WTB a rollback. (WoW)
Jan. 5th, 2011 08:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
This post on Dear Gnome could really be copied word-for-word and reposted here. I wasn't having fun on WoW pre-Cata, and it's so much worse now. I hate this expansion. I really, really do.
I moved an alt back to Dalaran, and my heart breaks at how empty the city is now. Such a beautiful city, compared to horrible ugly ALL RED AND DARK AND SPIKES Org. Org is a god-awful place to have to be hearthed, but it's where the sorry excuse for this expansion's portals are.
I still miss the Dal portals. Would it be so bad to let us hearth there again and be able to get back to Org when we need to do things there? Really, Blizz, if you need to force us into the new city, isn't something wrong? Shouldn't we want to be where you want us to be?
And archaeology. God, how I ever thought that would be a good thing. Seriously, it's the worst thing I've ever experienced in WoW or FFXI. I've spent two weeks now with ZERO progress. Minimum of six hours a day on work days, upwards of fourteen hours on weekends. With NO progress. I could cry. Who in the world ever thought this was a good, fair, fun system?
And the new zones... How beautiful Northrend is! So many amazing, pretty, beautiful places. Cata has one zone I like (Uldum). And that's "like", not "love" as I feel for 90% of Northrend.
There's tons of stuff that doesn't even touch me, like the triple queue time for dungeons or the horror that healers are currently experiencing.
And the 85 level cap? Did we seriously get excited over five additional levels? (While FFXI went from 75 to 100.) Not that I personally want to level, but I know others do.
I haven't even been doing much RP, which is the reason I say I stay on WoW. I'm so close to finishing archaeology, still 18/20, it feels like I have to be nearly able to finish it, so I keep at it and just make myself more miserable.
There is a semi-up side to all of this. I don't care anymore. I don't feel like I HAVE TO do my dailies. If I don't like the daily, I don't do it at all. Even if it's one I like, if I don't feel like doing it, I don't. The new Cata cooking and fishing dailies just aren't worth stressing myself over.
Twilight cultists are silly bad guys. How stupid the pre-Cata quests were, now the whole expansion is based around them.
Come back, Lich King! We'll stop killing you, promise!
I moved an alt back to Dalaran, and my heart breaks at how empty the city is now. Such a beautiful city, compared to horrible ugly ALL RED AND DARK AND SPIKES Org. Org is a god-awful place to have to be hearthed, but it's where the sorry excuse for this expansion's portals are.
I still miss the Dal portals. Would it be so bad to let us hearth there again and be able to get back to Org when we need to do things there? Really, Blizz, if you need to force us into the new city, isn't something wrong? Shouldn't we want to be where you want us to be?
And archaeology. God, how I ever thought that would be a good thing. Seriously, it's the worst thing I've ever experienced in WoW or FFXI. I've spent two weeks now with ZERO progress. Minimum of six hours a day on work days, upwards of fourteen hours on weekends. With NO progress. I could cry. Who in the world ever thought this was a good, fair, fun system?
And the new zones... How beautiful Northrend is! So many amazing, pretty, beautiful places. Cata has one zone I like (Uldum). And that's "like", not "love" as I feel for 90% of Northrend.
There's tons of stuff that doesn't even touch me, like the triple queue time for dungeons or the horror that healers are currently experiencing.
And the 85 level cap? Did we seriously get excited over five additional levels? (While FFXI went from 75 to 100.) Not that I personally want to level, but I know others do.
I haven't even been doing much RP, which is the reason I say I stay on WoW. I'm so close to finishing archaeology, still 18/20, it feels like I have to be nearly able to finish it, so I keep at it and just make myself more miserable.
There is a semi-up side to all of this. I don't care anymore. I don't feel like I HAVE TO do my dailies. If I don't like the daily, I don't do it at all. Even if it's one I like, if I don't feel like doing it, I don't. The new Cata cooking and fishing dailies just aren't worth stressing myself over.
Twilight cultists are silly bad guys. How stupid the pre-Cata quests were, now the whole expansion is based around them.
Come back, Lich King! We'll stop killing you, promise!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 05:10 pm (UTC)But if nothing else, if every person who dislikes the expansion were to *tell them*, maybe it would hit critical mass and they'd work to address the problems.
