When did FREE stuff become a slap in the face?

[Thimagryn]

I never said it was the only reason. But it is a driving factor, all things considered.

Blue Posts are PR by community managers. Unless it's a developer speaking out on the exact reasons, you're never going to see all the factors and why out of a PR response, especially one to explain the reasoning behind lack of content following the 5-yr Onyxia Raid revamp.

[Thimagryn]

A driving factor means you have evidence. Not that you strongly assume that's the reason because someone made a thread about it on the Blizz forums....

Well Blizzard says they always want to satisfy their fans with their content. If I said making their bottom line and maintaining subscriber numbers was a driving factor for their business, I'd assume you'd need me to provide a blue post?

[Fenixdown]

You can change parents to a good friend.

Still makes exactly zero sense.

WE PAY BLIZZARD MONEY TO HELP THEM GET TO THIS POINT!

You do not grasp that concept. At all. So let me type it out a few more times in all caps so maybe it'll sink in.

WE PAY BLIZZARD MONEY TO HELP THEM GET TO THIS POINT!
WE PAY BLIZZARD MONEY TO HELP THEM GET TO THIS POINT!
WE PAY BLIZZARD MONEY TO HELP THEM GET TO THIS POINT!

Restaurants and grocery stores do more for anniversaries than just "hey it's our anniversary so uh...here's some 9% discount coupons that last one week, enjoy!". Usually they'll do free appetizers or 20-25% discounts on various items (usually the store brand items). In fact, many restaurants I go to give me free dessert on my birthday.

However, that said, there is only so much places like that can do. There is literally zero limit to what you can give your customers as an anniversary gift in a video game. None. They can do better than the same item every year for 3 straight years. We know they can do better, because they DID do better.

I agree that this year was bogus. And if next year's isn't something going nearly way over the top, then I'm definitely going to reconsider why I gave these people my hard-earned income for nine straight years. Which helped them make it to year ten.

[JoeShmo]

A driving factor means you have evidence. Not that you strongly assume that's the reason because someone made a thread about it on the Blizz forums....

Driving Factor:

In energy monitoring and targeting, a driving factor is something recurrent and measurable whose variation explains variation in energy consumption. The term independent variable is sometimes used as a synonym.

One of the most common driving factors is the weather, expressed usually as heating or cooling degree days. In energy-intensive processes, production throughputs would usually be used. For electrical circuits feeding outdoor lighting, the number of hours of darkness can be employed. For a borehole pump, the quantity of water delivered would be used; and so on. What these examples all have in common is that on a weekly basis (say) numerical values can be recorded for each factor and one would expect particular streams of energy consumption to correlate with them either singly or in a multi-variate model.

Correlation is arguably more important than causality. Variation in the driving factor merely has to explain variation in consumption; it does not necessarily have to cause it, although that will in most scenarios be the case.

Driving factors differ from static factors, such as building floor areas, which determine energy consumption but change only rarely (if at all).

Driving Force:

Synonyms for driving force
noun hidden motive

agenda, hidden agenda, incentive, motivation, motive, reason, score to settle

noun moving power

locomotion, prime mover, propulsion, electromotive force, kinetic energy, means of propulsion

To be fair, Blizzard's 'Driving Force' and 'Driving Factor' for not making anniversary pets is quite clear with their history. Not only just the anniversary though, but content in general (like 5 mans). There have been several topics where people questioned why Blizzard doesnt make more 5 mans like they use to, and the response was always "It takes resources away from making Raiding content." "Players burn through 5 man content much faster than Raiding content." . Their 'alternative' was to create the scenario system, which from what Blizzard has stated, is a much easier process to create that kind of content than 5 mans.

The 'More pets' discussion has mirrored the 'More mounts' discussions, and just about every 'More XXXX' discussion ever made; the end result is that Blizzard holds a firm stance on "We know where the resources need to be focused on" "We dont have the resources atm" "If we do that, then other content has to suffer" , etc. , etc..

You call for evidence, and all of the empirical evidence is there. You've been stubborn in your "Give me a blue post" blitzkrieg, because you have nothing to contribute in your own defense / argument other than your own strawman argument. You've been taking this guys quotes out of context to fit your own bias, or molded into your own context like how people interpret a religious book.

If you have an arrangement, make one of your own accord; dont try and play the "Blizz post pls" card unless you are willing to wade through hours of logs to find facts yourself. I wasnt even the target of the attack, and I went looking for it since I remember that statement or general statement thereof. I probably looked for over an hour Skimming through them looking for references to help out. Its a damn warehouse of blue posts, and I figured my time was better spent elsewhere than going on someones crusade for their own gratification. Should he have the quote? It would certainly help his cause, but its not needed to 'Win' an argument, especially since the exact specific wording of it is not what is under question, but the motives of blizzard are.

