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MLG/ManaGrind Tournament #9 Review, HearthPwn Forum Titles
Developer Interviews
We are catching up on a few more Blizzcon interviews that we didn't get in our first round, this time from Vanion.
Pre-Expansion Patch
Story
Misc
Happy New Year!
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Happy New Year, everybody! As 2013 comes to a close, it’s time to usher in 2014 Azeroth-style. Beginning at 6 a.m. realm time on December 31, the skies above all the major cities will begin to dance with fireworks!
Every hour on the hour, you can ooh and ahh at the dazzling display of colors while sipping brew and tasting some delicious food from all around Azeroth. Join the festivities, and say hello to the new year! One word of caution, though—if you’re planning to enjoy the fireworks in Booty Bay, word has it the guards there have been celebrating a bit too hard and aren’t likely to enforce the town rules.
Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
It's difficult for players to learn a class or spec when relative strength of abilities are drastically different at 90
Agreed. The removal of base damage will help solve this. (Source)
Curious, is focus on balance going to go down next expac with the item squish? (cont)
Not a bit. The absolute value of variances is not a concern to us. We're concerned about % differences. (Source)
Geek question. Reason for AP-based attacks in mostly Weapon Damage era? Legacy and "ain't-broke," or diversified scaling?
Some attacks don't fit, kit-wise, doing Weapon Damage. For example, Immolation Trap would feel weird doing weapon damage. (Source)
should good scaling be sacrificed to avoid "weirdness"? How many players even know what's behind the damage
That's actually a common misconception that isn't mathematically accurate. (Source)
Whether an ability scales off of Weapon Damage or AP has absolutely *zero* impact on its scaling. (Source)
AP attacks scale better with cooldowns/procs unless weapon damage % is ridiculously high.
That doesn't even make sense, since %WD *includes* AP. (Source)
You see abilities that rise in relative value based on procs when AP vs Weapon Damage comes into play. See: Execute vs Slam
Execute raises in value compared to Slam, during procs, because we want it to. Completely unrelated to AP vs WD. (Source)
Two attacks with same average damage, AP based attack will scale better than weapon attack, weapon attack higher base
Again, math does not support that. It's a myth. (Source)
didn't make a new thread cause I didnt want to make a big deal out of it, just posted in offtopic lounge
Yeah, talking past each other. I'm concerned about the myth that WD/AP leads to scaling 'problems'. Don't spread that myth. (Source)
Sorry, what I meant is AP scaling attacks are typically higher AP ratio than weapon damage scaling attacks.
Not by any convention, intention, or reason, if even true (which I'm dubious of). AP vs WD *does not matter* for scaling rate. (Source)
Is the goal to highlight the identity of the specs? I.E. assassination about poison, sub about stealth?
Yes. That's quite hard, especially in the case of stealth, but we're going to do what we can. (Source)
has there been an explanation for the removal of snapshotting on DoTs? i feel it's what makes my warlock fun, and i'm worried
It was a skill-cap thing that was too high of a cap, and actually was just handled by addons, unfortunately. (Source)
We're working on a Watercooler with more info about WoD changes that are coming up, including that. (Source)
A skillcap that is too high? Yikes, that doesn't sound like Blizzard. It had too big impact though.
Many things contributed to the problem. Generally a high skillcap isn't a problem, but trivialized by addons. (Source)
Any chance the new Alliance racials will have on-use PVE procs like Troll/Orcs do today? A level playing field would be amazing.
A level playing field would be amazing, and is the goal. That does not mandate On-Use buttons for everyone. (Source)
It's only a ~1% diff, I know. But the new stats offer a chance to end years of Alli players looking at WowP and seeing only red.
Indeed, which is why we're serious about balancing them. Please don't think that "not active = not balanced". Simply false. (Source)
Hearing "separate but equal" is disheartening and just feels like an excuse when it's gotten this bad.
You could apply that same logic to 1% crit vs 1% haste. It's still wrong. (Source)
Here's one for ya: Any idea if melee's gonna get more
Developer Interviews
We are catching up on a few more Blizzcon interviews that we didn't get in our first round, this time from Vanion.
Pre-Expansion Patch
- The patch with the events leading up to Warlords of Draenor will be released close to the expansion release date.
- We have met Garrosh's friend with interesting ideas about how to use time on the Timeless Isle. We will hear a little bit more about this friend in the pre-expansion patch.
- The vision with Anduin and Garrosh is a hint, but we will see more of the story in the pre-expansion patch.
Story
- Khadgar from Outland will accompany us in the expansion, as well as coming to warn us that something is going on with the Dark Portal.
- The Warlords of Draenor starting experience will send you through the Dark Portal to try and shut it down from the inside. It is roughly an hour's worth of content where you are trying to stop the Iron Horde.
