Remove the group finder tool

[Manhands]

Um, no thank you. You're still gating the content behind doing something that those who want your proposed tokens don't want to do.

There is no compromise necessary. The OP lost something once people weren't forced to do it the way the OP prefers and they want it back regardless of the impact on other players.

I'm not the OP. Him arguing his point wrong in your eyes has nothing to do with what I'm saying. I'm suggesting that we find a way to get the benefits from forming your own group (see previous thread pages) and also the group-finder's efficiency.

[SoulForge]

This new and original topic will go places.

Same as last time. 3/4ths of the people on this forum voted against you.

Removing the LFR/LFG tool is a bad idea. Already not seeing a ton of people on some servers.

[Atrea]

If you want to build groups the old-fashioned way, interact with people, and create a "trade channel blacklist", there's literally nothing stopping you. However, there are people who enjoy the new way of doing things. Removing this would stop them from enjoying the game the way they like to play.

If you can't find enough people to play the way you want, then you might consider that not enough people share your opinion.

Sorry, there's virtually zero chance Blizzard will ever reduce the number of options for group building.

[anon5123]

Yeah, experts in market research don't know anything. Do you even think before you post? And no, Nost doesn't have any valid data at all, considering it is F2P.

So the fact that it's F2P means that their data on number of active players is invalid?

Please explain the logic behind that one.

[Atrea]

So the fact that it's F2P means that their data on number of active players is invalid?

Please explain the logic behind that one.

The number of people who play a free game is not especially useful for a company whose only real interest would be in the number of people who would be willing to pay a monthly fee for said game.

You can't count on any of those players being converted into a subscription fee.
Are there some who would pay? Probably. Good luck figuring out how many. Thus, the data is mostly useless.

[derpkitteh]

You shouldn't be playing MMO's then.

MMO doesn't mean i have to deal with people, it means other people are there if i want to deal with them.

sometimes i do, most times i do not. LFR helps in allowing me to not deal with people if i don't want to, and that's the way it should be. choice. choice should always be there.

[markos82]

For the 5 millionth time, the social part is that you make friends and connections with people on your server so that you DON'T have to spam trade chat to find a group.

Why are people incapable of understanding this?

Wow is called MMO game for a reason. Using LFG gives me more people to chose from and not be limited by ppl from my realm that I'v been playing on for 11 years. When you get into your head that having opportunity to play with for example 100k people from different realms or few k on your realm, I choose 1st option....

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You shouldn't be playing MMO's either.
"I want to play a massively multiplayer online RPG and never talk to anyone!!"

You're what's ruined this genre, and Blizzards stupidity to cater to people like you who do not belong.

I wanna play with people on one realm instead with players from 20+ different realms is what's ruining this game, in other words you....

[ShiyoKozuki]

MMO doesn't mean i have to deal with people, it means other people are there if i want to deal with them.

sometimes i do, most times i do not. LFR helps in allowing me to not deal with people if i don't want to, and that's the way it should be. choice. choice should always be there.

Nah, that's what single player games are for.

[Deleted]

Removing things is no good idea.
Improving things is a great idea.

[Deleted]

I'm not the OP. Him arguing his point wrong in your eyes has nothing to do with what I'm saying. I'm suggesting that we find a way to get the benefits from forming your own group (see previous thread pages) and also the group-finder's efficiency.

I know you're not, hence why I referred to the OP as such and not you. And you are posting a compromise to his post, hence why it *is* relevant. If you are responding to a different post other than the OP then you need to be quoting it and not expecting me to hazard a guess which of the 329 previous posts you actually are responding to.

I recognise what you are trying to achieve but I also recognise that you would still be forcing people to do what they don't want in order to get to what they do want. Regardless of whether you are discussing the OPs point or not, you are still talking about making a group of people do something they don't want (if they did they would be doing it) in order to get the tokens to do what they do want. e.g. Right now I don't raid with my guild so I would have to change that in order to take advantage of LFR, a service that was created for people like me in the first place. As I cannot do that initial raid to get the token in order to do the content that I COULD do, you are locking it away from me. This is no compromise and no solution to you either as where I was once doing LFR, I am now doing neither normal or LFR.

Nah, that's what single player games are for.

That reply is the equivalent of our responding to the more social and communication demands with 'That's what Skype and Facebook are for'.

MMO stands for Massively Multiplayer Online (as if I really have to point this out to anyone here). We can show you the part that refers to massively (debatable point I know) multiplayer, which part refers to the social and communication aspects of WoW exactly?

[Gorgodeus]

So the fact that it's F2P means that their data on number of active players is invalid?

Please explain the logic behind that one.

The data is invalid: just because x numbers of players play something that is free does not mean they will pay for it. This is not rocket science.

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I wanna play with people on one realm instead with players from 20+ different realms is what's ruining this game, in other words you....

Then play with people on one realm. No one is stopping you.

[markos82]

Then play with people on one realm. No one is stopping you.

I guess you are still young and you rush over thing not reading everything... now go back, read it slowly and come back....

[Deleted]

yeah awesome can't wait to spend 3+ hours making a group again sounds fun.

Right. Now I don't even wanna run a dungeon. That's better !

[PrairieChicken]

Removing things is no good idea.
Improving things is a great idea.

"Improving" in Blizzard's dictionary might have very different meaning

[Gorgodeus]

I guess you are still young and you rush over thing not reading everything... now go back, read it slowly and come back....

Guess again.

[Pantalaimon]

Make the game more social again I don't care if I have to be in a main city for 30 min to make a group.
Merge more servers so every single one has at least a medium population and it should be no problem to build a group.

What will this do?

