[Ithekro]

Random "Classic World of Warcraft" thoughts:

I know there are several groups in that debate. The "Vanilla is Vanilla" group that is split between which old patch they want to have, be it 1.1 and progress forward just like it originally did, and then you have the other group that wants 1.12 like most of the legacy servers out there currently. There are a few outliers that want other specific patches either because their class was buffed, or it was before a certain change happened that they don't like, or it was before some content that "ruined WoW" for them.

There is also the group that expects "Classic" to progress with eventual rereleases of TBC and Wrath along the standard patch cycle, which would be something like six years for the game.

Then there are those that want more modern systems added to "Classic" for one reason or another. Be it LFG or some of the other things added that have made things more convenient for the players and whatnot.

The issue I have with the "Classic WoW" idea releasing as basically Vanilla Wow fixed to work with modern servers is, that shouldn't be too hard. That's a few months project to get the original version of the game to work, remove most if not all the patches and then resell it to us even though we already own it with lots of expansions and patches over it. While that's not lazy, that doesn't seem like that good of an investment of resources.

What I think will probably happen is a graphics and models update to Vanilla content using the current in game models. Yet another redesign of the 1-60 zones for the graphical fixes while putting it back together again more or less how it was in Vanilla. I can see them using newer content to remove some of the tricks and mirrors that they used in the original game....like having the current Stormwind keep in game instead of the original backdrop of a castle. They might even leave the Harbor there so the Horde have a good second way to enter the city. Just there are no boats operating there, since there is not functioning boat to Northend, and the boat to Darkshore is in the Wetlands. I could see some of the later quest chains that were added (in patch 2.3) to zones put into places like Dustwallow Marsh, because some of that is needed so one can level to 60 without just grinding (which from what I recall wasn't fun).

The other thing I see them doing is added another story like it is a new expansion to Current WoW. They did introduce the idea with Chromie, so it would actually make sense to have another story layered in there about the players being sent back to stop someone from messing with the timelines of our own "history". The side effect of the time travel is that all our levels go way and the talent system and all that revert to Vanilla standards. Or make three possible versions of this. One is the original Horde or Alliance plots in Vanilla with their quests for new characters (the Vanilla experience). Two is a time travel story with your "new character" being from the future, but tossed back to start over while having to sometimes fix time or help Chromie out with something. They could even use that as an excuse to use some of Vanilla's cut content and unused zones that got revamped and added in TBC or later (some still haven't been added). The third option is if they treat "Classic" as another expansion, but we the players are basically the Hellscream character going back in time to mess with stuff. We cause the problems at the start and than either have to fix it, or we start hunting Chromie (and thus tie in with the "Death of Chromie" storyline later on....its us trying to kill Chromie for messing up Vanilla WoW.) This could be us as level 120s outgearing everything, but the entire expansion adds the new level scaling to the old 1-60 world and basically makes all our gear effectively worthless as the mobs in every zone scale with us. We either don't level, or we revert to level 1 (effectively) and have to fight our way back to 60 just to keep up, the Infinite Dragonflight laughing at us every other level as we go back to learn new spells. The level scaling would also mean you would never overpower a zone, so you couldn't go back to easy mode farm copper ore someplace as the mobs would still be able to hurt you. No LFG, No LFR. Probably no cross-realms. There will be Battlenet integration because its Blizzard. Probably little to no convenience things added in or after 2.0.3.

That of course would make it a totally new game, with unintended side effects even if all the talent trees and spells and class balance was left intact from patch 1.12 or whatever.

Actually, rethinking the Chromie angle, I can see all three stories being there. It can start one of three ways and then make a total mess of things.

A> Start out as a new character, run the regular Vanilla content 1-60 with the option of raiding MC to Naxx, Either after Naxx or at level 60 there starts a quest chain with Chromie that sends us back to fix things at level 60, or unlocks another level of content (like how Allied Races are being added). This have our first character go through time and mess something up, but we have to try to setup someone to fix our mistakes. This leads to you getting access to a possible alt that has the third story line...the 1-60 Vanilla leveling with either trying to correct for Chromie's error, or your previous errors. Making it essentially a second run through content with another story added, but still allowing you to do Mc to Naxx again later with more or less the same gear (it could be the second time run have better balanced gear, but you have had to have done it once to be able to have one of those characters, which basically means you have to run the content three times).

B> Start out as a more or less your Max level character from current WoW. You Timewalk into old content and totally mess things up. You then have to go back in time, effectively making you a level one again and do everything over again, but having the added "correct time" questing added into the mix. After to "correct time" you will have access to a Vanilla style character creation and be able to run things without the time travel elements added in. Thus extending the content before you can actually play Vanilla WoW and making you earn it (meaning you want it).

C> Start out as a time traveling character than is now level one, work though Vanilla content with some time correction or messing around quests thrown in from time to time like an extra set of class quests. Finish leveling to 60 and get another Raid option in addition to MC, Like Mt Hyjal or something. Someplace that was in game, but not used. Or even just use the Caverns of Time (its there in Vanilla unused) to set up some Raid against the Infinite Dragonflight because it is messing with your timeline, trying to prevent you from becoming the Hero that effectively brought the Burning Legion to Azeroth again, along with Argus, got the planet stabbed, and basically messed up the world so badly because of your poor choices (you freed Guldan on Draenor....how stupid are you?), that the dragons want you gone. So you have to help yourself, more or less, by "replacing" yourself in the timeline, which of course doesn't work as planned (because how stupid are you "name"), and we eventually try to kill Chromie for this. I would think the end game would eventually be a post Naxx raid to fix the timeline. After that the Vanilla content is free of time travel problems (outside of Darrowshire that is...in fact that could start the issues with us and Chromie, or be the ending redemption of Chromie and our characters, because time is not always linear).

Either at the start the players can have that more or less Vanilla experience, or they will have to earn it with a time travel plot to get to that experience. But the added element might make it fun for people that while they liked Vanilla's systems, don't want to be stuck with just that content, yet don't want the system changes that came afterwards.