tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post1569547120432262990..comments2024-01-04T02:49:23.470-08:00Comments on Blessing of Kings: The Problems With the Battle for Azeroth Story, Part IRohanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09090769681887119989noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post-1497461887071034292020-09-02T10:37:35.788-07:002020-09-02T10:37:35.788-07:00Personally, I think WoW is best when the two facti...Personally, I think WoW is best when the two factions aren't at peace, but aren't at full-out war either. When they're skirmishing and attacking back-and-forth. A border war, not an "attacking capital cities" war.Rohanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09090769681887119989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post-15770491954698323432020-09-02T01:44:17.441-07:002020-09-02T01:44:17.441-07:00> The Burning of Teldrassil would have been an ...> The Burning of Teldrassil would have been an excellent opener for a story where the war between Horde and Alliance becomes hot, and stays hot for several expansions.<br /><br />The problem with that is that humans don't like war - at least not if it happens at their door step. People get tired of war fast because war sucks. If you nuke a city they don't want to fight for decades to go, they will capitulate.<br /><br />I can only see 2 options to keep a war for several expansions.<br /><br />Either the folk is against war but the leaders have them fight anyway. But that's not how they show the Alliance leaders, they would love peace. And on the horde side they would just kill and replace their leaders.<br /><br />Or you have another race who loves war. That's how they showed the Orcs in Warcraft 1. But that has been retconned and they are now a very peaceful nation...Kringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03128630042421602039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post-1103678691219934032020-08-31T14:44:47.088-07:002020-08-31T14:44:47.088-07:00When I'm thinking about the "Rule of Cool...When I'm thinking about the "Rule of Cool" it's more the decisions such as to burn Teldrassil or create the Night Warrior, but have Nathanos escape in a really insulting (to the player) fashion. They try to build up these intense moments, but just don't pay them off.<br /><br />If the BfA Jaina story had been her main one, I think I would like it. It's just I remember how her character has been jerked around by the writers over the years and now we're right back at her being BFFs with Thrall. I'd rather see her change, grow, but not feel like she's right back in the same place.<br /><br />The war campaign had some good spots, but, again for *me*, the burning of Teldrassil / Assault of Lordaeron just left a bad taste in my mouth so it's hard to view the campaign favorably. I'm long since over the faction conflict and am thus unwilling to give the writers any leeway in that story line. Too often the factions came together to beat the Big Bad(tm) for a faction war at this time to be palatable.Pallaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01052537793722183657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post-89190102094105828952020-08-31T13:54:10.450-07:002020-08-31T13:54:10.450-07:00I think they have an overall vision. That's my...I think they have an overall vision. That's my point about Sylvanas. They've been setting 'something' up since Legion. What with Sylvanas making a deal with Helya, etc. They're just doing a poor job with it.Rohanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09090769681887119989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post-77160812641388046922020-08-31T12:29:09.153-07:002020-08-31T12:29:09.153-07:00The lack of overall vision, combined with the libe...The lack of overall vision, combined with the liberal use of nuclear options puts us in the Twilight level of writing ability. I don't mean the tiny detail stuff, I mean being given a carte blanche opportunity (WoD) and managing to paint yourself into a corner so bad you had to scrap half the story.<br /><br />This is at the writing team level, surely there are some folks there with some solid skills. But the leadership there is questionable.Asmirothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09769824275250465235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post-29610861147617957932020-08-31T11:12:47.371-07:002020-08-31T11:12:47.371-07:00Well, I thought the zone stories and initial part ...Well, I thought the zone stories and initial part of the War Campaign was really good. I loved the work they did with Jaina in Kul Tiras.<br /><br />I don't really think "Rule of Cool" is part of their problems. I'm perfectly fine with Jaina on a flying ship, for example. I think there are deeper, more structural, issues. It's the elements I want to discuss in Part II.Rohanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09090769681887119989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20292755.post-37978227287887922092020-08-31T02:45:38.128-07:002020-08-31T02:45:38.128-07:00I differ in that I think the folks at Blizzard are...I differ in that I think the folks at Blizzard aren't very good writers. They can do a decent scene here and there (your small stories), but when it comes to putting it all together they fail. A decent writer will have a plot and story that work together to build consistently to a coherent end. You might not like how the story plays out, but you can see how things fit together thematically.<br /><br />I think Blizzard's problem is that they can't say no to things that seem cool. From the Wow Diary they've always included things that fit the "Rule of Cool". That worked in the early days when they were world building, but you have to say "No" to many cool things when you're trying to tell a serial, long term story. Otherwise you end up with Galactus at issue 50 (Fantastic Four) and where do you go after defeating a Cosmic entity in medium where you want to keep publishing issues?Pallaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01052537793722183657noreply@blogger.com