Just an idea for blizz developers since you have the world to do it. Can you guys program some biological adaptation for the NPCs? I think it will make the game more interactive. Just start with something easy like the Kodos of Mulgore. If they are killed by physical attacks alot, future generations have more armor. If they are killed by spells, future generations have more spell resistance. The Kodos can have phenotypic appearances to show these adaptations over time. These adaptations oscillate over time based on player interaction. I know programming wise, it would be tricky, but it would add a neat feature to NPCs than rather just respawning. Incorporating biological principals could make the gameplay very interesting. It could be worth a whole expansion rather than adding some other story arc, I mean we are already entering heaven in the game. Adding some biological principals to the creatures and games and some seasonality would add a interesting level to the game that no other game can achieve, next level stuff. You can even encompass some food web interactions if your up for the challenge. Maybe I’m just a biology nerd, but I think it would be cool if the creatures actually adapted to player interaction. Not to make the game harder, but to add an interesting feature.
you can add models, like Kodos with physical resistance having more plating and Kodos with more magical resistance being smaller but having cool magical auras and glowing eyes, stuff like that. Try it with a small subset and see later if that can expand throughout the game. Obviously a lot of work. But there is soooooo much content in WoW already, why not improve on it? Adding some biological principals will make the game so much more interesting than other MMOPGs, whatever. You can do it. Feel free to pay me as a consultant if needed. I have a masters degree in Biology. I would rather do more in WoW than work three jobs to pay off my debt and cope with life. I have been playing WoW, since maybe 2005.
to keep it to selection. You have a population of Kodos, some have more physical resistance or magical resistance, or other traits. The ones that survive over time pass on their genes to the next population, or respawn. This would continuously oscillate, which would make the world of warcraft more dynamic and interesting. It could even lead to further story arcs. It is a fun idea. I don’t think it would take too much effort to do it with a small population and see how it plays out. Incorporating food webs would be really interesting. Say players take out all the wolves, then herbivores dominate and wipe out plants. It adds a lot of complexity, but your game deserves it. You created worlds. Adding more complexity will probably bring a renewed interest into the game that you need. It could be a story arc of Malfurion bringing Emerald power into the world after defeating the nightmare dreams, or something like that. It is time for WoW to evolve.
Last one: It would probably be better to start with more complexity. Kodos resistant to ranged attacks are faster and more agile. More resistant to shadow spells become more holy, etc…
Soo our Arch Nightmare Villain here, can create hordes of beasts to target specific populations. A horde of beasts that are anti fire, mage, arcane, and holy to wipe out Stormwind and a horde of beastes that are anti physical and elemental to wipe out Orgimmar. This tatician can target the weaknesses of many strongholds simultaneously and take over control. This would probably be a great avenue to bring in the hunter group, Nesingway and probably Rexxar to help counter this beast collector. Obviously he would have some way to subjugate these large armies of beast to do his/her/whatever’s will. This would be a cool thing. I would buy the expansion. I buy almost everything ya’ll put out anyways though, but I think this would be cool to at least try. Challenge your programmers. You can reach me at stevegotham@gmail.com if you would like to further discuss.
Ok, I can’t reply to the threads I make without someone else replying first but when someone wants hyper-evolution in-game, they can?!?
How in the world is this even fair?!?
What you’re asking for here is a concept that pretty much no games have in the manner you’ve laid out, and you want it to be placed in a game that can’t even put a new skybox or make it rain in an old city without requiring a complete overhaul of systems from 2004. It also has pretty much nothing to do with the story to boot - you’ve even gone as far as to say it should be the entirety of an expansion with next to no story.
And quite frankly, this idea sounds like an unneeded feature that would make the game more of a chore than it is. You’re talking about biological adaptation as if it’s some foreign concept that they need someone with a degree in biology to consult them on, but natural selection - even oscillating selection - is something that’s been taught in your most basic fifth grade science class. The reason they haven’t implemented it is because the game does not need it, and would not improve from it - it wouldn’t make sense to have another player’s experience change due to how other players have chosen to fight an enemy.
No thanks.
You say that now, but just consider this; had they implemented that back in '04, then new characters today who choose to level in their starting zones would need full raid groups and a few maxed level friends just to kill a single level 1 wolf in Northshire!!
My college students barely get most biological fundamentals. They are not basic fifth grade science class tenants. I’m just saying it would add some more interactivity and make the world more interesting. I think hyperevolution would be a cool feature. There can be a good story, I’m just not a writer. I was fantasizing about being a consulting biologist for WoW is all. I just think it would be cool if the animals in the world adapted a little, not so much to make it a chore for players, maybe just an interesting challenge. Sorry for thinking outside the box.
I wasn’t talking about that level of adaptation. I’m just saying having a little bit of natural selection involved, nothing that would increase the level of the creatures, just changes their parameters based on the members of the population that happen to “survive” acting in line with true natural selection.
I don’t know. Sorry, I went on a tare there randomly.
Your idea essentially would punish players for how other players decide to play. An enemy should be a standard challenge across the board for all players, regardless of how other players managed to overcome it. It’s not thinking outside the box and it wouldn’t make things more fun - your idea’s just genuinely terrible.
