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    World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

    Game » consists of 10 releases. Released Nov 13, 2008

    Travel to the arctic continent of Northrend in Blizzard's second expansion to the most popular MMORPG ever made.

    WoW.. Ruined by Activision

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    Darkstar614

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    Edited By Darkstar614

    I was recently linked this blog post about what WoW has become in Wrath of the Lich King:
     
     http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Fives-the-Paladin-Hates-the-Blues/Six-Words-that-Terrify-Blizzard
     
    (I'm kind of just hijacking the blog and posting it on mine, but whatever.. this expresses it so perfectly for me who was a hardcore raider for the better part of 4 years.)
     
    It's a long read and I apologize and try to post the key points.
     

     ...But Blizzard realizes this expansion has been little more than a public beta for their B-team of developers to try to figure out how to make a dollar out of 79 cents. They know a lot of people are just hanging on to finish what they started many years ago with TFT. They want to kill Arthas, and as soon as they do, they're going to bounce and take their subscriptions with them.


    .... Icecrown is the pinnacle of Warcraft. It's the connection from the end of Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, to World of Warcraft. It's what many people picked up wow to see. Ironically, it's also the pinnacle of Activision's taking over of Blizzard, and turning it into the cash focused beast it is. We've got race changes and faction changes for cash. Vanity pets for cash (which Blizzard is so big about, they give half the money to charity. Half. I guess the other half has to feed their kids, right? Without that panderan, kids all over california whose parents work for Blizzard would starve. Please, either go all-in with charity, or don't bother. It just makes you look duplicitous.).

     

    Now we have Arthas *****d out for maximum return. The irony is a bit cheesy, and maybe somewhat obvious, but Icecrown represents a once good entity finally succumbing to a greater power it swore it could control, thus becoming that which was feared most. Blizzard has succumbed to Activision, and it's not long before we won't recognize the former anymore.

     
    Theres also numerous "lengthening" devices for the upcoming raid content. But the specifics of that aren't going to be understood by most. Basically they're making it take months longer than it should, so that they maintain subscriptions.
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    Darkstar614

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    #1  Edited By Darkstar614

    I was recently linked this blog post about what WoW has become in Wrath of the Lich King:
     
     http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Fives-the-Paladin-Hates-the-Blues/Six-Words-that-Terrify-Blizzard
     
    (I'm kind of just hijacking the blog and posting it on mine, but whatever.. this expresses it so perfectly for me who was a hardcore raider for the better part of 4 years.)
     
    It's a long read and I apologize and try to post the key points.
     

     ...But Blizzard realizes this expansion has been little more than a public beta for their B-team of developers to try to figure out how to make a dollar out of 79 cents. They know a lot of people are just hanging on to finish what they started many years ago with TFT. They want to kill Arthas, and as soon as they do, they're going to bounce and take their subscriptions with them.


    .... Icecrown is the pinnacle of Warcraft. It's the connection from the end of Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, to World of Warcraft. It's what many people picked up wow to see. Ironically, it's also the pinnacle of Activision's taking over of Blizzard, and turning it into the cash focused beast it is. We've got race changes and faction changes for cash. Vanity pets for cash (which Blizzard is so big about, they give half the money to charity. Half. I guess the other half has to feed their kids, right? Without that panderan, kids all over california whose parents work for Blizzard would starve. Please, either go all-in with charity, or don't bother. It just makes you look duplicitous.).

     

    Now we have Arthas *****d out for maximum return. The irony is a bit cheesy, and maybe somewhat obvious, but Icecrown represents a once good entity finally succumbing to a greater power it swore it could control, thus becoming that which was feared most. Blizzard has succumbed to Activision, and it's not long before we won't recognize the former anymore.

     
    Theres also numerous "lengthening" devices for the upcoming raid content. But the specifics of that aren't going to be understood by most. Basically they're making it take months longer than it should, so that they maintain subscriptions.
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    End_Boss

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    #2  Edited By End_Boss

    So Activision's being a dick again.

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    Bones8677

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    #3  Edited By Bones8677

    /sigh QQ

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    maxszy

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    #4  Edited By maxszy

    Bleh. I don't buy it. Blizzard is in control of their games, so if anyone is doing "milking" here its Blizzard and as much as they like their moneys, I don't think they are. I don't buy into some big conspiracy like this.

