[Swizzle] Retirement

[Deleted]

Mate. You are marking my words. I am not writing a lot of posts. But also played since the start of this game. The vanilla dudes. Nowdays its nothing like it anymore. Wow is a new game and needs new players. Thats where we dont fit in. Oldies leave and new ones are comming.

[Deleted]

You were overly critical and just rude. Not professional at all.
And what the hell was up with your hate on the Phoenix pet for mages? These things do not make sense.

[mistahwilshire]

I honestly have no idea who you are and I've played since 2006.

But good luck in life bro. Best wishes to you.

[Deleted]

Started playing WoW with Cata, and you where the first guy here on mmo who has answered some of my noobish questions. I hope you still stay with us for a while in the forums : )

[Vaelkder]

From a noob (8 months playing and trying to learn), I hope that you'll enjoy everything which you do.

Thank you for your help, critiques, blasting me out of self-pity when I couldn't seem to get the hang of even the simplest rotations (I read so many threads which you moderated that I felt as if you were over my shoulder constantly), and everything else which you've done to help each and every one of us.

Some might love you and some might hate you, but I'm certain that you are universally appreciated and admired for your time, effort, patience (and lack thereof! lol), and I certainly am glad that you have been here with your expertise (or is that HIT?).

Bon Voyage!

[cecild]

Good luck in everything you do in the future, and we will still be here when you come back. Mage Power.

[Deleted]

Best of luck in whatever you do IRL.

Take care

[Smigel]

Good luck in your other endeavors.

[Pua]

It's not a "state of the game" post, but it does highlight that the state of the game is forcing a long term player to give in...

Are we really arguing that there's too much to do? I'm not disagreeing (I can totally see the point), nor am I going to shoe Blizzard for providing more content than ever after the starvation of Cataclysm, but I've been hearing this argument a lot recently and it might be worth getting into the meat and drink of it.

This is, perhaps, not the thread.

[dementor]

It's not a "state of the game" post, but it does highlight that the state of the game is forcing a long term player to give in...

That is a whole bunch of bullshit. There is a ton of stuff to do, but almost of all of it is not mandatory. You don't need extra rolls, valor is kind of pointless atm, 300 food is only 25 stats better than the easy stuff to get, rep vendors have outdated items, hell my guild even gives me pots/flasks/repairs. Really all I have to do is long on and raid 3 nights a week for 4 hours a night... but sometimes that is even too much for me now. But that's not the game forcing me out, it's just that I have other shit to do.

Anyway adios Swizzle. Good luck to whatever you pursue IRL.

[Pua]

That is a whole bunch of bullshit. There is a ton of stuff to do, but almost of all of it is not mandatory. You don't need extra rolls, valor is kind of pointless atm, 300 food is only 25 stats better than the easy stuff to get, rep vendors have outdated items, hell my guild even gives me pots/flasks/repairs. Really all I have to do is long on and raid 3 nights a week for 4 hours a night... but sometimes that is even too much for me now. But that's not the game forcing me out, it's just that I have other shit to do.

You've jumped off the deep end a little here.

My point is purely that there are a great many players who are currently feeling somewhat... Overwhelmed by the amount of things to do in the game nowadays, and where is best to start with it all. This isn't a criticism (and it's unfortunate you appear to have taken it as one), merely an observation based on a lot of commentary. The community complained of not enough in Cataclysm, while now people are complaining about it being too much; to the extent when two of the world's most distinguished raiding guilds (vodka and Exodus) merged, and have now since called it a day.

Incidentally, here is what Killars said:

"Unfortunately we (hardcore raiders) pushed too hard. Tier after tier we just keep adding to the insanity in both farming preparations and actual progressing. It's almost as if progression itself never really ends after a end tier boss dies. Combine this with Blizzard actually putting new content out faster, alts playing a big role, PTR/BETA, dailys, coins, BMAH, well... you just get lost in it all."

Something isn't "a whole bunch of bullshit" because you can't see past your own viewpoint. A great many people are struggling to keep up with the requirements these days, and turning a blind eye to that because YOU aren't doesn't paint you in a very communal light.

Get a grip, man.

[Swizzle]

Honestly for me the biggest problem is a 5 hour time difference between where I live (London) and where all my friends are (east coast USA). The vast amount of fun things to do in WoW require friends and communication to actually be fun after such a long time. I log on and, if my friends aren't on, I log back off. The game isn't fun, or really playable outside of farming dailies, when solo.

If you want to know what Blizzard could do to get me back? Add a solo ranked queue for Arena and RBGs comparable to LoL or other MOBAs. Give people who do ARR (All Random Ranked) rewards such as titles, mounts, gear, and ladders, but make all of it inferior to actual grouped play.

There. I get to play by myself when I want and still feel like I've accomplished something. Not perfect, but better than praying to find a RBG group.

[Kiry]

Good luck! You have been awesome here. Appreciate your work.

As an old foggie that has been around, I completely get your reasonings. Take care.

[Taurrus]

I kind of feel identified with Swizzle retirement, I too left this game (January 2013), been playing since the beginning of 2009 (non stop). But somehow I just keep coming to this site, to read how are things going on.

I was just not having the same fun I use to have, and since I'm now into college and also working, there is no time for it.

Good luck Swizzle on your future endeavors.

[Grondath]

Dear god did you move to England? We're all doomed...

