Breakfast Topic: If you could add game mechanic to WoW what would it be
by Lesley Smith 
Apr 28th 2009 at 8:00AM
Now as I was flying, my guild whispered me asking for my aid in Naxx 10. Fortunately they could summon me but it reminded me of one of the biggest problems with flying in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, you can't get off a bird. Yes I know you can log out and then log back in to be deposited at the next flight point but it's hardly ideal if you need to get off right now.
Since I first started playing, I've wondered why Blizzard don't implement a handy eject button that you could use when on long flights. You could be thrown from the back of your gryphon or wind rider and gently parachute to the ground. Alternatively they could just allow you to hearthstone while flying. But I digress. Readers, I want to know if you could add one mechanic to the game what would it be?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 19)
Axolotl Apr 28th 2009 8:04AM
Airborn combat and flight in the old world would be it
outlier Apr 28th 2009 8:36AM
I think they would have to redo all of old world for old world flying. Thats alot of resources pulled away from the development team but cool. I WOULD like a new mechanic expressed through a class. Since wow has its roots based in an RTS, why not a class that sort of plays like one. You could be a Commander and your job would be to summon something like 6 companions (Ranged, melee, caster) and your attacks come in the shape of giving orders. You can make all the different pets have special passive abilities but various proc abilities would allow the player to have to change the situation. For example, your melee can add a "Exposed Armor Debuff" that allows the commander's troops next 3 ranged attacks to do double damage, you in turn order the ranged attackers to initiate their long time cast stronger ranged shot (sort of like a Hunter's Aimed Shot). Hell, the 3 trees could be;
Ground, Artillery and Field Medic.
I know Im not the first person to suggest a class, but something with a micro management system similar to a RTS would be a nice throw back to the Warcraft RTS series.
Brian Apr 28th 2009 10:14AM
mounted combat. Not this mickey mouse crap we see in northrend with vehicles. I don't want to have to get off my horse to stab some stupid mob in the face.
Rhaycen Apr 28th 2009 8:54AM
I wouldn't be surprised if we see flight in the old world at the next expansion. If they are doing The Emerald Dream or Maelstrom (both), it will involve so much of the old world that they might feel the need to update the old continent and make it fuctional for flight.
Right now flight in the old world would be a bad idea as there are just too many unfinished spots or graphics that weren't meant to be seen from the air.
You think Azeroth is ugly compared to Outlands or Northrend now, take a look at it from the sky.
Angus Apr 28th 2009 8:57AM
Commander and your job would be to summon something like 6 companions (Ranged, melee, caster) and your attacks come in the shape of giving orders. You can make all the different pets have special passive abilities but various proc abilities would allow the player to have to change the situation
Sounds like Final Fantasy or any of the other RPGs on a console. The problem with pet based damage is that the invariably stand in something that can kill them.
Todd Apr 28th 2009 8:58AM
I'm all in favor of putting the next expansion on hold so that the developers can focus on fixing a lot of the old world issues still lurking about. Flying is a big one, sure. I'd love to see the unfinished quest chains finally completed.
Whatever happened to the whole "Reclaim Gnomeregan" world event that was talked about?
Ashley Apr 28th 2009 9:10AM
I'd like to be able to do everything on a gryphon: auction house (but no mail box), craft things, etc. It always seems like wasted time; is the flight from darn to theramore something like 15 minutes? That's ridiculous when you cant do anything!
Something to make guilds more powerful would be awesome too — maybe guild HQs: which you make by buying special resources with badges or something, and for each level of the guild HQ, you get more DPS, mana-regain, etc. for everyone in that guild when in a raid. So not only is it a role-playing kind of thing, but it'd be a fundamental part of any raiding guild.
Also guild gear: you buy special guild-shared gear with badges, and anyone in the guild can use it (not at the same time though.) They'd be expensive, but a cool way to help alts catch up.
And what I want most of all, is cross fraction communication, and also the ability to group with them (though, not join a guild with them.) Okay, the lore says we should be enemies, but I don't see any point of splitting a realm down the middle (or in some cases, a very unbalanced split), when we already do our business next to each other in dalaran! It could massively shorten the time it takes to find a PuG, if hordes and alliance could group together! Maybe also have a mechanic where you have to "agree" to be the ally with the cross fraction players for x minutes after the group is debanded, just so somebody cant backstab for the lulz.
Todd Apr 28th 2009 10:02AM
Well Player, or at least Guild, Housing would be great to have, the Blizzard development team doesn't see that as being an immediate addition. Though, if you think of all the micro-transactions that could be had, in buying useless crap for the house, Blizzard might be willing to invest the time in making this a reality.
Apparently including some Sim mechanics in the world isn't as important as including, oh gosh no, another dungeon.
Namdrof Apr 28th 2009 11:28AM
I really like this part of Ashley's post:
And what I want most of all, is cross fraction communication, and also the ability to group with them (though, not join a guild with them.) Okay, the lore says we should be enemies, but I don't see any point of splitting a realm down the middle (or in some cases, a very unbalanced split), when we already do our business next to each other in dalaran! It could massively shorten the time it takes to find a PuG, if hordes and alliance could group together! Maybe also have a mechanic where you have to "agree" to be the ally with the cross fraction players for x minutes after the group is debanded, just so somebody cant backstab for the lulz.
