ClassiCast ft. Lead Classic Devs Brian Birmingham & Omar Gonzalez - Highlights

Classic Geposted 22.08.2019 um 14:15 von Anshlun

Watch live video from EsfandTV on www.twitch.tvStream Highlights

Normally the 2017 BlizzCon announcement wouldn't happen, because the team was still being built up at that point.

You will be able to stay at the character selection screen before launch, waiting for the Enter World button to light up.

Free character transfers are a possibility to lower populated realms to help control queues on full realms.

It is easier for Blizzard to increase the number of realms than reduce it, that's why they started with a small number and have been increasing them as they deem necessary.

The reason for not opening more realms is because they don't expect everyone to stick around, so they are being conservative with new realms to have a healthy population on all realms.

In preparation to Phase 2, Blizzard will slowly reduce the limit the number of players that can play per realm in order to prepare players to reach the eventual 1 layer per realm in Phase 2.

For layering, when you log in at the first time, the system will try to put you in a layer that has free space currently, so logging in at the same time doesn't mean you will be in the same layer.

Every time you invite someone to a group, the server will put the invitees in your layer. So players could build a mega-layer. Please don't do that.

Skeletons. Omar says that the Skeleton implementation in Classic matches the implementation of 1.12 that they have as base.

In 1.12 there was a setting added that made friendly nameplates not shown on NPCs that were invisible, regardless if you could see them or not. However, this change made the Segnung/Bannfluch questline way harder, because Das Auge der Offenbarung makes you see invisible mobs that you need to heal. This change was reverted a couple of patches later, so Blizzard decided to not have that in, since it was in 1.12, but was only in the game for a couple of weeks.

Classic addons API is very similar to retail, but with a couple of changes to make it closer to Vanilla. For instance, modern cast bars use hooks that weren't available in Vanilla, so those were removed. You can still code cast bars like they were in Vanilla, but that takes more work than retail's counterparts. This means addons like Decursive, very popular in Vanilla WoW, will work differently on Classic. Gotta learn how to do Chromaggus again!

Overall, addons that automate gameplay aren't ok, they go against the philosophy of Classic. However, addons that change how you see information about the world are ok, as that is the main functionality of addons.

Unarmored mounts won't be added to Classic, as adding those for a limited time would force people to rush the Classic experience for collectors. Originally, those mounts were just removed because better models were made by the original art team, it was never intended to make the original ones special. It was a happy accident.

Blizzard is curious to see what happy little accidents happen in Classic WoW.

Classic is a team effort, both people dedicated purely to Classic and people working with both Retail and Classic.

Layering will be turned off before Phase 2. Maybe 1 month, or 1 day before, but it will be before Phase 2.

Original Vanilla had a bunch of real-life mechanics balancing how many players would log in at launch. You had to get the CDs at your game store, then go through checkout, drive home, install the game, patch the game with your dial-up connection, pray no one picked up your phone. After all that you could play. That process could take days for some people. Now, everyone will hit Enter World all at once.

There isn't a hard-set criterion for when Phases will happen. Probably won't be slower than it originally was, but that is the best guess they have for now. It will all depend on what the community wants.

New phases will likely be global launches, but nothing is concrete right now.

Pre-nerf C'Thun won't happen. All bosses in raids will use values from 1.12 client. Want a challenge? Do the Omar challenge, with everyone with no Helms and Shoulders against C'Thun!

When Classic reaches Phase 6 what will happen? Fresh Phase 1 realms? Classic Burning Crusade? Classic Plus? Blizzard wants to hear what the community wants!

At the start of Classic development, there wasn't any news to share because the team was still being built up, which was the reason for the "void of news" after the Classic announcement.

Brian will play an Alliance Hunter after playing a Forsaken DK in retail. While Omar will change from a Holy Pally back in Vanilla to a Horde Shaman in Classic. Omar for Warchief 2020.

This is it from the Lead Classic Devs! Thanks for reading our highlights from the podcast.