RP Layer Preference

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
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World of Warcraft is the world’s largest RPG game, and has long been a home to diverse playstyles, with role-playing (RP) being a cornerstone of its social and immersive appeal. However, with the mega-servers and layering, the separation of RP communities has diminished. Because of this Blizzard has chosen not to add an RP-PvP or a RP-PvE realm, breaking 20 years of tradition. M proposal, is implementing an RP Layer Preference System, Blizzard can preserve the unique experience for RP players, ensuring that they can congregate within the mega-server framework while continuing to foster RPers.

If we can’t have RP dedicated realms, I have a compromise. It’s likely a bad idea, but, if anyone has better ones please throw them out :slight_smile:

WoW has a tradition of RP Realms
Since the launch of World of Warcraft in 2004, RP realms have been an integral part of the game, attracting players who thrive on creating narratives, dynamic character interactions, and player-driven events. Each major server release, such as the launch, Burning Crusade, WotLK, has almost always included dedicated RP realms. This includes the relaunch of classic.

The introduction of mega-servers and layering, while addressing server capacity and queue times, has unintentionally diluted RP communities. Without a dedicated RP layer option, role-players risk being scattered across layers, diminishing the critical mass needed for organic RP interactions.

Blizzard could’ve done real server merges by adding Surnames, and letting everyone choose their last names for their character. But, they went with the connected realms options. And as the server technologies got better, less and less servers have been needed.

Proposal: RP Layer Preference Checkbox
If the future of WoW isn’t to add dedicated RP realms, because the RP community is smaller, how about a preference checkbox? You can still have RPers be a part of the mega-server economy and community, but allow RPers to separate themselves for their purposes.

OR

  1. How It Works:
  • Players who select this option will be assigned to a specific RP-friendly layer when logging in.
  • Layers designated as “RP Preferred” would prioritize placing RP-tagged characters (or those who select the checkbox) together. Non RP-tagged characters may join them, but, again, preference goes to RPers.
  1. Why It Matters:
  • RP players can organically gather and participate in shared RP activities without the need to jump layers manually. This also allows RPers a chance to get away from griefings.
  • Maintains Blizzard’s historical commitment to RP communities while adapting to modern server technologies.
  1. Benefits:
  • Encourages RP players to continue their subscription, knowing their community is supported.
  • Enhances the reputation of World of Warcraft as a welcoming place for RP playstyles.
  • Reduces the need to allocate separate servers exclusively for RP realms, saving resources while catering to this dedicated player base.

OR REALM LIST CHOICE
The layers are already acting like their own servers anyways. General chat, LocalDefense, etc is already divided to your layer only. You can just keep us on the same servers and jsut add a realm name option such as:

  • Dreamsythe-RP
  • Nightslayer-RP

By choosing that option in the realm list, you can make it that they’re automatically sent to the RP layer. Make it a permanent choice.

Population
If we look at Classic Era at most times of the day, the plethora of PvP realms didn’t last long-term and all went to low-population. If we look at the RP realms, they all stayed medium population. This shows the demand.

Closing Thoughts
This offers a consistency with 20 years of tradition. Since 2004, Blizzard has acknowledged the value of RP by offering distinct RP servers or RP functions in the game. This remains an opt-in system, ensuring non-RP players are unaffected, but, gives RPers a chance to thrive. This will offer support as Blizzard improves their technology and continues to have larger and larger servers with their layering tech. (Hint: Add surnames Blizzard one day, when you’re ready to have just a ‘few’ servers).

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All hail, Ikory the Diplomat.

You have my axe…er, mace.

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Great idea, and extremely well put.

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If this would solve the issues that are making Blizzard avoid an RP realm, then I would 100% support it. I would still prefer a dedicated server, though. I can’t help but worry that a system like this would not end up producing as strong of a community as an isolated realm has the potential for.
My preferred form of this sort of setup would probably be something very similar to warmode, which would completely separate those RP-flagged and those lacking the flag unless they opted to group together. RP players only being given a preference towards certain layers would probably turn out to be a frustrating system for all involved, with players randomly ending up in layers which don’t match what they selected.
My main concern with this concept is the potential of toggling the layer. If this used a similar system to warmode in retail, it would be very easy for a player or guild with bad intentions to enable the RP layer simply to disrupt the roleplayers. When roleplayers have a dedicated realm, it takes much more effort to grief due to the need for a (potentially geared) dedicated character.
As for other concerns, which are definitely comparatively minor:

  • Roleplayers would likely be unable to choose lore-friendly names due to the size of the servers. This can make a pretty big difference to roleplayers in particular, I know it would drive me insane.
  • The roleplaying community wouldn’t have their own instance of realm-wide events (I’m mostly thinking of the War Effort here, it’s a minor concern but it would be a shame for the community to not have their own realm for such a massive, social activity)
  • The RP community would be split between realms; this isn’t a concern specific to this idea, but rather one which I would have in any situation where the community has two choices of where to play. Definitely something that folks have a variety of opinions on, but still something that might be worth considering.

That’s all that I can think of right now, although admittedly I might be forgetting some things. If Blizzard’s concerns regard the ease of grouping up, the auction house, or server costs, then this idea could potentially give roleplayers a chance.

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There’s only one pve and one PvP, so it wouldn’t change anything

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I feel it is a miss not having an RP dedicated realm.

If we look at Classic Era. All of the low-pop realms are the PvP ones. All the PvE ones are medium. All the RP ones are medium.

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It would definitely be better than nothing. I’d sign up in an instant.

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That is how I feel. If they won’t give us RP realms, at least I hope for a choice to go to a layer with RP friendliness. General chat, etc, ios already split up by layer regardless. They’re basically separate servers already. Heck, even give us an option on realm list that’s Dreamsythe-RP that automatically goes to the RP layer and is stuck to only the RP layer, but the auction house is shared.

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We lost bro. Time to just integrate into the existing servers. Blizzard doesn’t care about the RP community. On the plus side, most people have been accomodating of RP and not being ding dongs when people are RPing a scene.

RP is still happening!

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That would be great.

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I would still prefer a dedicated server, but if this would allow RPers to find each other easier out in the world and let them RP in peace, I’m all for it!

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Isn’t there an add on or something that you can use to detect others that are using it for RP? I’m not really an add on person so it’s kind of fuzzy.

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Yeah, it’s actually a good addon too.
Haven’t used it in years though.

called Total RP 3

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There is. Total RP 3. However, the ‘scan for roleplay’ and world role play functions of it only works if you share a layer :frowning: So we can’t “find” the other RPers easily.

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110% support this!

Main question/concern I have though is the people who genuinely enjoy rp is a smaller population than the overall playerbase, how would you keep this realm from being exploited by those who don’t rp “ie botting, resource scavenging and hoping back to regular layer?”

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There’s layer limits already.
Blizz has throttled layer hopping.

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People already do that on retail to ask to be invited to low pop realms.

Its a downside sure, but, RPers usually have a larger population that opt in then a PvP realm in Classic. So long-term I don’t think it’d have too much of an effect. People are already using nova and guilds to hop layers.

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RP realms don’t have to be high pop to be useful to rpers though. As long as people are following RP rules then it doesn’t really matter if the population is lower.

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Having an exclusive RP layer would just be abused and not function as intended. People would enable it just to hop to layers with less competition.

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Ultimately a dedicated RP server would be ideal, but lacking that as we are, I suppose rpers would just have to make do.

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