Homogenised gameplay

[panterarules]

Well this post is more directed at healing since i mostly play a resto druid but i have been playing a rsham and a priest to some degree as well.

I've only recently got back into WoW and this is something that is really bugging me. What i mean by homogenised gameplay is that healers spells are now grouped similarly for all the classes. You have a mana efficient spell, a healing efficient spell, both (this will be your dominant class skill eg. riptide, swiftmend) and a flash heal spell. For me, this leads to all the healers feeling exactly the same, i can use the exact same placement of skills in relation to keybinds and the same strategies.

I'm mostly concerned in re playability when rolling new classes, i used to be an altaholic as i really enjoyed seeing the other side of the spectrum, but finding almost no desire to roll another class as it plays almost exactly the same.

I've also noticed very similar playstyles on dps as of late, CD>DoT>filler basically sums up most of the classes.

Perhaps i'm seeing things where i shouldn't be seeing them, however i don't see any discussion on this area and am wondering what your opinions are on the matter. Feel free to tell me i'm crazy, as i am a little bit.

[Caiada]

I think it'd be really hard to make a case that they're homogenized without oversimplifying class rotations.

Same results and similar tools does not equal homogenized.

[Traknel]

OP, you're 100% correct. And it was a deliberate decision by Blizzard to make classes more similar. Especially healing classes. Makes it easier for devs who are - shall we say NOT the best in their class - to balance things when everyone has the same toolbox.

[Speedy92286]

I think it'd be really hard to make a case that they're homogenized without oversimplifying class rotations.

Same results and similar tools does not equal homogenized.

This is pretty much the truth here. You can do something similar with dps classes and find things that are exactly the same as well. Just because healers have an effective heal, a slow but strong heal (which is spammed more often than not) a fast heal and some sort of AoE heal does NOT mean there is homogenization at all. This is Blizz giving every class the chance to be useful. Unlike Wrath where you brought a Paladin to only tank heal and a druid to only raid heal, either one can now tank or raid heal.

The CD's and general feel of the classes are totally different. I have all 4 healing classes at 85 and 378 gear or higher(my Paladin is 390 but she is my main) so I got a pretty good grip on all the classes at this point. Even Monks are unique and bring something new to the table.

When you roll a new class, you are choosing HOW you are going to use these tools. For example, do you want to use more HoTs or more direct healing? Or do you want a mixture of both? Or do you prefer to migate damage over healing? Different strategies using similar tools in different ways. That is not homogenization by a long shot.

[KrazyK923]

OP does not know what homogenized means.

Same results and similar tools does not equal homogenized.

This person does.

Try playing a Resto Druid (Heavy hots) and then a Holy Paladin (Heavy casting). They feel totally different despite the fact that both of them have the trifecta of "Fast, mana inefficient heal," the "large, slow heal," and the "Mediocre, mana efficient "heal"

[fizzbob]

Well this post is more directed at healing since i mostly play a resto druid but i have been playing a rsham and a priest to some degree as well.

I've only recently got back into WoW and this is something that is really bugging me. What i mean by homogenised gameplay is that healers spells are now grouped similarly for all the classes. You have a mana efficient spell, a healing efficient spell, both (this will be your dominant class skill eg. riptide, lifebloom) and a flash heal spell. For me, this leads to all the healers feeling exactly the same, i can use the exact same placement of skills in relation to keybinds and the same strategies.

I'm mostly concerned in re playability when rolling new classes, i used to be an altaholic as i really enjoyed seeing the other side of the spectrum, but finding almost no desire to roll another class as it plays almost exactly the same.

I've also noticed very similar playstyles on dps as of late, CD>DoT>filler basically sums up most of the classes.

Perhaps i'm seeing things where i shouldn't be seeing them, however i don't see any discussion on this area and am wondering what your opinions are on the matter. Feel free to tell me i'm crazy, as i am a little bit.

they removed the other side of all spectrums

it was too hard is what they said

---------- Post added 2012-07-13 at 11:42 PM ----------

OP does not know what homogenized means.



This person does.

homogenized gameplay = "feels the same"

homogenization is why 6400 people quit every day of 2011. they got bored.

[KrazyK923]

homogenized gameplay = "feels the same"

homogenization is why 6400 people quit every day of 2011. they got bored.

You're applying a mediocre definition of Homogenization incorrectly to a system, and then making a fallacious correlation to subscription number losses.

Try a little harder next time.

[Caiada]

they removed the other side of all spectrums

it was too hard is what they said

---------- Post added 2012-07-13 at 11:42 PM ----------



homogenized gameplay = "feels the same"

homogenization is why 6400 people quit every day of 2011. they got bored.

Is there nothing the sub loss can't be blamed on?

Seriously now.

[Elethiem]

I have to agree with the OP, I loved resto druids in BC because of the heavy focus on HOTs after playing a holy priest, but ever since then the healing tools and performance seemed the same as other classes which I was really disappointed in. It was so much fun putting together a raid and planning around the different healing strategies that we needed to use based on the encounter and the healers we had, now its just find a healer. Easier, but less satisfying.

