Blizzard apologises for communication breakdown

[Pantalaimon]

Don't fix what ain't broke. BC and WotLK... near perfection. When you have a perfect game... don't change... make MORE. Instead all the "new blood" Blizzard brought in had to tweezer their wieners in an attempt to make their mark on the iconic game.

They marked it all right... smells like piss and streaked with turds.

Your preference for a certain stage of WoW does not equate objective perfection for what WoW should be, nor does your enjoyment of the game & its classes remaining the same forever mean that all or even most players feel likewise.

People need to stop looking at MMOs like console games. Things in the game are meant to change. They are not meant to play the same whenever you pop them in to play or to log on.

As far as BC & Wrath being perfect I think that's a laugh. You must not have mained an ele shaman during either of those expansions. Picture what ele shamans were before the on the move LB, but with much less survivability, fewer utility options, no real burst. Basically a useless spec overall. An expansion with utterly trash specs that serve no end game purpose and painful leveling process is a bad expansion in that aspect. Even BC to Wrath was very different and not comparable. As I mentioned earlier BM went from about an 18 second BW/TBW with CC breaking & immunity to 10 seconds on top of a damage reduction. BC and Wrath simply aren't comparable so your statement of them being perfect despite comparatively different is boggling.

[Maudib]

Your preference for a certain stage of WoW does not equate objective perfection for what WoW should be,

Actually, it does equate to just that. It was perfect for me and many other players who came back for WoD because it was thought it was a return to BC's ideology... then Legion as a last chance for Blizzard to redeem itself.

The game is garbage now, and the fact that people are getting bored and leaving in droves even more quickly than WoD proves it.

But hey... you like it... so good for you!

[Snackwiches]

Despite the promises and hot air here we are again, folks.

Class design is just... liquid shit. I cannot think of any era of any MMO where I've had less fun across any class I tried. There's no salvaging this trash without another expansion and some fresh blood. I'm out until both come to pass, even if that means for good. Especially with Artifacts, this was the expansion that needed to get classes right. It didn't.

[Reofrax]

wait so we are whining and bitching about ptr changes now? before they are finished? before it even made it live? get a fucking grip people, stop being such bitchy and whiny cunts.

[Snackwiches]

wait so we are whining and bitching about ptr changes now? before they are finished? before it even made it live? get a fucking grip people, stop being such bitchy and whiny cunts.

Class design is shit, people are allowed an opinion. Can't handle it? Don't read the forums.

The people that had the passion that brought us WoW are gone now.

Ding, ding, ding.

Can't blame 'em, though. I wouldnt have any passion either for the limitations.

[Spunt]

So how long before they actually fix their communication problem instead of constantly acknowledging it as a problem and doing absolutely nothing about it?

You know what happens at any other company where a person doesn't fix a problem after repeatedly identifying the same problem over and over and over and over? They get shit canned and replaced by someone who actually FIXES THE DAMN PROBLEM. Must be nice to have that kind of job security.

[Triggered Fridgekin]

If I earned a nickle every time Blizzard mentioned how they failed to communicate then I'd have a vault to dive in to, Scrooge McDuck style.

[ZazuuPriest]

So how long before they actually fix their communication problem instead of constantly acknowledging it as a problem and doing absolutely nothing about it?

You know what happens at any other company where a person doesn't fix a problem after repeatedly identifying the same problem over and over and over and over? They get shit canned and replaced by someone who actually FIXES THE DAMN PROBLEM. Must be nice to have that kind of job security.

People didnt like Ghostcrawler when he as a face of blizzard communication, they complained the same way they do now, so why the fuck should blizzard care. Everyone who plays a class that isnt top dps on 90% of the cutting edge content crys that they are broken. Pretty much everyone just needs to shut the fuck up and play

[Nahela]

http://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/t...36?page=10#184


You know the communication is bad when Ghostcrawler is discussing WoW more at the moment than the current WoW dev team combined. Do you think that we should expect improved developer communication in the future? If so, in what ways? Or is this just more PR spin?

Honestly it's called the Public Test Realm for a reason. People absolutely losing their minds over changes hitting the PTR is not a fault of Blizzard, that's a fault of the community. They've stated hundreds if not literally thousands of times that test realm changes are never final until the build goes live. Could they communicate better? Of course, but seriously the playerbase needs to take the core responsibility here. If you can't handle testing, don't go on the PTR and don't read the datamined information.

