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So the conspiracies are floating around out there, and I've taken some time to read through and, the information is fairly, impressive to say the least.

We've known for several years Blizzard is working on a "next gen" MMO, and it's not Diablo, Warcraft or Starcraft related. It's a new IP, or at least if the evidence shows true, a new IP for the company.

Due to the leaked slideshow presentation a few weeks ago, we know they are targeting a 2013 release, and it's named Titan (or at least codenamed).

Basically, what most of us think? It's Halo Online.

Evidence? Well, some are known facts, others are, pretty good educated guesses;

- The codename for the Halo MMO that was being worked on years ago but never got anywhere, was Titan, by Ensemble Studios.

- Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street, big time guy at Blizzard, used to work for Ensemble Studios before coming Blizzard.

- Activision and Bungle have a 10 year agreement, so theres still games to be made there, or at least with the IP. Activison now owns Blizzard, currently.

- In Feburary of 2007, Thirty Rock Season 1 Episode 15 "Hard Ball", the credits had "Promotional consideration furnished by Blizzard Entertainment.". The interesting part? No where in this episode was there any dialog or footage of Diablo, Starcraft or Warcraft. The only game that had footage shown? Halo.

- One of the jobs listed by Blizzards HR department (most likely direct towards Titan) is them looking for a "Science Fiction Texture Artist". That could relate to something Starcraft related but it also could be Halo related too.

- When Blizzard starting hiring staff for Titan, hiring began in 2007, around the same time as the previously mentioned episode of Thirty Rock.



What do you think? Theory hold weight or just connecting dots that don't exist? I find the tv show reference to be pretty oddball for sure. I've never played Halo so.. I cant say "omg super excited" but hey, could be cool right?

Halo != new IP.

But then again it's Blizzard, any new IP will probably remind you of someone else's IP... so they might as well do a Halo MMO.

As with everything else, the movie they put out beforehand is going to be amazing! I'll wait & see about the game.

Counter-points:
- Blizzard has said all along that the new MMO project is a new IP. Halo is not a new IP.
- Activision doesn't actually own Blizzard. It's more of a partnership, and Blizzard has full power to make anything they damned well please. The company is called Activision Blizzard.

God I hope not. Nothing against Halo or anything like that, but I love ALL of Blizzard's games and seeing something original from them would be excellent.

That said, can't wait for Diablo 3, ye yeaaaah.

I just hope World of Warcraft gets one more expansion and they finally stop with the updates. I'd like either Warcraft IV or WoW 2 please.

A lot of people speculate that Cataclysm's endgame is leading up to a Warcraft 4.

I wish they hadn't gimped Cataclysm by making it only a 5 level expac. When I was able to gain a level in the first day of playing the 10 day trial with no rested XP, I basically put it down and never looked back. I did like that a lot of the storylines from vanilla wow were revamped (Like the lead up to Deadmines)

The leaked calender that showed off the Titan schedule also posted about 3 more expansions for WoW over the course of 4 years. There won't be a "Part 2".

Jiarn said:

The leaked calender that showed off the Titan schedule also posted about 3 more expansions for WoW over the course of 4 years. There won't be a "Part 2".

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I guess that could happen, since I have seen an ad for yet another Everquest Expansion. I just think WoW should start over at some point. 100 levels might get to be a bit off-putting to a new user.

They won't make a WoW 2 anytime soon. They'll simply go the City of Heroes route by updating/adding zones and gameplay ad infinitium and releasing new engine updates when it proves necessary/feasible. Once they feel that it's become too difficult to improve the engine, THEN they will make a new one.

Adammon said:

I wish they hadn't gimped Cataclysm by making it only a 5 level expac. When I was able to gain a level in the first day of playing the 10 day trial with no rested XP, I basically put it down and never looked back. I did like that a lot of the storylines from vanilla wow were revamped (Like the lead up to Deadmines)

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Get to level 83 and then get back to us. They made the first level as a freeby because they wanted to ease you into the fact that every quest later on gives you like 1-2% of your level at the most since the experience rewards don't scale compared to the requirement as much as they did in WOTLK. Just look at the scaling.

