Breakfast Topic: Missing features
by Zach Yonzon 
Apr 2nd 2009 at 8:00AM
Actually, the Dance Battle System was less funny to me if only because it reminded me of the one promised feature they still haven't delivered on. Remember the dance studios that were supposed to come with Wrath of the Lich King? They pruned that feature away even before Beta, but it doesn't mean we've forgotten all about it. In fact, this latest gag might've been Blizzard's way of poking fun at themselves for failing to deliver on their promise.
A lot of the features they've parodied over the years have actually been pretty cool. I mean, being able to dial for food and have it delivered in-game would've been pretty neat. I wouldn't have minded a Tin Foil Hat to keep those nosy Alliance from inspecting me in Dalaran (or Shattrath back then). So while a full-blown dance competition ala America's Best Dance Crew is definitely too silly for the game, where're the dance studios? Heck, I know Blizzard scoffs at the idea, but how about player housing? So many developer hours devoted to increasingly unpopular Arenas, and no personalized housing in sight? Hey!
Ok, maybe player housing isn't such a hot idea, but these April Fools' pranks made me think about what's not in the game right now. I mean, a few years ago we wouldn't have considered dual-specs as a possibility. Flying mounts? Preposterous! Of course, the game actually moves forward, and a lot has changed since the game launched. What's on your wish list of features? Armor dyes, maybe, or -- gasp -- race change? A day after April Fools', I think we're entitled to think up of crazy features of our own.
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Boydboyd Apr 2nd 2009 8:08AM
Player housing is a good idea, Zach! :-)
The key thing is that it has to be implemented correctly. I think Blizzard should take a look at how the housing works for all the MMOs out there that have the system.
Then, based off the pros and cons of all the others out there, add the typical Blizzard flair to it and voila!
Easier said than done, of course. . .
rosencratz Apr 2nd 2009 8:40AM
I think it would be naive to think that Blizz haven't looked at other MMO's player/guild housing systems for ideas, they've suggested they have very specific ideas for such a thing but they've also stated it just isn't a priority, which makes sense. We got the gbank in the end though.
Their reasons for not doing player housing though is well publicised and is information you can find all over the internet.
Same goes for the dance studios, personally i'm getting very very tired of reading the blue tracker on mmo-champion and finding, yet another day has passed of threads being closed and redirected because they're about stupid dance studios, druid form skin changes and in air pvp/dog fighting. They've answered the questions soooo many times it's depressing.
These things are coming,(except the dogfighting possibly) they're just not a priority, mostly because the same people who whine that they aren't in yet would also be the first to moan about whatever isn't in the game that would have to be put to one side to make the ruddy things in the first place.(cue the people who've never made a game complaining that they need more devs or so)
TBH dance studios are the new player housing for me. Not a day can go by without someone moaning about it, or pointing out that it was in the trailer long ago as "promised content" as if no one else remembers.
Mane Apr 2nd 2009 9:18AM
Muddy is right, armor dye is SO Guild Wars. As well as guild alliances, guild housing, spec templates...
From what I can tell, the developers of GW stemmed from Blizzard. But that's just hearsay.
Now merge GW graphics/features with WoW's open environment/features and you have the sickest MMORPG EVER!
zajaya Apr 2nd 2009 10:46AM
First of all I'm glad blizzard didn't spend to much time on the april fools jokes. More time spent on real issues and up and comings the better. Just my opinion.
Second, If blizzard ever does implement player housing I hope they take it right out of the pages of UO. I never had more fun building and creating a house like I did in UO. I spent hours and hours and it was alot of fun ! :)
Ben Striegel Apr 9th 2009 3:55PM
I don't know about armor dyes per se, but several years prior to The Realm Online you could mod your @ to be a different color in Nethack. :P
NoTomorrow Apr 2nd 2009 8:10AM
Armor dyes. All the northrend gear looks the same (exception being the tier sets), and it could use some more customizeable variety. By no means do I want to go back to the Outland clown look, but being able to make certain parts of our armor look unique would be amazing.
Jack Kelly Apr 2nd 2009 8:23AM
Dyes would really be a great addition to the Inscriptions profession.
Inks that can be applied to armor. I have so many low-level inks that are just useless.
BobTDraenei Apr 2nd 2009 8:29AM
Armour dyes would rock, WAR implemented them and it really gives a sense of cohesion when you pick up a new piece of gear and know that it can look exactly the way you want them. It could give the scribes an extension to their profession too.
I do like the way WAR has trophies that you can attach to armour, another level of customisation that could be tied to achievements or epic rare drops. No boost to stats just a trophy for a job well done.