- It is possible that the Alliance and Horde will work together against the Iron Horde at some point in the expansion.
- The Isle of Thunder style solo scenarios might be used for a few of the major points during the questing experience.
- The Blood Elf Paladins have an interesting history with the Naaru, so they will show up again in Warlords of Draenor.
- The Dark Iron Dwarves will go through the Dark Portal and be a part of the Warlords of Draenor story as well.
- Garrosh gets things set in motion, but then things are out of his control. We will see him for a while and then find out what happens to him.
Misc
- Players will likely work together with their guild to cover all of the different specializations for Garrisons.
- Lorewalker Cho doesn't really fit this expansion, so it isn't likely we will see much of him.
- Dave Kosak used to be the Lead Quest Designer, and is now Lead Narrative designer. The job was so big that it was split into Lead Narrative Designer and Lead Quest Designer.
Happy New Year!
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker)
Happy New Year, everybody! As 2013 comes to a close, it’s time to usher in 2014 Azeroth-style. Beginning at 6 a.m. realm time on December 31, the skies above all the major cities will begin to dance with fireworks!
Every hour on the hour, you can ooh and ahh at the dazzling display of colors while sipping brew and tasting some delicious food from all around Azeroth. Join the festivities, and say hello to the new year! One word of caution, though—if you’re planning to enjoy the fireworks in Booty Bay, word has it the guards there have been celebrating a bit too hard and aren’t likely to enforce the town rules.
Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Classes
It's difficult for players to learn a class or spec when relative strength of abilities are drastically different at 90
Agreed. The removal of base damage will help solve this. (Source)
Curious, is focus on balance going to go down next expac with the item squish? (cont)
Not a bit. The absolute value of variances is not a concern to us. We're concerned about % differences. (Source)
Geek question. Reason for AP-based attacks in mostly Weapon Damage era? Legacy and "ain't-broke," or diversified scaling?
Some attacks don't fit, kit-wise, doing Weapon Damage. For example, Immolation Trap would feel weird doing weapon damage. (Source)
should good scaling be sacrificed to avoid "weirdness"? How many players even know what's behind the damage
That's actually a common misconception that isn't mathematically accurate. (Source)
Whether an ability scales off of Weapon Damage or AP has absolutely *zero* impact on its scaling. (Source)
AP attacks scale better with cooldowns/procs unless weapon damage % is ridiculously high.
That doesn't even make sense, since %WD *includes* AP. (Source)
You see abilities that rise in relative value based on procs when AP vs Weapon Damage comes into play. See: Execute vs Slam
Execute raises in value compared to Slam, during procs, because we want it to. Completely unrelated to AP vs WD. (Source)
Two attacks with same average damage, AP based attack will scale better than weapon attack, weapon attack higher base
Again, math does not support that. It's a myth. (Source)
didn't make a new thread cause I didnt want to make a big deal out of it, just posted in offtopic lounge
Yeah, talking past each other. I'm concerned about the myth that WD/AP leads to scaling 'problems'. Don't spread that myth. (Source)
Sorry, what I meant is AP scaling attacks are typically higher AP ratio than weapon damage scaling attacks.
Not by any convention, intention, or reason, if even true (which I'm dubious of). AP vs WD *does not matter* for scaling rate. (Source)
Is the goal to highlight the identity of the specs? I.E. assassination about poison, sub about stealth?
Yes. That's quite hard, especially in the case of stealth, but we're going to do what we can. (Source)
has there been an explanation for the removal of snapshotting on DoTs? i feel it's what makes my warlock fun, and i'm worried
It was a skill-cap thing that was too high of a cap, and actually was just handled by addons, unfortunately. (Source)
We're working on a Watercooler with more info about WoD changes that are coming up, including that. (Source)
A skillcap that is too high? Yikes, that doesn't sound like Blizzard. It had too big impact though.
Many things contributed to the problem. Generally a high skillcap isn't a problem, but trivialized by addons. (Source)
Any chance the new Alliance racials will have on-use PVE procs like Troll/Orcs do today? A level playing field would be amazing.
A level playing field would be amazing, and is the goal. That does not mandate On-Use buttons for everyone. (Source)
It's only a ~1% diff, I know. But the new stats offer a chance to end years of Alli players looking at WowP and seeing only red.
Indeed, which is why we're serious about balancing them. Please don't think that "not active = not balanced". Simply false. (Source)
Hearing "separate but equal" is disheartening and just feels like an excuse when it's gotten this bad.
You could apply that same logic to 1% crit vs 1% haste. It's still wrong. (Source)
Here's one for ya: Any idea if melee's gonna get more