Just a thought

[Eleccybubb]

If WoW had launched and only implemented a premade group finder instead of LFD/LFR. Do you think it would have impacted it negatively or positively today and why?

[BetaConstrictor]

I want to say positively because groups joined through the premade finder tend to feel a little more personal. Everyone can pitch in to help fill the group and often those players are going to see each other again... it's almost like a side-community of its own.

LFD/LFR on the other hand has helped people see content but it hasn't really helped the MMO side of the game because there isn't really any personal involvement in being assigned to a group by the matchmaker. So people collect their rewards and leave without a second thought which promotes solo mentalities.

[Nurvus]

LFD/LFR turned much of the game into a single player experience where other players can very well be considered AI Henchmen.

To make it worse, not only does the Teleport available in LFD/LFR further trivialize what would otherwise be a massive game world, you actually get MORE rewards by using this function, making it completely pointless to get a premade and walk/fly to the Dungeon.

It was a terrible tool long term that unfortunately made great success short term due to its convenience.

[Darkeon]

While I do believe that the automation of the feature holds great responsibility in the outcome, I believe that the Across-Realms side of the feature is as damaging as the automated side of it.

So I suppose that your scenario would be slightly positive to what we currently have, but would still end up in a "Sense of Community" decline.

[Alyxanna]

While I do believe that the automation of the feature holds great responsibility in the outcome, I believe that the Across-Realms side of the feature is as damaging as the automated side of it.

So I suppose that your scenario would be slightly positive to what we currently have, but would still end up in a "Sense of Community" decline.

On a small realm where there are fewer social options on a 24-7 basis there can be more important things than a "sense of community". It depends on the player. The solution that many propose, giant mega-realms, might end up being worse than what we have now though. Short of forcibly moving everyone around all the time to maintain an ideal community size (whatever that would be) there's no clear solution to this. And forcibly moving people around is about as anti-community as anything I can think of.

[Darkeon]

On a small realm where there are fewer social options on a 24-7 basis there can be more important things than a "sense of community". It depends on the player. The solution that many propose, giant mega-realms, might end up being worse than what we have now though. Short of forcibly moving everyone around all the time to maintain an ideal community size (whatever that would be) there's no clear solution to this. And forcibly moving people around is about as anti-community as anything I can think of.

Completely agree. I didn't say that there was a better, clear answer and that I would be able to provide it.

[Halicia]

I would have quit by now if it was only premade group finder.

Everyone always thinks of endgame.

Noone thinks how !@#$ing hard it is to find people in your levelrange at 62 when it takes all of half an hour to get to level 72 from there.

Half of my 'nonraid fun' is spent running alts through old dungeons, and its annoying as !@#$ trying to keep enough players in the same levelrange to benefit from the same dungeons.

[Lochton]

If WoW had launched and only implemented a premade group finder instead of LFD/LFR. Do you think it would have impacted it negatively or positively today and why?

People would still whine, one way or the other. I don't think LFD was a negative thing at all, infact, more positive than what it was.