#1 - March 22, 2016, 8:07 p.m.
I understand why there are alpha forums. I understand that you need a single place for feedback and that said feedback should only be coming from those who are actually testing Legion. I even understand that you need to limit the bombardment of OMG BLIZZ WHYYY waaaaambulance posts that you're obligated to read in order to obtain useful Legion feedback.
That said, WoW has a player base of 5-10 million people at any given time. Those who are in the alpha actually testing changes represent only a fraction of a percent of that player base, and those who represent the "average" WoW player are even fewer. Alpha is the time when the biggest changes can be made. Once beta hits, the likelihood of major class/spec reworks becomes remarkably slim. And let's be fair, Legion is changing A LOT about every class. We're talking major reworks all around.
While I realize that those of us who aren't hands-on testing changes in the alpha don't have a 360-degree view and can't provide technical feedback, we can certainly discern a fair bit from reading, calculating, and watching gameplay. Yet repeatedly, when someone attempts to post class-specific feedback in these forums, he or she is told to post in the alpha forums, and the thread is locked. Great, what if I'm not in the alpha?
I would think, at least in a perfect world, that more feedback equals a better range of perspectives and ideas, greater confidence that the feedback is "representative" of your player base, and ultimately, feedback that is more useful to your development decisions. And on that basis, there really should be a place where non-alpha players can also provide feedback.
Sincerely,
An "average" WoW player
EDIT POST-DISCUSSION FOR EASE OF NEWCOMERS:
It has since been confirmed by MVPs and a Blue that non-alpha players are perfectly entitled to post class-specific Legion feedback in the relevant class forums here. Also, said feedback is reviewed by CMs and compiled for devs whether you get a CM acknowledgment or not. Despite what you may have seen in terms of threads being locked, that's the official word.
So on that basis, I've made a request:
Can we please get sticky threads for Legion feedback in the class forums? It would go a long way to 1) create a centralized place for feedback instead of a sea of disparate threads and 2) make it clear to non-alpha peeps that there is in fact a welcome place for said feedback.