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    Radar

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    #5  Edited By Radar

    If Activision had any influence over Blizzard we'd have Starcraft2/Diablo3 already and a teaser for the sequels.
     
    Most of the paid services they added players have been screaming for since beta. Not surprising to see them added.

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    Seedofpower

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    #6  Edited By Seedofpower
    @Radar said:
    " If Activision had any influence over Blizzard we'd have Starcraft2/Diablo3 already and a teaser for the sequels.  Most of the paid services they added players have been screaming for since beta. Not surprising to see them added. "
    Also its an mmo, they gotta keep the majority happy, that also happens to be casual players ( moms and dads who have money). If they kept everything hardcore a lot of people still wouldn't be playing.
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    deactivated-5a1a3d3c6820c

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    @Darkstar614 said:
     Theres also numerous "lengthening" devices for the upcoming raid content. But the specifics of that aren't going to be understood by most. Basically they're making it take months longer than it should, so that they maintain subsciptions. "
    And if they didn't do that, people would complain that there is no end-game content.
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    Symphony

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    #8  Edited By Symphony

    Nah, it's been their strategy all along to milk the good stuff. Just look at how much they tease about Cenarius and the Emerald Dream.

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    Darkstar614

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    #9  Edited By Darkstar614
    @Khann said:

    " @Darkstar614 said:

     Theres also numerous "lengthening" devices for the upcoming raid content. But the specifics of that aren't going to be understood by most. Basically they're making it take months longer than it should, so that they maintain subsciptions. "
    And if they didn't do that, people would complain that there is no end-game content. "
    But you think it's okay for them to take the same sized "patches" of content that they made in the Original game, and divide it up into parts with walls that won't open for months? to milk people?
     
    I mean, it's a smart business strategy I guess.. but it's kind of lame for the players who supported the game for so long.
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    deactivated-5a1a3d3c6820c

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    @Darkstar614 said:
    " @Khann said:

    " @Darkstar614 said:

     Theres also numerous "lengthening" devices for the upcoming raid content. But the specifics of that aren't going to be understood by most. Basically they're making it take months longer than it should, so that they maintain subsciptions. "
    And if they didn't do that, people would complain that there is no end-game content. "
    But you think it's okay for them to take the same sized "patches" of content that they made in the Original game, and divide it up into parts with walls that won't open for months? to milk people?  I mean, it's a smart business strategy I guess.. but it's kind of lame for the players who supported the game for so long. "
    No I don't think that's OK. I don't know what's OK. 
     
    One could argue that the content is free, so people don't really have the right to complain. I don't really agree with that either.
     
    In the end, those complaining are going to have to get over it because while Blizzard are still bringing in a bazillion dollars a year, they're going to continue to think they're doing something right.
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    Teran

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    #11  Edited By Teran
    @Darkstar614 said:  

     Theres also numerous "lengthening" devices for the upcoming raid content. But the specifics of that aren't going to be understood by most. Basically they're making it take months longer than it should, so that they maintain subscriptions. "

    If you feel so passionately about this, cancel your subscription if you haven't already.  I personally am very thankful that they are pacing it so that there isn't a huge gap between beating wotlk content and starting up on cataclysm.  If I were unhappy with a game I'd stop playing it, not continue playing it and complaining about the way they are handling content patches.
     
      @Maxszy said:

    " Bleh. I don't buy it. Blizzard is in control of their games, so if anyone is doing "milking" here its Blizzard and as much as they like their moneys, I don't think they are. I don't buy into some big conspiracy like this. "

    I'm with you on that.  Every business tries to make money and sometimes what they do is pretty underhanded but in this case I'm not getting that vibe.  
     
     
    @Darkstar614 said:

    But you think it's okay for them to take the same sized "patches" of content that they made in the Original game, and divide it up into parts with walls that won't open for months? to milk people?  I mean, it's a smart business strategy I guess.. but it's kind of lame for the players who supported the game for so long. "

    I've played WoW since closed beta.  This decision represents Blizzard growing wiser as a company in my eyes.  I don't like it when there's a six month gap between my guild killing a boss and the next expansion.
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    Mourer

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    #12  Edited By Mourer

    Is there anyone really only playing WoW just so they can kill Arthas.  I find that unlikely, let alone a large number of people.

