#1 - March 3, 2016, 4:01 p.m.
I wanted to reach out, as I've done many times on the forums over the years (though never very 'actively'), to let Blizzard employees know my feelings. Sometimes they've been (hopefully) well constructed criticisms, and sometimes they've been fluffy commentary on things I liked. Today is the latter. :)
It seems so often, these days, that I hear people complain, voraciously, about changes made to the game. When Paladin/Warlock mount quests were removed, people complained because new players were getting these things 'free'. When the leveling experience was, let's say expedited, many complained that the game was 'too accessible' or 'easy' to new players.
I hear these complaints, and I think to myself, that I don't have those same complaints. Or, at least, not for the same reasons. When the quest mounts were removed, I was not angry that new players had it easier, I was pleased that I managed to have that experience before it ended. I was slightly sad that new players wouldn't see it. You see, I wanted to share my experiences with my fellow players. So I kept the necessary items, useless now, as a trinket to show off, and regale new players with interesting stories!
I try to ask myself what I might remember as those first beautiful moments of a sprawling new world, ripe with lore, stabbies, and things to put the stabbies in, had I started recently? I thought I might compile a list of things that, perhaps others have taken for granted.
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1: Heirlooms
Old Player: Run to vendor, blind clicks, log onto alt, slap-equip, zerg to X level.
New Player: Discover vendor, save up, spend an inordinate amount of time excitedly deciding which one to pick, equip it and show off.
2: Cataclysm Questing
Old Player: Explore new areas a bit, largely irrelevant stuff, but kind of cool. Do quests for achievements.
New Player: Literally the first and only story they know about WoW. This isn't a 'remake' of the world to them, all those little nooks and crannies? They're not comparing it to the old world, and finding it wanting in the face of nostalgia. That's gotta be awesome, I wish I could experience WoW brand new again like that, with all the new stuff!
3: Battle Pets
Old Players: Many old players enjoy this hobby. Many old players also see it as 'a tack on' experience. Not really 'part of' the WoW experience, but kind of there.
New Players: Probably an even split of "likes" and "doesn't like". The big difference is that for new players, this is just part of the game. It's one more in a massive, near-unending list of things to do that you barely understand, and can't wait to try.
4: Dungeon Journal
Old Players: Definitely played with this for a bit, but many players (that I know) moved on quickly. Raids require more information, and dungeons are 'easy'.
New Players: Huge boon for new players, explaining a bit of lore, and background, as well as what to expect. The new map system, while helpful for older players, was downright manna for many new players I've encountered.
5: Time-Walking
Old Players: It was neat, but after seeing 8000 times in it's own expansion, some players have found it hard to swallow.
New Players: A wonderful opportunity to experience these old dungeons at max level. Difficulty notwithstanding, this is the best chance many new players have to experience these dungeons at-level.
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There you have it. Is it 100% fact and 0% opinion? No, of course it's mostly opinion. I want to point out that many of these things that we, as a community, complain about, are biased by our years of experience.
We must never forget that people poured, and continue to pour, their heart and souls into this game; players and developers alike. It is precisely this love, and passion, that we must never forget, that we must embrace and hold onto. We must remember that we will not always like everything that changes about our favorite things.
Just because our husbands or wives develop an irritating habit of playing the violin (poorly) in the afternoon, doesn't mean we don't love them. It means they have a new skill they're working out, and we need to support them. :)
Thank you, Blizzard. Thank you, Developers, Designers, Artists, and everyone that I can't think of a job title for.. You've made a vast, sprawling game. rich with characters, locations, flora, fauna, pantheons, and more. It's a crazy, wonderful world. It's frustrating, and irritating, and sometimes you have to step back and have some coffee. It's beautiful, and enthralling, and sometimes you lose that half an hour you needed to really get ready for work (but you'll never tell your boss that's why your nametag is still at home, no... the washing machine melted it!).
I have always strived to remember that in all changes, there are silver linings. So new players don't have to spend 1000g and hours of their time farming mats for the Warlock epic mount quest? Well, mostly I just feel blessed to have seen it first hand, and I'll continue to tell people of the things I loved about this game. Not with regret, or loss, but excitement. This is what this game is! It's all about those experiences, and there will always be new ones, amazing ones, if you let there be. :)
Some parts I'll have to simply imagine what my first "Oh my god that's awesome" moments would have been, some I'll have to remember what it was, and some, I get to have that too!
So, Thank You! I hope we can all take a moment sometimes and try to see the game through fresh eyes, and not just through lenses that we've decided to hemorrhage our nostalgia into.
TL:DR
Basically people complain about things being removed, or changed. Try to look at it from a new players perspective, with no bias towards the past.
What would you like about the game today, if you'd NEVER encountered it before? What little nooks might become your favorite spot? Where would you camp out when you were chatting, or doing random stuff, just because it looked cool?
