20121211, mardi

It's almost the supposed Mayan Apocalypse!  Oi.

A. While skimming (they are long)

1. http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/7349425617 
2. http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/7004016082?page=1 
3. http://wow.joystiq.com/tag/cross-realm-zones/

the contrarian in me got interested.  I saw a huge number of comments, with a small number of ideas; that is, the usual mix.

B. Some of the more often repeated refrains on how to get subscribers to return:

1. Make more races.  Alternately, remove some of the existing races.
2. More specs per class, usually 4 per class was advocated, like the 4 in druid.
3. Add another faction, as in Alliance vs Horde vs x.  Perhaps x is neutral, perhaps not.  Sounds like the pandas.
4. Keep CRZ.  Drop CRZ.  Improve CRZ.   (Cross Realm Zones)
5. Model upgrades (vanilla races look 'old' or 'ugly' compared to say, goblins).
6. Model configuration extension on character creation: taller/shorter, beefier/thinner, more hair styles and colours, body art, various ages, and so on.
7. Spend some real gold on in game icon art, which often looks dated and inappropriate.
8. Make all classes available to all races.  Or, cut down on the number of classes particular races can use.
9. Write tank specs for all classes.  Alternately, don't do this, ever.
10. We have farms in Mists?  So let's have player housing, guild bases, permanent flying fortresses.

C. Yikes.  In reply to the piles of suggestions I saw, I'd go for (in order)

1. removing some races, notably pandas, goblins, and worgen.  Add the Mogu as a playable race.
2. reducing the specs per class.  Druid tanks?  Absurd; one swipe of an axe and a flesh bear is dead.  Shadow priests?  Contradiction. Throw out the specs that are just too ridiculous.  Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
3. having a believable neutral faction?  I like this idea.  Perhaps the Mogu will have a resurgence, reclaim Pandaria, and expel the interlopers (Horde and Alliance) from Pandaria.  That would be one expansion.  A second expansion would be the Mogu invasion and conquest of Kalimdor, where Orgrimmar and Thunder Bluff are crushed and burned to the ground, along with all Alliance settlements and bases.
4. CRZ just degrades rendering and frame rates.
5. I like this idea.
6. I like this idea.
7. I like this idea.
8. No, a thousand times, no.   Gnomes, dwarves, goblins, and pandas should never be death knights.  Pandas should never be rogues, warriors, paladins, shaman, warlocks, mages, priests, druids, or shaman.  They look either too stupid (males) or too cutesy (females).  Lots of races should not be shaman or druids.
9. Tanks should be protection warriors or protection paladins.  I'd say delete tank specs for other classes.
10. Blizzard wrote other games, notably StarCraft and Warcraft.  These involve building lots of structures and using those to further your game play.  In StarCraft, the aim of your opponent is to destroy all your structures.  In Warcraft (users have told me repeatedly), one spends much effort in building structures for enjoyment and wealth, only to have them destroyed for the fun of marauders.----So, Blizzard came up with World of Warcraft to get away from those models.  Since Blizz introduced phasing, I guess they think they can go back to structural crafting without the complaints that marauders bring to the surface.
11. Yes, sure, right.  The inevitable call will come (many thousands of times)...'we must be able to destroy the Alliance barracks in Theramore' or 'we of guild x demand the right to raid and burn and utterly destroy the guild base of guild y.'

D. More comments...about dumbing down WoW and driving away subscribers.

1. The severely reduced talent trees offer fewer choices; many of these choices are useless.
2. Gutting of other configuration.  For instance, hunters no longer use mana; the focus model is very limiting.  There is no way that I know of to extend or modify it.  Mana-using classes have the size of their mana pools decided by the game, not by choices of armour and enchantments.
3. The character slot for relics, wands, bows, and thrown items has been removed.  I liked all of those, and feel the opposite about Blizzard for yet another 'I think you are stupid' design decision.  The loss of ranged attack versatility hurts.
4. The class/spec successful spell combinations have often been reduced to perhaps 4 to 6 spells.  Fire mage comes to mind, as does certain parts of Mistweaver monks.
5. I have benefited personally from the dumbing down of spell combinations.  Some of my alts in either Antonidas or in Uldum have not been used regularly for a while.  When I come back to these alts, I see the Simon-says aspect, and say to myself, 'ok, just use these 5 spells in this rotation and I can do dungeons in PuGs.'   There is no need to master the character.  But then again, there is less character to master (all races, all specs, all talent trees).
6. For me, that has been truly helpful, since I can revive old alts and look successful in execution.  But lets face it: I might as well be playing Guild Wars 2, which limits you to 10 spells equipped.  Period.  GW2 is free of subscription costs.
7. The noxxic website is now (my opinion) authoritative for any class and any spec.  Noxxic gives one a clear map on how to choose armour for any character.  This has been enabled by the lobotomized talent tree, and the corresponding simplification of internal character mechanics.  For instance, hunters used to be able to benefit demonstrably from increments in strength, agility, intellect, and stamina.  Intellect has been removed.  Since the ranged slot has gone, the need for close-in strength is gone.
8. This makes armour choices very clear cut, and re-forging 'guidelines' are all very precise.  Follow them, and the short spell rotations, and you will do well.  Otherwise, not.
9. That is, don't think about it, follow the reduced rule set, and you will succeed.
10. Again, I have benefited from this.  Since I have too many characters, I need short cuts, and Mists has provided this in abundance.
11. Currently, I'm having fun with it, but I no longer see the distinction that put WoW well above other games.  That has been surgically removed.
12. If I hear a solid rumour that the Mogu will conquer Azeroth, perhaps I'll change my assessment.