It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Something bothering me for about a year now :
ARE THESE REALLY WELCOME CHANGES causing more subscriptions, Or did more subscriptions happen on their own ?
Vanilla WoW was created, after a few years Blizzard created expansions. Game play was untouched with the first expansion of the BC. Then, more expansions followed, great move, no problem their. But on a side note BLIZZARD CHANGED THE STYLE OF GAME PLAY TOO !......They are two separate issues !!!!!!
APART from adding content they :
- Added Dungeon Finders
- Cinematic cut scenes
- Faster leveling
- Easy fighting
- Stream lining talent trees
BLIZZARD acted on their own with the above changes without the players approval. This does not reflect what the population really wanted. I understand that Blizzard catered to a younger category. But was easy mode really necessary ?.....In being a long time mmo player, I found that ten year olds can play as good as adults. Maybe a bit more selfish, but they play just as well, none the less.
World of Warcraft did not have to easy mode the game unless their motives were to attract even a younger group ( the 6 year olds )
Comments
game runs great on low-end machines, kids and their parents also play WoW
- Added Dungeon Finders
Players have been asking for an easier way of grouping for many years, blizzard tried meeting stones before LFG but players wanted more and were given more.
- Cinematic cut scenes
What's wrong with this? they are few and far between anyway
- Faster leveling
Again the game is 7 years old, with every new expansions blizzard increase the exp gains for previous content.... people leveling alts and those just starting out want to catch up to the main population ASAP, you could always turn off your exp gains if you wish
- Easy fighting
Not sure what this means?
- Stream lining talent trees
So revising talents tree's from time to time rather than just adding more and more with no thought on how it impacts the game is bad thing?
Bottom line wether we like changes or not blizzard has to develope their game for the majority not the minority and considering WoW is still #1 subscribed MMO and has been for the last 7 years who are we to say Blizzard are doing it wrong?
Cataclysm started out rough. They tried to make it a "grindy/hardcore" game and 2 milion people left. They are still making changes to grab their target audience. Moms/dads/people that don't have 5 hours to do 2 dungeons. I even know a few people that went back to the game after I told them about raid finder.
I have played since Jan '05, and if WoW hadn't made many of the changes it has, I would have left a long time ago. Changes can keep a game fresh, and attract new audience members. Yes, you run the risk of losing some customers, but you would lose more customers by never changing anything.
I left WoW due to the raid/pvp centric endgame being the only route of progression for my characters. I didn't leave due to dungeon finder(which every game should have IMO) or ease of leveling, etc. I left due to lack of any new game mechanics that don't rely on raiding and pvp. Now, they are starting to finally shift that way with the things they are adding in MoP, like the pet collecting mini game, their version of public quests, new class, etc. So, I'll be playing WoW again when that launches. However, they need to continue in this direction in adding game mechanics where raids and pvp aren't the main focus.
The game has certainly gone way downhill since dungeon finder was added. Not sure hw mch blame Im placng on it, but its ironic that a tool for faster grouper has *without question* made the game feel less social.
Faster leveling- the 1-60 is the best part of the game (always has been) and it goes by way to fast. 61-85 just flat out sucks. But I dont think faster leveling is really a big issue at this point.
Stream lining talent trees is 100% awful and why i probably wont be going back for MoP. Things should get more complex, not less. The vanilla system was perfect and its been downhill since. First trying to remove hybrid viability, then shrinking the trees, now removing the trees completely.
I dont see how you could argue that Cata is better than Vanilla/BC/Early WOTLK.
Not to mention what they did to Hunters and Paladins, they drastically overhauled both classes with mechanics that no one wanted. Especially paladins, I hate combo point systems, why add one that makes no sense to add? Keepit to rogues.
Drastically changing a way a class plays after 6 years is not a good thing.
My point being :
Would WoW have been better if mechanics and game play tools have stayed somewhat the same, adding only content ?
No stupid answers please !!!!....Of coarse minor tweaks here and their as needed !!!
Actually all the way though vanilla and TBC many players complained they had nothing to do because they couldn't or didn't want to get into hardcore raiding. The changes over time are a responce to what a lot of the player base wanted and for Blizzard the fact that a miniscule portion of the player base were hardcore raiders the choice was simple.
Its also not about being young, there are plenty of adults that are perfectly happy with a casual endgame.
If this was really the case then this game would have been dead a long time ago.
Last time I check there were a lof of adults playing this game, every server and guild I have ever been on were either young adults or older, a lot of adults with family, that has been my experiance from Vanilla WoW up until Cata. Sorry not buying the whole catering to 6 year old.
Just like no stupid questions? Seeing how this topic has been talked about so many times already.
Rift has combo points for every class, and its doing fine, and they want most to be #1 after that they want to be best... IMO i think guild wars 2 will run it over, as far as i saw from vids on youtube...
Anyway this is all trash talk... Lets just wait and see, who knows, MoP might look like total shit now (i thouth for cata same when i heard that hard grind shit but i dont think its that bad now like i thouth before it got released), so lets just wait and see. Its a bit early to make and conclusions...
Doesn't the thread essentially stop at this point? It banks on the premise that World of Warcraft's subscriber numbers are increasing, when Blizzard's earnings reports have shown a 1.1 million subscriber loss over the course of 2011.
Right on. I went back because of LFR. I was doing regular raids before with one of the best guilds on my server. But it is just too much work. LFR is MUCH MUCH better.
There were a lot of complaints about the length, and difficulty of Cata early dungeons. That is why the NEW dungeons are all 3 bosses (SHORTER) and easier.
I am one of those who do not want to commit 5 hours to do 2 dungeons. It is a game and if it wants my money, fit my schedule. Not the other way around. It is REALLY nice to be able to run 30 min dungeons with my kids or friends.
Hay, I'll not argue, after all I asked the question.
My opinion is that WoW would have excelled in population with or without all the easy mode features. However I still welcome others opinion, that's why I asked. Of coarse you have to understand that the question was asked on the WoW message boards, so the answer is somewhat biased as many players are gone and my not visit this part of the site. But very interesting points none the less.
Me personally, I liked the Vanilla WoW style of play without dungeon finders and fast leveling. But I can't rule out that many like it as it is now.
I think it would be safe to say that it would be a welcome change for all, if somehow Blizzard would make several styles of servers to cater to all types. This would be a win win for everyone.