I’ve written about this before, but I really love flying in World of Warcraft. My Druid’s raven-like Flight Form is my favorite part of the game. It’s the source of some of my best memories in the game.
When Blizzard removed flying from Pandaria I was annoyed. Sure, we could fly at the level cap, so I could still flit around eventually, but it was a slog to get there.
Draenor doesn’t have flying. It’s possible WoW never will again, at least in newer content.
The thread about this change on the official forums is pretty epic, running fast and furious since its inception, though it’s locked now. Closing it off is sure to spawn more, hydra-like. The sequel is already off to a roaring start.
I’m on record as being a fan of flight. I think this is a Bad Idea on Blizzard’s part. It will be most interesting to see if it matters, either in the short term or the long term.
It has mattered to me already, though. I won’t be buying Warlords of Draenor. I was considering it, and almost did last time it was on sale. At present, though, with the “Facebook-ization” of the game via Garrisons and the cancellation of flight, it just doesn’t have enough draw to get me back into new content. I might revisit Pandaria or Northrend at some point, since they are beautiful to fly around in, but the newer stuff just doesn’t cut it.
I’m not saying “Nevermore” just quite yet, but it’s ever closer.
I consider the batlike wings I bought from the Station Store in EQ2 the best money I have ever spent on an in-game item. Being able to fly without a visible mount, with complete fluency, is reason enough in and of itself to go on playing EQ2. It’s like being able to have dreams of flying at will and we all know that dreams of flying are the best dreams there are.
I have never flown in WoW so I don’t know if the sensation is comparable. I do know, however, that once you give a gift you cannot expect to take it back without creating resentment. The idea that players will, in the long run, thank Blizzard for this decision is fatuous. Conspiracy theories like Keen’s assertion that Blizzard is intentionally running down WoW in order to drive players to its other, more profitable titles thrive on this kind of thing.
I don’t believe that. That would mean someone had thought about the long-term consequences. This is born out of a pure bunker mentality, hubris and possibly spite.
I also haven’t bought WoD, and I did always plan to at some point. I have a legacy of characters I have become quite close to over the past 10 years. Something doesn’t feel right about not letting them finish their adventures. I feel as though I need to level them to 100 and retire them in a nice quiet cottage somewhere… still, that is the hopeless romantic talking there.
I think it is straight math. I remember reading an interview long ago where Ghostcrawler discussed how expensive it was to rebuild the old world so flying could happen. When you are designing for a Z axis free environment you spend a lot less on environmental artists. I speculate this move is just to save money.
I am with you on the Druid form, my main. Having birdform was amazing. There isn’t even a good in game reason why things suddenly can’t fly in the world. It’s silly and feels like poor decision making.
I think there’s a part of the calculus that says “if we slow players down by X amount of time by nixing flight, they are Y percent more likely to tick over into another month’s subscription”. I’m not sure how big of an effect that is, but it has to be in the mix somewhere.
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