It ruined the game for players like you, where you lost control of what players can and can’t run.
4 Likes
The argument that RDF had nothing to do with WoW’s subs dropping because it took time for the effects of RDF to be seen in the sub numbers is pretty weak.
Personally, I don’t care about RDF one way or the other. I think it was LFR that truly began the downward spiral and started killing the game, but even LFR was only one bad system of many to undermine and harm the community/social aspect of WoW.
But just because the sub numbers didn’t automatically drop by millions the quarter after RDF was implemented, doesn’t mean RDF didn’t also play a part in harming the community/social aspect of WoW.
IMO, while many of WoW’s QOL changes over the years were good and worth doing, just as many of WoW’s QOL changes over the years did damage to the community and slowly eroded the sense of cooperation and camaraderie that WoW used to have in its earlier days.
Where I personally teeter back and forth is whether RDF is one of the good QOL changes, or one of the bad QOL changes. I honestly couldn’t tell you if RDF is good for the game or not.
What I do know is that, as soon as Blizzard caves to the Pro-RDF crowd and includes it, we’re going to start getting threads about how we need LFR as well down the road.
And that’s something I would personally be vehemently against, just as much as I would Cross Realm Zones and Sharding and War Mode being implemented into the game. Because as much as these things were billed as QOL changes, I feel like they helped to destroy the community that made us all fall in love with WoW in the first place.
Just my two cents.
1 Like
So wait, you’re saying Wrath was a good game, but RDF ruined it? Make up your mind.
Do you follow me to every post? Seriously, I think you are in every thread I’m in responding the exact same; “…he doesn’t agree with me, he’s a troll…”
I only post on one character which must be awful for you because that means a LOT of people don’t agree with you.
1 Like
It’s impossible to isolate any one factor in the slow decline of warcraft subscriptions that accelerated in cata.
Here’s some possible explanations (not saying any of them are ‘the reason’ but I know they applied for some of my friends who left).
a. Rift commencing coincided with Cataclysm. Yes a bunch of my guildmates left to play Rift.
b. The increased heroic difficulty meants random groups were a lottery that you usually lost. Yes a bunch of my friends left after growing frustration.
c. The questing was unenjoyable and it didnt feel like a new expansion because it was just some new zones on Azeroth and under the sea.
d. After a few months we’d lost our raid team and tried a merger but it turned into a takeover so more left - some joining the Rift guild former guildies had established.
There are other reasons too…
The number of people who tried warcraft for 6 months or more by the time we were a few months of cataclysm was hugely greater that the number of subscribers. The healthy number of subscribers kept growing because the number of new or returning players was greater than the number of leaving players. Eventually, the market got exhausted for new players - and the decline set in.
RDF’s role in the decline or growth - probably minimal.
2 Likes
My mind is made up. They re-released the best version and they aren’t going to ruin it again.
1 Like
Many people have called you a troll. Not just me. And no, I don’t follow you. You just flock and spam every RDF-related thread.
1 Like
Hmm… RDF was in the game for over a year with no issues. Then Cata launches with some major changes that had some seriously detrimental effects and subs take their first major hit shortly after. But sure yeah it was totally RDF that was the problem.
5 Likes
Tbf, RDF was only released in the final patch of Wotlk. So this is a perfectly valid take.
Correct. And Blizzard released a version of the game for players like me. It’s awesome again. There is a whole version of the game with both WoTLK -and- the RDF they added later. In fact, they improved it. That version is available right now! This one is perfect for “players like me”
3 Likes
Fair enough, but hasn’t RDF been around for 12 months at that time?
You took out the most important part to cherry pick your playstyle,
1 Like
I think RDF was far from the disease that killed WoW some of the anti-RDFers on these forums proclaim it to be.
But I also think it COULD have been a symptom. RDF was one of many ways WoW became more and more casual over time. By itself, RDF doesn’t completely destroy the community feel of the game. But as far as slippery slopes go, it could be considered the first step in many imo.
I wouldn’t mind if they implemented RDF and stopped there. But if they implement RDF now, they’ll 100% implement every single other system in each new ‘Classic’ expansion going forward, and then we’ll be right back where we started.
Hmm? But you don’t. You just follow my posts to reply?
In either case, I don’t care that you keep making this claim. I’m going to keep saying I like the game because I do. It doesn’t bother me that you receive this as a troll. You’re just an unhappy person and I can’t fix that for you. On the hand, I couldn’t be more happy with the choices they made.
Nah, the trolls today have been extremely amusing.
1 Like
That part doesn’t matter to me. I don’t control anyone. That’s a fiction you invented. I control me and I like the game as it is. The only valid thing you can say about me is that I’m very thankful they are ignoring you.
I actually want people to be happy so if my pleasure from the game is rubbing off on you, awesome!
Indeed, thanks for the material
You are controlling who you already play with in the current system. SO yes, you control who can and can’t run the dungeon(s). Whereas RDF, which also let you queue up for specific dungeons let you do it.
2 Likes
Cata wasn’t crap, the changes that came with MOP were crap. The changes that came with the MOP prepatch was the literal reason for a lot of people leaving the game.