Another Xpac, so soon?

[jstanthr]

the only thing that bothers me about xpac's is the added cost, currently ur looking at vanilla 18$ bc another 18$ and wrath 39$, and cataclysm ontop of that will be a fortune, they should make cataclysm an inclusive xpac (containing all previous) that would bring the cost down, and probably make more people want to play, a new player would be overwhelmed with the cost of just getting to the current xpac, is anyone else seing what im getting at?

[Khatovar]

I just want to be able to upgrade online. Our apartment can't hold anymore game boxes/cases.

[Drew]

Online upgrade? But then how will you get your (as yet unannounced) Collector's Edition pets?!? :)

[Souca]

I guess it all depends on when you buy it. I've gotten Vanilla + BC for $20 from Amazon in a BattleChest. I'm pretty sure they will have a new BattleChest to catch people up through Wrath. It's in their best interest to make sure it's easy to sell more copies.

As for it being so soon? I wouldn't expect anything until November 2010. From what I've heard they have a lot of the terrain in planning stages, but haven't actually modeled it. There is a large amount of concept, but implimentation takes time.

Onyxia will hit in November and that means at least a couple months of content. Arthas is likely to come around March if there isn't another content patch before then. Expect version 4.0 about a month before the release of Cataclysm.

The only thing going away soon is Onyxia. Farm her while she is still 60 if you ever plan on it.

- Souca -

[Multibocks]

If you watch the video they have a modeled a BUNCH of it already. I'm thinking summer 2010. They said they wanted shorter expansion cycles ($$ for them) and vanilla to BC was 26 months, 22 months to wrath.

[zanthor]

They'll release a battle chest for all content up to the expac, so it'll cost you the exact same to start as it would in TBC.

I'd also put money that they'll release the game for Christmass 2010 if they have anything to say about it.

[Multibocks]

If they release it Christmas that will mean almost of year of no updates. I dont see that happening. 3.3 is the last patch before 4.0 and that will come out sometime in december. I just don't see how they can keep subscription numbers with a year of nothing.

[jettzypher]

no one said 3.3 is the last patch...just speculation. still doesnt change whether theyll release cataclysm prior to the holiday season...

[Multibocks]

wrong. CMs have said it before. 3.3 is the confirmed last patch.

[Bettysue]

but what about patch 3.2.99 :P

They have plenty of microsoft style dot updates they can do before the 3.3 patch comes out.

Oh I forgot about letters 3.2.1a anyone?

[jettzypher]

wrong. CMs have said it before. 3.3 is the confirmed last patch. hmmm...must have missed that one. either way, betty makes a good point. they say 3.3 is last MCP before 4.0, but theyre adding in extra .x's (3.2.2) and now letters (3.2a). so theres still plenty of potential for new content.

on the other hand, just because they say there isnt a patch planned between 3.3 and 4.0 doesnt mean they cant or wont change their minds...

[Multibocks]

Uhm let me point out why that line of thinking doesnt work. See video games require development. Things are scheduled waaaaay out. You can't just go.. Oops, guess we screwed up on the timeline, quick someone make a MCP!

P.S. 3.2.2 and 3.2.a DO NOT COUNT. Seriously if you think minor changes will keep a fickle player base around I got a bridge in Arizona to sell you.

[Multibocks]

but what about patch 3.2.99 :P

They have plenty of microsoft style dot updates they can do before the 3.3 patch comes out.

Oh I forgot about letters 3.2.1a anyone?

I guess if seeing patch notes like:


Patch Changes
New pet added! Cute dog.
Minor change to UI
Added one quest


Excite you then, yes they could do up to 3.2.99. No one else is excited by that.

[Tonuss]

The patch that adds Icecrown citadel will add a new three-wing five-man dungeon with a quest line that requires that you do them in order the first time through. Patch 3.3 will also add a cross-server LFG tool, meaning that you'll be able to form a 5-man group and enter a dungeon with them even though they're not on the same server.

I'm sure some people can conjure up some spectacular ninja scenarios from that, but it seems like an interesting technology. They said they'll be able to use it for raids if they want to, as well.

[zanthor]

Well lets see, we have 3 of 5 weeks of ToC down, are they going to release the heroics on the same 5 week schedule (1 boss per week) or just flood it up?

Lets assume we have 2 weeks before all of ToC is available... they already announced the next MINOR patch to be November with the revamp of Onyxia and the release of Onyxian Whelp pets... so lets push to January for 3.3 and the release of Icecrown Citadel... I can see them giving 6 months for people to consume the content instead of the 3 months they did with Sunwell or the 3 months they did with Naxx 1.0....

Blizzards in the way of making money, and they realize well and good that rushing things out makes the top 3% uber guilds happy... and pacing it out makes the top 30% of hardcore guilds happy...

[lans83]

They've already mentioned something about people dressing up as Goblin Rogues at the next Blizzcon. Tho not for certain and not saying anything really, I'm betting they'll release Cataclysm some time next summer. Maybe July so that there will be tournaments at the next Blizzcon in the new PvP areas as well.

[Multibocks]

Well lets see, we have 3 of 5 weeks of ToC down, are they going to release the heroics on the same 5 week schedule (1 boss per week) or just flood it up?

Lets assume we have 2 weeks before all of ToC is available... they already announced the next MINOR patch to be November with the revamp of Onyxia and the release of Onyxian Whelp pets... so lets push to January for 3.3 and the release of Icecrown Citadel... I can see them giving 6 months for people to consume the content instead of the 3 months they did with Sunwell or the 3 months they did with Naxx 1.0....

Blizzards in the way of making money, and they realize well and good that rushing things out makes the top 3% uber guilds happy... and pacing it out makes the top 30% of hardcore guilds happy...