Schadenfreude Apr 28th 2009 1:27PM
I've always felt like Blizzard should hire a team of summer students one summer and fill in all the spaces in Azeroth so that they can implement flying mounts there. It would give those students a lot of valuable experience while not taking up the real modelers' time with busywork.
Worcester Apr 28th 2009 1:54PM
I disagree with almost everything Ashley said. Especially cross faction communication.
Starting with the Gryphon thing... how does that even make sense that you can use the mailbox or auction house in-flight? Let's try to keep some sort of semblance that this is, in fact, a "real world" that we're in. If you can do everything from anywhere, what's the point? Part of an RPG is pretending you're someplace else. The mechanic you describe destroys that imagined space. I'm not even a fan of queuing up for Battlegrounds from anywhere. At least portals in the Cap cities made some sense.
As far as the Guild HQ or gear goes, I don't know. Again, not everyone plays for the same reasons. Dumping tons of resources and playtime into building up Guild stuff doesn't appeal to me. It probably doesn't appeal to the PvP players as well. I love raiding, but the game doesn't have to be all about raiding.
Now, to the cross-faction speech. In a word, "NO". I'm only able to tolerate the Barrens Chat because I don't have to tolerate Goldshire Chat (or whatever the Alliance equivalent is). There are only so many Chuck Norris and Anal [Rupture] jokes I can take. I like to PvP. I especially like world PvP. I do not want to get along with the Alliance. I don't really care to be aligned with half the Horde races. The best idea ever would be a THIRD faction. I do not, will not EVER want cross communication talk, cooperation, anything.
Remember, some players actually read their quest logs. Some of us actually make choices based on our characters. Some of us raid, others PvP, some play the Auction House, some gather, some collect pets, some complete quest lines, some gank lowbies. Not everyone plays for the same reasons.
Ronnica Apr 29th 2009 12:33PM
I would be estatic to be able to talk cross-faction to friends. And to avoid everyone and god talking on the same channels, and destroying RP, maybe just leave it at they have to be on your friend list and you can only whisper to them. I play Alliance -only- because my friends do but I prefer the Hoard but I have to play Alliance to be able to talk to the friends I can't even group with because I'm way too low level for them. I don't particularly like the Alliance and I just have to suck it up so I can talk to my friends while I play.
Agerath Apr 28th 2009 8:05AM
I think pretty much what you suggested. I'd love the opportunity to eject, as it were.
The Last Sand Merman Apr 28th 2009 8:22AM
If you could eject from flight at any point, you'd most definitely be able to access areas that you're not intended to. So, Blizz will never do it.
Two more realistic ideas would be: to allow you to hearth while you fly, and to add a button you can push to command your gryphon/wind rider to leave you on the next flight point (like the old log out trick, only "official").
Michael Apr 28th 2009 8:08AM
I dont think you can do the log out trick anymore. Im pretty sure the last few times iv logged out while on a bird i end up back on the bird when i login again.
Anyone had the same? Or maybe im just really unlucky!
souvlaki Apr 28th 2009 8:20AM
You log in flying, but the bird will stop at the next flight point instead of the flight point you clicked when you selected your destination.
KIT Apr 28th 2009 8:33AM
When you log back in you're back on the bird but it drops you at the next town... or at least, that's what's been happening to me. So you don't have to make the whole flight, but they don't just let you magically appear in town.
Russ Apr 28th 2009 8:08AM
I always thought it would be great if they added a generic talent tree that anyone could take talents from. It could include tradeskill stuff, mount options, etc. It would need to include the ability to pick up a third trade skill at the expense of talent points.
Gessilea Apr 28th 2009 8:55AM
I had an idea kind of related to this, only with minor glyphs. Right now minor glyphs range pretty widely depending on your class. Some of them are REALLY useful (glyph of thunderclap, MWAH), others are cosmetic (the different polymorph ones), and others are just kind of useless (my druid only has two resto glyphs because what's the point of the other ones?).
So what I think would be cool would be profession related minor glyphs. I like the idea of one that lets non-druids mount instantly, or herb/mine/skin while on their mount. You could also have ones that reduce the cast time of various professions (instant pots!) or allow increased drops of certain items (like the tailoring cloth one). The possibilities are endless!
Vladeon Apr 28th 2009 2:18PM
I really like the idea of a separate talent tree that has talents for trade skills and general abilities. Though, I think that it is already, kind of being implemented with the perks that you get from leveling mining for instance. Instead of these perks, it'd be cool to receive a perk/talent point that can be used only in a special trade skill talent tree, for every 50 skill levels you get in a trade skill. For example, if you level fishing all the way to 450, then you'll receive 9 skill points to be used in a mini trade skill talent tree, perhaps unique to each profession. These talents could include, continuing with the fishing example, a talent called "Junk Master Flash" which would up the percent chance of fishing up junk boxes. Or, "Subtle perception" which would always give you a +50 fishing bonus while drunk.
As for the glyphs, I would be happy actually having more useful glyphs. As a prot Paladin, I only use maybe 2 different glyphs, while as a pvp oriented DK, I have all of my glyphs filled. A little bit more glyphin' love would be nice.