Permanent changes to Azeroth in Cataclysm

#0 - July 12, 2010, 10:51 p.m.

Allright, I've been meaning to post this for a long time. So here goes.

I have been playing World of Warcraft for a long time. Specifically, since it's release in 2004. Back then, of course, I was mooching off of my friend's account. I would walk to her house, and together we would stare, amazed at the beauty that is Azeroth. The lush green forests of Stranglethorn, with so much to explore, that it hurt your head. The towering rock structures in the Thousand Needles, followed by the harsh, flat desert of the Shimmering Flats. The gloomy, yet peaceful Darkshore, with it's large, dark forests.

All of these areas left us dumbfounded. We were amazed that so much work could be put into a game. That you could put so much detail and beauty could be put into this huge virtual world.

Finally, several months before Wrath of the Lich King was released, I started my own account. Together, me and my friends explored the World of Warcraft. We had some fun Role Play moments, crafting our own sad stories of death and friendship in Darkshire, of Pirates in Stranglethorn, and much more. We would even have extra fun moments of Hide and Seek, in Auberdine. Though all of this may sound childish, it was endless fun. We all worked our ways to 80 together. And although the leveling stopped at 80, the fun that we had was infinite.

Now, Cataclysm is in the works. We all know about Deathwing's tantrum across Azeroth, destroying the City of Auberdine, ripping the Barrens in half, submerging the Thousand Needles and Tanaris in water. Now, don't get me wrong. I love the fact that Blizzard decided to take this turn. It is an ingenious excuse to rework Azeroth for flying mounts, while still incorporating lore. I'm very happy about all of this.

What I AM against, however, is the fact that all of the beautiful, breathtaking mapping that made up Azeroth previously, is going to be removed, deleted, and never seen again, as far as I can tell. Players that will be new to World of Warcraft after Cataclysm arrives, will never be able to see the gorgeous landscapes that once were. New players won't be able to experience the same amazing experiences we had, which, for some of us, was our reason for playing.

Now Blizzard, I'm not asking that you cut Deathwing. I'm not asking that you overhaul everything that you have already completed for Cataclysm, just for one lowly player on the forums. I don't want to seem like an ass. I'm just simply asking that you give us some way to return to Azeroth the way that it was. Maybe the members of the Bronze Dragonflight open a gateway to the previous Azeroth. Maybe you could release a standalone program, like WoWMapview (Does anyone remember that...?), that would allow you to explore Azeroth once again. Maybe it could have online play, letting you explore every nook and cranny of Azeroth again, with your friends. I have so many ideas, I'm not sure how to fit all of them into this post.

All that I'm asking is that you consider some way of keeping the original World of Warcraft alive.

Any feedback from fans of the mapping would be appreciated. I want to see how many other people feel the same way as I do.

Thank you,
-Dillon Strichman

Zarhym

#10 - July 12, 2010, 11:24 p.m.

If there's one lesson I've been struggling with a lot recently, it's that rejecting the nature of change can be damaging. Granted, the trials to which I'm referring aren't related to video games, though they still apply universally. Sure, places will change, new questlines will replace many old ones, and Azeroth will never look quite the same again. There are, however, new places of beauty, new adventures to be had, and new struggles to overcome in the wake of change. A brand new player joining us in Cataclysm won't know quite what it was like to level prior to Deathwing's return, but they'll get to experience all of the new wonders of the world, not to mention a design that's become more definitive and polished over the years.

Zarhym

#31 - July 13, 2010, midnight

Q u o t e:

I understand what you mean. What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that it feels sort of like...Documentation, almost, to me. Just like Wowwiki documents everything in the Warcraft universe, the actual mapping of the game feels sort of like a "document". Like, "This is what Azeroth looks like/used to look like." But with the old zones being replaced with the new zones, it feels almost as if the "Documents" are being thrown away, or burned, or ripped up. Sorry, all of this sounds very weird, I'm not sure how to explain it. It almost registers on an emotional level. I grew up on Warcraft, and World of Warcraft, and it just feels very sad to have to areas I've roamed around for years, be replaced/changed for good.

Trust me, I understand the sentiment. We have no current plans though for preserving elsewhere the areas being changed. The story is evolving. To complement this, so is Azeroth as we know it. For current players, there will still be a good sense of familiarity in so many places within the old world.

Zarhym

#64 - July 13, 2010, 1:44 a.m.

Q u o t e:

I wish I could hug you. I think you need it. :(

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