I dont think you realize that expansions make blizzard a crap ton of money. They already said they want a shorter expansion cycle and is there any wonder why? I'm pretty sure its going to be 2nd/3rd quarter of 2010. But then I have no sources and it's just my intuition. I think the quote from Metzen about people complaining about goblin rogues will be spot on for release of summer 2010. Just enough time for them to get some arena gear and start annoying the shit out of everyone.

[Souca]

I'm putting my money on late 2010, likely November. There is a lot to be done for Cataclysm and I just don't see it sooner than that.

When did Ulduar come out? How long after Wrath was that? March? How fast was Naxx cleared? I'm putting Ice Crown around March or April. I think they will make Onyxia last longer than people think.

Are we sure that everything from the Argent Tournament is done?

Anyway, these are my estimates based on facts and fiction. Take it or leave it, but I was pretty close to the 3.1 release date too; off by a week or so.

If I get any more info or things to change my mind I'll update my estimates, but I'm happy with these for now.

- Souca -

[EaTCarbS]

IMO bring on the Cataclysm!!

[Bettysue]

I guess if seeing patch notes like:


Patch Changes
New pet added! Cute dog.
Minor change to UI
Added one quest

Excite you then, yes they could do up to 3.2.99. No one else is excited by that.

It was sarcasm, remember they are the developers, they can control what kind of content is released in a patch, remember when 1.11 was the absolute last patch before 2.0, then along came 1.12, then 1.12.1... They seem to change their minds on a whim, there is no "rule" about what can be released in a multi dot patch.

What if I happen to like cute dogs!? :P

I think it's a good time to wait and see versus get pissed and quit because you "think" something is going to happen. I really am beginning to hate the patches, so many people complain about content being boring "I've run x dungeon a bajillion times give me more," then reading the storm of complaints when they want to do new things, "why are they changing the barrens, I love running for 17 hours to get to the others side so I can pick up 10 000 tusks from frikin lizard men."

I personally am excited to see where they go with the game, it's about time WoW introduces new storylines, it's been the primary driver for it for so long, yet bound to the old games. I am not so excited about the patch day lag, and broken everything for a week, but I've made it this far, and I'm sure it'll be just the same...headache for a day then ooohhhs and aaahs for a few months, and back to the grind. Each patch has made the game more complex but it seems no matter what they add there will be a line everyone falls in and the other content is left empty, with not one guy bouncing against the entrance waiting for just one more additional instance to open up. I hope they changes keep people trying newer things, and experiencing everything rather than the one main line.

[Multibocks]

Well I agree there is no rule, but that 1.12 etc was when they were really disorganized. I would say Blizzard is much much better at scheduling than they were before BC came out.

(here come the hecklers!)

[mmcookies]

Honestly, I think the Cataclysm announcement was an emergency backup for the Starcraft 2 Beta that was delayed.

The xpac is still quite a ways away, probably Summer or Winter of 2010.

[defactoman]

If we (the population of WoW) have to wait till next year for the next content patch (3.3, Icecrown - which the CMs have mentioned is the last content patch) im sure theres going to be a lot of unhappy people. Were going through content so much quicker then we used to back in the old days.

I'm fairly certain a next year 3.3 isnt going to happen, probably this year around christmas maybe. Since they have said the next expansion happens while were in Northend (and 3.3 is the last content Patch) this would put the start of beta sometime around early next year (feb or march) which would tide people over till release sometime mid 2010. They can't hold this thing out too long....not enough for people to do heh.

[Bigfish]

Well, the original Patch schedule was hugely different than it is now because WoW got released, more or less, half done. The issue being, if they waited to finish it, it would have been in development for several more years, money would have started running out, and the thing would look dated by the time it came out.

Additionally, in the begining, they had no idea how popular WoW was going to get.. They eventually got BC rolling and the concept of Expansion, patch, patch, patch expansion was able to be layed out in detail. Cataclysm gives them the opportunity to not only bring the old world up to date technology wise, but also allows them to scrap what is left from the original concept, and bring THAT in to line with the schedule as they now have it set.

That said, I have no idea what people mean by "so soon". We've got at least another year to year and a half before this thing hits the shelves. It is standard Blizzard practice at this point to announce things at least a year in advance before they release. Heck, I remember people saying the same thing when Lichking was announced.

[mmcookies]

Confirmations or not, I believe there will be more patches.

[Souca]

this would put the start of beta sometime around early next year (feb or march)

Beta won't be out any where near that early. They don't have 7 zones to revamp, they have all of them minus Outlands. I wished I'd asked about this in a panel, but shouldn't Northrend also be affected by the Cataclysm as it is part of Azeroth.

- Souca -

[Svpernova09]

ToC is a joke, wtb Icecrown Citadel. I really, REALLY hope Anub'arak is harder than a /faceroll. And our guild isn't even hardcore raiders.

A PvP "boss encounter" screams "oh shit we're out of ideas quick make them all pvp!"

[Tonuss]

Beta won't be out any where near that early. They don't have 7 zones to revamp, they have all of them minus Outlands. I wished I'd asked about this in a panel, but shouldn't Northrend also be affected by the Cataclysm as it is part of Azeroth.

- Souca -
That makes sense from a logical in-game perspective, but I doubt Blizzard wants to mess with Northrend so soon. I do wonder if they'll do this to Northrend for a future expansion ("You thought you'd taken care of Deathwing, but you forgot... THE BACK ENTRANCE!" ...okay, maybe the wording needs a bit of work...). Or even do something weird with Outland. Once you get the itch to revamp old content... where do you stop? *cue ominous music*