Couldn’t have put it better myself.
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Just here to comment that this doesn’t really have anything to do with art direction. Your complaint seems more about the theme and setting of the patch content.
It could though.
For me, I don’t mind cars in WoW, but what I’ve seen from those in 11.1, they’re not something that appeals to me. And I fear that we’ll be stuck having to use them, just like in DF we were stuck with just the 4 drakes for ages. Which was my biggest issue with dragonriding. I just didn’t like the mounts. Thankfully we got some more choices as the expansion progressed, but I’m not looking forward to being in a zone for 6 months where I have to use a mount I don’t like the look of and using game mechanics I don’t think are fun. I do not want a repeat of DF in that regard.
I too have a wow passion but I include goblins ins that. They are part of the game why can’t we have one lousy patch that focuses on them?
To be fair, we did get all of WoD that was more or less orc themed for about 3/4 of its duration. Not a comment on the quality of the expansion though.
Perhaps I’m not understanding your reply, but this still isn’t art direction.
The art direction is the exaggerated character proportions, wonky buildings, handpainted textures with vibrant colours, the stylised spell effects, dramatic lighting etc. It’s how the various elements of art are used to communicate the game world.
Driving cars on roads is the setting within the game world. A different art direction wouldn’t make the patch setting any less goblins and cars and rockets.
I’d say it’s because Goblins don’t really hold a main role in the story, lore, worldbuilding, or plotline?
Just like the Gnomes, they’re kind of well-suited for a comedic relief and also a supporting role. Like Mechagon was a side thing to Nazjatar, which worked great. If Mechagon had been the only thing it would have seemed a bit anti-climatic.
It feels the same with Goblins. They’re not really a race that can carry a main narrative on their own.
Fair be it if Blizzard stuffs a lot of Old God, Titan, and Xal’atath story in the patch, but if not, it’s going to come across as a filler.
And I’m not sure that’s what the game needs right now, or what players want.
There is no issue with the goblin theme.
The problem is their mandatory damn dumb pimp my ride cars
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Of course it is.
The design of those cars is art direction.
Sure, but there’s a difference between one goblin design and the next.
I suppose for me it’s a case of; I like goblin-themed gear, weapons and such, but I’m generally not a fan of goblin-themed mounts. I usually prefer gnome-themed mounts when it comes to mechanical ones.
Gnomes don’t slap an ugly big nosed face onto their stuff. That also helps. 
If the goblin stuff does move the story along in a meaningful way, I’m fine with it.
But after 11.0.5 and 11.0.7 I’m a bit fed up with filler. I want the main story arc to continue - and not through stupid ‘fetch me a bunch of fragments and we’ll watch a boring little animation together’ quests like they’ve been doing. I really think that was a horrible way to give us all that lore stuff. I would have rather watched a pretty cinematic, honestly.
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I just read it on WoWhead I was that impressed with it.
I think there will be a main arc to do with a crystal and that troll woman but I don’t see how this is going to lead into Midnight yet.
I wanted to go where the roots are and the troll people live, I wanted to go to Arathor. Maybe we still will. Just not excited right now. Goblin themed stuff is so depressing to me… and so messy.
Yeah. But it’s probably a product of its circumstances, right? I mean, for all we know, then Blizzard had a plan for this expansion and were working on it when Metzen came in and said: “No, we’re pivoting to my thing now.”
And those little boring titan animations are a way of pivoting to his thing.
Most of the expansion is.
There was obviously a different story intended than the one they ended up with.
And I dare say that it’s the same with Undermine. They likely had something else in mind originally, and then they shove some Old God corruption and Titan relics and Xal’atath in there as an afterthought, so that it kind of works with whatever story plot Metzen is envisioning.
Oh well that ofcourse is a valid point. Personally I look forward to it cause it sounds kinda funny but I get why others don’t like the idea.
But that is only cause that’s what we have seen from them to this day. And while I am not to optimistic when it comes to blizzys story writing they at least said they want to explore goblins and there lore and make them more then just a joke race
It’s been 33 years!
Blizzard have dug their hole - story-wise - a long time ago, and they’re not going to be digging themselves out of it now.
Yeah… but what theme exactly ? WoD disappointmented me a lot because the story, while orc-centric… I did not agree.
First and foremost, I think Garrosh Cata was PERFECT. Strong dude, dosent let anyone push him arround (much less the alliance) but he had honour. The whole deal with Garrosh was to be strong but not make the mistake of his father.
Then MoP comes around and he is the bad guy. Because… reasons… and decides to drink the blood of an “old god” to get power. Totally out of character.
And then he magically travels back in time ? Like REALLY !!! WTF… Its a super convoluted thing… like Shadowlands type of thing…
I mean… honestly, Garrosh sould have been the cool warboss he was in Cata. MoP should have been about old gods and mantids invading. And WoD should have been the Red Orcs from Outland. Or from some other Legion-dominated planet.
Not this time-travel stuff… and killing Garrosh… WTF was that !
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Sure but does that mean we need to only vibe with human and elve content with the occasional orc and maybe a new race.
I’d say let them prove they can do better otherwise why are we even sticking around
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Question: What did you expect from a goblin city?
WotLK:
Cata:
WoD:
Undermine:
Your point being?
They’re the same thing, just an extra set of wheels.
Did you see tanks, flying machines, guns, engineers, etc. in LotR?
Thought so.
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They’re not the same thing in the slightest.
I don’t have to play some dumb mini-game-esque nonsense when I want to ride those bikes or that trike.
I don’t want to choose between more speed, better steering, more grip or whatever kind of nonsense they’re cooking up. I don’t want, if it’s similar to skyriding, have to be paying attention at all times because I have a meter running out that’s going to leave me stranded on the side of road, waiting for it to slowly charge up again. Stuff like that. I hate that.
And I don’t want it on my mounts. I want a toggle. Right away. Not 2 years later, like with dragonriding. No, I want a toggle so I can go fast without all the minigame nonsense. I did NOT sign up to play a racing sim when I made my WoW account; if that’s something I wanted, I’d be playing, oh I don’t know… a racing game?!
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Valid points gameplay wise, but irrelevant regarding Gabs rant about “cars in myyyyy fannassyygaaame?!” rant.
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In that context, yes.
I just don’t agree that they’re ‘the same’.
Even look-wise there IS a difference.
But yes, complaining about cars in WoW in general seems a bit weird since mechanical and/or motorized vehicles have been a part of WoW since forever.
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