Forum post of the day: Flying mounts in the old world
by Amanda Dean 
Mar 22nd 2008 at 8:00PM
I was thrilled when Blizzard announce that the Burning Crusade would usher in flying mounts. Then we found out that we would only be able to use flying mounts in Outland, since Blizzard had not rendered some areas of the game. Lalia of Icecrown suggested that flying mounts should be allowed in the old world, just with a lowered ceiling.
The biggest objection to this idea was the possibility of sky-ganking. Ganking however is a fact of life on a PvP server. I try to avoid going to Azeroth whenever possible, partly because it takes so long to get from place to place. Sure it would take a great deal of coding, but I would love to see this explored further.
If nowhere else, flying should be an option in Moonglade. That way Druids could try out their fantastic flying skills as soon as they get them.
Do you think we should be able to fly in Azeroth?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
stunts01 Mar 22nd 2008 8:10PM
I've flown around in Azeroth on a private server and I can see where blizzard is coming from.
It looks pretty bad is some parts.
censorman Mar 23rd 2008 2:43AM
Seriously. This would be a major undertaking! They would have to attach a team just for this task.
They don't make NEARLY enough money to pull this off.
However, copy/pasting/recoloring mobs and playing darts to determine 'class balance. They can do over and over...and we'll keep paying month after month...cause there is no alternative. :(
iMax Mar 23rd 2008 3:21AM
"They don't make NEARLY enough money to pull this off."
LOL good one.
imtraum Mar 22nd 2008 8:16PM
If we could, I'd actually bother to buy my epic flyer. As it stands, being able to only use the flying mounts in Outlands makes me entirely disinclined to bother getting an epic even though I could easily afford one.
sam Mar 22nd 2008 10:13PM
epic flier is the best item you can purchase in the game imo. farming herbs or ore at 60% flying speed is never fun :(
imtraum Mar 22nd 2008 10:31PM
My 70 spends all of her time PvPing, occasionally world PvP, so the only real thing I'd be using an epic flying mount for would be to go up to the inn and buy some water and then back to the battlemasters. It'd be faster, but not enough faster to justify the cost!
Really, if I go farming for anything with her, it's low-end mats for alts, so the fast mount in Azeroth would be useful, but currently I have no use for one in Outlands.
Wolfwings Mar 22nd 2008 8:17PM
This has been requested many times, and although I would be totally game for it [Shelling out 5k gold jsut to use in outlands doesent seem worth it to me], but blizzard has whined and QQ'd about how it would be too much work. And they'd rather work on wotlk and nerfing pets. :(
Heres a question. Will flying mounts be allowed in northrend? If not, flying mounts are even more of a waste. Woo, get to fly for 10 lvls...
Charlie Taylor Mar 22nd 2008 8:24PM
I believe blizz has already stated that flying mounts will probably be able to be used in Norththrend, but probably not till level 80 since they don't want you just flying by all the content.
Kalis Mar 22nd 2008 8:24PM
Flying mounts will be allowed in portions of Northrend (Dalaran, most likely).
GreatLich Mar 22nd 2008 8:27PM
From what I understand (unfortunately I have no quotes to back me up on this) flying in Northrend is going to work in similar fashion to what it's like in Outland. i.e. you'd need to get to (near) lvl 80 and then (possibly) do a quest to 'unlock' the option of flight. The devs want to make absolutely sure you're not going to skip content on your flying mount.
imparush Mar 22nd 2008 8:27PM
will it be able in northrend to fly? YES. All rdy when you arrive? NO. why? it is to cold for your flymount so you need to buy something there does it possible. And the reason why we can not use it from the start? q's would be to easy, and you don't really experience northrend. Do I think that is okay? a bit if the price is not to expensive, so it become the new 280% goal
fLUx Mar 22nd 2008 10:32PM
1 level acctully, 2 (3 if you count staying at 70 a full level) if your a druid.
fLUx Mar 22nd 2008 11:27PM
Or acctully, to follow my last comment - most people leveling a character went to outland at 58.....if its the same at 68, nobody will need to get a mount at 70, because they will already be in northend. lol
Irv Mar 23rd 2008 12:46AM
I'd be happy just to see flying mounts usable in the old world even if its only usable as a land mount.
starzz Mar 22nd 2008 8:45PM
I think that you could get your wish ;)
http://picasaweb.google.com/starzz/WOW/photo#5180726758098270642
Charlie Mar 22nd 2008 9:05PM
lol thats a glitch in westfall with the FP, its happened to me before.
anyways, this is seriously beating a dead horse. don't know why its forum post of the day. but while were on the topic...
would it be great? Yeah, do you REALLY want blizzard to take the time to re-do the entire old-world just to allow flying mounts? Considering how long its taking them just to get to the terrain changes in WSG, i doubt it.
A lowered ceiling i could see, but all in all its just a vanity. It only really gives the benfit to those with epic flyers, which is still only about a 1/4 of the max level pop.
Just not worth the time for the end result.
Sliyde Mar 22nd 2008 9:10PM
Personally I would love to see flying mounts out of the game, or have some limitations on flight times by putting in fatigue. Flying mounts for me take away allot of the community world feel to wow that BC is missing compared to the old WoW. People are getting more and more options not to interact with people... Ports every where, Flying straight to instances raids and questing areas. Doing so limits the interaction in actually seeing someone on the ground wether to help them or gank them. Over all when the flying mounts first came out I loved them now….. Flying around I see how empty BC looks because no one is around outside the cities or the front of dungeons or the odd person you see at the same mining nodes.
Mask Mar 23rd 2008 6:39AM
I agree with this. I really miss the social interaction that came with longer travel times and possible ganking situations from old-world Azeroth. Flying mounts are very cool, but I think they actually hurt the game in the long run.
Sinanaju Mar 23rd 2008 7:09PM
I think they ought to allow flying mounts in Azeroth, but.. incur a penalty for ganking characters more than 6 levels below you. Its not enough to not give pts, actually penalize them (unless they are dumb enough to attack first).
Rommon Mar 22nd 2008 9:16PM
People tend to think that bliz simply needs to patch up a few graphic bugs and fill in a blank or two and Azeroth is ready for flight. But from what I've heard (or read) the way that zones load in Azeroth is different from outlands. In Azeroth the zone that is adjacent to you only pre-loads when you near the 'choke point' (the place blizzard intends for you to cross). Outlands of course doesn't work that way- its designed like one massive zone (from the developers standpoint). So the tech that lets you roam outlands from area to area with no loading screens is totally different from the tech that Azeroth uses- the design of Azeroth isn't ready for you to just jump over that mountain range and be in the next zone. You would hit something of a loading screen, or game pause or hesitation. Or in its current state, perhaps not load at all. The entire way that Azeroth is coded would have to be changed. I'd rather see that development effort put into new content.
And also lets not forget about blizzards freedom to design outdoor instance areas. Notice how there are no outdoor instances in outlands? I like the feel of ZG, ZF, and ZA. But blizzard didn't do that in outlands because they don't want you to hit 'invisible walls' while you are on your flying mount. So they stuck every instanced area in a cave. Personally I think it sucks.
I also don't have the feeling of exploration in outlands the way that I do (or did) in azeroth. Think of all the cool little easteregg places around azeroth that take tricky walclimbing to get to. Wtih outlands everything is so exposed that it kills that type of exploration.
Flying mounts are purely asthetic. If anything they hinder more parts of the game experience than enhance them.