The total amount of experience required from 80-85 is 22,180,300.
The amount of experience to reach 80-81 is 1,686,300.
The mount of experience to reach 84-85 is 9,165,100.

Now going back. The total amount of experience required from 70-80 was 15,965,800.
The amount of experiance to reach 70-71 was 1,523,800.
The amount of experience to reach 79-80 was 1,670,800.

Really, Cataclysm leveling is not gimped at all since the new levels ramp up in scale so much. The only big difference is we get a nice flashy "ding" less. We even get the same amount of skills and talent points we would have if they made it 80-90.

As for Titan, I am going to wait to see what comes of it. The evidence of it being a HALO franchise is good, but the fact Blizzard has called it a brand new IP makes me think otherwise. One theory that may work is that Blizzard takes what Ensemble did in the past for the Halo MMO and are spinning it into a new IP from the basic skeleton. I can see them doing that, which would explain why the projects have the same codename.

Why would I get back to you? I've already given up. Making the amount of experience needed even higher just makes the game that much more boring. Coupled with the fact that from 1 to 80 they gimped the skills you received AND you could only put skill points into one tree eliminated any kind of individuality through the whole process. I played a lot of WoW, right from the beginning right up to the end of WotLK. I think it's past its prime

I think you really have no clue what happened in Cataclysm.

There's MUCH more customization with the smaller talent trees than there ever was with the 51pt trees. If you're playing an MMO and finding leveling boring? Then you shouldn't be playing an MMO, that's what they are, grind machines. Gimped skills you recieve? Are you kidding? Warlocks have felguards at level 10 now, it's amazing how much more fun the game got from 1-80.

I think you're just one of those people who burned out at the end of Wrath, got expansionitis, then refused to really look at what was the end result.

Holy shit? Felguards at level 10! That's just fucking amazing! That eliminates the whole fact that the game feels like WoW with training wheels, that only one tree is accessible to add points to, that you can't downrank spells because there's only ever one rank of spells, that healing is now fucking retardedly more boring now than it was previously, that they've accelerated the health curves so much that while back in vanilla WoW a group of 30s could conceivably kill off a level 60 character, a level 85 character has more health than god and a group of 80s may have difficulty dealing with him.

But yeah, those newbies who have never played before, have access to a felguard, which they didn't even know they were missing! yay!

Adammon said:

Why would I get back to you? I've already given up. Making the amount of experience needed even higher just makes the game that much more boring. Coupled with the fact that from 1 to 80 they gimped the skills you received AND you could only put skill points into one tree eliminated any kind of individuality through the whole process. I played a lot of WoW, right from the beginning right up to the end of WotLK. I think it's past its prime

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Your last post implied leveling was "gimped" because you were leveling to quickly. I explained that those five levels, on the scale, equal to ten levels worth of increases, with each level becoming progressively harder rather then the smooth curve it was in BC and WOTLK. Thus they were not really "gimped" as you were implying. You still get the same amount of talent points and skills you would if it was ten levels.

If you find scaling the same amount over five levels rather then ten is "lame" I can't really change that. That is just preference in perception.

As for your other complaints, I just disagree. The talent revamp was one of the better things to happen to the game in awhile. Individuality in specs never existed, because either you put all your points in one tree to progress to the badly needed skills, or you put points into two trees and hopelessly gimped yourself.

Making each tree forced allows new players to better learn their playstyle rather then limp through the game because they decided to put points into block and two-hander specialization, and allows veterans like me to better hone my specs without having to find out that I have to give up "that talent in my main tree" for "this talent over in that tree" just to be competitive because someone found a loophole spec.

You think WoW is past it's prime, that is your opinion, and I really can't change that. All I ask is that you look at it fairly and don't make claims in which you don't have experience, like the arguement about leveling being "gimped".

Hey look, I realize that you're the resident Blow-WoWer, but it's just a game, and it sucks now.

Plus a whole underwater area? That was just fucking stupid. Look at me as I fast-run across the sea floor.

