Jump to content
FORUMS
Sign in to follow this  
Damien

Dev Watercooler: Scenarios

Recommended Posts

Blizzard Official WoW Blog

Posted Image

We recently began revealing the Scenarios you’ll experience at level 90 in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria on our preview site. As the final tweaks are being made, we thought it would be a good time to sit down with Senior Game Designer Dave Maldonado and Game Designer Jonathan LeCraft for a little behind-the-scenes perspective on this unique new system.

Q: What do Scenarios bring to World of Warcraft that we haven't seen before?

Dave Maldonado: From a technological standpoint, almost everything in the system is new. Players are obviously going to see the World of Warcraft they know and love when they're running Scenarios, but all of the technology driving what we can do with Scenarios is new, and we took that as an opportunity to really indulge in new ways of interacting with the players, the NPCs, and the environment. It was a lot of work to design the technology, with a whole new UI, and new tracking systems and so forth, and while that programming was going on, we got to dream up and implement a lot of randomization and many new things for monsters to do and for the environment to do.

Jon LeCraft: With Scenarios, we can do even more than we could previously do with group quests, because even with phasing and all of our options in the outdoor world, there were a number of things that we still wanted to bring to the game. We can now change the environment and change the ways things spawn and change the behavior of enemies on the fly, and that opens up nearly infinite possibilities.

Posted Image

The Battle of Theramore, Alliance Scenario

Dave Maldonado: My favorite example is the concept of a ship that you want to destroy by setting it on fire. So you could storm the ship, kill everyone on-board, and then burn it down. But what happens when you decide to sneak on to the ship, leave everyone alive, and set the fire while they're all standing around? In Scenarios, we have a lot of flexibility to imagine the different ways that players might choose to play, and have the NPCs and the environment react to that more naturally. The result is — you're going to see all those NPCs on the ship jump off because it's on fire, and then look back at it in amazement. Other NPCs that were making deliveries to the ship before it became a floating inferno are going to react to the change in their world. Instead of trying to put the box that they're carrying on the boat, or despawning and disappearing before your eyes, or something else unrealistic, they're going to stop and gawk at the flames.

Q: We've seen Scenarios compared to dungeons a lot, yet you're comparing them to group quests. What aspects of Scenarios are like dungeons, and what aspects are like group quests, and what’s just new?

Jon LeCraft: For one, you're in a group and you start the Scenario by going into the Dungeon Finder, and if you aren't in a group, one will be provided for you. That's dungeon-like. Also, Scenarios have a boss at the end.

Dave Maldonado: The boss at the end brings everyone together.

Jon LeCraft: They're very different than the bosses you're used to, though, because Scenarios are designed to be completed by three characters of any spec.

Posted Image

The Greenstone Village Scenario

Dave Maldonado: We're still tuning and discussing exactly how difficult Scenarios will be, but there are many major differences between Scenario bosses and dungeon bosses. Scenario bosses often can't be tanked, or tanking isn't very helpful. They can be easier than dungeon bosses, because they have to be feasible for three DPS players, but they can also be much more difficult than dungeon bosses, because they can have very high damage attacks that must be avoided by the players. These encounters aren't designed in a way that you can tank or heal through their massive attacks. You either pay attention to the signs that an attack is coming and avoid it, or you fail.

Jon LeCraft: Because there won't always be a certain number of interrupts, or a certain amount of aggro control or healing in a Scenario, these boss encounters rely on placement, timing, and pattern recognition.

Dave Maldonado: At the same time, there are many different things you can do to bosses in Scenarios. You can often crowd-control them, or stun them, or interrupt what they're doing. This would make them very easy to deal with in other circumstances, but they have a huge health pool and the ability to deal massive amounts of damage. Very few can be "tank-and-spanked."

Q: As World of Warcraft players, how would you describe the Scenario experience?

Dave Maldonado: Watching other players test Scenarios, and testing them ourselves, they’re really what I would call a “pure WoW” experience. They give you the option to do a lot more with your character than in other aspects of the game. In PvP, for instance, there isn’t a lot of room for experimenting, or using all of your spells, or even using most of your spells -- unless you want to get killed. In Scenarios, we see every class, every spec, and every style of play being viable. Furthermore, Scenarios are places where you get to experiment with how you move through the environment. There are all sorts of things you can skip, or choose to interact with that someone else might skip, and those decisions you make will have a noticeable impact on what happens next in that Scenario.

Posted Image

Jon LeCraft: I keep coming back to that. Choosing to interact with things is a constant in Scenarios. A huge ghost mob might be mind-controllable. An urn might be something that you can try to access, and it might drop a few gold for you while spawning a couple of mobs that you have to deal with.

Q: What’s coming next for this system?

Dave Maldonado: More Scenarios! We’ve got a lot of really cool ideas, and this is content that we hope to make even more of as we start producing post-expansion content patches.

You can check out feature pages on the Greenstone Village and A Brewing Storm Scenarios on our Mists of Pandaria website.

(Source)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

  • Similar Content

    • By Staff
      As the Microsoft-Activision deal closes, Bobby Kotick will only stay on as CEO through the end of the year and leave on January 1, 2024.
      Placeholder for tweet 1712818483442987422 Based on the value of his shares, Robert Kotick will leave with around $400 million and if Microsoft/Xbox wants to get rid of Kotick, he will also receive a minimum payout of $250 million.

