Should Blizzard consult the WoW community sooner?

[Aleksej89]

Sometimes it looks like blizzard uses a slot machine to randomly decide game design:

- awful class changes (like removing 15+ abilities from hunters making them have 95% empty action bars)
- unfinished class design (many hunter pet families completely lack abilities since legion, survival spec is still awful)
- moronic game systems (DPS-critical legendaries, since launch the lack of FAST catch up AK for alts)
- incredibly bad balance between classes (for the 6th expansion in a row)
- again making professions irrelevant and boring (for the 2rd expansion in a row)
- not updating all the old PVP battlegrounds

The list can go on forever...

[darklogrus]

Community are entitled to feedback that's it. They aren't devs and they should stop acting like they are.

I don't know, I would argue that if you can manage to lose 3/4 of your player base before the final raid boss dies, maybe those people aren't competent Devs themselves.

[Lochton]

No, I didn't. Nothing in Garrison resembles player housing, sorry.

Actually, a lot does. Problem was, Blizzard wanted it to have meaning too.

- - - Updated - - -

"Nothing in Garrison resembles what i think player housing is, sorry" Fixed that for you

Ah, should've seen this one earlier.. hehe

[Darkeon]

Actually, a lot does. Problem was, Blizzard wanted it to have meaning too.

Regarding Garrisons and Player Housing? Only thing in common is that there are walls and buildings involved. Hell, Horde side barely had walls to start with, only tents.

So no, claiming they are remotely similar is a stretch.

[Lochton]

Regarding Garrisons and Player Housing? Only thing in common is that there are walls and buildings involved. Hell, Horde side barely had walls to start with, only tents.

So no, claiming they are remotely similar is a stretch.

It is a personal location of housing/basing your own set of gameplay. There's no playerhousing rule about you having to be able to put a carpet etc.

[Darkeon]

It is a personal location of housing/basing your own set of gameplay. There's no playerhousing rule about you having to be able to put a carpet etc.

Yeah, who needs customization on Player Housing What's next? Bosses on raiding?

[Lochton]

Yeah, who needs customization on Player Housing What's next? Bosses on raiding?

Again, you ACTUALLY have customization in it. There's no rule or guideline about what it is to include, other than personal space.

[roninwookie]

Calling garrisons player housing is a very big stretch. However, it did narrow down what the issues with player housing could be in wow (locking yourself into a single player zone, allowing too much to be done in garrisons, making it effect gameplay at all) and hopefully makes things smoother when they introduce it into the game.

[Lochton]

Yeah, who needs customization on Player Housing What's next? Bosses on raiding?

Else, I could say, any playerhousing that isn't like AA or WS, isn't real player housing

[Fang7986]

Community are entitled to feedback that's it. They aren't devs and they should stop acting like they are.

I agree with this so much.

[Darkeon]

Again, you ACTUALLY have customization in it. There's no rule or guideline about what it is to include, other than personal space.

You are incredible hilarious, dude :P Blinders on too tight, but hilarious.

[Lochton]

Calling garrisons player housing is a very big stretch. However, it did narrow down what the issues with player housing could be in wow (locking yourself into a single player zone, allowing too much to be done in garrisons, making it effect gameplay at all) and hopefully makes things smoother when they introduce it into the game.

Indeed. And the fact that Blizzard wants it to be part of the game, and the community can't handle that section. As it looks now, playerhousing has to be 100% gold run, and no items gained from other than vendors and professions.

[anon5123]

If they lack the foresight to see how problematic systems like their legendary system would be, maybe they do need to.

No system is perfect. No matter what you do, players are going to complain about it.

Every single expansion, including vanilla, had people crying and whining that the game is shit and they hate it and blizz is literally hitler and dumb.

/shrug

[Deleted]

It is a personal location of housing/basing your own set of gameplay. There's no playerhousing rule about you having to be able to put a carpet etc.

What ? That's exactly what people who wants playerhouses want. To be able to decorate their houses. To make it his/her house.
Not like i care about player houses, since the last time i put half effort into one was at SWG...

[Lochton]

You are incredible hilarious, dude :P Blinders on too tight, but hilarious.

You asked for customization, there is so. Tough you don't like it. It is afterall a big step from a farm, if you didn't follow the progression of that feature.

[russykh]

The playerbase cant even make up its mind if Blizzard is listening to it too much or not enough. I know plenty of players who insist that WoW is now terrible because Blizzard constantly cave to the whims of the playerbase, then others who are convinced that all of Blizzards woes would be solved if only they consulted with them before everything and the game was virtually player designed.

Housing is a bit of a weird one though, it was always intended to be a compromise rather than "true" player housing you see in other games, which often doesnt really do much other than let you play minecraft in an MMO. They've always stated that housing takes people out of the game too much, and I know some people will say that's ironic as people just ended up in their garrisons anyway, but I think they meant that in other games, the player housing virtually becomes the game for some people, so they dont do anything that isnt in some way to allow them to create their own housing spaces. And I've seen in other games which do have "proper" player housing where this community then expects to be catered for with new content and rewards for them, but woe betide the developer that puts any of those rewards in content that doesnt fit their playstyles (ie, casual and solo orientated). If you went into it expecting the kind of player housing in other games, you were always going to be disappointed.

[Darkeon]

You asked for customization, there is so. Tough you don't like it. It is afterall a big step from a farm, if you didn't follow the progression of that feature.

Has about the same customization as the farm. You could pick which crops to grow and in which slots to place them on.

[Fang7986]

They consult the community early. But they're married to their plans/design philosophy to the point where any change in direction is unacceptable even if not changing is detrimental to the game. Unless this changes community feedback other than steep subscriber loss is unlikely to even be considered. I'd like to say this is a poor way to do business, but even in this thread you have people who in all seriousness say the community should never, ever be taken into consideration for any reason and players should just STFU. If nothing else, Blizzard is pleasing this group by, well, ignoring feedback.

except nothing they do is detrimental to the game. It might be detrimental to some players, but the things that players think are detrimental actually improve the game as a whole, like no flying. Some players hate the idea but the game as a whole would be greatly improved with no flying anywhere.

[Lochton]

What ? That's exactly what people who wants playerhouses want. To be able to decorate their houses. To make it his/her house.
Not like i care about player houses, since the last time i put half effort into one was at SWG...

Yes, that is what they want. But I wasn't saying that, I was stating that there isn't any rule about it.

[Deleted]

Calling garrisons player housing is a very big stretch.

What aspect of player housing is it missing?
The fact that you can't change the curtains and put in cute flowerpots? Is that the killer feature you people complaining about player housing are missing?

I don't get it, this thread pops up every other week - Garrisons were private instances, but you could invite your friends over. They could use your buildings. You could decorate the yard with your achievements and show your archeology finds inside. You could fly your guild banners if you wanted and you could switch the guards to other races (and during christmas you could have them wear christmas clothing, if you wanted). You had customization options with buildings and you even had a bunch of mini-games that you could play in there (and invite your friends!

That's quite a lot of "player housing" tickboxes ticked off right there.
What on earth were you people missing? Curtains and flowerpots?