Has Blizzard turned over a new leaf?

[Lochton]

Did I say 27 billion subscribers? I meant 27 trillion. Vanilla WoW is the only video game in the history of ever to attract subscriptions from non-sentient beings, dogs and housecats whom prefer Vanilla WoW 3-to-1 in a comparison against scratching posts, speeding vehicles and unmarked telephone poles combined.

You forgot doormats.

[wariofan1]

We'll have to wait and see about that, better PR and a fixed Stormwind Park doesn't exactly translate to a better game.

[quras]

SNIP...
Do you think that Blizzard has turned a new leaf and that this is a sign of good things to come for World of Warcraft? Or will we be back to WoD-style management soon?

After playing around in the alpha. No I do not.

They are very good at the PR spin and marketing in making you think so but the actual product and changes from feedback are minuscule.

So no. They have not turned over a new leaf.

[unbound]

Do you think that Blizzard has turned a new leaf and that this is a sign of good things to come for World of Warcraft? Or will we be back to WoD-style management soon?

No, they haven't turned a new leaf. Recycled garrisons are now class halls. New class with only 2 specs. Only one weapon per class / spec. They are responding to easy questions and addressing things that take little effort to resolve, while ignoring difficult questions and refusing to even acknowledge things that would take significant effort to resolve. There are new zones and slightly prettier graphics...just like in every expansion before. Remember the hype around WoD which was promised to be a return to the glory days of BC / Wrath. This is a continuation of the same trend.

[Khuteh]

There does seem to be an improvement in communication and transparency, although anything however small is an improvement over the last few years.

[Toppy]

*Looks at warrior changes, both gameplay based and lore based*

No. They have not turned over a new leaf. They are actually being quiet open about how little they care in the case of warriors, going so far as to say they are disregarding all feedback.

- - - Updated - - -

We'll have to wait and see about that, better PR and a fixed Stormwind Park doesn't exactly translate to a better game.

*fix stormwind park*

*make it all about humans*

I think they forgot that one reason people liked the park because it was essentially the night elf district.

[Kuntantee]

They butchered Assassination and now refusing to change it back. Instead of getting an overhaul for the better, we got a nothing but a shit version of live Assassination. They may be reading the feedback, but they are simply refusing to acknowledge the validity of the concerns being risen. So, what leaf are you talking about? "ahahaha, just shat on your spec, not gonna change it back" leaf?

Developing RPG is beyond capabilities of current WoW devs. Just give us Vanilla and fuck off, will ya?

[TheFreeman]

Not sure OP if Blizz has turned over a new leaf, but the wind has certainty changed direction. Feels like we are no longer downwind from the pit toilet at the campground.

[Bosen]

I don't see Blizzard doing anything they haven't traditionally done. They've always tried to have a good relationship with players of their games.
I think that something went wrong during development of WoD and they did not wish to let the public know the specifics,they regrouped,and are back to form.

[Breccia]

Acting on feedback? Have you read the any class but DKs and Paladins alpha build forum in the last... 2 months? ZERO feedback or changes. Hoping today's build is different.

Sometimes I feel this version is more accurate. During the WoD beta, it seemed abundantly clear they were ignoring Arms warriors far more than anyone else -- mostly, because Celestalon dropped in to say "hey we know nobody likes it...bye". Now, it seems like a fair number of specs are sharing the same fate, including Arms again.

What they did with Brewmasters was well deserved, but if they stop there, it's too little, too late.

[Molis]

after Titanfail and WoD there should have been across the board changes

While I love most if not all Blizzard games. I have to agree.

If similar shit went down like that at my work heads would roll.

[Faylum1]

It seems like Blizzard has become much more active and responsive as of late and that the culture within the company has changed for the better.

They are not only listening to much more feedback, but are acting on it. They are communicating much more than they have in recent times, and they seem much more comfortable and confident with their product this time around. Watcher has really stepped up to the plate and has become a psuedo-Ghostcrawler. They've even begun working on goodwill projects like Stormwind Park. There also seems to be much more structure in the testing process.

Do you think that Blizzard has turned a new leaf and that this is a sign of good things to come for World of Warcraft? Or will we be back to WoD-style management soon?

How far inside the company asshole is your tongue?

Blizzard don't give a shit about their fans and never will. They do only what they must to SEEEEEELLLLLLLLLL you their product. Fucking morons on these forums lately. Ridiculous

[clevin]

This really is the shitty attitude of the consumer for Blizzard. "My spec hasn't had feedback so Blizzard really hasn't done anything lately."

Just because some feedback didn't go to your corner means Blizzard hasn't been listening to anyone?

However it's annoying when one class seems to get feedback regularly and another doesn't. This isn't new. The only beta I was in was for Wrath and the rogue beta forum got no feedback. I don't mean they didn't accept ideas, etc I mean no blue posts at all. The mage forum? Got regular blue posts. Now, sure they might have been actively discussing the rogue stuff... but if they don't communicate that the presumption will always been that you're being ignored.

Also, it's not about getting everything implemented, it's about a) really listening to people who take the time to make well structured, well supported suggestions and b) explaining what's going on, why some things aren't in their vision, whether other changes are coming, etc.