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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreaking down Blizzard's world event so far
by Mike Schramm 
Oct 29th 2008 at 9:00AM
Blizzard, as we've said already, has really outdone themselves with this latest world event. It's been so fun and so innovative that players are wondering just why the rest of the game hasn't been this good so far (even though, of course, it's been superb anyway). The zombie invasion really gave players of MMOs everything they've wanted since this genre first came into being -- a growing, changing world populated not by mindless AI characters stuck in static patterns, but actual, creeping story and chaos. For all of the anti-zombie whining, this world event has been MMO gameplay at, I'd say, the best it's ever been.And while I was waiting until the event completely ended to do a final analysis, Colin Brennan over at Massively isn't waiting -- he's got a good analysis up over there about the zombie event and just why it was so brilliant. He describes how the world event not only gave players a terrific reason to hate Arthas enough to go to Northrend and want to fight him, but how the gameplay design of the event (when you are killed by a zombie, you become one) was tuned towards fueling the story and the immersion. As he says, the best way to fight the plague was to embrace the fact it was in the game, whether you were a zombie or a cleansing Paladin.
There's lots more to dissect with this world event, including how Blizzard brilliantly invoked something that had happened by accident -- the Corrupted Blood plague -- and incorporated it into the game itself, and how the various zombie abilities were aimed directly at gameplay only possible in an MMO, from the AoE healing to the shrinking plague incubation time. I'll go so far as to say it expanded the boundary of what an MMO can do -- Blizzard let zombies loose on the populace not by hiring GMs to run around on every server, but by giving power to the players. But again -- there'll be time for analysis later, once we've discovered ingame just exactly what's going on here and how it all ties to Arthas. Colin's analysis is a good start, though -- Blizzard really outdid themselves with, even considering the complaints, one of the best world events ever seen in an MMO.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Events, Fan stuff, Blizzard, Quests, Lore
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)
cerement Oct 29th 2008 2:44PM
The zombies were fun. The problem was that the zombies were TOO much fun. All of the rewards were one sided. Playing a zombie introduced new spells, new faction communication, and a whole new gameplay mechanic with the depleting healthbar that needed to be filled up by constantly killing. There wasn't even any penalty to searching out and clicking on crates or roaches and willingly becoming a zombie.
But on the other side of things, there were no rewards for being a zombie killer. No Argent Dawn rep for killing zombies, no achievements for every 1000 killed, the NPC zombies didn't even drop loot. If you found the swarms annoying or got tired of the griefing, it was easier to just retreat to the many untouched zones or hole up in Undercity and just ignore it. There was no incentive to actively participate in the fight against the Scourge.
Darthfluenza Oct 29th 2008 6:24PM
While I didn't mind the zombie invasion at first, it did start to piss me off when I realized that my MAGE which hits from a RANGE (AKA Distance) and NEVER COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE ZOMBIE can be infected by just killing a zombie. Learn to make zombies Blizzard and then I won't care. I mean how hard is it to do zombies right? We don't get into melee fights with zombies so we don't get infected. Simple as that. But no Blizzard had there heads up there arses when they put the zombie mechanic in the game and decided to make it so if I even tried to fight the zombies I was turned somehow by casting frost bolt from 36 yards away well out of zombies infection range via bite (which was what was implied when you were infected by just fighting them). So kids keep in mind frost bolt gives you zombie aids, or at least according to Blizzard, who if they did the event right would have gotten no QQ from me. And if you say anything about me being a mage I will retort with I also have a hunter and it did the same thing on my hunter. So that makes two things that shouldn't give you zombie aids that do, arrows and frost bolts. So learn to make zombies Blizzard and try again. Oh and if any warriors complain that they can't fight from a range my response is Blizzard also screwed up the melee aspect of fighting zombies I just didn't go into that part because I didn't feel like going and talking about it.
deona Oct 29th 2008 4:11PM
@ dunhear
i completely agree. as a guild leader AND newly minted level 70 holy priest (i leveled my priest holy, so i KNEW my class/spec) it was my DUTY to rally my guildies to help out hte lower guild members. We have quite a few new players, new to gaming altogether mind you, and they were completly harrassed. until we rallied our group of 70's to their aid.
i think this event shows what the real people, behind the toons, are really made of. my guild is pretty well known on Shu'Halo for being a great "starter guild" & we always lend a hand, where we can. not all guilds have this mind set.
this event was awesome for us. we were able to work together & are still loving desimating the scourge as it attacks our favorite areas.
thats my 2c :o)
Angus Oct 29th 2008 4:14PM
Attention Citizens of Azeroth,
It has come to my attention that my Zombie Plague designed to decimate your population may have cause undue annoyance and disruption. For this I apologize. It was my intent to KILL EVERY FREAKING ONE OF YOU, not annoy you because you couldn't buy items off the auction house.
It has also come to my attention that people are complaining because my attacks are happening in far removed zones. Heaven forbid I pick areas with LITTLE TO NO LIFE to attack! Apparently it is a bother to have to go to these places and kill all my minions. And when I do attack a major city you get bent out of shape.
