Since there’s a 30 per day limit

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
101

While I understand where you’re coming from, exactly how much strain has the above placed on blizzard?

I hate the change as much as you but like, it’s pretty clear that they weren’t referring to only gameplay that is both automated and exploitative.

Sure language has rules and all that, but theres really only one rule that matters:

Did you understand what I was talking about? If yes, no other rules apply.

102

The answer to that question is clearly “no” given the radically different interpretations of what they said.

I personally understood the phrase to mean exploitative gameplay to be one of the types of gameplay they were targeting. I don’t believe the use of the word “and” necessarily implies that the gameplay was both exploitative and automated.

For example, a proper English sentence might read “I enjoying playing ranged DPS and healer classes.” That doesn’t mean that I like classes that are both ranged DPS and healers.

The confusion seems to come from the word “gameplay,” which is singular, but can describe numerous different behaviors. You don’t say “We are targeting exploitative and automated gameplays” like you would say “ranged and healer classes.” Turn “classes” into “class” and suddenly the argument makes more sense. “I enjoy playing a ranged DPS and healer class.”

Gameplay is being interpreted as singular, so adjectives connected with “and” are interpreted to only apply to one collective set of behaviors. This can be demonstrated with another word that is the same for both plural and singular.

“I enjoying drawing big and fuzzy caribou.” Do I draw caribou that are both big and fuzzy, or do I draw big caribou and fuzzy caribou?

“I enjoy casual and min/max gameplay.” Do I enjoy gameplay that is both casual and min/max, or do I enjoy min/max gameplay and casual gameplay?

103

he’ll die on his mole hill - i wouldn’t bother

104

It isn’t quite this simple, but this gets to the crux of the problem. Common sense understanding can lead someone to understand a statement like:

exploitative and automated gameplay

As either a 2-item list or a singular thing. We normally use commas to separate out items in a list, but when you only have two items the comma is dropped and confusion can abound.

Reasonable interpretation leans heavily towards it being a 2-item list because:

  • Exploitative and automated are terms that can describe one another, making their use as a conjoined and singular term somewhat redundant
  • Exploitative and automated are terms that can be used independently without the other
  • Blizzard is not barred from or hindered by initiating changes that limit exploitative or automated gameplay individually
  • Blizzard is motivated to, and has declared itself as such, eliminate both exploitative and automated gameplay, along with many other types of gameplay
  • Blizzard is free to define exploitative and automated gameplay how it chooses

So while someone may interpret the phrase as a singularly narrow type of action, it is not the only valid interpretation, and it is the least likely interpretation given the rest of the evidence.

105

Strain? It likely resulted in the dramatic decrease of interaction with the player base.

106

Hate to break it to you sweetheart.

Their decrease of interaction with the playerbase has been going on for years, not the few months classic has been about.

107

Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but I was not specifically referring to classic.

108

I do know you love to have the last word.