Purchase Flying?

Community General Discussion
101

Pathfinder is something the devs (eventually) begrudgingly decided upon due to the massive outrage and backlash THEY created by wanting to remove something that had become a staple feature of the game for many expansions.

While the time played metric was likely a factor in doing the pathfinder stuff (as well as the associated time gating) I also personally believe that, at least to some degree, it is being done out of petty spite.

There is absolutely ZERO reason or excuse that Blizzard can’t be creative, imaginative or innovative to incorporate content and/or create zones that complement flying.
Flying was NEVER the issue it is now and has been since WoD until Blizzard decided to make it one. Their rationale was that it “ruined immersion, allowed content to be skipped and it destroyed world pvp."

  1. There is absolutely ZERO in game reason we can’t fly. The reason is the dev mindset of “we don’t want you to fly…because we don’t want you to fly……. because we said so.” How on earth is is that even REMOTELY immersive?

Speaking of immersion, lets have a look at flight paths: sit and afk while all the content whizzes past you, unable to interact with you or you with it.

Now let’s have a look at what it’s like when flying is available: You get to be on a mount of YOUR choosing, going where YOU want to go, landing when and where YOU choose to for reasons YOU decide?

Which of those two options sounds more immersive to you?

  1. Since the devs/people are so worried about “content being skipped” why haven’t they nerfed or removed stealth?
    “Skipping” content via flying: not on our watch!!
    “Skipping” content via stealthing past it: shrug whatever.

Additionally, why are there a plethora of hearthstones, gear, toys, profession items and portals that allow you you to teleport across the map, the world or even to other planets? Think of all the content you’re “skipping” out on!!! :open_mouth:

  1. Anyone that pretends world pvp is anything more then groups running around ganking solo players is full of bologna (especially nowadays). If they wanted to “fix” it, they could:
  • Create pvp objectives in all the zones similar to those present in Hellfire Peninsula, the Spirit towers in Terokkar forest or the pvp towers that were present in Legion.
  • Remove the ability to fly when you have Warmode on. In fact, get rid of the extra bonus to experience and resource gains. Warmode is about the pvp right? Oh, but then they would have a tough time pretending Warmode is such a big success because then virtually nobody would partake in it… :thinking:

If they wanted to delay flight at launch for like, 2-3 months fine, but after that period of time most people will already have:

  • explored ~all of every zone (possibly on more than one character)
  • done ~all the quests (possibly on more than one character)
  • done ~all the world quests (likely more than once, possibly on multiple characters)
  • run ~all the dungeons, on multiple difficulties, multiple times, possibly on multiple characters

Dragging it out longer than that is just needless and unnecessary.

8 Likes
102

I fear for having to grind a new currency (or more dreaded anima) to “purchase” flying, but I’m staying optimistic for now and hoping that it was just not worded very great.

Speaking of flying, how will that work anyway? I can’t see how any seamless flying between SL zones will work. Do we awkwardly have to use the flight master to get back to Oribos, pick a new zone and get sent there… and then we can fly around “locally” within said zone?

103

Wouldn’t be surprised if the price for flying would be close to 100K

104

For those of us that prefer levelling in world content, though, flying is a massive plus - especially in the maze-like zone maps we’ve had to put up with since anti-flying started.

I don’t want to be slogging my way through endless trash enemies just trying to get to or complete a quest on my 4th, 5th, 10th alt. If people thnk flying over those slow-down annoyances is “skipping content” that’s hilarious - because that trash isn’t in any way, shape or form “content”!

They incorporated flying into end game world content as late as the expansion (MoP) right before the anti-flying one. And suddenly the narrative started getting seeded that flying was something they regretted, that it was somehow bad for the game, etc etc. All of which was clearly, in hindsight, an attempt to remove flying so they didn’t have to design content for it any more. Smaller maps, faster development time.

When the backlash happened and they lost a vast amount of players within days (we’ll never know how many, but after 5.5 million had already gone, the flying announcement must have cost them substantially more subs) they came up with Pathfinder - a way to make sure that they STILL no longer need to develop content with flying in mind. Cheeky move, that. People were so grateful to not lose flying they overlooked the fact that the devs got their way, aside perhaps from the need to render the tops of buildings again.

Yep. The whole “skipping content” argument was a red herring. Bashiok used it (presumably under instruction) to provide an example of why flying is bad, using a max-level MoP daily quest that required and was designed around flying, where NOT engaging the mobs was part of the gameplay of the quest.

It was transparent then, it’s still transparent now.

