It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
In this Week's WoW Factor, Reza Lackey explores the good and bad things that come along with Flying in Azeroth. Read on for a good history lesson, and a trip down memory lane.
One of the most compelling aspects of MMOs is the exploration and sense of discovery as you adventure through the world. With the recent announcement of no flying mounts in the new 5.2 zones, the debate of flying mounts and their use has reheated. While flying mounts offer tremendous convenience, I would argue that they also detract from the overall fun and experience of adventuring - perhaps giving a player too much power when exploring new content.
Read the rest of Reza's The WoW Factor: The Power of Flight.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
Comments
I think if you're on a PVE server there isn’t a problem with flying mounts but they definitely have a negative impact on PVP servers. I'm all for no flying mounts until level cap in new zones also as they just trivialise the journey which is what MMO's are meant to be about. Once you’re at the cap then it’s appropriate to have them for convenience and getting about but not before.
I actually dont like Flying Mounts. It hurts the longevity of the game. Specially now that they are being brought in at launch half the time. The idea of Exploration is one of the selling features, the second you get on a flying mount you fly up look down and go "OH thats whats its like" with the flying mount you can explore the entire planet in a day.
Because i can.
I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
Logic every gamers worst enemy.
I have been playing this game since it was released. But sometimes for some reason i wish things would become simple like they were at launch. Less crowded areas no flying mounts and hard content.
Lots of improvements were made with MoP but too much rep grind and i wish they kept the cataclysm 5 man heroic formula.
Also the theme for this expansion isnt very appealing. Flakes and heals bright, days and Pandas ....
rather than Burning legions or an undead and dark world. I want the good old bad guys back. But still game is going foward ...
I hope their next expansion will come out sooner just cause this expansion theme, landscape and art made a lot of my friends and guildies leave the game.
Now comon take away those flying mounts and next xpac make us De-level instead of leveling up. Either that or open a revamped vanilla server with rereleased remastered gradually released content
Wow man, are we still talking about this? Very original article thank you.
This is a subject that's never been discussed to death over the years and a subject that is worthy of discussion time and time again thanks to ongoing research and findings on the subject. Your article really tackles the issue in a different way and brings a fresh perspective!
I mean as a boring forum thread i would understand but as an article on a big mmo site, no.
I find this interesting, most of the people I meet really love the art direction and the graphic style that they went with. The new zones are very beautiful.
It was recently brought up by the developers and they made comments on it, so its news.
I never said graphics were bad. Is it beautyful yes it is... But the theme is bright pandas and wisdom over bloodie wars or the dark feeling of a wotlk expansion. Just look at the numbers from 13 millions to 5 millions TOP subs. Of course ask the current subscribers and if they like it they will say yes since they are playing the game and those who didnt like it camt answer since they are gone.
But the MASSIVE drop in subscription speaks for itself and my personnal taste go with the masses
Is it true that the whole world is seamless, so you could fly over it loading screen free?
And how long would it take to go from one end to the other`?
Secrets of Dragon?s Spine Trailer.. !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwT9cFVQCMw
Best MMOs ever played: Ultima, EvE, SW Galaxies, Age of Conan, The Secret World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2X_SbZCHpc&t=21s
.
.
The Return of ELITE !
Perhaps the problem is the simplicity of flying mounts. Maybe they should have limited range, impeded by how high you fly, and getting hit should knock you off.
Increase the danger, risk, and limit the distance that can be flown without letting your mount rest and feed, and I think that flying can have it's place in new content.
I think the problem isn't that much with flying mount, but the fact that you can summon them so easily.
I mean... One click and 1 sec later: you're flying at 310% speed ! Because of that, lots of players (myself included) use them all the time, even for the smallest distance, like going from the inn to my farm, 50 meters away.
Now imagine that you don't "summon" your mount, but "call" it. And it takes 10-20 sec to come to you. Then, you need to give it some food first. And once mounted, you may need to deal with stamina (like in Red Dead Redemption with your horse). We can also imagine flying beast that will attack you (like the eagles in Vot4W but more often).
With this system, you'll still have the freedom to fly where you want, but with some restrictions that will "force" you to, sometimes, travel by foot instead.
I agree with this. Frankly you here the same arguments over and over again against flying mounts. The reality is they designed the last 3 expansions with flying in mind. There is absolutely nothing you can see on the ground that you cannot see fllying close to the ground. If you are flying so high that you are missing stuff, fly lower. Whether or not you fly is the choice and the preference of the individual player. I can never understand why some people want to force their preferences on the rest of the players.
That said, flying is too easy. I especially love the idea of the skies not being a safe haven. Player operable anti-mount weapons near all strategic towns and buildings, mobs that patrol and attack from the sky. The choice should be up to the player whether or not they want to fly, but that choice should be more interesting.
Remember when "carrot on a stick" was a prized trinket?
if exploration was more rewarding then i would disagree with you. But it is not