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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Who gets to grow up?
by Nico Deyo 
Apr 16th 2010 at 8:00AM
As we've seen recently, it looks like there are many things, including NPCs, getting overhauls for Cataclysm. One of these NPCs is Anduin Wrynn, Varian's son, who is getting changed to look older. Several other key NPCs have also undergone just visual changes such as Jaina, Sylvanas and now most recently Tirion Fordring for the Icecrown Citadel cinematic.
This is a unique but small upgrade that Blizzard is rolling out along with all the other changes of Cataclysm in order to drastically shape what was once considered a mostly static world. While it might not be feasible to change every NPC, the fact that they are doing it at all shows a concerted effort to not just shape the terrain but the characters we interact with as players.
So the topic in mind today, dear WoW.com readers, is this: if you had the power to wave a magical model-change wand over any NPC in the game, who would you change for Cataclysm and why? What changes would be reflected? Would you age those annoying kids who run around in Stormwind? Would you give Thrall some new gear finally? Would you give Corki a dunce cap?
I personally would love to see some of the repair vendors in towns or cities wearing better armor, as it is obvious that five years of taking all our money has given them quite a more comfortable lifestyle. Stupid robber barons.
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 10)
Robert Apr 16th 2010 3:40PM
Yes, yes you would. Don't worry, I won't tell Mankrik.
Zallton Apr 16th 2010 8:32AM
Maybe see Hogger as a level 85 world boss....10 or 25 man raid!!!!!
Stoneblade Apr 16th 2010 8:34AM
Cro Threadstrong.
pcj Apr 16th 2010 8:36AM
Since Anduin is older does that mean Horde players can kill him now?
Anathemys Apr 16th 2010 8:56AM
I hope so. Now, the question is:
Is he too old to steal lunch money from?
Thyago Apr 16th 2010 9:04AM
I hope he will be sent to study with the Shade of Aran. That library is freaking awesome, and that dude is faaaaaantastic.
Grovinofdarkhour Apr 16th 2010 11:13AM
Anduin should have no trouble learning how to be a stereotypical obnoxious teenager... he's got the perfect mentor.
James Apr 16th 2010 8:41AM
I would update IF and get that thing mobile for the high tinker :P
Tim Apr 16th 2010 8:40AM
I agree with Topper McScab. Or at least let us kill him with his annoying groveling and complaining about the Alliance army. Too bad those damn orcs didn't kill his annoying ass. But yeah, remove McScab from the game entirely.
Chief Bloodhoof Apr 16th 2010 8:41AM
Any chance I could get a new model?
Preferably not one involving a tombstone would be nice... Stupid effing Garrosh. ...
Barring that I would like the campfire model to get those new flame effects from wrath.
PrincessRosario Apr 16th 2010 10:12AM
Vote for Abesik Kampfire in 2010!
murphy Apr 16th 2010 8:55AM
I LOVE how blizzard says they they don't know if they'll be able to make new character models for players as well as upgrade things like druid forms but they have all the time in the world to make mount models and pets for the Blizzard pet store.
Just very upsetting if you ask me.
Killik Apr 16th 2010 9:20AM
But they did upgrade druid forms...
Amber Apr 16th 2010 9:56AM
@ Murphy:
I know you're not the only one...
@ Killik:
He's talking about Boomkin and Tree forms...Yes bears and cats got their forms updated so there was a little bit of difference, but as a boomkin, I have been looking at the same feathery butt for about 2 years now =(
murphy Apr 16th 2010 10:00AM
Tree and Moonkin visuals my friend. I don't even play a druid and I want that for them.
Daedalus Apr 16th 2010 10:00AM
You have no idea how much time they're spending on various things. Maybe the mounts and pets have been works in progress for years now, getting only a couple of hours of developer time a month; they just got released now because they were finally ready.
Meanwhile, they could have had new PC models ready 6 months ago, and are just holding on to them until Cataclysm, because that's when they decided to release them.
Near as I can see, the side stuff that they've been adding to the store have done nothing to slow the pace of development on the stuff we all get for our $15 a month. If anything, we're getting more stuff more often than when they first started the micro-transaction stuff.
murphy Apr 16th 2010 10:33AM
@Daedalus
And neither do you. But hey lets be in support of making new models for things we'll never buy all while the models I look at everyday continue to cower in comparison to new PET models. Heck why should I have a reason to be bugged right? I mean blizz could be making counter series to rockband and guitar hero because we all want that right?
Bronwyn Apr 16th 2010 11:16AM
In regards to the character models, I believe I also read something a while back where Blizz mentioned that it's especially hard to do this because they have to try to come up with a happy medium between making things look better and changing things so much that people who have grown accustomed to their characters' looks don't get put off by the change being "too much"
Daedalus Apr 16th 2010 11:32AM
@murphy:
You miss my point. As far as I can tell, we're getting more for our $15 a month now than we did before they started the micro-transaction stuff. So far, selling pets and mounts hasn't diminished the value of the game I'm paying for, as far as I'm concerned. Personally, I feel like the game is still worth the money I'm paying each month. If one of these pets or mounts ends up seeming worth it to me, I might pay for one of those too.
That's the way markets work: if someone is willing to sell something for a price that you're willing to pay, you both come away feeling richer. As a consumer, it's really kind of irrelevant what other products a company is selling, unless the mere existence of said products actually diminish the value of what you're buying. The question is simple: are we getting $15 a month worth of entertainment out of Blizzard? For me, I'd say yes. It sounds like you might not be sure. If that's the case, it might be time to take a break. $15 can get you a lot of fun off Steam right now; Plants vs. Zombies is definitely worth a play, and a new episode of Sam and Max just dropped yesterday.
Daedalus Apr 16th 2010 11:50AM
@murphy:
You're missing the point. As near as I can tell, we're getting more content for our $15 a month than we did before they started this whole micro-transaction thing.
Whatever else Blizzard sells, it's kind of irrelevant to the question of whether or not you're getting your money's worth. By your logic, we ought to be upset that they're wasting precious artists, designers, and programmers on these useless side projects like Starcraft II and Diablo III. I mean, each other game they develop could have been an entire new expansion for WoW instead, right?
Blizzard sells pets and mounts in their store. They also sell toys, clothes, backpacks, mousepads, posters, games, and god knows what else. They make other games. They're working on a movie. They're publishing a magazine. Do you think WoW would be dramatically improved if they got rid of all that crap and put all of the money and work into WoW? It might in the short term. Until, of course, the company went bankrupt from not having a diverse enough offering to keep new streams of revenue coming in.
Bottom line is this: do you think you're getting $15 a month worth of entertainment out of WoW right now? If not, there are a lot of other options out there; it might be time to take a break.