Cross-Realm Dungeon Feature Coming Soon

[Xenofreak]

But I -don't- PAY to play with my RealID friends. I pay to access the servers. So do you. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less.

This argument is so horribly wrong. You don't pay just for servers. You pay for continuing development in the game and the massive support force an MMO requires, not just to access the servers. If your attitude was the norm and most MMO customers believed that patches would be released as paid-for DLC and all new features be premium only. They aren't though, because that attitude is not the norm. In reality running an MMO like that would make it fail faster than Vanguard. Continuing development and refinement of the core game is a part of the subscription fee. This feature counts as refinement of the core game.

Really? Now you're going to say they "don't legally owe us!". No shit. They don't even "owe us" in the first place. But the reality of the MMO market is that the subscription fee isn't just for server access.

[Deleted]

You accidentally used the word "you're". I haven't implied anything. I've said exactly, explicitly, what I believe.

I've written way too many posts today. There've been some intelligent posters, but too many dumb ones mixed in. Thanks to all the people who brought up the level of discourse in this too-long thread. Bye.

Intentionally used "you're", because you have, several times.

[Deleted]

That's still no different than me going in with my guild and charging people for runs. I can do that now and boost other players and get money for it. I could set up a forum and invite people from all over and get them in on my scheme to make money and it would cover all servers and this would happen everywhere, even without the feature.

And what exactly are you going to earn from all your "minions" running ppl through HCs ? Will you charge them for being their "boss" ? Why wouldn't they just form their own groups ?
With this feature 4 friends from 4 servers can decide to purchase this for a month and get, in my example, 20k a day. How would that affect server economy when they can buy everything they want ingame ? Moreover, it seems as they pay for an opportunity to get rich. Any time they want.
If you are on the same server you will have 1/4 the clients you could have if you are spread across 4 servers. Simple math.

---------- Post added 2011-05-18 at 05:12 PM ----------

Quoted from Ngau on the official forums: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/to...06195?page=13/

Top of the page.



edit: tl;dr Blizzard doesn't owe you anything.

True. This is what I expect them to do. You actually agree they can do everything to the game when you accept the EULA. Nothing new.
So what, you stay silent and are ready to fork out IRL money for game functionalities when they say so ?

[Whitcher]

Wow Silver account
Wow Gold account
Wow Platinum account

Sadly I could see it happening.

[Zeshiro]

Well, I'm sorry that server transfers apparently killed your server. That's unfortunate and really makes me question -why- it killed your server. However this -is- the same thing. It's an additional service that is not included in your monthly sub \ not a feature promised with the launch of Cataclysm.

By your logic, name changes shouldn't cost money because they don't harm the server. Mobile AH shouldn't cost because they don't harm the server. Mobile guild chat shouldn't either. Race changes also shouldn't cost because they don't harm the server.

However, these all do cost because they are all additional services that you are not entitled to with your $15 a month, just like this new feature.

A lot of things aren't promised features for cataclysm - Call to Arms, LFGuild, encounter journal.

the thing about name changes: I could ninja something in BH and change my name. I could have a bad reputation from anything and just change my name.
mobile AH and guild chat - you can do these things in game.

there's pretty much nothing wrong with race and look changes yet they cost money. why? I don't know. this new thing is icing on the cake.

[Kaeleena]

You're implying theres a conspiracy to make almost everything into a premium service, with no factual evidence. Hence, conspiracy theory. *X-Files music plays*

---------- Post added 2011-05-18 at 06:05 PM ----------



Except, your market is the same. Exactly the same. Each person in said syndicate could only profit from their server - each person's market is still the same. Also, the people who'd be able to do this in a co-ordinated fashion would most likely be in high end guilds, with other people who could also do it (not to mention the gear level).

Your method seems overly complicated for absolutely no benefit.

Except for the fact that you can take out of game currency for use of your services.

[ScottsdaleHokie]

Quoted from Ngau on the official forums: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/to...06195?page=13/

Top of the page.



edit: tl;dr Blizzard doesn't owe you anything.

True, which is why I choose to give another company my $15/month.

[Ranor]

Really? Now you're going to say they "don't legally owe us!". No shit. They don't even "owe us" in the first place. But the reality of the MMO market is that the subscription fee isn't just for server access.

Most people seem to be under the impression that Blizzard DOES owe them. And the subscription fee is for continued access to the service and all that whatnot. The subscription fee does not entitle you to extra things.

