I bought 2 of the original crowdfunder editions :) might be tempted to part with one :P
Not really a question about the essay, but a question that popped up when playing Classic. What was the thought process of creating a different human model for the certain Bloodsail Buccaneers in STV? We're these human models that didn't make the cut, so they were repurposed for this one use? I can seem to remember them ever being used again.
That's an awesome excerpt about the Warcraft 3 story, especially considered it's how I like playing the game, and was never particularly great at micromanaging several things either. I'm curious what the original food cap was like, and how much that original food cap impacted the game's visual design. (IE: Were models designed around that food cap, so each side having 100+ units wouldn't choke the game too much?)I'm sure it was probably before John's time there, but it'd be interesting to hear any info on that if he had any. Warcraft 3's development was always overshadowed by WoW's so a lot of details have been lost until recently with Reforged's announcement.
Such a shame that the company spirit he talked about is now lost.
Thanks for the reply! I had combed through my copy WoW Diary a few times to see if I could find the answer, but nothing concrete.
"When people aren’t personally invested in their work, the result is a soulless product." That really reminded me of BfA launch. I still wonder what the heck happened over at Blizzard and how much their relationship with Activision influenced the poor decisions made for the expansion.
Hey John. This isn't related to the above essay, but I wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed your time on Countdown to Classic. Some fantastic conversations, and it's sad to think that you won't be able to share any more stories there.Any final thoughts about Josh's decision to end the podcast, or anything from the C2C Discord channel, #john-staats-sign-up, that was never able to be talked about?
I'm actually surprised to see Staats wasn't involved with Naxxramas' design, given the design of the raid and how each wing has a different layout. Did you have any involvement with the initial planning or early development of that raid?The essay was great to read, but saddening as workplaces continue to move in the complete opposite direction and only care about short term gains and profits at the expense of everything else. I can't imagine there are any companies like the old Blizzard left in today's world.I forgot to purchase the WoW Diary last year but it's definitely going to be this year's christmas present to myself.
These are always fun reads. You can see their recipe of success with this.Seeing blizz adopt a time played metric instead of a fun played metric nowadays makes me feel like a lot of this original vision and atmosphere is lost. It's obvious they strived for maximum fun in their games. BFA however feels like it's designed to keep you occupied and less about maximum fun.John also mentions "no suits." I wonder how involved the suits are today.
I got one these through the Kickstarter a while back. Very great book - for WoW nerds or for computer science geeks. Highly recommend.
At last, a single idea for the Christmas list I keep forgetting to make!Loved this bit. Was so into reading it I forgot it was an excerpt and was immediately confused by its "abrupt" end.Then saddened... I need moaaar!Looking forward to reading the book and further essays! Very much so.
Hi JohnI bought the ebook version (shipping is horrible to this side of the world) and I could not put my phone down. I read this in bed, on the train, at work. It was one of the best reads I've had in a long time. Thanks for writing it!My question is on the history of the back-end of the game. I loved the screenshots and photo's you added with how collision and the likes work and how maps are designed (for example the few textures you had to use for a certain building). Were there any other pictures documented that is still yet to be shared with the public? Or did you pretty much cover it all?