It’s a bit debatable on both those fronts. Cross-server groups are still vectors for communication and socializing - it’s just an unfortunate limitation kept in place by blizzard that means most of those won’t be fruitful. I can probably get more groups (more communication vectors) in the same time with RDF than you can with your guild today. Maybe not.
I’m not convinced that more communication- regardless of the content of that communication- is definitely better, even for an MMO.
Retail is still there, people keep telling me to go there.
There’s a reason why slippery slopes are a logical fallacy.
You are much less likely to use those vectors compared to me and my guildmates, in your random groups though. Like, significantly so, which is kind of the point.
So this could obviously be a point of contention, but I personally do not count communication with those who you only see once and never again (for the most part) to count.
There needs to be an actual ripple effect, no matter how small, on your actual realm whenever you communicate with a person. Someone on a different realm creates no vectors for evolution of your realms social dynamics. Just you talking to a person is a social act, sure, but when I talk about communication, I am also assuming we are in a world where RDF doesn’t exist yet, and thus, every conversation you’re already having can potentially have a ripple effect on your experience because you both inhabit the same playing space.
Talking to a cross server person doesn’t interact with this algorithm at all, so I don’t even consider talking to someone cross server to be exactly what I’m talking about preserving.
Blizzard can implement classic RDF in classic Wrath and still choose not to implement LFR in Classiclysm. There’s no overwhelming momentum that will force their hand. The decisions they made about LFR (making it a whole separate difficulty with lower iLvL loot) didn’t have to happen that way. They were all separate decisions that were made individually.
Game got easier and easier, lost millions of subs. If they had their way there would be no classic. Remember? They told red shirt guy no at that Blizzcon.
Why are we playing Classic right now? Because we didnt want to play retail. Ziryus debunked yet again.
Changes were made. We can point to them. We can state what kind of changes these were (lowered entry barrier) and we can see the results of those changes expressed in the rapid loss of subs from one expansion to the next until it all went away in WoD, forever.
It happened. The devs just acknowledged it by removing RDF. As usual you arguing facts and reality instead of me. Oh well carry on then.
Edit: Remember what Ghostcrawler said when he joined LoL. He was happy to work on a game that didnt involve making sure your grandmother could play it. Says it all.
Not really, LFD was very much to facilitate group forming.
LFR on the other hand was because blizzard had utterly destroyed causal end game in Cata with several Cata changes and they were hemorrhaging subs. LFR was the easy way to give casual players some kind of end game.
Oh, where’s that .gif of the soccer team moving the goalposts?
You are being ridiculous. That is absolutely impossible to measure. There’s no way for you to know if I’ve had any real impact in my server-side groups that I haven’t had in cross-realm groups.
I once soloed Ick and Frick from about 75% to dead and a guy on another server said he was going to roll a paladin and name him after me. I’ve never had that happen server-side.
What algorithm? The one you made up? Cross-realm groups absolutely are impacted by the energy that other players bring into them. If I go into a group with the intent of needing on every blue to enrich myself as an enchanter then it’s going to be a wholly different experience for the other four players than if I go in with the mindset that I’m going to help everyone else have fun while getting some badges and a chance at other gear upgrades.
Just because there’s nuance to an idea doesn’t mean the goalposts are being moved.
There is a clear difference between interaction with someone on your realm, and someone from another realm you are not likely to ever see again, everybody knows that inherently.
And this is me giving you the benefit of the doubt that RDF somehow promotes lots of social grouping. It literally doesn’t and never did. Factually.
