In a recent post on the forums, Bashiok responded to the idea that 1.35% of all WoW players have completed normal Firelands and what that does or does not mean for the recent changes implemented to the raid instance. It’s a very interesting and information-filled post that I think deserves a thorough examination, as it reveals elements of Blizzard’s current design philosophy and how and why it chooses to alter raids from their initial difficulty levels.

I intend to go over the entire post carefully, but here are some highlights to ponder up front:

The 1.35% number is just plain wrong. Blizzard has its own numbers that it’s not going to share, but the 1.35% is probably as accurate as could be expected without access to Blizzard’s internal data gathering.

Blizzard’s design intent is to make content for all of the playerbase. «It’s both a blessing and a curse that the WoW player base is as large and diverse as it is.»

Players raid for many different reasons, some challenge, others loot, and others just to see the content. Some players are happy if they just see a boss once, while others enjoy weekly clearing.

The idea of being willing to wipe a hundred or more times to clear a boss, a staple of the raider mentality for years, is not appealing to most players.

OK, so now that we’ve picked out a few highlights, let’s go over the entire post and really consider the implications of designing for as many players as possible.Continue reading «There are no simple solutions» — Design diversity in WoWFiled under: Analysis / Opinion, News items, Lore, Hotfixes«There are no simple solutions» — Design diversity in WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
In a recent post on the forums, Bashiok responded to the idea that 1.35% of all WoW players have completed normal Firelands and what that does or does not mean for the recent changes implemented to the raid instance. It’s a very interesting and information-filled post that I think deserves a thorough examination, as it reveals elements of Blizzard’s current design philosophy and how and why it chooses to alter raids from their initial difficulty levels.

I intend to go over the entire post carefully, but here are some highlights to ponder up front:

The 1.35% number is just plain wrong. Blizzard has its own numbers that it’s not going to share, but the 1.35% is probably as accurate as could be expected without access to Blizzard’s internal data gathering.

Blizzard’s design intent is to make content for all of the playerbase. «It’s both a blessing and a curse that the WoW player base is as large and diverse as it is.»

Players raid for many different reasons, some challenge, others loot, and others just to see the content. Some players are happy if they just see a boss once, while others enjoy weekly clearing.

The idea of being willing to wipe a hundred or more times to clear a boss, a staple of the raider mentality for years, is not appealing to most players.

OK, so now that we’ve picked out a few highlights, let’s go over the entire post and really consider the implications of designing for as many players as possible.Continue reading «There are no simple solutions» — Design diversity in WoWFiled under: Analysis / Opinion, News items, Lore, Hotfixes«There are no simple solutions» — Design diversity in WoW originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments