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World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Interview

MikeBMikeB Community ManagerAdministrator RarePosts: 6,555

At this year's BlizzCon, MMORPG.com Managing Editor Bill Murphy sat down with Rob Foote, senior producer on World of Warcraft, to discuss Mists of Pandaria, the just announced fourth expansion to World of Warcraft.

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During BlizzCon this year, we had the chance to sit down with Rob Foote, Senior Game Producer on World of Warcraft.  Rob deals mostly with the art team, but as all producers can tell you, he knows quite a bit about the design as a whole surrounding Blizzard’s latest expansion: Mists of Pandaria.  We set out a few difficult questions to Rob, but he was pretty apt to answer them, and we think you’ll like the outcome.

Read more of Bill Murphy's World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Interview.

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Comments

  • NeverdyneNeverdyne Member Posts: 167

    I don't get why people think WoW is doing an Asian themed expansion because of its playerbase in China. The fact is, Asian style architecture and culture is very distinct from ours, and gives a whole new flavor to games. Many MMOs have done Asian themed expansions, from Age of Conan to Everquest; why can't WoW? It adds to the diversity of styles in the game. I didn't see anyone complain when WotLK had a huge Nordic influence. 

  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306

    "Oh, and that Murkablo all BlizzCon attendees got? He’ll be fighting too."

    That blows a giant hole in my theory of what pets won't be allowed (if any aren't allowed after all).

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • HoplitesHoplites Member CommonPosts: 463

    I don't have a problem with Pandarians as a race, but I don't like how the expansion lacks a central enemy and the lore being butchered.  It was a fun ride, but this confirms that it is time to move on for me personally. 

     

     

  • AlalalaAlalala Member UncommonPosts: 314

    Originally posted by Neverdyne

    I don't get why people think WoW is doing an Asian themed expansion because of its playerbase in China. The fact is, Asian style architecture and culture is very distinct from ours, and gives a whole new flavor to games. Many MMOs have done Asian themed expansions, from Age of Conan to Everquest; why can't WoW? It adds to the diversity of styles in the game. I didn't see anyone complain when WotLK had a huge Nordic influence. 

     

    No problem with China-themed setting.  Big problem with cute stuffed animal as playable race.

     

  • reanorreanor Member UncommonPosts: 441

    Originally posted by Neverdyne

    I don't get why people think WoW is doing an Asian themed expansion because of its playerbase in China. The fact is, Asian style architecture and culture is very distinct from ours, and gives a whole new flavor to games. Many MMOs have done Asian themed expansions, from Age of Conan to Everquest; why can't WoW? It adds to the diversity of styles in the game. I didn't see anyone complain when WotLK had a huge Nordic influence. 




     

    They hope on Chinese players because all the Americans, German, French are looking forward to SWTOR. Its obvious logic. Blizzard knows that a LOT of people will switch to SWTOR for at least a month to see whats what and take abreak. And to still accumulate the funds they need to keep their WoW car running, so they are releasing expansion centered on Asian players which in WoW are few millions.

  • kaliniskalinis Member Posts: 1,428

    I like the no central en enemy. If u are ally your enemy should be horde. Vanilla wow had no central enemy and no one complained. The pandaran i like. 

    I like the asian theme also. Lets face it playing a panda is just cool. Look at tor forums everyone wants to play wookies and droids snd stuff. so the truth is the minority may hate cute races but hte majority of players love them.

  • PilnkplonkPilnkplonk Member Posts: 1,532

    I find it horrifyingly pathetic that they're now trying to present the "dangerous panda" thing with the banner/gfx up there.... Jeez, I think they're really feeling the heat.

    Age of Panda anyone?

  • FaelsunFaelsun Member UncommonPosts: 501

    Oh my god, you know from Vanilla to BC the game was great, after WOTLK I thought well, .. they can fix it someday..... maybe. Then Cataclysm came out then well..... maybe they will hire a new dev team and just roll this one back, now THIS whatever it is supposed to be lol. WOW is officially dead in any serious sense of the word to any half serious gamer.

  • KalmarthKalmarth Member Posts: 443

    Did Fisher Price buy out Wow?

     

  • Moxom914Moxom914 Member RarePosts: 731

    Originally posted by Hoplites

    I don't have a problem with Pandarians as a race, but I don't like how the expansion lacks a central enemy and the lore being butchered.  It was a fun ride, but this confirms that it is time to move on for me personally. 

     

     this is what did it? it eneded for me a long time ago. so tired of the same dailies/dungeons/raids to get gear to do the same dailes/dungoens/raids again.

  • KelthiusKelthius Member UncommonPosts: 298

    "The Brew Master has the Drunken Stance, and it opens up a whole slew of new animations. In fact, the entire class is new animations. In other classes, you may have about ten spells all using the same basic character animation with just a different effect."

    Everytime a new race comes out they make the old races look old as dirt. Now they're making a class with a different animation for each ability. They need to update models and animations for everything, not just a couple of races or a single class.

    image
  • SonofSethSonofSeth Member UncommonPosts: 1,884

    I will probably get SWOTOR on release, but I'm so there to play my Kung Fu Panda healing Monk with his man servant argent gruntling.

    image

  • Mors.MagneMors.Magne Member UncommonPosts: 1,549

    WoW has jumped the shark

  • UNH0LYEV1LUNH0LYEV1L Member UncommonPosts: 571

    Is this a freaking joke? OMG IT ISN'T good to know the people at blizzard have gone insane...hope that doesnt spread to Diablo III.

  • ScalebaneScalebane Member UncommonPosts: 1,883

    Originally posted by SonofSeth

    I will probably get SWOTOR on release, but I'm so there to play my Kung Fu Panda healing Monk with his man servant argent gruntling.

    I bought the pandaran pet so i'll have my Pandaran monk and his lil pandaran buddy :P

    image

    "The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."
    - Lewis Thomas

  • CorehavenCorehaven Member UncommonPosts: 1,533

    "Plus with an Asian-themed expansion, there’s just so much to draw from and bring into WoW from all of Asia. Early Nightelf stuff sort of hinted at that kind of tone, but we really see Pandaria as a chance to really dive into it. I do think Asian cultures will dig it, but we fully expect every region to really be down with it. It’s iconic, you know?"

     

    Yea that pretty much confirmed it for me there.  Oh I see them trying to smooth it over a bit, but yea, this is definitely an expansion made with the purpose of drawing in the Asian market in order to recover the loses they expect to have once Swtor comes out and then GW2. 

     

    It was obvious in the first place, and Im glad Blizzard isnt trying to out right hide that fact but rather just try to smooth it over.   I can read between the lines, but thats not even required here.  

  • DeeweDeewe Member UncommonPosts: 1,980

    Originally posted by Corehaven

    "Plus with an Asian-themed expansion, there’s just so much to draw from and bring into WoW from all of Asia. Early Nightelf stuff sort of hinted at that kind of tone, but we really see Pandaria as a chance to really dive into it. I do think Asian cultures will dig it, but we fully expect every region to really be down with it. It’s iconic, you know?"

     

    Yea that pretty much confirmed it for me there.  Oh I see them trying to smooth it over a bit, but yea, this is definitely an expansion made with the purpose of drawing in the Asian market in order to recover the loses they expect to have once Swtor comes out and then GW2. 

     

    It was obvious in the first place, and Im glad Blizzard isnt trying to out right hide that fact but rather just try to smooth it over.   I can read between the lines, but thats not even required here.  

    Right still there's quite a difference between a NA or European player and an Asian one, the latter is far from paying $15 a month...

  • jonathon82jonathon82 Member Posts: 21

    Should be worried about getting there old players back (myself, I was debating goin back) instead of this garbage. All the expansions, patches, etc, etc untill now were good and bad and to me the bad no being to extreme but this takes the cake. I had alot of fun w WOW but the panda killled it, for me atleast.....

  • dreamscaperdreamscaper Member UncommonPosts: 1,592

    The unreasonable hate leveled at the Pandarens is so annoying. I didn't buy Cata, but I may give MoP a shot.

    <3

  • DarkQDarkQ Member Posts: 7

    Lots of different cultures are represented in WoW...but no asian ones. It only makes sense that they they get added eventually.

    ¬_¬

  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 3,823


    Originally posted by reanor
    They hope on Chinese players because all the Americans, German, French are looking forward to SWTOR. Its obvious logic. Blizzard knows that a LOT of people will switch to SWTOR for at least a month to see whats what and take abreak. And to still accumulate the funds they need to keep their WoW car running, so they are releasing expansion centered on Asian players which in WoW are few millions.
    Mists of Pandaria will probably be banned in China because of the whole "can not depict violence towards pandas" law.


    Dont quite understand the hate Pandarens are getting on the message boards. Guess all these kids on MMORPG.com were too young to play Warcraft 2 or 3.

  • headphonesheadphones Member Posts: 611

    Originally posted by Xiaoki

     




    Originally posted by reanor

    They hope on Chinese players because all the Americans, German, French are looking forward to SWTOR. Its obvious logic. Blizzard knows that a LOT of people will switch to SWTOR for at least a month to see whats what and take abreak. And to still accumulate the funds they need to keep their WoW car running, so they are releasing expansion centered on Asian players which in WoW are few millions.





    Mists of Pandaria will probably be banned in China because of the whole "can not depict violence towards pandas" law.

     



    Dont quite understand the hate Pandarens are getting on the message boards. Guess all these kids on MMORPG.com were too young to play Warcraft 2 or 3.

    there were pandas in warcraft2? man, we played that thing to death and never saw any. i miss that game for the peon wars.

    but, pandas in warcraft2? have they been releasing new expansion packs to that, too?

  • Laughing-manLaughing-man Member RarePosts: 3,654

    Originally posted by Xiaoki

     




    Originally posted by reanor

    They hope on Chinese players because all the Americans, German, French are looking forward to SWTOR. Its obvious logic. Blizzard knows that a LOT of people will switch to SWTOR for at least a month to see whats what and take abreak. And to still accumulate the funds they need to keep their WoW car running, so they are releasing expansion centered on Asian players which in WoW are few millions.





    Mists of Pandaria will probably be banned in China because of the whole "can not depict violence towards pandas" law.

     



    Dont quite understand the hate Pandarens are getting on the message boards. Guess all these kids on MMORPG.com were too young to play Warcraft 2 or 3.

    Kung Fu Panda was very successful in China, it had panda's in violent situations.

    methinks you should research your info.

  • firegamer31firegamer31 Member UncommonPosts: 26

    the lore got butchered with burning crusade.....dranai...aliens? really??? spaceships??? the gnomes cant even build a robot chicken and you bring dranai into game with space ships........anyways wow before the release of the MOA expansion had stated they were good for 2 more expansions and wimpy kung fu pandas is a show that the last 2 will be for the fans......and not in a good way....

     

     

    IMO wow is a sinking ship in a vast market and is focusing on the next competitive game as they tend to the babies of wow....good riddance great future guys

  • Acebets70Acebets70 Member UncommonPosts: 269

    They are following the Smedley playbook , now its more Warcraft iconicly !!!!

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