[Spunt]

People didnt like Ghostcrawler when he as a face of blizzard communication, they complained the same way they do now, so why the fuck should blizzard care. Everyone who plays a class that isnt top dps on 90% of the cutting edge content crys that they are broken. Pretty much everyone just needs to shut the fuck up and play

So, they doubled on the stupid and keep repeating themselves. Great strategy.

[Deleted]

Your preference for a certain stage of WoW does not equate objective perfection for what WoW should be, nor does your enjoyment of the game & its classes remaining the same forever mean that all or even most players feel likewise.

It does when BC and Wrath had by far the most subscribers

[Caolela]

Of course it's spin. Blizz isn't communicating because they don't care what the users want and haven't since they brought the Elitist Jerks on board. The people that had the passion that brought us WoW are gone now.

I expressed my concerns for Legion back in Beta; Legendaries, the "borrowed" D3 mechanisms like paragon points = artifact power, greater rifts = Mythic+... and of course the RNG nature of gear.

The art and design team have always been top notch but it's the lead developers that have driven this game into the ground. WoD and now Legion have finally convinced me that WoW is over. That amazing game full of fantasy, wonder, and entertainment is gone... a thing of the past.

- - - Updated - - -




Don't fix what ain't broke. BC and WotLK... near perfection. When you have a perfect game... don't change... make MORE. Instead all the "new blood" Blizzard brought in had to tweezer their wieners in an attempt to make their mark on the iconic game.

They marked it all right... smells like piss and streaked with turds. Thank god Nostralius is coming back.

Yep, and that's how Blizz hyped it - like a return to the BC era. They just "forgot" that BC/Wrath wasn't endless RNG on top of RNG, and diluted, crappy class design from hell.

Then Jay Wilson rubbed his ass crack on it one more time, grabbed the loot he made and left.

[Marrilaife]

Honestly it's called the Public Test Realm for a reason. People absolutely losing their minds over changes hitting the PTR is not a fault of Blizzard, that's a fault of the community. They've stated hundreds if not literally thousands of times that test realm changes are never final until the build goes live.

The problem is it often goes live despite the protests of the community, so the community can do only 2 things, either protest louder or just give up and quit.

Brewmaster monks protested against their class design during beta, it got launched in nearly unchanged state (the only change was spawning health orbs less rng and a button that allows you to soak them a la DH soul cleave).

Mistweaver monks and healer priests warned during beta their class design will leave them bottom of the pile. It became reality. Wasn't as pronounced in EN, but now we see Paladin / Shaman / Druid healers going strong while the other 2 healer classes diminish in usage.

People warned during beta Druid tanks are OP. Despite few nerfs here and there, they're still OP.

People said during beta elemental shamans have scaling problems. Nothing was done, became apparent on live they were right.

People pointed things like surrender to madness and roll the bones are cool on paper, but problematic in practice. Blizzard went through with it. Now we have specs in the state they cannot be balanced, because the disparity between best case and worst case scenario is monumental.

There were essays written on hunters, warlocks and rogues, yet little of it was implemented despite Blizzard's nodding "that's a very good feedback, keep at it guys".

Class changes in 7.1 and now in 7.1.5. make me feel I'm still playing on beta, classes are in flux and sweeping changes are being made.

How can you do this in expansion sold under the banner of class fantasy and telling you "pick the spec you prefer, stick to it and invest in your artifact". You pick a spec and then it changes? Talents are being buffed, nerfed or outright replaced which often modifies your playstyle and feeling of the spec.

It feels like it's by now a Blizzard's tradition to spend 1+ year on creating an expansion only to push out an unfinished product in the end and try to fix it on the fly. It's becoming some form of mantra now "don't worry, the next patch will fix it".

[Torgent]

The fact that PTR =/= final design has been well known for a very long time. The problem is some players are too stupid to think about that for even half of a second and they get confused and think PTR means Private Troll Realm.

[Zelorra]

They should have a spoke person for each class / system, talking periodically what they try to achiev. That wouldn't take long and maybe seeing the community response they wouldn't have to completely develop something, put it on PTR, then say "meh, we actually didn't mean that, we just worked for nothing all that time"

[rda]

Class changes in 7.1 and now in 7.1.5. make me feel I'm still playing on beta, classes are in flux and sweeping changes are being made.

