BlizzCon 2017: Give Us Your Money

[Valkyrie]

Link whatever you see worth mentioning.

- HoTS: New heroes: Alexstrasza and Hanzo
- Overwatch: New Support waifu: Moria
- Overwatch: New Animated Short (Reinhardt)
- WoW: Official public Vanilla servers "WoW: Classic" (yes, Dufus, you still need a sub)

EDIT:
- WoW: World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Cinematic Trailer (Video #2)

[Valkyrie]

Sylvanas has always been my #1 Blizzard waifu.

[Valkyrie]

Oh yeah, I forgot this gem: New Overwatch map!

[Nabbis]

Jesus Christ that new expansion looks like shit. 

[nachobro]

SYLVANAS BANSHEE FORM ?!

[nachobro]

Battle for Azeroth will also see Blizzard finding use for older landmasses in the form of the other new type of content, warfronts. Once again, warfronts are a PvE take on what might be seen as a traditionally PvP setup: A group of 20 players team up and work together to establish a base at important strategic points in the world. Players will go up against advanced AI and will need to build up a base, send out troops and even expand a tech tree. It’s basically a miniature version of what old-school gamers might remember from the original Warcraft strategy games.

Beyond simply questing through these regions, players will be working to unlock another new feature of Battle for Azeroth: allied races. Blizzard is finally fulfilling a long-time request from players by giving them the opportunity to play as what the community sometimes describes as “sub-races.” These include dark iron dwarves, highmountain tauren, void elves and several other variations on currently existing World of Warcraft races.

Afrasiabi calls them “absolutely new races, for all intents and purposes.” As such, they will come with their own unique racial abilities as well. For example, void elves will have a short-range teleport, while highmountain tauren will have a charge ability in place of the war stomp that regular tauren use.

ut even if artifact weapons themselves are disappearing, the spirit of that system will carry on in something new: a system Blizzard is calling “the Heart of Azeroth.” Taking the form of a legendary necklace, the Heart of Azeroth will allow players to use a new resource called Azerite to imbue their armor with new powers and traits. It takes the end-game progression that artifact weapons provided but expands it to many pieces of armor rather than just a few dozen weapons.

Hazzikostas is eager to point out one major change upgrade from the artifact weapon system to the Heart of Azeroth: it no longer requires separate progression for different specializations of your one class. All of the upgrading will go through the Heart of Azeroth necklace, so you can share progression across different specs and, in theory, different pieces of gear.

  Sign me up!

[H.I.V.E.]

Announce shit expansion the last suckers still playing will buy no matter how shit it is and get everyone else as bored and uninterested as possible   

Then announce WoW classic and get everyone who left back 

Blizzard 

[H.I.V.E.]

Announce shit expansion the last suckers still playing will buy no matter how shit it is and get everyone else as bored and uninterested as possible   

Then announce WoW classic and get everyone who left back 

Blizzard 

They actually announced the classic first.

 

[Cerveza mas fina]

vanilla wow servers is this happening?

like no matchmaking and cross server shit? might dip into that

[Cerveza mas fina]

then again it can never live up to my memories

[Araxen]

They phoned it in this year really. No new game and the same stuff they do every year aka new content for their existing games.

[thisismyusername]

They phoned it in this year really. No new game and the same stuff they do every year aka new content for their existing games.

I don't see anything here for Diablo 3. And Overwatch is

When are we getting 3 maps in an update? That'd impress me (double-so if they were solid) more than this drip-fed speed they have on the game.

[Valkyrie]

D3 is dead, I'm all out of tears from 3-4 BlizzCons ago.

[nachobro]

so many naysayers in the ERA classic WoW thread

fact remains vanilla WoW is a vastly simpler game and has its own charm even though it has its flaws

hardcore WoW people that play retail don't want to admit blizzard fucked up WoW with so many expansions, it made the game insanely complicated and the ability pruning just made things boring, not simpler

I'd prefer TBC WoW, tbh. That and LK were really good, though LK was a bit of a downward slope.

[H.I.V.E.]

so many naysayers in the ERA classic WoW thread

fact remains vanilla WoW is a vastly simpler game and has its own charm even though it has its flaws

hardcore WoW people that play retail don't want to admit blizzard fucked up WoW with so many expansions, it made the game insanely complicated and the ability pruning just made things boring, not simpler

I'd prefer TBC WoW, tbh. That and LK were really good, though LK was a bit of a downward slope.

TBC LK end game was junk.

Vanilla at 60 it didn't get better than that.

[Corporal]

I'm silently shedding a tear for the old Blizzard...

