But you need to remember, Syrus- this is a BUSINESS. Blizz can take that same stance all they want and say "it is your own fault if you don't experience the content." The bottom line is if people DON'T take that approach and only a small minority actually experience that content, they still just spent millions upon millions of dollars developing content for little gain.

The biggest thing that is lacking, developmentally speaking, is a consistent vision. Is WoW aimed at the more casual gamer or the hardcore gamer? Pick one, and stick with it. You can't please all of the people all of the time, etc. Learn it, accept it. If you try to make everyone happy, you will end up making no one happy.

WoW is a game, but more importantly it is a product. This reminds me of the POS iPhone. Steve Jobs basically said there was no problem with dropped calls, it was just because people "were holding it wrong." Yeah? Well if everyone holds it the same way.... it's the design that is the problem. Same thing here- if people don't want to be forced into joining a guild and progressing according to GC's vision, it's not the players that are at fault, it's the design. Design based on how your customers will use the product, not based on how you would like them to use the product.

 

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I should have added, yes it was condescending. Not sure if I'm just used to it or it wasn't as bad as normal for GC.


On the not fun thing - well one the one hand I appreciate their honesty that they know people don't find it fun. On the other hand - wow.


End game to me is really really super difficult to pull off for games. I don't currently do much of any end game in any of the games I play - just because I don't find it fun. But I understand when people want to play their favorite/main characters too, they are paying to do that.

 

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I disagree I think you must have a nice mix. Especially if you want to keep a player base of 12 million people growing. If they focused on just the casual content they would loose the hardcore and vise versa. They have done a pretty good job with tht so far.


You have people that only play a couple times a week. The leveling game is great, dungeon finder is going to help get them into dungeons, good stuff.


Then you have the 25 man content, and yes that requires a little bit more of a comitment.


Now I think everyone would agree there are more casual or at least semi-casual gamers in the WoW player base. On the other hand there have been many hardcore, even famous guilds, and you have communities like elistjerks that thrive.


Why pick one group at the expsense of risking the other? You're right this is a product and that would be a terrible business choice.


Also something that few people ever concider is that players evolve. If I start out casual and tern into a hardcore gamer I don't have to go in search of a hardcore game, I just begin to access the hardcore content.


On the other hand if I start out hardcore, (like I did), and now only have the time to log in a couple times a week I don't have to quick, I just have to change my activities a bit.


And again, I still disagree that the end game content is out of reach for the majority of players like you and other posters are suggesting. I figure was thrown out there, 5%. You really believe only 5% of players can access the 25 man end game raid content? I am sure I could find data to disprove this if I was so inclined.


You say you don't want to be forced into a guild to access certain content? Well I am sorry Sir, that is part of the game. Just the same as you are forced to equip a weapon to access certain content, you must join a guild to do so consistanly as well.


Noticed I added "consistanly" in. Because I do believe even unguilded you will still have an opportunity to expirience most of the content.

 

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No, he doesn't...he thinks it's funny from his end, he has no clue what it's like over here lol

 

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Sounds like a cook blaming his patron's tastebuds rather than admitting that the food he's serving might actually be crap.

If anyone had any doubts about the self-righteousness of Blizzard's designers, this should put paid to that. More people liked the game before he changed things, and now less people like it. And somehow it's our fault for not knowing how to play the game? What an ass.

 

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The title should read....

"Wow, Ghostcrawlers an ass."

As much as I stand by WoW and will defend that it is a quality game. Ghostcrawler attitude can clearly be seen and it does rub people the wrong way. You can say exactly what he is saying with out coming across as a self righteous dictator.


Instead of saying,


"We know you're not having fun, but that is just becauswe you're not playing the game the way we want you to."


He could just admit that it is a work in progess and sometimes players of an MMO have to do a little product testing of their own, that is just the nature of the best.

 

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While I didn't pick it apart with a fine-tooth comb, I did read and/or skim most of it, and it seemed spot on.

My friends and I have conquered and enjoyed every heroic we've run (roughly half a dozen at this point, we're lucky to find 2 nights a week when we're all on). Beating the bosses feels like an accomplishment which is nice.

I think the biggest mistake Bliz made with heroics in cataclysm was mismanagement of expectations.

 

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I must be missing something here because this last line got me. I did read your whole post, however I feel this 'is' how we use the product. You gear up, go do dungeons, in time they go by quicker. It's the same model as the rest of the expansions; which is what people have been trying to point out.


Does it suck, for some yes. However if you stick with it you'll eventually run a pug with a group that outstrips the gear requirement for the heroic and they'll carry you. It will happen. You may not like it but it will. Unless you never LFD I think we've all hit a point where we were carried at some point.

 

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I think arrogance is often a MMO designer's occupational hazard. I almost posted /peer Mackey is that you?


There does need to be a certain amount of arrogance to put out a product that you believe in. And a certain amount that you use to stand in the face of a lot of unhappy customers as a result.


They are never going to please everybody. They know that. So they've opted to focus on a portion of their customer base in round robin time frames (as I've said before - paraphrasing Blizz from TBC.)


Having said that, yes, his post rubbed me the wrong way.


I also have a high standard for "professionalism". Something often lacking these days in companies talking "down to" not "with" their customers.

 

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