Developer Q&A - Ion Hazzikostas

[Walross]

Any system that lets you accrue currency from spammable content will make people feel like they are forced to run that content again and again and again to earn the currency in the fastest way possible. That is not fun or enjoyable. So if you introduced a currency to the game, it would likely have to be in the M+ chest and not a dungeon drop to be a limiter on the amount of repeatable content people would feel forced to play.



Not really.

What they are basically doing is telling you the inner rings don't really matter. They are basically normalizing the inner rings and then abandoning them as meaningful bits of the game. The outer ring is all that really matters.



Legion was also the expansion where if you wanted to switch specs they told you to go farm millions of Artifact Power to level up your off spec's weapon.



Pretty sure waiting 15 minutes would be a pretty bad/poor experience. Like how you can't skip all the dialog in old raids. You just si there, doing nothing for minutes at a time. Plus, he said they were contemplating making a raid friendly version of Warfronts, which would be awesome. So calm down, jeez.



He was not patronizing or "mansplaning". He was just stating Blizzard's design goals and design intentions. If you don't want to listen to that, just read the MMO Champion synopsis.



Like, he literally said they will fix the numbers and buff the low end tanks and, potentially, nerf the high end tanks. The stuff about utility is important as it helps clarify where Blizzard would like the tanks to eventually be - each possessing unique strengths and weaknesses.

Wait a second. Are you trying to be REASONABLE?! IN MMO-CHAMPION?!! Get out of here, you fucking white knight!

[Titans]

> The community values trinkets from non-raid content over raid trinkets.

I strongly disagree - it is extremely frustrating when a bis piece for raiding is locked behind having to spam the same m+ dungeon continuously

[Marrilaife]

The team is working on making a BoA book so you can learn flight paths on alts that you already know on your main character. i do like the sounds of that.

In b4 I still have to drag every alt of mine through Drustvar or suffer 4 perma locked behind questlines fps that don't show otherwise.

I get it, Drustvar is cool, but not for the 5th time in a row.

[Barnabas]

They need to show the azerite traits they plan for 8.1 already.

[Quaade]

Having listened to the interview what is less important to me is what he says and instead what is more important is how he says it.

Some background information:

Words are something we interpret subconsciously and their meaning is derived from the subculural meaning attacked to it. Thinking of a table, no matter the kind you think of personally, it'll be ome kind of flat surface to put things on while supported by X legs.

Conversely the words we use are also chosen subconsciously based on their meaning, what we say is based on what we subconsciously think.

Thus the interesting part to me is that he never admits mistakes. At most he can say that it turned out differently than they intended. So they have no culpability it was just a thing that happened, despiute them having multiple threads in beta saying that those things would be a problem, have all the numbers and are responsable for the design choices since it's their game.

So we have a team leader that never wants to take responsability for the things they did if they turned out bad, so people are right to call him arrogant because that's what he is.

Psychologically he shows light narcissistic traits in that it's never their fault and thus it's never their responsability. In a US citizen light narcissistic traits are common as the concept "The American Dream," and by extension "American Exceptionality," are based on them, so it's in the US culture.

[spalernTJ]

Everyone who is complaining, I hope you realize that the only way you're ever going to get any change in a positive way, is to right up cancel your subscription, and not writing about it in forums, yeh? Come join me in Final Fantasy XIV, usubbed a couple weeks ago, and have not looked back since. WoW was a huge deal for me for many years, played since vanilla beta, and were more or less addicted, until now. The promise of a fix next patch, the promise of "They'll do better next time" just doesn't cut it out for me anymore, so I unsubbed, and if you want change, then you'll do the same. I'm just here to suggest a game that offers much more freedom and enjoyment, albeit slower gameplay.

[Deleted]

There's a certain number of people who are sticking their fingers in their ears going "LALALALALA I can't hear you!" and, if that doesn't work, they personally attack you for having an opinion.

You call the following a "personal opinion"?

I've never been so demoralized by a Q&A. It's pretty clear this team has absolutely NO idea what they're doing, led by one of the most underqualified "game directors" in history.

Likely going to let my sub run out finally, because there's clearly nothing exciting to look forward to on the horizon. Just more of the same (all talk, no action)

This is nothing more than a giant flame on Blizzard and on top it is just not true.