...but hey, at least they accepted that some people want the vanilla WOW experience. I'd have liked it if they had retrofitted the newer races and provided some QOL improvements, but who the fuck cares really, this is just them making money off nostalgia. And I'm tempted. Not that tempted, but a bit.

[Freyj]

Complete knee jerk reaction is they’ve realized they need an A Team, B Team (C?) expansion cycle to keep the subs high and content flowing. Revamp lots of things, new classes and features in Team A’s expac, then let B refine what was done in A for 2 years while A has 3-4 years to make another Legion.

[nachobro]

TBC LK end game was junk.

Vanilla at 60 it didn't get better than that.

But TK BT and Sunwell were awesome ToC and RS were kinda wack but Uld is probably the best raid Blizz ever made. I really had a ton of fun with ICC on both normal and heroic too.

[Valkyrie]

Kill me

https://twitter.com/Warcraft/status/926136569819316224

[Cerveza mas fina]

why is blizz getting slack for no new games? they released overwatch last year

next up: Overwatch Destiny hybrid (aka the real project Titan)

[Nabbis]

Perhaps it's just me but After Diablo 3, i don't want anything from Blizzard. I also don't understand why people like Overwatch. I feel that after about two decades of gaming and having experienced UT, Quake and CS etc with all of the mods they had to offer, something like Overwatch is very boring for me.

[seagrams hotsauce]

Besides having teams and being first person shooters Overwatch doesn't have anything in common with any of those

[Human Snorenado]

Footage from the Diablo news blowout:



ActiBlizz's treatment of Diablo is mind boggling to me. Like, ok- yes D3 had serious issues. It's still one of the best selling games ever, tho, (and is in a relatively good place now) and gets treated like a mentally challenged middle chlid the parents kind of wish they'd drowned instead of put effort into keeping alive. They could be making a lot of money selling stash tabs, more necro type character packs, and especially cosmetic micro transactions, but they seem intent on just making it live under the stairs instead. Derp.

[benjipwns]

I also don't understand why people like Overwatch. I feel that after about two decades of gaming and having experienced UT, Quake and CS etc with all of the mods they had to offer, something like Overwatch is very boring for me.

If you haven't but might like to try it and see what the deal is, here's a free demo: http://store.steampowered.com/app/444090/Paladins/

[Valkyrie]

Footage from the Diablo news blowout:

(Image removed from quote.)

ActiBlizz's treatment of Diablo is mind boggling to me. Like, ok- yes D3 had serious issues. It's still one of the best selling games ever, tho, (and is in a relatively good place now) and gets treated like a mentally challenged middle chlid the parents kind of wish they'd drowned instead of put effort into keeping alive. They could be making a lot of money selling stash tabs, more necro type character packs, and especially cosmetic micro transactions, but they seem intent on just making it live under the stairs instead. Derp.

It's not even surprising to me anymore, sadly. It would have been better to make a D4 instead of not even bothering to beat the dead D3 horse. The game got fixed and like you said it's a great game in a good place, but I don't see why they should stick with it when they have potential for D4. Think of all the things they could do. More focus on boss fights, boss specific loot, and dare I say it... dungeon raids. Even the D1 style level with the OG (and new) bosses would be so cool. They could (finally) give us better graphics, give us character customization. A lot of the stuff I'm mentioning would be frowned upon by fellow Diablo vets, but it's 2017 so eh. There are bigger sins out there in terms of sequels.

[Nabbis]

I also don't understand why people like Overwatch. I feel that after about two decades of gaming and having experienced UT, Quake and CS etc with all of the mods they had to offer, something like Overwatch is very boring for me.

If you haven't but might like to try it and see what the deal is, here's a free demo: http://store.steampowered.com/app/444090/Paladins/

I do have the game but i don't like it very much. Thought that since it sold shitloads i would at least play it a little but i have only about 5h in total.

[Valkyrie]

It's fine to not like Overwatch.

Personally I find it to be one of those games I enjoy a billion times more if I play with someone I know, someone who just wants to have fun. But I can't play it too much, especially if I start to get annoyed at my team.

[toku]

They just spent too much time reworking D3 it's probably not worth it dumping more content into it. Everything post RoS has felt like stuff they've retooled from a failed big expansions/dlc. Bunch of stuff from job posting to ex d2 staffers showing up at blizzard in the past yr orr two seems to hint that they're in early stage of a new diablo.

We'll probably see something on that in 2020 if it doesn't get cancelled and changed into some other new IP though. Diablo's Battlegrounds: Sanctuary coming 2019.

 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I think we just have to accept that much like there isn't really a place for massive RTS' anymore (SC) there might not be one for an ARPG either. Bless up.

