Have Group Will Travel: Keep it?

[MadMilitia]

I agree with those stating that HGWT isn't necessary if the open world isn't mundane.

The problem with any MMO is that it is built around a structure of progression.

As players progress, they eventually move 'old' content to the dustbin. Even if those areas receive graphical and/or quest overhauls, it is still marginal content for a high level character thus they never bother with it.

So years on, an MMO has a significant problem keeping people entertained. Their progression model has rendered all their old world content 'old' and they are in a constantly difficult battle to introduce new content exceeding the old content which never ceases to grow and impose a comparison.

The aura that is generated at that stage is awful. It clearly appears that the publisher has hit the skids on creativity but that's not necessarily the case. What has happened is progression has always been a mill stone on the game and no amount of developers/artists/designers can fill the growing void.

The quick fix here would be to keep the old content as relevant as the new content. There just aren't any engaging encounters, items, quests for high level characters in the old world. Put that back in and people will stop camping in Ogrimmar/Stormwind all day.

Ideally, at least in my mind going forward, MMOs should maintain relevancy in the old content as much as possible.

[Fogyreef]

I agree with those stating that HGWT isn't necessary if the open world isn't mundane.

... The quick fix here would be to keep the old content as relevant as the new content.

What if Blizzard had kept with the original two continents and radically changed them and the story for each expansion? They didn't have phasing back in the day, but the world bloat wouldn't have happened and all of their resources would have been put towards improving the current content. It would be a much more intimate world.

I'd still use the crap out of HGWT for my multiboxing, though.