tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post3335946299859165279..comments2024-03-26T09:53:50.263-06:00Comments on Eight Years in Azeroth: 3.8. Changing of the GuardShawn Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-56454475840431318092016-07-07T19:07:36.132-06:002016-07-07T19:07:36.132-06:00And that secret project was Overwatch(Or the MMO t...And that secret project was Overwatch(Or the MMO that preceded it). Long live KAPLIN!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-62624450103477414182014-12-10T10:36:13.012-07:002014-12-10T10:36:13.012-07:00I played everquest for 5 years before I started in...I played everquest for 5 years before I started in wow. Raiding in wow was easy mode even in vanilla wow. Although I'm glad we did naxx. Dod raider Cycotic here, wish I would have stayed for bc, Dod was a very friendly place. But I kinda disliked how me and dandrak got screwed on our last piece of t2.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17692336932635052026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-75074718504866391002013-09-20T15:50:21.639-06:002013-09-20T15:50:21.639-06:00@R,
Thanks very much for the feedback! Hope the r...@R,<br /><br />Thanks very much for the feedback! Hope the recently posted re-write of Part II didn't throw off your reading schedule. :)<br /><br />The split/shared lockouts is a slippery slope, but what keeps me from sweeping it under the rug is the very issue you pointed out re: LFR, and its contradiction to the reasoning GC used to merge the 10/25 locks in Cata.<br /><br />He looked at ToGC and claimed: "Everyone's running everything. We don't you to burn out." The very best players seeking progression *definitly* ran these multitude of locks to the extreme.<br /><br />That's not a fault of the design, though. That's a fault of the player feeling compelled (either themselves, or via pressure from their raid leader) to run those instances for gear that closes the gap.<br /><br />For a good many of us, we picked and chose as we needed to. Some ran full 10/25 locks. Others ran just 25. Still others ran 25, but filled 10s as needed, during times of emergency open spots, etc. We took advantage of the choice by self-regulating.<br /><br />Now, much like the kid that chews gum in class so much that the teacher has to ban gum from all kids in class, GC decided to take away that choice, as his perception of its "abuse" was leading to burnout. So, while I certainly will not claim that it *wasn't* a problem for others...the lack of self-regulation by others impacted us in the end, when that choice was ultimately stripped away.<br /><br />What added insult to injury was the fact that GC thought he would "save me from burnout" by forcing me out of one set of raids -- when all I ended up doing was using that time I could've been helping 10m teams in my guild finish content, and pouring it into administration to ensure my 25m team didn't accidentally lock the wrong characters out each week.Shawn Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-50046733722683888992013-09-20T14:57:08.199-06:002013-09-20T14:57:08.199-06:00Catching up slowly. :)
"He (GC) was trying ...Catching up slowly. :)<br /><br />"He (GC) was trying to fix a problem that didn't exist (players felt compelled to run 10 to gear for 25)"<br /><br />I see this argument quite a bit but I'm not sure how accurate it is as a general statement. Personally, I ran both 10 and 25, normal and heroic, in Wrath (ToC specifically, as I recall)... but ran different toons. My 25 toon was my mage. My 10 toon varied, it was my druid, pally, DK... depended on the week. Because of that, I came out of the 4 lockout week without much pain.<br /><br />The rest of the players in my 10-man groups also played in my 25-man groups but to a man/woman, every single one of them ran the same toon through all 4 lockouts every week. I can say with absolute certainty that THEY were sick of it long before the tier ended. When Blizzard announced the shared lockouts I cheered as loudly about it as any of them because I saw what it did to them.<br /><br />You're welcome to make the claim that it wasn't a problem for you but to claim that the problem didn't exist is absolutely incorrect. I suppose it's possible that the other 9 members of my 10-man team were the ONLY 9 in the game who had that issue but since Blizz made the change, I'd assume it was a lot more than that.<br /><br />"... and then turned right around and re-instituted it all over again with LFR."<br /><br />I agree with you in large part about LFR (and now Flex), though... I don't feel obligated to run it but I know plenty who do. It's definitely a source of concern. I see strong arguments both pro/con how Blizzard have set things up. For me and many it's a pro (it's there when I want it and it's worth doing when I do) but there are a lot of people who aren't in that camp. Feeling obligated to do something is a NASTY condition to have in a game like WoW, which needs to be able to provide enough content for players with a lot more time and much different skillsets than we do.Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-74510923701085806492013-04-16T12:39:20.025-06:002013-04-16T12:39:20.025-06:00@Anonymous,
What's interesting this paradox o...@Anonymous,<br /><br />What's interesting this paradox of raiders running LFR to fill those gaps is that it is exactly what GC was trying to prevent at the start of Cata, with what he perceived as 25s running 10s to fill that same gap, and not wanting them to burn out.<br /><br />...and of course, it is happening much the same way, all over again. Only *now*, GC et al. claim "nothing's forcing you to run LFR" -- nothing forced us to run 10m during Wrath! We did it because we gave a SHIT about progression, and that was the best way to reduce error in the absence of core raiding pieces!Shawn Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-19257871199900772612013-04-16T10:21:18.108-06:002013-04-16T10:21:18.108-06:00LFR? no. LFR gear is pitiful compared to the valor...LFR? no. LFR gear is pitiful compared to the valor gear. People have always felt compelled to be on top of the valor gear progression. LFR awards valor, that is why even raiders go, because with harder raids, esp at progression beginning or in a turbulent guild, you cannot be sure you will cap for the week so LFR helps hit it.<br /><br />Valor gear was intented to fill gear "gaps" from raiding, however early in progression everything is a gap, and it is the best gear you can get outside of drops, so you have to be on top of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-6345697368278607532013-04-08T16:03:34.240-06:002013-04-08T16:03:34.240-06:00Well, I understand your concern.
