Zone for every race is best it will be great if every starter zone has the traits simbolizing the race's traits like undeads in graveyards or elves in forest and etc.
What better way to kick off the week, than with an interesting Dev Discussion.
Let's see what is the Ideal Starting Zone for you?
One zone for every faction? Maybe a specific zone of every race? Or maybe, just maybe a zone for every class?
Describe to us your ideal zone, and don't limit yourself on details and ideas.
Can't wait to read your amazing answers!
I definitely like race-specific starting zones. It adds to the depth of lore and immersion of the game, in my opinion. I think a cool starting are for the Gronthar would be an area that has mud - maybe swamp, riparian, or brushland. Boars/pigs are unable to sweat and thus roll in mud to keep themselves cool and protected from the sun. Incorporating this would be really neat! While pigs are actually clean animals, I know the lore for the Gronthar is to be stanky so this could play into that - even if it is a misconception lol.
What better way to kick off the week, than with an interesting Dev Discussion.
Let's see what is the Ideal Starting Zone for you?
One zone for every faction? Maybe a specific zone of every race? Or maybe, just maybe a zone for every class?
Describe to us your ideal zone, and don't limit yourself on details and ideas.
Can't wait to read your amazing answers!
I would definitely like the starting zone to be race-based like in wow classic.
If one friend is an orc and another undead, having to explore the map to find each other was one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life.
As for zones, I would like the zones to have the enemy faction races present.
For example, having humans/elves or any other sacred order race in the demon zone is always cool. Even players can impersonate NPCS like magorichard does and it's a laugh.
I would also like it to reflect the different problems of each race quite a bit for example:
Humans -> Farmers concerned with improving their combat prowess.
Undead -> initial area in ruins and in shambles trying to get back on their feet after undeath
Demons -> Searching for souls to enslave to regain their power and become stronger
etc.
Having several starting zones, makes you want to explore them and become an alters, so that getting a new character up won't be boring and something unique to discover and unlock more lore.
cons -> More maps, more work
I agree with you that race-based starting zones can add more immersion and diversity to the game. I also enjoyed the feeling of adventure and discovery when I had to travel across the map to meet my friends who played different races. It made the world feel more alive and realistic. However, I think that having enemy faction races present in every zone might not be a good idea. It could create some balance issues and conflicts between players who want to quest peacefully and those who want to engage in PvP. I think it would be better to have some zones that are neutral or contested, where both factions can interact and compete, and some zones that are exclusive to each faction, where they can focus on their own story and objectives. I like your idea of having the zones reflect the different problems of each race. It would make the lore more interesting and engaging, and give each race a unique identity and motivation. I think it would also be cool to have some cross-race quests and events, where different races have to cooperate or compete with each other for a common goal or resource. I agree that having several starting zones would make the game more replayable and enjoyable. I would love to explore different areas and learn more about the lore and history of each race. I think it would also encourage players to try different classes and builds, and experiment with different play styles and strategies.
I always thought it would be awesome to spawn in a "camp", village, or something. Specifically within a region, a biome, or whatever we might call it, of the race I've chosen.
Therefore, I think the best place to start is in a specific field related to the race I've chosen to be.
I think that’s a cool idea. I agree that starting in a zone that reflects the race you chose would make the game more immersive and diverse. It would also give you a sense of identity and belonging to your faction.
Im agree with Jastro. Having different problems in every starting zone having to do a "campaign" would be really good, like in wow is done, but please, don't put quests like: "kill 10 wolves" "bring me 20 teeth" "talk with my wife oh my wife is dead kill 4000 pigs". That's plain quests that every mmo have and i'm personally tired of that. I think it's better if it's always about the mainly questline. Example below:
Worgen, goblin, deathknight chain quests were BEAUTIFUL (at least, for me) but orc, troll (until cataclysm), human (in general), belf... were really boring. I think its need to put a general problem to deal with during 15-20 chain quests. Like i said: worgen chain-quests were really worth for me.
Moreover, Draenor introduction was a masterpiece, showing you firstly the main problem, after it the kind of enemies are you dealing with in the near future (like Gul'dan, Cho'gall...) and the chaos you made using the "worldbreaker weapon" from iron horde, every npc you saved and followed you put you into the context of what are you finding at the very beginning (garrison followers). I don't know if you are agree with it, but i think that bringing important npcs (like the introduction for new chars in Shadowlands that are with you in the first quest... into Pandaria too, Aysa and Jin and the Master Chang Xi...) shows you that it's "important".
