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Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Cross-Realm Zone Feedback
Obviously they listen to feedback. But that doesn't necessitate any applause. When they discount feedback (even after listening to it) that was well reasoned and highly supported, they should offer better explanation (if they want to keep their community feeling like communication is valuable). They should be judged based upon the context of the time, and right now the context does not look good.
Brace yourself, because I'm about to say some things that will probably ruffle a few feathers. Got your feathers ready? Okay, here we go:
We have a long tradition of explaining our design decisions. In addition the various posts we make on the forums, there are numerous Dev Watercooler blogs authored by Ghostcrawler and other developers that exist solely to discuss what we're thinking, and why we're thinking it. Those vary in frequency since, ultimately, developer time is best spent doing things like developing World of Warcraft.
That said, there will be times when, after reviewing the feedback, we still stick to our guns and not offer a follow-up explanation regarding why. There are pitfalls to starting a discussion to provide our rationale after such an event:
And, on that note, it's very much worth noting that we change our minds with a fair amount of frequency. Our decision to provide alternative means to acquire Brawler's Guild invitations was based on player feedback, but I didn't create a post to discuss why that decision was made, just as I probably wouldn't have created a post to explain why we didn't make the change--the rationale was already out there, and it's still largely in place. That change is a compromise.
CRZ is harshly criticized by some, and praised by some, but mostly it fits seamlessly into the gameplay of many (as it was intended to). The technology makes possible some truly cool things, like cross realm parties. It's a response to the many complaints that the old world felt empty and devoid of life. It's also a lot more than that. We're aware of the concerns that players have expressed about it, and we'll continue to improve it so the experience that players have with it only gets better.
Yes, the current design for dailies is very much based on player feedback, and it fixes some of the things that, ultimately, really weren't working well in Cataclysm. Now we're seeing a totally different kind of feedback, and we'll learn from that too. World of Warcraft is still very much an iterative entity.
Finally, some food for thought. Some changes that are pretty much universally embraced now were highly contentious in their time. For example, one of the largest debates World of Warcraft has ever seen revolved around something as essential and commonplace today as offering non-raiders access to epic items. Some of you will recall that this was an extremely active debate, and opinions were harshly divided (and harshly expressed) on the subject. We'll continue to listen to player feedback as we design into the future - but we also know that we can't please all the people all the time. If nothing else, history has absolutely taught us that.
Of course, we're still going to try.
I don't know why you guys cannot admit you made a mistake and just give us some alternate ways to gain rep. Many excellent suggestions have been made and yes, before you say it, making the dailies the only path to reputation progression was a mistake.
There are discussions about adding in some reputation gain from other methods. There's not much concrete to report yet, though.
If CRZ is here to stay, it would be nice if we could get some confimation that the fishing tournaments will be back and that two player mounts will eventually be fixed.
Those are both issues that we're working on, amongst others. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Spectator Mode in Arenas
A spectator mode is something that we think would be a really cool feature and we would like to implement one. The main problem is that it's a huge feature and simply a matter of being able to getting around to creating it. So hopefully at some point in the future we may do this, but right now we do not have any plans to create a spectator mode.
but right now we do not have any plans to create a spectator mode.
Why not? To busy making new and exciting scenarios? I think more people would want an spectator client for PvE & PvP then new quests or scenarios.
We fully understand that there are those out there that would like to be able to spectate both PvP and PvE, however you have to remember that there are also many readily available streams, like the one you provide, which allow players to spectate others. We know that this first person perspective is not as thrilling as say, watching from a camera you can move freely on your own, but it is a way to spectate others playing the game.
You also have to remember that while there are players that want a spectator client, the number that would actually use it regularly or even continue to use after its initial release is quite low. We have to be sure that we continue to deliver on new content for players to consume as well as avoiding taking away from other new and awesome projects that are in the pipeline. I am not going to say that this is something that we will never do, it is just something that we do not have planned as of yet.
the number that would actually use it regularly or even continue to use after its initial release is quite low
That's just not true.
The whole pvp community would use it for as long as this game lasts.
