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Blizzard, I commend you for keeping this game casual...
neutreno
Member Posts: 7
Lets face it, this game is focused on the casual MMO gamer and IMO, thats the way it should be.
I only played for the free month during Dec '04 and into early Jan. but have played several other MMOs in the past. WoW was the last MMO i played and it was a blast for that one free month. I realized that striving for enjoyment in the PvP or higher end content was a waste of time for me, personally. No MMOs interest me now and I doubt anything will anytime soon.
However, I still do read the forums here and there and have noticed how overly passionate many players are about WoW and other MMOs.
IMO, if you are waiting for Blizzard to change the game for you, then you are playing too much. From a business perspective, Blizzard makes plenty of money on WoW from new and casual gamers so has no obligation whatsoever to the hardcore gamer. So expect nothing.
Being a hardcore MMO gamer isnt always bad, but in many cases, the player is neglecting their real world tasks ( work, school, family, etc. ).
I think Blizzard doesnt want to support this form of addiction, unlike other games we've seen where having you log as many hours as possible is their goal. They would rather focus on the player who balances their life well and only needs to play here and there for a few hours at a time. I commend Blizzard for this.
The leveling is somewhat fast, the low end content is the best I've ever seen, and the game can be funny at times ( polymorph ).
Hardcore MMO gamers can find some fun too in the PvP or high end content so its not all that bad but to sit there and strip the game down and critique it to death is just ludicrous. To hear people debate on hunters, warriors, and pallys, shamans and pray and wait around for balancing changes is just sad.
Thats like taking a good book or movie and critiquing it to death. Of course, faults will be found but that doesnt make the book or movie any less great.
Blizzard did a good job with this game and they realize MMOs arent meant to be played forever.
Good Luck to everyone and especially, in balancing your life.
Comments
Hey, a post I agree with.
I used to play EQ too hard and too much. I was an 8-12 hour A DAY player. When I dropped back to playing 8-12 hours a week, I felt like I was spinning my wheels in that game. I couldn't get anywhere at that rate.
I play WoW now. I don't play every day, I don't usually play for more than 2 hours at a time, and yet I feel like I am still making progress, even playing several different characters. I've been playing since December, and my main is level 31. (My husband plays a bit more-- in the same time, he's gotten his main to 49.) I've joined a guild I like and made some friends. It's fun, and my life is certainly more balanced.
If I had more time and more ambition, I'd probably go back to EQ and wait for Vanguard, but for now, this is working well for me.
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This is where I draw the line: __________________.
What a coincidence! I just posted about how there is not much for a casual gamer to do at level 60. IMO, the game is focused on the casual gamer from 1-60. But at endgame, you are left with raids. My definition of a casual player is one who can play for 1-2 hours at a time. (And yes, now that WoW has been out since Nov-Dec, you have casual players hitting 60.) You are not going to find many raids that can be completed in that amount of time.
When people pay to play each month, they should expect something. It doesn't mean this-or-that is going to change. But I believe you have the right to expect something.
I'm not really sure who Blizzard is focusing on. 1-60 casual, 60+ hardcore?
The leveling *is* fast, that is why it is sad that there is not much waiting for a casual player when you hit the end.
That's really depressing. As my husband points out, without an experience penalty for death, any idiot can make it to 60 accidentally if they just play.
I have to admit that I'd probably be a lot closer to 60 if I weren't dividing what little time I have between about 6 characters, but that's the way I've always played. (I was one of those people with multiple accounts in EQ, too. My motto is "Never Too Many Character Slots!") Not being committed to any one character, I figure when one hits 60, I'll work on the next one down. If I start to feel like I am doing the same quests too many times, I'll probably switch to alliance. I just don't care enough about the game to worry about what I am going to do long term.
It's a joy to play a game I don't have to care about. They day I am out to dinner with my husband and think, "Oh, no! We're going to be late to the raid!" will be the day I take up another hobby. BTDT.
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This is where I draw the line: __________________.
There is no rush to get to 60 really. I think you'll be just fine how you are. How you like to play and what the game provides seems to match up quite well. Isn't that nirvana?
The way I view it, they have the game from 1-59 1/2 pretty much solid. There's plenty to do to keep you busy, enough so you'll always have a full quest book, etc. Plus most of it is doable in a casual timeframe.
I play 1 1/2 to 2 hours a night on weeknights, and then do the bigger instance runs on weekends. This works very well for me, as there are plenty of quests to keep me advancing, while gathering a few instance quests to work on when I have time.
What is currently lacking is stuff for level 60s to do. This is why most of the new content that comes out is for the higher levels, particularly 60s. When I hit 60, I won't have time to do huge 6 hour raids every night. But, as new stuff comes out, that's less required. Hopefully hero classes will help with that too.
I am also someone who has tons of characters. On my regular server, I have 9 characters between horde and alliance, all at least level 10, with 4 of them 30+, and 1 being a 56. When I get bored with one, I always have another there waiting. It works well for me. I could easily see how somebody who plays 5 hours+ a night all on the same character would get burned out and bored quickly. There's only so many times you can do the same thign over and over. The grind in this game is minimal, until you start going for epic sets.
After playing SWG almost every day for the better part of 1.5 years, WoW has offered a great alternative.
So far I've had no problems finding activities at lvl 60. There are a number of quests that can be done in small groups or solo. I was suprised to find that the chest peice for the Thorium Brotherhood quest was better then what I had, lol. Also, although there are instances that absolutely require raids, most can be done with 5 man groups. We ran a 5 man group through LBRS yesterday in under 2 hours.
Beyond instances, there's pvp. Hopefully Blizzard will implement more battlegrounds in the future to mitigate the wait times. Luckily, the most I've had to wait is 20 mins.
Having said all that, I'd certainly welcome more content.
Ico
Oh, cruel fate, to be thusly boned. Ask not for whom the bone bones. It bones for thee.
Doing anything 5 hours+ a night leads to burnout and boredom I would think. Doing the same thing over and over with different characters would get boring as well. Besides the switch from horde to alliance (or vice versa) - it isn't like you are getting new quests.
But I agree, Blizzard has the leveling to 60 down pat!
I only played CTF on the test server. I canceled my subscription before the last patch. So perhaps they have added many activities for the 60+. Unfortunately PvP was not my favorite part of the game. I only took part in it because I felt it was one of the few options left for me.