I recognized this a long time ago, hence why I only tell someone if they are correct or if they are an idiot.


The funniest part is when the idiots try to get me to have "intelligent debate" with them, as any of those retards had the intelligence to grasp a point to debate.


Remember kids, VN boards are for entertainment purposes only.

 

-----signature-----

Actually, I've changed my mind on an opinion when facts support it out. Even done it on a thread from a poster I dislike, but an accurate point is an accurate point.


What's yours?


No one is arguing that Ghostcrawler is not a complete bastard. Okay, he's a complete bastard. I'll take your word for it because, again, I don't know him.


Has it influenced sales for Cataclysm or subscriptions in general?


3.3 million sales for the expansion in one day, setting a new world record, pretty much answers that question hasn't it?


If your or others perspective is the above event is a failure . . . well, maybe special is actually the correct word of choice after all.

 

-----signature-----

But that's just it. Other factors. There's hundreds. Maybe thousands. They work both directions. It's why using the numbers as 'proof' of just one factor is absolutely hopelessly misguided.

You cannot say "Ghostcrawler is the best in the business" (as Tai-Daishar did) and 'prove' it with subscription numbers if you can't differentiate his contribution from all the other factors at play any more than I can say he's the cause of the stagnation and use the same numbers. You poked a hole in that right there. It's the exact same from the other side. There are uncounted factors at play for population numbers. ONE of them is the performance of Ghostcrawler as lead developer. One out of hundreds.





See, you were doing so well. You understood above that there are other factors at play when the population argument is presented, but then here you fell off again. WoW may continue great expansion of its playing population once again after the expansion rush wears off. But will it be because of Ghostcrawler, or because of other elements, many of which are still the same draws that made WoW popular from day one and are still in effect?

Population numbers aren't proof of anything except that the total WoW concept including EVERYTHING, both positive and negative, is working for that audience. Attempting to draw anything more detailed at smaller scales from that is a form of fallacy of division.

So no, bringing this thread up eighteen months from now will not really prove anything.

However, if you want my honest opinion for a prediction so that you can gloat if it turns out to be wrong, I'll give you one. Hey, anything for an old pal like you. I don't think WoW will grow much after the expansion boost wears down, but not because of anything to do with Ghostcrawler, not directly at least. This is just my opinion, but I think the chosen endgame style has less staying power than before. They might mitigate this with more common content patches (I predict this will happen as well). I think the draw of endless alts quickly to 85 to grind emblems is something that only works for so long, though. In fact, I believe this dynamic was already at play before Cataclysm released, but the release of the expansion (or 4.0 at least) came soon enough to obscure it. I'm pretty comfortable with this position, but Blizzard could surprise me and come up with a gameplay element change to offset it (a major one). Should this happen, then I will revise my prediction then, but as things are, and the way they seem to be moving, I see retention being an ongoing bleeding problem starting about four to six months from now.

 

-----signature-----

I think this number might be getting overemphasized. If you are someone playing the current content of WoW, you HAVE to have the expansion, and you're not going to wait to get it. So you'll either get it that first day, or you pre-ordered it, and if you don't, you almost certainly won't be playing WoW until you do.

The size of WoW compared to other mmorpgs excludes all of them from comparison. Other games do not have the same necessity for being there ON DAY ONE because you are not losing out on previously existing game time by not getting it. In other words, you have to STOP playing WoW (most likely) if you don't get the expansion.

It therefore stands to reason it is going to have very high preorder numbers. It has to.

I still find the fact that only a quarter of the supposed active accounts actually upgraded the most interesting. Was Cataclysm not launched in the east?

To answer your question specifically, no, it doesn't answer that question at all, because of the exact reasons I mentioned in the last post.

 

-----signature-----

Damn, you are a douche. Whatever, think what you want, be a sheep and not see what GC does to the game. How it is fun in spite of him, not because of him. I shall just lump you in with the rest of the board posters who just post to be argumentative. I can see by the fact that you post when no one responds to you, you just wanna stand on your soap box. Have at it.

 

-----signature-----

The overall population has increased, across all regions to my knowledge, and retention rates have increased at the higher levels. So of course the latest expansion would beat the sales of the previous one.

This is not indicative of how talented or terrible Ghost Crawler is a lead designer (whatever he is), because it's a huge team and massive effort, that has grown and evolved across multiple teams.

Essentially some of you are having a retarded argument. I hate you all.

There, now you can gang up and flame me just to put an end to the bickering. Because I won't care. I can take it. I'm the hero VN deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

 

-----signature-----

No, I'm a bastard. Get it right.


Now, that said, do you want me to be the sheep who hates some developer because he's a 'douche' or ignore his rantings and simply play the game because it's fun.


When it stops being fun, I'll stop playing regardless of Ghostcrawler's rants or otherwise.


You need to calm down, get a better perspective, and quit taking words on the Internet so personally.

 

-----signature-----

You seriously believe this, don't you? Well, instead of becoming the King of the Douches and Soapboxers--a title I'm beginning to like --, I'll just say I disagree with you and leave it at that.

 

-----signature-----

Hey! You've upgraded from smarmy to a douche! Now thats moving up the ladder!

 

-----signature-----

One could judge his success by the 3.3million copies sold on the other hand if you go by the percentage of game related complaints on the official forum which I would ball bark guess at 75% of the threads created then he is not much of a success at all is he?.