A couple of weeks ago on the Massively OP Podcast, Justin and I derailed into a discussion about flight in MMOs and how MMOs like World of Warcraft just can’t seem to reconcile the fact that it’s something they did that they can’t undo. Look, flight is fun as heck, and if a game is going to go to the trouble of adding it, it seems acutely obnoxious to disable it later and disappoint all the players now hooked on it. And yet, on a technical level, we understand why they do, right? Flight really can trivialize old, horizontal, pre-flight content.
The ongoing problem, as we noted, is that Blizzard wants to keep on designing non-vertical zones instead of creating its new maps around flight, meaning that sometimes players must at least initially forego the flying mounts they have elsewhere. Contrast that with Guild Wars 2, which implemented vertical mounts and wisely started building zones to match, which actually made for more interesting and detailed locations.
How should MMOs handle overpowered flying mounts in future content? Which MMO has navigated this problem the best?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
