Pamela, level 4 candy corn of the Darrowmere Warcraft realm, asked for player opinions on which capital city is the most confusing. She nominated Thunder Bluff, and I’m inclined to agree — it’s top-notch in potential danger from an untimely fall, say for example, you went there for the fire festival and had to steal the horde flame for a quest and you accidentally backed up too far and splattered your level 60 rogue self all over the grass below. But let’s be honest here, all the capital cities are annoying in their own way.
In five minutes time, I designed the perfect Warcraft city (indeed, the perfect MMO city) AND created a professional graphic to illustrate.
It’s everything I need and nothing I don’t want.
okay, obvious first question… Just how often do you use your mailboxes?
Oooh. Perfect mailbox placement. But I think you forgot one thing: you need an area for all of the town’s quest NPCs to gather in. That way you can get all of your quest stuff in town out of the way at once and not have to wander around looking for yellow dots on your minimap.
that’s a good point. I think you also need to emply an UnderCity approach to action houses in that there are 8 in a circular arrangement. None of that mass grouping around 1 guy. And they’ll each be near a mailbox for quick retrieval
Funny, that looks pretty close to Thunder Bluff to me; the Bank/mailbox/AH are right close together by the inn, and once you get familiar with where the other stuff is you realize that most things are pretty close together. Before you get used to it it can be confusing, but that just means everyone is off in Org and you don’t have to deal with lag. TB FTW!
I’m with Vargen – Orgrimmar’s layout flat-out sucks compared to TBs, especially if you’re a blacksmith or engineer. Ironforge’s layout isn’t bad. Stormwind == Orgrimmar. I don’t know Undercity well enough to have an opinion. That ‘trainers and vendors all in one place’ idea isn’t bad, although it doesn’t seem to work all that well for Darnassus in practice.
You have to be at a specific location to check your mail in WoW? Doesn’t that result in hideous crowds? How many towns are there anyway?
now if that circle has a diameter of no more than 200 feet then you have my vote for city planner
For me the most confusing and frustrating place has always been Undercity. ‘Cause everythings the fakin same, where ever you go. I have never hated symmetry as much as when I first went to that infernal place…
I don’t care how you lay it out, as long as there’s no fucking bread seller NPC spamming you every five minutes.
Maffix, that bread vendor is my dwarf chick’s long lost sister. We have the same face and hair color.
I buy bread from her all the time to support her family.
Now that you can ride around UC mounted it’s definitely my favorite horde city. The circular design means that it’s always a very fast trip to anywhere you need to go. Orgrimmar is too spread out and almost seems like it’s confusing on purpose.
However, considering that the guards from any city will tell you where almost anything is, and gaming sites can fill in the rest of the blanks finding your way around any of the cities is pretty easy.
My one problem with Thunder Bluff has always been that you are foced to dismount when travelling between sections, which is just an unecessary hassle. If this is still the case that’s reason enough for me not to go back there.
Eve Online has the best cities, everything you need in handy button form right there on the sidebar.
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I am an alt maker, i have found that of the horde cities UC is by far the best – once you figure it out. It can be frustrating, to no end, but if you look at UC and IF, hmmmm separated a birth? TB is like olde Kelethin, careful of the mistep, it’s a doozy, and like KElethin, a pain. As for Stormwind, one tip, swim. Look at the map of SW, notice where you want to go and dive into the canal, most places are easily reachable in this fashion. Darnassus, ahhh the jewel of the night elf realm, nicely done with professions and crafts somewhat together, but trying to find a class trainer, blech! Orgrimmar is prolly the the worst as if you port in and want to head to BG’s, better hope yer horse isn’t tired.
PB & J Time!!
Torm