Is Blizzard Going Down a Dangerous Path?

[Bambusbar]

Back when I started to play the original Guild Wars, there was a bustling community. There were the main hubs of trading in the major cities and then other locations that served purposes for group dungeons, areas and bosses. I remember fondly going into the Underworld with a group of players and killing as much as we could before we all died and had to leave the zone.

Then the next campaign that came out was more of the same, but it added more of a PvP setting. There were cities that could be owned by guilds amongst some other really cool features I’m not going to go into. Eventually though, as players started to decline and groups got harder to form, much of the same problems World of Warcraft is going through now, NCSoft came out with the Nightfall campaign (my personal favorite out of all the campaigns/expansions). Despite it being my favorite though, it was in my eyes, one of the first nails in the coffin for the title.

Nightfall introduced Heroes.

Now Heroes were great for the player that didn’t want to depend on other people. They were useful alone, but if you had the aptitude for it you could control them just as well as your own character. The biggest downside though at the time, is that your entire party couldn’t be just Heroes, back then you could only have 3. Unless you had a friend who had 3 Heroes to use as well.

That was the first nail though, they essentially phased out a social aspect of the game. Which lead to even more nails in the coffin with the slowly dying game.

It’s final expansion came out called “Guild Wars: Eye of the North”. Which added more to the game than any expansion before it, but also changed the limit of Heroes you could bring with you. In the game after GW:EN you could have an entire party filled with nothing other than you and your Heroes.

Now some of you were probably like me at that point. You didn’t have to worry about people ruining your runs by aggro’ing too much. You didn’t have to worry about people not being properly geared. You didn’t have to worry about people not being attuned to certain area’s or against certain damage. You were now the only person you needed to enjoy the game, but at what cost?

When I first started playing WoW, it was very much of the same with Guild Wars. There was a bustling community and even though there was an Auction House, people still used Trade Chat to find gear, materials, as well as people for dungeons, raids, etc.

That was the joy of it though. It was satisfying when you got into a raiding guild that had steady progression and competent people and it made you cherish those memories. Having 9 to 24 other people working together with you to take down a raid boss, or a world boss, or to go to another city or town and take it via brute force and teamwork. To get a group of 40 together and kill the Leader of that city.

Now though, things have devolved. Things are getting to the point that Nightfall and GW:EN did and I feel like the first nail is touching the boards of the coffin.

We’re losing a lot of the social aspect of the game, by adding features that make us all less social and less dependant on other people. Some of the features are features I’m personally for, so please don’t think this is just all hate, but some of these features I feel hurt the game in the long run than help it.

They’re features designed to help a dying game to not appear as if it’s dying.

Yet again don’t get me wrong, these features help me each week complete quests, raids, dungeons, you name it. But that’s the problem at the same time.

I’m not building relationships with anyone anymore. I’m sure all of us have some tale of some time where World of Warcraft has impacted us someway. I can tell you that since Wrath of the Lich King that I haven’t had a good raiding experience with any guild, since they’re ready to drop the game the first time something gets hard, or the first time we have a unintentional wipe.

Since my return to Warlords of Draenor and Tanaan Jungle I haven’t had a guild, because it’s not necessary anymore and more often than not needless stupid drama happens which I’d rather not be a part of or dragged into.

That should worry us though. We’re seeing the game die before our eyes and we are almost helpless to stop it, but lets try to anyway.

What I would like everyone who reads this to do, is add someone. Talk to and add the next person you feel did really well in a certain scenario. If a healer in a dungeon/raid kept the group up under dire circumstances, or there’s a DPS that is exceptional, or a tank that solo tanked an encounter that needs an Off-Tank after one died, tell them how awesome or great it was. Add that person so you can play with them again. Make a bond and start a friendship.

Make yourself open to the idea that friends can be found on an MMO.
Make yourself open to being more social.

Let’s make Legion the start of a more social and friendly World of Warcraft.

[sed-]

idk i think its time to let an old game go and embrace some of the new mmo's comen out. my sight is on black desert. i feel people cling to WoW like i cling to d2 but there comes a time you got to put all of your memories to rest and move on and just enjoy the ones you had. wow will never be the same game we all knew and loved so hopen every xpac is diff but we all honestly know its not needs to stop i feel. As far as friends goes it will be something new and diff to do with them and if you sadly have none you can always make new ones in a whole new game.

[Bambusbar]

idk i think its time to let an old game go and embrace some of the new mmo's comen out. my sight is on black desert. i feel people cling to WoW like i cling to d2 but there comes a time you got to put all of your memories to rest and move on and just enjoy the ones you had. wow will never be the same game we all knew and loved so hopen every xpac is diff but we all honestly know its not needs to stop i feel. As far as friends goes it will be something new and diff to do with them and if you sadly have none you can always make new ones in a whole new game.