In the US court system, even having a single witness is grounds for acquittal. If you are looking for just a single shred of 'evidence' then I would testify on his behalf. But then, we dont trust 'statements' on the internet do we? The irony.

[stomination]

They gave out pets before and people (like me) log in every year expecting them to do it again and are disappointed. If they never gave out the pets before I don't think anybody would be complaining about the temporary tabard.

They shit on my chest last time. Im so dissapointed they didnt this year....

[Seefer]

9 years. People logging in between now and Dec 2nd are getting something FREE in honor of Blizzard's 9th year. They didn't have to do anything. At all. They could have just been like: "You know how much money we made this year?"



"...and you get nothing at all."

Next year we get a new, and amazing expansion, AND the 10th anniversary which will likely be something a bit more substantial. When other people have an anniversary, you get a cupcake. Say thank you for the cupcake and stop telling the person with the anniversary to buy YOU a present. Self entitled people really blow my mind

Happy Anniversary Blizz and congrats on 9 great years! Oh, and thanks for the WoW tabard, I am grinding rep like a mofo with this

When people became entitled little brats feeling like Blizzard owes them anything at all, not many (hardly any at all) companies give people anything, but we have reached the point where players think they are entitled to things.

[tangers58]

9 years. People logging in between now and Dec 2nd are getting something FREE in honor of Blizzard's 9th year. They didn't have to do anything. At all. They could have just been like: "You know how much money we made this year?"



"...and you get nothing at all."

Next year we get a new, and amazing expansion, AND the 10th anniversary which will likely be something a bit more substantial. When other people have an anniversary, you get a cupcake. Say thank you for the cupcake and stop telling the person with the anniversary to buy YOU a present. Self entitled people really blow my mind

Happy Anniversary Blizz and congrats on 9 great years! Oh, and thanks for the WoW tabard, I am grinding rep like a mofo with this

Those of us that have been around for those 9 years could tell you that we used to get pets for anniversaries. Until the laziness at Blizzard took over around the time Cata came out, but you would know that if you had been playing at the time, welcome to WoW!

- - - Updated - - -

When people became entitled little brats feeling like Blizzard owes them anything at all, not many (hardly any at all) companies give people anything, but we have reached the point where players think they are entitled to things.

Almost as if we paid Blizzard to make new shit...

[Seefer]

Those of us that have been around for those 9 years could tell you that we used to get pets for anniversaries. Until the laziness at Blizzard took over around the time Cata came out, but you would know that if you had been playing at the time, welcome to WoW!

- - - Updated - - -



Almost as if we paid Blizzard to make new shit...

Been around for all the birthdays didn't get any pets but 1, sorry.

And so what if we pay to play the game? I pay my cable company more a month than Blizzard, they don't give me anything at all...........grow up.

[Otimus]

9 years. People logging in between now and Dec 2nd are getting something FREE in honor of Blizzard's 9th year. They didn't have to do anything. At all. They could have just been like: "You know how much money we made this year?"



"...and you get nothing at all."

Next year we get a new, and amazing expansion, AND the 10th anniversary which will likely be something a bit more substantial. When other people have an anniversary, you get a cupcake. Say thank you for the cupcake and stop telling the person with the anniversary to buy YOU a present. Self entitled people really blow my mind

Happy Anniversary Blizz and congrats on 9 great years! Oh, and thanks for the WoW tabard, I am grinding rep like a mofo with this

Stop acting like letting you buy a $40 expansion is anything at all that belongs being in the same vicinity of something praise worthy.

[Thimagryn]

You need to provide some evidence of why blizzard isn't making WoW Anniversary pets due to lack of time. What you're doing is still assuming. There has only been one blue post about the anniversary pets, and nowhere in the sentence did it even closely hint that time may be a factor. Please, if you are so sure about what you say, by all means, post some stuff here.

No I don't. You just have to accept that it's an assumption and stop getting caught up in thinking I have to abide by everything Blizzard has said, instead of analyzing what they're actually doing from a business standpoint and reaching my own conclusions. Sorry dude, but I'm not a sheep.

My sentiments were mirrored by a trusted Blizzard forums poster. His context may differ, but the conclusion is the same. I'm a 3D modeller by trade. See my avatar? I modelled that shit. I know how long art resources take to create, and I don't blame Blizzard for not wanting to do that every year, because that's one less model they could be using for an upcoming raid or for the next expansion.

Lets face it, an exp boost is pretty weak celebration gift after following up the pets and raids they provided before. That's what the anniversary will always be compared to, and nothing you do or say can ever stop that. All you can do is accept this and say 'Yeah, you're right, it is pretty weak. I'm fine with that, lets move on.'

[Seefer]

Oh wait, there was 2 my mistake, baby blizzard bear and onyxia whelpling.

