RTMT: Faded Glory

Was sent this link yesterday, and somehow, some way, I need to use it:

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2012/04/professional-mermaids-are-lost-treasure-of-florida-park/?pid=2240&viewall=true

The images and the story are haunting, melancholy, and yet, well, now I want to go. I don't know why. It has less to do with the fact that I have collected mermaids for years, drawn them, and been fascinated by them. I just want to see this place for myself. My mermaids all reside in my bathroom now, and are not the cheesy kind: they are quite beautiful, and hand-selected gifts mostly from my mother. In fact, a very talented artist made a sculpture for me years ago from the scene of a Howard Pyle painting, a commissioned piece. I would take a picture of it, but it's safely tucked away this morning.

These images and story are from a theme park that arose from Disney's overflow is now in the land of kitsch and nostalgia.

Again, what does this randomness have to do with WoW?

A few things.

As the game ages, and its players age, things change. We all lament over how desolate Dalaran is, the developers pushing us together and corralling us like we're all waiting in a queue for the next big ride. They did not make it easy to keep characters in Dalaran, and heaven help those unsuspecting souls who are still loitering in Theramore. Those agitators? Well, gents, you'd better pull your head out of the past and get the hell out of Dodge.

I was looking at Demon Souls game play the other day, and there's a section where the character was on a bridge--it was stunning. It reminded me of the bridge in Shadowfang Keep, and I wished for a moment that I could play the same way I do now, but have the hyper-realistic graphics that other games have. But -and this is a BIG BUT--so much of that hyper-realism photo work is leaning towards being overused. Like auto-tuning and an obnoxious meme, it can be overdone, and get tiresome quickly. I must hand it to the designers of Azeroth--to me, it is a travel journey. Twighlight Highlands must be some group of artists' crowning achievement. And Mt. Hyjal? I could live there. In fact, I think mentally and spiritually I have made that my new "go to my happy place," almost on par with some surf in Maui I experienced years ago.

So--here are some random ideas: (JD, are you listening?)

I was thinking it would be cool to do a "road trip" or mount-rally sort of thing. Go from here to there, and do things, and take screenshots, or something, and not fly.

Also, I would like to know your favorite places of 'former glory' in the game, or a moment where you did something and it was a pivotal moment for you in game, something your character would tell his/her imaginary grandchildren if it could.

I don't really want Azeroth to changes its pixels or palette too much. The changes in the game have been wonderful and fitting with the feel of the game, and that is no small achievement. Kudos to you, you artists and designers of Azeroth - /bow.