How can you do this in expansion sold under the banner of class fantasy and telling you "pick the spec you prefer, stick to it and invest in your artifact". You pick a spec and then it changes? Talents are being buffed, nerfed or outright replaced which often modifies your playstyle and feeling of the spec.

It feels like it's by now a Blizzard's tradition to spend 1+ year on creating an expansion only to push out an unfinished product in the end and try to fix it on the fly. It's becoming some form of mantra now "don't worry, the next patch will fix it".

The worst thing is that you just know they are going to redo classes after Legion. In order not to ever redo them again, obviously, like they always say. To fix fundamental issues. Issues that they created in the previous redo.

If - an that's an awfully huge if - if they don't redo classes after Legion again, if the amount of rework there will be more suitable for a big patch, maybe that would mean that we have turned a corner. But if the rework will be big again, if we will again hear pompous words about new shiny big changes to specs A, B, C that better convey class fantasy, about radically new and obviously much improved system for, I don't know, buffs or CC, about the much-much-much improved new "healing paradigm" and "tanking paradigm" - rest safe in knowledge that we are still on the shit train and classes will continue to be up and down because the insane devs self-realize that way.

[Igi]

Be my guest

This is perfect. Instead of replaying every single time i can just do this:

|
v

[Deleted]

Nmit, I could not give less of a sht about "gaming as a whole". What kind of metaphorical nonsense is that?

Let me tell you what I am, not just with Blizzard, but with anyone who takes my money in exchange for products/services: I am a demanding s.o.b.

When I give someone my money and I am not satisfied, they will hear about it, loudly and repeatedly, until I am satisfied. And If they make me wait too long, they will stop getting my money.

You may be content with giving away your money even if you're not satisfied, and that's your choice. It's a choice I will never, ever make.

Ya the main difference here is I'm completely satisfied with the game. The few times I wasn't happy with the quality of the game I unsubbed and took a break, no questions asked. For a game I've been playing for 12 years I feel completely fine to accept the game is going to get boring at some points, so I move on to other games.

You're obviously not happy with the business model. Blizzard can't, and won't cater to you, ever. The fact you think your individual, self-entitled opinion means anything is your first mistake.

[bromanbro]

The worst thing is that you just know they are going to redo classes after Legion. In order not to ever redo them again, obviously, like they always say. To fix fundamental issues. Issues that they created in the previous redo.

If - an that's an awfully huge if - if they don't redo classes after Legion again, if the amount of rework there will be more suitable for a big patch, maybe that would mean that we have turned a corner. But if the rework will be big again, if we will again hear pompous words about new shiny big changes to specs A, B, C that better convey class fantasy, about radically new and obviously much improved system for, I don't know, buffs or CC, about the much-much-much improved new "healing paradigm" and "tanking paradigm" - rest safe in knowledge that we are still on the shit train and classes will continue to be up and down because the insane devs self-realize that way.

Nah, they won't redo. They'll just apply the most-requested 'fixes' for each class and apply them next expansion, to much fanfare.

Blizzard HAD to redo classes for Legion. The power-creep after WOD was insane. DPS classes having multiple big defensive CDs (WW Monks had Zen Med, Fort. Brew, AND Touch of Karma), Blood DKs were ridiculous, Resolve was broken for things like Guard, MM Hunters were ridiculously strong in all content, with 1 talent (Lone Wolf) etc.

The Artifact passive tree gave Bliz a perfect time to redesign classes. Next expansion likely won't require such an overhaul. They can slowly build up from their new class base in Legion.

[Lane]

I would agree with this. Judging by their statements and comments about their design process, they overthink and overcomplicate everything, which is a direct result of designing by committee. They're all over the board these days - they gutted class character and fantasy to "streamline" them, then plop an over-engineered system of advancement on top of it, and threw several wrenches in the works with the current round of re-design and tweaking.

Does Blizzard not have class leads? I'd say that's a problem if not. It's also a problem if those designing for all the classes don't actually play all the classes.

As far as BC & Wrath being perfect I think that's a laugh. You must not have mained an ele shaman during either of those expansions. Picture what ele shamans were before the on the move LB, but with much less survivability, fewer utility options, no real burst. Basically a useless spec overall.

I did main an elemental shaman in Wrath (alted in BC) and what you described was not my experience at all.