Extrapolation and the Highmaul Coliseum

[Romney]

"Extrapolation: The process of estimating, beyond the original observation range..."

I have two questions for blizzard regarding the Coliseum experience, and would like to know if I am making a mistake in my assumptions.

Question 1:

Dear Blizzard, during alpha and beta, did your play-testers accurately exhibit the behaviors of actual players? ie: did they form groups and truces or sell coliseum titles for in-game gold?

Follow-up Question:

A. If not, then why did you choose to use play-testers that didn't accurately exhibit player behaviors?
B. If yes, then why did you feel adding a deal-making gold-buying guild-camping PvP experience was good for the game?


PS: if anyone would like to answer on behalf of Blizzard Entertainment, please do!

[mmmmmmmBacon]

First, if you're asking for answers from Blizzard directly, you're on the wrong forum.

Second, there are a lot of differences between gameplay on the Beta and on Live. There are far less players playing Beta than there are live, so the sample size for different player behaviors is different (no one saw the ZG plague hitting the beta servers), and there's also the the mindset "this doesn't matter it's just going to get wiped in a few weeks". Players will not be as adamant to "win" a title on a Beta realm, since it would disappear as soon as a beta wipe came through.

Besides that, its possible likely that there was very little beta testing on the Coliseum at all just due to the lack of players competing in it:
-You needed to have a Gladiators' Sanctum instead of the other 5 Medium Plot choices
-You needed level 3 Gladiator's Sanctum, which took 4000 honorable kills in Draenor. Assuming attendance in Ashran was also low, this was probably quite a time-consumer.
-You needed to queue for it with AT LEAST 9 other players at the same time. If someone won, they were done for the week and you wouldn't be able to queue with them in the next round.

I imagine the Lord of War title on the Beta was very rare because of these circumstances. Hell, the first 3 weeks on Live they didn't fix the bug that allowed 2nd place to win the Title and have a chance at stealing the loot in the box from 1st place.

[Romney]

First, if you're asking for answers from Blizzard directly, you're on the wrong forum.

Perhaps I thought it would be more fun to hear from players defending Blizzard than from Blizzard itself.
(PS: I did post this on the official forums too though)

My questions really are an attempt to elicit my conclusion.....

...that there was very little beta testing on the Coliseum at all....

But I would love to hear a spokesman from the company try to answer my questions as I've phrased them.

To me, this is very binary. Assuming testing was done.... either testing accurately portrayed live behaviors.... or it did not.

1. If yes, then blizzard knew how it would turn out and went with it anyway..... or...
2. Their testing model is flawed, and yet they use it (this method of inaccurate testing) anyway.

Blizzard is a great company, and WoW is a wonderful game, and I'm sure they're trying their best; but I just had to call them out on lack of foresight regarding this little PvP side game they call the Coliseum.

[Reveries1]

I've never paid for a carry in coliseum I've only responded to 3 whispers from people saying lets team up which ends up being "Sure" and then just doing what i would have done anyway. I have won every week some weeks its 2 tries some weeks its 10. If you have a ruff time with it do it towards the end of the reset instead of the start. If you win you cant re queue so you wont be facing as many players that know how to win.

I've seen most classes win except a mage I dont think I've seen a mage win yet personally.

[Claborn]

i qued up with my shadow priest last night... i was the only caster in the match and first one dead within about 4 gcds.

Yeah i see no point in this coliseum thing

[Tojara]

Some classes are stronger than others, but most people have no idea how to be successful in the the coliseum.

Furthermore it's never going to be balanced, it's basically the hunger games in WoW.

[Deleted]

Some classes are stronger than others, but most people have no idea how to be successful in the the coliseum.

I've only been there twice, once it was 3 x Disc at the end and the remaining two rolled for the win. The second time a ret pala won. Some people grouped in corners, but I have the impression that class/spec is way more important than having a strategy or group. On the other hand, I know nothing, been there only two times.

What is the current class/spec ranking for coliseum?

I have a DK and I failed as Frost, will try as Blood in the future, as I heard that they must be sitting somewhere at the top of the food chain...

[Reinholder]

What is the current class/spec ranking for coliseum?.

Based on what I've seen blood dks, ret pallys and feral Druids have a decent monopoly on winning that thing.

[HardlyWaken]

Or just log out at the 20 second mark before it begins and log back in about 3.5 minutes later and hope for the best. :P

[Aryah]

Based on what I've seen blood dks, ret pallys and feral Druids have a decent monopoly on winning that thing.

Blood dks aren't especially strong there. They have to be in melee range to self heal properly which is a big problem. Their defense counts for nothing once people start to get stacks. I mean, they could consistently last longer than other classes, but once they reach the end it is pretty hopeless mostly.

I find disc priests and resto druids consistently win the arena.

[Deleted]

I'm starting to hate the place with a passion, people teaming up to 10ish people, Plate users and hybrids are dominating the place. casters and rogues gets stomped on, heard some say healers hare strong there but I have never seen one on the last 10 survivors on those 30-40 matches I have done. And ofc the never ending combat, why is it even there? stealth is almost useless since everyone can see and target one and its not like people have time to sit and drink.. urgh, venting done.

[Darksoldierr]

I'm starting to hate the place with a passion, people teaming up to 10ish people, Plate users and hybrids are dominating the place. casters and rogues gets stomped on, heard some say healers hare strong there but I have never seen one on the last 10 survivors on those 30-40 matches I have done. And ofc the never ending combat, why is it even there? stealth is almost useless since everyone can see and target one and its not like people have time to sit and drink.. urgh, venting done.

Funny, how different experience can people have. I seen 5 or 6 disc winning it, many times its only disc remaining in the last 2/3. Also, i won twice by beating disc 1v1 in the last "round"

[Saverem]

The top classes at the moment in Coliseum are:

Disc Priests #1 by far.

Rets and DKs are pretty strong as well. As are Huntards and Druids.

[menkupalme]

i was the only caster in the match and first one dead within about 4 gcds.

[Deleted]

i qued up with my shadow priest last night... i was the only caster in the match and first one dead within about 4 gcds.

Yeah i see no point in this coliseum thing

I've won every week as shadow priest. sure I dont win at first try usually, and I can get everybody on me several times.
But sometimes Im lucky, everyone decided go all for dks or ret or healers or whatev and I'm left alone for a bit. With shadow word:death being awesome and all I usually manage to get quite some stacks which makes killing in the end a bit easier. But sure, sometimes it takes around 10+ tries but hey, we need something to do with bones. And the glory winning as shadow priest is sweet, sweet glory =)

[MrCool]

Besides that, its possible likely that there was very little beta testing on the Coliseum at all just due to the lack of players competing in it: to how little Blizzard cared about beta feedback

Fixed that for you !

[Deleted]

My biggest, and possibly only issue with coliseum is the long wait time, first in queue and then extremely long time elevator + preparation. How did they come up with that we needed so much time? Especially if you get killed in 15 secs and then need to start all the waiting again. I can imagine that is the biggest annoyance especially if you don't belong to OP class that are likely to win fast.

[Pratt]

Every one I get in everyone is all "kill the discs and rets!" Over about 20 matches I have seen 1 disc win. Couple guys who know where their dispel button is and disc explodes. I have seen at the very least 10 ret wins. Yesterday I was in one with 7 rets. It's out of control. Why the disc hate?