And what exactly are you going to earn from all your "minions" running ppl through HCs ? Will you charge them for being their "boss" ? Why wouldn't they just form their own groups ?
With this feature 4 friends from 4 servers can decide to purchase this for a month and get, in my example, 20k a day. How would that affect server economy when they can buy everything they want ingame ? Moreover, it seems as they pay for an opportunity to get rich. Any time they want.
If you are on the same server you will have 1/4 the clients you could have if you are spread across 4 servers. Simple math.

There is absolutely no difference in 4 friends getting rich or people on their own servers getting rich doing the same thing. I mean, as it stands gold means next to nothing. I know plenty of people who've earned 1mil+ gold just through being good at auctionhousing.

So what, you stay silent and are ready to fork out IRL money for game functionalities when they say so ?

I don't throw a temper tantrum when they release paid services that I want but "feel like they owe me fo free" - If I have a problem with it, I don't buy it. The single most powerful message you can send to Blizzard is keeping your wallet closed and not shelling out the money. If people don't buy it, they'll get the message.

[rogie]

(RE: Ranor's "Quoted from Ngau on the official forums" ridiculous post)

This post almost literally left my mouth hanging open. I'm floored that Blizzard allowed a blue to post such an inflamatory, combative, take-it-or-leave-it post.

Well, now I follow the link, and see it's not a blue. It's just some nobody talking out his a**. That's a lot more believable. LOL, that would have been hilarious if it was from a blue. More of an April 1-appropriate post.

Now I'm not going to bother replying to it. I'm glad I checked the source. Why did you bother posting it?

[Ranor]

The guy posted all of the legal documents he cited in his post. Follow his source link and read them for yourselves. :P

He's not talking out of his ass.

[Deleted]

Most people seem to be under the impression that Blizzard DOES owe them. And the subscription fee is for continued access to the service and all that whatnot. The subscription fee does not entitle you to extra things.



There is absolutely no difference in 4 friends getting rich or people on their own servers getting rich doing the same thing. I mean, as it stands gold means next to nothing. I know plenty of people who've earned 1mil+ gold just through being good at auctionhousing.



I don't throw a temper tantrum when they release paid services that I want but "feel like they owe me fo free" - If I have a problem with it, I don't buy it.

There is a difference. How many ppl on your server will be ready to pay to get boosted ? If you spread across 4 servers, you have 4 times the chance to be constantly boosting someone. Also, kudos to everyone devoted to AH, their time spent and patience gets rewarded. Point is, I can also do that if I wanted to.
I don't understand why everyone got so hooked on my example - it's just an illustration how this could be abused. I am sure ppl will think of many others.
Anyhow, you pay if you want, I will not. Back to private servers it is then... ehhhh.. Maybe I could try Rift out.

[Xenofreak]

Most people seem to be under the impression that Blizzard DOES owe them. And the subscription fee is for continued access to the service and all that whatnot. The subscription fee does not entitle you to extra things.

I agree. Extra things like a few little vanity pets, mounts, mobile apps aren't really a part of the subscription fee. This however is a core game feature that would very much improve the game, much like the initial LFD and Cross-Realm battlegrounds. Improvements to the game aren't "extra things".

[bergmann620]

This post almost literally left my mouth hanging open. I'm floored that Blizzard allowed a blue to post such an inflamatory, combative, take-it-or-leave-it post.

Well, now I follow the link, and see it's not a blue. It's just some nobody talking out his a**. That's a lot more believable. LOL, that would have been hilarious if it was from a blue. More of an April 1-appropriate post.

Now I'm not going to bother replying to it. I'm glad I checked the source. Why did you bother posting it?

It's pretty obvious it's not a blue if you read it. It's 'just some nobody' as much as you're just some nobody. The difference is that he backed up his opinion.

[Ranor]

I agree. Extra things like a few little vanity pets, mounts, mobile apps aren't really a part of the subscription fee. This however is a core game feature that would very much improve the game, much like the initial LFD and Cross-Realm battlegrounds. Improvements to the game aren't "extra things".

But that's the thing. It doesn't really IMPROVE the game. Nothing is really changing. It's like if you were to run a 5man with your guildies, except you're running a 5man with people on your RealID list.

I could understand if for some reason running a 5man suddenly boosted your chances of succeeding in the game where this would hold any merit, but it's a 5 man. Nothing new or exciting.

[Zdrasti]

This made me lol.

[Dyzon]

To all you people: this is a subscription based game. That it's a game means that, indeed, you don't have to play WoW. Utterly shocking news.

That it's subscription based means that we're paying them over time, in return for content over time.

