Breakfast Topic: New battlegrounds
by Eliah Hecht 
May 14th 2007 at 8:00AM
The Arena system is nifty and all, but part of me still really prefers the scale of Battlegrounds, in all their irritating glory, to what essentially feels more like a duel. I'm fully convinced that Arenas are a much better test of skill; unfortunately, I'm really bad at PvP, so that doesn't always work out in my favor. Therefore, I understand where Neia, of Malygos, is coming from when she draws up a long (and in my opinion, excellent if near unimplementable) proposal for a new Battleground, the Labyrinth. Her "TL;DR" summary:A maze-like Battle Ground, filled with temporary buffs, looted from randombly placed chests to grant the buff, then brought to the center of the maze to turn in for points. Multiple exits and entries to every room, tunnels, hidden passageways, closable doors. All made to help get your carrier to safety.
The Burning Crusade only introduced one new BG, Eye of the Storm, with which many people are pretty unsatisfied. I would very much like to see one or two more BGs introduced in a future patch, and the Labyrinth is definitely a neat idea. What sort of battleground would you guys like to see? Or do you think the PvP selection is fine as-is?
Filed under: PvP, Breakfast Topics, Features
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
xtrovurt May 14th 2007 8:10AM
I think Neia's idea is spot on. I don't play many FPS games anymore, but you just can't beat the excitement of an environment that is complex enough that you are always on your toes. Finding new sniping spots, less-travelled paths, catching glimpses of someone as they cross the path ahead of you etc. This is all great fun, and would make for a totally unique BG experience.
Ryan May 14th 2007 8:13AM
I'd love to see more BG's in the spirit of AV.
McBraggart May 14th 2007 8:20AM
Close quarter fights really hose Hunters IMO which is why I hate a lot of indoor fights.
Ben May 14th 2007 8:20AM
Sounds very... Spy vs Spy ish in a way. I'm game
Chives May 14th 2007 8:22AM
Agree with 2.
You just cant beat the fun of a large-scale battle like AV. While this "Labryinth" might be fun for a little while, I think it would get annoying. I don't like the idea of temporary buffs scattered around that make for an unfair contest. Also, I don't think an indoor battleground would work that well. It simply wouldn't be fun. However, I would love to see more battlegrounds in the current style. Perhaps based on destroying objectives, which would be more realistic than carrying a flag back and forth for no apparent reason (don't get me wrong, I love wsg :D). And maybe different world events that change the gameplay of the battleground, like the sudden arrival of a horde zeppelin to reinforce AV. Such events would add variety and increase the fun factor. Those that want a direct test of skill can stay in the arena, but for the rest of us who just want some fun, lets have some more battlegrounds!
Kirby1612 May 17th 2007 8:04AM
I'm also very unimpressed with Eye of The Storm. I remember reading when it first was announced, and I was like "This is a WSG and AB sandwich..." I've been messing around in AB and WSG since they have been there, why the hell would I want to do both at the same time?
Azshara Crater, which seemed like a good idea, was lost as a concept. If Neia can think of something like this, I don't understand why a team of dev's can't get together and think something up.
I want old AV back, days of struggle, holding each other in the Field of Strife. Maybe just an all out war. No objectives except to kill everyone, last person standing wins. AFK'ers need not apply. Since that's all that populates the cave in AV now a days.
Give me a dogfight in the air on my flying mount, make it so I can bomb Vandar's hut, and all the ranged classes have to shoot me down. Give me something that isn't repetitive. Give me a battleground I can enjoy, without cramming two of them together.
But then again, "If it isnt PvE raiding, they don't care."
Daverick May 14th 2007 8:29AM
@2 - Here here! More MASSIVE scale organised PvP FTW! Maybe a multiple battleground campain thing? Win several AV's in a row (each a unique battleground) and you win the campian... A bit like an EPL or Silithus, but with some ACTUAL incentive to visit! :P
Any new BG's would be great though... EoTS is just nothing new... Blizz, did you use all your creativity on BC and stumped for ideas?
John May 14th 2007 8:37AM
I agree with the simplicity. When I first got to AV I was like....."huh?" You just get lost. It's not as fun when everyone's off doing there own things. I like the pseudo-teamwork of AB. But I agree with the whole massive PvP, all-out killing idea. Maybe instead of complicated towers, scraps, etc. (which in theory sounds like something I'd like, but in practice, I didn't) you could award point/honor/etc. for damage/killing/etc. - in a way that wouldn't just favor warriors - that still promoted teamwork.
Maybe a BSG-type instance where two teams (alli vs. horde) compete through to the end.
Or even cooler - an in-world game, sort of like a scavenger hunt - Amazing Race style - maybe not constantly, but daily/weekly. Maybe involving those mobs no one kills anymore, gathering, maybe even using skills. Running around Azeroth (remember Azeroth? You know, not the Outlands....) in the most efficient way possible, killing/gather/visiting/buying/talking/etc. to the finish line. Just thinking out loud....
homant May 14th 2007 8:40AM
I would like to see something that allows flying. We have all those floating islands in Nagrand and mushroom tops in Zangarmarsh that I'd love to see worked into some PvP.
The issue, though, is people flying to a safe spot and afking AV style.
I do like the Labrynth idea, but as the above poster mentioned, it would really hose hunters with LoS issues. I know in the Arenas a Hunter can easily be neutralized by playing pillar peek-a-boo, and a close quarters maze will compound the issue.
-Gritz
RogueJedi86 May 14th 2007 8:44AM
That Labyrinth idea sounds more for Arena. Like a 5v5 Arena.
