Shadowlands - Ion's final expansion?

[huth]

Comparing apples and oranges... Also I am my own boss so mistakes I make are my own, mistakes that others make are their own, but that is how my business works. If I tell them to do one thing and they do something else it's their fault if I told them to do something and they do it and that turns out to be a bad decision I can't blame them for listening to my orders.
In his case if his word is final everything we see or most of it is his decision, by that I mean everything implemented in game

You realise him signing off on everything is actually just your imagination of how Blizzard works. It also does not mean that he actually looked everything through, mostly because he wouldn't have time for anything, nor does it mean that he can accurately predict how these systems are ultimately going to work out.

No, you're simply assuming that all fault can somehow be traced back to him without being able to actually provide any evidence other than him being at the top of the hierarchy.

I'm sure if you have any employees, you wouldn't accept the blame for everything they do, either. Even if you did sign off on it.

[Seranthor]

No it doesn't but he isn't in question here, Ion is like the thread says in the title. Also I think Ion was lead encounter designer since 2011 or so, but yeah game designer since 2016. I can blame him for Azeroth gear, can I?

I just love how you show just how two faced you really are... You blame Ion for Cata raids, but you cant even fucking prove he was a Lead anything then and you give the (boss, or his bosses boss) Game Director a pass for reasons unknown (probably your hate obsession with Ion).

You ask 'can you blame him for X'... you are going to blame everything you can on him anyway regardless of what anyone says. So why bother to ask. The tragedy for you is regardless of your hate for him, he's still going to be the Game Director until 1) he gets tired of the job, or 2) he gets promoted (that will really piss you off I'm sure), because the feeble mewings of MMOC denizens isn't going to have any affect on his job.

[markos82]

You realise him signing off on everything is actually just your imagination of how Blizzard works. It also does not mean that he actually looked everything through, mostly because he wouldn't have time for anything, nor does it mean that he can accurately predict how these systems are ultimately going to work out.

No, you're simply assuming that all fault can somehow be traced back to him without being able to actually provide any evidence other than him being at the top of the hierarchy.

I'm sure if you have any employees, you wouldn't accept the blame for everything they do, either. Even if you did sign off on it.

That is why there is lengthy testing process in PTRs, people were sceptic about azerite gear when they announced it, hated it on ptr, were telling it will just increase insane rng and they didn't listen.

I know he doesn't sign off anything but in regards to wow he is a go 2 guy, his decisions and his opinions and where and in which direction should game go is his job. Won't have time? They announce expansion more they a year before release and start work on them even before so no, he has plenty of time. Also. Blizzard never or rarely listens to player population...

Yes, that makes him responsible....

I would, well I have to. I would reprimand them if the mistakes are their own but if they didn't made the mistake I simply can't blame them.

[Seranthor]

That is why there is lengthy testing process in PTRs, people were sceptic about azerite gear when they announced it, hated it on ptr, were telling it will just increase insane rng and they didn't listen.

I know he doesn't sign off anything but in regards to wow he is a go 2 guy, his decisions and his opinions and where and in which direction should game go is his job. Won't have time? They announce expansion more they a year before release and start work on them even before so no, he has plenty of time. Also. Blizzard never or rarely listens to player population...

Yes, that makes him responsible....

I would, well I have to. I would reprimand them if the mistakes are their own but if they didn't made the mistake I simply can't blame them.

You'd pass the buck, even though YOU are the boss, YOU are in charge, but oh no, its not your fault... even more evidence of being two-faced.

[huth]

That is why there is lengthy testing process in PTRs, people were sceptic about azerite gear when they announced it, hated it on ptr, were telling it will just increase insane rng and they didn't listen.

I know he doesn't sign off anything but in regards to wow he is a go 2 guy, his decisions and his opinions and where and in which direction should game go is his job. Won't have time? They announce expansion more they a year before release and start work on them even before so no, he has plenty of time. Also. Blizzard never or rarely listens to player population...

That's a rather simplistic view. And they often listen to the community... but given how much crap the community spews, it's not very surprising that they don't always react to it. Listen != immediately implement every suggestion.

For that matter, they started working on Essences pretty much immediately. The system wouldn't have been done in time for 8.2 otherwise.

