#1 - Sept. 25, 2012, 7:10 p.m.
I was invited into the cinematic this morning, after a long wait, to play the expansion. I avoided looking at the videos online, and averted my gaze from everyone elses Pandas. I wanted to enrich the experience of watching my own cinematic, and make it more special than it already would be. The game retrieved the cinematic I requested…
Then it proceeded to backpeddle my character itself, with controls unavailable to me.
My stomach sank. Controlling a new Panda is a religious experience. It’s one of the best things about the first day with your shiny new character. It took that from me. I felt like this cinematic had stolen from me. It was stealing from everyone. No one was controlling their new Panda. Is it not supposed to be special anymore? Then why does Blizzard continue to spend 3, 5, or 10 times as much on packaging and presentation as other companies?
I took a deep breath, and swallowed the lump in my throat. The cinematic then gave my character back control, and completed my quest. I looked on, puzzled, as I could see several spare objectives the cinematic had unlocked.
Then the cinematic proceeded to scatter the objectives of my quest all over the minimap. It completed objectives and threw them in the trash. Then it sat the bare Panda down on the hard floor and gave it to another AI script.
I can’t believe what I am seeing, and I feel incapacitated to do anything about it. I had been awake all night waiting at my desk, and I didn’t really have the energy to cancel my subscription.
Finally the cinematic was able to give me control of my panda, then the quest objective seems to complete but it bugs out and makes it so that my Panda can't turn it in. It doesn’t even notice that it’s lost the objective. It hands me my Panda with my quest haphazardly uncompleted in my quest log.
I had to relog, and the cinematic says “good catch.” Yeah…OK. Then I move around on my Panda, only to realize that the action bars are completely missing. I had to relog AGAIN for them to be returned.
I finally walk out of the area with my Panda, and I can tell you unequivocally that Blizzard ruined my first impression with the expansion. Having used the expansion now for several hours, I love it.. but the way that the cinematic handled my character today was a travesty.
Here’s how they should have handled it.
1. You play the Panda you want.
2. The cinematic starts and hands your Panda to you to control.
3. The game then encourages you to move your Panda and shares in your excitement.
4. Once the cinematic is completed, the game then respectfully asks to take the Panda and does the objectives. It completes the objectives on the Panda, and lets you turn in the quest at your own will.
5. It uses a spare Panda, and leaves yours for you to control, not backpeddled.
6. When your quest is completed and you’re ready to go, the game thanks you for watching the cinematic, and lets you go on your way.
That’s how I wish it would’ve gone.
