I was reading the thread about WotLK, and it got me to thinking.
Most of the complaints I read about the game are about how the game is too easy, or that it's directed at the 'casual' player. Why? I just don't get it.
I've been playing since vanilla, though I didn't play too much in BC, and played a lot in WotLK, and since I've been doing the cycle a lot of us are used to. Play, feels grindy after a few months, retire, come back a few months later.
I don't understand why everyone complains about how "easy" it is, or how "faceroll" certain things are, and really, the "end of the sense of community" drives me insane. WoW isn't worse off than it was pre WotLK (when a lot of this started happening). Do you remember how bad it sucked having to get a group together to do a dungeon? Do you remember how hard it would be to get a spot in a raid guild, or hell, even get a raid team together? It wasn't impossible, but it definitely was harder than it is, and I distinctly recall many people complaining about it.
As for the sense of community, we've always had little shits in the community, with their heads up their asses. It'll never change. WoW brings out the arrogance in certain people. It's still definitely possible to find a guild with good, friendly people. If you choose to join a hardcore raiding guild where noone talks, well that's your problem isn't it?
Really, what's so wrong with the direction WoW has been going in for the last 3 xpacks?