I am not denying that some of the PvP community would use it regularly, I would even admit that if a spectator option was implemented I would pop in and watch some arena matches in the downtime of my gaming sessions. But while you, others in this thread and myself would be more than happy to enjoy such a feature that does not mean that the entire PvP or even World of Warcraft community would.
Do remember as well that the technology for spectating, the mechanics that allow you to access it and all the surrounding parts to creating this type of system would need to be designed as well as being made for use in mass. This would take a great deal of time to create and implement, it would also take away from other key projects. When it comes down to it, we need to prioritize in the development process; sadly right now there are other things that have a higher priority.
Don't forget though, this is something that is on our radar and we never said it was a system we will not implement. To quote Tom Chilton on the subject; "It's just a question of being able to get around to doing it, so someday...Hopefully."
Erm, you already have a Spectator Client? Or is the one that we've been seeing im MLG and BlizzCon just not really been there? Your wording hints that one doesn't exist.
I'm believing what you're trying to say is that you're just not ready to give it to us. You have tools, but those tools require access levels to be used. Teleports, target's vision etc. and to see current arena matches being played.
Question is, why not?
Actually, those are special accounts created only for use at these events specifically so that the casters can perform their roles optimally and provide the best viewing experience for everyone. It's not something that we can simply add into the game client and is not really an actual spectator mode, simply a workaround to allow for spectating that is little more than a mobile camera in the game.
Spectator mode would need to be fully built from the ground up in order to give regular player accounts spectating abilities. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Obviously they listen to feedback. But that doesn't necessitate any applause. When they discount feedback (even after listening to it) that was well reasoned and highly supported, they should offer better explanation (if they want to keep their community feeling like communication is valuable). They should be judged based upon the context of the time, and right now the context does not look good.
Brace yourself, because I'm about to say some things that will probably ruffle a few feathers. Got your feathers ready? Okay, here we go:
We have a long tradition of explaining our design decisions. In addition the various posts we make on the forums, there are numerous Dev Watercooler blogs authored by Ghostcrawler and other developers that exist solely to discuss what we're thinking, and why we're thinking it. Those vary in frequency since, ultimately, developer time is best spent doing things like developing World of Warcraft.
That said, there will be times when, after reviewing the feedback, we still stick to our guns and not offer a follow-up explanation regarding why. There are pitfalls to starting a discussion to provide our rationale after such an event:
- Players that are okay with or neutral toward the situation don't particularly care.
- The players that aren't okay with the situation almost certainly aren't going to change their minds because we made a post. They're almost always heavily invested in a particular position on the subject, and further discourse won't alter their opinion. In these cases, the expressed desire for follow-up on feedback doesn't result in useful clarification; it simply provides more ammunition for a debate. Typically a debate that already played out in prior feedback and resulted in a decision one way or another.
- While sometimes it's necessary to make our stance clear, refraining from a 'this is just the way it is, and here's why' statement can offer us the latitude to change our minds in the future. In some cases, we're still evaluating a situation, but we need to see how it plays out for longer than a few weeks.
And, on that note, it's very much worth noting that we change our minds with a fair amount of frequency. Our decision to provide alternative means to acquire Brawler's Guild invitations was based on player feedback, but I didn't create a post to discuss why that decision was made, just as I probably wouldn't have created a post to explain why we didn't make the change--the rationale was already out there, and it's still largely in place. That change is a compromise.
CRZ is harshly criticized by some, and praised by some, but mostly it fits seamlessly into the gameplay of many (as it was intended to). The technology makes possible some truly cool things, like cross realm parties. It's a response to the many complaints that the old world felt empty and devoid of life. It's also a lot more than that. We're aware of the concerns that players have expressed about it, and we'll continue to improve it so the experience that players have with it only gets better.
Yes, the current design for dailies is very much based on player feedback, and it fixes some of the things that, ultimately, really weren't working well in Cataclysm. Now we're seeing a totally different kind of feedback, and we'll learn from that too. World of Warcraft is still very much an iterative entity.
Finally, some food for thought. Some changes that are pretty much universally embraced now were highly contentious in their time. For example, one of the largest debates World of Warcraft has ever seen revolved around something as essential and commonplace today as offering non-raiders access to epic items. Some of you will recall that this was an extremely active debate, and opinions were harshly divided (and harshly expressed) on the subject. We'll continue to listen to player feedback as we design into the future - but we also know that we can't please all the people all the time. If nothing else, history has absolutely taught us that.
