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World of Warcraft: Editorial: Patch 2.0.1
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
Hasani Davis returns today with a World of Warcraft Editorial regarding the recent 2.0.1 patch.
With only a little more than a month to go before The Burning Crusade hits stores Blizzard has put out one of the few last patches to Warcraft before the expansion changes the game forever. Patch 2.0.1 finally went live with some dramatic changes to the PvP system that Warcraft had to offer, do not worry, we will discuss those changes shortly. Players were given a Talent refresh to their characters because the talent trees were updated to reflect the upcoming levels in the expansion. So with several new spells, abilities, and pets, the game looked a little different, but it was the same old Warcraft.
Gear, gear, gear, and more gear is what really matters in Before the Storm. Now PvP rewards can be gotten without the ridiculous grind it took players to gain the rank in order to purchase the items. No Wait! For those who did not hear, one week into the new Honor system and Blizzard has changed their minds again. Now there has been a 30% reduction to the honor you gain from PvP. Sound crazy, this was posted on the Blizzard forums Tuesday by Blizzard employee Nethaera:
Read the editorial here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Ummm , the read the editorial link goes to a list of past WoW headlines, of which this editorial is not one of them, where do we actually get to read the editorial ?
Andy
Thanks
Jon
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Every point you made pretty much sums up my opinion of whats happening at Blizzard lately, its looks like they have lost contact with the idea that they are making a game for people to have fun playing. Over the last few months decisions and justification for them (what little justification is given) seem to be more and more out of touch and in many instances just plain stupid.
As you say the game has been out over 2 years and still Blizzard are making MAJOR class and balance changes its like the whole emphasis of the game is switching from PvE centric to Blizzards idea of PvP centric. I think they will loose a noticable number of subscribers over the next year, but after that it will be a slow trickle probably so slow that nobody in Blizz will realise that they can and should be doing better.
A big area of discontent in general is how this current patch has rebalanced the entire game with lvl 70 epic gear in mind. Sure, that needed to be considered, but many classes were severely nerfed ( look at Warriors here ) due to what their *potential* would be at the level cap in full raid gear. The official word is that once players advance through BC content, classes will balance out a bit more again .. which is really a big slap in the face for anyone wanting to level / play a given class those other 69 levels, knowing full well that for the next 6 months or so, it'll be in an extremely nerfed state.
So yea, I agree here ... what *are* they thinking ? Call it what you will, but after somewhat overcoming the first major hurdle of their success aka server stability, this is the second and it's begining to show some major signs that they honestly didn't plan for nor expect to be as popular of a game as they are, nor how to expand their content in a *meaningful* way. BC may very well be a great expansion... or it could just be a lot more of what you already do at level 60 - instances , raids , and a LOT of faction grind.
IMHO, you overestimate your position. Basically, you are saying that there is no room for fixes, no room for balancing, no room for any errors or changes since the game was published. You don't know how good you have it.
Let's take a look at some of the rest of the MMO world. EQ and EQII sucked. They were rife with bugs from day one. And some of them still have not been addressed! So, to bring it back to the discussion, let's say you just love the idea of playing a Druid. You work your rear off to get to level 60 in PvE only to find out that the Druid is broken and doesn't meet your expectations. There is a critical weakness that Druids have that is being exploited in PvP or in Raids or even end game instances. Under your regime you would just be screwed. There will always be changes that need to be made to balance out play in every game. However, Blizzard doesn't do products with test results showing bugs and errors and then just ignore them for all time while they work on the next expansion so they can make another burst profit from expansion sales.
Okay, now that covers the basic tweaking, what about major shifts. I said you don't know how good you have it and that is so true. Ever hear of Star Wars Galaxies? They completely changed the game, not once, but twice. The second time restricted class structure down to 9 possible classes with absolutely no variety from one person to the next in each of those classes except for the weapons and armor you used. And if you departed from the standard weapons and armor, you sucked at everything. Blizzard made a small but noticable change in to add some additional abilities and tweak some others. Oh, boo hoo. My life is over.
Now to talk about your original subject, battleground rewards. I suppose that everything you do is right the first time. That would mean you have never had to change your talent tree, or buy a different weapon or armor in game. It would mean that in your real life, you have never made a mistake, ever. If you think that is you I call bull pucky. Get a clue, life is a growth experience. It is no different when you are providing an online service than if you are running a restaurant. After a while, you grow and change or you get left befind. To give you an example, look at McDonalds. This is probably the biggest chain restaurant in our country, yet they started out with hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries and shakes, and that is it. They introduced new foods to the menu. They took off foods that didn't work. If it is broke fix it. Is there something about that statement that you don't understand?