[dementor]

Incidentally, here is what Killars said:

"Unfortunately we (hardcore raiders) pushed too hard. Tier after tier we just keep adding to the insanity in both farming preparations and actual progressing. It's almost as if progression itself never really ends after a end tier boss dies. Combine this with Blizzard actually putting new content out faster, alts playing a big role, PTR/BETA, dailys, coins, BMAH, well... you just get lost in it all."

Something isn't "a whole bunch of bullshit" because you can't see past your own viewpoint. A great many people are struggling to keep up with the requirements these days, and turning a blind eye to that because YOU aren't doesn't paint you in a very communal light.

Wasn't taken as a criticism. I doubt you, or Swizzle, or 99.9% of the player base is held to the standard that Killars is. Raiding in a top guild-optional. Testing the beta-optional. Raiding on alts-optional. Doing LFRs-optional. Getting bonus rolls-optional. Doing dailies-optional, esp cause daily gear is outdated. Farming 300 food-optional. Progression never ending... wait isn't that what people have been begging for?

The game has always been overwhelming. You can do as little or as much as you would like. My point is just because there is even more stuff to do now, doesn't mean you have to do it all. In cata I knew people that would run DS like 6 times on all their various alts. Not me, I showed up for farm Tuesday, cleared the instance and logged for the week. Currently I raid 3 days, 12 hours, am 8/13 heroic and am satisfied. 8/13 heroic isn't great, but we are on pace to clear before the next tier, and without bragging it's better than 98% of raiding guilds this tier. Some people in my raid don't farm bonus rolls, few use 300 food, hell some people don't even have a legendary meta.

Some day people will learn that wow is a game, not a job, and it's meant to be fun. If you can't handle saying no to some parts of the game because they aren't fun to you or you don't have the time, it is YOU pushing YOURSELF out of the game, not the game forcing you out. And you are right, in a community where people think they have to farm everything no matter how many days/weeks/months it takes them, yeah maybe my view point is "off the deep end." I just know I enjoy both the game and real life, so I find a word not known by many... BALANCE.

And I am not saying Swizzle couldn't find balance either, he seems like a smart person. I just think your hypothesis that "the amount of content in the game is forcing people away" is quite ridiculous.

[Swizzle]

Wasn't taken as a criticism. I doubt you, or Swizzle, or 99.9% of the player base is held to the standard that Killars is. Raiding in a top guild-optional. Testing the beta-optional. Raiding on alts-optional. Doing LFRs-optional. Getting bonus rolls-optional. Doing dailies-optional, esp cause daily gear is outdated. Farming 300 food-optional. Progression never ending... wait isn't that what people have been begging for?

The game has always been overwhelming. You can do as little or as much as you would like. My point is just because there is even more stuff to do now, doesn't mean you have to do it all. In cata I knew people that would run DS like 6 times on all their various alts. Not me, I showed up for farm Tuesday, cleared the instance and logged for the week. Currently I raid 3 days, 12 hours, am 8/13 heroic and am satisfied. 8/13 heroic isn't great, but we are on pace to clear before the next tier, and without bragging it's better than 98% of raiding guilds this tier. Some people in my raid don't farm bonus rolls, few use 300 food, hell some people don't even have a legendary meta.

Some day people will learn that wow is a game, not a job, and it's meant to be fun. If you can't handle saying no to some parts of the game because they aren't fun to you or you don't have the time, it is YOU pushing YOURSELF out of the game, not the game forcing you out. And you are right, in a community where people think they have to farm everything no matter how many days/weeks/months it takes them, yeah maybe my view point is "off the deep end." I just know I enjoy both the game and real life, so I find a word not known by many... BALANCE.

And I am not saying Swizzle couldn't find balance either, he seems like a smart person. I just think your hypothesis that "the amount of content in the game is forcing people away" is quite ridiculous.

Just to point out, until MoP came out, I actually did raid in a top end guild, and had done so since the tail end of TBC (on my Mage anyway), so I understand better than most what Killars is talking about. To that end, yes, there is FAR more to do to be competitive on all levels in MoP than ever before. Part of that is their design theory of getting people into the world and playing alts. The other part is the increased focus on RBGs. A fraction of that is the format of the Legendary quest chain this time around.

All in all, there is simply far more that people actually have to do this time around, than ever before. Sure, resistance fights have been gone since Ulduar (big shout out to Hodir and Thorim on this one, those ass holes), but that doesn't mean that farming to play is gone. All of us know that this is part of a MMO and that it isn't WoW's fault. The thing is...most of us old timers have simply gotten older. Plain and simple. I've been playing for seven years now. I'm about to turn 24, so that means I've been playing since I was 17. My world has changed a shit ton in that time, and this game simply requires too much time for us "real life" people to play at a high level anymore. And the top-end guilds know it, just read Killars' comments.

Anyway, the game is fun if you can play it with friends at all times. But it is shit dull when you have to play by yourself.

[Malfecto]

Anyway, the game is fun if you can play it with friends at all times. But it is shit dull when you have to play by yourself.

This. It is why I don't play Rift or GW2 or any number of games that were "ok" mmo's (in my opinion) because my friends simply quit playing them. If it wasn't for my raid nights, and our off night of Gold CM attempts, I wouldn't play at all.

At any rate, that's not what this is about.

To Swizzle: When you came on to moderate this forum, I was just a lurker, for the most part. I watched you, and others, whip this board into shape. For that I say Kudos. Good luck in your other gaming endeavors, and Hope to see you again, if not in this game, maybe another.