You'd think that changes made things more interesting, but no, it just made things more mundane between classes. I really miss the old resto druid gameplay.

[Darnassian]

OP, you're 100% correct. And it was a deliberate decision by Blizzard to make classes more similar. Especially healing classes. Makes it easier for devs who are - shall we say NOT the best in their class - to balance things when everyone has the same toolbox.

Thats true; beyond the obvious, it's very difficult for a welder to gauge the performance of a carpenter and vice-versa. The welder can say "you suck at joining two pieces of metal" and the carpenter will say "well you suck at joining two pieces of wood", even though both can build things rather well for their abilities. But make them both all-around contractors and they can critique each other well.

[panterarules]

OP does not know what homogenized means.



This person does.

Try playing a Resto Druid (Heavy hots) and then a Holy Paladin (Heavy casting). They feel totally different despite the fact that both of them have the trifecta of "Fast, mana inefficient heal," the "large, slow heal," and the "Mediocre, mana efficient "heal"

I understand what you and the above posters are saying. But when i play my druid i am really only using a single hot: rejuvenation, as my lifebloom refreshes on all my direct heals which i am more than encouraged to use due to mastery and efficiency. So i have 1 cd (swiftmend), 1 hot (rejuv) and casts. Which is almost exactly the same for all the healers.

Perhaps homogenised gameplay was the wrong term to use, i'm not saying the skills are homogenised (although i suppose this is the leading cause of the change in gameplay) but more so i am finding unique playstyles non-existent. Sorry it's hard for me to get my exact point across.

[fizzbob]

Is there nothing the sub loss can't be blamed on?

Seriously now.

blaming it on bored people isn't new. i've been getting banned here since 2010 so i know

---------- Post added 2012-07-13 at 11:53 PM ----------

You're applying a mediocre definition of Homogenization incorrectly to a system, and then making a fallacious correlation to subscription number losses.

Try a little harder next time.

it's not a mediocre definition. english language, more than ANY other language, changes constantly. homogenization and milk aren't the same as homogenization and gaming

remember when 'til meant until and was slang? now till means untill...and it still means till

homogenization in gaming means the classes feel the same. if you can set your bars up in a similar way between classes/specs, it's because they're homogenized

for me, shift+W was always a long CD, usually defensive
shift+S was similar, or it was howl of terror/psychic scream since

t was my AP debuff, or my pet button

f was my interrupt

MMB was my disarm or silence, my button for not letting you hit or shoot fire at me

etc

homogenization at its finest

you'll catch on

[Auxora]

They really started making the classes the same quite a while back in wrath. That kind of started with homogenizing buffs, and adding scrolls and drums for buffs...then spread to spells. It is a bit contrary for Blizz since a lot of other things like sped up leveling, heirlooms, guild xp, etc. all push people to roll alts. But the value is kind of limited when trying other classes (and dps/heal/tank all have the same problem) turns into just figuring out what the spell equivalent is in the new class you are trying to the class you are coming from.

The "we don't want to leave people out of raids because of class" reasoning turned into a slippery slope where they just made all the classes the same. It's sad because although there are still differences of course, it was nice when you felt special because of the class you chose and the unique special abilities they had.

[KrazyK923]

it's not a mediocre definition. english language, more than ANY other language, changes constantly. homogenization and milk aren't the same as homogenization and gaming

remember when 'til meant until and was slang? now till means untill...and it still means till

I have no idea what the hell you're talking about.

homogenization in gaming means the classes feel the same. if you can set your bars up in a similar way between classes/specs, it's because they're homogenized

for me, shift+W was always a long CD, usually defensive
shift+S was similar, or it was howl of terror/psychic scream since

t was my AP debuff, or my pet button

f was my interrupt

MMB was my disarm or silence, my button for not letting you hit or shoot fire at me

etc

homogenization at its finest

you'll catch on

Congrats, you play two ranged caster dps classes similar. Great job showing that Warlocks and Shadow Priests are the same because they both have aoe fears...lol.

Good to know that Disarm and Silence are the same thing in your mind. Just goes to show you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Continue to act like a pompous ass though.

You'll catch on.

[Caiada]

it's not a mediocre definition. english language, more than ANY other language, changes constantly. homogenization and milk aren't the same as homogenization and gaming

remember when 'til meant until and was slang? now till means untill...and it still means till

homogenization in gaming means the classes feel the same. if you can set your bars up in a similar way between classes/specs, it's because they're homogenized

for me, shift+W was always a long CD, usually defensive
shift+S was similar, or it was howl of terror/psychic scream since

t was my AP debuff, or my pet button

f was my interrupt

MMB was my disarm or silence, my button for not letting you hit or shoot fire at me

etc

homogenization at its finest

you'll catch on

I think it'd be really hard to make a case that they're homogenized without oversimplifying class rotations.

Same results and similar tools does not equal homogenized.

I'm really baffled.

[Griffter]

I'm not a huge fan of the 3-heal system either. I liked it better when each healing spec had a completely different style. They're still pretty different in a lot of ways, but the core abilities are the same across the board. They did the same thing with tanking to some extent, but that felt more like a necessary change.