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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast 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 3 of 5)
arawn.chernobog Oct 15th 2011 9:52AM
I'm convinced the people that whine about the "tech level" in Azeroth only started playing the franchise at World of Warcraft.
Nobody remembers the Dwarven Siege Tank and Flying Machine assaults, backed up by Riflemen in Warcraft 3? Or perhaps the off-shore oil rigs, protected by Gnomish Submarines and Orcish Battleships (respectively to each faction) in Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness?
joshychrist Oct 15th 2011 9:55AM
if there is too much technology im afraid we'd have to get rid of the Draenei. stupid space aliens and their space ships *shakes fist at their amazing technology from my home in thunder bluff*
wollsmoth Oct 15th 2011 10:07AM
The mix of swords and steam engines is a fun idiosyncrasy of this game, one that sets it apart from other fantasy games. Besides, most of that technology wouldn't work in the real world, so its just as much based in fantasy as the dragons and elves.
espiritudelfuego Oct 15th 2011 10:08AM
You could also ask why close quarters swordplay exists in the Star Wars universe, when a good old Death Star can take out a planet... :P
poggg Oct 15th 2011 10:17AM
Warcraft is not a medieval setting. It never really has been. Goblins have been running around with zeppelins and explosives while Gnomes build war-helicopters for a long, long while now. If someone is complaining about Warcraft not fitting the "swords and sorcery" mold, then the problem is that they think it SHOULD - that isn't what Warcraft is, and it isn't meant to be.
Amaxe Oct 15th 2011 10:27AM
Well, on one hand, I think the ideas of technomancy and steampunk do have a limited role within the game. On the other hand, I think Blizz has taken it a bit too far.
*Guns are fine.
*I never liked mechanostriders -- except for the fact it was a mount my draenei could ride through doors.
*The helicopter thing seemed to fit.
*The choppa was also cool, but seemed jarringly out of place
But I have another problem with the presentation of technology. Ironforge did (maybe still does) show plane after plane flying through a tube. There are tons of tanks around. So why isn't Ogrimmar (or at least Undercity) a smoking crater in the ground right now given that Ogrimmar seems to be much more primitive (unless they made it more techy since Cataclysm)? Why isn't there an air patrol to shoot down deathwing?
I don't say that as an "ALLIANCE RULEZ" comment. It's just kind of annoying to see all this tech around and wondering why people aren't using it. It would be better to reduce the appearance of technology to make the current stalemated war with the Horde seem believable.
Redbeard Oct 15th 2011 10:28AM
A mix of Steampunk and Medieval imagery isn't so unbelievable, but what is more unbelievable is how tech isn't superior. To pull this off, Blizz went for a pair of well meaning but bumbling tech races --Goblins and Gnomes-- but historically the technologically advanced civ emerges as the dominant one.
Notice I didn't say 'faction', but 'civ'. If Blizz wanted to follow historical trends, Orcs and Humans have to completely adapt to the Gnomes' and Goblins' tech lest they find themselves second banana in each faction.
The big balancing act here is magic. Since just about everyone has access to magic, tech is relegated to a side role. It actually makes you wonder why mages haven't taken over, since tech (as portrayed) is inferior to magic. ("Goodbye Varian... Hellooo, Jaina!")
Literaltruth Oct 15th 2011 10:40AM
Yeah, mirroring what a lot of people are saying. Azeroth isn't Middle Earth. Technology has been part of the setting since the first Warcraft RTS games, it's part and parcel of the setting and one of the things that really makes WoW a fun place.
I also really love the way it's integrated. Really, technology in Azeroth is a bit crap. No amount of Goblin explosives is going to be as quick and efficient as a pyroblast to the face. A engineer's flying machine can't go any faster or higher than a drake - and it's also a lot more likely to blow up. However, it takes less work to acquire. To be a mage, druid or shaman you have to dedicate your life to studying the arcane arts of that calling. However, anyone can pick up a grenade and lob it. It's not as accurate, safe or efficient - but it's a shortcut to pretty much the same effect as a lightning bolt, moonfire or arcane blast. So it's great for people when they are lazy, or people who don't have the dedication for learning magic (or the time to spend getting all reputable with some random bunch of snooty dragons who might then grudgingly agree to sell you one of their kids for a couple of thousand gold).