While I'm singing the improbable want song. How about an armour hall type affair in guild housing. Somewhere to hang that first set of tier armour with pride. As a BS I cried a little inside when my Imperial Plate went the way of the vendor. It was a long hard grind to get all that and to trash it was upsetting.
One last one now that we have instanced zones. How about breathing life back into Gnomeragan? Take one epic quest chain, a long hard grind and at the end of it you have a fledgling city that's rebuilding itself. It would breathe some action back into Azeroth and open the game up for extra expansions based on what is now a dead zone.
muddy Apr 2nd 2009 8:43AM
Armor dye?
Aka.. Guild Wars.
Yes, that would be nice.
I'd rather just have the armor designers from Guild Wars, at least they can expansion in expansion out make great looking armor.
Ignatius Apr 2nd 2009 9:14AM
Guild Wars? Ragnarok Online beat them to armor dyes by about 4 years.
Boydboyd Apr 2nd 2009 9:26AM
Dark Ages of Camelot has had armor dyes from the beginning.
MazokuRanma Apr 2nd 2009 10:27AM
Ultima Online had armor dyes before DAoC...
And I assume the idea was in another game before that, and before that, and before that...
Everyone knows it's not a new idea, no one cares where exactly it originated.
Pausanius Apr 2nd 2009 11:02AM
And as we're tracking the history of armor dye, The Realm Online (initially by Sierra, then Codemasters, now Norseman Games) had it at least four years before Dark Age of Camelot...
Anyone think of an earlier example?
Quickshiv Apr 2nd 2009 11:12AM
The DAoC/WAR dyes would be great and the trophies too. The problem is the Blizz art designers have an ego problem IMHO and don't think anyone should try to improve on their design. What I wouldn't give for armor that looked like armor instead of 5000 dragon nipples attached to TRON outfits.
Derek Apr 2nd 2009 1:43PM
But I WANT the Tron Plate Spaulders of the Many-Nippled Death Drake! QQ
Seriously speaking, armor dyes are a feature that I've been waiting for (hoping for) since before Burning Crusade. Dance Studios? Meh. I'll go if they put them in, I guess, but armor dyes come first for me. Northrend kinda made me forget their importance with it's "every damn piece of armor is exactly the same" look, but then I switched to leveling my DK up in Outland, and I remembered why I wanted them so much: If he walks into Silvermoon right now (which he won't, being a Tauren, I guess), then the Arcane Fashion Police will put out a warrant for his immediate execution. :-/
Domilol Apr 2nd 2009 8:21AM
Player housing has the ability to make capital cities ghost towns if implemented the wrong way, which I think that is what they are fearing.
Armor dyes, they've already said they put allot of time and effort on the gear and making good color schemes, adding dyes takes away from that.
MazokuRanma Apr 2nd 2009 10:30AM
So don't let people use trade chat while in their homes. If they had to return to the city to do that, plus to use the bank and AH (Which should logically -NOT- have outlets from your home) then there's no risk of ghost towns.
And I don't care what kind of effort they put into the color schemes. I have to wear it. If I want it all black or if I want to make it pink and purple, that should be my option.
dris Apr 2nd 2009 8:21AM
guild housing, as has been implemented in games like city of heroes years ago. when you beat a dungeon you'd get a portal to it in your guild house. you'd be able to see trophies of your guild kills, have access to vendors and repairs. you could access your guildhouse via a shared portal in a capital city, much like guild banks work now, and it would, quite simply, rock as a place to hang out with guildies, shoot the breeze and duel. i run a 4 year old guild on Turalyon EU that has 399 player accounts (at least 200 regularly active) and i haven't even seen some of my guildies avatars in 'the flesh'!
cmon blizz, make it so.
Yagos Apr 2nd 2009 8:24AM
I am still hoping that they will make Pandaren a playable race...
That was the best most awesome April joke ever when they showed Pandaren as a playable race in WC 3.
Such a disappointment when they revealed Dranei as playable and not Pandaren :(
M Apr 2nd 2009 8:25AM
I suspect what Blizzard wants is something like what you see in most modern military forces today: all the units of a particular type match one another and are mostly indistinguishable from one another. The alternative is a large force with a bunch of mis-matched, rag-tag members that resembles a peasant uprising more so than a crack fighting unit.
Whether or not that's true, it would go a long way to explaining any reasoning behind Blizzard's attempt at making everything look the same, everyone have the same fighting style, etc. Assuming it's not just because their artists are lazy.