Breakfast Topic: Does WoW ever make you feel old?
So much has changed in the game of late. The acceleration to experience has some grumbling "I remember when you had to grind your levels," a la Grandpa Simpson. In fact, for those who have been playing the game for a couple of years, nostalgia not only kicks in, but a little dementia as well. The_ivorytower recently posted on the WoW LJ about this very topic, about all those moments that add up in WoW to just make you feel just plain old.
Among the things she brings up are those times in long past when spells like Consecration and Evocation were talents. Or how about the Unending Breath that never actually ended, allowing the Undead to sit underwater untouchable by their opponents? She mentions also Mor'Ladim and his insane aggro radius; he would basically run straight at you once you set foot in Raven Hill. And the Sons of Arugal that would descend in a pack to pick your bones clean in Silverpine before you even knew they were there.
Because this game has changed so very much since launch, often times you can date yourself from the elements you remember before they were removed. Plains Running anyone?
Among the things she brings up are those times in long past when spells like Consecration and Evocation were talents. Or how about the Unending Breath that never actually ended, allowing the Undead to sit underwater untouchable by their opponents? She mentions also Mor'Ladim and his insane aggro radius; he would basically run straight at you once you set foot in Raven Hill. And the Sons of Arugal that would descend in a pack to pick your bones clean in Silverpine before you even knew they were there.
Because this game has changed so very much since launch, often times you can date yourself from the elements you remember before they were removed. Plains Running anyone?


















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-15-2007 @ 8:12AM
sezmra said...
Sometimes, yes, it does. Though, not because mechanics have changed - just when I run into young players.
"Darn, now *I'm* the older person playing an MMORPG!"
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11-15-2007 @ 8:17AM
René said...
Old through the content changes? Not really. We're talking about roughly three years of WoW here, which isn't really much. The content changes won't make me feel old, but the younger players do sometimes. Even though I'm just 27, they tend to speak in a totally different language than me, let alone the fact that they obviously never learned to say "thank you" or "please". So in a way, the game can make you feel old - just because it joins players of totally different age groups.
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11-15-2007 @ 8:41AM
dragonsix said...
I remember when chuck norris was a martial arts guy (who tried to fight bruce lee and got his arm broken) named chuck norris...
-dragonsix - artscientific.com
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11-15-2007 @ 8:46AM
Erika said...
Ive only been playing for a year and a half and i am starting to feel kinda old. The thank you part is true. When i was leveling my rogue would would say thanks and i could ask them for help at any time. Now i try to get some help from somebody and i get told to f' off.
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11-15-2007 @ 9:47AM
Theadrick said...
When paladins had an aura that would gradually heal the entire party (ditto for mana)
When Crusader strike was a basic ability that a pally had before level 10
The old ogre models (pre-DM)
Captain Placeholder
When you could ghost run into not yet implemented zones. I fully explored Old Ironforge as well as Hyjal (not the CoT version, but the one next to Winterspring).
When there was no Thorium Point, and you had to do the key quest if you wanted easy access to Searing Gorge (the alternative being running through Burning Steppes)
The old (and imo still better looking) epic mounts
Being able to rez during boss fights and others in MC simply by not initiating combat.
Alot has changed... some for the better, some not so...
As for the levelling boost, I still feel it was an unneeded change. I am an ex-Everquest player, so to me the levelling in WoW has always seemed fast and easy. I am also somewhat saddened that the elite status was taken away from so many old Azeroth mobs. It just trivializes that content in my opinion.
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11-15-2007 @ 10:32AM
Dulcet said...
Oh my god I remember the cellulite ogres! I kind of liked them better, they were so hideous it made me giggle.
I remember waaaaay back, might have been beta?wandering around into a cave in Dustwallow with 4 friends, and defeating some huge black dragon that dropped no loot and had a really basic attack pattern. Proto-Ony! Sadly, I haven't had the chance to fight her since then.
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11-15-2007 @ 10:43AM
Kurdon said...