Exactly. It was a manufactured “problem” from the first time it was mentioned as one - after many, many years of it not being a problem at all. It came alongside plans to spit out annual full-priced expansions, which would have been the main reason for it (and I’m still mystified why people thought annual expansions were a good idea in any way).

2 Likes
105

I think if you fly in that portal it will auto-pilot you to Oribos and from there you you would have to fly to another desired zone gate where you would be again auto-pilot to that zone trough that Milky Way.

That is one logical solution or way

1 Like
106

Thanks for the reply. I envision it looking very awkward but I suppose we will soon find out. Autopilot sounds like a better option than what I first assumed.

107

Pathfinder has never been difficult to get or understand, but go on pretending its hard

1 Like
108

Perhaps to be pedantic.

“You said if I got the gizmo, all my toons can fly in SL1!!11!”

In the end, it’s all handled very badly. At this late date there’s no reason they can clarify this one way or the other.

Obviously we can’t fly yet in the PTR or we’d “know” (since toons would have to purchase something, even for 1 copper, just to test the mechanic).

If and when flying is opened in the PTR, we’ll know the mechanic, if not the actual cost.

109

Let’s try this one more time, to ensure that everyone is on the same page:

  • Datamining is the act of decoding the information in the patch.
  • Datamining can extract unused models, textures, dialogue, quest text, etc.
  • A good portion of the datamined code cannot be experienced within the game client.
1 Like
110

All of which cannot be done without Blizzard releasing the data to the public - the data cannot be mined until it’s publicly available, whether that’s in a patch, on the official bnet website, etc. This isn’t hard to understand.

1 Like
111

If they were simply being pedantic, then the correct phrasing would have been “for those characters who have purchased the appropriate riding skill”, not “allows characters to purchase the riding skill.”

And if it were mere pedantry, it would be extremely easy for them to clarify. The fact that they haven’t makes me suspect they’re trying to see if they can get away with what they have planned, and if the backlash is too strong, then they’ll “correct” their phrasing.

2 Likes
112

That is correct, but what others are saying, is that the PTR is not a good indicator of completed content, and that the datamining is pulling information that the beta testers do not, and will not, have access to. Yes, the data is, “released,” but not in any way that is guaranteed to make it to the live servers unaltered.

It’s never a good idea to base opinions around data mined content.

1 Like
113

We’re on the same page - one of the drawbacks of having an ignore list is that I may not be seeing some of the other posts mentioned.

There was another thread where someone deemed that wowhead was 100% accurate because of everything datamined currently and that Blizzard clearly made a “typo”, but of course if Blizzard has plans to change things from PTR to live then wowhead will not have access to that data until Blizzard actually makes that change.

tldr; I’ll take Blizzard’s official word over wowhead.

2 Likes
114

This. Pathfinder way too complex.

115

I disagree. Timegating flying to 6+ months after expansion launch is the worst part. Get Loremaster and Explorer achievements, and you should be good to go. Then one of the below:

  • If Pathfinder’s only intent was to obtain flying for my entire account, even though I really dislike maxing out every faction of the expansion, I would gladly take that, instead of having to buy it for every character. I have a lot of characters.

  • That being said, I feel like buying flying at max level should also be an option per character, for those who want it.

It should not be both [jump through hoops] and [pay for flying on all characters].

1 Like
116

First, no. Anything isn’t too much. First people cry because they want to pay for flying again and now, there is no real Pathfinder this time and just basic renown (which they said will take 2 whole whopping weeks to do) and then you can buy it and people still complain.

I will say though, they haven’t said the currency yet to buy it be it gold, anima or whatever. This is why I have been saving my anima in case it is needed to buy flying.

117

So you’re going to act like this, eh? Let’s go back through what you said originally.

And then it was explained to you several times…

You said can’t datamine prior to release on PTR.

WHICH IS WRONG.

You done trying to act correct now? Because you aren’t.

1 Like
118

Shouldn’t it be a option if you want to fly or not? I mean we do pay a sub fee cant we have a choice without them dictating when and if we can?

119

Stick with pathfinder ?! No thanks.
We waited a very LONG time.
Buying it now is just rubbing salt on my wound.

Finish that arbitrary step they said you need to do and get the achieve account wide. This literal song-n-dance they keep doing with flying is getting stupid.

1 Like
120

I think I’ve been quite clear that you can’t datamine something that Blizzard hasn’t publicly released yet. If reading is that hard for you, then :man_shrugging:

Or you’re just trolling as usual.

Another one on the “make my forum experience better” list.