It's also great in situations where the other side might be doing something to counter magic - and even can sometimes do things that magic isn't capable of...but it always carries that slight risk of blowing up you, your business, your family or irradiating your home city for the next couple of decades and turning a significant number of your population into violently insane leperous mutations.
Mordok Oct 15th 2011 10:42AM
This topic, in one form or another, keeps re-appearing. This must mean that there is a effort to change Blizzards mind about something. It is also possible the writers are running out of topics.
So let me put it as simple as I can NO. That is unless you like this stuff....then.....Yes.
Lux Oct 15th 2011 10:57AM
I think that the technology is fine. They do very well integrating it into the story line and it isn't that intrusive. When playing my hunter who is an engineer I love hearing the crack of my gun firing and having a hundred random gizmos to mess with.
I am more worried about lack of things to do, I played cata for 2 months, got bored, and quit. There are so many new an interesting titles on the horizon and many great free to play games out right now that I may never resub.
Why pay 15 dollars a month to be bored when you can play these games for free now; Age of Conan, Lord of the Rings online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Forsaken World, Eden Eternal, and many others? I loved wow and it was my first MMO but unless it steps up it's game and innovates there is no reason to play it again.
Marius W. Oct 15th 2011 11:02AM
With the dranei able to build a space ship I always found it kinda strange that they weren't a lot more technologically advanced in everything else.
Kinda doesn't make sense.
ravyncat Oct 15th 2011 11:20AM
They didn't build the Exodar. The Naaru did.
Marius W. Oct 15th 2011 11:22AM
oops
audawak Oct 16th 2011 4:57AM
And on top of that, they crashed it. (Who was driving, anyway?)
Rubitard Oct 15th 2011 11:05AM
I ask, "Was it in the original Warcraft series?" There was all kinds of tech in those games. The MMO version of Warcraft has simply kept that tradition.
Nyold Oct 15th 2011 11:09AM
The gnomish and goblinish technology is based on engineering feat, and any true engineer can tell you: it doesn't always work. As you even see in game, technology fails all the time. This is where the story "throttles" how advanced technology can get.
Even the invention of gunpowder doesn't change warfare overnight, contrary to what civilization tells you. Using a musket is not always easier / more effective than using bows, especially when you factor in accuracy, weight, loading time (in wow terms: hit rating, agility, weapon speed).
Apparently, for as advanced as goblin engineering is (look at the Kezan starting city), they still can't make guns that hit harder than bows. The current BiS weapon IS a bow I think. Yeah, so it's not THAT advanced yet.
But the upper limit is limitless. If you look at Ulduar, that's the limit of how advanced technology can get, and I'd say it's pretty darn amazing. You can design a robot (Mimiron) that can create another robot (deconstructor) that kicks ass. I don't think even present-day humans have achieved this yet.
Gilliand Oct 15th 2011 11:19AM
It bugs me, I don't have any real sense of why but it does.
Puntable Oct 15th 2011 11:29AM
I don't mind any device that is driven by gunpowder, steam engines, or magic. Once you introduce the internal combustion engine, it goes too far. You might as well have these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghANtP1JPPg
Socialcockroach Oct 15th 2011 11:50AM
With the exception of Warcraft 1, technology has always been part of this series. As some one earlier pointed out, in Warcraft 2 there were submarines, oil tankers (and oil platforms), and even flying machines (both the horde's zeppelins and the gnomish helicopters we are used to seeing today). Warcraft 3 also had steam tanks, riflemen, and an odd assortment of all sorts of other gadgets that set the groundwork for the WoW we currently know.
Another thing to point out is that many of these machines use magic as a key component to make them work. It isn't usually technology in the way that we normally think of it. For instance, look all the mana forges in the Nether Storm of TBC, or read any quest text from a tech savvy gnome and he or she will explain that they are in need of some sort of magical item to make it all work. You could also roll an engineer and you would find that many of the materials require elemental motes or a potion or a gem... all of which are assumed to contain magical properties.
Others have been using the quote, "Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology." I would take it a step farther and say that technology in WoW is synonymous with magic. It is just another way of using it.
Socialcockroach Oct 15th 2011 11:53AM
-_- Seems I copied the joke quote. Oh well, you get what I mean.