You're paying for this, and you're an unhappy customer. Let them know! :)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 01:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 04:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 05:13 pm (UTC)I'm still 76, because I really just don't feel like level-grinding DRG again. I think it says something that I had most of last week off and couldn't make myself log in for xp at all. I don't know how people who had multiple jobs they wanted to take above 75 did it. (Well, actually, I do, but spending 6+ hours in Abyssea parties is infeasible, and rather unappealing even if I had the time. I need to find short-term ways of xp'ing.)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 09:04 pm (UTC)*nodnods* But all in one expansion, right? Eh, is FFXI still doing expansions or is it just those mini-paid ones now? Will there be another after Goddess?
And I don't blame you at all! XPing is boring. I think it's actually less boring in WoW (since you get it all from questing, not XP parties), but I still refuse to do it. Why do something boring in a game?
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 10:40 pm (UTC)For what its worth, the latest mini-expansion added super-campaign. I've talked to people who leveled 60-67 in 3 hours at a casual pace during the campaign ("Dominion") events. My 2 close friends are considering rejoining to see how it works out, and I'd probably play a bit with them if they did. Main point is - getting xp in FFXI is rather easy now. Getting AF3+1 is easy too, just killing a few NMs over and over to get the needed seals. The higher stuff is tough, but doable even for smaller crews with a mega-buff item that costs 200k cruor (special abyssea currency). Note: I hear this second-hand, from reliable friend.
WoW Skinner-boxed me out. Random drop rates just to keep me playing got under my skin a bit too much after every single fucking quest uses the same psychological trick. Now I just sit at home, trying to fix my computer because it bluescreens at random, wishing for a good game.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 01:15 am (UTC)I keep hearing the same reports about FFXI, how easy the XP is now. One of my friends went from BST 35 to 75 in six hours. o.O
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 10:41 pm (UTC)There were three in 2009: Crystalline Prophecy, the moogle one, and the Shantotto one. There were three in 2010: Vision of Abyssea, Scars of Abyssea, and Heroes of Abyssea.
Each Abyssea mini-expansion added three new parallel Vana'diel areas: Vision had Konschtat Highlands, La Theine Plateau, and Tahrongi Canyon; Scars had Misareaux Coast, Attohwa Chasm, and Vunkerl Inlet; Heroes had West Altepa Desert, Uleguerand Range, and Grauberg. It's an odd mix of zones from every expansion except ToAU (which makes sense because the Near East is a very separate continent). With each update that contained an Abyssea expansion, they upped the level cap by 5: 80 in June with Vision, 85 in September with Scars, and 90 in December with Heroes.
While the Abyssea areas were aimed at providing places for people to level to the new caps, they did add in some higher-level mobs in various existing areas (CoP areas for 80, ToAU areas for 85, and I think WotG areas for 90) so that people who didn't have Abyssea could still level. But given the general mindset of the FFXI player base, good luck finding anyone to do that. ^^; Plus, I think anyone still playing at this point has gotten them. I've bought all three even if I've done very little with them so far because I figure there's still quests and exploration to do.
I don't know what the plans are for the 95 and 99 caps. I would guess there'd be more mini-expansions just so there's enough room for people to level. The big announcement they made last February only covered through January 2011, which is now.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 01:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 03:13 am (UTC)Also, the December update finally closed out the WotG missions. Yes, it took them three years to wrap up the main storyline. The three nations' quests ended in the June update.
I should try out Dominion sometime as an alternate xp method, too.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 04:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 04:31 pm (UTC)Blah, that's too bad.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 05:33 pm (UTC)The fact my archaeology toon is an Indiana Jones ripoff and I flap around listening to the theme for maybe an hour or two at a time is probably why I still enjoy it. X3 Maybe there's diminishing returns the more you do it? Like rested exp! I dunno.
Personally my only complaint is.. Well. Sylvanas. And that's purely from a RP point of view. Kae and his boys liked living in UC but with her acting like the new Lich Queen, it kinna drove two of us out ICly, so the third followed. And frankly there's no random RP in Shattrath, and the boys won't come to Silvermoon. Blah.
I dunno. The expansion is still new, it's only been out a month! Blizz may have done stupid shit, but they do have a good track record of making things better. There hasn't even been another major patch yet. I think people need to chill out and give Blizz a chance to get over the OSHI- moment.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 09:10 pm (UTC)I think playstyle has a lot to do with it. I couldn't care less about most WoW lore. (A lore-loving friend keeps making pained noises whenever I repeat that I wish worgen were Horde.) I read a few of the Uldum quest texts, but for the most part? zzzz Don't care.
Maybe there's diminishing returns the more you do it?
