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The Daily Grind: Is it lazy to retool classic dungeons for endgame?
Over the last few expansions, Blizzard has been attempting to transform antique World of Warcraft dungeons into modern, heroic experiences, from Cataclysm's reimagined Deadmines to Mists of Pandaria's level-cap Scholomance. But most of WoW's dungeons -- and most dungeons in ever-changing MMOs period -- languish in the past with outdated mechanics and loot surpassed by overland quest drops. You might go there as a tourist occasionally, but no one takes those places seriously. I like a chance to go back to reworked older zones to get my nostalgia fix on boosted, endgame content. But I can see why players might object to the practice. After all, a fresh coat of paint doesn't really make it a new room. It can feel as if the devs cheaped out and just pasted some new textures and mechanics into an already-built zone instead of implementing something truly new. What do you think -- is it lazy to retool classic dungeons for a new endgame? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Cladun 2: This is another RPG
According to Siliconera, Dengeki magazine has the first details on an upcoming PSP sequel to Cladun: This is an RPG. With only a translation of a blurb from a magazine scan, we don't know much about "Classic Dungeon 2," but Siliconera reports that it will feature more spells, weapons and jobs. The game will be released in Japan on March 24. We can safely assume that the 8-bit aesthetic of the first game will be used again for the sequel -- otherwise it would just be "Dun 2."
BlizzCon 2010: Classic dungeon changes in patch 4.1
The liveblog of the Dungeons and Raids panel is still underway, but Cory Stockton (lead content designer) and Scott Mercer (lead encounter designer) mentioned a number of changes for classic world dungeons in Cataclysm's first big content patch, 4.1. So far, this is what we know: They're going to keep creating wings Utgarde Keep and Utgarde Pinnacle cited as an example of a successful split. They're similar dungeons thematically, but if players had to tackle them both together they'd be pretty arduous. Mr. Mercer had an amusing phrase for the whole venture: "I did a pass through all the older dungeons, and we're doing what I call Cutting Out The Suck." Graveyards are more convenient No more nightmare 10-minute runs back from a distant graveyard to the depths of a dungeon. They're expecting a lot of new players in Cataclysm and they don't want older dungeons to be a roadblock. "We don't want dungeons to be left behind in the redo, we want them to be up-to-par with everything else." Dungeon sections with pointless trash will be trimmed. They should be "Easier for players to understand (and) easier to navigate." Dungeons that are confirmed "fixes" so far Uldaman, Maraudon, Sunken Temple, Wailing Caverns and Blackrock Depths. Uldaman overhauls The dungeon is being split into two separate wings. Ironaya will be final boss of the first portion of Uldaman; they felt that the epic feel of assembling the staff and opening her room would be a good ending. The latter portion of Uldaman will be accessed through the existing back-door entrance. Maraudon overhauls Like Uldaman, it's being split into two: The "living" section and the elemental portion with the Princess. Sunken Temple overhauls One of the floors will be cut completely, although this is a change that will ship with Cataclysm rather than with patch 4.1 Wailing Caverns overhauls "Almost every boss has its own room now." Confusing portions have been cut. Blackrock Depths overhauls Teleporters added! BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
The Daily Grind: Instance vs. open
So here's a battle for all of you readers out there. A good way, if you ask us, to wake up the morning. Do you prefer the way of the open, massive, uninstanced dungeon crawls? Or are you more of a modern day lover of the instanced method of dispatching monsters?Now there are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both. Uninstanced dungeons create a very epic dungeon experience, as you can come across other small groups of players fighting against the hordes of monsters while you explore a huge underground space. However, uninstanced dungeons can sometimes mean overcrowding, lines to kill bosses, and generally non-immersive behavior.Instanced dungeons, on the other hand, let players enjoy the content at their own pace with no kill-stealing and no lines. But instanced dungeons don't seem to have that same flair for adventure and unexpectedness as a non-scripted dungeon does. In short, it's like riding a pre-planned roller coaster rather than having a true dungeon adventure.So what do you prefer? Let us know readers, let us know!