Yes, that makes him responsible....

No, it still doesn't. You're still just arbitrarily shifting blame to him because he's at the top of the hierarchy. His job is to decide the direction and general design of the game, not every little tidbit.

And for what it's worth, he didn't do half as bad a job on that as you pretend. There's no indication the decline has significantly sped up since he took the helm, and stopping it is a pipedream for a 15 year old game.

[Dystemper]

He should have been let go during WOD

[Augusta138]

I have said it before and will say it again.

The direction of WoW / the patches / the content / the gameplay systems added arent made just because Ion says he wants x system or x xpac.

He is part of a bigger management team with (or atleast i would hope so) all the department managers. (Lore / gameplay / art etc. Etc)

Thinking Ion is the one and only making all the calls just shows you dont have any clue how a business works.

And these kind of topics should also be stopped by mmo-champion i guess.

Too many disgruntled wow players around who cant take it that x or y changed so they did quit and instead of playing a game or doing anything else they come over to these forums and up being really toxic.

[TwoMana]

Yeah because he is game director of WoW and before that was lead game designer ever since WotLK....

13 pages of angry waffling without anyone actually having a clue what any of the roles mean and how Blizzard (or in general software-) design works: The MMO-Champion Experience

[Nzx]

I don't remember fights being intensive or interesting, spine was OK but that's it. Entire raid didn't had any imagination and it took them 5 months to release it. The point was that ever since he took charge was had a steady drop in player population, this year will only be different cause of Classic. Out of my bnet list 95% have stopped playing mid BfA while some came back when classic stated.

Okay? Cool anecdotes bro they are literally irrelevant. You're literally raging about how bad DS is because you don't like it, I say I do like it and you say "WHO CARES I DONT LIKE IT SO IT SUCKS". Go outside.

I never said it's a fact, I said he is solely to blame which he is since when he took charge wow had a decline of players...

Lmao holy shit dude. "I never said it's a fact, but <declarative statement of fact>". I struggle to believe that someone can legitimately be this delusional.

[Ihsan997]

13 pages of angry waffling without anyone actually having a clue what any of the roles mean and how Blizzard (or in general software-) design works: The MMO-Champion Experience

Do you know what the roles mean?

[TwoMana]

Do you know what the roles mean?

No, I don't know, because I don't work at Blizzard.

[Ihsan997]

No, I don't know, because I don't work at Blizzard.

Do you know how general software design works?

[ErrandRunner]

Ion's is not the problem, it's the title. Anybody who occupies that position becomes the target of hate and ridicule, and is blamed for all of Warcraft's issues.

[Verdugo]

Ion's is not the problem, it's the title. Anybody who occupies that position becomes the target of hate and ridicule, and is blamed for all of Warcraft's issues.

That comes with a job position of stamping "ok" or "not ok" on everything.

[Schizoide]

This thread is basically a referendum on how much everybody likes Ion.

Personally, I think he's a fantastic encounter designer and that's what he should be doing, not directing the whole game.

[Grazrug]

Ion's is not the problem, it's the title. Anybody who occupies that position becomes the target of hate and ridicule, and is blamed for all of Warcraft's issues.

Pretty much this. This community would hate on anyone regardless of outcome. Ion is doing a great job. His bosses and shareholders of Activision are the problem.

[Nyel]

Shadowlands is the culmination of all bad decisions made to WoW in the last years and Blizzard's try to fix them. It's an empty, barebones expansion that offers even less than BfA.

Yes, Ion will be replaced. He has been a disgrace to World of Warcraft in the last years.

[jzhbee]

nonsense. tbc was well likely the entire way through, wotlk got worse as it went on, with icc being a slight improvement. ulduar was still better. cata started very strong and got worse as it went on. need i go on?

What does this even mean? From Ulduar to ICC was only the TOC patch. Did you mean to say "ToC wasn't great, but the rest of WOTLK was fine"?

[TwoMana]

Do you know how general software design works?

Yes. /10chars

[Ihsan997]

Yes. /10chars

Could you comment on the nature of software development and perhaps relate it to what you think is the most realistically possible division of labor and design roles Blizzard might use?