So, let's examine what would have been the end result if Blizzard had not made the 30% reduction. Based on that percentage, the battleground gear would be the next thing they would have to spend resources to "fix". You are advocating that they change some other area that you don't play in so that you can get the big rewards 30% faster than you are supposed to. Hello? If the plan is not working, you change it or fix it. have you ever heard the saying that no plan survives contact with the enemy? Well, the enemy here is the ones who do nothing but complain, my glass is half empty, how come yours is half full?
Why not spend some time looking at what you gained rather than what you lost that was not in the original plan anyway? Excuse people for being human and making a miscalculation. Remember, we are nerds and geeks, we find all the ways to exploit the program and then we do it. Excuse the programmer for being just as much of a nerd and fixing the exploit. Then take a look at what you get and stop complaining about what you don't. If it ain't there, you don't get it. Get over yourself.
I know this post opens my up for a severe flaming, but I don't care. I can read between the lines of flamers and see the hurt child underneath their cruelty. And yes, I have a hurt child in me too.
Have fun and level fast.
-=zg=-
-=ZG=-
WoW is not gona die tomorrow but I don't see the game surviving as long
as EQ1. It takes months to gear up for decent L60 PVP/raid
effectiveness and with the expansion, most of that gear will be
considered fodder. If you don't feel like PVPing in a closed ruleset or
Raiding for more game, you basically have nothing to do.
The community is surviving and I personaly think that it's impressive.
How can a community survive in such a dictated enviroment?
Then again, when you really think about it, most people don't have a
clue what to do in a open ended enviroment. Making your own content
with your friends is not exactly easy for most. Being told what to do,
what to get and when to log in and out is much easier.
Note to editorial writers: If you want to express 'YOUR' opinion, then by all means feel free to do that. However, when you start talking in generalities and saying things like "The players want ..." or "The players don't like ...", at that point you have taken a liberty you were not entitled to take. Unless you have statistically valid sample from the 7 million player base in WoW, you can't speak for what the people do or don't want so just don't go there ok? Thanks.
MMOGs are what they are people. You level. You get gear. You PvP. The world only changes when there is a patch and it has nothing to do with what your character has done while you have played. The only thing that is ever dynamic are the people you interact with. Words like nerf, grind, camp, etc. are the descriptions used by people that have exceeded their maximum fun potential with the game. Most likely it is an indication that you need to take some time off, or find a new game to explore. It is the 'newness' of a game that presents the biggest thrill and the most excitement.
Unfortunately this is hammering home to me that I am not the target demographic of the endgame events. Even with the expansion looming, it sounds like more time and hassle to continue advancing my level 60 warrior than I am willing to deal with. I'm stuck at an Imperial Set with no epics, no clue as to how to go about doing it other than tryng to find the time for raids; I've been playing 2 years, been in MC twice, never done Strath, Scholo, and SK maybe three times. The reason: I rarely have more than four hours of time to play, and on too many occasions find groups in the game are unwilling to deal with a "new" player who hasn't got much experience in the endgame instances. I spent 14 months getting from level 1 to 60, fer crhissakes. I like this game, I love the PvE....I'd like to enjoy the PvP, too....but I can't possibly succeed in it when I need better gear, but with only about 4 hours a session over two or (if I am lucky) three times a week, I will not, can not ever hope to catch up to the hard core OCD fanatics who dominate the endgame.
Sooooo...my solution has been to look for other venues of fun, and DDO and Guild Wars are currently it (I defected within the last two weeks). I'll consider the BC expansion if it offers enough PvE content.....but the endgame and PvP in WoW is too time-consuming for my life, unfortunately, and I do not find the reward rate sufficient to hold my interest. This is a shame, since I love the game, and would keep on playing (and keep my subscription up) if it offered something for me to do that I could manage within my time frame.....but at this stage, I have to grudgingly accept that an 8-12 hour a week player like myself is "casual" by MMORPG standards. Ah, well....
Current MMOs: Rift, GW2, Defiance
Blog: http://realmsofchirak.blogspot.com (old school tabletop gaming and more)
First off, I do not think it is necessary to be so critical of Blizzard. They are merely correcting a serious judgement error.