My main was an a...Well, I understand your concern.<br /><br />My main was an ally paladin, Mackeyser, that was a tankadin in TBC. I remember like it was yesterday the post that showed me the way, "how to get 11.5k HP and uncrushable pre-kara". The WoW forums no longer contain the TBC era post, but some bloggers have archived it. <br /><br />You can see it here:<br />http://chicanery.fibergeek.com/2007/05/15/how-to-get-115k-hp-and-uncrushable-pre-kara/<br /><br />I had to retire that toon because quite literally in 8 months NOTHING dropped for him in Kara. 2.1 was pre-badge. RNG wanted nothing to do with me. <br /><br />Later, toward the end of TBC, I'd been raiding on my hunter I leveled a shaman because I watched a friend absolutely destroy things on his and constantly get yelled at because on aoe pulls, his chain lighting would fly around like a storm. I loved it! I delved into the theorycrafting of Ele shaman immediately and while there were many fun elements, CLASS BALANCE in PvE wasn't one of them. At first, I just had fun with Ele and I just strove to improve my play and didn't stress over class balance. However, once I got serious about raiding on that toon and competing, balance became an issue and I finally semi-retired that toon out of disgust for Blizz's refusal to address Ele's class balance issues for 3 straight expacs. <br /><br />So, again I understand your concern.<br /><br />I'm, not saying there are easy answers nor am I saying that the importance of gear should be completely mitigated. <br /><br />I would suggest it be...reduced. <br /><br />Would that put more pressure on Blizz to balance classes? yeah. Are they capable? I dunno. They've made very nice strides in some areas, but then again, Ele is in the same crappy place it's always been. However, now that they've simplified the talent structure and given themselves more "dials" to turn, it should be attainable. <br /><br />No easy answers, but since they aren't going back to the LK model of 4 different iLvls (or 3 if you have 10H = 25N), something like that would be better than what they're doing now. <br /><br />I think. Maybe.Mackeyserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02514064752390601487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-20108589486749363122013-04-07T19:33:13.455-06:002013-04-07T19:33:13.455-06:00@Mackeyser,
So...I'm on the fence about this....@Mackeyser,<br /><br />So...I'm on the fence about this.<br /><br />If you can guarantee me that all classes are balanced equally (with the standard rock-paper-scissors mentality of not any one class dominating all others), then I fully support a skill-based system.<br /><br />However...<br /><br />How many times can we count where the classes haven't been balanced well? And that there were clear dominating classes in that pool, that could wreak havoc on any and all?<br /><br />This happens because the delicate balancing act of keeping all classes equitable is tough. It's a tough job. They've said this. We know this. In a perfect world, where the classes balance out, skill drivers would be king, and I'd be fine with that.<br /><br />But we don't have a perfect world. It's rife with Hunters (currently) Disengaging into a group of players and blowing them all up. It has Death Knights, who once shut down all casters, stand there and whack on Shadow Priests (casters!!) as they laugh and face melt the DK to death. The list goes on.<br /><br />In this never-ending world of imbalance, gear separation is the only thing that gives us equal footing. It levels the playing field a bit more, and gives us an opportunity to shine when in normal situations we fail miserably.<br /><br />Well, at least in Vanilla it was like that.<br /><br />Now it is separated into PvP and PvE (mostly), but the game continues to be balanced as if they were never separated.<br /><br />Gear helped us widen that gap. Now, there is one less reason to put ourselves through that grief. When our rewards don't match our effort, we get disenchanted with the concept of putting in more effort.<br /><br />The flipside? "OMG NERF DEATHKNIGHTS GG, SHADOWMOURNE KILLS EVERYONE LOL L2SKILL"<br /><br />...and so it should! It took me six months to put it together. My reward *should* be to wail on every class in the game.<br /><br />Shawn Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-5495609853271833812013-04-07T16:54:14.108-06:002013-04-07T16:54:14.108-06:00I really think gear should be de-emphasized to a s...I really think gear should be de-emphasized to a significant degree. It's a tool. As I'm sure you would agree skill >>> gear so why have so much psychology revolve around something that's not en toto a measure of success? I mean, sure, there are dps checks, tank gear checks and healer checks, but that's part of this whole gear paradigm that I think is broken.