Debate: Hydras

[Lazurianis]

It's been a while since I posted a thread post so.. here it is:

Debate Idea: It's been quite some time since Hydras became an official pet class, but the question is still in the air, will or will they ever become tameable? My opinion is that the possibility is always out there for them to be tameable because they did become a pet class, on the flip side, why haven't they yet?

[Twila]

It was posted by GC that hydras are getting a new model along with tech stuff before they make them tamable. They are planing to, but it takes time I guess. I dunno XD

[Solunerra]

It was posted by GC that hydras are getting a new model along with tech stuff before they make them tamable. They are planing to, but it takes time I guess. I dunno XD

I would take them as is.

[Twila]

I know the feeling. I still have my ghostly hydra... though I really badly wished I could have gotten the slime. stupid 5 slot stable back then >.<

[Kurasu]

on the flip side, why haven't they yet?

There are a lot of patches to go in the game, and if they make everything tameable at once, what is there to add? If they're planning to adjust the model, then even while they make the family (which to me proves that they're at least considering it) they will probably wait for a big patch, or even an expansion, to actually bring the model on-line.

This is opinion speaking, of course. No fact behind it. It seems the most likely reason 'why'.

[Yoruko]

It was posted by GC that hydras are getting a new model along with tech stuff before they make them tamable. They are planing to, but it takes time I guess. I dunno XD

Huh? Is there a source on this? :O If this is true then I have a hard time containing my excitement!

[Makoes]

It does have a credited source...I just cant remember where it is now, But that was something GC said on twitter, made lot of people happy.

[Rawr]

I don't believe GC any farther than I can throw him. Too many times he has posted one thing and we get another. Its just my opinion but I have stopped hanging on anything that isn't in the patch notes.

[Vephriel]

It was posted by GC that hydras are getting a new model along with tech stuff before they make them tamable. They are planing to, but it takes time I guess. I dunno XD

Huh? Is there a source on this? :O If this is true then I have a hard time containing my excitement!

If it was this thread being referred to, it wasn't Ghostcrawler himself, but a dev that someone knew:
http://forums.wow-petopia.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19426

I believe Ghostcrawler's tweet pertained to him not liking hydras and not wanting them to be tameable (just yet perhaps). We still don't have much conclusive info to go on, but it does sound like there might be hope for the future.

[Shinryu Masaki]

He said they didn't like the model, and that if they where to give them a new one then they might consider them being tamable. Though the word model in itself is a bit confusing, as he could have ment either the graphical look of them, or the skeleton they use. Either way, they're not releasing them soon. I agree with Kurasu, they will most likely wait for a future expansion. My bet's on the one where we will go fight Azshara, as that would be a perfect place to make them tamable.

[Kalliope]

I don't believe GC any farther than I can throw him. Too many times he has posted one thing and we get another. Its just my opinion but I have stopped hanging on anything that isn't in the patch notes.

You shouldn't be hanging on anything that's not in the patch notes anyway, since it's a sneak peek into the plans for the future, not a guarantee. Things change in development; it is the way of things.

Ghostcrawler has been very open with things on the development side ever since he first started posting. That leaves him open to criticism when plans change, unfortunately.

[Kurasu]

Ghostcrawler has been very open with things on the development side ever since he first started posting. That leaves him open to criticism when plans change, unfortunately.

Honestly, from what I've heard, this was the entire intention of things: him being open and being a 'face' for people to be able to take their thoughts on things, and a face for people to give ideas to. Honestly, the guy doesn't get enough kudos for the flak that he takes for doing the very thing that he was really put into place *to* do.

[Vephriel]

Ghostcrawler has been very open with things on the development side ever since he first started posting. That leaves him open to criticism when plans change, unfortunately.

Honestly, from what I've heard, this was the entire intention of things: him being open and being a 'face' for people to be able to take their thoughts on things, and a face for people to give ideas to. Honestly, the guy doesn't get enough kudos for the flak that he takes for doing the very thing that he was really put into place *to* do.

*nod* I've always liked Ghostcrawler. He's a good guy who does a lot of great things, it's a shame people are so harsh on him.

[Malackai]

Ghostcrawler has been very open with things on the development side ever since he first started posting. That leaves him open to criticism when plans change, unfortunately.

Honestly, from what I've heard, this was the entire intention of things: him being open and being a 'face' for people to be able to take their thoughts on things, and a face for people to give ideas to. Honestly, the guy doesn't get enough kudos for the flak that he takes for doing the very thing that he was really put into place *to* do.