Of course, we're still going to try.
I don't know why you guys cannot admit you made a mistake and just give us some alternate ways to gain rep. Many excellent suggestions have been made and yes, before you say it, making the dailies the only path to reputation progression was a mistake.
There are discussions about adding in some reputation gain from other methods. There's not much concrete to report yet, though.
If CRZ is here to stay, it would be nice if we could get some confimation that the fishing tournaments will be back and that two player mounts will eventually be fixed.
Those are both issues that we're working on, amongst others. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Spectator Mode in Arenas
A spectator mode is something that we think would be a really cool feature and we would like to implement one. The main problem is that it's a huge feature and simply a matter of being able to getting around to creating it. So hopefully at some point in the future we may do this, but right now we do not have any plans to create a spectator mode.
but right now we do not have any plans to create a spectator mode.
Why not? To busy making new and exciting scenarios? I think more people would want an spectator client for PvE & PvP then new quests or scenarios.
We fully understand that there are those out there that would like to be able to spectate both PvP and PvE, however you have to remember that there are also many readily available streams, like the one you provide, which allow players to spectate others. We know that this first person perspective is not as thrilling as say, watching from a camera you can move freely on your own, but it is a way to spectate others playing the game.
You also have to remember that while there are players that want a spectator client, the number that would actually use it regularly or even continue to use after its initial release is quite low. We have to be sure that we continue to deliver on new content for players to consume as well as avoiding taking away from other new and awesome projects that are in the pipeline. I am not going to say that this is something that we will never do, it is just something that we do not have planned as of yet.
the number that would actually use it regularly or even continue to use after its initial release is quite low
That's just not true.
The whole pvp community would use it for as long as this game lasts.
I am not denying that some of the PvP community would use it regularly, I would even admit that if a spectator option was implemented I would pop in and watch some arena matches in the downtime of my gaming sessions. But while you, others in this thread and myself would be more than happy to enjoy such a feature that does not mean that the entire PvP or even World of Warcraft community would.
Do remember as well that the technology for spectating, the mechanics that allow you to access it and all the surrounding parts to creating this type of system would need to be designed as well as being made for use in mass. This would take a great deal of time to create and implement, it would also take away from other key projects. When it comes down to it, we need to prioritize in the development process; sadly right now there are other things that have a higher priority.
Don't forget though, this is something that is on our radar and we never said it was a system we will not implement. To quote Tom Chilton on the subject; "It's just a question of being able to get around to doing it, so someday...Hopefully."
Erm, you already have a Spectator Client? Or is the one that we've been seeing im MLG and BlizzCon just not really been there? Your wording hints that one doesn't exist.
I'm believing what you're trying to say is that you're just not ready to give it to us. You have tools, but those tools require access levels to be used. Teleports, target's vision etc. and to see current arena matches being played.
Question is, why not?
Actually, those are special accounts created only for use at these events specifically so that the casters can perform their roles optimally and provide the best viewing experience for everyone. It's not something that we can simply add into the game client and is not really an actual spectator mode, simply a workaround to allow for spectating that is little more than a mobile camera in the game.
Spectator mode would need to be fully built from the ground up in order to give regular player accounts spectating abilities. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Blue Tweets
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
PvP
How fast you'd be able to react and defensively dispel you and your teammates is what made you a good priest.
Disagree. You could spam dispels on anything. That wasn't skill, just button mashing. Skill requires analysis not just reflexes. (Source)
Good luck! trying to take down a healer with the Gag Order nerf, or even trying to catch one with the Avatar nerf aswell......
There is quite a large continuum between being a free kill and being a god. There is space to be somewhere in the middle.
Your going in the wrong direction, hurting warrior mobility in a game full of endless cc's in pvp, we don't want Cata again!
We nerfed control and CC breaks, not mobility. A Double Time nerf would be mobility. It's all related, but that was our logic. (Source)
Can you bring pre-Wrathful WotLK PvP weapons back for Transmog.. pretty please?
