The main component of an rpg is progression. Story is one component, but it never wqs and never will be the main one. Otherwise people would just read books. Mythic+ offers clear progression. I can’t see how a story can ever do that.
I don’t need to be a random adventurer. I don’t think that’s what most of us are asking for either when we talk about the story and RPG elements of the game.
Maybe a better term is “setting-centric”? I want a World of Warcraft. I’m lessinterested in following Alleria’s story than the story of myself and the world around me.
RPG is too vaguely defined a term for these discussions, but the person I was replying to was also specifically talking about the game letting us know we’re just random adventurers.
Then maybe we should get more specific.
Is “Role-play elements” a better term? Maybe making the story more world centric as opposed to focusing on the melodrama between our faction leaders and Alleria?
Part of an RPG is using your imagination to tell your own story. Reading a book or watching a movie is not an RPG. Dungeon Masters are there to set the stage, which is exactly what we get in this game. The rest is up to the players.
You just blow in from Warcraft 3? WoW has never been story-centric. Prior to Wrath it didn’t even really attempt to tell a story.
And it wasn’t exactly a good one in Wrath either.
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True but there also has to be some element of the game that enables and encourages role-play.
I used to “role-play” in Jak and Daxter when I was a kid. Doesn’t make it an RPG or any sort of role-play focused game.
its nostalgia
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If we want to get into semantics the thing is that some people use RPG to define us being able to build characters, some people use it to define having a story/world focus, and some people use it for another definition.
Though the OP was still going on about being a random adventurer which is why I posted about that.
I really don’t, so I’ll just be clear what I mean when I talk about “RPG” elements in games. Can’t speak for others of course but this is what I mean:
Thousands of games have RPG mechanics without a true focus on role-play.
When I talk about RPG elements, I’m talking specifically about elements that enable, encourage, and enhance role-play.
This is a videogame. You would pew pew more than read stories. This is not a book or a movie. I remember when i played a Pacman, i never look for its story. And i remember doing Molten Core in Vanilla. Was there a story when i got there? I was addicted to this game before Blizz started made up stories on next expansions.
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I’m enjoying the story this season.
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It’s such a shame that people see things this way, discounting the entire RPG genre as simple level up mechanics as opposed to…you know…a game where you role-play.
I think the story is just fine. Not exactly a tale for all time but it’s not like it’s gotten worse really. We’re just nostalgic. Early WoW’s story wasn’t a page burner either.
And, if you stay off twitch and just play how you want, then it still functions as a perfectly serviceable RPG
Classic WoW was more narrative-based
Now a days is more a StoryTelling based… kinda
Gotta be honest, the game was never story centric. WoW has never had a particularly good story. For most of its early life it didn’t even have a story and was mostly just vibes based.
WoW still has a lot of story and worldbuilding. Just not in an MSQ format. Do the sidequests, read the dialogue. The story and atmosphere is there, if you take time to appreciate it. Heck, even the MSQ for this patch has had good worldbuilding about K’aresh and the ethereals.
I agree, but it’s also very liberating that people with different intentions and motivations can enjoy the same medium. I can roleplay one day and then focus on the action the next day of I want to, in the same game.
It isn’t their fault that “ad hominem” isn’t a normal part of your vocabulary. It’s not “edgy” to use it when it’s appropriate.
What was the point of mentioning that it’s Latin? To further distance yourself from it or reinforce your insinuation that it’s not common? Weird either way.
Early WoW to modern WoW story feels like going from 5/10 to 2/10.
Like sure the first number ain’t gonna rank anywhere on my list of best video game stories of all time but at the same time it’s definitely managed to find a way to get worse than it used to be.
What used to be serviceable is just downright bad in recent expansions.
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