It explores Earthern history, culture, and values entirely through artistic expression. It’s conceptually a 10/10 for me.
Where it falls flat is in it’s design. The gameplay is frantic and so packed with flashy spell effects it’s hard to see what’s going on. It’s also impossible to follow along if you try to just sit and watch, in no small part because you’ll invariably be attacked by a nerubian or kobold. Because this place makes the rowdiest club rave look like children’s story time.
Seriously I’d been asking Blizzard to use a culture’s art for storytelling. And this does do that. But the vibes are just off. Seriously there’s so many chill, borderline passive quest mechanics in War Within were you’re just watering sheep. So it’s kind of weird they went with incredibly chaotic gameplay for the “put on a play” questline.
Again conceptually it’s aces but something more akin to the Ardenweald quest probably would’ve worked better.
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I agree it’s actually really cool way to explore the history. It’s made me laugh a quite a few times too.
For a weekly it’s not bad and very tolerable.
I do agree some parts get just zoomed by dude to sheer amount of players in the area but getting approval maxed is so easy that I find myself going through it slowly if I actually want to see what the more detailed activities was.(I e the non-kill x ones.)
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The theater troupe gives out rewards and you’re expected to work for them, that means combat. It’s essenially this expac’s Superbloom.
I quite like the Proscenium because of it’s lightheartedness and humor and I think the chaos sort of adds to the ridiculousness of it. I also like the variety they added to mix it up a bit because by the 500th Superbloom on my many alts, it was getting long in the tooth.
Yeah, agreed. Either this, or something like a book item ‘script’ or dialogue for us lore geeks to understand the story being told without the laggy hullaballoo.
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That’s kind of my point though.
We’ve dailies where all you do is water sheep and several quests are just clicking 2-3 things.
I think slower paced mechanics would’ve worked better for a play quest as you’d be there more to watch the story and could excuse the token gameplay.
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The theatre plays aren’t that meaty as stories go.
The number of different things we fight is a bit much; for a more accurate theater-going experience it should have been just the rowdy patrons.
I quite like it, though probably for different reasons than most players. I have a side job working front-of-house duties for a local small performing arts venue, and some of the quest objectives are a bit too real! XD
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It certainly does capture the chaos of any collaborative creative production. But I do think it’s kind of lame it can be under no circumstances can be viewed as a play in game.
I’ve even tried more recently on my Druid. I wasn’t assaulted but these plays are facing away from every seat in the house at times for some reason, and are directed by Michael Bay after suffering a psychotic break because it’s just incomprehensible special effects.
The idea is S Tier but the execution gets a C at best from me. It’s just a shame because this is literally, specifically something I asked for. But it’s mechanical execution just strikes me as wrong-headed.
Idk I think this as gameplay should’ve been for like a coliseum, circus maximus kind of establishment with like chariot racing and crazy spectacle entertainment. And the plays should’ve been calmer gameplay focused on story.
Maybe in the future make one designed for specifically lore nerds where older events are also recounted and you’ve to pick out costumes or dialogue lines connected to Warcraft history.
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It would be nice to have an “audience mode” to just sit and watch with no rewards attached. Maybe have the NPCs run dress rehearsals at certain times that aren’t the top of the hour in order to keep the story logic of the theater company intact, with us being allowed to watch because we’re part of the company?
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See the Story Time 20th Anniversary Event is more what I’m looking for. Shame that only has three plays in it.
Be cool to see something like that used as a daily to show us more about a society’s interpretation of history / current events in the future.
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It’s deliberately humorous special effects just as much as the choreography and direction.
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Hey, crash landing on a giant talking turtle does that to you.
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I mean, that’s always been how Cho does it. Most recently, you could see all of his Lorewalker tales during timerunning quite quickly. He covers the entire history of Pandaria plus some Alliance and Horde story beats.
They should do that more with new races and lands. A sweet little recap of their notable history.
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My biggest gripe with the The Proscenium is that there isn’t one. It’s a thrust stage at ground level. No arch. No main rag. No proscenium wall. It’s hardly a step up from an amphitheater. Where’s the rigging? Where’s the grizzled stagehand smoking a cigarette on the loading dock? Where’s the scenic designer screaming about someone painting the standing flats wrong? Why isn’t the stage manager sending someone to shovel the Shalehorn poop?
I think about these things as I type instead of getting ready for work running the lights for an opening night of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love tonight, an opera that is a significantly different variety of theatrical entertainment than the Theater Troupe event.
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You’re absolutely correct in your criticisms. Good luck with the opera! May all the gear behave itself, all the cues run smoothly, and all the performers find their marks. Tech crew are heroes, and thank you for your part in making live theater happen.
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