*nod* I've always liked Ghostcrawler. He's a good guy who does a lot of great things, it's a shame people are so harsh on him.

well liking people is a personally matter just like some people love Paris Hilton and others absolutely despise her.

Personally I am not to fond of him he might be a nice guy irl but his communication most of the time just strokes my "fur" in the wrong way and irritates me. Its like he doesn't think things trough before he writes them down + contradicting himself makes me cringe -_-

[Kalliope]

Personally I am not to fond of him he might be a nice guy irl but his communication most of the time just strokes my "fur" in the wrong way and irritates me. Its like he doesn't think things trough before he writes them down + contradicting himself makes me cringe -_-

It really all comes down to how people take the development-stage announcements he makes. Things change and sometimes, he's representing all of Blizzard....other times (and he's clear about these), he states his personal opinion (as with hydras - and which he clearly wasn't alone on, since they're reportedly getting their animations updated). Sadly, these nuances are lost on most.

Having been in similar positions to Ghostcrawler before (albeit on a much smaller scale), I have always liked him and been able to relate to his position. I just wish more people could see things that way, but understand that that's unlikely to happen.

[Slapperfish]

(deleted)

[Ickabob]

A hydra debate without me? Well this blue that someone knows saying that they are in fact getting new models is news to me.That would be awesome if and when it happens. As for the subject of GC.... I don't agree with all of his decisions, however, he can't be all bad if he is willing to put up with us and even answer our questions from time to time.

[Moonlost]

If GC can give us SILKWORMS for goodness sake, then why should he deny us Hydras? D:


(I'm not saying the silkworm model is bad, they just have a low polycount IMO.)

In the case of the silkworm, the tamability of that model was an accident in beta that they decided to keep in, which is a very different scenario. People soon quickly fell in love with the little guys, and there was a family they could be conveniently slotted into. Well, either this or they were planned as an addition from the very beginning. They use another model as a base for a lot of their animations, which is already used as a pet (the crocolisk) and, while certainly not as shiny-looking as some of the other new models we've received in MoP, they're certainly no less textured than some of the older pet models.

Look to the hydra. I can personally see where GC is coming from on this guy. The animations themselves are very... dated. A lot of flailing of limbs and awkward transitions from one loop of the animation cycle to the next. Outside of one stationary animation, the two heads on the side don't really do much of anything. Although the model itself is fine enough for a pet, the animations that rig it look to me like a creature not intended to be looked at for long periods of time.
Yes, a lot of people love their ghost hydras, and a lot of people look upon the current hydras and say "DO WANT." I'm not saying your feelings towards these guys are invalid, because they're not. But... you have to admit that there is room for a lot of improvement there.
The dev team has a chance to really fix these small problems and make an animation rig and model that really stands up to close scrutiny before the majority of the WoW public gets them in their hands.

So, to go to the original question of the debate, I guess I'm of the opinion that yes, we will eventually have hydras as pets. They are far too popular not to be made into pets at this point, not to mention that stranger things have been turned tamable over the years.
But I also see why they want to wait and improve the models before they do so. For all the love we shoot their way, they are in dire need of tuning up. While they can just release it now and let us live with the flaws it has, I think they're taking the opportunity to make sure that the pet lives up to all the hype and hope we've built up around it. If so, then I am content to wait.

[Malackai]

Personally I am not to fond of him he might be a nice guy irl but his communication most of the time just strokes my "fur" in the wrong way and irritates me. Its like he doesn't think things trough before he writes them down + contradicting himself makes me cringe -_-

It really all comes down to how people take the development-stage announcements he makes. Things change and sometimes, he's representing all of Blizzard....other times (and he's clear about these), he states his personal opinion (as with hydras - and which he clearly wasn't alone on, since they're reportedly getting their animations updated). Sadly, these nuances are lost on most.

Having been in similar positions to Ghostcrawler before (albeit on a much smaller scale), I have always liked him and been able to relate to his position. I just wish more people could see things that way, but understand that that's unlikely to happen.

I can quite relate to his position as a communicator as well seeing I did similar work not on a big scale as him of course and of course not with gamers but communication to customers if some releases of a product where delayed on top of that I am closely connected to a development cycle so I know how important it is to communicate things to customers and to be careful how you word things seeing people can read things in different ways etc.

It might just be the way he writes but sometimes it does come off as belittling or borderline insulting. I am not specifically referring to the hydra case but just to things in general.

But its something I have noticed in overall on blizzard employee communication lately.