Today, I present a popular request articulated in a manner that aims to capture the attention of developers, thereby increasing the likelihood of its future implementation post-2025. This suggestion may serve as a remedy for the factional imbalances currently affecting our game.
I will outline the most viable races for the vanilla setting, starting with the most fitting candidate and progressing to those that are less so.
Should you find merit in this proposal, I encourage you to support my initial suggestion, 'Tauren Priests or Tauren Rogues, Dwarf Warlocks.' This concept is far simpler and more feasible for implementation, whereas the current proposal may be indefinitely overlooked by developers due to its complexity and their existing comfort with the status quo.
I wish to highlight a Turtle WoW development principle: the developers of this private server refrain races that share identical skeletons and animations. For instance:
The high elves and blood elves in vanilla utilize a modified night elf model. If the developers intended to preserve the vanilla aesthetic for the high elves, akin to the goblins, they would merely replicate the night elf skeleton and animations. However, this approach is untenable as it would result in two races with indistinguishable animations and emotes.
Adhering to the aforementioned guideline, our options for race models, skeletons, and animations are limited to the discarded playable ogre, draenei, worgen, and pandaren. The furbolg model is excluded from consideration due to its lack of a dance emote and mount-use animation, and I am skeptical that any existing skeletons on this list could be adapted to the vanilla furbolg model.
C̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶a̶n̶i̶m̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶s̶u̶m̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶f̶e̶a̶s̶i̶b̶l̶e̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶u̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶l̶i̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶u̶r̶c̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶d̶e̶.̶ ̶P̶l̶e̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶r̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶c̶o̶r̶r̶e̶c̶t̶.̶
For the Horde, there is a singular contender:
1st - The Ogre: An ideal addition to the game for the following reasons:
- It is the most requested race on this forum, indicating substantial community interest.
- According to the Warcraft Wiki, a player model exists for this race. Its level of completion is uncertain, notably its lack of armor support. The presence of the tauren, another large-sized race within the Horde, and the challenge of designing appealing female ogre models resulted in Blizzard's decision to exclude ogres as a playable race. The 'Gordok Ogre Suit' was created to utilize the pre-existing player animations for the ogre model.
- Wowhead reveals that the 'Gordok Ogre Suit' shares the same dance animation and various emotes with the Druids' Moonkin form. The completeness of the ogre's emote repertoire is unknown, as I have not personally utilized that item. Should the ogre lack certain emotes and share the Moonkin's animation skeleton, it would be more straightforward to transfer any missing emotes to the ogre, thereby enriching the model. Alternatively, the Moonkin skeleton can be placed on the ogre, potentially requiring adjustments to the ogre model. It is conjectured by me that the Moonkin skeleton, due to emote similarities and model proportions, could have been originally derived from the playable ogre, particularly prior to the Warlords of Draenor expansion.
- Turtle WoW has successfully integrated armor into the vanilla goblin model using the Cataclysm skeleton, and several competing private servers have adeptly equipped different races with armor. Consequently, the argument against developing a new race based on armor compatibility should not be considered a valid concern in 2024. Even if the full development process spans months or years, Turtle WoW has diversified interests and enjoys a stable position, whereas its competitors require additional time before they can vie with Turtle WoW.
- The ogre model stands out for its completeness. Beyond possessing emotes, it accommodates mount usage and features the mounted ogre animation, unlike the Furbolg model, which lacks mount compatibility.
- The sole issue with this model is the nonexistence of female ogres within the game. Fortunately, this is a minor obstacle. Investigations into official sources reveal that an female ogres shares the male ogre's physique, with distinct differences in the face, chest, and hair.
R̶e̶g̶r̶e̶t̶t̶a̶b̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶A̶l̶l̶i̶a̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶c̶k̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶i̶t̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶d̶i̶d̶a̶t̶e̶s̶:̶
2nd - The Worgen: My stance on their inclusion is m̶i̶x̶e̶d̶ favorable:
- The implementation difficulty for Worgen is comparable to that of goblins; it involves applying the vanilla model with the Cataclysm skeleton and Cataclysm animations, followed by armor adjustments to fit the vanilla framework.
- I oppose the utilization of Gilneas, as its narrative arc is concluded and it serves as a higher-level zone, despite vacant spaces. Permanent alternative leveling solutions in vacant spaces are unprofessional. An ideal scenario would involve a dedicated leveling zone for Worgens, though interim leveling measures in vacant spaces are acceptable.
- The ability for Worgen to revert to human form is inconsequential to me. H̶o̶w̶e̶v̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̶m̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶m̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶i̶n̶c̶l̶u̶s̶i̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶i̶v̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶c̶e̶s̶s̶f̶u̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶p̶o̶r̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶g̶e̶n̶’̶s̶ ̶'̶R̶u̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶W̶i̶l̶d̶'̶,̶ ̶a̶k̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶o̶u̶n̶t̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶f̶i̶c̶i̶e̶n̶c̶y̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶l̶b̶r̶e̶a̶k̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶e̶.̶
3rd - The Draenei: My opposition is unequivocal:
- I disapprove of retcons, and many forum members overlook that the introduction of the broken draenei constitutes a retcon, as vanilla only features the lost one draenei variant.
- Contrary to the customizable broken draenei, the lost one draenei lacks individuality, with all members sharing identical faces and bodies.