[Clozer]

> The community values trinkets from non-raid content over raid trinkets.

I strongly disagree - it is extremely frustrating when a bis piece for raiding is locked behind having to spam the same m+ dungeon continuously

This is exactly what he said..

[Mayia]

Fixing? Ion is flat out saying he doesn't think it's broken, that it's a balancing and tweaking issue. Azerite isn't going anywhere, stop expecting it.

The only way Blizzard has ever reversed themselves is when they lose a big chunk of playerbase. It got you flying in WoD. It got you Legion. And now, it's the only thing that's going to change the course of HMS Ionsgame.

Your game, for the next two years, is azerite, azerite gear, warfronts, and islands. Shut up, pay your sub, have Fun™.

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There's a certain number of people who are sticking their fingers in their ears going "LALALALALA I can't hear you!" and, if that doesn't work, they personally attack you for having an opinion.

why can't we express how we feel AND play the game? why is it you are too close minded to realize your opinion isn't the only one that exists?
And if we didn't speak up blizzard wouldn't change jack, so if you like wow right now stop reading comments telling you how much it sucks and get on with it, or you can go on denying that you honestly do loathe some of the systems ingame but your fanboy personality wont allow you to express it openly so all you can do is be hostile yelling at everyone to unsub and shutup.

The Azerite system needs to be re-directed to a better version of their plan the one they had didn't work and it needs to be changed so the expansion isn't remembered more for the bad than the good, even if that means moving up their plans for the system sooner, but pretending nothing is wrong and losing millions of subs isn't the way they should handle it.

[Deleted]

Having listened to the interview what is less important to me is what he says and instead what is more important is how he says it.

Some background information:

Words are something we interpret subconsciously and their meaning is derived from the subculural meaning attacked to it. Thinking of a table, no matter the kind you think of personally, it'll be ome kind of flat surface to put things on while supported by X legs.

Conversely the words we use are also chosen subconsciously based on their meaning, what we say is based on what we subconsciously think.

Thus the interesting part to me is that he never admits mistakes. At most he can say that it turned out differently than they intended. So they have no culpability it was just a thing that happened, despiute them having multiple threads in beta saying that those things would be a problem, have all the numbers and are responsable for the design choices since it's their game.

So we have a team leader that never wants to take responsability for the things they did if they turned out bad, so people are right to call him arrogant because that's what he is.

Psychologically he shows light narcissistic traits in that it's never their fault and thus it's never their responsability. In a US citizen light narcissistic traits are common as the concept "The American Dream," and by extension "American Exceptionality," are based on them, so it's in the US culture.

Just an alternative interpretation of your premise here: you absolutely do not want a team leader who comes out and straight-up says "Yeah, we fucked up on this one guys, I'm sorry." The second you admit culpability for a thing, it becomes canonically The Thing That Got Fucked Up and no amount of PR or spin will ever make that not TTTGFU. As long as they frame it as things that turned out differently than intended, you won't have a massive flood of people at the gates going SEE I TOLD YOU I WAS RIGHT THEY SCREWED IT UP ION SAID SO. I can't even imagine the size of the gallows the guy would be hanged from if he actually said they'd done something wrong. What would that look like for investors?

[Lightforged]

Thus the interesting part to me is that he never admits mistakes. At most he can say that it turned out differently than they intended. So they have no culpability it was just a thing that happened, despiute them having multiple threads in beta saying that those things would be a problem, have all the numbers and are responsable for the design choices since it's their game.

So we have a team leader that never wants to take responsability for the things they did if they turned out bad, so people are right to call him arrogant because that's what he is.

Companies rarely admit fault because that leads to PR disasters. You spin it so that it you are admitting things did not work out as you intended and now you are fixing it so that it will work as intended.

[Emeralddragoness]

Tier sets were a unique raid reward, but players could jump into a PuG and usually get that set within a few weeks of clearing the raid. Tier sets aren't like they used to be, with a year long journey to get your entire set.

Uh, what? Tier sets haven't taken A YEAR to get since VANILLA, ION. What the fuck.

[Deleted]

Look at his iLevel and then look at his Necklace level.


