Amidst all of this talk/drama around the tree form change, I've been irritated by a number of things (though seriously when am I NOT irritated?). So yes, I guess I feel that the trees who are going "OMG I will not buy Cataclysm! I will stop playing my resto druid!" may be overreacting a bit. Though if this is how they feel, and they feel this strong of an emotional attachment to their tree forms, I totally respect their right to feel this way.
But on the other hand, I am confused by those (including Blizzard) who says stuff like don't freak out about this, this is just preliminary preview information that could change. Um, hello? What did you expect would happen? You thought you could just put out this "little" snippet of incomplete information and expect us to just go, "Oh, let's sit quietly and wait for more information?". Did they really not expect us to react?
So this made me wonder, what is their purpose in putting this sort of information out? Why don't they just wait until things are more set in stone or closer to or in beta? Well, you know what I think the answer to this is? I DO think that they do these previews to gauge the temperature on player feedback. As much as they want to say that they don't design around public opinion or feedback, I do think this feedback makes a difference. If it didn't, why are they putting out these previews so early? If they didn't want or care about feedback, then they could wait to put out the information, player feedback be damned.
I'm tired of those (especially the non druids) who are saying we shouldn't be QQing or whining about these tree changes. If Blizz is going to put out these sort of previews, we have every right to react to them, both rationally or emotionally, even if things are still preliminary. And ultimately I think that rational and well put explanations for why we are against certain changes, or the concerns that we have, DO make a difference.
I know what you mean. I was trying to make well-reasoned arguments about why I dislike the change, when GC out and said even if the vast majority of the community said no, they'd do it anyway. It was like...what is the point, then?
ReplyDelete@Bell: But, I think (or maybe hope) that there is a point. I think GC says stuff like we don't care what the community says or feels... but if they didn't, if they truly didn't want to gauge the feedback of the community, why put out preview information this early? This incomplete?
ReplyDeleteMy rationale is that they are curious how potential changes would be received. Thus, we can do our part by clearly and rationally spelling out our objections and concerns.
My druid is my tenth out of ten, but even I feel for the resto druids that feel they're being robbed of something. I totally respect that, and maybe - just maybe - the strong reaction will cause Blizz to rethink this whole affair.
ReplyDeleteI for one stand with the trees on this; it is another bulwark against rampant homogenization that is crumbling.
I think Blizz want you to freak. A Freakout and a massive community uprising will bring to their attention that a change like that could be devasting to class/spec <3.
ReplyDeleteI think we should react to the changes as best we can, but we should also retain perspective and not declare this or that the end of WoW or the end of a class. We should do the best we can, which sometimes means just sitting back and demanding more information: "We love/hate this, but we can't say much without context."
ReplyDelete"I DO think that they do these previews to gauge the temperature on player feedback."
ReplyDeleteThey sure do. It's the same with every MMO these days. A preliminary bit of game-changing information to test the waters of the subscriber base feedback and opinions. It happened in EVE today with a developer blog. A mechanic is getting changed that may not hurt some pilots but cripple others.
The forums are full of tears, justifiable, but still tears.
Some solutions have been presented, but in the end we will have to see if it makes the next live expansion.
- Adamas (no, that is not my name in EVE)
I do hope that they are watching the community response to this and that they can come up with some compromise, like a minor glyph, that will allow them to make the changes they feel are necessary to their game, while still appeasing the large segment of their community that is so saddened by this change.
ReplyDelete@Grimmtooth: Yay! Thanks for the support!
ReplyDelete@Pugnacious: I agree. They say they don't care what we think... they say we shouldn't freak because things are still "preliminary"... if they really didn't want to gauge our reaction they wouldn't release information like this or this early.
@Klep: As I posted on my post yesterday, and eloquently stated by Bell, we've all said that Blizz has chosen to release this information with very little background. But are we allowed to say, hell no we don't like where this is going? I believe so. And I believe that they want to gauge this sort of reaction.
@Adamas: Paradamaricodise you sneaky guy! /wave
Yep, I'm just tired of people and Blizz saying we shouldn't bitch or react or have an opinion and that when we do have those opinions, it doesn't matter.
@Syll: Yep, I hope so too!
i guess what gets my leaves in a bunch (pun intended) is how one of the things blizz is saying is how druids only become better healers in tree form. but isn't this true of all druid forms? our forms make us a better tank/melee dps/caster dps/healer. forms is what makes a druid a druid instead of a warrior/rogue/mage/priest. and why is tree form the only one that is being changed? and why can't it be where blizz makes the proposed changes but leave tree form in the game?
ReplyDeletethere is too many holes in blizz's reasoning for me to accept these proposed changes. so maybe it is to test the waters and see what the community "feels/thinks." and hopefully us tree lovers are making our voices heard for blizz to hear us.