So let me get this straight… Player perception HAS to be considered or the game will die, yet it has never been considered soley in a nerf that you can point out. Hmmmm. That seems odd. Its funny how you demand for citations yet backtrack at the same time.
The most obvious reason I can think of for player perception not mattering is that the majority of players are wrong in their perspective. It’s all confirmation bias and knee-jerk reactions after losses in this game, with a dash of mob-mentality thrown in for fun. It’s a common thing in game design really. So many players think they know whats right for the game, but they are honestly dead wrong, and its up to the developer to curate their own game at the end of the day.
People have been crying for big priest to be nerfed for a long long time… yet there isnt a statistical reason to do so in the format. Coincidence?
People were saying Lackey rogue should be nerfed, and a lot of those players were informed by looking at the numbers. Is that a case of blizzard listening to “Player perception”? Or is it a case of blizzard doing what they would have done anyway regardless of what players are saying?
Xlux, the data you’re looking for is in the link that Wardrum has in his post. There Blizzard says they do consider player perception in their decisions around nerfing. The language you’re looking for can be found under the bullet discussing Warrior.
Player perception isn’t dispositive of their determination but it is one factor as their statements fairly suggest.
You can shoot holes at it but where’s your evidence that they don’t factor in player perception when Blizzard specifically says that they do? If you’re going to discredit people, then back it up with the same rigor of proof that you demand.
I read the article , I just don’t consider a statement from a blizzard employee “data”… They can say they do something til they are blue In the face . It doesn’t mean they actually do it.
I’m not backtracking at all. When did I say that PP has to be considered SOLELY for balance changes? Show me. I said it need to be taken into account, nothing more than that.
Yet, historically, the players have about a 60% (at a guess) success rate one cards that end up nerfed. Why do you think that is? Maybe because PP is accounted for!?!?
Confirmation bias or otherwise, PP is one of the criteria Blizzard uses when nerfing cards.
And PP needs to continue on that topic - YES, I admit my bias on that topic - otherwise it wont be addressed.
Considering Lackey Rogue was nerfed while already declining in both activity and win rate I would say that yes, PP had a not insignificant impact on the changes to Lackey Rogue.
I think you’re just conflating the difference between considering player perception and relying on it to make decisions around nerfing. No one is claiming the latter.
It was nerfed due to Ice Cream Peddler breaking Shudderwock.
Hell, go watch Danes most recent VoD on twitch, Shudderwock is (STILL) literally broken. Not in an op sense, but in the fact that when certain conditions are met the game itself breaks.
I have more reason to believe the company PR guy than you.
I never said that, stop putting words in my mouth. But if you believe that a deck which dropped 2% in win rate in a couple of weeks was nerfed without consideration to feedback, then IDK what else to tell you.
A blatantly overpowered deck that literally every other deck in the meta teched against dropped in winrate? Wow, what a shock.
What decks would be different if they “didn’t” (lol they dont) take player input into account? I argue none. Every nerf in this thread you can track back to a statistical anomaly in the game. No deck has ever been nerfed purely on players disliking the deck (that I know of). So putting it simply, that makes player input irrelevant, and its just a talking point for some guy at blizzard to make them look better.
Patron Warrior, Quest Rogue (between first & second nerfs), Face Hunter, Razakus, Pirate Warrior. All ~50% win rate decks, all nerfed with player FEEDBACK in mind.
Again, I not once said that any nerf was based PURELY on player feedback. That is you putting words in my mouth. All I have said is that player feedback is considered when nerfing, and that is factual.
So stop saying player feedback is/should not be considered in that regard.It is VERY relevant, and for the love of Bob, stop putting words in my mouth!
E: you said it earlier, and now I say it. Nothing more to discuss, so I am done. Feel free to talk to yourself, but I have nothing pleasant to say on this topic to you, so I am walking away from it now.
![:joy:](https://dacy5cilkxabf.cloudfront.net/en/hearthstone/images/emoji/twitter/joy.png?v=6" ":joy:")