Healers have all been given an efficient normal heal, a slow big heal, and an inefficient fast heal, along with the ability to both raid heal and tank heal depending on the situation. So, really, they have more tools, not fewer. Blizzard really just took the only real benefit of down-ranking (efficient smaller heals) and just made it a different spell, thus eliminating the need for spell ranks. Plus, at level 85, the health ratio to healing spells was greatly increased, so there's less mindless spamming of heals and much more healing decisions to be made. If anything, wrath healing was boring spamming of one spell, or possibly two if you went the exciting route. Now, at least, healers are pushed to actually make decisions and do a bit of triage.

Giving things like Felguards to a level 10 makes each spec within a class feel much more individual, not less. Now you actually feel like a demonology warlock, or an enhancement shaman, or an arms warrior right away, rather than 50-60 levels into gameplay.

As far as eliminating choices with single-tree talent specs, that's not really true, either. Before, there were always 1-2 cookie-cutter specs that were the "right" way to do it, with little to no freedom to take utility talents. Now, the "mandatory" talents are mostly eliminated, giving actually more freedom in customization of character abilities with the utility talents. Sure, they're situationally beneficial, but no player is going to make or break his healing/tanking/DPS by taking any combination of them.
Added at: 16:44

Adammon said:

Hey look, I realize that you're the resident Blow-WoWer, but it's just a game, and it sucks now.

Plus a whole underwater area? That was just fucking stupid. Look at me as I fast-run across the sea floor.

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Ahh, the old talk hyperbole, and then dismiss any other comments while I stick my fingers in my ears and hum to myself technique.

I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Also, as a disc priest, Cataclysm sucks. So nyagh.

Adammon said:

That eliminates the whole fact that the game feels like WoW with training wheels

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The endgame is not training wheels. And while 1-80 is definitely faster due to the re-balanced xp system, it's really no more or less difficult, content-to-content then it ever was before, except now, of course, the content is much more interesting and the zones change progressively as storylines evolve.

that only one tree is accessible to add points to

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While I understand this critique, all they've really done is formalize what was happening already. The viability of multi-tree builds was mostly long-gone already, and trying to make every possible talent combo equally viable would have been a balancing nightmare and insanely difficult for new players to get into.

you can't downrank spells because there's only ever one rank of spells

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We'll have to differ obviously, because this was a welcome change. Re-doing spells so different spells are capable of varying levels of dmg/healing/effect is a much smarter approach than requiring people to be intimately familiar with the various levels of spell-ranks.

that healing is now fucking retardedly more boring now than it was previously

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You have no idea what you're talking about here. Healing hasn't been this difficult since vanilla.

I know what's fucking stupid.

Ok, this derailed fast. How about making a WoW thread or something? I'm sure it could hold it's own thread while some of you call it lame and some of you call it the greatest thing ever.

The new IP sounds interesting. Is anyone able to tell me what "next gen MMO" means?

Krisken said:

Ok, this derailed fast. How about making a WoW thread or something? I'm sure it could hold it's own thread while some of you call it lame and some of you call it the greatest thing ever.

The new IP sounds interesting. Is anyone able to tell me what "next gen MMO" means?

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"Less fucking stupid than the last one"

Krisken said:

Ok, this derailed fast. How about making a WoW thread or something? I'm sure it could hold it's own thread while some of you call it lame and some of you call it the greatest thing ever.

The new IP sounds interesting. Is anyone able to tell me what "next gen MMO" means?

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Something to do when WoW's development has run its course. They're unlikely to cannibalize their own MMO, so it'll either be catering to a completely different audience with a different genre altogether, or they won't release it until WoW interest has dwindled to roughly under 25% of its current subscription level.

So there is no specific requirement for it to qualify as "next gen MMO"? Shame. I hate buzz words and was hoping it might mean a change in game play from traditional MMO's in some way.

Lame.

Krisken said:

So there is no specific requirement for it to qualify as "next gen MMO"? Shame. I hate buzz words and was hoping it might mean a change in game play from traditional MMO's in some way.

Lame.

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Instead of using a computer, you'll have to buy an ipad to play.

Ewwww, Apple. I'd rather play Bejewled.

Krisken said:

Ewwww, Apple. I'd rather play Bejewled.

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Good thing you can play that on your ipad too!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bejeweled-2-blitz/id284832142?mt=8

Adammon said:

Hey look, I realize that you're the resident Blow-WoWer, but it's just a game, and it sucks now.

