WoW Dungeons & Raids Panel Rundown

I had a chance to sit up close and follow the WoW Dungeons & Raids Panel. You can read my rundown of the entire panel after the jump.

  • How an epic idea forms
    • Where is this place?
    • Who lives here?
    • What will players do?
    • Why is this epic?
  • Layout
    • Created in a 2D layout
    • Shows player flow
    • Bosses
    • Points of interest
  • Four Floors in Icecrown Citadel
  • Must kill 2 bosses in Sanctuary of the Gods to activate the elevator to access the rest of the instance.
  • Block it out
    • Layout in 3D
    • Very basic no or very little art
    • Ingame and playable
    • Check the scale... check it again... one more time.
    • Teleporters should be seen more like in Ulduar
    • This is a template for Artists
  • Dungeon Interaction
    • Doors and Elevators
    • Destructible objects
    • Choosing wisely
    • Works closely with Artists
  • Awesome Artists
    • Amazing Concepts
    • Dungeon Artists begins final art
    • Works closely with the design team
  • Encounter Design
    • Starts with a brainstorming session of the encounter team
    • They identify new art and technology they could use.
    • What makes it cool?
    • Provide variety
  • Bringing it to Life
    • Use their own custom tool called "Wowedit"
    • Creature placement
    • Spell creation
    • Action Scripting - Such as how mobs pat around while not in combat.
  • Playtesting
    • They play the Dungeons first
    • 5 people on the team
    • Lots of different iterations
    • Goes to QA and then to PTR
    • They do listen to feedback even know they don't respond.
  • Cataclysm Preview
    • Raids
      • Grim Batol
      • Skywall
      • Firelands
      • Blackwing Descent
    • Dungeons
      • Grim Batol
      • Uldum
      • Deepholme
      • Skywall
      • Abyssal Maw
      • Blackrock Cavern
    • Abyssal Maw
      • 5 player instance in the Sunken City of Vashj'ir
      • Has two wings.
      • The entrance is the giant vortex in the middle of the city that literally pulls you in.
      • Experience a dungeon on the ocean floor.
      • Non-linear dungeon
      • Windows on the sides of the dungeons that lets you take a peak into the world outside.
      • Levels 78-82
    • Halls of Origination
      • First of two dungeons in Uldum
      • The Ultimate Titan Dungeon
      • It is World of Warcraft's take on Egyptian pyramids.
      • Non-linear dungeon.
      • What will Brann Bronzebeard discover in these Halls?
      • There is a secret weapon rumoured to be located here that everyone wants.
    • Blackrock Cavern
      • Entirely new instance in Blackrock Mountain
      • Chance to reinvent a fan favourite
      • Occupied by the Twighlight Hammer
      • New art, loot, and creatures
      • Why is the Twighlight Hammer here?
      • The Beast still lurks...
  • Icecrown Citadel
    • 31 Bosses... 12 Bosses
    • Makes usage of teleporters similar to Ulduar
    • Sindragosa and the Lich King himself are here.
    • Four floors in the instance.
    • At one point you will ride your faction's airship and race the opposing faction to the top of the citadel.
    • You will need to use cannons and jet packs to board the other ship and disable it also while protecting your own.
    • The fourth floor will contain the Frozen Throne and the Lich King himself.
    • The floors will break and fall during the Arthas encounter.
  • Icecrown Dungeons
    • Three separate dungeons must be unlocked in order.
    • 8 bosses total.
    • An epic quest line.
    • Fight alongside major lore Heroes such as Jaina.
  • Blackwing Descent
    • Fly into Nefarian's lair and a raid portal will be there to enter the new raid.
    • Nefarian makes a return.
    • Inspired by Blackwing Lair.
    • Old friends with make an appearance.
  • The Firelands
    • Elemental Plane of Fire
    • Ruled by Ragnaros
    • Exterior Raid zone.
    • A chance to fight Ragnaros finally at his full strength.
  • Onyxia 5th Anniversary
    • Updated mechanics
    • New and updated loot based on the original drops.
    • Many whelps and MORE DOTS!
    • Even more Deep Breath randomization!
    • Some loot from Molten Core was updated and added to Onyxia.
  • Cross Server Looking for Group
    • Supports only 5 player dungeons right now.
    • Similar to how Battlegrounds work where everyone in the same Battlegroup can do the same instance.
    • Designed for PUG's
    • A reward system for people who lead groups through instances.
    • Coming in 3.3

Comments

Post Comment
Why all the hate?
# Aug 24 2009 at 8:18 AM Rating: Good
They are making the game more simple? They were getting rid of useless stats and everyone is hating? Why have AP and Agi when you can just have 1. They are doing it so you can customize your gear without having a degree in mathematics. Axing some useless stats and replacing it with just 1, making classes more unique and giving them new mechanics, making alts more approachable? How is this going to scare off hard cores? If hard cores were going to quit Wrath should have already done it! Besides hard cores are those pompous jerks who think they know SOOOOOOO MUCH, and yell and kick people from raids for making a simple mistake. Frankly ALL GAMES are better off without those losers!
Why all the hate?
# Aug 24 2009 at 8:37 AM Rating: Decent
Because learning your class and the mechanics of the game was to hard??? ( lol )
How is this going to help
# Aug 22 2009 at 5:42 PM Rating: Default
IDK how blizz thinks this will make pugging easier or what their plan is but (A reward system for people who lead groups through instances)IMO this will have alot of people wanting to be group leader and no one will want to be part of the group but LOL IMO it seems with all the EXTREAM changes coming in the next xpac idk if any of the hardcore gamers will stick around.
How is this going to help
# Aug 23 2009 at 12:19 AM Rating: Default
Nah, they realize that in these touch economic times that the adults (comprise most of the hardcores since they started with EQ) will not hesitate to cancel in order to re-allocate the sub-money to bills.

But the kiddies won't, they'll keep paying and paying until they realize they don't need this game to live. And since you don't need ID to buy a time card; the kids will keep paying even if their parents cancel the 'credit card'-based sub.


Plus

This is all being done to make WoW easier to maintain so that attention can be shifted towards the new MMO; everything you see being put into this game will be in the new MMO...WoW is beta-testing it all, and we are paying for it (literally and metaphorically).
How is this going to help
# Aug 23 2009 at 9:18 AM Rating: Default
Dyner wrote
Quote:
Plus

This is all being done to make WoW easier to maintain so that attention can be shifted towards the new MMO; everything you see being put into this game will be in the new MMO...WoW is beta-testing it all, and we are paying for it (literally and metaphorically).


what new MMO?
How is this going to help
# Aug 23 2009 at 11:34 AM Rating: Decent
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164522.html

http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/08/22/blizzcon-2009-hints-about-blizzards-next-mmo-come-out/

KEY INFO: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/worldofwarcraft/news.html?sid=6209702

So the next MMO will not be based on Diable, Starcraft, or Warcraft; but then again that statement could be a smoke screen. But in short there will be no WoW-2
cool
# Aug 22 2009 at 2:53 PM Rating: Decent
0.o awesome ideas Fewyn
Post Comment

Free account required to post

You must log in or create an account to post messages.