[close]

[AdmiralViscen]

Torchlight devs shit canned

[thisismyusername]

Torchlight devs shit canned

I really wanted to like Torchlight and Torchlight 2, but they were just so... boring. It's the same problem Diablo 3 has for me.

[Valkyrie]

The first was fun (but boring in the long run), didn't play much of the second since D3 came out and I got burned out on that first. But RIP Runic Games anyway. :'(

[Rufus]

Torchlight devs shit canned

Their last game, Hob, must have really bombed hard. I didn't even know it existed until the GB quick look. I wonder if they knew they were done and just made it as their swan song.

[AdmiralViscen]

It looked good in that QL

[Rufus]

Five year gap between TL2 and Hob. Phew.

[benjipwns]

The first was fun (but boring in the long run), didn't play much of the second since D3 came out and I got burned out on that first. But RIP Runic Games anyway. :'(

Torchlight devs shit canned

Their last game, Hob, must have really bombed hard. I didn't even know it existed until the GB quick look. I wonder if they knew they were done and just made it as their swan song.

All the founders except maybe one had already bailed out of Runic, especially after they sold the company to Perfect World (all the way back in 2010 when they were still considering that Torchlight MMO), the Schaefers (original Diablo guys) and Travis Baldree left in 2014 to join the company working on Rebel Galaxy.

I don't want to say for sure but I think a lot of the Flagship guys who came over in the first place were only there for the first Torchlight, and the start of Torchlight II, then after they sold the company they went off to make Rebel Galaxy. With the rest of the Relic founders coming along after finishing off II. The release date/development timelines line up for much of the original Runic (which was like 20 some people) having mostly moved over and released Rebel Galaxy in 2015, which is when Hob supposedly started development.

Perfect World's statement on Relic basically says "they weren't making an MMO or anything we could sell microtransactions for, and that's like the entire reason we exist so..."

Perfect World also says it's going to continue the Torchlight IP. They also fired half the people behind GIGANTIC too.

[Raist]

SCII goes F2P.

[desert punk]

Afaik only the Terran campaign and multiplayer tho.

[Raist]

Might as well, the campaigns are weak anyway.

[desert punk]

Yeah 

The Terrain campaign was half-way decent tho.

[Raist]

Thought the zerg's was the best. Terran had way too much time limit BS.

Still a massive downgrade compared to SC/BW tho.

[Joe Molotov]

[thisismyusername]

Torchlight devs shit canned

Their last game, Hob, must have really bombed hard. I didn't even know it existed until the GB quick look. I wonder if they knew they were done and just made it as their swan song.

Apparently it had 50,000 owners within a month on Steam. Which shouldn't be that bad, but I guess the investment by Perfect Worlds was much bigger than that.

SCII goes F2P.

*crickets* At least those that own the game before it goes F2P get a crappy avatar as thanks.

@Benji: I only know of Perfect World due to the Final Fantasy Agito Online mobile MMOARPG game. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have even known they owned Torchlight. So it's funny that they're canning them and doing more mobile MMO's.

[Valkyrie]

Why would you skip TBC? Best expansion (even though I acknowledge it's the best, Wrath is still my favorite).

"You know it's always been hard to recommend WoW knowing the leveling is so out of whack"

It's been super duper casual-friendly for years now.

[nachobro]

Because Hellfire Penninsula sucks ass if you are leveling there

[nachobro]

As is you really don't need TBC to level very much because of how much XP you'd get. And if you had heirlooms, it was wild. Hellfire for like 1-2 level, get the rest by playing like 40% of Zang and then off to Wrath.

[Valkyrie]

Nostalgia always hurts.

[eleuin]

https://twitter.com/Random_Factor/status/927372057347735552

[Cerveza mas fina]

MoP is the best expansion.

Panda Land.

the only expansion I skipped

[Valkyrie]

But the Garrisons are obsolete with Legion, you don't have to care about them. But seriously why do you even care about the game when all you do is whine? smh

[Nabbis]

Because I was considering resubbing.

Don't, it's crap.

Also. Leveling in TBC fucking sucks, scaling or not. I very much doubt they will ever make questing as hard as it was where elites actually required three people(or rolling a hunter).

[nachobro]

Class Halls are basically still Garrisons, but a bit more hands off iirc.

[Raist]

Completely forgot about the WCS finals.

*Checks Grand Finale matchup*

ZvZ

 

nvm

[nachobro]

If I wasn't currently playing the shit out of Mario, I'd probably have resubbed too

[nachobro]

 

[Valkyrie]

Can you just make your own WoW thread instead of posting about it in 2-3 different places?

[nachobro]

I enjoy your WoW posts even if I don't always agree with them. They keep me from resubbing (usually)