A plea against vehicle combat
by Eliah Hecht 
Feb 17th 2009 at 6:00PM
Earlier today Blizzard posted a preview of Ulduar, the tier 8 raid coming up in patch 3.1 (which they promise will be on the PTRs "very soon"). Most of it looks really cool - 14 bosses, massive rooms, hard modes. However, there is one topic that Blizzard enthused about that really worries me: vehicle combat.
We've already seen some vehicle-based boss fights in Eregos (the final boss of the Oculus) and on the third phase of the Malygos fight. But Ulduar is, apparently, going to take it one step farther: there will be a vehicle-combat gauntlet leading up to the first boss, Flame Leviathan, and that boss itself will also be a vehicle fight, with players picking among three vehicles (Chopper, Demolisher, and Siege Engine) to command.
I know some people will disagree, but I also know I'm not alone here: I hate vehicle combat and would like to see it used as little as possible in the future. I play my character to play my character, not to use the clunky and boring abilities of a dragon, or a motorcycle, or whatever they shoe-horn me into next. I hate the Eregos fight so much that Oculus is the one heroic I flat-out refuse to do. Phase 3 of Malygos is better, but still definitely the least fun phase of the fight, in my opinion.
The good news, I guess, is that Daelo promises that after the Flame Leviathan fight there is "very little use of vehicles by players." I guess that's something. Blizzard, I know you guys are really excited about this cool new vehicle technology, and it was fun for quests, but for raids, I really think it's the wrong way to go. Please let us continue to play our characters; I didn't sign up to drive seige vehicles, and I don't appreciate being forced to do so in order to do Ulduar.
Filed under: Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Raiding
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 13)
W01ph Feb 17th 2009 6:04PM
Eregos may never go down by my hand for this same reason... and not looking forward to malygos at all either... vehicles are fun, but damn blizz for making them required to even get started in ulduar...
cheef Feb 17th 2009 6:20PM
What are you? Completely awful at wow?
This is a joke. Vehicle combat is new and exciting. At least for the people with enough brains to do it properly.
Kassu Feb 17th 2009 6:44PM
Lolwut, downvoted?
Vehicle combat is just fine, hell - its fun, and I dont see where this QQ is coming from.
RipeTomatoe Feb 17th 2009 6:57PM
OK Cheef, you must be the all-time master of vehicle combat then. Sorry for the intrusion.
Listen, in raids I like to use the spells and abilities I've been using since I started playing, these vehicles add something new to the game that, for some, may be too difficult to understand, with this concept of vehicle raids 10 and 25-man pugs may almost be out of the question.
suzie Q Feb 17th 2009 7:00PM
I dont know about difficult per se. I just think the vehicle fights are gimmicky, clunky, frustrating, and boring.
aka: NOT FUN
But that's just me.
/signed for the anti-vehicle petition
Mr Magoo Feb 17th 2009 7:31PM
Yeah! Let's make the game as homogenous as possible.
NO VEHICLES! ALL BOSSES HAVE SAME SPELLS. QQQQQQ
Difficulty is assigned by standardised DPS and HP levels.
Otherwise you will interupt me from watching my movie while raiding...
BOOOORRRIIIINNNGGG
If you want to moan, moan about them making vehicles less buggy. That might actually work and make the game more fun. Unlike moaning about having blizzard remove content from the game which will result in....well nothing apart from removing content.
Stopthat Feb 17th 2009 8:05PM
So, the argument against vehicles is "aww, but I want to do the exact same thing I've been doing for the past 80 levels all the time, with no breaks or variety?"
What
hold up Feb 17th 2009 8:09PM
Are you complaining because vehicles are different than how your used to playing the game? You sir (or madam) are a kainotophobic.
Stop complaining that they are changing the way you play. It adds a new element to the game. If your excuse for hating vehicle combat is that your bad at it, well that's not really an excuse.
Personally I like the fact that I can switch roles mid fight. I can be resto and still DPS on my blue drake when P3 rolls around. It may be a simple 1-1-2 button spam, but its fun to see if I can get the most stacks up.
I can't wait to see how the new vehicles will work and really like the fact that Blizzard is at least trying to throw us a curve ball. Realistically how many times do they need to design a "don't stand in the fire" type of encounter before people get it. Change is good people.
