New Content for Roleplayers

What would you consider content for role players?

This is an honest question, but it comes with a caveat.

We consider the playerbase as a whole when we implement content. Ultimately, whatever we implement "for role players" would be there for everyone else, too, and thus we have to look at what someone who does not role play would get out of it as well. When asking for content for the role playing community, be sure to consider what those who do not belong to that subset of the community would get out of the suggestion as well.

As an example, I often see requests for more empty backdrop spaces, such as inns and other buildings, to utilize in role playing. However, for every space like that we implement, it appears as unfinished, wasted space to those who do not role play, and that's not an ideal situation. We understand the actual nature of the request -- wanting empty, potentially interactive spaces for events and the like -- but that request isn't really solved by adding a number of spaces unused and rotting in the game world for the vast majority of the realms.

Another consideration is one of priority. Developer time is not unlimited, and thus creating content that impacts the majority of the playerbase and gives a lot of bang for the buck is where the highest priority lies. Designing armor that PvErs and RPers alike will use would be of higher priority than town clothes, for example. That isn't to say we don't create flavor items, as we clearly do, but when it comes to choosing between one or the other, the one that impacts the most players will be the one chosen in general.

PvE and PvP do get a higher priority as those systems make up the game itself, but we are not deaf to the role players. We're listening. We simply have a number of factors to take into consideration. :)

Q u o t e:
I'd like to draw your attention to why we want some improvements, we have nothing to use in our RP except a handful of empty inns, and level 80 gearsets. And most of us are finding it hard to put RP together with those resources only.

If you'd like to discuss this, please don't resort to hyperbole. This statement is quite far from the truth in all respects.

I do appreciate those who have answered thus far. I may not respond again, but we're out there reading.

Understand that this thread isn't a laundry list of things to be implemented. Everything is subject to feasibility, resource priority, direction, and design sense, and inevitably some suggestions simply don't meet the criteria necessary.

Q u o t e:


Will you guys at least address the RP and RP-PVP server TOS enforcement?

I am a designer.

Your policy suggestions would be better served on the Suggestion forum and to wowgmfeedback-us@blizzard.com. This is a thread concerning content, not policy, though I'm quite aware policy is part of the experience.