I know it will never get back to the same level that it was, but at the same time I don't think it's impossible to get it back to that same level.

I played the beta for Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn and I absolutely loved it. So I think if I turn to any in the near future, it will be that one, since the fan-base is pretty similar in size to WoW.

[sed-]

i honestly think it is impossible as everything about that game is really outdated, graphics, playstyle everything and it will get to a point (maybe even soon with the 2 new mmos comen out) that people will love the new play style vs click people and auto hit. or sit casting same boren rotation spamming same 4buttons.

[zycamzip]

I was using a game hack on an emulator back on WLK. But the client reported it, when I connected to live and I was banned. Even though I got my account back, I didn't go back. Why? Pandas for one. No other hero class. They updated the grafix, my system wouldn't handle it... and the final nail? Cookie cutter builds.

I still play Rift. The game is also slowing a bit, but being able to play with people in cross-realm even for raids, but without the need for an LFR tool is awesome. I can cross realms without assistance at any time. There is REX, which is a bit like your WoW token - but I can play for free and then purchase the "Patron" whenever I want. The REX can be stored on my account, in my pack, and traded when I want. I have purchased 6 of them with game currency. The best part? There are cookie cutter builds for those who want it, or you can experiment with it and create 1 especially for you. The game is social, there is trade chat, there are Raids PUGs, and random BGs... everything that I liked about WoW, there is in Rift. Rift though, you can play for free for as long as you want.

Most games these days have gone with a free-2-play model. WoW lets you play for free to level 20? At a level 100 game cap, that's nothing. They could make it level 80 or 90. But they don't. They are killing the game themselves, and blaming bots.

[KuRIoS]

Great article mate, could use a bit of text layout and formatting though

[element19090]

Good read! I agree with everything you said! the game is no longer an MMO, it's all queuing and instanced PvE raids. I don't even play retail anymore. I have been playing private servers while I wait for legion. I really hope Legion doesn't follow the same path WoD did but we will just have to wait and see. I personally am not pre ordering anything...I refuse to give Blizzard anymore money when they have not came out with a passable expansion since Wrath of the Lich King. I have given them enough money over the 9 years that I have played the game.

I personally don't want to play another MMO I like WoW I'm comfortable in WoW. I know the Lore, I know the game mechanics, I have 9 years invested into it. I will simply just not play any MMO's until the next evolution of MMORPG's hits the market, assuming it does. Here's to hoping Legion doesn't suck. :P

[sed-]

Good read! I agree with everything you said! the game is no longer an MMO, it's all queuing and instanced PvE raids. I don't even play retail anymore. I have been playing private servers while I wait for legion. I really hope Legion doesn't follow the same path WoD did but we will just have to wait and see. I personally am not pre ordering anything...I refuse to give Blizzard anymore money when they have not came out with a passable expansion since Wrath of the Lich King. I have given them enough money over the 9 years that I have played the game.

I personally don't want to play another MMO I like WoW I'm comfortable in WoW. I know the Lore, I know the game mechanics, I have 9 years invested into it. I will simply just not play any MMO's until the next evolution of MMORPG's hits the market, assuming it does. Here's to hoping Legion doesn't suck. :P

you should look into black desert if you are looking for a good feeling mmo that is real time action.

[Blubblab]

you should look into black desert if you are looking for a good feeling mmo that is real time action.

I think the problem is some players have an aversion against the social component of the MMOs on the other hand many publishers like nothing more then make their game an (f2p)MMO because this way they can milk more the customers because they have more control over the game.

I personal like games like the good old D2 or Minecraft where you had/have a choice which way you want to play this game. Ego Shooters are also victims of this trend and other games basically everything you can play online get the brand MMO these days.

Owning a part of the MMO world like in Archage or Black Dessert but you can really see the sparks spraying especially through the f2p component of those games( I don't know Black Dessert well but I don belive it is much different).

Besides the design problems which you have when you want to have a changeable world, when you have unchangeable quests, is through the f2p model the publisher need tight control over their server which contradict with the freedom player want in their game.

The online enforcement force player to play MMO online even when they aren't social interested in the game and the online enforcement is there because publisher wants their game to be an MMO normally they would play offline. Naturally this doesn't fit with every MMO.but this gave birth to very strange howlers in MMO design I would say.

The other point is sometimes you want to play the game but like Bambusbar mentioned there was so much drama in you old gild(s) you don't want to join a new guild or being a lot of social active. I must say I was also one who created a lot of drama but I wasn't the only center of it and looking to the side to other gild which I wasn't direct involved their was also drama and we were all 18+