Cracks starting to show?

[Nevermore]

In a contest to see who can out-delay the other, there are no winners. 

[Paelos]

In a contest to see who can out-delay the other, there are no winners.  

I disagree. In this case, Blizzard would have to blink first. In fact, I would consider it a sound launch strategy to delay until next year to watch Blizzard flounder. They know Blizzard wants to try and time their releases to minimize the impact of your product, but if you know they are already on the decline in the current fiscal year, you can force them to make a choice. Either release and give up their strategy, or delay and ruin the end of their FY2011.

In a private company, that would mean very little. In a public company where you have to explain to your shareholders whey you lost so much of your market share when there was only one major competitor at the beginning of the year...?

[Fordel]

Also, as long as SWTOR doesn't release, it can't ruin our hopes and expectations. 

[Reg]

I think the release of Diablo 3 would be a lot more likely to impact SWTOR's numbers than a ho-hum WoW content patch.

[Paelos]

I think the release of Diablo 3 would be a lot more likely to impact SWTOR's numbers than a ho-hum WoW content patch.

No doubt. The release of anything new will impact it. Still, I don't think you'd consider the culmination Deathwing patch to be ho-hum. It should theoretically be the concluding content patch of the xpac.

[Simond]

I think the release of Diablo 3 would be a lot more likely to impact SWTOR's numbers than a ho-hum WoW content patch.

SWTOR isn't Diablo-in-spaaaaaace!

[WindupAtheist]

There's no way they actually go through with this. It's too stupid to be true.

Their excuse for why there aren't portals in every capital city boiled down to "We spent a lot of time remodeling SW/Org and you're going to look at them even if it's really inconvenient" and they were only talked down from using real names on the forums after a campaign of cancellation/harrassment/war from their customers worse than anything Blizzard has ever experienced in it's history as a company. They're pretty stupid anymore.

[Paelos]

The Org/SW thing is debatable. There are enough portals where I don't feel like that's a huge deal.

The point was that somewhere between "Really Undebatably Bad Idea #143" and implementation, they usually hear the playerbase and back off of it. I mean this thing is hated by a large majority of the people it would directly affect, and those it doesn't simply thing it's ridiculous.

[Ingmar]

Fun thing to note about the 4.2 PTR - the 7 year anniversary reward is in it, imp[lying that 4.3 won't go live until the end of the year.

They often put stuff like that in way ahead of when it will actually get used, it doesn't really imply anything at all. Remember the goblin/worgen mask textures?

[Dren]

Just a final note on WoW for me (well as final as anything is on a forum like this.)  Cancelling the game to go to Rift this week.  Cata basically did it in for me.  Our guild is/was casual in a "puts in a lot of hours, but not in any coordinated way."  It was a group of individuals that played as individuals 90% of the time.  Yet, before Cata we could manage raids on a weekly basis, and for the most part, kept our sanity and had fun.  We would work on getting better gear through heroics as much as possible together, but PuGs were pretty typical. 

After Cata, even though our membership numbers went up, heroics became unfun and basically impossible without proper gear and proper tactics.  They were huge and took too long.  Raids were this x 10.  It only took maybe a month and our guild basically went to a chatroom 100% for me.  I can't stand doing PuG randoms, so all interest went out the door.

I guess my issue with Cata was that it went a totally different direction Blizzard had been going for years in making WoW a casual game with Hardcore elements.  Cata was designed from bottom up in a completely different direction from that.  Maybe that will work for them in the long run, but it isn't my game anymore.

[Rokal]

The weirdest part about the rated bg/arena change is that Blizzard is usually much smarter about how they communicate changes like this. This is the company that invented Rested XP instead of experience penalties for playing too long. Both systems have the same effect (allow players that play less to catch up, slow players that play 24/7), but one change makes players feel like they are being given something, and the other makes players feel that something is being taken away. Here is all they had to do to avoid this controversy:

If the conquest cap is 1280 points (or whatever), make the maximum amount of points you can gain from arena 1280, the maximum amount from rated bgs 1280, and then increase the weekly cap to 1500. This way players don't feel like they are losing something, rather they are gaining more potential points each week. Blizzard is happy because players are encouraged to do both arena and rated BGs. Players are happy because they can still keep doing arena for their 1280 points if they hate rated BGs, just like they did before the change. It sounds like pvp item costs were going to increase anyway in the next season, and it's easier to justify that "players were finishing their pvp gears sets too quickly" to players than it is to justify "too many people were avoiding rated bgs, so we're going to make you do those".

[Paelos]

I agree, that would be the way to incentivize it. The only problem is the one you listed. They thought pvp gains were entirely too fast for too little effort. So, instead of just increasing prices or decreasing gain, they figured they could couple it with that other thing that everyone is avoiding.

It's two, two, TWO nerfs in one!

[Ashamanchill]

I couldn't agree with you more on this one Rokal. But then, I get the impression that Blizz knows they have to make everything else grindy in relation to rated BGs, or people will still avoid them, because guess what, RATED BATTLEGROUNDS SUCK!!! There is literally nothing in that game that sucks less then the way they have been implemented.

[Paelos]

I couldn't agree with you more on this one Rokal. But then, I get the impression that Blizz knows they have to make everything else grindy in relation to rated BGs, or people will still avoid them, because guess what, RATED BATTLEGROUNDS SUCK!!! There is literally nothing in that game that sucks less then the way they have been implemented.

Archeology or rated battlegrounds?

FIGHT!

[Ingmar]

I couldn't agree with you more on this one Rokal. But then, I get the impression that Blizz knows they have to make everything else grindy in relation to rated BGs, or people will still avoid them, because guess what, RATED BATTLEGROUNDS SUCK!!! There is literally nothing in that game that sucks less then the way they have been implemented.

