Practical

01/13/2012 12:04 PMPosted by Kaivax

A common type of feedback we get from players about Cataclysm is the observation that after they hit max level, they start to run out of things to do. Of course, this isn't a new problem or an uncommon one in MMOs, but it's definitely something that we think we can improve on. When the game was relatively new to most players, activities like leveling an alt or completing achievements could be all that were needed to entertain and satisfy. But there is a finite amount of entertainment to be gotten from leveling alts. So some players get a lot of joy from running dungeons, or raiding, or participating in organized PvP. Those activities aren't for everyone, but we will continue to add new dungeon/raid/PvP content to the game. We love playing that content ourselves.

Collecting pets is something that I've done and still sort of like to do. If I can punch other pets in the face with Lil' XT I'm definitely down with that.

Do you guys have an idea on how long you want Pet Battles to last exactly? Like, are they something I can quickly do with my friends while waiting in a DPS queue? Or would they last a little longer?
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01/13/2012 11:20 AMPosted by Kaivax

Rather than "vacuum up every single quest in the zone", we're aiming for achievements that reward completing the main story arcs.

I really, really, really like the sound of this.

But can you do achievements for smaller story Arcs too? Probably one or two achievements for the small stories clumped together rather than separate ones for the main story arcs?

I like doing the quest achievements because it allows me to say "I finished that whole area, and I understand the area's full story." And with main story arc achievements, that only shows I know some of the story elements rather than the whole one.

I know that the option to do the smaller story arcs will still be there, I'm just curious as to whether if the smaller story lines will have achievements as well, or even if we're going to keep "do X quest in X zone" achievements.
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I'll miss you guys :(

And happy holidays! <3
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12/21/2011 04:06 PMPosted by Karat

So, the dailies themselves are going to be just as good/bad, but we'll get shinier loot?

I think what he's saying is that loot will be the same, you'll just different ways of getting it so that doing dailies isn't as monotonous as it is now. So instead of just dailies, you can do dailies and different scenarios.

Speaking of scenarios, does anyone know if there will be low-level scenarios for leveling up?
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12/21/2011 03:34 PMPosted by Berelythia

People who do it, aren't doing it for fun and holly jolly glee. They are doing it because it is a means to an end.

While I can agree that people are doing dailies for gold, tokens for a trinket, or whatever the reason - how do you know this is the end reason? Who says people can't enjoy dailies?

12/21/2011 03:34 PMPosted by Berelythia

They either need the gold, or they need the reputation, or they need guild reputation, or they need the tokens... all so that they can move on and do the fun stuff.

They want the gold, they want the reputation, they want the tokens to achieve XYZ. It's not a need and hardly is because the developers have made it very easy to replace one thing with another, by other paths of acquiring it.

It is exactly like a job.

You can't live without a job, providing you're living by yourself. You can tank, however, just fine in WoW without that Mirror of Broken Images.

12/21/2011 03:37 PMPosted by Bashiok

Not to toot the Mists of Pandaria horn too hard, but I think our general zone design, daily, and scenario approach is pretty solid. Part of what makes dailies a bit tedious, aside from being tedious, is the rewards are desired but may not always quite fit the time investment. I see quite a bit of that being solved and making sure if you're logging in to do some dailies or scenarios, you feel like you made a good chunk of progress toward advancing your character.

I can appreciate this, and hope that it provides a solution to those who feel that dailies are a 'job.' Thanks for the insight Bashiok.
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12/21/2011 03:20 PMPosted by Quisto

This is a game, not life. The two may have similarities, but confusing the two is not smart.

If you're not going to compare the similarities between the two, then I think it's important to relinquish the initial comparison of Jobs and Dailies to begin with, and look at dailies for what they are worth rather than a 'job.'
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"But that's just like a job. I already have a job. When can we do something fun?"

Uh huh...

Brilliant game design.

I don't understand this notion - and perhaps someone can explain it to me;

Why is something that is there for you to do on a daily basis, which is optional, parallel to having a job?

And furthermore, what would be a better design for this type of structure?
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Here let me figure out the current target audience for you.

1.) Casuals
2.) Hardcores

Everything you do for the casuals the hardcores hate because it cuts deep into all the hard work they have put into the game. Everything you do for the hard cores the casuals hate...we'll mainly because they are spoiled brats that just want handouts.

I think you're forgetting the space in between those two stereotypes.
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