The irony is fucking HILARIOUS.

This dickhead needs to go.

Who even cares about the ilvl. The guy hasn't done a single 10+ dungeon on time nor has he worked to actually get a key up to that level. Just depleting other people's stuff.

He's not really playing, he's participating...

[Quaade]

Just an alternative interpretation of your premise here: you absolutely do not want a team leader who comes out and straight-up says "Yeah, we fucked up on this one guys, I'm sorry." The second you admit culpability for a thing, it becomes canonically The Thing That Got Fucked Up and no amount of PR or spin will ever make that not TTTGFU. As long as they frame it as things that turned out differently than intended, you won't have a massive flood of people at the gates going SEE I TOLD YOU I WAS RIGHT THEY SCREWED IT UP ION SAID SO. I can't even imagine the size of the gallows the guy would be hanged from if he actually said they'd done something wrong. What would that look like for investors?

Yes you do. a person who does that is honest and sincere and thus worth listening further to. If you come cocksure and better knowing people will just assume you're arrogant and shut whatever you say off even if it's correct information.

I have an education within healthcare and something I've had great succes with, is admitting my own lack of knowledge. I' no longer on the pedistal as all knowing. I'm human, I have flaws and thus my words carry weight.

Ion just comes across and arrogant since his "strenght" is a weakness in refusiong to admit they made a mistake.

People with no relation training or experience will say your method is correct, it's about as wrong as it can possibly be if you want to build a raport with the person(s) on the other end.

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Companies rarely admit fault because that leads to PR disasters. You spin it so that it you are admitting things did not work out as you intended and now you are fixing it so that it will work as intended.

And thus you appear weak and worthless to listen to. In essence you're the "it's fine" dog in the burning house.

By admitting your mistake, by admitting your weakness you show strength. Asking for help, by anyone, is never a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. You dare admit you made a mistake. Ion is weak and a US citizen. The American Dream is inherintly narcissistic and for something that's narcissistic admitting mistakes, wrong decissions, flaws, etc. is the same as admitting weakness.

That's the cultural narrative. Asking for help is the same as admitting you're weak and unworthy.

[Deleted]

Yes you do. a person who does that is honest and sincere and thus worth listening further to. If you come cocksure and better knowing people will just assume you're arrogant and shut whatever you say off even if it's correct information.

I have an education within healthcare and something I've had great succes with, is admitting my own lack of knowledge. I' no longer on the pedistal as all knowing. I'm human, I have flaws and thus my words carry weight.

Ion just comes across and arrogant since his "strenght" is a weakness in refusiong to admit they made a mistake.

People with no relation training or experience will say your method is correct, it's about as wrong as it can possibly be if you want to build a raport with the person(s) on the other end.

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And thus you appear weak and worthless to listen to. In essence you're the "it's fine" dog in the burning house.

By admitting your mistake, by admitting your weakness you show strength. Asking for help, by anyone, is never a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. You dare admit you made a mistake. Ion is weak and a US citizen. The American Dream is inherintly narcissistic and for something that's narcissistic admitting mistakes, wrong decissions, flaws, etc. is the same as admitting weakness.

That's the cultural narrative. Asking for help is the same as admitting you're weak and unworthy.

I should clarify, when I say "you" I mean from the perspective of shareholders, not consumers. As much as they make the game for us, we're not the ones investing in the company. At least not in the same way the shareholders are. Ion admitting culpability for mistakes might make us happy, but it sure as hell is going to land him in hot water in internal meetings.

[Quaade]

I should clarify, when I say "you" I mean from the perspective of shareholders, not consumers. As much as they make the game for us, we're not the ones investing in the company. At least not in the same way the shareholders are. Ion admitting culpability for mistakes might make us happy, but it sure as hell is going to land him in hot water in internal meetings.

In my opinion shareholders can suck it as long as they get a divident over long term instead of chasing short term profits. With 1 million shareholders and 1 customer you've no business.

[Deleted]

In my opinion shareholders can suck it as long as they get a divident over long term instead of chasing short term profits. With 1 million shareholders and 1 customer you've no business.

Oh trust me, I'm not disagreeing with you there, just positing a possible motivation for Ion not coming out and saying "Yeah we fucked up, soz."