Has Blizzards development team become incompetent?

[ComputerNerd]

The development team that made the origional world of warcraft has left long ago, very little if any members of it still remain.

The thing is, alot of the new staff are exactly that, new, fresh faces, they dont really know what they're doing and as a result they seem... for a lack of better words, incompitent.

Or unlike some players they have fresh ideas and not one foot stuck in the past.
Legion is offering a lot of what players have been asking for, but updated.

Greater relevance of 5-man content with increased difficulty, but not simply forced on everyone with the new mythic+ format being difficulty you can seek if you want it.
Group content out in the world.

Well if Blizzard really only want their game to be their "vision" they must come to accept that a lot of people don't like it. And if they put out a product their customers don't like they will go out of business.
But the customers don't want them to go out of business and tell them what to change to get more customers...

What new customers want, and what the old ones want aren't often the same thing.
I have seen the view of many experienced players to be demanding harder content, which suits their experience.
The experience which new players won't have.
Despite their claims otherwise, they are not speaking for "everyone", but for themselves.

[Deleted]

Not incompetent, they are just making the same mistake Blizzard has been doing for a decade now - they fail to realize what made their games so wildly popular in the first place, and design away from it. They don't understand their own games, they don't understand their fanbase, they don't understand what people really want. If they hadn't been so humongously popular in the first place and is still riding that wave, their games really wouldn't gather much attention.

Yup, you're absolutely right. When they made vanilla, they stumbled on the right balance of casual content in what was a hardcore MMO market. They hit a sweet spot and have gradually been moving further and further away from it ever since. They're not doing anything different to what they did in the first place, they have an iterative process of taking what's available and making it more consumer friendly, and they appear to have hit rock bottom in WoD. Hopefully Legion is a change in the right direction.

I honestly think they have missed a treat with the garrison missions, they could of constantly gave players a veriety of things to do out in the world, but instead only offer 5-10 quests at a time, it should be a daily influx of 20-30 quests a day with different and random things to do in the world. like kill a certain number of players in that zone, or kill this rare mob in that area, but yet again they have half arsed it in an effort to save development time.

So you'd prefer it to be like early MoP where there's just too much questing available? I remember the outcries from having to do ALL THE DAILIES on a daily basis, seems like they're aiming for a middle ground right now.

[Vaelorian]

People are still so focused on wow when they hate it, am i missing something or are you guys this addicted? Sure they fucked up this expansion...

This expansion?
Dungeons were crap in WoD.
Dungeons were crap in MoP.
Dungeons were crap in Cata (post nerf).
Dungeons were crap in WOTLK (apart from the last three)
Dungeons were awesome in TBC (pre and preprenerf)
Dungeons were the bomb in Vanilla

Questing was good in WoD.
Questing was pretty meh in MoP.
Questing was pretty boring in Cata.
Questing was pretty awesome in WOTLK.
Questing was pretty tedious in TBC.
Questing was pretty tedious in Vanilla (though more exciting then the slumberfest it has become now in Vanilla area's)

Raids were pretty good in WoD.
Raids were pretty good in MoP.
Raids were pretty good in Cata.
Raids were pretty good in TBC.
Raids were pretty good but very tedious in Vanilla. (consumables idiocy)

PvP was great in Vanilla. Then it died for me.

Overal things to do:
WoD was pretty dead after 3 months for me.
MoP was pretty dead after Timeless Isle for me (Timeless Isle I could be bothered with for a week)
Cata was pretty dead after Firelands for me.
WOTLK was pretty dead after killed Lich King for me.
TBC was never dead to me. Completed Sunwell on the last day of the TBC expansion on the last pull.
Vanilla was never dead to me. Was still doing Naxxramas when TBC came along.

When I mean dead, I don't just mean raids. I mean that I had fun activities to do between raids.

[Sencha]

Unsub or nothing will change.