Incorrect, you are paying them over time in return for access to CURRENT content - that's it, game over, period. Additional content whether added via patch or expansion is completely up to Blizzard as to whether or not they charge. The reason they add content for free is to entice players to continue paying for the subscription, but no where does it say that you are entitled to any additional content. They also add content for free because that's a fairly standard business practice for MMOs to do, in order to retain members; but it doesn't mean that is what you're paying for. I suppose you feel you shouldn't have had to pay for BC, WotLK, or Cata either? Because that's the thought process of 'subscription=more content.' Honestly the community should feel blessed. Play any other MMO and see if you get half as much free additional content as WoW provides.

To the thread as a whole, the slipper slope argument is a pretty weak one - and it has been in about 100,000 different arguments. Given that WoW exists in a commercial market, if you don't like it you don't pay for it. They're not going to make obscenely drastic changes to a business model that works.

[Xenofreak]

But that's the thing. It doesn't really IMPROVE the game. Nothing is really changing. It's like if you were to run a 5man with your guildies, except you're running a 5man with people on your RealID list.

I could understand if for some reason running a 5man suddenly boosted your chances of succeeding in the game where this would hold any merit, but it's a 5 man. Nothing new or exciting.

...Really? Eliminating one of the biggest social drawbacks of a server system for an MMO isn't improving the game? Sure, maybe for those of you who only care about the phat raid epicz. But for those who are even slightly social (and trust me, that's all I am, barely social) that has friends spread out over several other servers? Yes, this is an improvement. This helps eliminate the problem having many friends on many realms. That is an improvement to the game.

[Crashdummy]

Don't really understand why they've gone with this feature.

If you want to be playing with your friends you'd already be playing with them on the same server.

Why not give us something we've been crying out for like additional character slots..

It was already explained that this is of use to those that have friends in their servers and meet RL friends with characters in another server.

By the way, sure, you can have more character slots, but since it cost too much for Blizzard to maintain the info of more characters and its not something that would enance gameplay, they could easily put them in "premium" service, amirite? There is no end in this...

[Ranor]

...Really? Eliminating one of the biggest social drawbacks of a server system for an MMO isn't improving the game? Sure, maybe for those of you who only care about the phat raid epicz. But for those who are even slightly social (and trust me, that's all I am, barely social) that has friends spread out over several other servers? Yes, this is an improvement. This helps eliminate the problem having many friends on many realms. That is an improvement to the game.

You, sir, are probably part of a minority. I have plenty of friends on other servers, but playing with them won't improve my gameplay because I can get that same gameplay from using the RDF as is and chatting with them simultaneously.

I mean, PRIOR to RealID, you had your server and that was it. They were okay with that. You're expected to make friends on the server you're on, because after all. You're on that server because you want to be there.

All in all, it really changes very little. :P

[Vayshan]

Which services are paid services atm?

-Realm xfer/Faction change/Name change/Toon redecoration.
Why? Because the price involved has 0 to do with the work that employees need to perform. It is merely there to act as a barrier to prevent major abuse by the game's populace. This has been stated both verbally and in writing by Blizz in blue posts and Blizzcon on multiple occasions. It is there to act as a barrier to prevent abuse, nothing more!

-Blizzardstore mounts/pets. Why? These are the microtransactions that Blizz has said they would start to introduce. They also promised us dearly that these items which could be bought would NOT affect actual gameplay in any way. So why cost money? Because the funding would be donated to charity and the Blizzardstore is on itself a completely different platform then WoW is. Therefore it would cost (although minimal) a little. Also the pets/mounts you bought are paid for only once and are henceforth available to all your toons on your account forever. These are not made for pure profit, else they would cost a shitload more and wouldn't be available on every toon you ever make or have.

-Mobile Armory/Remote chat. Why? Because it is being developed and coded for a totally new platform and needs to interface with the game from the outside. Obviously new employees need to be hired or trained to make this possible in the first place. The infrastructure had to be developed specially for this to work. It has no impact in any way on how the game will play for you at all.

So why the hell should RealID invites cost us anything? The coding and "infrastructure" already exists, it will just need a minor modification. No new ppl need to be trained or hired. This is a gameplay enhancing feature and those are included in the monthly fee we pay, also as claimed by Blizz themselves. This should have been in the game from day 1 (or rather when RealID saw its daylight). There is absolutely 0 reason to justify placing a pricetag on this.

And to all you out there who don't care about this feature because you won't use it but make a big deal against the rest of us... gtfo. It will not make you any better or worse if it is implemented or not. Wether it will cost something or not, it does not concern you, so don't get into it! You obviously fail to see the point of why it does matter to those of us who would love this feature a lot. You also fail to see the reason why playing together with your friends makes a game all the more enjoyable and enhances the gameplay value by miles. Walk a mile in our shoes or stfu. It doens't affect you at all, hurray! But it does affect us!