New player here, and while I agree that FOMO needs to die in a fire regardless of medium or method - I don’t agree that’s why WoW “can’t get new players”.
It’s an older game that requires more communication and searching and learning than most of the newer ones; newer gamers and ‘older’ gamers don’t want to actually spend time speaking to people in an MMO, or having to take the time to research up some stuff or look up quests or learn how to play. Many modern MMOs - and games in general - have shifted to trying to make the experience as hand-holdy and guiding as possible, because that is what the general gamer culture has shifted to when it comes to the bottom line.
As someone sort of in the middle of that mindset - where I think intuitive systems and guidance are good, but don’t want to rely on it forever and do not want ‘convenience’ to take away from my overall game experience - it’s difficult to enjoy more modern MMOs. ESO and WoW have been the only two I’ve tried that manage to sort of fit the weird middle of the road criteria I have for game enjoyment.
Also lol, FFXIV has been bleeding players for years and especially so after the absolute bellyflop of disappointment that Endwalker was. People like me who had played since 2.0, or even longer than, have been wholesale dropping the game because we’re tired of seeing it devolve into a glorified visual novel where nothing is challenging and there is no real sense of skill or level progression; where the developer is more focused on the new player experience (despite still failing at retention even after the ARR changes) than listening to years’ worth of the same concerns from veteran players. Do you know how many years it took to get Living Dead fixed? To get indicators for magic or physical damage? Do you know what healers who barely have to heal even in high end content are being told when asked for either more dynamic healing requirements, or better DPS rotations if they refuse to do the former? They’re not retaining players because the core gameplay is bad, broken, and suffering from an out-of-touch developer’s vision of making a WoW clone for the opposite end of the player spectrum.
WoW has a lot of problems, to be sure, FOMO being one of the them - and while I have so far avoided the disappointment of wanting something that is unavailable, I know it’ll happen eventually (maybe) and I do admit it will dampen some enjoyment. But not enough to quit; the game, at its core, offers me an experience I was desperate for after the stale homogenized baby’s-first-MMO experience of FFXIV that I endured for 10 years. FOMO isn’t gonna be the reason I leave, nor the reason many new players leave. Some might because of it, but not all.
I know it’s popular over in FFXIV to make vast sweeping assumptions and claim to speak for a majority, but you really don’t lol.
As someone who tries to get her friends to play wow all the time. I will tell you some of the basic things that come up.
Stormwind textures. Every single time I show our capital city off. The first thing they ask is why does it look like cardboard. The rest of the game does not look that bad.
Second thing they ask is about end game, and I explain to them. When they ask about tougher content, I explain raiding and mythic + and as SOON as I talk about mythic+ and raider Io stuff. They are just like big Nope.
And my friend who got to end game, felt the content he wanted to do. Did not reward him for the time invested. (aka world quest and such.)
Also, wow economy is bad. The three pillars of a mmo and one of them is economy, and thanks to wow tokens, and selling runs. Our economy is in shambles.
I do admit, while I love Stormwind overall, there are definitely some spots of the city that look a bit… odd, compared to other parts. I think they could stand to update some of the textures or models in some parts of the city (especially the trade district and Old Town).
That said, it also sort of has that old school nostalgia charm for me? I don’t know. I definitely do notice the difference between, say, Lion’s Rest vs. the interior of some buildings.
Not sure if that’s something that’d keep me from playing, though. Seems like a bit of a silly hangup in comparison to a number of other actual issues.
I mean sure, for most of us that would not keep us from playing.
But, when you are trying to convenience someone to play. The one thing i do is praise the art team of wow. Because the art team deserve it. So i kinda set myself up for a trap. When they see the front of stormwind.
It is hard to get new players to try wow because of the rep the community has built over the years.
I mean sure, it could be. It is hard to explain to players who enjoy end game in other mmos, about a system players design to make pugging easier on everyone. It just seems tedious outside looking in.
That falls in line with economy issues with boosting.
Combat, Good service. (mmo is a service game. So this falls in line with decent content updates, at a decent speed. Good CS, all that.), and economy. Three pillars,
The combat has saved wow more often than not. The good tick rate carries this game far.
The service part, can go on line of updating the game to meet players demands, and keeping content fresh. Something Blizzard has a problem with.
Economy is end game for many players as well. It is a pillar that makes you feel like your time has value when you invest into something. Your gold and what you spend it on, how you earn it. What you do with it. All these things matter in time invested.
My husband told me that is what he looks for in game. It made sense to me.
Without good combat, It is hard to enjoy the game.
Without decent updates. Would you enjoy said mmo?
We see the damage of having a bad economy in wow is.
I mean everyones “values” and what they want in a mmo is made up. I’m just saying that these pillars matter to many players.
You can nit pick things. Like ease of access and ui all that, but that just comes with good service part.
If you have more to add by all means, but looking at MMOS. That is the three main factors for us.
Your husband can tell you anything and it can make “sense”, but it doesn’t make it true. Those are not The Three Pillars of MMORPGs. I have never heard of three pillars.
Sure economy and economy, combat, and “updates” are important, but that doesn’t mean they are The Three Pillars, why three? Did Blizzard announce that there are three pillars?
You made it clear that us is you and your husband.
To me I’m convinced that the way you explain things to new players is what turns them away from end-game content.
Players say they hate the Blizz Store, yet I actually think people would be more OK with the store if there also wasnt a $15 a month fee.
IMHO they need to go the route of GW2 and let players pay for expansions and major patches and the rest of the income made from the game store selling cosmetics.
You are wrong to say they are the definitive Three Pillars when your husband made it up. I don’t understand why you are even arguing as if his words are objective truths.
I clearly touched a nerve. Instead of debating why my personal views are wrong. You just want to attack acting like I am wrong when you can’t even come up with a answer on why it is. Sadly I got a business morning and don’t got time to debate with kids, I could spend all morning putting you in your place, but life calls. Have a nice day.