The Daily Grind: Which zones are you happy to see destroyed?

When City of Heroes announced that the game's new starting experience will include the wholesale destruction of Galaxy City, there were some players who were sad. There were many more who were happy at the thought of Galaxy City being smashed into rubble and twisted metal, and there were even a few volunteers to help wreck it before the update hits. There are zones that we like in any game, yes, but there are also zones that seemingly nobody enjoys.

Fortunately, the nature of MMOs ensures that the zone you hate today could be getting an extensive makeover via demolition tomorrow. So what zones do you think deserve a big dose of a cosmic wrecking ball? Are they zones that have already been destroyed, such as World of Warcraft's long-loathed Darkshore, or zones you just can't wait to see destroyed (such as Galaxy City)? Or are there even zones that show no sign of going anywhere that you'd just like to see wrecked?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

Reader Comments (23)

I never understood people's hatred for Darkshore. It was always one of my favourite zones when I played WoW.

To answer the question in the title: Champions' Lemuria. Drain that place, Cryptic, please.
And, speaking of WoW, The Barrens. I quit a year ago, so I have no clue as to how it looks now, but man, did I ever hate that zone. Too big, too monotonous, too bright. The Barrens is the reason why I never managed to level a Horde character past 17 or so.

@Lenn

The Barrens is much worse now. If you do all the quests in the intended order, it feels like hours before you see Crossroads. The new quest design philosophy that saw a different quest hub every hundred yards in Northrend is still in effect. Leveling a new character post-Cataclysm, you're left without even the illusion of freedom that used to be there.

I wouldn't mind seeing the "Captain's Quarters" zone in Eve obliterated.

I'd like to see Thousand Needles (WoW) destroyed and returned to its former (drier) glory. I liked it a lot better pre-Cataclysm.

Frankly, after having played WoW for 6 years, I think destroying old content is bad. Yeah, some of the zones aren't the best, but I don't like the new content and my nostalgia has gotten to me. It will never be the same and I will miss it. Even the old barrens. It's not the same and I don't like it. It's a shame they put so much "effort" in the new 1-60 and it turned out like it did. Should have focused more on the pathetic excuse they have for end game and not destroyed what some feel were precious memories. I know now one of the reasons I unsubbed from wow is because they destroyed so much. Change isn't always good.

@(Unverified)

Fortunately for COH, we have the Ouroboros portals. There will be an "Echo of Galaxy City" kept in there so people can time-travel back to before it got smooshed apparently :)

Personally, I think that Atlas Park needs a good squishing and rebuild as well, although after 7 years, there's still a lot of areas that are still in ruins from the first Rikti war. Thing is, Galaxy will likely be all new and shiny (Implied from the screen shots) whereas the other city zones will still look like they did when the game started.

Oh well.

Stormwind. Please wreck Stormwind. It was freakin landed on by Deathwing and we only see a couple of statues and the smallest district destroyed? The rest of the city looks like the freakin dragon didn't sit on top of hit to make everyone cry for their moms.

Destroying older content is a good idea. MMO populations are dynamic, When a MMO starts you need a lot of low to mid level zones to support the population. Over time though the game population shifts to the very high levels and those low end zones become very empty. Questing in them starts to feel like a single player game.

If you destroy them and tighten up the low end experience it can keep the game fresh and help steer the smaller low end player base into fewer zones.

@Dracones Why destroy them? Just move them off to the side a bit so that the quest chains don't have to go through them, and go through the newer zones instead. That way the people that want to play on the old zones still can, as well as the new zones. It would also mean that there would be more than enough content for anyone that plays.

oooooh i definitely have one of those zones in EVERY game ;)

EverQuest2: Feerott... make it burn please
Dark Age of Camelot: (old)Hadrian's Wall and Lyonesse. Spent too many hours grinding there ;)
World of Warcraft: Westfall
LotRO: Trollshaws
Warhammer Online: ALL Elf zones... they're all terrible.
Age of Conan: That first stupid desert zone...
DC Universe Online: can't remember the name but that dumb area with all the green lanterns in the level 20 range... terrible, terrible, terrible

there you go... you can take them away now... good riddance ;)

Heh, a lot of CoH needs a touch up and I'm not even talking graphics. Other than the newer areas, all the computers still use the old CRT monitors. No wonder they got stomped by the Rikti. They are using 1980s tech!