Secondly, I believe that Blizzard, with literally hundreds of developers, should not make these errors.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
hate most people. So I get rolled in battlegrounds all weekend
because it was just me and 3 friends together, then come tuesday I find
out the people that rolled me all weekend long got their stuff and i'm
stuck at about 10k honor, it just further proved to me that in ALL
aspects of WoW it's not what you know, it's who you know. It's a
fucking easy game, but the hurdles they build into the game revolve
around you either being able to find 9,14,19, or 39 other people.
I'm a nerd and I'll always hate the quarterback.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
if I were to kill a titan tomorrow and no CCP employees showed up to say grats I would petition it.
Waiting for: the next MMO that lets me make this macro
if hp < 30 then CastSpell("heal") SpellTargetUnit("player") else CastSpell("smite") end
I'm not put off by any of these changes because I haven't played WoW in a very long time. I still haven't canceled my sub, but I also haven't logged in for about 3 months. When I did log in I didn't play for very long.
WoW is pretty much dead to me. It's boring, monotonous, and really, super grind heavy.
The expansion in uninspiring and doesn't add anything new to the game. The 2 races... blah... they're just going to be reskinned versions of classes that have been in since release. New BGs... yay... more rep to farm, grind, grind, grind grind, grind. But wait, there's Outland... boo... same boring, repetitive quests, BUT you get to do them with different scenery in the background.
I'm sorry, but WoW is just not that impressive anymore.
I want so bad to see a new game that's based around fun. That's right F-U-N. No grind heavy chore-fest. No more carrot-on-a-stick design philosophy. No more rehashed ideas and combat-centric games with little to no social interaction.
MMORPGs have become subscription based single player games with forced grouping to experience raid content.
Then I hit lvl 60 and PvP pemanently started to suck because as a casual player I knew there was no way I'd ever be able to balance the gear advantage.
Then 2.0 hit and I had hope.
Then 2.0.1 hit and took it away. By the time I earn a single piece of epic pvp gear, BC will be out and I'll be up against people in T2-3 gear plus choice bits from BC.
I'm about ready to quit. There's lots of single player games I'd like to spend more time in, such as MTW2 and CIV4. Only my friends keep me in WoW now.
World of Warcraft caters to this type of gamer...There whole world would fall apart if they could not get out of a game what they get out of a game like World of Warcraft. Basicly players like this and other "Raiders" and "Time vs Gear" anologies...all revolve down to one thing. They depending on a game developer like Blizzard or which ever MMORPG they are playing at the time...to provide them with game content that is so un-achievable for a normal player to achive. That they can achive it cause they either don't have a job...don't go to school...or don't have a wife...or maybe they do have a wife but there wife is a gamer too...nonetheless these are the players that can play more than 40 hours a week...actually close to probably 60 hours a week. If they do have a job or whatever...as soon as they get home they log on...and play till 3:00am or so in the morning sleep 2 or 3 hours and go to work. And repeat. Not ever gamer in the world can do that man. Ok? Do you understand that? What part of that do you not understand?
This gives them the ability to be the most powerful in the game. It empowers them to a level way above the other gamers. And, yet these are usually the very same people that get on the forums boards and "Whine" about getting some class nerfed and demanding Balancing of said gear/class whatever. Seems a little contradicting to me?
But You can't tell these people anything. Nothing. Period. They don't want to hear it if it envolves someone actually getting gear equal to thiers. They don't even want to play no more if they can't "One shot" you. In fact...if fighting you is a challenge to them...they are probably going to log off and hop on a forum board and start whining.
That is the "Very" reason why these game developers make thier decisions. I suggest all the "Free-Peoples" of online MMOGaming to step out of the "Non-Forum using Box" and lay seige to these Cry Babies on thier on turf...Drive them out! That is the only way to get rid of them once and for all.
WoW is a great game...really it is. However they do have a few "Very Big" down falls.
1.) The community...is for the most part extremely hateful.
2.) Item Based is a way of life for this game.
Those are the biggest problems this game has.
All Blizzard had to do is make a 5 or 10 man dungon every time they released a 40 man dungon or 20 man dungon...they did not even have to have epic drops in it....They could have just added a step up from the dungon sets... made a couple more "Blue Dungon Sets"...and/or made this PvP system the way it is now to begin with...this would have kept the lid on the can of worms more likely than not.
However, as I stated above...you can't tell these people ANYTHING...They are not listining...Don't even waste your time...Just ignore them. Thats all you can do. They have completely missed the whole objective of the article...which I actually think was very good. I was very glad to see someone actually...finally speaking out about the way alot of us that pay for WoW subscriptions really feel.
The whole point of this article is this...
