community-blog-topic-results
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Community Blog Topic Results: Should all classes get a fourth spec?
The last Community Blog Topic asked, "Should all classes get a fourth spec?" My answer was no, but I still presented some ideas as to how four specs could be implemented for most of the classes. This was a rather hot topic with a slew of comments and a large number of blog posts. I've focused mostly on the blog posts here. Fizzl from Working Title likes the idea of a fourth spec and would like it to be used to add a buff spec to each class. A replenishment-style system of raid buffing via damage. Think of it like this for a moment: a buff role would be available to multiple classes. Each buff-specced class could use damage output to provide raids with multiple buffs (more so than just mana return). Lets say a "buff" warrior at maximum output provides the raid with a nice health boost. Or a "buff" mage doing its job allows a temporary buff of the raid that functions like a mini-Time Warp.
Community Blog Topic Results: What faction story do you want to see more of?
On the last Community Blog Topic we asked what playable faction'story you would like to see more of in-game. I made the distinction between in-game lore and the outside sources (comics, short stories, novels, etc.) that many players don't read. My first choice was most people's first choice as well: the Gilneans. Worgen WordGardener at Deletrix's World of Warcraft Blog agrees with me about the Worgen. Gilnean architecture is simply stunning. I love the old, steampunk, fantasy feel of Worgen architecture. The characters have so much flavor, so much possibility. So I was pretty stunned when that ball got dropped, hot-potato-style.
Community Blog Topic Results: Favorite faction leader
In the latest Community Blog Topic, we asked, "Who is your favorite playable faction leader?" Of the people answering, many chose non-playable factions or former faction leaders. But there was one clear leader among all the bloggers and commenters: Lady Sylvanas Windrunner From her tragic backstory to her current behavior, the Banshee Queen garnered 2.5 times as many votes as the next runner up. As WordGardener expressed on Deletrix's World of Warcraft Blog. Her story has such deep tragedy, and yet she can't even die and finally rest. Instead, she's chasing down Arthas through Icecrown. Better yet, remember that epic battle in her Undercity itself, with Thrall, where we got to run around fighting with her and SHE WAS SHOOTING A BOW THAT FIRED WITCHES INSTEAD OF ARROWS?! Ahem. Yeah, she's my girl!
Community Blog Topic Results: The in-game store
Our latest Community Blog Topic is about the in-game store. What would you buy from it? As expected, many people said they wouldn't buy anything, but there were also plenty of people with nifty shopping ideas. Ideas for the store Tyledres at Frost and Claws would like to see shapechanging items. I love being able to change what my toon looks like temporary. Dartol's Rod of Transformation,Iron-boot flask, the orb of the Sin'dorei, love them all. If there was an item that was from the Blizzard store only but would affect what a character looked like for say half an hour and had an hour cooldown or something I would want it. I'm not sure what it would turn you into. I don't have a specific item in mind. I just like to occasionally look different.
Community Blog Topic Results: The ease and speed of leveling
Last week, we asked if leveling in WoW is too easy and too fast. Answers varied widely. Leveling is too fast bryanjturner says, It's too fast, as long as your willing to stick it oth for the story your fine but most people skip whole swaths of content and it cheapens the lore. I thought Wrath had the best pace, this is so fast you miss out even with out heirlooms.
Community Blog Topic Results: Favorite class and spec
Last week, we asked "What is your favorite class and spec?" We got many answers from altoholics who couldn't choose to enthusiastic odes. Here's what everyone had to say, listed in order of popularity. Hunter AlternativeChat over at ALT:ernative says If it's Hunter shaped, I'm going to play it. She favors the Beast Mastery spec due to its utility in soloing and farming as well as its pet buffs granting access to all DPS and crowd control abilities.
Community Blog Topic Results: Merging servers and Virtual Realms
Last week's Community Blog Topic was whether or not servers should be merged to alleviate the problem with low population servers. With the announcement that Virtual Realms will be tested on the patch 5.4 PTR, this subject became very timely, if not a little belated. Blizzard's answer to whether or not servers should be merged seems to be yes ... kinda. Rather than merging servers into several bigger servers, Virtual Realms will cluster several separate realms together into one big meta server with a shared AH and the ability to join guilds and groups cross realm. I assume that like servers will be put together, just like CRZ, so that PVE and PVP players won't be mixed. If Virtual Realms make it to the live realms and work, it seems like an excellent solution to the problem of dead and imbalanced servers. But how will it be implemented? And what if Virtual Realms don't work? Should servers be merged?
Community Blog Topic Results: Features we wish WoW had
Last week, we asked, "What 3 features do you wish WoW had?" Quite a few people answered, many with more than three features. For myself, I suggested cross-realm mail, one free server transfer a month, and story questlines for each class. Here's the breakdown of the responses. Level scaling Since reading everyone else's ideas, I'd like to boot cross-realm mail out of my top three list and instead replace it with level scaling so that players of disparate levels can play together. Jojo over at Admiring Azeroth would also like to see level scaling be used so that players could return to lower level zones and complete the content with an appropriate amount of challenge. Feckless Leader's Ross has this to say about what scaling down would have to offer the max-level player: Quest rewards can always contain gold, and perhaps scaled-down players would also earn the currency of the day, or be able to champion faction rep will questing with your friend. Of course this would work for low-level dungeons, too.
Community Blog Topic Results: What's wrong with WoW
Last week, we asked "What's wrong with WoW?" After four blog posts and over 300 comments, it is obvious that quite a few people have very strong thoughts on the subject. We specifically asked what people thought were the reasons that World of Warcraft's subscriber numbers were declining, so I'll be highlighting some of the responses that focus on that. Age Carmelo at Clever Musings touts WoW's age as being its biggest problem. 8 years is a very long time for a game, even though it does change every two years with expansions. I'm sure that some people are leaving to play shiny new games with prettier graphics.
Community Blog Topic Results: Rewarding well-behaved players
Previously in Community Blog Topic, we talked about the punishment of funsuckers. Conversely, last week we talked about rewarding players who are known for good behavior. MrandMrsWoW voiced on their blog what many people in the comments were saying: good behavior is its own reward. They go on to list their reasons why well-behaved players should not be rewarded: WoW is not school, and should be treated as such! Good behaviour is a basic human principal and should be a given (whether it is or not is a separate issue) Rewarding people for being polite will only encourage more scamming of the system I can't think of a fair way to instigate a reward system: for LFR? For LFG? For guildies? Should we vote? How do we vote? What is 'well-behaved'? Not swearing? Saying hello? Not ninja-ing loot? I can't see a fair way to judge it. WE SHOULD NOT BE REWARDING GROWN ADULTS FOR NOT BEING NASTY TO EACH OTHER! The World of Warcraft may not be school, but there are plenty of school-aged players who could use some guidance in the correct direction of becoming well-behaved adults. It's not WoW's job to parent them, but offering positive reinforcement by peers is not necessarily a school-only thing. With employee of the month awards and merit bonuses being used in the working world, rewarding good behavior is a commonplace tactic used by adults for adults.