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I know it's just a game, anyone that plays with me knows I don't really take the game as serious as some people think.

I simply want facts rather then just bitter whining, which you were demonstrating rather heavily. I thought I was being pretty civil about it, so not sure why you had to go all "wah wah you fanboy" on me. It kind of hurts your argument when you can't counter my written points with anything other then "It sucks".

that healing is now fucking retardedly more boring now than it was previously

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You know, I really can't take your arguments seriously. This right here is either extremely ignorant of the way healing has moved in Cataclysm, or you are just doing it to be obnoxious now. Either way, no point continuing to discuss.

Is anyone able to tell me what "next gen MMO" means?

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While I could go into the whole history of the term, it pretty much just a fancy way of saying "Newer (and maybe better) then the last one we made"

-sigh- I thought Adammon was really trying to have a conversation with us, he was just faceroll trolling. Oh well.

::Gives up, marks this as another forum to stay out of::

How does one reconcile putting "No point in continuing to discuss" in a response to a post?

Krisken said:

So there is no specific requirement for it to qualify as "next gen MMO"? Shame. I hate buzz words and was hoping it might mean a change in game play from traditional MMO's in some way.

Lame.

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There's basically no information on it besides that it's a new IP and it's called project Titan. Beyond that, it's complete speculation, so next gen MMO could mean something, or it could mean nothing, just depends what you want to read into it.

Either way, I'd guess it's at least 3 years from release, so there'll be plenty of time to learn what's up with it in the interim.

Piotyr said:

Counter-points:
- Blizzard has said all along that the new MMO project is a new IP. Halo is not a new IP.
- Activision doesn't actually own Blizzard. It's more of a partnership, and Blizzard has full power to make anything they damned well please. The company is called Activision Blizzard.

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Another point to be added is that Bungie doesn't own Halo, Microsoft does. Any new Halo games will come from Microsoft/343 Industries, not Bungie/Activision.

The suspicion has long been that Blizzard's long-talked-about 'next-gen MMO' would have a science-fiction theme, but you're more likely to see a 'World of Starcraft' than a Halo MMO.

I am hoping more of World of Starcraft. It is doable on a large scale. (in my mind anyways) It would be weird to do another WoW since WoW is pretty popular and top of the sub levels. I don't think Bliz is going to pull EQ2 against EQ fiasco.

Chibibar said:

I am hoping more of World of Starcraft. It is doable on a large scale. (in my mind anyways) It would be weird to do another WoW since WoW is pretty popular and top of the sub levels. I don't think Bliz is going to pull EQ2 against EQ fiasco.

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GW kinda already went there with that 40k MMO they have in the works... and SC isn't a new IP...

If they're gonna use an old IP then Lost Vikings MMO pls.

What is consider new IP? A whole new world and story? Technically anything "new" is not really new per se. You already have tons of different type of MMO out there from 8-bits, legoes, fantasy, space, cutesy (hellp kitty), and fiction (zombie base)

Well it's Blizzard, so it means it will be a new world and story that will remind you of another world made by another company... unless they went the Diablo route... did Blizz acquire any new companies lately?!

@Li3n said:

Well it's Blizzard, so it means it will be a new world and story that will remind you of another world made by another company... unless they went the Diablo route... did Blizz acquire any new companies lately?!

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hehe.. good one I actually giggle on that one.

I thought they came out and said it wasn't going to be based on any of their pre-existing worlds? Which was stupid... because it SHOULD have bee World of Starcraft.

AshburnerX said:

I thought they came out and said it wasn't going to be based on any of their pre-existing worlds?

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That's kinda the whole definition of a new IP.

Which was stupid... because it SHOULD have bee World of Starcraft.

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Yeah, i for one would like to see more SC RTS's at some point in the future, 10x.

Actually what he meant was a WoW engine style game set in the universe of Starcraft.

Yes... what does that have to do with the fact that i was decrying the fact that we'll never gt WC4, or if we do it will just be one of those set-up stories for the changes between WoW and WoW2?!

Amen. I hope we never see a Starcraft mmo