Yeah...ok...maybe the gain of honor might have been a tad to fast...ok so what? wooptie flippin doo!...guess what dude? the expansion is coming out next month. Were you ever aware of this?...surely you were? I mean unless you have narcolepsy or something. You know this. You might say to me. "Yeah man but it still needs to be changed and made more difficult dude"...Ok, fine maybe it did...But why could they not at least wait till the expansion came out and given the players they have had in the underground barraks the past two years a chance to see the light of day for ONE FREAKING TIME! ...for the love of online gaming! The gear is going to be completely WORTHLESS 2 weeks after the stinking expansion comes out! Can you not see out of that tunnel yet?...really guys come the flipping heck on...I don't even want a response from you, cause I already know what its gonna be. Just keep it to yourself...i've more than likely heard it from one of your Guild buddies already.
$12.99
x 24months
_________
$311.76
+$49.99
_________
$361.75
Should afford me to be just as big of a "Hero" as anyone else is. Yeah, the game should be balanced...but guess what its NOT!
You can spend hours upon hours on end playing where I can only spend a maybe 3 or 4 hours a night a few nights a week and maybe a couple weekends every now and then. Over two years of gaming I should have been able to get gear at some of the same level of yours....yes thats right...you probably spent ...oh lets say 400 to 1,000 hours getting your Tier3 set...if that... And i've probably spent...oh...some where in the neighborhood of around 2,080 hours playing the game.
Sure, by now you probably have 10 zillion hours played...but...You had your gear 2 weeks to 2 months (if that).
I still don't have JACK!
If you want to go by a "Time played vs Gear obtained" system...then the game is definetly UNBALANCED!
Yeah nothing is going to be perfect...but for you to sit here and moan and groan and complain about the fact that it is then the first time things don't go your way you throw a fit on the forums and start "crying". Guys....
Thats just flat out Naive...and inconsidarte of litteraly MILLIONS of other players that want thier piece of the pie too.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm not one of those people that are going to moan and groan and cry and complain and nag and beg and whine though. I'm just going to say something when I get fed up....yeah thats right...you wanna guess how I say something? take a wild guess?....lol
Nope wrong!...I don't get on the forums and complain and moan and beg and groan for things to go my way. I cancel my subscription and find something else to play.
Wanna know something else?...Wanna know who else knows this is what I do?...
...can't figure it out?
The game developer knows this...they see the attrition rate droping ...people falling out the back door.
Thats why the are changing things. Thats why they are reducing your beloved "Raid" dungons from 40 to 20mans. Thats why they revamped the PvP system. Thats why they are adding more 5 and 10 man dungons.
THATS WHY!
The masses do speak dude. They speak with thier pocket book...not thier mouth....and you know what they say...
"Money talks...and BS walks!"
That is all. bye bye now...
Ok, half my post got cut off and I had problems posting in the first place...it looked like it double posted for a minute but I guess it did'nt. And it wont let me edit it.
So you'll just have to try and fill in the blanks.
Hmm...that is odd I can edit this post...wierd
"The point of this editorial and many others about World of Warcraft is to try and figure out what is going on with the biggest MMO in the world. "
I don't think anyone, not even Blizzard can answer what is going on with WoW now. But the WHY is obvious enough.
Remember all those layoffs and quitting that occured right before WoW was launched? Remember all those new companies that have started up with ex-Blizzard employees?
Mike Morhaime believes that it is solely because of the culture that he has created at his company that allows Blizzard to create such successful games. He is only half right.
You need the right culture, but you also need the RIGHT PEOPLE.
Blizzard lost many of those people right before WoW was released. Now after a year with a couple of hardcore EQ-raiding Guild leaders running things, we're in a state with Blizzard flailing around trying to figure out how to fix something that never should have been broken.
WoW seems to have no direction because it was lost before the game was ever released. It's success is thanks to 5 years of dedicated work by many people who are no longer there and are no longer calling the shots.
The only question is how long will the momentum last?
I'm not 100% certain, but that seems spot on. Brilliant... /golfclap
I wonder what WoW would have been like if the original crew stayed on and the EQ devs never got their grubby paws on the source code. Anytime an ex-EQ dev touches a game it withers and dies. I bet Vanguard flounders and stagnates like this too, but the cutomization and player housing will give it a little longevity if the crappy animations don't kill it first.
Since you asked, I do feel slighted. I didn't win an XPS Laptop in the last drawing. It really bums me out.
binarypc
Thanks
-doro
I think that just about says it all.