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    Darkstar614

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    #13  Edited By Darkstar614

    I guess you could say that the majority of wow players are not in the "hardcore raider" category, which is what my post was designed to sympathize with. Of course there's an enormous number of more casual players that are still going to find enjoyment in this game. So you're right in that regard and that not everyone is going to quit after Arthas. But I'd be willing to guess that a large number of people are. And that was sort of my point.
     
    Let's be honest the game's core classes and gameplay haven't drastically changed since it's release. The carrot-on-a-stick progression of WoW(or any MMO) will only last so long before people just want a fresh experience, with new classes and a new universe, and maybe a different style of gameplay. How many times can you make a new character of class X before you've played them all? well 9, and it's a safe guess that over the lifespan of WoW most players have done that.
     
    But ultimately I think I am underestimating people's love for specific MMOs. I know a number of people that still play Ultima Online occasionally, on a free server where the old-school gameplay is preserved. For some people, its entertainment value is timeless. So yes, a lot of people will still continue to play WoW. I am wrong in my previous statement about everyone quitting. But a good number of others are going to quit, and Blizzard knows this. 
     
    So they're going to make their money, people are going to play the game, and life goes on. But WoW unfortunately goes on without me. As I quit after clearing Ulduar, and the coming of the Holy Paladin(my Main) changes in patch 3.2

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    Teran

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    #14  Edited By Teran
    @Darkstar614:  

     I guess you could say that the majority of wow players are not in the "hardcore raider" category, which is what my post was designed to sympathize with. Of course there's an enormous number of more casual players that are still going to find enjoyment in this game. So you're right in that regard and that not everyone is going to quit after Arthas. But I'd be willing to guess that a large number of people are. And that was sort of my point.     

    I don't think quitting occurs because the final boss of the expansion dies, rather it is when this boss dies with no update (ie next expansion) in sight.  If they were to announce a release date for Cataclysm before Arthas is killed a lot of people (I suspect) will just hang tight until then so long as it not six months out.  You make a valid point and undoubtedly you are right for a certain number of people I just don't think the number is very big in the scope of things. 

     Let's be honest the game's core classes and gameplay haven't drastically changed since it's release. The carrot-on-a-stick progression of WoW(or any MMO) will only last so long before people just want a fresh experience, with new classes and a new universe, and maybe a different style of gameplay. How many times can you make a new character of class X before you've played them all? well 9, and it's a safe guess that over the lifespan of WoW most players have done that.     

    Your first sentence in the above quote is waaaay off base.  Gameplay has changed drastically since its release.  I've played from the start and continue to play to this day and the game is not fundamentally the same.  Raiding, instancing, pvp, the nature of faction gain (and rewards), the ui, and numerous other core features have changed radically.  As for classes, Rogues, druids, and every other class play radically different today than they did five years ago even if conceptually they are performing the same general tasks (dps, healing, tanking). 
     
    WoW has adapted significantly over the years. 

       But ultimately I think I am underestimating people's love for specific MMOs. I know a number of people that still play Ultima Online occasionally, on a free server where the old-school gameplay is preserved. For some people, its entertainment value is timeless. So yes, a lot of people will still continue to play WoW. I am wrong in my previous statement about everyone quitting. But a good number of others are going to quit, and Blizzard knows this.  

    Any game we love has limitless entertainment value.  I can't tell you how many times I've beaten X-COM: UFO Defense since my dad bought the game something like sixteen years ago.  I don't mind the graphics or extremely low resolution because it is in my opinion the best game ever created.  One of the biggest breaks Blizzard has had since WoW launched is that no one has been able to create a game of similar over all quality.  They typically do one or two things really well, perhaps even better than WoW but the rest of the game content suffers as a result which makes returning to WoW a very appealing move. 
     
    Thanks for clarifying your original post.  You made some good points.
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    Kohe321

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    #15  Edited By Kohe321

    Seems a bit overdramatic. I have played wow on and off both casually and more hardcore since the beginning, and lich king is the most fun I've had yet. The leveling experience was awesome with much better quests than burning crusade, and the whole package seems "better built" than TBC. I don't think activision has a negative ammount of control over blizzard, and I highly doubt that the ammount of subscribers will go down after lich king and into cataclysm. Who says it will be over? They can create more lore to support new and more badass bosses for all I care as long as they keep the standard of WOTLK.

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