That’s fine.
I don’t expect a “classic mmo” style game to have universal appeal. It definitely won’t and it shouldn’t.
Retail is designed for that. Classic is not.
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I would advise against engaging Zipzo. As you can see, the delirium and narcissism won’t stop if you do.
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Speaking of my own experience, dungeons were never a significant part of the social aspect of the game. Guilds and raids were.
I was a guild master in Darksorrow EU during the original WotLK. With the introduction of LFD, a lot of the guildies could gear up more easily, and we were able to get new people into this game. We expanded our raid groups from one to two. If anything, LFD did not hurt the social aspect of the game, but improved it by making the game more accessible and easier to catch up.
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Sometimes engagement can provide a negative experience, but it is engagement nonetheless.
Dungeon Finder would solve some of the negative experience but it would also mean being less engaged in the task as it would be automated, it also bring it’s own unique experience that may be perceived as negative to some.
It is why the subject of Dungeon Finder is such a hot topic, both sides have their own good reasons to want it or not. Everyone have their personal preferences.
It is also why I’m interested in talking about hybrid solutions, because if Blizzard is dead set on not including the Dungeon Finder, perhaps we can at least convince them to implement a way to reduce the negative experience brought forth by LFG and the need for an addon.
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Thank you for your time writing this. 
I’m taking notes, I just wanted to ask another question in regards to the following:
Do you think the current LFG system is fine as it is?
If not, do you see possible changes for it that could make it better?
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If you want me to try my hardest to offer my version of a “compromise”-
Remove the cross realm element.
Remove the dungeon teleport.
Only for pre-80 dungeons (which includes WOTLK normals, even if your character is level 80).
In this state, I think I’d be pretty fine with it.
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Dungeon finder wouldn’t have been a ‘hot topic’ if it was just left as-is. Sure there would’ve been a couple people disgruntled about it, but at the end of the day, they’ve lost nothing by RDF being in the game.
Then those people at Blizzard should be removed or put in roles that can no longer make game changing decisions.
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Yeah, Brian seems more fit for HR than he does lead dev
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I doubt they’ve lost anything by taking it out either, other than your particular confidence and some forum people do seem to be losing their minds…
I think he’s doing a pretty good job.
Absolutely, eras dead, soms dead, tbc is okish, great job indeed.
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It isn’t the only correct choice for everybody. Some people will prefer to live somewhere without an elevator, so they are forced to take the stairs and live a healthier lifestyle.
In any case, trying to push a single correct choice that works for you is your own prerogative, but I’m simply pointing out that there are some people who prefer the lack of RDF. And while having it doesn’t theoretically prevent people from forming their own groups, it greatly reduces the experience of group forming.
Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that RDF shouldn’t exist in Retail, nor that it doesn’t belong in Wrath Classic, around the same time it came out during WotLK. However, it certainly would have made WoW Classic a different experience.
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Which makes me think that’s part of the reason Blizz is removing the dungeon finder is to artificially slow players down. Without those bonus rewards it will take much longer to gear up. That’s very much a Retail design philosophy.
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Leave that to the person to make the choice.
Then they have some severe mental illness. Being afraid of something just because it exists is obviously not very healthy.
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Era is dead because TBC overshadowed it, and SoM had a poor release window and thus suffered the same exact fate.
I guarantee you after WOTLK has lived its entire life, some people will go back to Classic Era or the new Season of XYZ and try F R E S H again.
Vanilla servers were around for a lot longer than Classic Era’s lifespan prior to Blizzard announcing Classic. Trust me, people are just occupied with the newer expansions, but eventually, Classic Era will see a boom again just like the private servers always do.
It especially works if Blizzard does a seasonal approach, since the vanilla community has a thing for restarting new characters and “building from scratch”. Season of Mastery is almost the right approach, with a few tweaks.
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At the moment, I think that it’s a solid move.
Convenience and a lower barrier to entry. Just pressing a button to join a group removes a lot of logistics in group making that current exist.
I could go on for days but I’ll leave it to a few point.
- Instant Teleportation - Makes the world feel that much smaller. The instances have cool entries but when the majority of the pool of players are instantly teleporting there, you only get to see them on death. And when people start to get lost running back, you can see the effects of taking away that immersion. This also builds on the next point.
- Easy to Abuse - Players no longer have near the investment to get a group going as they used to. With it being that much easier to get into a dungeon, it makes it that much easier to leave one. Even without cross realm, whats going to stop someone from griefing each group til they land in one without a kick available? Tank doesn’t like the group comp or players? They can leave and just requeue. In the event they do get the 30min debuff (doesn’t always happen) they have an instant queue to get into another group. At that point, it’s quality over quantity to them. This also applies to players only needing those items off the first bosses or groups of friends kicking the lone pug.
- Social Detachment - I’m not saying RDF ruins social interaction, that is on the players. But even a surface level conversation sometimes has benefits or insights to the players you’re about to commit time to. Seeing if someone is demanding summons, not being a team players, you can as a group lead quickly determine if it’s worth it to bring them at that point.
I think how the groups are made for Mythic dungeons in current Retail would be perfect. You don’t have a chat system that has an overload of information coming at you, instead a list that’s much more manageable. Players don’t have to spam either, just list and wait.
The version they brought in for TBC seemed spiteful. I have never seen a post about how great they love the TBC version of the dungeon finder. It seems whoever made that call wanted us to enjoy the classic that we clearly didn’t. The retail version of the controlled dungeon matchmaking would just be an upgrade from the addon most people use now.
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I can’t wait for mages to level my alt with an auto follow weak aura, thank God rdf isn’t in the game so I can experience those dynamic social interactions.
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It’s nothing they “brought in”, that was actually in original TBC.
Honestly its amazing how large the world seems when Im alt tabbed watching youtube when auto flying to the dungeon
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It’s a useless tool that no one requested be brought back. The resources they put into it were a waste.
It’s not a matter of bringing anything back. It was there back then, so it’s there now. It’s just part of the recreation of the experience.
1 Like