Sort of. The more progress you make, the harder it becomes. Right now I have over 1,500 fossil fragments and nothing to do with them (have made all the common and rare items), and yet I'm forced to still keep digging the fossil dig sites endlessly to try to get night elf or TV to come up.
I've completed 225 night elf items and still haven't gotten the last fricking rare from that area. And even once I do? I'll have to keep digging there trying to get TV to come up.
I've opened eight TV jars with no recipes... and I have to get through endless worthless greys trying to get another or a rare.
Early on in archaeology there's so much less wasted time. Right now nearly all my archaeology time is wasted -- produces nothing.
And frankly there's no random RP in Shattrath, and the boys won't come to Silvermoon.
Do you guys have a new house somewhere? Wasn't one of the two... no wait, that was Lark I think who couldn't go to SMC? Do they OOCly not like it or ICly can't/won't go?
but they do have a good track record of making things better.
I really, really hope they can make it better. (Though, on the other hand, when they nerf archaeology to hell, I'll bitch that I did it all when it was hard and now EVERYONE has the fine title.)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 10:24 pm (UTC)They've always had a house in Nagrand, too. The boys just live -there- full-time instead of patrolling UC... because frankly the Forsaken keep harassing us. ICly? Fine. We explained -why- we're here and the years of RP giving valid reason. Then they OOCly harass us because we're Blood Elves. :| So essentially Scythe of Sylvanas ruined RP in UC for non-Forsaken.
And yeah, it's Lark that has the traitor's brand, Ori and Khaav just -really- don't like the place, ICly or OOCly. And Kae pretty much refuses to go anywhere near Lordaeron now, so.
Poor Koltira. Q_Q
no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 10:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 10:46 pm (UTC)They're fine RPers, quite good by WoW standards, in fact, and I'm totally all for the whole IC hostility... But yeah. Unfortunately a lot of them are -dicks- OOCly to the point of making official forum posts as a means of degrading anyone that doesn't go along with how they think said person should RP.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 01:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 10:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-05 11:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 01:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 08:21 am (UTC)Leveling in ToAU: Puks (crazy AoE knockback, requires positioning knowledge), Fire Crawlers (crazy cone of death, requires positioning and actual tank), hell I'll even include Colibri (steals your food/TP, pecking flurry can be painful, requires fast kills to avoid damage overflow).
Leveling in Abyssea: Get an alliance, and go beat the living shit out of X mob for 6 hours (requires at least 1 BLM who isn't an idiot). Assuming someone doesn't do something stupid, there is absolutely no risk in Abyssea parties.
Basically, where as ToAU actually required some brain activity to level in, Abyssea just needs lots of people to run around going "derp derp I kill teh mobs!" and like 2 people who actually know what they are doing. I give it to SE for understanding their player base (specifically the "derp derp" people) but even the events are just silly easy.
Hell, I would argue that from lowest tier to highest tier, Assaults were harder on almost every count. It might just be the group I'm with but stuff is just way too easy in events I think. It's annoying. I don't think I want to go back to where the game would just eat the face of anyone who wasn't hardcore, but I would at least like some challenge or to actually feel like I accomplished something, instead of just grinding EP mobs for 5 hours...
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 04:19 pm (UTC)Wow, that's wacky (and sad!) to hear. I never ever ever would have thought that FFXI would go that route. I guess in a way they sort of had to, but... we already have WoW, we don't need two too-easy games!
I can understand why they did it (tons more people love that model then the "actually work for things" model they used before)
Sad but true. :/
Abyssea just needs lots of people to run around going "derp derp I kill teh mobs!" and like 2 people who actually know what they are doing. I give it to SE for understanding their player base (specifically the "derp derp" people) but even the events are just silly easy.
Blah. Blah, I say! That does sound very WoW-ish. D:
It's annoying. I don't think I want to go back to where the game would just eat the face of anyone who wasn't hardcore, but I would at least like some challenge or to actually feel like I accomplished something, instead of just grinding EP mobs for 5 hours...
So very depressing. While on WoW, it comforts me that FFXI is still there, that a game still exists that is HARD. Seriously hard. True I never planned to go back, but I liked that it was there and other people were still sticking with it.
I wonder what FFXI folks think about the change? All the old timers who played through CoP hard mode and such...