Archeology or rated battlegrounds?

FIGHT!

Guild rep.

[Lantyssa]

A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS!

[Fordel]

Guild rep is pretty shitty too yes.


Been in same guild for six years, start at level 1. 

[Ingmar]

Rep grinds in general are not compelling gameplay. Rep grinds to gain reputation WITH YOURSELF that have a weekly cap on them pretty much define "infuriating".

[Lakov_Sanite]

Guild rep at least happens during the natural course of gameplay. Rated bg's are just something to be avoided and archaeology is a boring time sink.

[Sjofn]

The weekly cap on guild rep means you got fucked over during your leveling from 80-85 though. So that was nice.

[koro]

So what's Blizzard going to do to further "incentivize" people into doing Rated BGs when/if the 4.2 change goes live and instead of people going into RBGs for their final CP, they just suck it up and take less overall points per week? I mean, that's what the majority will probably do.

[Paelos]

Nothing. You can't force people to do what they don't like for very long.

[Mnemon]

Just another feather in the "Blizzard doesn't have a clue about pvp" hat.

IMO take your rated BGs. add another set of PvP Gear that's equivalent to the 1800 and 2200 rating stuff. return the solo queue. instead of honor or conquest points you get a personal rating. As you climb up you unlock the pvp titles and gear you can buy with gold. and make the entire process from private/scout to high marshal/warlord take weeks. (just like the old ladder system).

[Azazel]

The Org/SW thing is debatable. There are enough portals where I don't feel like that's a huge deal.

Enough portals? AFAIK there are ones from the Mage Quarters of major cities to just outside the Dark Portal. There may be a Cata one I dont know about to the 80 starter zone or something. What else is there? Any trans-continental ones?

[Merusk]

The Org/SW thing is debatable. There are enough portals where I don't feel like that's a huge deal.

Enough portals? AFAIK there are ones from the Mage Quarters of major cities to just outside the Dark Portal. There may be a Cata one I dont know about to the 80 starter zone or something. What else is there? Any trans-continental ones?

Almost every zone has a quest or a cutscene that transfers you to the zone.  The only one that doesn't is Udlum which, coincidently, I've only done on the Mage that was able to port to Theramore and then fly to Tanaris to start that quest.

After you do a few quests in each zone, a portal in Org/ Stormwind unlocks that takes you to that zone.  So you have plenty of "instant around the world" portals for the old world, the Black Portal gate for BC and the Boats for WOTLK.  While getting to the old content isn't as easy as it once was, and you're in a more inconvenient place once you get there, you're still able to get around pretty easily.

[Paelos]

Exactly, I can get to any of the content I need to get to with a simple portal and a quick FP within 2 minutes. The only exception is if I have to get to Dalaran.

[Xanthippe]

Exactly, I can get to any of the content I need to get to with a simple portal and a quick FP within 2 minutes. The only exception is if I have to get to Dalaran.

The Dalaran portal ring is awfully nice to have for this.

[Typhon]

Which makes no sense - we have portals to places no one has ever been before, but we don't have portals to allied capitals.  henh?

Queue Worldy Crybaby: portals make the world SMALL!

Queue me: riding the boat for the 1 billionth time is not adding anything to my fun.  I learned about how big the world was the other 999 million times.  If you want me to enjoy travel, have something happen while I'm traveling and stop making the game just about the dungeons... oh wait, the end game IS JUST ABOUT THE DUNGEONS.  Good thing that PvP requires you to travel out to bum-fuck no where without a port.. oh wait, no it doesn't.

I hate the way this game breathes.  I haven't played in 3 months and I hate it more now (and the devs/mods) then I did 3 months ago.  It's not healthy.

[Xanthippe]

I just browsed a few of the blue posts in the forums.  What really struck me is how defensive they are.

When devs have to defend their design decisions rather than present them to players to see how they'll respond, it comes across as dictating how to play the game.  It baffles me that the powers-that-be don't understand this very basic concept and why it's not a good thing.

[Paelos]

The tone is defensive because in a lot of cases the CMs agree that these changes aren't for the best, but they aren't paid to voice their opinions. It's amazing how much better you can present a controversial decision if you truly believe in the product/change.

[Azazel]

Almost every zone has a quest or a cutscene that transfers you to the zone.  The only one that doesn't is Udlum which, coincidently, I've only done on the Mage that was able to port to Theramore and then fly to Tanaris to start that quest.

After you do a few quests in each zone, a portal in Org/ Stormwind unlocks that takes you to that zone.  So you have plenty of "instant around the world" portals for the old world, the Black Portal gate for BC and the Boats for WOTLK.  While getting to the old content isn't as easy as it once was, and you're in a more inconvenient place once you get there, you're still able to get around pretty easily.

Hang on, I'm confused.
My Warrior (before I started levelling in dungeons) levelled up in Elwynn, Westfall, Redridge, Darkshire, and later did most of the quests in WPL, EPL, Swamp of Sorrows, and, um, whatever the zone with the Dark Portal is called. Should I have portals to some of these places from Stormwind now?

And why am I finding out about this now, out of game, on a board, months after unsubscribing and even more months after finishing that content?

[Azuredream]

It's only the Cataclysm zones, they all get portals if you finish enough quests in each of the zones.

[Rendakor]

Uldum, Twilight Highlands, Hyjal, Deepholme, and Vashj'ir are the only zones with portals.

[Sjofn]

Really what annoys me about that is I would like to base in a city aside from Orgrimmar or Stormwind, but Orgrimmar and Stormwind are the only places with portals. 

[caladein]

To me, what really sucks about SW is that it only has two districts with services and trainers are all over the fucking place.  There really isn't an equivalent to Dal's Underbelly or Org's Valley of Wisdom.