#84 - May 11, 2011, 6:35 p.m.
05/11/2011 06:17 PMPosted by
Kevyne We do listen, but do you see where this thread has gone as a result of the manner in which you've decided to post? This is a forum for discussing World of Warcraft gameplay -- and that includes discussing your concerns or frustrations over gameplay -- but this thread has almost no discussion of gameplay at all. The reason is because you're using the talking points from a corporate investors call to try and back up your assertions about the shortcomings of WoW development.
It's what we have to go on.
Playing WoW is a time investment, and yes, we're investors in Blizzard. We are concerned about our game, and our play styles. We argue, bicker, complain all in the hope somewhere in the halls at Blizzard someone would THINK about the state of the game...instead of trying to prove a concept.
We're knocking heads, because Blizzard is stuck on proving THEIR concepts, where players want to play their toons in the way it's FUN to them.
This IS a game. It's not school. It's not work. It's ENTERTAINMENT.
We have too many addons to even play the game "right" (my freaking 1920x1080 monitor is covered by addons...pure waste of screen real estate. And now you want me to install Decursive on top of all that too???). We have too much navel gazing at stats, where threads become Linear Algebra. We must build cookie cutter specs as there's only ONE way to play a role.
It all adds up to frustration. In the game. In the mechanics. In the overall direction of where WoW is going.
Want to play the game, not spend it jawing on the forums. Raids are shut out, and damn if I'm going to keep paying for others who are too lazy to learn on their own time and dime in the hardest heroic dungeons. It's getting stupid, Blizzard, stupid to keep paying for others to carry.
I understand what you're saying and appreciate the post. I just have a comment on this part:
Playing WoW is a time investment, and yes, we're investors in Blizzard. We are concerned about our game, and our play styles. We argue, bicker, complain all in the hope somewhere in the halls at Blizzard someone would THINK about the state of the game...instead of trying to prove a concept.
We're knocking heads, because Blizzard is stuck on proving THEIR concepts, where players want to play their toons in the way it's FUN to them.
We understand people complain because they are passionate about the game. Most of you just want what's best for the game, or at least what is most enjoyable for you in the game. I don't think what you say about us proving our concepts is accurate though. In some cases that's our fault, and we've been working to improve communication between the developers and players, even starting articles like the Dev Watercooler to let you in on our internal thinking process.
Understand though, that this company doesn't exist in a vacuum. There are a lot of people working here, and we have the same kinds of debates with each other we see on the forums. Developers argue with other developers over what they feel is best for the game. Just the same, the developers' doors are wide open for people like me to walk in and say "look, this is what a lot of people on the forums are saying about X change. Explain your philosophy to me and let's think about how this can be rectified."
Of course we do have a vision for where we want this game to go, but it's important to note that the vision is formed from a collective group of people. And within that group the vision is scrutinized and picked apart, all the while refined and further sharpened by feedback from people like you.
Nothing is absolutely set in stone in a game like this. WoW development is an iterative, evolutionary process, and we're going to continue approaching it with pride and passion. The game will never be for everyone, but we want to make sure it's fun for those who have invested years into playing, as well as those who just picked it up to see what all the fuss is about. ;)