Suppose we are in the summer of 2021. It’s time to add classic server for The Burning Crusade, while provide servers for those who want to play Vanilla forever. What options do we have?
- Keep current servers as they are, and open up new TBC servers with 70s level cap; OR
- Raise current servers’ level cap to 70s with adding in TBC content, meanwhile open up a few brand new Vanilla servers.
For option 1, the old Vanilla servers will gradually die out as content stagnation. New players to WoW are “forced” to play TBC version on the new server, because they don’t what to compete with gerontocracy on the old realm.
For option 2, both current and future servers are kept vigorous. New plays can choose both 60s or 70s server with minimum “late-comers” penalty, since 2~3 months leveling time comparing to 2~3 years gear accumulation is merely negligible. Vanilla fans also get a reset option to startover adventures.
Obviously, option 2 is a much better choice. Thus the naming of each batch of servers should not stick to a specific expansion’s content.
In other words, classic server names should be expansion-agnostic.
I dont want the Classic servers to progress into TBC.
It’s a Museum.
It should be possible to transfer your character to the TBC realm though.
P99 (Everquest, is still running). I doubt classic will die out, in Many years to come.
8 Likes
What Darem said.
The only reason I am playing Classic is because the server is not progressing. No expansions.
If the is a TBC server it will be a transfer option. Which really would not be an issue for me either because Alliance Shamans would be starting fresh
2 Likes
Classic has a pretty hard core fan base. Many played on private servers for over a decade, do you really think they are going to get this and then all of the sudden say “you know, I am tired of this content now that I have my hands on a stable, blizz supported version?” or perhaps folks like myself who never played on private but have been wanting classic. I am looking forward to it. What if I only play 2 years? Well, that is TWO YEARS. Blizz will likely make significant internal changes by then and if the trends hold, there will be a new lead dev who will likely try something new with both classic and retail.
2 Likes
The day Blizzard indicates they are planning on forcing Classic servers to go TBC is the day I unsub for good. If they introduce TBC they better offer fresh TBC servers with possibly the option of transferring or (preferably) a 1-time server-wide character copy (to prevent ppl gaming the character copy by multiplying their gold).
Down the line server mergers might be a necessary evil. Say they introduce TBC. Let’s assume there are still 13 Classic realms at that time (maybe more if Blizzard decides to add more). What they could do is open up 13 TBC realms, give you a couple weeks of grace period to character-copy your characters over to TBC, and then the remaining Classic realms could be merged from like 13 to 5 or 6. Then they could open some fresh Classic realms to satisfy the Classic community who want to keep playing Classic but want a fresh start.
Server merges would make all of this possible on a permanent basis. Blizzard could have Classic realms, TBC realms, and WOTLK realms, all without forcing TBC on Classic or forcing WOTLK on TBC. You would just character copy and Blizzard could merge realms that got too low-population. If 2 people have the same name then either the inactive name is forced to name-change or the one with the lowest /played gets named changed.
3 Likes
This^ why do all these people keep advocating to change the classic servers over to TBC leave classic classic, make TBC servers fine but leave the classic server’s tf alone.
2 Likes
Its because 2 companies who have mmos have been successful with old versions of their game in 2 seperate ways.
OSRS was a copy of the game from 2007 that has since had new content added for it, although its stuff thats supposed to feel like it belongs in OSRS despite being new.
Then you ahve EQ, which has had alot of success running progressive server rulesets, where the game starts at the base game and over time the expansions are unlocked and added, its not perfect, as some items have been changed and dont get changed back, and overall balance is different at those levels now, but people flock to those servers and raid through all the expansions again.
2 companies have leveraged their old versions of their MMO successful and in different ways, safe money is on blizzard doing one of those 2 things, but they could be a bit risky and try something new.
It would be awesome to be able ‘opt-in’ to TBC if you wanted to.
Say you have completed everything you possibly can in vanilla. You go to the Dark Portal and do a quest to ‘unlock’ TBC. Once you do it your character is ‘transferred’ to a TBC realm. Your character is snapshot right before you go through the portal for if you ever wanted to go back to vanilla.
3 Likes
I like how you can get what you want but we can not get TBC which is best wow.
No one is saying you can’t have TBC, but why does it have to come at the expense of the classic servers why not have …their own servers?? why do the classic have to switch why not just add new TBC servers? while leaving the classic servers alone
3 Likes
As someone who loves TBC more than Vanilla, I have a strong opinion on this topic. However, I do not think that Classic servers should progress into TBC servers, it defeats the purpose of what is trying to be accomplished here. Should there be standalone TBC servers where you have an option to one-time copy your Classic character over? EMPHATICALLY YES! This satisfies everyone, the people that don’t want to be forced to play TBC and those that are die-hard fans of TBC like myself. I think this is most likely the approach Blizzard will take but who knows, we may never see TBC servers at all, which would truly break my heart.
5 Likes