1. Make people interact with each other again. 5 man groups use to be so fun you would meet people chat even make new friend ect as now a days everyone just joins random groups and even end a dungeon without even speaking it is a MMO we need more interaction with each other.
Now people just join random groups with poeple you will never see again so no one seems to care.

2. Make guild important again, now because you can PUG everything cross realm guild really lost their importance.

3. Because you play with people on your server people will behave less toxic because you will run into each other again.

What do you guys think bad / good idea ? why?

I know this will probably never happen but I feel like this game lost most of the social aspect many blame the garrison but it feels like even group content even is less social. Some might say you can still do this just write in general make your own group. Yes this is true but because everyone is in the groupfinder no one is looking in general.

You underestimate how long it could actually take to form a good group. Back in BC my realm was a high pop realm & it still took me 1 1/2 - 2 hours on average to get everyone for BC heroics. Granted part of this was due to the gated nature of heroics requiring keys from reps so it would be a bit lower today, but now my realm is on the lower end of medium if that. I have a lot less time to play WoW with school & work, I am not going to willingly sacrifice that much more of my spare time on the mechanical aspects of the game due to removing LFG.

You still can interact with people in 5 mans. If you choose not to engage in conversations with your groupmates then that is your choice & fault. Taking away LFG isn't necesarily going to make your 5 mans more social either. Even when I spent as long as I did forming 5 mans in BC it still didn't have my socialize with them more than teh current model unless I liked them and wanted to socialize. All it did was bring a few more whispers my way in teh form of people who wanted to join or not.

I'm all for making guilds have more value, but I'm not for turning guilds into a content gate to do group content. That just sets you up for drama if you have to be benched for <insert group content here> and are unable to do said content til next week because there are no LFG or pugs to do it.

I'd argue against your third point. I knew plenty of players on my realm that occassionally ninjaed mounts & gear from pugs & then were defended by their guild when someone spoke up against them (because hey naturally every person in your guild is a totally rad player that would never exhibit toxic behavior over the internet right?). There was even a guild that frequently recruited pugs for guild runs of various raids & probably a good 75% of the time would not give the pugs gear they won & would instead just give it to guidies. That guild's reputation spread quickly, but still they found suckers to continue the behavior for well over a year. Being locked to a server doesn't eliminate toxic behavior.

Also servers like Illidan - US player hoard & would have an comparative unfair advantage to the size of the player pool they have available for their players to group up with when compared to medium or low pop servers.

[Manhands]

I recognise what you are trying to achieve but I also recognise that you would still be forcing people to do what they don't want in order to get to what they do want. Regardless of whether you are discussing the OPs point or not, you are still talking about making a group of people do something they don't want (if they did they would be doing it) in order to get the tokens to do what they do want. e.g. Right now I don't raid with my guild so I would have to change that in order to take advantage of LFR, a service that was created for people like me in the first place. As I cannot do that initial raid to get the token in order to do the content that I COULD do, you are locking it away from me. This is no compromise and no solution to you either as where I was once doing LFR, I am now doing neither normal or LFR.

Isn't everything you do in game the result of decisions from devs? Couldn't rep grinds, pet battles, battlegrounds, or ALL content be seen as "being forced to do it" if you want to achieve some goal? So making this change isn't out of line as long as it is "worth it" (subjective! oh noes!). So let me address that.

Did you play in Wrath? The raid pugging scene was very healthy. The players made it work, and even not-so-skilled people were able to clear most wings of ICC 25. I did not do guild runs of ICC 25 normal and was able to run on every alt that I wanted with a wide range of ilvls. So, no, I don't actually believe raids would be "locked" if the content was quite easy. It would take a little while longer to find a group, and if that 20-30 min difference literally makes or breaks being able to raid, then that's a bad thing. But what we gain is the connection of the raid to the individuals who created it. Having an explicit leader is a huge boon, it ties the group toward a goal, and is severely lacking in LFR and heavily contributes to the toxicity there.

It's worth it to me. Feel free to disagree. You might be one of the players that would be impacted negatively. But globally, I think the change would be net positive.

[Shinv]

The LFG tool I think is very good it just need to not be CRZ and servers to actually be merged. The LFD took I think its very bad and makes the low level experience and server community experience a lazy no brainier shit storm of entitlement. So I don't understand the op completely as to what he's hoping to remove.

The only problem I had with making groups in vanilla was the summoning stone runs if they can figure out a work around to that everyone will eventually be happy. I got in the habit of making groups from /who in vanilla and searching areas for people asking there role etc and would they like to come I'll summon them with a friend. It took a lot typing but it was efficient and I had groups ready to go and be summoned. It was a lot of fun just meeting people doing that honestly and bashing our heads against a new dungeon. The LFG tool to me is a more comprehensive /who system created for CRZ. You just click and create brief descriptions of what your doing and people sign up super simple. Me I was whispering everyone individually lot more work.

[Deleted]

Couldn't rep grinds, pet battles, battlegrounds, or ALL content be seen as "being forced to do it" if you want to achieve some goal?

Not quite the same thing. Forcing people to PVP for PVE is a better comparison and yes they have done it in the past to a small degree and players didn't like it. I'm not sure they have done it since. The closest would be the requirements for flying in Draenor and you must recall how much that was loved.

With regards to your second paragraph the point remains as always you STILL CAN do all that you want to do but without us that don't want to do it your way. It all comes down to people of your camp wanting us to play the game the way you want to. That is my problem with such suggestions. Play it the way you want to, sit in town and try to create your own groups etc and stop trying to make those of us who choose not to do it that way do it your way.

[Bethrezen]

No. Be more social if you want social. Not hard. Don't use the game as an excuse to be social.