My thoughts on World of Warcraft Patch 4.0.1...
Blizz have had a habit of Nerfing difficulty. It is something they have repeatedly done over time, but never to such a huge extent.
Some of the ideas that they have about improving replay value, are truly idiotic. Most studios try to add things to a game that people will want to do, that doesn't leave them feeling like they have just been kicked in the nuts.
Patch 4.0.1 has upset a HUGE number of people. Why? let me explain.
People who have played the game for years, whilst on occasion have had to respec their characters to compensate for minor changes in gameplay mechanics, their playstyle has never had to change a great deal, so they have been able to go into a new content edition, reasonably confident that their character will be equally as able, and in the correct gear.
This new change means that those people, after several years now have to completely learnt their characters again, as the mechanics have completely changed, stat requirements have now totally changed, and character customization has been reduced.
Don't get me wrong there was never a huge amount of customization available in the first place. Basically the game has been made even more idiot mode, but reducing the number of talent points you have to choose from, and foregone the usual "Think about your attack rotation" mentality for shiny symbols that appear on screen and basically tell you what attack to use next.
Gear will also be an even bigger issue now. Where specific gear would be rolled for normally by the correct class of character, i.e a retribution paladin would roll for plate gear with strength, stamina, crit, haste and attack power, where a fury warrior would roll for gear that has hit and armor penetration, there is now a mechanic that allows players to change stats on the gear they get, which means that people will just roll for whatever gear they can wear, and change the stats later.
Add to that the new Raid lockout which means that if you do a 10 man dungeon, its 25 man version will also lock out, so now you have more competition for gear, and less opportunities to get it.
Blizzard really do need to get it out of their skulls, that increasing replay value, doesn't mean just making it a more long and arduous process to get gear, or in this case additionally having to relearn your entire character. And in the case of most wow players, several characters. On the realm in which I used to play, almost all of the people i played with for several years, have now quit the game, because they are nauseated by having to re-learn their characters after all this time, and most of the challenging parts of the game now being super easy mode.
The game is now officially only one step away from dropping all pretences and being released on XBox live for the button masher retards, and that is that there currently are not enough buttons on the Xbox controller to make playing on that platform a feasible option.
Blizz have had a habit of Nerfing difficulty. It is something they have repeatedly done over time, but never to such a huge extent.
Some of the ideas that they have about improving replay value, are truly idiotic. Most studios try to add things to a game that people will want to do, that doesn't leave them feeling like they have just been kicked in the nuts.
Patch 4.0.1 has upset a HUGE number of people. Why? let me explain.
People who have played the game for years, whilst on occasion have had to respec their characters to compensate for minor changes in gameplay mechanics, their playstyle has never had to change a great deal, so they have been able to go into a new content edition, reasonably confident that their character will be equally as able, and in the correct gear.
This new change means that those people, after several years now have to completely learnt their characters again, as the mechanics have completely changed, stat requirements have now totally changed, and character customization has been reduced.
Don't get me wrong there was never a huge amount of customization available in the first place. Basically the game has been made even more idiot mode, but reducing the number of talent points you have to choose from, and foregone the usual "Think about your attack rotation" mentality for shiny symbols that appear on screen and basically tell you what attack to use next.
Gear will also be an even bigger issue now. Where specific gear would be rolled for normally by the correct class of character, i.e a retribution paladin would roll for plate gear with strength, stamina, crit, haste and attack power, where a fury warrior would roll for gear that has hit and armor penetration, there is now a mechanic that allows players to change stats on the gear they get, which means that people will just roll for whatever gear they can wear, and change the stats later.
Add to that the new Raid lockout which means that if you do a 10 man dungeon, its 25 man version will also lock out, so now you have more competition for gear, and less opportunities to get it.
Blizzard really do need to get it out of their skulls, that increasing replay value, doesn't mean just making it a more long and arduous process to get gear, or in this case additionally having to relearn your entire character. And in the case of most wow players, several characters. On the realm in which I used to play, almost all of the people i played with for several years, have now quit the game, because they are nauseated by having to re-learn their characters after all this time, and most of the challenging parts of the game now being super easy mode.
The game is now officially only one step away from dropping all pretences and being released on XBox live for the button masher retards, and that is that there currently are not enough buttons on the Xbox controller to make playing on that platform a feasible option.
