Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsA 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 4 of 13)
mike Feb 17th 2009 6:09PM
It's necessary for Blizzard to continue and try to add new mechanics in order to keep WoW fresh. They aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, but merely evolve the game play, which WoW has very little of.
Naturally, the dislike of PVE vehicle mechanics shows that Blizzards has a ways to go to educate the conservative populace on expanding their horizons
Firestride Feb 17th 2009 6:17PM
I've never raided before. I've been playing since before BC, but I didn't hit 60 until a week before Wrath came out. And I hate vehicles. I don't hate them because I'm not used to them, I hate them because they don't seem to work correctly.
Viction Feb 17th 2009 6:08PM
The Oculus is my favorite heroic for the very reason a lot of people dont like it. I see the vehicle aspect as something different then the ordinary boss fight. A bit of change to the normal is nice every once in a while
Hoof Feb 17th 2009 6:09PM
I understand where you're coming from, but I do look at this as a positive addition, a nice way to vary up the fights. How many versions of "move when the boss does this" can we sit through before it gets old? Plus the thought of catapulting myself across a battlefield to stab a giant in the kidneys is bizaarly intriguing.
Cataca Feb 17th 2009 6:09PM
I thought it was interesting though that the vehicles will scale with your gear. If this is done though ilvl or not has not been answered yet.
Sygerrik Feb 17th 2009 6:24PM
I don't get why this is an issue for so many people. Really, I get tired of doing the same things on every fight. I mean, sometimes there's different colored flame or spikes or goo that I should run out of, sometimes the adds are spiders and sometimes they're skeletons, sometimes the boss's enrage gets removed by a class ability and sometimes you wait it out. Whatever. It's really just a few set pieces being shuffled around into new orders. What if Blizz wanted to make a fight where you have to leap from platform to platform to catch up with a fleeing boss? Well, they couldn't, because players don't have a leap (that pathetic little hop doesn't count).
Vehicles are a way for them to introduce new mechanics to make fights more fun and unique, so we don't have to just do more of the standard set piece shuffling. It puts skill into the equation-- having to learn a whole subset of new abilities requires people to pay attention, not just spam the macro they downloaded off the mmo-champion forums. If they said something like "from now on, 50% or more bosses will have vehicle sections" I might be pissed off. But since it's a rare thing that spices up occasional bosses, I don't mind it.
parah Feb 17th 2009 6:11PM
You did, however, sign up to play a game as it is developed by Blizzard Entertainments wow team.
Its a game, if you wish to do the content in the game, you have to.... do the content in the game.
I was easily able to do all the Eregos achievements using the vehicles provided, it just takes learning the content and trying what you can. I'm sure this encounter will be the same, people will have to get over a few wipes and learn to do the content provided.
aqthai Feb 17th 2009 6:10PM
WoW, you said it your self. There are 14 bosses in this new raid and one of them is going to be fought with vehicles. Can you not just adapt to these new raid mechanics for one damn boss fight?
mike Feb 17th 2009 6:16PM
One thing I've learned over the years of gaming is that RPG players are extremely conservative and reluctant to accept anything that deviates from tradition RPG mechanics.
Also, many of them play RPG for stats and that's one of the reasons why MMO players are hesitant at the idea of true skill based game play, whether in the form challenging Raid content or PVP.
vexis58 Feb 17th 2009 6:47PM
Sure, I'll adapt, and do the fight. Probably succeed at it pretty wel; like I do the third phase of Malygos. But you can be sure that it will probably be my least favorite fight in that raid, and I won't enjoy doing it, only completing the fight in order to progress further in the raid. Isn't this game supposed to be about having fun?
Xetan Feb 17th 2009 6:10PM
I like Vehicle combat, it adds fun and something new to already using your character's skills, I mean really it gets old doing the same thing all the time, a little change is nice.
QQMoar Feb 17th 2009 6:13PM
yea people, QQ Moar!!
To all those that are QQ'in about this, I BET there is a high percentage of you who claim to be "great raiders", yet, all i see in regards to this new Raid instance is QQ from the people.
I suggest YOU adapt and get some skills to go with it.
Crybabies.
Fletch Feb 17th 2009 6:11PM
I'm inclined to agree. While I admire Blizzard for changing the dynamic a little bit in Occulus, its just not a heroic I enjoy. I ran Occulus twice: once on normal and once on heroic, and that is enough - I have no wish to ever go back there again. Whilst some may enjoy it, losing all my abilities and having the vehicles restrictions imposed on me isn't for me.
Ircasha Feb 17th 2009 6:11PM
It would be cool if they could combine use of vehicles in an encounter while still allowing you to use your toon's abilities. Ranged classes would be easy to do this for . . . melee, not so much.
Most people seem to be unhappy that they are reduced to reacting to an encounter using a small subset of abilities related to the vehicle (and not the player). It dumbs down how an encounter may be overcome and limits creativity and a players sense of contribution and achievement. Blizz needs to advance their implementation of this style of encounter.
Kaphik Feb 17th 2009 6:18PM
Hopefully some of the vehicles are like the current pvp vehicles, where passengers can use their ranged abilities. Ever drive a siege tank in Wintergrasp with two mages riding shotgun, along with your main gunner? Almost unstoppable.
jbodar Feb 17th 2009 6:27PM
The problem is that you can't give too many skills, because then you are forced to learn to play a new "class" in just a few minutes. K.I.S.S! It has to be: this is my DOT, this is my heal, this for combo points, this is my finisher... GO! Some players just adapt to new mechanics more quickly than others.
Dunnion Feb 17th 2009 6:13PM
I think the novelty is wearing off, the first time in Occ, it was so cool to do the fight on the dragon, now its just annoying, and there is always someone in the group who doesn't get it.
jesse Feb 17th 2009 6:14PM
and another thing, anyone who says "QQ moar"
...you sound like a fucking idiot.
Bip Bippadotta Feb 17th 2009 6:17PM
/agree
I cannot stand any encounters with vehicle combat. In fact, I avoid them like the Plague. They are not fun or enjoyable to me.
Magnus Feb 17th 2009 6:28PM
Wow. This has to be one of the most shortsighted and quite articles I have read here at WoW Insider.
Instead of just complaining about it - come up with some better ideas. I for one think this game will grow incredibly stagnant if we just "play our characters" - and I reckon that blizzard knows this as well.
I agree with you 100% that vehicle combat needs to be improved. I think we could look to Halo and other games in the FPS genre where vehicle combat works quite well and is a compelling element of the experience.
For me, the vehicle combat system is lacking pace and has a rigid control system.
Frankly it needs to flow a little better - like when I mount or fly.