#298 - April 10, 2009, 3:37 a.m.
Look, I'll approach this from a slightly different angle since my previous posts in this thread haven't gone over so well. I've played in Alterac Valley more times than I can count in every single iteration through which the battleground has evolved. There were things I loved about the original Alterac Valley -- aside from the fact that it would only be possible to play it maybe once a day since cross-realm battlegrounds didn't exist -- from the pushes whenever riders or elementals were available, to stopping the opponents from summoning said elementals, to the incredible challenges just to push past the front lines in the Field of Strife.
I do still have fun in Alterac Valley as it is now though, and find plenty of good PvP opportunities assaulting/defending towers and graveyards. I think it's quick and clean, even though that's not what some people want. When it comes to the epic feeling of the original iteration, I have to say -- and I'm sure there will be those that disagree with me here -- that I have a lot of fun in Lake Wintergrasp. There are aspects of that zone that take me back to the days of Alterac Valley in the original World of Warcraft. It usually never lasts long enough for me.
When it comes to the battleground system in general, there are active discussions around the office about how to better reward skill, increase the amount of players queuing for all battlegrounds, and give new and exciting objectives in a brand new battleground in Wrath of the Lich King. We're looking for something epic this time around, and we're working hard to give you something you'll enjoy.
We think that those of you who want the old Alterac Valley back will find a bit of fun in the new battleground. For those that just want balanced matches in Alterac Valley, and decreased queue times, we feel that adding the marks from this battleground to the turn-in quests in 3.1, along with the many changes we're considering for a later patch, will bring back the shorter queues and even teams.