No, old is vividly remembering day four of EQ's release, fighting crushbone orcs and thinking you're playing the single most amazing game in the history of history.
Old is playing Way of the Exploding Fist with your girlfriend on the Commodore 64 and thinking this is the single most amazing game in the history of history.
Old is playing Discs of Tron on the Intellivision and thinking this is the single most amazing game in the history of history.
Well... ok... truthfully, old is remembering when your older sister took you to see the very first Star Wars movie... in the theater. ;p
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11-15-2007 @ 11:03AM
Gabby said...
Remember when Dwarves could be Mages?
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11-15-2007 @ 12:26PM
Bunkai said...
White Raptor mounts FTW!
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11-15-2007 @ 1:05PM
GRT said...
Old is spending $6/hour to play MegaWars III on Compuserve over a 300 baud modem.
As for WoW, I remember when the Forsaken ruled the earth...they were the only race (F&F Alpha).
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11-15-2007 @ 1:36PM
Kurdon said...
That, too! =D
I remember running a CNET 12.0 BBS off of 300 baud, too...
/shudder
BUT, I digress. If it has nothing to do with WoW, it's probably not worth mentioning here. I guess my original point in bringing it up was that such trends always happen and are a part of the gamer cycle of life. In 7 years, WoW will be like EQ is now - still plenty of members, but far ecliped by newer games (eventually) or will be so heavily modified or revamped as to be almost unrecognizable except for core concepts and core content.
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11-15-2007 @ 1:37PM
Kurdon said...
That, too! =D
I remember running a CNET 12.0 BBS off of 300 baud, too...
/shudder
BUT, I digress. If it has nothing to do with WoW, it's probably not worth mentioning here. I guess my original point in bringing it up was that such trends always happen and are a part of the gamer cycle of life. In 7 years, WoW will be like EQ is now - still plenty of members, but far ecliped by newer games (eventually) or will be so heavily modified or revamped as to be almost unrecognizable except for core concepts and core content.
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11-15-2007 @ 1:37PM
ThorinII said...
I remember when, er, the, uh, gnomes were taller, hhhu, who am I?
Old is playing DoomII with a 5 man max multiplayer and getting excited when Duke3D came out and it bumped to a 10 man max multiplayer.
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11-15-2007 @ 1:37PM
Kurdon said...
Oh how I loathe double-posting inadvertently. Let me count the ways.
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11-15-2007 @ 3:06PM
Paul said...
a little off topic (as usual) but does anyone remember that old 2-D indiana jones knockoff for the apple mac that had you running through underground temples where water would fill rooms, and you would open up woven baskets to find snakes inside.
I just remember that the screen was black and green- it was really old school.
as for wow, i started about 18 months ago, after I think a lot of the major changes were made, so other than the experience requirements dropping in this last patch, and there being a FP at the rebel camp (lucky newbies - back in my day, i flew to westfall and swam the channel, braving crocolisks and pirahnna), i really don't remember anything big
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11-15-2007 @ 3:55PM
Korialstrazs said...
I remember when fishing got you loot :P I think the thing thats changed that has made me saddest is the blue-economy. Normal players used to actually buy and sell stuff for reasonable prices, I remember buying feet of the lynx for my first rogue character for 3g. I randomly got a PM on them the other day asking if I thought these [feet of the lynx] should go for 90g or 120g?
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11-15-2007 @ 4:01PM
Lori said...
Old is playing Adventure on an acoustically coupled thermal paper terminal on a Dec 11. You are in a maze of twisty passeges. You are at Witts End.
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11-15-2007 @ 5:09PM
Cailleach said...
GODS I miss plains running! Best. Racial. Evar.
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11-16-2007 @ 1:24PM
Kasuro said...
Old is remembering dying in Timorous Deep and losing all of your gear and a half-bar of experience.
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11-16-2007 @ 4:23PM
cdb2000 said...
I think old is when you remember being pissed about the hunting change implemented in Oregon Trail.
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