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So it is around that time that Blizzard will be getting ready to reveal the next WoW expansion, likely at the upcoming BlizzCon. The first clue has been found, the same way Cataclysm was, though recently placed trademarks.

The last trademark placed by Blizzard was one for "computer game software", and the name of the trademark is "Mists of Pandaria".

Rumors are already flying that this will be the big introduction to the long awaited Pandaren, whether playable or not, and will obviously involve their home island, Pandaria.

However, take this info with a grain of salt. Blizzard knows that Cataclysm (and even Wrath of the Lich King before it) got the names leaked during trademark registration. It may very well be they registered this name to throw us off a bit, as the name seems almost to obvious. We will have to wait and see.

I wish I still cared enough about WoW to get excited about this year's Blizzcon. It's a strange feeling, having have been such a rabid fan girl for 6 years to suddenly just shrug and go about my business.

I wonder what the new "Hero" class - Races will be though.

I could so easily fall back into WoW, but I'm still resisting the urge to play. Sure is pretty, though. >.>

Shegokigo said:

I wish I still cared enough about WoW to get excited about this year's Blizzcon. It's a strange feeling, having have been such a rabid fan girl for 6 years to suddenly just shrug and go about my business.

I wonder what the new "Hero" class - Races will be though.

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I'm with you on this one. We went out and bought TWO collectors edition on Cataclysm...... and played for two whole month and left. There was a bad taste in our mouth so we quit. haven't look back since.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, fucking Cataclysm.

I'd like to say that I won't fall for it again, but I'm never going to say never.

YAAWWWWNNNNNNN.....

I could care less about WoW anymore. I tried to defib myself into playing again; I bought a month of playtime. I logged on, ran around Stormwind a few times and never logged back on again. WoW has run its course for me.

I don't know what it is about Cataclysm that just turned me off to the game entirely.

I actually really liked Cataclysm, I just got a new job and decided I didn't want to come home and grind for hours instead of vegging out in front of the TV and playing with my cat.

See for me, its that Rift is such a better game on a gameplay level that there's just not enough that WoW could do to get me back. Cataclysm was a monumental let down for me and when I found Rift I couldn't believe I ignored it so long.

The best way I can put it is -

WoW has become McDonald's: a name brand a large number of people are familiar with worldwide, has a ridiculously large marketing budget and shiny to look at but the food is mediocre at best, so they're surviving and even thriving mostly on name power.

Rift is that local food place that has the best food you've ever had, the service there is a breath of fresh air, the menu (while similar to mcdonalds) is just done better in every way. Sadly they don't have a huge cliental due to a bumpy start and just doesn't have that powerhouse marketing dept.

I own so many WoW novels, statues, my car still has WoW decals on it but it just doesn't pull me in when I drive past anymore.

With WoW it's just too damned easy now to level. Make a level 1 toon and get him (or her) to level 85. How long would that take? Couple days of good play? Now everyone is level 85 and you raid the same things over and over.

Want to know what I felt was one of the biggest backfires of Cata? Old world flying.

I mean I cheered too when they first announced it but seeing Stormwind clouded by flying asses, I felt alot was lost.

Shegokigo said:

Want to know what I felt was one of the biggest backfires of Cata? Old world flying.

I mean I cheered too when they first announced it but seeing Stormwind clouded by flying asses, I felt alot was lost.

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That didn't bother me, so much, more that it felt like the endgame grind started so early in Cata. And I'd forgotten how frustrating progression raiding is.
Added at: 09:46
Mind, I'm probably coming back for the next expansion (100+ hours of guaranteed play over 3-4 months is a pretty good deal for the $$, IMO), but WoW's approach to grind is one of the things that really dates the game for me.

Compare that to something like EvE, which is debatably more grindy, but feels much less so because its a living universe; you're not grinding to get to the next cool thing upon which you have to grind something new, you're grinding what you already find fun and profit it from it more or less immediately (you might have to spend some time stockpiling ore or waiting for a particular market condition, but what you're holding onto will always be of value).

Is why I'm really looking forward to The Secret World and World of Darkness. Will likely only stick with one of those at the most, but I like what I hear about what they're doing.

WoW has become McDonald's: a name brand a large number of people are familiar with worldwide, has a ridiculously large marketing budget and shiny to look at but the food is mediocre at best, so they're surviving and even thriving mostly on name power.

Rift is that local food place that has the best food you've ever had, the service there is a breath of fresh air, the menu (while similar to mcdonalds) is just done better in every way. Sadly they don't have a huge cliental due to a bumpy start and just doesn't have that powerhouse marketing dept.

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Meh, I don't really agree. RIFT was a rather large letdown for me. As much as Cataclysm pissed me off, I would still play it over RIFT. Going with your comparison it was the new flashy restaurant that moved in next to McDonalds, claimed it had better food, but then tasted like Taco Bell. At least that is how it ended up to me.

In the end I am just happy us WoW players might actually see the Pandaren, I have been wanting them in the game forever and it almost seemed like it was never going to happen. Hopefully by the time the new expansions come out, they can fix some of my problems with Cataclysm like the rigid quest flow and guild levels taking to damn long. Wishful thinking, but hey, I still enjoy the game and would like to continue enjoying it. If the next expansion fails I will have to find another MMO (Maybe SWTOR).

