoming more console gameplay, then mmo.. Lets instance and phase everything, and ignore the open world enviroment.. I see their truth more and more with each patch and expansion.. Maybe one day they'll "ropday hetay nstancingiay" obsession, and get back to more of open world gameplay..
I don't know why people are so upset with phasing. If anything, it adds another dimension to a game where you can kill the same monster 1,000,000 times and have him respawn. More power to Blizzard for trying to make the game a TAD more realistic.
I await the day when MMOs go all out and have monsters and villains that only spawn once. But that's a pretty outlandish thought, I suppose.
Since they are dumbing down an already dumbed down game again, I'll doubt it. There are 3 expansions and given the fun I had I'll say Burning Crusade has been by far the best. After the Activision Merger and Tigole giving over the lead to Tom "I have no clue about challenging PvE nor care" Chilton I had a very very bad feeling...though Blizzard somehow managed to even surpass that with Wotlk. That compared with braindead achievements, hardmodes and the worst community I've ever expierenced in a game made me quit months before 3.1.
Its some kind of irony that one of the only thing I was actually looking forward to has been cut: path of the titans.
Don't try coming up with the new glyphsystem its just marketing bullshit. PoT > new glphys.
There has never ever been a Catacylsm in the Warcraft lore oh yeah a big mighty drake is breaking out and shattering the whole world how epic...
At some point more and more people will getting tired of having to relearn their class with every patch and almost start from zero everytime an expansion is on the horizon.
In IT we are having a golden rule: if its not broken, don't fix it.
The opposite is exactly what Blizzard will be doing with this "expansion" (its more like a big patch than an expansion), they are messing up with things that aren't broken because almigthy Ghostcrawler doesn't think his own created class mess is fun any longer. This will easily lead to tons to stupid balance patches destroying whole classes. I mean seriously dictating people they have to stick with a talent-tree till 30 points are spent?! -> you have to skill stupid talents in order to get the "big one".
But yes, I forgot the super complex glphy system getting revamped also because Ghostcrawler thinks is too complicated for his 6 year old son who has to play World of Warcraft too I guess..
long wall of text short -> Cataclysm IS WoW's NGE.
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play." "Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
Comments
Allow me to defend phasing for a moment. I have been watching many Cata videos and I have seen phasing used to good effect that does not split up the population... for example.
There is a quest in depholm where you randomly come across an injured dwarf, he says he needs x,y,z to make a a bandage [gather quest]. you return with the items and the dwarf recovers he then asks you to escort him to the main camp [escort quest]. The difference is that while your doing this quest you wont see any one else doing it, any one else on this quest is phased out so from your persepctive you are the only one doing this quest, if you return to where you found the dwarf his body will no longer be there, cus for you the body is phased out.
There is another quest in the goblin starting area called "town in a box", you are taken to an island (you cannot get to this island unless you take the quest) you are told to use the plugger atop a pile of explosives.. you do so and your shot way up in the air, a layer of cloud cover stops you seeing the ground, when you return to the ground what was once a pile of explosive is now a little town full of NPC's and other players. Phasing achieved tis seemless transition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd1Ew7APXB0
Phasing is not just used to phase huge area's it is used to good to effect in quests too.
Some people love phasing, some don't.. There are some cases were phasing is ok.. I guess.. Then there are other cases that phasing is just plain stupid and not needed and should be removed from the game.. Along with some quest as well.. Phasing for ICC is one of the stupid ones.. I cant' begin to count how many times we could not summon members to the raid because of the phasing.. Have the Devs admitted yet that was just asnine and corrected it, or are they still clueless?
Same applies to some quest.. I remember one quest that in IC zone that you are required to use a vial in a cauldron while mobs spawn and try to disrupt you.. This is definately a group event, however the part that is just stupid is that at the time I did it you are required to team up with others that have NOT done the quest yet.. Once you have completed it, you can't help others with the vial timer.. Easy problem to correct.. Allow anyone that has completed the quest to ask for a new vial so they can help others that have not done it.. The Giant quest in ZD is another quest that makes no sense.. You phase into a different reality seperated from your group to ride a giant to kill various mobs.. That quest is bugged as much as it isn't, and for some people, it's next to impossible to complete without help.. POOR POOR design and could be easily corrected..
Anyways.. The game is polished to a B rating.. (end game not included) There are just too many blatent screw ups in my opinion to give it an A.. I just don't see much of a change coming with Cat. and why I and many others arent' going to play it.. It'll be just more of the same, just dressed differently.. Still the Holy Trinity dominant combat, still no social rading, and still no player and guild housing.. etc etc..
