Don't worry, I'm not really - but there does seem to be a large number of posts these days where this exact statement is used.
It seems every man and his dog is departing WoW for pastures new these days, and certainly a cursory glance through my favourite blogs of yesteryear would concur - so many authors having left or stopped writing would clearly indicate that, for them, the game just doesn't inspire them as much anymore. For the most part with the "I quit" posts, there is a general level of commonality that extends beyond the main two groups of people; those who are content that their time has come to an end and express thanks to Blizzard for the effort, and those who blame Blizzard entirely for their loss of enjoyment and endeavour to make that fact abundantly clear.
One thing they almost all have in common, however, is their opening sentence (beyond the title, of course):
"I've been playing since vanilla...[insert post here]."
For me, this is where it all lies. I don't think it's to do with easy gameplay, I don't think it's to do with truncated levelling, I don't think it's to do with walkover dungeons, I don't think it's to do with social corrosion, I don't think it's to do with LFD, I don't think it's to do with cross-server battlegrounds, I don't think it's to do with easy loot, I don't think it's to do with prescriptive questing, I don't think it's to do with grinding/farming. Hell, I don't even think it's to do with unforgivably daft developers who "hate my class omg".
I think it's to do with the fact that everything has a shelf life. For many, that threshold has either passed or is fast approaching, and the current Blizzard outlook doesn't meet with their own. Forgive this xenophobic slur, but it wouldn't be entirely disingenuous to liken the player relationship with Blizzard to the British political situation of the noughties - people just made the best of a bad job (the Labour party) because there was no decent alternative.
Except now, in both examples, there is.
I should state here and now that I still enjoy WoW and will be playing for the indefinite future. I maintain the opinion that it's the best game of its kind, it gives me almost everything I want from an MMO and logging on is no chore. However, I also can't deny the very obvious realization that I just don't feel the way I used to about WoW. I had that feeling of magic during The Burning Crusade and most of Wrath of the Lich King, where everything I did in PvE was just good fun. I hadn't become bored with grinding, I loved doing challenging instances, I didn't know or play my class all that well and there was just so much that I didn't know.
Maybe what players "know" is the real culprit. The more you know, the less you have to discover and players with little to nothing to discover are not going to enjoy things as much as they did. Each new expansion brings more quests (I know how to do them), more levels (I know how to do them), more talent specializations (I know how to do them) more reputation grinds (I know how to do them) more instances (I know how to do them), more battlegrounds (I know how to do them), more arenas (I know how to do them) and more raids (I know how to do them). The sad truth is that Cataclysm hasn't brought anything new to players who've been with WoW for a long time. It's merely the Emperor's New Clothes and, in truth, that's all an expansion really can be until Blizzard come up with something totally new, fresh and different. The problem is that mucking with an inherently successful formula for MMO game design is fraught with needless danger.
Look at what Cataclysm has made WoW into. Dull and repetitive grinding is pretty much gone, the ludicrous search for your next quest hub has disappeared, access to dungeons is unprecedented, gearing up for harder content is much more convenient, travelling time is substantially reduced and talent selection is far more streamlined. It's also created casual PvP in the form of normal battlegrounds, with the competitive edge catered for in the arena and rated battlegrounds. Added to that there is end-game PvE content that caters for those willing to work at it, while also having a difficulty commensurate with the best players in the world. I know that many view some of the above as inherently negative, but it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that Cataclysm is Blizzard's best designed iteration of WoW to date if you're looking from the ground up. If you're a new or intermediate player, you're likely having an absolute ball while those more advanced in "WoW years" are feeling a little jaded. The only way us older statespeople can really appreciate how good WoW is these days is to view it from the lens of the beginner; and therein lies the issue.
The only way to do that is with a time machine.
Even if we deleted all our characters and started again, we still know how to group quests up and execute a good rotation. There are now more WoW veterans than ever before purely by virtue of the game's age, many of which utterly lacking in patience for those who are new to the game or simply not that good at it. Perhaps the magic of The Burning Crusade came from the larger percentage of intermediate players at the same standard as you both in skill and gear, married with a better server community. It's almost impossible for me to properly articulate what it is, because I now know what I know and cannot comment on what I don't know, when I do know it.
This is not a call for the end of WoW, nor a sandwich-board march about its death throes. WoW has more to offer new and intermediate players now than it ever has before, and by a distance. What I AM trying to say is that the time will come when you've gotten everything you can from a game and it's only ever going to be more of the same. We shouldn't suggest that the game has suddenly become awfully bad, more try and appreciate that you've done what you can with the product as it is. If Blizzard can come up with something totally new that utterly revamps our outlook of the game, then more power to them; perhaps it'll be something they implement for Titan.
But while every man and his dog seemingly heads for the door, I just wanted to get in and say something while I still love playing the game and appreciate what's great about it:
You've done a great job, Blizzard - thank you for the time you've invested, the time I've spent and the times I'll never forget.
P.S - Why do you hate warriors? Buff them omg.
Running wild through Azeroth from the perspective of a Protection warrior.
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The more I think about it the more I agree with you on why people leave, why WoW is in many way better than ever before, and generally all your views in this post. But the title is sooo deceptive, you gave me a scare there! It would be sad to lose another tanking blog, there are so few left, with people left and right quitting not just the game but blogging as well.
ReplyDeleteI for one am very glad that the game still has charm for me even after 5+ years, what worries me slightly is as GC said the fact that pretty much the whole of the original WoW dev team has already left WoW to work on Titan. It might be just my imagination but there seem to be signs that the new staff aren't quite sure about their "game", stuff getting truncated from the game, abilities nerfed then buffed etc. They are doing a decent job nevertheless, I just hope they don't trash the game too much until Titan comes out ^^
Hmm...logical sense. I agree with the point that every game has a shelf life. When EQ 1 finally had it's last days I was sooo sad. It was the first MMO I had ever played. Doesn't mean I don't like the game, in many ways it was hellified harder for the solo player. Times change, people change. You are right, it would take soething completely innovative to keep a lot of the long time players interested. On my own blog, I listed a few cosmetic things that might hold some interest, but only to a niche crowd.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that in the attempt to blow the world to shreds, long time players were upset. I wonder if the familarity is something long time players missed post cata. I'm not sure. Personally I'm still quite happy after taking a break from the game and playing a different one for awhile. Now I have new and interesting things to look after.
Sudiin, I think your point about the developers has merit; there's an old adage that when someone converts to a new religion, you need to lock them up for six months to stop them turning every discussion into a religious one.
ReplyDeleteI think there may be a certain amount of trying to do "too" much and we end up with the silly buff-nerf cycle we've seen until now. One one hand, I like the direction because they're trying to deal with issues immediately. On the other hand, much of the problems arise from poor design decisions from the outset (Colossus Smash is just one such example).
And I like some of your blogged ideas, Mhor - as you say, though, they're a bit too cosmetic to really get long-term players thinking again. They would, however, be a step in the right direction because they would cater to those who do find such things enjoyable and/or important.