In hindsight, folks say RDF contributed to the lack of socialization within the game. It appears Blizzard wants to create WOW 2.0 (#Nochanges mixed with #Somechanges) as they look for a better way than the original Retail path. Not a bad idea overall.
But, as anyone who has played Vanilla can tell you, you can never truly go home. The vanilla/classic path is way different for a variety of reason. Some good, some bad, but in that they “just are” is the all that matters.
So what is the downside to RDF? If you don’t like it, don’t use it. It was in WRATH in this patch version. It will have no impact on game/player socialization since that boat sailed and IS NEVER COMING BACK.
Players today are different and play differently. Better controllers/keyboards and mice. Macros, Addons. Auras, etc… Players are way more experienced, min maxers and much, much more. Innovation is to be applauded.
And while I miss WOW as it was in 2004, I accept that it is very different, in both retail and Classic and that it will never be the same.
So I respectfully ask again, In 2022, with the type of player we have today and the state of the game today, What is the downside it RDF to you personally. To me, the upside is I can play at my own pace with my limited play time and actually run dungeons, and level alts with much easier access to dungeons at all levels. It’s a quality of life feature that has no affect on others that choose not to partake.
A lot of the answers to follow will also be a keen indicator as to why, RDF is a good idea.
There isn’t one. Every answer is either a lie (it ruins social interaction) or completely antithetical to the “social” idea to begin with (I can’t pick and choose who joins my parties)
There is no downside. Low level zones are already dead. Northrend leveling zones are starting to get dead as well. The argument that “people should walk around the world and make friends” is just as dumb as it gets.
I’d have to say it’s all the trolling b.s. that has resulted in the forum about it which is a pain to sift through although, admittedly, if they didn’t have RDF to kick around, they’d find something else just as stupid.
The downside is that like any other crutch once people use it it’s impossible to take it away. When you do they whine like life was never possible without it. This is human nature 101 type stuff.
I don’t think there exists a downside to RDF. There are other implementations of automation that I think do have significant impact. But RDF? Completely fine.
The downside is that cross-realm grouping makes players disposable.
I don’t play on a megaserver. I will probably see the same people again as I PUG over the levels. The other day I ran past someone in the world that I had done a dungeon with earlier. Replacing those people with randoms from other servers that I will never see again is a negative experience, and a loss to the game.
People who play on megaservers don’t understand this because they already have that experience. But it would destroy all non-megaservers to add by lumping everything together into a formless blob.
(Non-cross-realm RDF would be acceptable, but wouldn’t do the things that people are demanding, because they would rather have short queues with people who are effectively bots than actually run a dungeon with their fellow players).
The downside is mostly that it discourages interacting with anyone outside of your guild. The more you add features like this and encourage cross server what happens is that the idea of a “Server” being a location or people being around you goes away. When there’s no rdf you at least see people type in chat, you have to interact with people on your server a bit to form a group, you might meet people again or see them multiple times.
You know when you log in now and you sort of feel like you’re in a real world(your server)? The more you add retail features the more that goes away until we’re all sort of just in a mass of people called “classic” and no one really cares about anything other than like achieves and mount farming.
Edit: I also want to preemptively add that we already have features that discourage social interaction - layering, mega servers, and cross realm bgs. That doesn’t mean that adding more of them would necessarily be good.