If we did that would they be rewards for skilled PvP players or something everyone could grab? (Source)
Does a destro lock bursting 370k through 60% res in 1.2 sec fit your image of pvp?
The CB landed in 1.2 but likely took much longer to set up. Do you think there is just a max damage that a single ability should do? (Source)
Why when you said "pve'ers shouldn't be forced to pvp and VICE VERSA" you didn't rly mean it?
We meant glads shouldn't have to raid for the best gear. We want all players to participate out in the world doing stuff.
So, you are saying forcing PVP'ers to PVE is fine, as long as those PVP'ers aren't glads???
I'm saying an experience where you never leave town and queue for PvE or PvP isn't healthy for the long term of the game. (Source)
OK, so what on earth is the deal with the total absence of honor weapons? I thought I was just being stupid. What's really frustrating is they were in... the items exist but are unavailable.
We make a lot of items in bulk that aren't intended to ever go into the game. Heroic raid trash versions are another example.
A real explanation on honor weapons not available and solutions to rating camp.
Honor weapons would have been the only weapons. There was no way to keep them away from PvE players. Maybe at ilevel 450. Maybe.
Sorry but I really don't see how you missed this with the PvP Power mechanic you introduced specifically for PvP gear.
The weapon would have to have nothing but PvP Power. Otherwise it's better than the quest weapons you could achieve.
Just slap pvp power and pvp resilience as the only stats, PVE players would stay away from them.
We don't typically itemize gear to such extremes, but I suppose we could. (Source)
Any chance of making the old WSG/AB pvp vendors be in a more convenient place for those who want to level via pvp?
Yeah, would like to do this. Did you see the green gear vendors in Pandaria? PvP versions (at all levels) are another idea. (Source)
Instant cc & dumb mechanics like gagorder just further lowers the skillcap. wotlk had the highest skillcap.
Eh, LK had its share of dumb mechanics too. Agree about Gag Order though. (Source)
I think you guys should bring back 2v2 and put more effort into balancing PvP imo.
I fear that 2v2 is inherently unbalanceable. Either a healer is mandatory or one isn't. If it is, then 3s aren't fair. (Source)
It's only inherently broken so long that you keep healers unable to go OOM. Fix healers and you fix 2v2.
Not that simple. If 1 healer + 1 DPS is balanced, then 1 healer + 2 DPS isn't going to be. (Source)
2on2 is unbalanceable That game never was or is balanced. pvp gets worse every addon because of more spells
If we could do it all over again, I'm not sure we'd have 3 different brackets. 2s are popular because logistics are easy. (Source)
Are you guys even looking into sorting out the pvp side of the game? It's nearly the point of just not playing anymore
We're working on a blog on PvP to explain some of our philosophy and plans.
Currently, wins on PvP the one who uses his burst first.
I disagree. I think it's just a few broken specs running it for everyone.
Why are so many things focused on PvP when PvP is just a minigame in WoW?
Because a lot of players care so much about it? (Source)
Any news about Skirmish Arenas? They're sorely missed, and you know that. Nakatoir said he'd give us a proper answer, waiting.
We get the request a lot, but when we had them they were not widely used. We'll consider adding them back, but low priority ATM.
But Mop philosophy is that we can play the game how we want, all we're missing is skirmishes. You get the request, why not add
It would mean not adding something that might be important to someone else. Balancing that is one of the hard parts of this gig.
You mean like wargames/pet battles? Not sure how many asked for pet battles, yet they got it. Bring it back someday.
We also add things players may not ask for. Given the popularity of pet battles, that one was a good call. Wargames, maybe not. But we know a lot of players miss skirmish, and we'd love to bring it back someday. (Source)
How fast you'd be able to react and defensively dispel you and your teammates is what made you a good priest.
Disagree. You could spam dispels on anything. That wasn't skill, just button mashing. Skill requires analysis not just reflexes. (Source)
Good luck! trying to take down a healer with the Gag Order nerf, or even trying to catch one with the Avatar nerf aswell......
There is quite a large continuum between being a free kill and being a god. There is space to be somewhere in the middle.
Your going in the wrong direction, hurting warrior mobility in a game full of endless cc's in pvp, we don't want Cata again!
