First, Dev teams and all Blizz - you guys and girls are outstanding & I continue to adore the game even after 15 years since I started. My feedback:
The social fabric’s glue is limited to RL friends, guildies and newcomer chat. Bringing back ‘cross-class co-dependency’ in small steps will promote in game community bonds which will benefit all. Aside from the majority of quests, players should need another class’ assistance and vice versa.
Newcomer chat is an underused avenue for social networking. I’ve seen many newcomers level up and just leave the game. Providing guides with in game incentives (a bit like another MMORPG does) will help. Guides atm feel like a mod on an unstaffed Minecraft server…It’s largely thankless.
Same Server community LFR similar to classic WOW - Players who manually Q repeatedly through their own community receive better loot - still use the LFG system but make it so people face each other in game on a regular basis. Remember when tanks, heals or dps had a reputation on a server? Those who experienced this, miss it. Atm, it’s a fast way to Q via global LFG/LFR but what’s the end game incentive? A unique career pathway for dedicated mains (not just M+ content) via a Classic LFG system will enhance community relations and it will feel more like the ‘good old days’.
On that note, I’m acutely aware all games have an expiry in the player’s timeline and attrition is necessary as part of a business plan. I write here just as someone who, fondly, remembers WoW ‘back in the day’ and would like to see it in retail.
Sustainable reasons for players to continue subscribing - Unnerfing various factors like hybrid heals/tank/dps classes who can solo 10 non elite mobs should go. Our mana replenishment is crazy simple and no one really drinks it anymore. So, why stack intel? A case of class independence is prevelant here. A new level 60 can run through Korthia (an alt) and possibly aggro 10+ mobs who eventually stop chasing / evade reset or the player dies and resurrects where they died, thereby missing the content and amazing design of the zone. Remember pulling 1 mob, careful not to aggro another? It’s strategy. Players want a calculated challenge - unless they’re just collecting mounts or tmogs, players will MAKE THE TIME to play with people who can help one another.
Remove flying from Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms and PLEASE bring back NON-SCALING zones.- People may initially QQ but the areas are designed for intimate exploration, socializing and aiding one another. There are sooo many FP’s everywhere. While on that topic, slow down the levelling speed and remove the option for NEW players to cut corners on their first journey to 60.
Remember how no one really QQ’d because we couldn’t fly immediately in SL? We all got on with it and called it the best expansion since LK. You put us all in the same ‘boat’ - and we just got on with it. Give the players back some healthy boundaries and make room for the casual mount collector to also play their way.
A few views to start with here - I’ve seen you good people implement several ideas from the player base - is there an over-reliance on dev-creativity / designs and coding on the advice of players? Remember, people will usually want the easy road. But, put them all in the same unrelenting ‘underlying order’ and they’ll devote a lifetime to WoW, as I have so far. Some will flee. Others will not be impacted. Atm, you have dedicated players and mount collectors raiding in LFR with completely disconnected / incompatible core values.
Last point - and what are your thoughts on: New games that follow WoW’s basic ‘Classic’ rules with a ‘twist’ are thriving - this could be a novelty, but I’ve logged in to a community who has teachable attitudes and a genuine curiosity about bonding with other players so they can have a better / easier levelling experience the hope in prognosis of raiding with the same ‘noobs’ we all once were, eventually.
My sincere gratitude for persevering at the spear-tip of many tech advances and much more that many players don’t know about. You’re all amazing.
Sincerely,
Wornoxx - Saurfang
Amanthul 2006 to 2016
Saurfang 2016 to 2021
I joined WOW when everyone spoke to each other & Stormwind on SWC was packed to the rafters - now Im last person. But for the newbies, I think they should have a Class NPC that just shows you stuff, like a mate - “run with me to SW & we can go buy stuff” - “come lets go kill that ginormous monster” - when you know nobody at least you have a mate to kill with & then he can go make you speak to other newbies or tells you to leave server join another etc etc
I am also ancient but you seem to think that if the game changes then the players will be happy, but i think the game is only 50% of the problem the players themselves have changed and therefore no matter how good the game is the players will still be half the problem.
New players, need to min max, crunch numbers, be spoon fed on information, need data mining, need guides, need streamers, rush to the end, selfish with progression, toxic.
This is not all new players of course and paints the worst picture there are all levels. If you played in or after cata then i count you as a new player.
The environment outside of the game is a massive part of the problem. Youtube guides, ptr, sims, raidbots, raider io, datamining, endless reviews on every aspect of the game, it turns the players into sheep that just follow and never think for themselves anymore and then wonder why they are bored. They have lost the opportunity for discovery.
I have started playing gw2 for the first time and its incredible every day is a discovery day.
This is a really important point. When I started playing there was almost nothing. I have vague memories of Thotbot and one other place, but they gave nothing like the information and hand-holding that Wowhead does nowadays. I like to learn as I go along. I tried to with SL but found myself way behind after a few months as I wasn’t doing ‘the best’ levelling routes or picking up ‘the best’ talents/rotation/stats etc.
And the data-mining still irritates me - I don’t want to know what’s coming. The game has lost its surprises and almost everyone does everything down a very narrow path. Diverge from it and you either get nowhere or no-one wants you in groups with them.
There is no wonder any more.
Signed a grumpy elderly player.
Haha that would be fun. I think ai like ‘Replika’ could work well. It’s ai which trains from your personality and becomes a co-dependent ‘you’ in time / over timw.
If newcomers do the Exile’s Reach tutorial, they get shown around by a goblin or dwarf NPC already in a capital city? Correct me if I’m mistaken.
I was with you up to number 5, which is a definite no-no for me. The only reason to remove it is PvP and since most turn warmode off there is no use to remove it.
I mostly like your ideas except the desire to remove flying. In general, I think the biggest problem is not lack of ideas of how to make the game better, but the unwillingness of the devs to put any amount of time into the game. There have been tons of suggestions and they mostly just don’t do anything. Even when the suggestion is for something that fixes a long standing issue that has been shown to be bad in WoW and the solution has been proven to work in other games perfectly well.
A lack of proper surveys solicits ‘Pandora’s Box’ of problems remaining shut
Aren’t the provision of guides only NOW necessary because the player base is less grindy and more youthful / casual? An organic desire to explore and continue grinding and questing was prevalent right up until SL and guides were not needed. Blizz adopted scaling XP and zones which now causes many newcomers a loss in direction, subsequent confusion and the consequences of those factors.
etc etc