Andy :

Not too sure about the attack on male, cross-gender roleplayers at the end though…it comes across as out of context and debases the points you make in the rest of the article (even if I do agree with you). Eight out of ten.

I did consider cutting it – I left it in largely because bad drama isn’t the only story related cliche WoW roleplayers are guilty of, and which Blizzard encourages by giving female avatars come-hither bimbo animations. I should probably stress it’s not crossgender characters, or having a crossgender non-RP avatar that I mind – it’s the specific combination of crossgender, cybersex, and crying how it’s about the roleplay, not the cybersex (What, they’re embarrassed about liking porn? Most people do, I just wish they’d own up, then separate RP and ERP – the goals of the two are different enough that they very rarely mesh).

I’ll freely admit that’s a pet peeve. I have no beef with crossgender play where the character’s gender and sexual orientation are used to define the sort of person they are, not the sort of sex they like and want to have, please. But you’re right, that’s a topic in itself.

Brighteyes :

I’m scared shitless about SWToR but not for the reasons you state, all the designs I’ve seen so far point towards a brilliant single player game, which should have everyone worried as it’s a bloody MMORPG.

That, or more specificly a singleplayer game that multiple people can play. What I’m particularly curious about is, what are they going to do about voice? Filters, so players can communicate in a voice similar to whatever actor they’ve chosen for their character’s dialogue? Will they attempt to can enough phrases (in the style of online FPS or old console MMO’s) to allow at least rudimentary RP in voice, or will RP’ers become those weird geeks who insist on (snicker) typing? I have more faith in the project as an MMO now that Mythic is involved, but I’m still not sold on it being all that RP-friendly.

And yes, I agree with both of you about hard-ass RP’ers being a tiny minority. It does make me wonder though … with 11 million subscribers worldwide, Blizzard can’t afford to make one “nitpicky veteran RP’ers go here” -server per region? No extra rules to enforce, just the tag to denote that players here will be harsh on breaks of existing policy, and Blizz won’t care?

Andy :
Blizzard have more incentive to focus on the elements of the game that ensure that they maintain their steady revenue stream rather than pander to the likes of roleplayers.
….
I can’t say there is a single MMORPG that has been frothing at the bit at the moment short of SWToR – and as much as I love Bioware, I’m nervous someone is going to screw that IP into the ground as well. Maybe I should get around to setting up a pre-CU SWGEMU server. Sure, Tatooine may be quiet but at least it’ll be MY giant sandbox.

First of all I have to once more point out that the vast majority of roleplayers on WoW servers doesn’t give a crap about stuff like lore consistency or teen wangst ancient elven queens, oh how I loathe the silly bint, so I don’t believe they are alienating anyone but a tiny minority here. Far as I can see Blizzard is doing what is most profitable for their pockets, nothing stupid here. To put it in a different context, inteligent films like Memento (2001) are great and all, but if you want to make money you produce Independence Day (1996).

I’m scared shitless about SWToR but not for the reasons you state, all the designs I’ve seen so far point towards a brilliant single player game, which should have everyone worried as it’s a bloody MMORPG. The structure of an MMORPG should be vastly different compared to a normal single player CRPG, I predict a major fuck up incoming there. So please pre CU SWGEMU servers sound good about now.

Oddly enough, this must mean our friend Shamankiller (actually, it may have been Killershaman…I forget) falls into the lowest centile of IQ and ability in WoW. The one thing I did realise (and I unsubbed from WoW after trying the 10-day trial of WotLK last December) is that Blizzard have done an amazing job of making the game utterly, incredibly accessible. Seriously – my disabled mother could happily level her way through Azeroth. Though, she’s reading Twilight at the moment so I’m guessing she’d roll Alliance and never make it out of Goldshire…what a horrible thought…

How my Tauren brother FAILED to find the pitch for the Fire Totem quest I don’t know. Short of a giant, red “IT’S OVER HERE” marker a la WAR I’m not sure what else Blizzard can do to make the game easier to play.

You’re right; Blizzard have more incentive to focus on the elements of the game that ensure that they maintain their steady revenue stream rather than pander to the likes of roleplayers. It’s not going to change. Metzen et al have been vomiting out the same inconsistent, contradictory BS for years; storytelling credibility be damned. How can a character feel like they’re a [minor] hero in an epic world when the world changes on a whim? That and the mechanics of the game (and I KNOW you love the whole game-mechanics-in-roleplay argument…) simply do no accomodate anything other than intra- and in-guild or verbal posturing. Game mechanics should never drive creative roleplay; unfortunately, in my opinion it’s unavoidable. Until something comes along that is willing to innovate and take a risk on a minority group, I can’t see WoW or any of its uninspiring bastard children in-development affording much for roleplayers short of forum stories and tavern RP. I applaud your IC-instance runs and what I’ve heard of your resurrected guild in WoW but, cynical it may be, I suspect that kind of effort is in a minority amongst even the few genuine roleplayers in WoW.

In short; WoW roleplay is dead. But don’t just blame Blizzard for abusing the lore and focussing on pumping out epics for the Pavlovian masses – they’re all at it. I can’t say there is a single MMORPG that has been frothing at the bit at the moment short of SWToR – and as much as I love Bioware, I’m nervous someone is going to screw that IP into the ground as well. Maybe I should get around to setting up a pre-CU SWGEMU server. Sure, Tatooine may be quiet but at least it’ll be MY giant sandbox.

As for the article; well-written and I’ll link it on. Not too sure about the attack on male, cross-gender roleplayers at the end though…it comes across as out of context and debases the points you make in the rest of the article (even if I do agree with you). Eight out of ten.

But all of it, it doesn’t matter, we are a footnote, I think most RPers will actually be thrilled by these changes and just keep making up new excuses and dramatic shit to their hearts content in Cataclysm.

The problem with WoW is it’s main strength, it’s built to be the ultimate pop MMO, I’m pretty sure that anything built like that is not going to appeal to me. That makes me an elitist dick, so what?

S – One addiction at a time. The setting and the aerial gameplay sound fun, but I have slight trepidation about the whole “guess the gender, win a prize” anime look. Then again, I had the same reservations about WoW when it hit…

Agreed about the easy, though I think the raiders you’ve run with are more pro than my lot. Fun Club was at 11/14 in Ulduar 10 when I quit, the rest of the time I was less raiding and more running instances in all the wrong ways (3 and 4-manning level appropriate stuff, duoing TBC heroics with DPS, and generally running with non-ideal groups). It sort of compensated.

they made raiding yes, possibel for all, but repetitive, too easy and runnign excatly same place in 10 man, 25 man and both hard modes is just not motivating. In TBC there was fisr kara – that was awsome fun even when there was nothing to gain from there, ZA that was challenging and had the bear run as exstra, gruul and maggy, ssc/tk and then hyjal/Bt and even sunwell where our guild never quite got – that left me feel there was once again something I could strive towards to.
Now it’s all farming the same shit again and again, heroics, that are ridiculous – and yes… now they kill of the lore.

I mean.. this thing is so silly. if they would want to make more classes avaiable, they could jsut make all classes available at once since after this there is NO reason not to do it, and I will feel bad for not getting my belf druid if taurens get a paladin (please!!!)

the role-playing has alwayys been tedious and unmotivating there and more of an chore than pleasure , but now when the lore is ass fucked for good… heh, GL bliz.

I have bene pondering quitting through whole tbc- but my wonderful riadguild has kept me going. RP I abandonned at the end of tbc when it… just started to feel too useless compared to trouble and outland didint really support the warcarft lore either

I feel for you dear, hop with me to test Aion?

-S-