We nerfed control and CC breaks, not mobility. A Double Time nerf would be mobility. It's all related, but that was our logic. (Source)
Can you bring pre-Wrathful WotLK PvP weapons back for Transmog.. pretty please?
If we did that would they be rewards for skilled PvP players or something everyone could grab? (Source)
Does a destro lock bursting 370k through 60% res in 1.2 sec fit your image of pvp?
The CB landed in 1.2 but likely took much longer to set up. Do you think there is just a max damage that a single ability should do? (Source)
Why when you said "pve'ers shouldn't be forced to pvp and VICE VERSA" you didn't rly mean it?
We meant glads shouldn't have to raid for the best gear. We want all players to participate out in the world doing stuff.
So, you are saying forcing PVP'ers to PVE is fine, as long as those PVP'ers aren't glads???
I'm saying an experience where you never leave town and queue for PvE or PvP isn't healthy for the long term of the game. (Source)
OK, so what on earth is the deal with the total absence of honor weapons? I thought I was just being stupid. What's really frustrating is they were in... the items exist but are unavailable.
We make a lot of items in bulk that aren't intended to ever go into the game. Heroic raid trash versions are another example.
A real explanation on honor weapons not available and solutions to rating camp.
Honor weapons would have been the only weapons. There was no way to keep them away from PvE players. Maybe at ilevel 450. Maybe.
Sorry but I really don't see how you missed this with the PvP Power mechanic you introduced specifically for PvP gear.
The weapon would have to have nothing but PvP Power. Otherwise it's better than the quest weapons you could achieve.
Just slap pvp power and pvp resilience as the only stats, PVE players would stay away from them.
We don't typically itemize gear to such extremes, but I suppose we could. (Source)
Any chance of making the old WSG/AB pvp vendors be in a more convenient place for those who want to level via pvp?
Yeah, would like to do this. Did you see the green gear vendors in Pandaria? PvP versions (at all levels) are another idea. (Source)
Instant cc & dumb mechanics like gagorder just further lowers the skillcap. wotlk had the highest skillcap.
Eh, LK had its share of dumb mechanics too. Agree about Gag Order though. (Source)
I think you guys should bring back 2v2 and put more effort into balancing PvP imo.
I fear that 2v2 is inherently unbalanceable. Either a healer is mandatory or one isn't. If it is, then 3s aren't fair. (Source)
It's only inherently broken so long that you keep healers unable to go OOM. Fix healers and you fix 2v2.
Not that simple. If 1 healer + 1 DPS is balanced, then 1 healer + 2 DPS isn't going to be. (Source)
2on2 is unbalanceable That game never was or is balanced. pvp gets worse every addon because of more spells
If we could do it all over again, I'm not sure we'd have 3 different brackets. 2s are popular because logistics are easy. (Source)
Are you guys even looking into sorting out the pvp side of the game? It's nearly the point of just not playing anymore
We're working on a blog on PvP to explain some of our philosophy and plans.
Currently, wins on PvP the one who uses his burst first.
I disagree. I think it's just a few broken specs running it for everyone.
Why are so many things focused on PvP when PvP is just a minigame in WoW?
Because a lot of players care so much about it? (Source)
Any news about Skirmish Arenas? They're sorely missed, and you know that. Nakatoir said he'd give us a proper answer, waiting.
We get the request a lot, but when we had them they were not widely used. We'll consider adding them back, but low priority ATM.
But Mop philosophy is that we can play the game how we want, all we're missing is skirmishes. You get the request, why not add
It would mean not adding something that might be important to someone else. Balancing that is one of the hard parts of this gig.
You mean like wargames/pet battles? Not sure how many asked for pet battles, yet they got it. Bring it back someday.
We also add things players may not ask for. Given the popularity of pet battles, that one was a good call. Wargames, maybe not. But we know a lot of players miss skirmish, and we'd love to bring it back someday. (Source)
Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Makes Over $500 Million in 24 HoursActivision Blizzard's non MMO games are doing okay as well, as Black Ops 2 sold over $500 million worth of copies in the first 24 hours. Gamestop alone sold over 1 million copies at the midnight launch.
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