I hope not… The AI that Blizzard uses is abyssmal. And I use AI very loosely.
While I’ve heard this is this case many times I’ve never really experienced it myself due to not really doing any tank/healer proving grounds/MT. Though blizzard could always find a way to improve them in some form of way
Artificial Incompetence.
sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences, sorry to hear that.
but that doesn’t mean you should want to close yourself off, especially in a game that’s main selling point is that it’s multiplayer.
If your solution to toxic players is to avoid them instead of trying to fix the toxicity itself then you’re just putting a bandaid on the problem.
go and fight almost any mob, and marvel at how intelligent its ai is. Go look at any pet classes forum, and see how much praise there is.
Having healers that actually cast healing spells would be a nice start.
During the level scaling PTR I leveled a character through Silverpine Forest. At the end of the storyline my level 12 or so came to an Important Storyline End Quest™ where my healer npc was doing 1 hps, while I was supposed to deal with a caster who was constantly casting on me, even though I had no interrupts. I took a spirit rez, abandoned the quest, and left the zone. I then moved to Hillsbrad Foothills, where my character came to the next Important Storyline End Quest™, which had previously been doable, but now had many more adds. To make it feel more important, I guess. And to test the mastery of aoe of a character who did not yet have aoe.
I abandoned the PTR at that point.
I have been playing for 17 years. Including as acting guild lead and officer. I did raid current content at the server competitive level in Vanilla and BC. I did all the dungeons that came with farming resist gar and mats too. I had some great experiences with people who have become life long friends.
BUT - I really ask you to maybe read my post. I have a lot of reasons I don’t do well in group content. Panic attacks, getting lost all the time, being terrified of screwing up, etc. Dexterity issues and now that I am old, vision issues. I had a fantastic team back in the day who accommodated me and helped me. I don’t expect that out of strangers.
If anyone read the recent reddit (and Twitter) story about Jean and Jorts the cats and the HR issues. I am Jean on the forums and Jorts in game.
Forcing people to do group content is not fun for them.
I have been a forum MVP for almost 10 years. Mostly CS/TS. One of the things I do is help folks learn to use the reporting systems, explain the account penalties, etc. That is where I take most of my fight, along with advocating for more/better tools for players to use. I use those tools in game quite happily when required. I don’t have to put up with jerks though - I avoid them IRL and in game. See, one of the biggest social consequences for bad behavior is being shunned. It works pretty well, for most societies.
However, I am not going to make myself do something that causes me physical (and sometimes mental) anguish just to see the story or do a profession quest. I should not have to. The RPG aspect should matter at least equally to the multiplayer part. It is still multiplayer when you see folks run by or sell them things in the AH.
Now, on the topic of AI, yes the AI needs work for Blizzard to make this successful. They have it built into so many quests and scenarios now though that I see no reason why they can’t do it. Again, not asking for heroic or mythic gear.
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Players are in no position to change the behavior of other players.
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I like the Trust system in FF.
It let’s me run a dungeon solo to see all the mechanics and layout before grouping with real players. It’s something I’d love to see in WOW for the same reason.
I think having some way to run a Dungeon to plan routes using NPC’s would be great and might bring more players into Tanking.
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THIS! Knowing the route, bosses, mechanics, and being able to practice can be a huge factor in people being comfortable grouping up with strangers. Nobody likes messing up. Having a way to prevent that and practice is helpful. While it certainly satisfies the lore/quest folks, it also can be a bridge to group content be resolving some of the new/anxious player issues.
I did not like the Trials we had, although they were a good experiment. I think Solo raid and dungeon content would be more effective because it teaches the specific encounters that players will have to do.
I think a lot of the more recent elaborate core quests already incorporate this sort of thing into a quest scenario. I would like to see that expanded.
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no, but council members are.
They’re in the position to suggest changes (and in theory blizzard will listen) that could help curb toxicity and encourage positive player interactions. Harsher punishments for leavers, an endorsement system that offers rewards, and plenty more (Ideas aren’t my thing ok?)
hell the council members don’t even need to interface with the devs, they could do something as simple as post threads in GD asking for community feedback - that alone could greatly help improve general player morale because they feel like their voices are being heard.
by becoming a council member you’ve become a public pillar of the community, if you’re meant to represent players interact with them! find issues and help brainstorm solutions!