Seriously, CoH should open up some of their Hazard Zones, like Perez Park or Hollows. Both are a pain to navigate and especially annoying for early level heroes they were designed for. Rebuild them. I mean after seven years, you'd think they'd have reclaimed those areas by now.

@(Unverified) lol, my first time ever going to Perez Park was level 39. When I got there and saw all of those Outcast gangs, I thought, "Oh God. What did I miss?"

I wouldn't mind if they destroyed that place.

I'd also love to see Faultline go. I hate trying to get through that place, especially when you have to go beyond that dam where the Longbow are located.

Then again, Faultline is already kind of destoryed. :/

I'd like to see them rebuild some of the areas that are already destroyed, like Boomtown and The Hollows.

@rockman0

Faultline was one of the first zones they ever rebuilt, not going to get "new zone" treatment for a while. Oh, and if you think it's bad now, you never saw it before they revamped it... there was a real reason why the called it Faultline.

if anything needs revamping is the Shadow Shard maps (Firebase Zulu, Cascade Archapelago, The Chantry, The Storm Palace). Cool maps, but wretched to navigate and there's no point. Plus the original content for there, because "Kill 50", "Rescue Hostages" and "Defeat all in base" missions are sooooooooo 2004.

Lemuria in Champions Online
Sector Space in STO.. I know, it's hard to destroy space, but that thing seriously needs to get redesigned.
Several zones in AoC: Conall's Valley, Field of the Dead, Eiglophian Mountains, Aztel's Approach, Ymir's Pass, Thunder River, Lacheish Plains and Purple Lotus Swamp.
The bottled part of Gotham City in DCUO.

There is nothing I hate more than Greater Faydark from EQ2. Every single time I was there, I wished I had a lighter and lots of gasoline.

For the love of all that is holy, blow up the **** out of Outlands please. Particularly, Hellfire Peninsula. It's not that Outlands is bad in it's own right per se, but compared to the rest of WoW it feels so out of date.

@PrimeSynergy
It's already in pieces, though. D: It's, uh...it's a fixer-upper.

In terms of City of Heroes again, the reverse-destruction of Faultline a few issues back was a great move. The original Faultline zone was a navigational disaster for anyone without Fly, and contained nothing of any real interest or import. But the revamp turned it into a bustling zone with a fun mission arc for levels 15-25.

A great case study on how to turn around ailing zones.

Anything underwater in any game ever. Yeah, including Mario. Hate underwater.

So, mostly, I hope to see Vash J removed.

Bioshock doesn't count cause you aren't swimming : p

I've never understood this desire to stick in under water as a playable location. I much prefer Aion's route of adding in the sky.

Feerott and G Fay seconded, heartily seconded. Remake 'em or just scrape 'em off the plate haha

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The Daily Grind: Which zones are you happy to see destroyed?

Reader Comments (23)

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 8:10AM Lenn said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 9:15AM Allegos said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 8:33AM Rodj Blake said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 8:49AM Tom in VA said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 8:53AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 9:32AM JeffT4 said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 9:07AM Anshin said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 9:36AM Dracones said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 10:55PM iowahawkeyedave said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 9:48AM eLdritchZ said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 10:08AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 2:57PM rockman0 said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 9:51PM Wraibot said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 10:09AM Faryon said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 10:17AM FGLeiche said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 10:24AM PrimeSynergy said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 11:47AM Irem said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 12:47PM El Furioso said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 1:40PM Averice said

Posted: Jul 1st 2011 2:24PM (Unverified) said

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