[Deleted]

This expansion?
Dungeons were crap in WoD.
Dungeons were crap in MoP.
Dungeons were crap in Cata (post nerf).
Dungeons were crap in WOTLK (apart from the last three)
Dungeons were awesome in TBC (pre and preprenerf)
Dungeons were the bomb in Vanilla

Questing was good in WoD.
Questing was pretty meh in MoP.
Questing was pretty boring in Cata.
Questing was pretty awesome in WOTLK.
Questing was pretty tedious in TBC.
Questing was pretty tedious in Vanilla (though more exciting then the slumberfest it has become now in Vanilla area's)

Raids were pretty good in WoD.
Raids were pretty good in MoP.
Raids were pretty good in Cata.
Raids were pretty good in TBC.
Raids were pretty good but very tedious in Vanilla. (consumables idiocy)

PvP was great in Vanilla. Then it died for me.

Overal things to do:
WoD was pretty dead after 3 months for me.
MoP was pretty dead after Timeless Isle for me (Timeless Isle I could be bothered with for a week)
Cata was pretty dead after Firelands for me.
WOTLK was pretty dead after killed Lich King for me.
TBC was never dead to me. Completed Sunwell on the last day of the TBC expansion on the last pull.
Vanilla was never dead to me. Was still doing Naxxramas when TBC came along.

When I mean dead, I don't just mean raids. I mean that I had fun activities to do between raids.

I would like to know what activities you were doing in vanilla/tbc when mop had the most content outside of raiding. I think over the years you just grew more nostalgic because i've had just as much fun as every other expansion and i started in early wrath.

[Arganis]

I think it's the direction of the game that's been wrong for years. Too much emphasis on the device, not enough on the plot. Hard to dig your way out of whole you've been digging for years. Not a question of the competence of their designers.

[Jazalak]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzT8UzO1zGQ

That's all that really needs to be said.

[Greywood]

I like the way they are going with Legion.
I like the new professions system, having to quest and talk to profession masters all around.
having them teach you instead of just going to a trainer and buying all the recipees for the xpac.
the world quest system looks interesting, added world pvp events and having people go all over the area completying those seems better then having all daylies in one end game zone.
having a pvp template for classes sounds good for tuning so that pvp and pve tuning dont affect each other as badly as it once did.
and the mythic+ dungeons look like a good alternative to raiding.

[Gasblossom]

The main Blizzard team are burned out devs that have been designing the same game for so long that they have run out of fresh ideas. The team needs to be gutted like the D3 team was if there is any hope of not getting expansions stuffed with countless reused assets.

I wouldn't be surprised if many of the old guard pray every night for the game to fail so that they can be reassigned to something new. After seeing panels of the WoW team it is obvious how sick and tired they are.

[Vaelorian]

I would like to know what activities you were doing in vanilla/tbc when mop had the most content outside of raiding. I think over the years you just grew more nostalgic because i've had just as much fun as every other expansion and i started in early wrath.

Well in Vanilla I did PvP, had fun while not bothering with a high end title. Made Knight Lt though.
In TBC I did not PvP much.
In Vanilla I needed to be in dungeons a lot. This was for: blacksmithing materials, resistance gear, enchanting materials, completing the dungeon set (which irrc took me longer then completing tier 1 in MC), did class quests (helping other paladins there aswell) - grind myself enough reputation to get into MC for the quintessence and Naxx reputation, consumables, level an alt (only 1) and do all these things again

In TBC most of those I repeated but they had dailies. Netherwing, Ogrila. More reputations to grind during dungeons. Getting attuned, getting keys. Managing my own guild now (I did not have my own guild in vanilla)

But the moment they touched dungeons and started making them stupidly easy, I lost of a lot of enjoyable content.

I also need to state that during Vanilla TBC and WOTLK I was able to play and entertain myself without boredom for 6 hours on a working day and 12 during a weekend day almost nonstop during an expansion.

Can you tell me the same for Cata MoP and WoD?

(I do not entertain myself with pet battles or brawlers guild btw... - I don't find that fun)

[thilicen]

You go off start a team and develop a game half as successful (yes, even today) and then we'll measure competence.