      Image courtesy of Dexterto.
    • By Staff
      According to WSJ, Bobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision Blizzard, has floated the idea of buying TikTok to potential partners.
      Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has reportedly shown interest in purchasing TikTok, as legislation in the U.S. threatens to ban or force the sale of the popular app over national security concerns.
      Kotick is said to be seeking partners for the potential acquisition, discussing the opportunity with notable figures including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The move comes amid growing scrutiny over TikTok's data privacy practices and its ties to China, with U.S. lawmakers pushing for decisive action.
      You can read the whole news piece over at WSJ.
      Bobby Kotick left his position at Activision Blizzard in December 2023 after Microsoft finalized its purchase of the company. Post-acquisition, he reportedly received over $375 million, as detailed by Forbes.
      Source: WSJ 
    • By Staff
      Blizzard games like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Overwatch 2 might soon make a comeback in China, thanks to Blizzard reportedly teaming up again with NetEase.
      The news comes from Core Esports, which suggests Blizzard's game services could be back by the end of March or the beginning of April.
      After 14 years of partnership, Blizzard and NetEase hit a rough patch in 2022, leading to failed negotiations. Consequently, when the licensing agreement concluded on January 23, 2023, Blizzard's game services were suspended across mainland China.
      For more details, you can check out the article in Chinese or find an English translation by Amy Chen on esports.gg.
    • By Stan
      With Johanna Faires recently taking on the role of the new President at Blizzard, let's delve into the history of Blizzard Presidents from 1991 up to the present.
      Allen Adham served as President from 1991 to 1998. Mike Morhaime held the position of President and CEO from 1998 to 2018. J. Allen Brack assumed the role of President between 2018 and 2021. In 2021, Jen O'neal was named Co-Leader of Blizzard alongside Mike Ybarra. However, she chose to leave the company after just three months. Following her departure, Mike Ybarra took over as President until a few weeks ago when he also announced his departure from the company on January 25, 2024. Johanna Faires was appointed as Blizzard's President on January 29, 2024.
      We've come across a Reddit post where someone alleges to have worked at Blizzard during Mike Morhaime's tenure as President, continuing through Ybarra's leadership. We can't vouch for the accuracy of their statement, but here's what they had to share with the community.
      Source: Reddit
    • By Staff
      Blizzard Entertainment has named Johanna Faires as its new president, taking over from Mike Ybarra, who left the company last week.
      Before this role, Faires served as the General Manager of the Call of Duty franchise at Activision. She previously spent 12 years working at the NFL.
      “It is important to note that Call of Duty’s way of waking up in the morning to deliver for players can often differ from the stunning games in Blizzard’s realm: each with different gameplay experiences, communities that surround them, and requisite models of success,”
      "I’ve discussed this with the Blizzard leadership team and I’m walking into this role with sensitivity to those dynamics, and deep respect for Blizzard, as we begin to explore taking our universes to even higher heights.”
      This leadership change follows the announcement by Phil Spencer, the Head of Xbox, and Matt Booty, the President of Game Studios, about massive layoffs across Activision Blizzard and Xbox.
      Faires will start on February 5 and she will hold a town hall shortly afterward at the Blizzard campus in Irvine, California.
      Johanna sent the following mail to Blizzard employees this morning:
      (Source)
      Dear Blizzard,
      Though my official first day with you all is February 5, I want to let you know immediately that it is an honor to join you next week in this new capacity. I do so humbly and in awe of all that Blizzard has stood for and delivered to the world for over thirty years. Today also brings some mixed emotions. The loss of talented teammates in recent days is hard to hold side-by-side with the immense excitement I feel about joining Blizzard – and building on the momentum you’ve created for Blizzard’s next chapter.
      I want to thank Matt for the introduction, bring some further clarity to today’s announcement, and share more about how I see our future together at Blizzard. I understand this is a lot to take in. The news of my appointment may no doubt bring up a range of reactions, questions, even concerns.
      Activision, Blizzard, and King are decidedly different companies with distinct games, cultures, and communities. It is important to note that Call of Duty’s way of waking up in the morning to deliver for players can often differ from the stunning games in Blizzard’s realm: each with different gameplay experiences, communities that surround them, and requisite models of success. I’ve discussed this with the Blizzard leadership team and I’m walking into this role with sensitivity to those dynamics, and deep respect for Blizzard, as we begin to explore taking our universes to even higher heights.
      I am committed to doing everything I can to help Blizzard thrive, with care and consideration for you and for our games, each unique and special in their own right. I’m optimistic about our ability to serve our current and future player communities, and to further amplify the shared passion for greatness, polish, and creative mastery that is a hallmark of Blizzard’s approach to game-making.
      Next week, I will be in Irvine and I am eager to connect with as many of you as possible. I will be scheduling informal (and totally optional) meet-and-greets, where I want to hear more from people across the organization. Those of you who cannot make it to those gatherings or aren’t located in Irvine, please feel free to email me. We are also planning a town hall meeting to be held in the near future.
      A few personal facts about me: my #1 job in life is raising two amazing boys. In addition to parenthood, a typical week for me includes finding time for daily yoga and prayer, and of course, playing video games (big Diablo IV fan over here!). Throughout, the joy I find in games – and working with those who make them – only deepens.
      I remain inspired by Blizzard’s iconic legacy, and the transformative role gaming has played in my life and in the lives of others. I cannot wait to get going – to listen, to learn, to empower, and to collaborate with all of you on our bold and bright future together. Together, may we forge many legendary days ahead.
      Johanna
      For more details, check out the full article on Bloomberg.
×
×
  • Create New...