<br /><br />I'd rather they de-emphasized gear importance and had rather plain looking gear for each tier. <br /><br />What would set apart serious, accomplished raiders from casuals? Skins. Skins from achievements. Skins from heroic kills. Skins from Metas. <br /><br />We already have the data. We already know what we need to know. Serious players want acknowledgment, validation and a visible sign of their badassery. Casuals (and semi-casuals who get prison love from the RNG loot allocator) want to be able to do current content and at the very least have access to tools that make that a reasonable expectation. <br /><br />I could see everything from spikes or glow or effects on shoulders that ARE NOT on the casual versions to effects in town. Like can you imagine a meta that gave you a flying litter in town (four guards carrying you in a carriage) that came with banker, repair/vendor and reforge npcs that only YOU could use? You'd have the entire town at your carriage and EVERYONE would be able to see it!!! That level of convenience especially in towns as spread out as Orgrimmar and Stormwind would be VERY welcome. <br /><br />And that's just ONE possibility. <br /><br />I just think they emphasis should be placed on SKILL and less on gear. Sure, gear will still be needed and folks will still need their upgrades. But adding Skins and other effects would allow for that differentiation.<br /><br />Imho, of course...Mackeyserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02514064752390601487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-1649627328477496192013-03-23T08:38:41.469-06:002013-03-23T08:38:41.469-06:00@Kelden,
Amen, brother.
@Aubiece,
What saddens ...@Kelden,<br /><br />Amen, brother.<br /><br />@Aubiece,<br /><br />What saddens and frustrates me the most is that this all could have been avoided with simple changes: keeping the lockouts separate and keeping the gear tiered (a la WotLK) would have still provided the necessary structure to keep that implicit "ladder" in place, and keep players incentivized correctly.<br /><br />He (GC) was trying to fix a problem that didn't exist (players felt compelled to run 10 to gear for 25) , and then turned right around and re-instituted it all over again with LFR.Shawn Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-21071286932513211582013-03-23T03:05:34.885-06:002013-03-23T03:05:34.885-06:00Cata is what broke WoW raiding for me.
The 10m and...Cata is what broke WoW raiding for me.<br />The 10m and 25m shared lockouts<br />and the same gear. <br />The was vibrant 25m Pug raiding<br />on my mid pop server in WoTLK.<br />Alt raiders and 10m raiders formed the Pugs raids. <br />Not in Cata or MoP, I have not seen<br />a 25m Pug raid<br /><br />For some reason Blizz decided that 10m raiders "deserved" the same gear and presitge as 25m raiders. Instead of raising the bar and bring 10m raiders up, 25m raiders were brought down by the change.<br />Not sure what the thought process was, to me it was very flawed....Aubiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03068729568706231738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-828607653199653042013-03-23T00:51:22.912-06:002013-03-23T00:51:22.912-06:00I do not often agree so wholeheartedly with Canadi...I do not often agree so wholeheartedly with Canadian types, but in your case I will make an exception.Keldennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-52647740916133262042013-03-22T12:03:29.306-06:002013-03-22T12:03:29.306-06:00@Anonymous,
I'd adjust your sentiment slightl...@Anonymous,<br /><br />I'd adjust your sentiment slightly and say "with raids easier (that issue out rewards whose difference is negligible), there is less to strive for..."<br /><br />You're absolutely right. Back in Vanilla & TBC, raiders boasted gear so grandiose in power that nothing came close. In WotLK, the gear was still tiered, but the gap closed significantly.<br /><br />By Cata, the difference in rewards was non-existant: 10 gear and 25 gear was equal in power, and the differences between normal and heroic were so unnoticeable, they held little prestige.Shawn Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-87658738096925060952013-03-22T11:48:00.095-06:002013-03-22T11:48:00.095-06:00With raids easier there is less to strive for and ...With raids easier there is less to strive for and IMO it dramitically changed the game dynamics for the community and overall attitude. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-65361842282114343222013-03-21T12:05:51.277-06:002013-03-21T12:05:51.277-06:00@Mystidruid,
Thank you for your continued support...@Mystidruid,<br /><br />Thank you for your continued support! As you've probably observed, comments have been suspiciously quiet on this post.<br /><br />Perhaps I hit a nerve? *shrug*Shawn Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05110605868875966328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-26523030987276997752013-03-21T11:45:12.113-06:002013-03-21T11:45:12.113-06:00As always another great read :)
As always another great read :)<br /><br />Mystidruidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556575758010903163.post-66383175231242882512013-03-19T12:17:06.425-06:002013-03-19T12:17:06.425-06:00Damn straight. Fuggin cacksuggers.Damn straight. Fuggin cacksuggers.Dalansnoreply@blogger.com