Phasing in wrath was the first attempt, I am sure it is much improved for Cata.. but hey atleast Blizzard is trying somthing new.
Aye and they should be given credit for that. The developers have been quoted as saying that they didn't like that the phasing did separate players who were on different stages of it. I imagine they have corrected that for the expansion.
The stats that are being removed are so complex that nobody (even the smart people) cannot figure out if an item is an upgrade without using an excel spreadsheet. (armor penetration) And the whole idea behind spirit and MP5 was just redundant, they both do exactly the same thing.. there is no reason mp5 should have ever been put on gear.
And wow, you should be happy that Blizzard is dumbing down the game because you just said that healers need hit rating, which makes me wonder why you would even complain about armor penetration being removed. I mean, if you don't understand how hit rating works, you certainly would never understand armor pen.
Do you people even play WOW? have you ever seen how they use phasing? You make it sound like hours and hours are required to get to the final phase and that players are languishing in the 'old' phase while their friends can't help them.
Let me set the record straight
1. Phasiing is only used in quests, which are solo-able. There is NEVER an instance where you are stuck not being able to kill a hard mob because your friend is ahead of you.
2. Phasing is always a very short time between phases, usually less than 30 minutes. Even if you are 'stuck' behind your friend in a phase, simply finish a quest or two and suddenly you are at the end with them. You are never permanently behind someone because of phasing.
This whole reoccuring garbage about being 'separated' from your friends because they are in a different phase is a joke. To get from the very first phase to the very last phase never takes more than an hour or two, and that is through multiple phases. So not only will you not need help (because it is solo questing) but even if they are completely finished with the zone, you are still only an hour or two behind them... it's not like a permanent thing.
I agree with the above poster about the all "phasing" element. It adds a new element to world of warcraft. Considering how CATA is making you return to azeroth just like in the vanilla days its almost refreshing to walk in the same areas you did before but with a whole new atmosphere around it. I have high hopes for this expansion because of how wow is slowly advancing. sure people can complain and bitch about certain mechanics and classes, but from playing through classic to here you see how much Blizzard has evolved this game for better or for worse.
All in all its an expansion so you'll either like what you see after playing through it or you'll just stop playing like alot of people do its really all preference and opinion.
If all fire is extinguished, will life still continue?
Phasing is just crazy.. Think about it.. phasing is nothing more then having alternate timelines in a game that EVERYONE should be in the same timeline.. Phasing belongs in console games, not MMOs.. As many have said over the past year or longer.. WoW is quickly becoming more console gameplay, then mmo.. Lets instance and phase everything, and ignore the open world enviroment.. I see their truth more and more with each patch and expansion.. Maybe one day they'll "ropday hetay nstancingiay" obsession, and get back to more of open world gameplay..
I don't know why people are so upset with phasing. If anything, it adds another dimension to a game where you can kill the same monster 1,000,000 times and have him respawn. More power to Blizzard for trying to make the game a TAD more realistic.
I await the day when MMOs go all out and have monsters and villains that only spawn once. But that's a pretty outlandish thought, I suppose.
Since they are dumbing down an already dumbed down game again, I'll doubt it. There are 3 expansions and given the fun I had I'll say Burning Crusade has been by far the best. After the Activision Merger and Tigole giving over the lead to Tom "I have no clue about challenging PvE nor care" Chilton I had a very very bad feeling...though Blizzard somehow managed to even surpass that with Wotlk. That compared with braindead achievements, hardmodes and the worst community I've ever expierenced in a game made me quit months before 3.1.
Its some kind of irony that one of the only thing I was actually looking forward to has been cut: path of the titans.
Don't try coming up with the new glyphsystem its just marketing bullshit. PoT > new glphys.
There has never ever been a Catacylsm in the Warcraft lore oh yeah a big mighty drake is breaking out and shattering the whole world how epic...
At some point more and more people will getting tired of having to relearn their class with every patch and almost start from zero everytime an expansion is on the horizon.
In IT we are having a golden rule: if its not broken, don't fix it.
The opposite is exactly what Blizzard will be doing with this "expansion" (its more like a big patch than an expansion), they are messing up with things that aren't broken because almigthy Ghostcrawler doesn't think his own created class mess is fun any longer. This will easily lead to tons to stupid balance patches destroying whole classes. I mean seriously dictating people they have to stick with a talent-tree till 30 points are spent?! -> you have to skill stupid talents in order to get the "big one".
But yes, I forgot the super complex glphy system getting revamped also because Ghostcrawler thinks is too complicated for his 6 year old son who has to play World of Warcraft too I guess..
long wall of text short -> Cataclysm IS WoW's NGE.
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play."
"Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."