I thought that was Bobby Kotick.

 

-----signature-----

Yeah, well, you don't understand logic very well then. Your argument can be used to justify EVERYTHING. People sitting in queues? Big subscription numbers, people must like it! Everyone getting oneshot in BGs? Big subscription numbers, people must like it! Server crashed, no fix in sight? Big subscription numbers, people must like it!

People like you simply don't understand the basic concept that correlation != causation. Until you do, you'll continue to trot out "Big subsciption numbers, people must like it!" every time someone has a valid observation and complaint.





And then you said it was because of Ghostcrawler.

Yes, you did.





I'm not a shareholder, nor even a subscriber, but if I were, and I were paying that much attention to things, I would be inclined to wonder if I would be getting a better return if someone more competent was in charge of development. I would remember fondly earlier days, when WoW's western subscription numbers were still growing.

I note you still have not tied anything related to success to Ghostcrawler specifically. Are you admitting you cannot?

 

-----signature-----

Plus if you want to base the argument on just tossing out big numbers you could argue because around 7 billion people don't play Wow - holy cow this game must suck! How many do/don't play really doesn't back an argument about features and design choices. Too many factors get blended together to ever know what an individual piece gives to the subscription count rising/falling.

 

-----signature-----

Most of the time it seems like the voice of the game gets a lot of criticism. With GC, much of what he has said has turned out to be BS, to say nothing of the manner in which it is delivered. I can appreciate some of the morons on the forums, however, is that my problem? Most players aren't forum trolls.


I'm not certain how many players play WoW specifically because of GC, I wouldn't think that number is terribly high.


I think it's normal to play a game but have comments and critiques about specific aspects of the game. Everything Blizzard does doesn't work perfectly, and many things could and should be done better. Nothing wrong with asking for those things or commenting on it.

 

-----signature-----

I don't know how well he does his job, or the net effect of his influence or decisions. Maybe some day a disgruntled employee will share like "EA Louse". I have formed an opinion given some of the things he's posted on the forums. I have seen him justify major class and system design overhauls for the entirely subjective reason of "it wasn't fun (sic)". Not fun for him, I suppose, he never offered any metrics or justification of any kind. And when proven incorrect on technical changes, even when presented with verifiable and replicable data, he typically either ignores it or reacts in an abrasive and juvenile manner.

So from that I'm guessing he's not a very game designer. Perhaps behind closed doors he's not such an amateur, or just has come up with some of the really good ideas. Or more likely Blizzard has a corporate structure similar to most every development studio, and he kissed wholesale ass and had the right connections.

 

-----signature-----

That makes no sense.


Let's take just recent numbers. As of last week, Cataclysm sold more than any other game in history in it's first twenty-four hours.


No other MMO has ever seen a steady rise in subscription numbers like World of Warcraft.


No one is saying that Ghostcrawler is the sole reason for these events, but he is part of the team that continues to make this happen.


Also, to make your point more related, you must factor in how many people have computers or access to the Internet. Of those seven billion, only a fraction will count.


Of that fraction, how many play the game in relation to other MMOs in the world.


I'll bet money WoW would come out on top.


It's not even a question.

 

-----signature-----

But I find this 3m number interesting for another reason. Blizzard likes to trot out its 12m subscribers number, but only a quarter of these so-called subscriptions actually upgraded? You would have to be very slanted to believe there is much of a playing population that isn't getting the expansion. So who are these people who aren't upgrading? Are there THAT many gold sellers?





This actually isn't true. In fact, the evidence suggests WoW has had periods of decline, but spikes back up like every game does at its widely spaced expansions. Other mmorpgs have shown more steady increases with less downward movement, albeit at smaller numbers.





Is he? Or is the carrot on the stick and the social-guild effect ("I keep playing because my friends are" solely responsible for keeping those numbers DESPITE Ghostcrawler?

If the complaints mean they have to nerf Ghostcrawler's beloved Vision of healing and hard dungeons, we'll know the answer to that question.





I agree, however I think it is solely due to factors that predate Ghostcrawler - the same things that made WoW the most popular mmorpg in the first place.

In fact, the factors that we KNOW can be tied to Ghostcrawler have almost universally fallen flat.

 

-----signature-----

I declare pwnage on the part of Broken.

/thread

 

-----signature-----

What the hell do you think you know about me based upon a few musings about a computer game? You really crack me up at times and are one of the reasons I love this place so much.

 

-----signature-----

Is or is not Ghostcrawler part of the World of Warcraft development team?


Yes, he is the Lead Systems Designer.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostcrawler


It doesn't matter whether Ghostcrawler is a lead developer, a mouthpiece, or even the towel boy in the bathroom, he's still part of the team that continues to make Blizzard a mindboggling amount of money . . . and apparently a vocal part.


Overall, World of Warcraft makes a steady climb. I will grant you that there are dips toward the end . . . especially when China denied access . . . however, the grand picture is accurate to my original statement: a steady climb unlike any other MMO before or since.


http://www.mmodata.net/


The scale to success is measure with sales. And on that measure, sales is all that matters--any sales--whether gold sellers, current players, returning players, or otherwise.


The bottom line is the buck.


http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/pressreleases.html?101213


You want to argue semantics, Broken. I offer proof. Show me the same, please.

 

-----signature-----