Also quite frankly, if you have students at a college level who don’t understand something as basic as biological adaptation, then it sounds like the education system has completely failed them.
I agreed it has failed many. I still disagree about this being a terrible idea. It would make the game more dynamic, most characters can have physical and magical attacks. It would add an interesting dynamic where players might have to change their attack strategy. I think WoW would be a great test realm to really apply some biological principals that would make the creatures in the game more interesting. There are so many magical and physical players, these parameters would oscillate a lot. I think it would make the game stand out so much more than other games. Adding biological principals and weather/climate effects would make the game very immersive in my opinion. I think it is lame for the same respawns like every other game does. I think WoW is in a good place to explore this and could help revive interest, maybe even more than dragons. I think there is promise. This is one of those things where everyone initially thinks it is a horrible idea but then makes the game amazing. It would make WoW so much more interesting, not just grinding quest and dungeons, but exploring some of these interactions in the world.
No dude, you’re just wrong. If a player goes into a fight expecting a certain challenge, their experience should not be drastically changed by how other players have approached that challenge. It is not “lame” that enemies have the same respawn - they have that respawn because it is good and fair that each player is given the same equal opportunity to overcome the challenge of beating said enemy.
You keep saying dynamic as if adding an unnecessary layer that the player did nothing to deserve based on their own style of play would make the game more interesting, but it’s not dynamic. It’s a chore. And furthermore, when you say that most players have magical and physical attacks - this is an idiotic and untrue statement.
Imagine you’re a mage leveling in the Barrens. You have to take an hour to kill mobs for a quest because a lot of people were leveling warriors, and where it only took them around ten minutes, it takes the mage a long time because they have no real physical attacks.
Do you see why your idea is completely braindead? Maybe amidst all those classes to get that master’s in biology, you should have taken a critical thinking class, cause you seem to lack that.
Still disagree dude. You are assuming everyone running in is playing physical characters. I’m not talking extreme changes, its small changes over time, thus evolution. It isn’t brain dead, it is bringing interesting elements to these species. Even more fun, they could add in food web interactions and trophic systems. It brings life to these NPCs rather them just being this object of destruction. Real world interactions causing change in the environment of the NPCs. It would be interesting programming and there can be quest and things to see some of these high end evolutions. You are arguing that things should just always be the same so every player has the same experience. Why does every player want that rather than have a unique experience? It isn’t about making things more difficult, it is about making things more interesting. I’ve been playing WoW for a while, it is kindof lame sometimes, like grinding quest. Have you played Pokemon? They have variation in their parameters. You can catch like 15 rattatas, looking for ones with a higher attack value. Pokemon has captured an aspect of this, which led to a whole thing about breeding. Adding in some biological principals would make the game more interesting, not necessarily more difficult. It has potential, keeping static NPCs has no potential, its just roadkill for the next player. I think it is a cool idea that WoW can at least consider to make the world more interesting, that is all.
WoW isn’t Pokémon. Those 15 Rattatas are different because each one has the potential to be trained for the long haul. This is not applicable to a wolf that you’re gonna kill and forget about in a single quest. You keep saying this would make things more interesting, but it just sounds like it’s a circle jerk for you because it tickles your major.
Blizzard is not going to do this - it’s not going to be more interesting than dragons, nor will it ever be. Sorry you gotta work three jobs, dude, but I’m really thankful you’re never going to have anything to do with WoW. You would make it so much worse than it already is.
Which is saying a lot.
I don’t think WoW would do it. It was just an idea. You have a box you are happy in I guess, but it seems like you are not satisfied with the world of warcraft either. I wasn’t suggesting this to beat dragons. I’m not arguing really even for the players. I think the NPC creatures deserve more of a fighting chance. Why can’t they have programmed natural selection to help them? I’m not going to convince you. I’m just saying I would be interested in a game that actually involves some of these interactions, not just for a biology nut. Wouldn’t it be cool to see Kodos with characteristic differences of increased armor or magic resistance? I just think it would be cool to add some variation. The whole population wouldn’t have the same resistances. A physical player can target the magical resistant ones for example. I guess my idea is dumb. I just wanted to mention it. Thanks for shooting me down. I’ll keep my stupid thoughts to myself.
They’re quest mobs. They don’t need a fighting chance, because they only exist to be killed by the player.
I don’t think it is dumb. I think you live in a very closed world, just depressing everyone around you.
Just because I’m willing to call a bad idea how I see it without sugarcoating it doesn’t mean I live in a closed world, cupcake. I’m sorry that you picked a major with relatively little application in a practical setting, but that doesn’t mean you need to make it everyone else’s problem.
I’m not creating a problem. I was just sharing an idea that you had to crap all over. Not everyone see things the way you do. I’m not trying to ruin your game. I wanted to add some potential is all. I still think there is potential to it. I haven’t found your criticism very helpful. What you would like to see in WoW to help better immerse your experience? Maybe add some NPCs to drive into a complete depression? Maybe add an emote to call people cupcakes for sharing an idea? Whats your big idea?