- While a female broken draenei could be conceptualized, the lost one draenei’s uniformity renders it an impractical meme within the Turtle WoW universe.
- Implementing Draenei with the vanilla model is an impossibility, and adopting the broken draenei model would constitute a blatant retcon, tantamount to hypocrisy.
- Should the broken draenei model be selected, ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶i̶m̶p̶l̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶d̶i̶f̶f̶i̶c̶u̶l̶t̶y̶ ̶m̶i̶r̶r̶o̶r̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶o̶b̶l̶i̶n̶s̶.̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶n̶e̶c̶e̶s̶s̶i̶t̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶d̶a̶p̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶d̶r̶a̶e̶n̶e̶i̶ ̶m̶o̶d̶e̶l̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶B̶u̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶C̶r̶u̶s̶a̶d̶e̶ ̶s̶k̶e̶l̶e̶t̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶B̶u̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶C̶r̶u̶s̶a̶d̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶i̶m̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶e̶m̶a̶l̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶d̶r̶a̶e̶n̶e̶i̶ ̶m̶o̶d̶e̶l̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶u̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶f̶e̶m̶a̶l̶e̶ ̶d̶r̶a̶e̶n̶e̶i̶ ̶m̶o̶d̶e̶l̶,̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶.̶
4th - The Pandaren: My opposition is absolute:
- I lack arguments in favor of Pandaren in vanilla WoW, aside from their presence in the RTS franchise, which I have yet to explore. Their sole utility may lie in repurposing their skeleton and animations for a vanilla-compatible model if there are other race on Azeroth compatible with the pandaren skeleton and if the Worgen and Draenei options for the Alliance falter. I leave the advocacy for this race to you, esteemed forum members.
Thank you for your engagement !
Adahel2162 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 9:38 pmGreetings to all,Galendor wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 9:24 amI'm not a dev but, theoretically speaking, you can avoid such complexities by imitating a third faction without its real implementation.Adahel2162 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2024 2:46 pm
Greetings to all,
Your perspective is well-reasoned. Introducing an entirely new faction with fresh lore, distinct from the Burning Crusade’s Outland, while preserving the original vanilla factions, is indeed an ambitious endeavor. However, practical considerations come into play, particularly regarding time and financial feasibility.
Creating a new faction extends beyond the mere inclusion of two races. The goblin race’s development journey serves as a testament to the complexities involved. Imagining a new faction with multiple races, I humorously speculate that it might take a decade to complete—a timeline that could potentially hinder the server’s evolution and allow competitors to catch up with Turtle WoW. It’s essential to recognize that we are not Blizzard, and our resources and capabilities differ significantly. I would like some developer to comment on what is viable and what is not so that I can calibrate my suggestions, I feel like I am writing in the dark every time I create a topic.
Thank you for your engagement !
Let's say, we wanna create akin of Illidari faction. We're implementing racial restrictions to all existing Horde quests, so only Vanilla races + goblins can accept these quests. Then we're adding new races to the Horde - our "Illidari" races, and set their starting reputation with the Horde as "Hostile". Then we're creating Illidari quests with racial restrictions, so only Illidari races can accept these quests. Now your Illidari are imitating their own faction in most aspects of the game.
Even the character creation screen is redactable, and can place races in any possible order, without their dependency from their faction, so the third column can be added, too.
The problem here is pvp, because such plaulyers will inevitably be marking as Horde players, so they'll be sided with other Hrode members on BGs. However, it's solvable by adding ingame explaining that Illidari are in a state of fragile truce with the Horde.
Galendor, your knack for devising legendary solutions to a wide array of challenges never ceases to impress. The hurdles I currently perceive in this proposal are minimal and do not pose a significant barrier to the implementation of Mac’s original vision. Initially, the inclusion of the Naga as a race might face resistance from developers unless there are volunteers to craft the requisite animations for this potential race. Moreover, situating Outland as a leveling area for this third faction might feel out of place for the Naga, considering that only a few members made an alliance with Illidan.
Should the developers embrace this concept, I trust they would overlook the Blood Elves’ resemblance to the High Elves in terms of emotes and animations, given their identical race origins in the lore. Perhaps a shift towards Felblood Elves would add a touch of intrigue; their inability to become paladins, coupled with the introduction of Fel Orcs, could offer a compelling twist to this new faction’s narrative.
With the technicalities of implementation now behind us, it’s time to delve into the specifics of each race within the new third faction, including potential racial and class combinations. Admittedly, this is an area I tend to shy away from, as my creative prowess and class-balancing skills are somewhat limited.
There is undoubtedly space to further the discussion on a new faction. However, I urge members to also revisit the central theme and build upon the enlightening dialogue we’ve initiated. Let’s not allow the topic of adding two new races to the game—one for each faction—to wane. Please also share your thoughts on potential racial and class combinations about the races in the original thread, as this remains a more readily achievable goal, all while continuing the discourse initiated by Mac regarding a third faction. Your insights are invaluable, and I’m confident that by expanding our focus without losing sight of our initial intent, we can deepen our exploration of the subject and enhance our collective wisdom.
Thank you for your active participation and for enriching this vibrant forum with your perspectives. I eagerly anticipate our continued discussions on ‘New Races – Worgens & Ogres’ and ‘Illidari as a third playable faction’.
Should my tone come across as overly formal, do not hesitate to inform me. I’ve honed my language to ensure this topic thrives, unlike its predecessor.
Thank you for your engagement !