#49 - June 11, 2009, 4:43 p.m.
Q u o t e:
Bliz, while I believe that mounts at lower lvls may be a good thing in some cases, I think you've crossed the line with this. Although, yes, it may speed up lvling, you are largely ruining the experience of all up and coming toons who have to quest in such zones as the southern barrens, 1k needles, and Stonetalon Mountains. How are people going to build a deep sense of appreciation for these zones when they're whizzing through them at 60% increased speed? I'm sorry, but running from Sunspring post to the top of Stonetalon and back, only to have to go there again for the followup is a great exercise in character building; it is absolutely essential that our lower lvl toons and alts make these runs just as we all did.
These types of conversations are always interesting. They remind me of the stories people tell about how hard they had it as a kid and how it gave them character. While I'm sure it did, I think many people feel that if something was hard for them, it should be hard for everyone else too. Not because they think it builds character or it means someone earned it more, but because they're interested in making sure other people live through the same experiences they did and have it as "tough".
For example: When I was a kid, I lived in a place where our gravel driveway was an 1/8th of a mile long up a steep hillside and would ice over every winter. Getting up to the house was hard and you ended up going through the woods or hauling yourself up through the weeds on the side, but every day after school I persevered and made it to the top. Was it character building? Sure. You could say that. Would I necessarily want other people to experience that just because I had? Nah. I can share my experience with them and believe that's all they need.
That said, we are always looking to make the leveling experience and general game experience more fun. We don't feel that these changes diminish the feel of traveling the world and being in it. We don't think it diminishes the experience of leveling up through the world. This is just a way to allow players a means to travel within the world with a little more ease.
There is a method to our madness and we don't make these types of changes based on a whim. We genuinely believe that these types of changes help new players and veteran players alike and want to make sure that we're providing the best experiences in the game that we can.
I understand people may disagree with this, but the same thing happened when we reduced the mount level to 30. People have adjusted and have either gone ahead and bought their mount then, or left it for a later point in time as they wished. It simply opens up more options for being in the world and getting around in it. There is a lot more to do in the world than there used to be, and we want to allow players every opportunity to experience those things.