And the FPs are EVERYWHERE!

Dave said:

And the FPs are EVERYWHERE!

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That was one of the best things about the expansion! I also love the ability to fly in old world, though they probably could have made the level you can train it a bit higher. Maybe I have just played to long, but the "scale" of the planet was only becoming a hindrance rather then a plus for me, I saw everything that could be seen, I was simply ready to get around it faster.

ScytheRexx said:

If the next expansion fails I will have to find another MMO (Maybe SWTOR).

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Hopefully, SWTOR will be good. And hey, maybe Titan will blow everyone away.

SpecialKO said:

Hopefully, SWTOR will be good. And hey, maybe Titan will blow everyone away.

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Titan is so far away though, I am not even going to think about it till I get an announcement.

Blizzard announces games like 3-4 years before we usually see them.

I was in one of the most hardcore raiding guilds in WoW (we ranked 81th US after completing Sunwell - think about that 25 players x 81 = Top 2000 players out of many millions) and were looking at the new expansion pack where a lot of us lost a lot of interest in, with the easier raiding, smaller instances, catering less to players who want to work on achieving great results and more towards the casual gamers in smaller guilds.

I don't know, the game felt wrong of all a sudden for me and I didn't care for it anymore. Several of us felt that way and moved on with our lives. Also, playing the same game without major upgrades to the graphics (which will not really happen since they want max amount of subscriptions) simply got to me after awhile.

I miss my old guild though, we had good times in Black Blood Battalion.

were looking at the new expansion pack where a lot of us lost a lot of interest in, with the easier raiding, smaller instances, catering less to players who want to work on achieving great results and more towards the casual gamers in smaller guilds.

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I don't really agree with that last point, mostly because the guild leveling system destroyed small casual guilds (one of my biggest problems with the expansion). I agree with the smaller instances and easier raiding though (however, I hear Ragnaros is one of the hardest bosses they have come out with in a long time. Only six guilds have taken him down so far)

ScytheRexx said:

Titan is so far away though, I am not even going to think about it till I get an announcement.

Blizzard announces games like 3-4 years before we usually see them.

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They have been working on it for 4 years, and it's supposedly coming out in 2013. Worst case, SWTOR or something can tide you over until then.

Or maybe you won't need it...

I could totally see the new hero class being a different style of healer class, like a monk or something that's more of a dps healer.

ScytheRexx said:

Meh, I don't really agree. RIFT was a rather large letdown for me. As much as Cataclysm pissed me off, I would still play it over RIFT. Going with your comparison it was the new flashy restaurant that moved in next to McDonalds, claimed it had better food, but then tasted like Taco Bell. At least that is how it ended up to me.

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That's just it though, it did have better food. The gameplay/systems in place are built on WoW's obviously but they are much more expanded upon and free to work with. WoW might be more polished (McDonalds) but it's no longer the superior product.

If you played RIFT any earlier than 2 months ago? I could see your stance. Now though? It's not the case.

People aren't playing/registering WoW today because it's the best game out there. They're doing it because it's the biggest/most well known. Let me try a different reference. It's Myspace before Facebook came out or Facebook before Google+ comes out.

That's just it though, it did have better food. The gameplay/systems in place are built on WoW's obviously but they are much more expanded upon and free to work with. WoW might be more polished (McDonalds) but it's no longer the superior product.

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I still don't agree. It had some interesting systems with the soul "talents" and such and random zone team encounters, but the feel of the game combined with the design felt derivative, and after some time playing beta and attempting retail during a gaming lull, I kept asking myself, "Why am I not just playing WoW?" Again, it feels like McDonalds to Taco Bell, when if I am going to switch and "give up" my old characters I invested into, I want some damn good In-And-Out. RIFT didn't have that for me, and that is just my opinion.

If you played RIFT any earlier than 2 months ago? I could see your stance. Now though? It's not the case.

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It has been way over 2 months, so maybe you are correct. I will try to give it another shot down the line when I free up my MMO time. To be honest though, other then the time traveling story of the Defiant, I really couldn't get into the story. I don't see that improving any more now then it did before.

People aren't playing/registering WoW today because it's the best game out there. They're doing it because it's the biggest/most well known. Let me try a different reference. It's Myspace before Facebook came out or Facebook before Google+ comes out.

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I can understand the comparison, though it does not really work on me, since I find all social networks to be equally ridiculous and stupid.

I started the RIFT trial yesterday and it just feels like WoW to me and makes me want to play WoW. :X

Shegokigo said:

That's just it though, it did have better food. The gameplay/systems in place are built on WoW's obviously but they are much more expanded upon and free to work with. WoW might be more polished (McDonalds) but it's no longer the superior product.

If you played RIFT any earlier than 2 months ago? I could see your stance. Now though? It's not the case.

People aren't playing/registering WoW today because it's the best game out there. They're doing it because it's the biggest/most well known. Let me try a different reference. It's Myspace before Facebook came out or Facebook before Google+ comes out.

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I'd say it's more like MacDonald's to A&W. Sure, one's larger and more well known and the other definitely has better product (in some opinions) but in the end, they're both fast food and fucking terrible for you.