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 01:52 pm (UTC)A lot of other fights "hard modes" consisted of "Everything is the same except the healer has to work harder because more damage happens." Obnoxious. So I'm glad for the changes in that now, dps really has to pay attention to threat and not standing in things, because the healer does not have enough mana to heal anyone but the tank. I was tired of doing all the work all the time!
The downside is: now there are no pugs, because the experienced players don't want to deal with "Wrathbabies" (yes, this is a term people are actually using for people who started in Wrath), who still want to just charge in and tank everything without crowd control. I have been lucky and had some very good pugs, but it's balanced out with the incredibly frustrating ones.
I also worry that with crowd control being the hotness again (as it was in Vanilla and some of BC) that some classes will see the same problem I saw with Magister's Terrace. I was in the biggest guild on my server, but I never got to go to that dungeon until BC was over, and it was because no one wanted to go with anything but three mages. Paladins weren't viable solo healers then, and I hated tanking. So I never got to go, because whenever a group formed, my guild would say, "Sorry, we really need a priest and three mages and a tank." I'm still bitter about it.
Plot wise - I actually like the Twilight Cultists, but that's because I hate Arthas more than any character in WoW. Seriously. I hated him in Warcraft 3, and I hated him in WoW, because god, you WHINY SPOILED LITTLE BRAT, get OVER YOURSELF. Illidan was always my favorite, so I'm glad FINALLY I don't have to hear about Arthas is awesome or Jaina endangering the lives of untold people to throw her damn panties at him anymore. BUT I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT MILEAGE MAY VARY.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 04:29 pm (UTC)I hear about it multiple times a day on LJ. I really feel for healers! I wonder if DPSs will learn though, or if Blizz will give in and nerf things back to WotLK-ish? I don't have much faith in the average WoW player.
The downside is: now there are no pugs, because the experienced players don't want to deal with "Wrathbabies" (yes, this is a term people are actually using for people who started in Wrath),
I would never want to pug either. Chry and Morny pug endlessly, and I just sit in the corner and rock back and forth for the trauma they go through.
I've seen "Wrathbabies" thrown around too, and man does it make me see red. I understand the logic behind it, but really, everyone has to start sometime, no one is born knowing how to play WoW. We're all players, no need to insult a good section of the playerbase. (I may be overly sensitive to it though since I'm sort of one. I played now and then before that expansion, but I came to WoW full time right at the start of it.)
I also worry that with crowd control being the hotness again (as it was in Vanilla and some of BC) that some classes will see the same problem I saw ... because whenever a group formed, my guild would say, "Sorry, we really need a priest and three mages and a tank." I'm still bitter about it.
Funny how that same problem always crops up. Seems like some classes/jobs always become the popular/necessary ones. Happened in FFXI and happens here.
Jaina endangering the lives of untold people to throw her damn panties at him anymore.
*dies* :D
And it's understandable that we'd have different opinions on Arthas! I have such a strong connection to him through RP (Haken: *makes dreamy eyes at Him*), Haken/DK RP is easily my most positive experience on WoW. (This happened on FFXI as well. I had such a strong RP/IC relationship with an expansion that when the next one came out I hated it endlessly because it Wasn't The Same.)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 09:35 pm (UTC)And I haven't been through too much PuG horror, really... probably because I'm not a healer. :D;;; But when I tank and have a pocket healer along, I have a lot of fun... but it's probably too nerve-wracking still for me to recommend it to you. Stay away!
Also, I think Arthas and the Lich King can be thought of as slightly different characters... I'm way more enamored with the Lich King and Scourge culture (OURS IS NOT TO QUESTION, ONLY TO ACT) than with prima donna Prince Arthas myself.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 10:02 pm (UTC)Good point on the LK! And agreed!
I don't know how we're supposed to take the Twilight Cultists seriously, not after we did those pre-Cata quests where we so easily fooled them to think we were one of them. They were more slapstick than serious bad guys. The Scourge and the LK on the other hand! Yummily evil.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 01:35 pm (UTC)Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't redeem HIM and make him the New Lich King Who Cares or some shit.
I don't think they'll nerf it this expansion, but it will cycle around again eventually. I like the challenge, but the reason they nerfed instances and raids in the first place was that a large portion of the playerbase isn't interested in throwing themselves against impossible challenges, and they wanted to give more of the playerbase access to the content they worked so hard to develop.
So it will depend on whether players get used to the changes and adapt, leave the game for KoTor, complain that now they can't see the plot because it's too hard, etc. I think eventually it will wrap back around to easier, because if I were a developer, I would rather 90% of people get to see what I'd created than make 10% of people who want a difficult challenge happy.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 04:11 pm (UTC)King Who Cares or some shit.