And like others have pointed out, unsub if you want to stand your ground.

[Deleted]

You go off start a team and develop a game half as successful (yes, even today) and then we'll measure competence.

And like others have pointed out, unsub if you want to stand your ground.

Yep, and you better be a better human then him... ffs if he cannot develop games but gives feedback what the thinks is wrong with it, great. He has clearly shown how competent he is and what he thinks would make blizzrd comptenent.

[Gasblossom]

You go off start a team and develop a game half as successful (yes, even today) and then we'll measure competence.

And like others have pointed out, unsub if you want to stand your ground.

So if I buy a product on Amazon and it's bad I can't criticize it because I can't make it myself?

[Deleted]

Well in Vanilla I did PvP, had fun while not bothering with a high end title. Made Knight Lt though.
In TBC I did not PvP much.
In Vanilla I needed to be in dungeons a lot. This was for: blacksmithing materials, resistance gear, enchanting materials, completing the dungeon set (which irrc took me longer then completing tier 1 in MC), did class quests (helping other paladins there aswell) - grind myself enough reputation to get into MC for the quintessence and Naxx reputation, consumables, level an alt (only 1) and do all these things again

In TBC most of those I repeated but they had dailies. Netherwing, Ogrila. More reputations to grind during dungeons. Getting attuned, getting keys. Managing my own guild now (I did not have my own guild in vanilla)

But the moment they touched dungeons and started making them stupidly easy, I lost of a lot of enjoyable content.

I also need to state that during Vanilla TBC and WOTLK I was able to play and entertain myself without boredom for 6 hours on a working day and 12 during a weekend day almost nonstop during an expansion.

Can you tell me the same for Cata MoP and WoD?

I can, i still play WoD and i have fun, maybe it's because i'm trying to complete every achievement i possibly can. But i don't think we should be looking at WoD anymore, we should be looking at legion since there's a lot of info out there already. Not saying we can make a clear judgement, except for the people who play the alpha. For example i play the alpha, and you're talking about dungeons and professions being connected, well i'm doing skinning/leatherworking and both require me to go across the world and into dungeons too to collect certain items.

[Deleted]

I like the way they are going with Legion.
I like the new professions system, having to quest and talk to profession masters all around.
having them teach you instead of just going to a trainer and buying all the recipees for the xpac.
the world quest system looks interesting, added world pvp events and having people go all over the area completying those seems better then having all daylies in one end game zone.
having a pvp template for classes sounds good for tuning so that pvp and pve tuning dont affect each other as badly as it once did.
and the mythic+ dungeons look like a good alternative to raiding.

Some of the things are great that they are doing and really welcome, but they need to last months not just weeks and keep players going back to them

I think Legendary world drops are a great thing and get people out into the world grinding mobs and killing things, but the drop rate needs to be extremely low so that you can spend months grinding and still nto get a legendary

The world quest system is probably one of the best things they could have ever done to wow, but it needs to be expanded, it needs to remain relevant for the entirety of the expansion, not just after a week, the rewards need to be suitable to keep players coming back to them, its is a fantastic idea and should bring alot of players out into the world, but it needs to remain relevant, that is the main thing with the game, content needs to remain relevant to keep players subbed.

[Deleted]

So if I buy a product on Amazon and it's bad I can't criticize it because I can't make it myself?

That is excatly what these people think. If like to do the examples with pizza.
You cannot make pizza to save you life... so you order it, but it's burned.
These people would eat it just because they cannot do it better. Normal people complain because they know it's bad.

[Vaelorian]

I can, i still play WoD and i have fun, maybe it's because i'm trying to complete every achievement i possibly can. But i don't think we should be looking at WoD anymore, we should be looking at legion since there's a lot of info out there already. Not saying we can make a clear judgement, except for the people who play the alpha. For example i play the alpha, and you're talking about dungeons and professions being connected, well i'm doing skinning/leatherworking and both require me to go across the world and into dungeons too to collect certain items.

ok that is good news.
How are dungeons? Do you think they'll last more then the first tier of content?