Max Feb 17th 2009 8:24PM
I agree with this article. Vehicle combat is basically a gimmick. It's kind of neat and interesting for questing, but has no place in raids. It's just so clunky and simplistic, and not very much fun.
Phase 3 of maly is just stupid, and don't even get me started on oc.
Alavan Feb 18th 2009 6:01PM
Vehicles break up the action. Think of a FPS (Gears 2 is a great example). The vehicle sequences are great and give a sense of expanse and, in general, I hope that is what the Ulduar opening scene will do.
Plus, the vehicles' damage is based on gear so don't call it catering to casuals.
Zeplar Feb 17th 2009 8:40PM
If you have trouble killing ANY boss that requires a vehicle, then that sir means you fail at this game.
It means you can't kill a boss unless you vastly overgear the fight.
I've never had a problem with Eregos, one-shotted him the first time and every time after that, EXCEPT when some other noob doesn't know how to use their FOUR (4) new spells.
Ever tried making an alt? Guess not, you might have to learn something in less than 4 years of practice.
The truth is that vehicle fights are Skill-Checks, I've never seen a 'bug' with the Eregos fight, and if you can't do it then you are lacking the Skill to do so. It's really not hard. You hit 4 buttons, come on.
Has anyone here, comment if you have, done Shartuul? That was a "vehicle fight" in Burning Crusade that was mostly overlooked. I killed him some 40 times. I got around 12 Badges of Tenacity, sold each for 1500g. People used to ask me where I got all my money, I'd say "There's this cool fight, only takes like 30 minutes, you can get 1500g easily". But they couldn't do it. Because they FAIL.
Justin Feb 17th 2009 8:41PM
Lets all qq because 1 of 14 bosses and 1 portion of the instance require vehicles. Lets save the complaining until we get to try it. After you try it and hate it you have my permission to complain, start a petition and then by all means quit WOW.
blkmasta55555 Feb 17th 2009 9:11PM
Those of you on the pro-vehicle side misunderstand. It's not "ZOMG CHANGE AND/OR SKILL, FLEEEEE", we want to play our characters because of the level of investment we have in them. If you've worked hard to get your gear (a laughable notion in the current content, but bear with me), yet some randomer wearing quest greens can perform just as well as you, it cheapens the gear.
I'm personally a fan of vehicles so long as they're easy-is to pick up (not like those bloody drakes in EoE, had to practice the daily for ages before I was anywhere near competent) and not overused.
Vendrill Feb 17th 2009 9:13PM
VEHICLE COMBAT SUCKS!
BLIZZARD... YEAH, YOU BLIZZARD... I'M TALKING TO YOU:
KNOCK IT OFF. YOU'RE PISSING US OFF!
Justin Feb 17th 2009 9:33PM
...or you could read and find out that the vehicles scale with gear... read before you moan...
Mr Magoo Feb 17th 2009 10:21PM
There are parts of the game and even bosses I don't like either. But I deal with them because OVERALL it is an awesome experience.
I love vehicles because it mixes things up.
Now if you are complaining about bugs and bad controls, then that is valid but NOT what this article is about.
If you are complaining because you "picked your class" and somehow feel that riding a mount or vehicle encroaches on some god given right then you are just being a dork.
The game has bits that are fun for some people and fun for others. Most people I have come across love the variety this brings.
And to the QQers here and on the forums who threaten quiting wow over it, here is my prediction:
You wont. Youa re just saying this because you feel people/blizzard will pay more attention to you if you are more emo about it.
Go back to sleep.
Taxidermy Feb 17th 2009 11:44PM
The thing I love most about the vehicles is how they take up most of your screen realestate so that you cannot see what you are attacking/activating. The fact that its a spamfest between two or three buttons is only icing on the cake.
Zul Feb 18th 2009 1:08AM
Arrrg. I hate vehicle combat...
bub Feb 18th 2009 4:46AM
Ghostcrawler said before that he is the one responsible for the new vehicle mechanic in Wrath so I guess it would be too much of a slap in the face to take it altogether.
matt Feb 18th 2009 6:07AM
When my wife seen this she was very upset because wow vehicles make her motion sick. I'm sure she isn't the only one who has this problem.