I'm sort of surprised, too. I wish they had! For one single reason! I HATE the new Northrend loading screen. ARG! If you're made of molten rock (is that the case?) then why aren't you steaming up the place? How are you sitting in an ice throne?
I like the challenge, but the reason they nerfed instances and raids in the first place was that a large portion of the playerbase isn't interested in throwing themselves against impossible challenges, and they wanted to give more of the playerbase access to the content they worked so hard to develop.
...I think eventually it will wrap back around to easier, because if I were a developer, I would rather 90% of people get to see what I'd created than make 10% of people who want a difficult challenge happy.
That was my reasoning for thinking it would be nerfed. WoW isn't supposed to be a hard game. It's supposed to be accessible to the biggest portion of people it can be.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 01:41 pm (UTC)I'm not sure why "Wrathbabies" is so prevalent when I don't remember there being a similar term for people who started with BC (maybe people just said GOD, BLOOD ELVES," and the contempt got thrown on the race. Or maybe 'Burn00bs' wasn't as catchy. I don't know. XD I agree with you that it isn't fair to be snotty about it; you can't get angry with someone for playing the game the way it was played when they started. I mean, would it be so hard to say, "Hey, do you mind sheeping? These dungeons are difficult."
Healing is just a matter of OH GOD I used to have SO MUCH MANA, why is everything SO EXPENSIVE STOP STANDING IN THE FIRE. At least we have a convenient I SAID GET OUT OF THE FIRE DAMNIT spell. I have never used it for that, though. As promised, I have spent life grip only in frequent and profound abuses. GET OVER HERE.
I totally know the feeling of having strong connections to an NPC through RP! Mine are the reverse in WoW - I rolled a blood elf because I loved Kael, rather than rolling one and then getting attached, but I have done it in other games!
Honestly, I like the Scourge culture and the Scourge plot better than I would have just from meeting you guys; you kind of made it for me. :)
Dude, it's true, in Halls of Reflection Alliance side, where on Hordeside Sylvs is all I AM GOING TO KILL YOU? Uther has to appear and be like JAINA. GOD DAMN. GET IT TOGETHER WOMAN, HE KILLED HIS OWN FATHER AND DUMPED THE ASHES IN THE PLAGUELANDS SO HE COULD STEAL THE URN AND DIP IT IN THE SUNWELL. HE DOES NOT LOVE YOU. GET A GRIP. GOD.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 04:04 pm (UTC)I suspect, since the change from BC to WotLK was an easy one, a name wasn't needed. WotLK to Cata is hard, everything's harder, people are frustrated and angry and perhaps worried about being blamed themselves for things going wrong, so it's easiest to have people to lash out against and blame. Of course it's the Wrathbabies! Not a single one of them is willing to learn!
College psych classes were a long time ago, but I think there was even a name for this, for making one group of people into "other" and making them the scapegoats. (I love seeing real world themes pop up in a MMO! So interesting!)
Man, I think you should use Life Grip all the time! "I said I wanted a beer NOW! *PULL!*" :D :D
Honestly, I like the Scourge culture and the Scourge plot better than I would have just from meeting you guys; you kind of made it for me. :)
Awwww! I have the same feelings about you all! I can't go to LHC without thinking of all our RP there! I miss the old days when we were one big, happy group. :)
Dude, it's true, in Halls of Reflection Alliance side,
*dies* That's just too funny. :D
no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 03:30 pm (UTC)but i haven't had mana issues really (except when i decided to make my feral druid resto & she was running dungeons half in tank gear)
i find that the only time i'm really running out of mana is when the dps sucks. i can last about 4 min on the siamat fight. if you take longer than that to kill it, then i'm oom.
i'm still chain casting, and when i don't have to heal, i try to do dps
the only way i'm finding that i'm mana shy is that i do occasionally drink in between fights for sucky groups (i.e. pulling two groups at once or the rogue decides he's an offtank).
it would be nice if cc was used, but i've gotten used to no one using it. maybe i'm too nice. maybe i need to get meaner. although... i do let dps die if they sit in orange beams of fire or cleaves. after a few times, some of them learn.
i haven't done heroics yet, so maybe then there will be mana issues. but i've heard lots of people complaining about it.
but i do like the content when it's challenging, but mostly with competent people. although, when i'm pugging, i often learn how not to do it, which is sometimes amusing too