I'd like another BG. Azshara Crater works. Make it big big crater, at least bigger than Un'Goro(sure it doesn't make sense, but where is AV in the Alterac Zone?). Let players start on the rim, and let players fly down/around the place. Make it a 50-59, 60-69 bracket, and a level 70 bracket, so people aren't being hit from the air without being able to fly too.
Or even something else. Something unseen before, using other assets. Like how the Ruins of Lordaeron Arena uses Undercity as a setting. Maybe a Gnomeregan Sewers arena. Very technical, full of power-ups. And Gnomes are one of the few races not represented as controlling a BG(AB for Humans/Undead, AV for Dwarves/Orcs, WSG for Night Elves/Orcs, EotS for Draenei/Blood Elves). Make it a battle where the Shamanistic peoples of the Tauren and Trolls fight to assault Gnomeregan, starting with the Sewers or something. Gnomes and the Alliance defend?
felkdogg May 14th 2007 9:22AM
I think that Wow needs something akin to Guild War's Hall of heroes. Join a BG queue either in a pug or as a group and get entered into a hierarchy of 10 to 15 minute games where you win and go on with the same group to a higher level or you lose and get to start again. With varying levels on honor given for amounts of wins in a row. This would encourage high levels of competition and most premades would dominate the later, higher honor worth levels and yet pugs can still get a win or two in a row at the lower levels. If you wanted to add a further encouragement like guild wars has, whichever faction group is currently on top of the final BG tier gains 5% higher honor,rep, and experience gains for the entire battlegroup.
Atie May 14th 2007 9:25AM
@10 great idea! I LOVE AV from the first time I ran it. A large scale BG like that would be a very good add on to the overall experience.
Although...the AFKers sitting in the cave during AV fights have really, really gotten out of control since they re-did the Honor system. I figured it would eventually go away...except it seems it has not. I did not play alot of AV from 60 to 70, but played a lot this past AV Weekend...and was sad to see 18 people sitting in the cave doing nothing. Looking at their stats and seeing nothing but "0" across the board.
IF Blizzard were to introduce a new BG, I would like them to configure it so that if you have all 0's for a specific length of time you are booted out.
oh...and the AV where we had 18 AFK...the Alliance had 9 AFK...so the tide of the battle was determined by who had less AFKer's...which is sad.
apavluck May 14th 2007 9:27AM
I would like to see a big field with the horde and some horde NPC elites on one side and the allis on the other with their NPC's. Both sides would have a general behind the army and the object is to cut through and slay the general. Easy enough. It is very much in the spirit of LOTR movie battles.
Also, I think that it would be interesting to have world PvP style events where players would join with NPC's and destroy/control contested areas. Making them no longer contested. The opposite side would be aware of the pending assault through some sort of rumor system and once you have gone though some sort of questline you are now in the army and can ride out to stop the assault.
jess May 14th 2007 10:39AM
I wouldn't mind annother large scale pvp battle like AV. I like the idea of a really epic feeling battle.
Genoce May 14th 2007 9:30AM
A 40 vs 40 deathmatch :P
One big arena with some temporary buffs and / or some capturable towers, and the towers would have some kind of cannons which people could use.
The game would end when other team gets something like 1000 killing blows or something.
Alch May 14th 2007 9:50AM
I think I would like to see an Attack vs Defender type set up. One side guards a Castle other attacks. They have X amount of minutes to capture. Once time is up or the castle is captured then they switch sides and start over. What ever side did it in the shortest time wins the BG.
Astros May 14th 2007 10:42AM
1) Orgrimmar, Ironforge, Stormwind, and Undercity "Leaders/Kings" drop epic loot to encourage more world pvp and big city raids. Or how about the auctineers drop massive amounts of gold! Think of how much fun it would be to see massive raids on a consistent basis taking over major cities, and the opposing faction trying to stop them.
2) One big open field, first team to 500 Killing Blows wins.
3) A more balanced map design for AV making both sides identical.
John Vilsack May 14th 2007 7:59PM
How about one set up kinda like how Warcraft played out?
Two towns. 5 objectives or so in each town. You break through the NPC defenses, raze the town, and head to the castle.
Everyone wails on weak spot in the castle, while archers are firing from up above. Once you break through, its a maze inside the castle of NPC defenses until you find the objective (maybe a King or something).
Heck, you could even randomize the TYPE of encounter, giving you a different strategy each time. Maybe on load, you either have to A) assassinate the opposing king, B) Rescue a famous faction general and escort him back through no=mans land to the safety of your town or C) After reaching a certain point in the battleground, you SHUT down the enemies ability to respawn...last man standing wins.
A lot of these have never really be done before. Exercise a little creativity and watch people applaud (and complain about) your efforts.
Baluki May 14th 2007 11:21AM
I think they still need to revisit AV and improve it. I liked it a lot more when people actually captured mines, summoned the bosses, upgraded the troops, and summoned the bombers. They need to give players greater incentive to do that stuff. Right now, all of that is forgotten in favor of zerging the hell out of that damn bridge.
I've always thought that it'd be cool to have a BG similar to the battle from Frozen Throne where Maiev has captured Illidan, and you (as Kael'thas) have to recapture his slow-moving cage and bring it to your base. It's sort of a tug-of-war basically. Maybe the thing in the "cage" (if it's even a cage) would be wounded and slowly dying, so the match doesn't go on forever.
Todd May 14th 2007 11:35AM
Ideas i'd like to see:
Escort PvP - (like TFC Assassin) - one player gets flagged as the 'VIP' randomly on entry - everyone else has to either defend him or kill him.
Random Target missions (mentioned above) - Each side gets 5 buildings - the other side has to destroy one - but you don't know which it is.
I'd like world PvP to change too - allow persons to get quests to attack NPC PvP targets in enemy towns and cities - harder targets for more honor/rewards (like a war of assassins)