World of Warcraft Classic – Quality of Life - Garrett Fuller - MMORPG.com

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World of Warcraft Classic – Quality of Life - Garrett Fuller - MMORPG.com

Blizzard has announced Word of Warcraft Classic for all of us old timers. The questions came up at Blizzcon of keeping Classic true to its nature but adding in some quality of life changes for the better. Here are a list of ideas which might help all of us down the line.

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Albatroes

You have no idea what you have started, my friend.... My 2 cents. Keep the game as it was and then make adjustments for the hardcore that stick it out 6+ months. I'm with many who have been saying that really only those petitioning for vanilla should get a true say, unfortunately it needs to be found out who those really are, so people who can endure that "harsh" environment can give genuine feedback. You can't even really credit people who played vanilla on private servers because not every one is the same and could've been adjusted randomly. Hell, I've even seen some vanilla private servers with heirloom, so....Yeah, just let blizzard release it as is and then go from there. Only things they really need to do is address known bugs and make sure the servers are stable enough since this WILL get a huge hit when it first comes up, tapering off after a few months.

Siphaed

I wouldn't mind the original exactly the way it was, minus bugs. Going 6 months with the bear/cat druid melee range bug was beyond atrocious. That had better be fixed in the vanilla version.

Oh, and FUDGE NO to LFG.

I repeat: just NO LFG!

The design of vanilla WoW was that of the dungeons within the zones that matched that leveling curve. So that people within that level gap would be within the same area, come across others of that same level, and decide to group up for dungeons. This was well before anything cross-server (even before cross-server PVP battlegrounds). Players got to know those who were on their server; tanks and healers especially. Communities formed and grew tighter (which without a universal AH, those that loot ninjaed or other scrupulous trade frauds would also become server known as blacklisted).

The biggest gap between current WoW and old vanilla WoW is the randomness of the players. Loot was always dice roll for drop rates, slow to acquire, and sometime not obtainable for a long while. But players were consistent. Guilds would collaborate with one another if one was short on a tank or healer or DPS and someone wasn't locked to a raid for that week. People would literally sell their dungeon services for gold to assist in runs. An economy in and of itself.

OldKingLog

I think we should all demand Vanilla World of Warcraft be released exactly how it was at launch. And we should all get our ages regressed by 13 years so we get the exact Vanilla experience we remember. Though that may be asking for too much.

TheDarkrayne

The community is what defined Classic WoW more than the game itself. If that community can come together again 'without' the interference of the crowd that came once MMOs became more popular then it might be able to recapture the classic moments. If modern WoW players are all over it then it won't be the same.

Coolit

I don't want to see any changes except for any major bug fixes or client updates to make the game play nice with modern hardware.

Once you start tinkering it's a slippery slope and at some point it ceases to be an authentic Vanilla experience.

knightaudit

No NO NO ... NO GROUPFINDER .. Half the fun was hanging out at SM and finding new people to play with. Nothing that would change the way the game was when it was launched. I am ok with updated grapahics (it is 2017 after all) But no LFG, No Pet battles, No Battlegounds (Maybe later) and None of the new races or classes changes done in BC ... this is Vanilla.

Dauzqul

No veteran rewards etc would be nice, too. All completely even. All items earned within the game itself.

FrodoFragins

The community voted, well 32k people, and they have very little interest in group finders for vanilla. I'm surprised you didn't even reference this poll.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc64CYad2GpAVvH6yEl-mLd2NBlCnKeIASA8mTrRwjJQ5usDw/viewanalytics

My opinion is that nothing should be changed unless 75%+ of players support it.

Galadourn

NO LFG tool;

typing is not hard, you can even set a macro to ask for people. LFG makes it entirely impersonal; I mean, how hard is it to exchange a few words with a fellow player to see if you/he can join?

oh, and NO X-realms (which is the next step in LFG).

Mensur

First of all, thank you for opening up pandoras box- these forums needed a heated debate.

If you really have played wow and here i mean Vanilla. you would know that not having a LFG system made the cities more vibrant an fun and the chat spams were a sign that people were active.

JeffSpicoli

The only thing id like to see added are updated graphics. I also think it would be cool if they updated the gear from classic as well, not change the appearance or stats just update the graphics of them maybe touch up the fire effects or add some more depth of shadow to shoulders ect ect...

forcelima

No faster way to ruin a servers community than to implement a lfg or lfr feature. You sir why don't you just stick with the current retail version.

tawess

I´l bookmark this thread for about 6 months past vanilla release... One the initial population boom has died off and we will see how the usual suspects feel...

Coming from Killrog EU.. a tiny old server... Pre-lfg was... well... pissyAF. At least that was and is my humble opinion.

MadFrenchie

FrodoFragins said:

The community voted, well 32k people, and they have very little interest in group finders for vanilla. I'm surprised you didn't even reference this poll.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc64CYad2GpAVvH6yEl-mLd2NBlCnKeIASA8mTrRwjJQ5usDw/viewanalytics

My opinion is that nothing should be changed unless 75%+ of players support it.

