#1 - Nov. 6, 2018, 3:33 p.m.
Hit it's max post count, so continuing here.
This original post by Enabrann@MoonGuard came to my attention via a WoW video blogger who shall remain nameless. I did not read the entire thread, only the original post by Enabrann. I also did not agree with the blogger's comments as they reviewed it, who is clearly in denial about the state of their game. I came to my own opinions, and I had a lot of the ones Enabrann expressed already.
I couldn't agree with Enabrann more. All of it. So I'm quoting him here to both have continuity between the threads, and because I am supporting his comments. I also added in his text formatting because of how strongly I agree with him.
Method got World First Uldir (what a surprise), and while they celebrated Blizzard was running around in panic mode because they were haemorrhaging subscribers.
But how is that possible? Surely Method rubbing their World First awesomeness into our faces is supposed to make us want to play this game? Isn't that how e-sports work?
Blizzard is trying to make World of Warcraft into an e-sport and this is destroying the game.
I have attached links to Blizzcon 2005 World of Warcraft panels, where they explain the original design philosophies of World of Warcraft, and we can see how far the game has gone away from those principles, and how e-sports (and Method) are making it worse.
1) Blizzcon 2005 Warcraft Raid Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Falm0H7VEiQ
0:56 "We have to give players something to aspire to"
In Vanilla wow, when you saw someone in awesome Raid or PVP gear, you said "I wanna be like that guy", and then became inspired to raid and pvp.
E-sports completely destroy that feeling.
You can't aspire to E-sports, the average player watching Method trying to down G'huun after 280 wipes can in no way shape or form aspire to that. You have to quit your job and play this game 14 hours a day just to keep up.
1:13 "The world feels a lot bigger when there is unbeaten content out there"
Interesting fact, Alex Afrasiabi was a top Everquest Raider, and Blizzard asked him not to get World first Onyxia when Vanilla wow launched.
Source: https://wow.gamepedia.com/Alex_Afrasiabi
This is because "Blizzard felt too many people would think they had inside knowledge if they continued this achievement trend in WoW."
Unlike today where Method internally test the raids for Blizzard before anyone has even seen them, and then proceed to down them immediately upon release. If Method didn't get to test raids, would they still get World Firsts?
Imagine when Classic Wow releases and Method gets World First Ragnaros on the first WEEK? How will that make you feel as a lvl 14 player killing Quilboars?
It's like the negative psychological effects of Beauty standards nowadays, where the media present unrealistic standards and all it leads to is eating disorders and negative psychological impacts.
Source: Psychology Today
Simply put, the extremes that Method and e-sports represent are making people not want to play this game.
7:17 "We want to challenge the player so they feel a sense of accomplishment"
Jeff Kaplan: "You could turn that nob of difficulty up on the players....but if you ratchet it up too high, it creates a lot of frustration"
When people see Method playing this game 14 hours a day, and wiping over 600 times in a World First race, what impression does this give the playerbase?
"Do I have to do that?" Technically you don't have to, but it's like the unrealistic Beauty standards I mentioned earlier, you technically don't have to be a top end raider, but you will sure be made to feel like excrement if you're not.
13:43 "A lot of players wanted Blackwing Liar kept off the PTR, so players wanted a sense of competition and surprise"
Where is the "Competition" where Method gets to test all these raids, and then proceed to always get World Firsts? That's like having a Jeopardy show and Method gets to "Test" all the questions.
Also "Surprise"...how do you like having an entire raid spoiled by Method guides? Nowadays you're not allowed to just figure out a raid for yourself, you have to read all the guides, watch all the plays, research a laundry list of pre-BIS gear.
Watching this 2005 Blizzcon panel is an eye-opening experience, because all the problems wow is facing now, THEY KNEW what they were doing back then to avoid these problems.
If Method gets to test these raids, and then always win World First competitions, is that a fair competition?
Should there be an Alex Afrasiabi rule for Method where if you are involved with internal testing, you are not allowed to get World Firsts?
2) Blizzcon 2005 Character Class Panel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioQWkWj5_ss
3:42 "We wanted the paladin to be one of the easier classes to play"
WOW! Blizzard admits Hardcore raiders and elitists are not the centre of the universe! No but really, they designed a class for beginner players.
The problem with Method doing internal testing is they are literally shaping the game for themselves. It's like Blizzard is making a racing car for Method with all sorts of gears, and buttons, and levers, and then expects somebody who just got their driver's licence to drive the car as well as them.
World of Warcraft is becoming a game made by Method for Method, and everyone has to play THEIR game.
16:30 "A lot of players tended to go into the cookie-cutter builds, and it still didn't feel like there was a lot of customisation"
You were never supposed to have a 10 volume Tech manual telling you how to play your class, and more-over, how to play the game.
But undoubtedly E-sports culture has entrenched this nonsense idea that in order to play Wow you have to spend hours doing excel spreadsheets, graphs, theory-crafting seminars, and write a doctoral thesis on why Intellect is better for paladins than Strength.
E-sports pigeon holes everyone into playing the game "the right way", and destroys the elements of individuality and customisation that make the game fun.
3) Blizzcon 2005 Dungeon Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud9h8UpcC4E
0:16 "When we started out designing World of Warcraft, we realised something that makes an MMO a lot of fun for players is not feeling like they're funnelled through content, like they'd only have one choice at one time"
Hahahahahhahahhahaaha, you hear that Ion? But seriously the way the game is being designed and the way E-sports work is you have to play the "right way", you need to do Island expeditions for Azerite, Mythic dungeons for Raider.io score to then get into Raids that award the best gear....and PVP? Go play Overwatch.
3:39 "Seeing too much of the same thing is tedious"
Seeing "Method World First" is Tedious.
12:00 "It's not bad to take the path of least resistance, but we need to do things as game developers to ensure that your play experience is as fun as possible."
Warfronts.....showering you with loot for zero effort
Maw of Souls...running this 10,000 times to farm AP
The problem is that Method will take the path of least resistance, and because Method is doing it, that means you have to do it.
15:43 "You guys, are part of the development process, this game is being built around you"
Why can't Jeff Kaplan run this game? But nowadays player feedback in Beta is completely ignored, and the only feedback Blizzard cares about is what Method tells them. So by that logic, this game is being built around Method. (No wonder they keep winning).
18:52 "Most players, on what I call level up dungeons, go there once or maybe twice, they don't want to spend a lot of time doing the dungeon over and over again".
Jeff Kaplan: "In fact they get resentful if they feel they have to do the dungeon over and over again"
Hey have you done your normal, heroic, mythic, mythic +1, mythic +2.........Shrine of Storms?
The Mythic Plus invitational has been well received by the community....since they get to watch it, and not have to do it themselves.
E-sports has really turned Wow into TV, where people Vicariously do all the content by watching others do it.
Conclusion
E-sports are turning Wow into an extreme pigeon hole cookie-cutter "you're not playing the right way" (Method Approved) TV show that is going the same route as the Oscars.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5464203/Academy-Awards-ratings-hit-new-low.html
Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-oscars-irrelevant-20180301-story.html
Oscars are losing viewers because Millionaires getting golden trophies for movies that nobody actually watched is the same thing as Method giving themselves a high five for playing a game that everyone has unsubscribed from.
Stop making Wow into an E-sport
After an extensively long career both in and supporting it, I don't raid or 'wow seriously' currently. As I detest the current state of the game in BFA. I'm now just some schmuck casual leveling up sub-races taking a break from it hoping the devs start really listening and things turn around.
I <3 WoW and I miss IRL Thrall.