[Thimagryn]

Except I never said they 'said this'. You assumed I did, and are attacking the strawman. Quote me exactly where I said 'Blizzard said this'. You'll find you're wrong on all accounts.

[tangers58]

Been around for all the birthdays didn't get any pets but 1, sorry.

And so what if we pay to play the game? I pay my cable company more a month than Blizzard, they don't give me anything at all...........grow up.

I doubt you pay your cable company anything kiddo. Your mommy does not pay your cable company to make new content, she pays them to have access to various channels, we pay Blizzard to make new shit. If they are not going to make new shit, then there is no reason to pay them a monthly fee. But nice try kid.

[thorvath]

I guess about the same time people decided they needed to stand up for a multi-million dollar corporation that clearly can't defend itself from all the online bullies.

Without heroes like you telling all us self-entitled whiners that Blizzard owes us nothing and we should just shut up and keep paying them $15 a month, why the company would have closed up shop years ago!

So here's to you Mr. Blizz-could-take-a-dump-in-my-mouth-and-I'd-say-thank-you!

[JoeShmo]

You can't compare the time it takes to make a dungeon, to the time it takes to make a vanity pet....I mean, really.

I've also already quoted Blizz's reasoning for not giving out companion pets...and doesn't even relate to "it takes too much time to create them".

It doesnt mention a reason at all, it just says they are now reserving it for "more notable milestones or events" . Their reasoning for reserving it, could be that it takes too much time to create them, thus they will only spend that time when its more favorable for them. It could also mean that their reasoning for reserving it, is based on how many blizzard employee wives are pregnant, or how many shooting stars there have been that year. Again, it didnt state a reason, just that they are now changing on when they do.

And yes, you can compare the time it takes to make a dungeon, to the time it takes to make a vanity pet. They both require model/texture/animation/coding work; the only difference is that a dungeon is made up of more than a single object. It is the same difference between a Raid and 5 man; they both require the same kind of work, just different quantities of it. Instead of making an anniversary pet, they have that artist work on an expansion quest mob, or a vanity item for the store, or a new tabard, or some new spell particle effects, or anything.

Its not about a choice of "Do we make a pet, or do we make an entire 5 man dungeon" , its "Do we make a pet, or do we make another 5 man dungeon monster, or do we make another critter for zone xxx, etc."

[Seefer]

I doubt you pay your cable company anything kiddo. Your mommy does not pay your cable company to make new content, she pays them to have access to various channels, we pay Blizzard to make new shit. If they are not going to make new shit, then there is no reason to pay them a monthly fee. But nice try kid.

I'm 34 thanks and pay 120 a month for cable, keep your mouth shut you snot nosed kid.

Oh and btw, not many game companies give out shit either, stop being an entitled brat.

[arcaneshot]

Lets face it, an exp boost is pretty weak celebration gift after following up the pets and raids they provided before. That's what the anniversary will always be compared to, and nothing you do or say can ever stop that.

If Blizzard provided a pet every year, I'm sure this post would be complaining about the pet.

[Krause]

They gave out pets before and people (like me) log in every year expecting them to do it again and are disappointed. If they never gave out the pets before I don't think anybody would be complaining about the temporary tabard.

Yeah, and it didn't help that the next year at that time MMO-champ ripped 3 new pets from Test, 2 of which they popped up on the store.
So it obviously wasn't because of a lack of time/resources to make one, they just wanted to sell it instead.

That still left one ripped pet that people hoped would be for the anniversary (Alextrasza Whelp). But instead they did nothing with it, the reason they eventually gave was that they didn't want to set a precedent that they give an item out on their anniversaries.

[Guyviroth]

Wanna know why we don't like it?

Because we didn't like it last year.

Or let me expand a bit further. They did the same last year, except with 8%, and probably no one liked it. At all. There was so much backlash on these forums and the official forums that most of the topics ended up being deleted because they were all about how shitty the 8th Anniversary gift was.

And did Blizzard learn from that? You woulda thought Blizz would have learned from last years' mistake and offer something a bit more substantial, right? Like a permanent tabbard? or a pet? Or even some minor cosmetic headpiece?

Chyeah, like fuck they did.

[Seefer]

Wanna know why we don't like it?

Because we didn't like it last year.

Or let me expand a bit further. They did the same last year, except with 8%, and probably no one liked it. At all. There was so much backlash on these forums and the official forums that most of the topics ended up being deleted because they were all about how shitty the 8th Anniversary gift was.

And did Blizzard learn from that? You woulda thought Blizz would have learned from last years' mistake and offer something a bit more substantial, right? Like a permanent tabbard? or a pet? Or even some minor cosmetic headpiece?

Chyeah, like fuck they did.

Show me another game that gives out things EVERY SINGLE YEAR for their anniversary.