Toxicity isn’t something blizzard can squish on their own.
If interacting with other players isn’t fun in game, then look at why it isn’t fun, don’t just remove the interaction as a kneejerk reaction.
I think you vastly over estimate our powers!
The gaming (and internet as a whole) community has been battling what I think of as sort of “feral humans” for a long time. Anonymous environment lets some people think it is ok to dispense with basic social norms, manners, respect for others. More, some people double down on that as though it should become the norm. Fighting that overall is hard. There is always a lot of push back from those who enjoy the “freedom” to be jerks. They don’t like being booted out the airlock or silenced in social channels.
Progress is slow, but hopefully as more games tackle this, it will be steady progress.
probably more that I overestimate blizzards interactions with y’all.
and I get this, stuff like trade chat will probably never be fine.
but I still don’t think nuking player interaction - even for a story mode - is the right idea.
anyway, I’m probably done derailing this thread, people should be allowed to decide for themselves if a story/bot mode is something they actually want or not and I should stop acting like I know what’s right. Social interaction aside I’m a bit skeptical it would work with wows current AI.
EDIT: actually, I just remembered! they actually did try this with the finale of the new leveling zone! so I suppose there’s at least proof that the concept could work.
If I can ask a favor, please try to look at it the other way. Nobody is trying to remove group players. I want people who already REFUSE to do group content to have a way to see the story, do quests, etc. Also to learn mechanics, layout, etc. I see it as a way to let players see what they paid for (expansion story), and also to hopefully give people more confidence to join strangers once they know the basics of the encounters. It is a way to retain RPG players and maybe even encourage some to do group content afterwards.
Exactly. I THINK (and add in huge dashes of hope) that they could do it.
Probably too niche to work tbh. They either have to have bad rewards or they invalidate the other content. If they have bad rewards they will be super niche and therefore not worth the time investment. If they have good rewards on par with actual group content it invalidates group content. The hardest part of raiding is getting all 20 people to do the mechanic so if you can get H/M gear from a solo content where the hardest part is removed then there would be no reason to raid or dungeon.
A possible use case is for practice but even then it will probably be niche considering how many people come to raids not even knowing their own abilities or looking at the journal for the boss. I wouldn’t expect those players to put in 30m practicing for no direct reward.
Believe they have been playing around with the idea of players being able to group with ai controlled npc’s for awhile now. The little scenario at the end of the exile isle island for example. Also things like comp stomp, and Darion helping you during Maw quest etc. Wouldn’t bother me at all tbh, if it were an optional way to run some scenario dungeon type stuff.
if the maw escape is any indication Jiana would be an unstoppable killing machine and everyone else would be bumbling idiots. Baine would be dead before anything started.
He would somehow be the player that dies in the capitol city.
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Wrong, Baine would be to busy sitting at the summoning stone
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Indeed, nobody is suggesting H/M level rewards.
I think the suggestions come from the players who really really enjoy doing old raids and dungeons solo. Blizzard recognizes that and has even added pets, achievements, etc that are related.
I REALLY enjoy those. I just hate having to wait two expansions or so before I can solo the content. I would like to see it NOW even if I can’t get the same rewards. Bonus if I can learn the layout, mechanics, etc. Then if I want the better rewards I can get them.
A lot of people really enjoy the RPG, story, cosmetics, pets, quests (esp when professions and achievements are tied to dungeons).
Legion was great in many ways, but horrible in others. Tying professions to forced group dungeons was really an issue and there were lots of posts on the forums about it.
“Too bad go do groups” is not really the best solution. They have been better about professions and group content since, but you get the point.
With regard to the investment. You are 100% right. Management is going to do a cost benefit analysis and decide if it is worth spending money on.
Make it happen Blizz lol. I for one would like to have a tank npc to go out on adventures with me, since the devs thought that water elemental pets shouldn’t have aggro abilities like warlock voidwalkers haha.