I don't know... I think the game has changed, time has changed, people have changed... I'm not saying it's anyone's fault in particular mind you, but I wouldn't say that modern WoW is as social as things were in 2004. Certainly they've done some things to try and facilitate that social experience, such as the community tabs, voice chat options, etc over the years, but at the same time, I do think they could take steps to do more. Things like returning guild rewards and achievements, some manner of instanced or phased guild halls, description tabs for characters, bonuses for grouping while doing content or grouping with the same people/server/guild that week... just little things that incentivize player interactivity and the formation of communities. Whether things are different now or no, doesn't mean it isn't something that we shouldn't focus on improving, going forward.
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
The main problem is that the original vanilla wow player base has grown, the current generation Z has the "it's instant everything" must, which is reflected in video games, social media / media in general.In 2005 I was 21 when I started playing vanilla, I was a university student and the daily schedule allowed me extreme flexibility in the request to participate in social in game activities. 15 years later, with wife, children, work, it is unthinkable (at least for me) to spend the only 2-3 evening hours I have available to progress perhaps by 1% in Classic WOW. I could barely organize a group for dungeons, without possibly finishing one. My Warlock in Classic has stopped for 6 months at lv 37, and maybe it will stay there forever.Classic is no longer social or less social than Vanilla, it is a medium, like a telephone. The way it is used has changed. Not having the same tools as retail, it makes it more difficult to interface. It would be like going back to using a StarTAC and complaining that whatsapp is missing.
In other words, "You think it's not social, but it is."
And they will NEVER admit taking all rewards from heroics and putting them mythic's content thats less accessible didnt have an impact at all.
Vanilla was social just because it was new, not because it was really social. The classic release has proved this.
its more social for people who want to be social and less social for people who dont want to...its really not fault of the game taht people changed and dont want to be social...
Anyone get the feeling that J's response is a slap down to Mike Morheim's recent quip about WoW being less social than it used to be? This smells like damage control to me.
You literally don't have realm communities anymore because you will almost never interact with people on your realm outside of your guild thanks to cross realm but expecting Brack to admit that maybe some of their design choices might have come with negative drawbacks was foolish.In classic, we have players that literally everyone knows within the server. People who stand out for their personalities or their actions be it good or bad. This is the kind of thing we lost in retail and I'm sure some people don't care but for many of us it gave everything an organic feel that made the game feel like more than just what was programmed - each realm became its own unique experience because of the players hosted in them.I can't believe people buy into the whole 'Its the people who changed' narrative. No. People don't change on a whim or over time like that without influence from their surroundings. Literally nobody is on board with this same idea when we talk about how people go back to their ex's and say nonsense like 'but he/she's changed!' you already know those stories always end with 'no... no they didn't'.If the people changed, its because the game did. Once we were forced into complete anonymity through cross realm, thats when people stopped caring about their own personal image. Thats when people who played for themselves and had no patience for other players took over. Thats when that behavior took over in other people. It was easier to just kick players who played poorly rather than build them up because all you had to do was click a button and they would be replaced. If you were toxic about it, it didnt affect you because all you had to do was click a button and you're whisked away into your next group where nobody knows or cares who you are. A fresh start every time. It wasn't just the old trolls who came back out of hiding to enjoy the game they initially screwed themselves out of, it was old veterans like me who started this crap too. There was simply no merit in being patient anymore.I tried to find a guild after interest fell apart with Cataclysm and every guild I ran into just carried a hive mind mentality of this stuff. I've been kicked out of guilds for even daring to show the slightest hint of neutrality or fair justice to people they would kick for the most menial of things. I kept on playing resenting this new social standard but it absolutely wasn't my own fault that the social aspect was gone. Everyone was forced into being as faceless as the npcs and thats entirely because of the way the game enabled it. If it was remotely true that I changed and thats why then that doesn't explain why playing Classic gives me exactly the experience I was expecting and everything is back as it should be. Toxicity is practically gone. I've seen an entire guild (well established in raiding content) led by a few idiots that antagonized the server fall apart because people stopped interacting with them. We are held accountable for our actions again because people KNOW who you are and the only way you can escape the pool of players you're with is by changing servers or rerolling and smartening up. I'm more inclined to help players who struggle because I know I'm going to see a lot of them and I know that they are just trying to have fun with us as well. I know that I cant just push a button and magically get a new group of people who don't know me. People will remember you if you're a good player, not just at the game, but as a person as well. This doesn't exist in retail. I'm sure you can find a good guild with good people in it if you keep at it, but you will never get the same feeling you get from the random faces you see each day because they are always changing - you'll never just enter a BG or join a group and be like 'oh hey dude nice to see you again' because the revolving door of players is so massive in those moments that the odds of it happening are all but gone.And thats the price you paid for convenience. I'm sure some of you are okay with that. But the narrative that these quality of life changes were only positive is flat-out insulting and disingenuous.
You think he said something, but it's just bunch of business talk gibberish
They either think we are stupid, or they don't see reality as it is tbh.They keep making statements that make no sense over and over.
First, I have to say this article had me nodding throughout in agreement and appreciation for excellent points made.
I remember that time when Operation Mechagon just launched and I joined a "chill exploration" group. Discovering the dungeon unspoiled, wiping quite often, explaining what we have learned during the wipe, and doing a different Strat. Finishing the dungeon after 2h30.Just not having people leaving after the first wipe was awesome, but having people finding ways to finish this amazing dungeon, oh myMy best memory of BFA so far.We can still find classic in retail, if we slow down and take the time again ;-) Look for "chill" in the lfg tool :-)
I mostly agree, the social aspect of wow is unlike other MMOs
I see Brack doesn't understand what people mean by "Social".Sure, in retail I can roll up on raid night, shoot the !@#$ with people and have a good time. But I can do that entirely contained within my guild and never even speak to people outside of it.In Vanilla, and in most older MMOS, your guild was not the only circle of people you needed to interact with. You had an entire community to speak with, now you have "Communities" to speak with and the idea of random social interaction is literally removed.