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Officers' Quarters: Guild reputation in Cataclysm
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available this spring from No Starch Press. Two weeks ago, Blizzard revealed all the latest updates concerning their game plan for Cataclysm. Among them were a host of changes to the new guild systems and a guild UI overhaul, which were originally announced at BlizzCon 2009. Last week, I discussed Blizzard's decision to axe guild talent trees in favor of automatic perks at each level. Most of you disagreed with me on the issue, and I wasn't surprised. Most people would rather have all the perks, and I understand that. I still believe that offering guilds a way to define themselves using in-game elements would be incredibly useful, but we'll have to keep waiting for that. Moving on to another part of Blizzard's plan for guilds, I'd like to talk about guild reputation and where I'd like to see Blizzard go with it. No more guild currency Part of the announcement in mid-June was that guild currency as an idea has been scrapped. Instead, players will be able to purchase rewards with gold. I don't think anyone is mourning the loss of yet another type of currency.
The Daily Grind: Are guilds too important?
They're called different names, but a guild by any moniker is still a collection of players with a distinct affiliation. In some games, guilds offer wide-reaching powers and benefits; in others they're little more than a special chat channel with no rewards past that channel's existence. But whether you're in a kinship in Lord of the Rings Online or a linkshell in Final Fantasy XI, your guild makes a big difference -- some might say too much of a difference. After all, it's awfully easy to keep playing a game you're tired of because, well, your guild still needs you. World of Warcraft clearly uses the guild as a basic measurement of grouping, to the point where outside of your circle of friends, your guild name is often more important than your character name. It's been a long accepted fact that players who socialize and join guilds are more likely to stay in the game for the long haul. But are they too heavily emphasized? Would you rather see a greater emphasis on individual skill and accomplishments? Or do you feel that lessens your attachment to the game and your fellow players?
Officers' Quarters: The benefits of Cataclysm raiding
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available this spring from No Starch Press. If you've read WoW.com's reaction to the new Cataclysm raiding paradigm, you already know that I'm a bit biased about this whole situation. I can't deny that this announcement had me cheering. On the other hand, I'm hearing a lot of doom and gloom from around the WoW community. Few people seem to embrace these changes wholeheartedly, and that's all right. There's quite a bit of uncertainty -- even fear -- about how it will all play out. I understand that. All raiding guilds will be affected one way or the other, and it could be that your guild will have a hard time adjusting to the expansion's raiding environment. As officers, however, we can't give in to negativity. No matter how you might feel about these changes, they are happening, so let's move the conversation into a more productive area. Let's examine how Cataclysm raiding could help us as officers and how we can take advantage of these changes to help our guilds thrive.