I'm adding something: choice questlines. Variable reputations, special quests... into main questline would change the future (even mainly questline) of the whole game. The future of factions if you decide (% players) to help X and let die Y. I'm always using the same example: Defias and the Alliance. Why are u forced to kill every Defias u see? Bloodsail Bucaneers reputation could be farmed killing goblins, but sincerelly, is it the only thing that a mmo can offer you to enjoy leveling reputation? Spamming kills or dailies? I think crafting jobs, pvp and pve quests would show something new. It would be a thing into starting zone quests, knowing who are ur truly "enemy" and putting you into "good, neutral or evil" state and depending of yours, get helpful buffs, trading offers... with the faction u wish. Obviosully it's not a good idea if gameplay lore is being like wow, where everybody is Alliance - Horde.
Personally i prefer to get questlines like those and don't deal with 8548584385356456 random quests, so i think it'll be better if there aren't 49324384 quests in every place, its better for developers and for players. Leveling with crafting, minimum grinding (for getting some special stuff), dungeons, pvp... would be my favourite way to get lvl 50 and don't deal with boring and generic things.
Then, i would like to got 20 - 25 questlines in starting zones that shows you the lore of your race, a general problem that's getting solved at the end (or not). And a soloable dung (1 - 2 bosses) getting your first blues (for example).
Thanks :)
I think that having some quests that are not directly related to the main storyline can also be fun and rewarding. They can add some variety and challenge to the game, and give you more opportunities to explore and interact with the world. I don’t mind doing some quests that involve killing or collecting things, as long as they are not too repetitive or tedious. I think they can also be used to introduce some lore and backstory, or to set up some future events or consequences.
Making the starting zone based on the race seems like the best choice for me. It allows the different Areas to be designed after the characteristics of the races, which can lead to some very interesting diversity (for example the elegant treehouses of elves against the rotten ruins of the undead).
That beeing said, it would be really cool to have the main questline based on the class you are playing and not the race, like it is done in SWTOR. For example, a massive, heavy-armored Knight won't have the same tasks to do as a typical sorcerer. while the Knight is heavily involved in the direct war and is doing stuff like capturing enemy outposts or freeing captured soldiers, the sorcerer might be more involved in more mythical stuff to gather ancient knowledge and claim some ancient, magic artifacts and relics for battle.
Another idea of mine would be that you could actively make choices during the quests and therefore influence the outcome of them. A quick example: you need to find and capture a spy who was gathering information for the enemy fraction. after you find him, you can choose if you just kill him or if you put him in jail to get information about the enemy or if you send him back with wrong information. Depending on what the player choses to do, the quest would turn out differently and would influence the further questline in a different way.
I also agree with you that having choices during the quests and influencing the outcome of them is a great idea. I think that would make the game more personalized and meaningful, and give you more agency and responsibility. I think that would also make the game more complex and unpredictable, as different choices would have different consequences and rewards. I think that would also make the game more fun and challenging, as you would have to weigh the pros and cons of each choice and deal with the results of your actions.
El problema de esto es que normalmente juegas a MMO con amigos. Empezar todos en un raza es mas facil, que tener que juntarse diferentes clases.
Imaginate esto:
Tu te haces un Healer, otro sea hace un tanque y otro un DPS.
Cada uno en un punto diferente, es un autentico coñazo ¿Donde se juntan? ¿En la zona del Healer? ¿Los dps puede hacer las quest de un healer? etc, etc.
Hay que pensar todas las variables posibles.
I understand your point that playing MMO with friends is usually more fun and convenient. Starting all in the same race makes it easier to group up and cooperate. However, I think that starting zone by class could also have some benefits for playing with friends. For example, it could encourage you to explore different areas of the game world and discover new things. It could also challenge you to adapt to different situations and learn from other players. Maybe the game could have some features to facilitate the communication and coordination between different classes, such as a map, a chat, or a teleport system. I think that starting zone by class could be a viable option if the game is well-designed and balanced. I think that both options have their advantages and disadvantages, and it depends on what kind of gameplay you prefer.
In your case, you want to make a Dwarf as your first character. I think that a mountainous or mining-related area would be a good choice for a Dwarf. It would reflect their culture and history, and also provide some interesting challenges and opportunities. I also think that it would be nice to have access to other cities of your faction at some point, either by walking or by mount. It would give you a chance to explore the game world and interact with other players and races. I think that starting zone by race can be a fun and rewarding option, depending on your preferences and play style.