As such I am going to offer a chance at a truce. I will agree to meet with representatives of both the Horde and the Alliance. We will meet for an entire weekend and then I shall return these leaders. I shall have mages in front of Theramore and Undercity tonight at 7pm. Please make sure Lady Jaina Proudmore and Lady Sylvanas Windrunner are present. Due to the power involved in those individuals certain precautions must be met. Jaina is too dangerous to have in her standard attire. She is to wear Black Mageweave Leggings and Boots. For modesty's sake I will allow a tabard of some sort. If she wants to wear a helm I suggest a Chapeau. Sylvanas can come dressed in her new outfit without the bow, I'm into leather. Errrr... she does not scare me.
In any case after the weekend I am sure we can come to an agreement. Afterwards my attacks will likely be in more easy to get to locations where you folks can continue to massacre my undead minions.
Eager to please, because, I'll own you eventually,
-AM
K-OSS Oct 29th 2008 7:32PM
Best. Post. Ever.
Hagu Oct 29th 2008 5:31PM
Wow. All the wowinsider trolls in favor of zombies are getting old. It is clear that the overwhelming number of writers are in favor; myself and the overwhelming number of people I know on my non-RP PvE server didn't like it. A lot. For reasons that are quite valid for us and not swayed by the number of blogs, especially when they seem to totally miss most of our objections. How many times must my level 1 bank alt die so selfish, jaded elitist players can have something different??? Grr.
I doubt the people who liked it will spend more and the folks who hated it are certainly considering spending less, so Blizzard can decide in the future how much revenue they want to risk with similar events.
Jyotai Oct 30th 2008 4:03AM
/signed on all counts.
Not just 'level 1 alts' though. Sitting anywhere afk and the thing would pop without warning.
Forced PvP is never good. Forcing it on people in places set up for other kinds of conduct, like a bank or auction house is even worse. Doing it without warning makes it yet again worse. Not disabling durability loss during the event is just inexcusable.
Doing that right after a major patch and during another world event when people are in a state of confusion trying to get their guilds organized, their addons working, their action bars sorted out, repair broken macros, and so on... is yet again worse.
Yeah, in a real world things happen that we can't avoid. But WoW isn't a real world. People pay to go in there, and they make choices when they do so. Those choices should not be blatantly disrespected. Being a participant in PvP or PvE has always been a choice, and one which people come to rely on.
WoW's dev's showed us they have no respect for our choices, and the WoW community's outright rude hostility towards those who did not like this is showing an even uglier side to the issue, one way beyond any slight the dev's themselves may have committed.
nachogod Oct 29th 2008 9:47PM
The zombie invasion really gave players of MMOs everything they've wanted since this genre first came into being -- a growing, changing world populated not by mindless AI characters stuck in static patterns, but actual, creeping story and chaos
What? I don't mean to sound pretentious, but this stuff has been done long before WoW. Ultima Online and Eve Online spring to mind, although I only have experience with UO.
It would be more accurate to say "This hasn't been done before in a MMORPG genre that favored repetitive, time sinks, and predictability."
nachogod Oct 29th 2008 9:57PM
Dang, wish I could edit posts here. I guess it might use brackets instead of arrows to italicize stuff.
Also, to add to further comment, many players complained about the unconsentuality (that's a word now) of the event. When you log on to WoW, you're expecting to NOT die and to NOT have things go wrong. It's the broad expectation of such things that stagnate the MMORPG genre, the belief that EQ and not UO is the way to do things.
Soulbento Oct 30th 2008 2:52AM
I had fun during the event, I kind of wish there were MORE zombies though, like waves of several hundred at the gates of capital cities. Then it would've felt really epic and pretty scary. Only complaint I have about the event was getting dura-hit when guards killed me.
Jyotai Oct 30th 2008 3:46AM
Using terms like QQ, whiners, and even, in one comment here that the editor felt was perfectly fine to leave... bitches... to describe people who didn't like this event is completely uncalled for.
WoW players are a really sad lot if that sort of conduct is accepted. Far beyond any distaste for the event itself, these blogs and comment posts are really showing just how negative of a community the game has.
jsplat Oct 30th 2008 3:53AM
There were a few wrinkles I hope they iron out before doing something like this again.
1) Shatt should not be a safe zone for zombies. Wheter this is addressed by roving patrols of elites immune to the plague or allowing PCs to attack them, something needs to be done so that there are consequences for being a zombie in Shatt.
2) Neutral guards should not attack a player for attacking a zombie.
3) Once incubation time falls to 2 min or less, players should be able to attack the infected but not yet turned.
Higgo Nov 4th 2008 6:03AM
It's amazing that as soon as you dislike something your a whiner and if you embrace it your portrayed as some sort of game expert of the meaning of mmo's. Your fun was not my fun. It was the worst event ever IMO. Timed horribly and executed poorly. The worst time I spent in WoW since the start for sure and just because it was all cool to level on your server doesnt mean it was on mine.
It was time wasted in preparation of the expansion but it would have been very easy for blizzard to comfort those who didnt enjoy the griefing and the whining (yes from the zombies). Just tell us that its over in a few days and it'll make it easier to live with.
Now put that in your analysis
Aurdon Nov 6th 2008 2:59PM
I had meant to post this earlier but I found an exact quote where Kaplan got the idea for this invasion from the corrupted blood accident....
http://www.isheepthings.com/blog/true-mastermind-of-the-zombie-plague/