It is interesting to read the votes.  Very interesting that roughly a quarter didn't even want updated graphics- something that would have little to no effect on the gameplay feel aside from aesthetic appeal.  It still hot the 75% mark you mention.  Wonder if Blizzard will truly do anything with this information.

SavageHorizon

Did the op actually play vanilla WOW, no lfg, no battleground, just keep it exactly as it was. 

Tuor7

I agree with the No LFG/LFR crowd. Having to look for people to create a PUG is what allowed you to meet new people in the game. Automating it took a chunk of the interactivity between players out of the game.

I also don't want to see cross-server stuff (battlegroups). Servers should be their own communities, where you learn who is good and who is not. This goes for both individuals and guilds.

I think all the bugs should be fixed, and I don't even mind if they use updated graphics and other modern under-the-hood things.

As it is, I'll wait and see until they formally introduce the gameplay and mechanics (rather than merely announce it) before I decide if Classic is something I want to try out or not.

MadFrenchie

Torval said:

I personally like the live game better than vanilla, but not as much as Wrath. I also think LFD gets wrongly blamed when all it did was allow people in the community to game together.

In my opinion raids were more divisive to community building and cross realm battlegrounds even more so. Both were vanilla features whereas LFD didn't come until the first BC rollup patch.

LFD didn't change private instances being optimal. The world was a shared lobby without it. The only difference is that without LFD you wasted 5 minutes travelling and it made finding others to do that with much more tedious. Dungeon and raid content still trivialized overland content such that no one wanted to run it anyway. Most people didn't and don't want to fight over bosses and drops. It sounds good on paper but it ends up a few groups always get everything deciding who gets the scraps. That's why instances became popular and games changed. It's an MMO. It needs to be fun for those dirty unwashed casual masses too.

LFD didn't create that situation. It was a response to the problem.

Being able to instantly replace folks devalued those same folks.  You mention dirty unwashed casuals, but fail to see that those same casuals can simply be kicked and replaced instantly if they weren't up to the snuff determined by a simple majority of their group mates.  That player is then automatically replaced by a player who is instantly teleported in.

The convenience afforded destroyed any value to actually finding a group member.  The less value placed upon the individual player as a member of the group, the more toxicity is fed and any kind of meaningful interaction is removed.  Running dungeons in complete and utter silence is the norm for Legion LFD.  Vanilla deadmines required more coordination and communication amongst the group than does the current level bracket dungeons at live.  EDIT- While this newer encounter design isn't a direct result of LFD itself, it's a design philosophy that contributes to the devaluing of fellow players, reducing them to little more than an NPC with some shweet AI.

laserit

The only thing I hope they add which wasn't in Vanilla is Dual Spec

I certainly can live without it though, but it's a great feature for tanks and healers

Igguns

How long does nostalgia really last anyway?

Vynt

When I read the OPs mention of LFG, I took it another way. I was thinking it referred to more of a way to show you are lfg or that your group is lfm, kind of like every other game has lol. It would be nice to be able to do a search and see what levels are lfg, then message them if they want a group.

Like how it is in EQ1 or even ffxiv (not the instant dungeon one, but just the group forming one). I know it is nice in EQ when I'm playing on a progression server and just have /lfg on, doing my own thing until I get a tell for a group. I was always surprised WoW never had something like that (that I remember).

Avarix

If you're playing, and enjoying, the current version of WoW then Classic isn't for you. Let the players that actually enjoyed vanilla World of Warcraft, and left long ago, decide what they want. I say that as someone currently subscribed and enjoying World of Warcraft.

I seen a video yesterday on Youtube from a popular content creator for World of Warcraft. They made an emphasis that Classic needs to include even all the bugs that were in vanilla. This came off as pure spite to me. For some reason a lot of current players are taking Classic as a personal offense to them. Their opinions should be disregarded when it comes to making decisions for the Classic servers.

laserit

Igguns said:

How long does nostalgia really last anyway?

I still love listening to the Beatles

itchmon

Before looking for dungeon, people in dungeon groups talked to one another, because a nice full friends list helped you find people to play with next time. Maybe jpin a guild or make one. Do the heroic overland quests even. With looking for dungeon, you usually don't even get a round of helloes before the tank speeds off into the dungeon. Interaction with others takes a back seat to speed in plowing through one dungeon after the other.

Keep looking for dungeon AWAY or if anything, give it only the functionality of EQ's looking for group tool (basically just a list of people who have voluntarily flagged themselves lfg; you still have to talk to them to actually form a group and meet up in game.)

Dungeons should be added piecemeal with maybe the exception of maraudon which came so close to the beginning of wow.

Battlegrounds? Sure why not. They're voluntary and don't detract from the experience of anyone who doesn't do them.

Raid sizes should start at original sizes and only be manipulated if they absolutely have to.

Extra wind rider (gryphon for those... other folks) paths? That's the kind of QoL stuff that SHOULD be added.

One trolls opinion. And I mean Vol'jin style troll

winghaven1

Group finder???? Heresy. Hell no

cheyane

Group finder was the absolute worse because it allowed people to treat others as disposable and be as nasty as possible to them without worrying that they cannot find a replacement if they end up losing the player.