Ghetto Hearthing is a game mechanic.

Q u o t e:
Please don't get rid of it, I'll get emoooo =(

It really wasn't an intentional game mechanic though. That's why it's been fixed.

Now is as good a time as any to check out Eyonix's latest post about hearthstones:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=15416781541&sid=1&pageNo=22#439

Q u o t e:
Alright, all -- we're going to make the cooldown on hearthstones 30 minutes when 3.1.0 releases. Enjoy your sweet victory.

Thanks to those who provided feedback constructively.

It's a compromise of sorts. ;)

Q u o t e:
Jesus Christ, you guys will cave to damn near anything.

What has changed so drastically that now, after 4 years, an hour is too long?

We had a discussion with the developers about it this afternoon. Ghetto hearthing really has become a mechanic of sorts for so many players after being unchanged for so long. We don't like that mechanic though because it obviously feels like a bug exploit. They all agreed the best way to move forward on it is just to reduce the cooldown on the hearthstone.

I promise you this change did not come as a result of us continually pestering them about the community's reaction. It was something we all discussed and agreed was probably a good decision.

I won't sit here and tell you we never cave to anything. That said, most changes we make that players view as us caving on would not be made if we were absolutely against it from a development standpoint.

Q u o t e:
So, my question is:

When you are removed from a group the window comes up saying your going to get sent back to your bind.....what exactly is it going to do now? Just let you stand there? Boot you outside of the instance?

Nearest graveyard.

Q u o t e:


So how long before we can pay an NPC in any established town to portal to another? You guys DO see where this road you're traveling is destined to lead, don't you?

I'm not sure if these questions are rhetorical. I've read plenty of jump-to-conclusion, slippery-slope posts in my day though, so if you care to spill your tale of WoW's future based on this change, feel free. :)

Edit: First.

Q u o t e:


Way to trivialize 10 mage spells slick!


Speaking of 'jump to conclusions', it took you guys like what 10 mins to reverse your stance?

It was probably more than 10 minutes. If it makes you feel any better though, it'd probably take us at least an hour or two to reverse our stance on adding mages to the game. :)

Q u o t e:
Feels like an exploit? It is an exploit. The fact that you spin it to be not an exploit just ruins your integrity.

To quote what you did and claim I was spinning the issue by saying ghetto hearthing is not an exploit devalues your argument that I've tarnished my integrity. It's just not what I said.

Q u o t e:
But since all of you seem to be beyond reproach, what value does integrity have anyway?

You ask a question to challenge whether or not we value integrity, and begin that question with a scathing judgment -- that we're disingenuous people. I assume the question was rhetorical, as it's certainly not a fair one.

Q u o t e:
Also, since you all play the game, to what extent was this reversal driven by personal interest and convenience to yourselves and your toons?

It was driven by our personal experience no more than it was driven by the community reaction to our removal of ghetto hearthing. We agree with many players, based on our personal experiences, that using dungeons as a secondary port compensates for what is perhaps an unnecessary burden. World travel should definitely mean something, but given the need to travel to evermore locations these days -- also considering the fact we've now removed an exploit of instances -- we feel the re-evaluation of the hearthstone cooldown to have been warranted.

It is interesting to understand in your last question that you'd suggest our personal interests as players led us to a decision we failed to make objectively. More often than not players assert that it's the ignorance of how our own game is played that leads to our decisions.