[Deleted]

Your post isn't going to change anything, and staying subscribed even less so. You want change? Quit paying them for a product you think sucks. Every time you give them money you say "thanks Blizzard for this great game I love and enjoy".

You are the problem here.

You sir, hit the nail on the head. Pretty much this.

[Deleted]

god,i feel like no1 understands the philosophy behind gaming,gaming companies etc and yes i do realise i sound like a moron here but...

whoever praises tbc and vanilla,does it because IT WAS DIFFICULT. The vanilla hype,the tbc hype,the nostalgia comes down to a game that is hard. All the stories you share usually have to do with how many times you wiped in shadow labyrinth heroic. Its the same thing with Dark Souls. Everybody who loves the game,loves it cause its fucking hard,its a difficult game. And beating a difficult game,makes it feels REWARDING. Its not the amount of loot. Its about the obstacle you managed to overcome with your skills,your knowledge,your luck,your practice.

But companies need/want money! Some need/want few,some need/want more. Its up to their personallity as a company. GGG the company behind Path of Exile,seems like being an honest company. EA does not! And there was a point that blizzard started wanted more. And thats ok. But blizzard did one mistake: Blizzard disrespected the casual players. I used to be casual,then went more hardcore,then casual again. When I was casual I never complaint about the game being too hard. I actually liked that. I never thought the game was hard,because how hard is any game is something that the creator dictates,not the player.

LFR,LFD,3 raiding difficulties,warforged items,3 defensive CDs per spec,Valor upgrades,PvP gear being easy to get,5man dungeons being AoE fests are equivalent to a mother spoiling her child! YES! Accept that pls. If the child says "moooom i cant do my math homework" and the mother says "its ok ill do them for you",its actually bad for the child. The mother disrespects her childs mind and its future. Thats what blizzard is doing since WotLK. Spoiling the playerbase. The things I have mentioned are NOT quality of life things. Its dumping down the game,because some guys wearing a suit,with a degree in marketing told blizzard "casuals are the cash,you need them,so make your game easy" but my point is that casuals can have good time playing a hard game too.

Im always trying to make constructive critisism,im always brainstorming about the game i love the most so here are my suggestions:
Remove LFR,LFD. Premade groups are a better system already. And people will start using it more and more frequently if they dont have the easy option of LFR. They will get kicked because they died in the fire but THAT's GOOD! They will learn their lesson. They will go fucking watch a guide. It will take them 10 mins!
Fix server faction ratios and make more outdoor content:Blizzard used to offer free migrations. Now they stoped it afaik. They could offer free faction-specific migrations to some pvp servers to balance their ratios,they could also offer a cool mount if you accept to do the transfer. Give a gathering profession to every character as baseline and make professions more important by making them create the best gear. Make bosses drop materials for the crafts instead of loot. This will force people to go OUT and farm and do some pvp on top of the freakin mineral spot and will make bosses more worth killing and more repeatable worthy.
Gold went useless with WoD and there is no solution in that,that will not punish some1 who wasnt playing in WoD so yeah fuck that. Just make sure not to offer something important through gold.
Cut down the 4 difficulties or at least make them two.The normal would be for starting level and then for the premade groups and the heroic version would be for the hardcore raiders. This way if you stuck in a boss,you stuck in the boss until you become better at it. Right now, you just go farm everything else,your whole raid is 5ilvl higher than the previous week was and you finally kill the boss cause you actually outgear it.

There are solutions but blizzard still spoils us with stupid stuff like demon hunters...meh...

[Darkeon]

I think the issue is coming from way higher than the Development Team.

This entire thing (and it's not recent, we've been getting relatively less and less over the years) seems more like someone\someones, towards the top, simply managing their Resources and Profit Margins.

Which, while great for the company and the shareholders..... is not that great for us, the players.