If there’s two things I’m used to in this day and age, it’s shitty software, and always changing MMO’s.
More specifically, the highly dynamic face of WoW.
That’s not good.
What makes players give up on WoW? Let’s take a moment and say, it’s not due to imbalanced this, and nerfed that, but instead, that because everything is always changing.
Now, being dynamic is critical in a lot of realms, perhaps even so in the MMORPG realm, however it also introduces an element that is rather, unattractive to a lot of players.
When a game dev’ is always mixing things up, changing core game components, such as class balance, consumables, and messing with mana, damage calculators, etc, you’re taking away something that gives the game it’s feel.
In real life, we’re stuck with how things are now, to a certain degree. Sure, you can become stronger, faster, smarter, your self, but you can’t make gravity obey your commands, and you can’t stop physics from working. This is important, it helps give the realness factor to real life.
You can have similar simulated features in a game, and players can develop a feeling for how the game works. There comes a point, that once you play long enough, that you get that “feel” for the way in which a game plays, and you are able to exploit subtle difference. It’s part of what separates the noobs from the “pros.”
You ask any CS player that isn’t shitty, how do I get better at this game? They’ll tell you, practice, practice, practice. That’s odd, so, it’s kind of like, a sport, then?
Exactly.
You ask any WoW player, how do I get better at this game? The one’s that aren’t 12 or the ones that aren’t terrible will tell you, stay on top of new gear, stay on top of reputations, show up for raids, practice arenas, read patch notes, figure out whats new, what you can potentially use to your advantage, what will no longer work, the list goes on and on…
Now, I understand these are obviously two very different games, but they’re both online, and are fundamentally the same if you take away all the gear, gold, guns, characters, and stereotypes.
Right now, on average, WoW has a relatively short turn around for it’s players. They go through this life cycle, and the length of the periods vary from each person, but are generally around the same.
1. Up front novelty of the game. Takes you all the way to max level, and into raiding, gearing up.
2. Developing your character. Once the novelty is gone, you play only because you want to get your character better.
3. Developing your reputation. Once your character has it all, you help your guild and friends do the same thing, this is also the point in which the game starts feeling more like a job, then a game, in many cases, and you feel a certain obligation to play it.
4. Retirement. Once everyone you know is developing their reputation (stage 3), you become this rather cocky person, you may work on alts, and alts galore, you may just stand around and show off how fucking awesome you are, even if you never say it. If you’re standing in main city with all your gear on, you’re already doing it. Retirement doesn’t mean you actually stop playing, but instead, you’re tired of all the same old shit, and wish shit would stop changing so much so you didn’t have to go back to stage 2.
People don’t like having to start over developing initial novelty aspects of their characters all over again. Sure, it’s fun a couple times or so, but after awhile, it gets annoying as fuck. This is the point where a lot of people will give up and realize this game is just designed to keep you playing for no damn reason. There’s no winning this game. You just play until something new comes out, then you play again.
When you’re near the end of you career in an MMO, you want to enjoy how the game has always been, and massively own noobs, and other people that like to call them selves “pro.” The only reason you know this is because you’ve spent loads of time playing the game how it’s always been, and are confident in your abilities because that’s how the game is always going to be. But, if you introduce what Blizz loves doing, that is, changing core game dynamics, how the game fundamentally plays, you no longer have that feeling of security, and the game you grew up with and loved has completely changed.
You have to relearn everything with a game that’s pretending to be the same thing, but is actually completely different from what you remember.
All I’m saying is, stop changing shit. Leave the game as fucked up or as perfect as it is now. That way, people adapt to the game, and figure out how to use things to their advantage, and what to avoid. Instead of the game adapting to what the masses or the developers want it to be like right now.
Obviously, this is not the model WoW has now, although I like to think that’s what it used to have.
The old model, being, capture our players, and keep them around, no matter what, by tailoring content to how the game has always been, the game they know, they love, and will continue to play.
The new model, that is, what it became a bit before TBC, is capture new players, have loads of goodies, make it easy as pie to get levels, decent gear, and tailor the game to the new content, and how the masses and the dev’s think fit. Pissing off old players due to the ever evolving core mechanics, but no worries, there’s plenty where that came from.
What keeps players playing old ass MMO’s like Helbreath or Diablo, and old time players coming back from time to time? The game never changes. It’s the great game you always remembered, always enjoyed.
The bottom line is, it has to do with the learning curve. You take WoW, an MMO with the lowest learning curve you could possibly imagine, and you get a game that’s great fun for awhile, but just gets damn annoying, with no depth involved in the end game due to shit changing around so much.
You take a game with a much greater learning curve like Diablo, Helbreath, or Eve, and the initial curve gets steeper and steeper due to old players getting better and better. This really sucks for new players, but this also removes the floods of massive noobs into your game, and the game is all around a much more enjoyable experience.
The Solution
Classic/advanced servers. Servers with static game mechanics that will never change dramatically. Only subtle tweaks from time to time, blatant exploits, crashes, etc.
Content can be limited, and only feature old game content even. In these servers, it’s more based on old school PvP, when it was still fun, and meaningful to have world PvP events.
Why it’s stupid not to have this:
-The size of the developer team devoted to these server types should be limited, this increases interaction between players and developers, and they can come to terms with what should be done in the game, thanks to developing relationships with the limited number of developers.
-A completely different persona is given to these servers. When executed correctly, they [Classic servers] will be where all the players that prefer classic game mechanics, or more simply, mechanics that aren’t ever changing, will show up.
-An increase in previously retired players will return to the game. Players that value this unchanging game dynamic, and would rather learn how to master the way the game is.
-It will make WoW look less noob, with the introduction of Classic game type servers, you have a familiar game franchise that is initially easy to get into with Blizz’s normal servers, and players, if they want, will be able to advance, or start new characters, on the Classic game servers.
-They’re not losing any current players, and a new, more mature audience is attracted back to the game.
I’m sure this has been discussed by Blizz before, it’s not that farfetched of an idea after all. I’d be interested to know their and your thoughts, potential problems, ideas, etc on this.
