Herds of Cats, And it's ALL BLIZZ's FAULT!!!!

Not Really.
I hear allot of complaining back and forth from forums to Blogs about how Blizz just isn't catering to individual needs. Here are some thoughts for ya as I really wish I had a scotch in hand rather than a bottle of water at work. First and foremost, no matter what the game developers at Blizz do, there will be an outcry of righteous indignation about how the Dev team has totally sold out the game. Outcries will continue about how the game is a total epic fail. But umm...wait. On any given server there are probably between 4k - 8k players. Now, I forget how many servers there are...but umm the game ain't dead. So, in the bottom line of things, they must be doing something right. Understand Blizz created the gaming model upon a theme park business strategy. Pure and simple. There is a little something for everyone. But the game won't be EVERYTHING TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL! Keep that concept in mind friends and neighbors. Understand the concept that the game will evolve and maybe not in the direction you want it to. That happens. Understand no game created was meant to have the top of the player list forever. BUT, even when a game looses it's lifespan, there will still be enough players to support the game itself. Proof in this is the fact that EQ1 and 2 have still been pumping out content patches and have a small but loyal player base. DAOC still does this as well, matter of fact last year they finally added into their graphics more realistic water graphics. SWG still enjoys a small but active community and they throw out content patches every few months as well. Age of Conan even though their dev team hasn't really done any major content patches in the last few months still has a lively but small community, enough to support the game itself. Almost every MMO out there still has a dedicated small amount of people who still play....well maybe not Aeion...I kid I kid.

My point is, I hear the moans and lamentations of how Cata is the doom of WoW. Folks, it's not. It might be the doom of YOUR play experience. This is ok. You weren't meant to play it forever. Do what good pro sports players do...bow out while your still on top. Find another MMO. Or, just bask in the twilight of your uberness.

Look, I came back for the lore and a world messed up. I love instances. People sometimes think they are easy. Well, ya if you are running around in your BOA gear, didn't transfer a ton of gold to an alt to level. Yes that is easier. You know when I was leveling my warrior and last month he was still in his low 30's my guild and I consistently tried to not hit instances AT level, but made sure they were orange or red to us to feel a bit of heat on us. We tried very non orthodox methods of our five mans to see if we could pull it off like 4 hunters and a holy pally. Didn't always work, lotsa times we died, but it was fun again because we challenged ourselves. We got to play the classes WE wanted to play for FUN.

I understand the Raider's point of view in that I have seen, Tobold put out some excellent points himself. But I also see allot of elitism out there. Since our guild is still short of 3 people for a ten man, we haven't really gotten into raiding as yet. So, one of my friends goes out and studies his ass off about a specific raid that his gear score would at least allow entry. Hmm..he was rebuffed and kicked so fast his head spun. Elitism. Not, hey...you studied, this is the way we do it, we'll give ya a shot and if it doesn't work out, then goodbye. Raiders are very skilled people. I admire the hardcore ones. But honestly, once you beat the bosses, what's left? Time to move on.

Casual players cry because Waah, Raids are too tough. Ok, so Blizz developed a few 5 mans maybe some heroics. Stop complaining. You got what you wanted.

PvPers cry when the Class of the Month gets nerf batted or one class gets favored ( Warrior Arms + Colossal Smash = pink spray across the BG). Nobody is always going to get what they want. Wait till that one gets nerfed, the Warrior community will be in tears.

RPers which actually are a very vocal minority feel as though there isn't enough to capture their attention, or that after Cata their perfect world of fun is umm...dead and the magic is lost.

Ya...Herding cats. Blizz does all that it can to keep content out there and still is, regardless of your thoughts the most played mmo out there. But no one wants to concede they do what they can to appease everyone, not just a niche crowd. They updated their graphic but I hear QQ about the cartoonishness. Ladies and Gentlemen the game was created so that you didn't need a damned AI driven rig from the 24th century to play. It's meant so everyone can have some fun.

Personally, I do still have fun. I rotate my needs between farming, crafting, getting raid ready, PvPing, RPing and umm fishing for shits and giggles. But if you came to focus on just one little thing, you may get bored real quick. Think on this, if you payed 50 or 60 bucks to go to Disney land because you loved their Haunted House ride. Would only only go to the haunted house repeatedly? If so, you got more focus than I. Nope, for my 50 bucks I want to see EVERY ride...well almost every ride, the tea cup one was only fun when my daughter was 4 years old. But I want the full experience and I damned sure can't get all of it in one day and still have a fun time. Is an MMO any different? My theory is that it's not. Also remember the dev's are trying to improve game play as much as they can. It takes time so try a little patience.

Before you guys scream I'm a fanboi, the only reason I left Age of Conan was that the content became super stale. Ony 4 BG's, 3 major raids and a pvp system that changed from skill to strictly gear. I loved Age of Conan. The Hyborian word was vibrant, deadly and seductive. Player Cities were the absolute bomb! Having a special underground guild hall where you could duel your buddies or or kick back with the super RPness was awesome. Terrain that was actually useful for fighting from!  There are allot of things I missed about that game, but I left when I felt it was time to return to WoW. My point here is that if you aren't having fun, walk away. Stop wasting your free time and your hard earned money. If Rift turns you on, go for it! Enjoy a new world! But the bitching and crying...it doesn't solve a damned thing.

Cold and Cruel? Maybe, but I won't lie and I don't kiss up to anyone. For me, I'm still having a ton of fun exploring, finding new lore and enjoying all the other diverse parts of Azeroth. Stop blaming the dev's whoa re just trying to balance catering to you the player base, and then the investors that provide their advancement capitol and finally the Company that provides THEIR paycheck to pay bills etc. You're not the only one out there, nor are you the center of the universe.

Those who honestly get what I'm saying, thank you. Have a great day and Happy hunting out there in Azeroth!!