This was news to me when I read it on the official forums that in Cataclysm Deathwing will fly around Azeroth causing destruction. I think that’s a really cool idea. I’m in favor of having events going on in the world that add to the atmosphere and set a mood. That’s why I also love seasonal/holiday events so much; They change things up and introduce temporary change and break up the ease at which these MMO worlds become too familiar and dull.
Sandboxes that allow players to really change the world do not face this problem to such degree. In SWG it was neat to see new houses pop up or new camps of mobs in places as well as watch how the popular areas changed over time. In UO the world changed greatly as well and early on when I played it would be dangerous to go certain routes.  Even in non-sandbox games like DAOC, the use of dynamic events (relic raids, keep sieges, etc) made the world feel changing.
WoW has always done a better job of keeping their world fresh than most themeparks MMO’s so I can’t fault them much. I’m glad though that the Zombie event fiasco hasn’t scared them away from the idea of Deathwing wreaking havoc. While it’s not the same as a sandbox or player-driven-dynamic-events, it’s something different, matches the story/theme of what’s going on, and it will add to the experience. More of this stuff would be a welcomed addition.
What zombie event fiasco? The ZG Disease exploit? Oh those were marvelous times, my friend…
One of the greatest things about EQ was GM ran events. I’m honestly surprised WoW only does the seasonal events. I’m glad WoW is going to have the Deathwing event, even if it only lasts a few weeks.
@St. Pierre: I was on my long hiatus from the game at those times. All I remember is the massive complaining and “I quit” posts from people. I think I would have loved it.
Something was happening that turned people into Zombies. You could attack other players and turn them into zombies.
People hated it and complained to no end. Eventually, they just scrapped it.
The zombie event was truly the best thing I ever experienced in WoW.
I welcome Deathwings flame.
Actually, it was probably the best one-time event (or even any event?) in WoW so far. Because the players could choose to be the ones wreaking havoc, it never got predictable or dull. Players would always find new ways to harass their former allies, both in cities and in quest areas, as mindless zombies (spreading the zombie infection while at it). I’m not usually too much into pure sandbox games like EVE, but I LOVED that event, and I wish there would be more like that in WoW and less repetitive/dull events such as the Necropolis invasion or Argent Tournament (that’s not a “true” event, I know).
However, it was likely a bit too extreme for the average WoW player (those only interested in dungeons / AH trade). There were indeed many opinions along the lines of “I quit!” / “I’m leaving until this is over!”. Still, surprisingly many players did enjoy it, and the complainers were mostly newbies / very casual players (though it’s understandable, that not being able to level in many places safely would frustrate a newer player). The event would have perhaps been better, if
A) it didn’t put players in the lowest-level areas (Elwynn, Durotar) in danger
B) it had been slightly easier to defend important places (AH/banks) from invading zombies (players+NPCs) in the later phases of the event
B) it had happened closer to the release of Wrath and not lasted so long
C) it had been better informed, that it wouldn’t last all the way until Wrath release (many people thought they’d have to suffer the later stages of the event, which meant relentless zombie invasions everywhere, for many weeks!)
Hats off to Blizzard for this. I have to say I’m very impressed with the whole concept of rebuilding the original world and running a cool pre-expansion event like this is a great way to set the mood. Quite exciting.
Damn, this sounds like more WoW temptation. Curse you Blizzard CURSE YOU!!!!!
I’ve had this happen to me in the beta. I was just trying to find a boss in the Burning Steppes when the sky changed color and Deathwing shouted. Sure enough he flew over the zone and the entire place caught fire. Players, NPCs and mobs all died as soon as the wall of fire hit them. (It also gives and anchievement.)
As a level 50ish, with no flying mount, there was no where to run and created a true feeling of ‘oh shit’.
But why the Burning Steppes needed MORE fire I’ll never know.
Problem though is like the holiday events: after awhile the novelty of them dies and they become a pain in the ass. EVE had Hulkageddon, and all the smart players just didn’t go out in mining barges after the first one. The second one had the forums pretty much dead as people stopped caring.
From what I read of the zombie event, it was cool at start, but towards the end is when you got players bitching and staying logged out, because the novelty of the event wore off as the frequency increased. Most dynamic events really don’t offer enough variety for a long duration, so they are best done short before people get tired of them.
Keen, you should try Forsaken World.. it’s really nice to be a free to play mmo
That zombie event was by far the most fun I ever had in WoW. Oh god, organizing zombie raids on cities? It was glorious.
70s could really wipe out swathes of zombies if they wanted, but there was a real mixed bag between people who wanted to be zombie and those that wanted to kill them. The most fun though was by playing both sides. Kill as many zombies as possible, eventually succumb, and take up causing as much havoc as possible til that too runs out.
Oh, and that was the other great thing. Zombies were their own faction so it was the one time where alliance and horde could work together. Talking with hordelings cross-faction was great. There was no quarter given to either of your former factions in your epic quest for braaaaaains.
The Zombie event lasted all of 6 days total. The unavoidable part of it was just 2 days. The game has been out since 2004…two days out of 6 years and a few people were threatening to rage quit. Some people have a serious case of entitlement and a complete lack of perspective.
There was some complaining, but I’d say there was at least as much cheering. And it seems it would have only gone a week anyway even if they hadn’t cut it short. I’m sorry if you missed it…it was great and will never happen again.
People still talk about it because it was so memorable. Dynamic events are hardly dynamic if they are optional. Remember the Scourge ‘Invasion’? The undead walk around in circles outside cities and in random places and do nothing. They were seasonal resource nodes.
In the case of Deathwing, a giant world destroying dragon shouldn’t be something you can easily avoid.
@Blacknimbus
It’s funny but your entire posts reminds me of why so many of us still go on and on about EQ1 and DAoC. The shitty parts of the game are often the most memorable, or atleast overcoming the shitty parts.
Would killing Avator of War in EQ have been so memorable if it was easy? No, of course not. How about a 5 man Plane of Fear break? Nope, not a chance. What about taking your first Relic in DAoC? Nope.
The reason these memories stand out as some of the funniest things I’ve ever done in a MMO is because it was so difficult to acomplish them. It simply wasn’t fun at the time, but the sense of acomplishment is never ending. I killed AoW, what some 8 years ago, and it’s still my most memorable event in a MMO.
How about sports? Playing High School football in the snow and winning the game off a fumble recovery in the last 45 seconds our Sophmore year. Still remember it. The game was horrible though.
Sports and games are fun because they are a challenge. It’s fun to over come challenges with friends.
What did you do last month in what ever MMO you are playing? Odds are you can’t remember. I’m not saying I can remember every day of what I did in EQ but these HARD events are what make MMOs memorable.
@Epiny: That is all so true.