Breakfast Topic: Is Azeroth's technology too advanced?
by Marc Hobbs 
Oct 15th 2011 at 8:00AM
The party agrees to meet just outside the dragon's lair at sunset for a surprise attack.
First to arrive is the Night Elf Allara; the huntress silently tests her bowstring, as the nightsaber at her feet opens its mouth for a huge yawn. Next is Grizz, the mighty Dwarf; he adjusts his plate armor carefully, tightening the straps. Then Doria, a Worgen rogue; she slips in amidst the pair unnoticed and greets them with a huff from her canine nostrils. Fourth is Elden, an aged Human priest; he moves with serene grace, his simple robes making a gentle hiss in the cool evening air.
And lastly ... "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" roars Nitpik the Gnome as he gallops in atop a clanking Mechanostrider. His mace -- a rotating gear -- creaks loudly as he hops to the ground, landing with a crunch in his jet boots. The tiny technophile adjusts his goggles and pats the mechanical chicken at his side. "What'd I miss?"
Azeroth has a lot of advanced machinery. From the Gnomish Death Ray to the Goblin Rocket Launcher, from biplanes to zeppelins, from logging robots to entire mechanized defense systems, the World of Warcraft is an odd blend of fantasy and science fiction. In Cataclysm, the emphasis shifted away from robots and ancient machines -- the elemental planes have a distinctly organic feel, and the other zones are all rooted in the natural world -- yet we also saw the addition of playable Goblins, a race that's arguably brought more new technology to the landscape than almost any other.
Do these technologies belong in a swords-and-sorcery fantasy setting? Do you think there should be a cap on how advanced technology can get in such a world, or should it be allowed to run wild? Does seeing a sword-wielding Orc alongside a Goblin with a shotgun ever strike you as odd, or do you find it perfectly acceptable?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Fletcher Oct 15th 2011 8:08AM
I chalk it down to magic. Everything we wear, from low-level greens to raiding epics, is enchanted. While it's true that IRL swords and arrows are no use against a sniper rifle, IRL all our weapons and armour is greys and white items. There is not a single epic purple in all the Earth.
Essentially, on Azeroth magic and technology are in an arms race. So far the magic is ahead.
OrloChavez Oct 15th 2011 8:51AM
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C Clarke
Phactorx Oct 15th 2011 8:55AM
Railgun is epic
Jade Oct 15th 2011 9:19AM
"Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology."
— Larry Niven's corollary to Clarke's Third Law
gewalt Oct 15th 2011 10:26AM
Why do we have this exact same conversation every damn week?
LynMars Oct 15th 2011 1:50PM
An arms race, or the fact that magic is, for many races, "easier" and better understood, and the tech is already a bit throttled. Why make a machine to do what a simple spell can already accomplish? The reverse is also true, though, for the more tech-inclined groups, which I think works with the lore of Gnomes learning the Light from Dwarves and Humans. They've had medical tech for years, but using healing magic was slow in arriving to the society until the exodus from Gnomeregan necessitated finding other ways that their neighbors understood better.
I like the mix of tech and magic. Sometimes that incongruity actually does make it seem more "realistic" from a roleplay perspective, and makes sense for the world; magic doesn't preclude the advance of technology since not everyone can use magic, and vice versa.
Honestly, WoW would probably be less popular of a setting and game if one or the other was too predominant. It appeals to a wider audience. I know players who don't like pure sci-fi settings, and others who aren't interested in pure "traditional fantasy" settings. The mixture is different enough to appeal to people who like both.
Bellajtok Oct 15th 2011 3:20PM
"Any sufficiently advanced wormhole generator and mechanical vendor is indistinguishable from a mage."
Tovin Oct 15th 2011 8:38PM
I've said it before, I'll say it again...Azeroth is not medieval Earth. Azeroth is not any other established fantasy setting. Azeroth is a world that has been shaped by entities known as the Titans who used technology in their work (as is evidenced by their bastions of antiquity), and the Azeroth exists within Blizzard's own intellectual property universe. Any attempt at shoehorning that which is in the game into any other mold is folly.
To that end, don't worry about the technology. If you don't like guns, or flying machines, find another fantasy world that suits your desires and preconceived notions.
killer_tunes Oct 15th 2011 8:09AM
First.
Yes sometimes it is disturbing but mostly acceptable.
killer_tunes Oct 15th 2011 8:09AM
ugh fail
Rangen Oct 15th 2011 9:40AM
The word "first" in such context is, by nature, a fail.
Joyous_Oblivion Oct 15th 2011 2:39PM
It's so awesome to see a rogue member of the 'Ordo Firstus' go down in flames when he fails so hard.
STHedgeHog Oct 15th 2011 8:15AM
Tech's getting better and better in WoW. Its not really following anything liner, just going of in random tangents and enjoying it every step of the way.
mauricet68 Oct 15th 2011 8:17AM
Kind of reminds me of Shadowrun from back in the day. A beefed up version of D&D, but set in modern times.
Chronnick Oct 15th 2011 10:25AM
Best game of all time! I wish my DnD group would give it a go...
Mick M Oct 15th 2011 8:17AM
I have to admit I never go for the higher tech stuff for my toons. I never ride a mechanostrider, let alone a mechano hog. Even guns don't do it for me. I just dislike the loud crack if them firing.
As for finding fields of robots at work, I try to avoid those areas if I can. Some machinery in game feels okay to me, but it needs to have a certain 'ancient' feel to it. Siege engines, for instance, don't bother me.
Felix_rew Oct 15th 2011 8:18AM
No it's not, and no we shouldn't cap how far the technology can go, I personally love to see these Gnomes and Goblins technology evolve over the years, and meaning as we had the Titans building mechanisms that can cloak entire zones, Spaceships from other planets, I don't think mechanohogs and rocket launchers are too far fetched.
Kurtis Oct 15th 2011 8:27AM
The prevalence of magic in Azeroth doesn't preclude the basic concepts of physics and chemistry. Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese more than a thousand years ago. Leonardo da Vinci sketched a conceptual flying machine 500 years ago. Both of these came in the midst of what we would now consider rather feudal or medieval. We've even got two races - gnomes and goblins - that are widely known for their emphasis on tinkering and building things. So no, it's not really outside the realm of possibility to have both advanced magic and advanced engineering/mechanics.
AudreyR Oct 15th 2011 10:54AM
Don't forget the mechanical stuff ancient Romans were using. Everything from retractable roofs, to coin-operated dispensers to entire plays where everything was steam powered, the sets and the mechanical actors.
Ancient Muslims, mean while, had fairly complex mechanics for irrigation.
The Chinese have been piping in natural gas for cooking and heating for much longer than people realize.
I think some forget that people from times past have roughly the same IQ and curiosity we have today.
Noyou Oct 15th 2011 12:39PM
If you watch the ancient aliens programs on the history channel (yeah I know it's TV) they have found some evidence and theorize that the Egyptians were using some form of electricity/batteries. Combine imagination with magic and physics and you could probably accomplish some pretty cool things. I say as long as it's already in game, advance it.