Wow and Co.: When MMO

Not the first time in my community council career, I draw with waving flags in the luggage and proclaim: An online role-playing game is only so healthy (i.e. healthy) like its community. Not for the first time I have to notice that is not taken seriously by this golden rule of the gaming business by some MMO developers . And again, nothing else is left to wand as helpless with the arms and somehow trying to raise understanding for much busy developers. But honestly: I am a very patient man, you hardly believe it. At some point, however, my puffs go out. So it's time again in a text from me about community. But why that again? Let me explain!

• Community is always a topic
• WOW developer: The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• DEV player balance

Community is always a topic

Recently, I have reinforced over the holidays, which MMO developers in which forums or other way responded to the demands of player communities. A few things came to me until the first days of the new year. Wow, developers preferably communicate with the players via the (EH, three or four) community managers. Mostly it is KAV AX, which holds lonely and alone a flag and mostly not much more than the developer messenger is. By the way, if you're angry with the WoW makers, then please: Do not Shoot the Messenger. Because Naval is really one of the few remaining community managers we still have. I put on a wild thesis: the WoW devs would possibly be (my very personal feeling after, considering that) the best in any way, they would not have to deal with the community. Logic, it's super shy for a developer studio to satisfy all fans, which is quasi a thing of the impossibility.

Also, under my reinforced observation were the New World forums and there you can just admire the extreme opposite to Blizzard forest resort. Community Manager (Alexandra) and developers (Char dis, In RAM and Kay) are located in a constant dialogue with the players to get the still ongoing starting difficulties and bugs from New World. The dialogue even goes so far that the new community manager Shadow fox (I believe it is a woman, but that's just a gut feeling) has been so much talked in the exchange with New World fans, That he had to cool for a few days. I suppose whoever is shadow fox is still relatively new in community management business. Sponge over. The important thing is that the players of New World at least gain the feeling that their opinion has a weight.

If these two extremely examples of community management are not enough: Makes a Deep Dive in the DEVON Talk of Matt Furor, Rich Lambert and Kai October on MMO community. The community of The Elder Scrolls online is known as one of the most helpful and friendliest MMO communities, and it is fascinating, even for old rabbits in the industry, to learn how difficult and laborious, but also worthwhile work with the community is.

WOW developer: The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Why do I currently think the topic super important and explosive again? Because there are people who claim that the community council would be to Wow only eye washing ; One means of purpose to do so as if you really do something for the community. And this general feeling is even very well comprehensible — even if someone still stated in mid-December 2021, that the communication of the WoW developer would never have been better (Oh, but that was her, you poor child of spring..). Wow, developers do not necessarily seem to want to play hide with you. But they are split in their behavior about the different WoW teams. A bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The silent and virtually non-occurring Dr. Jekyll are the developers of Modern Wow (Buy Now), Live Wow, Shadow lands... Whatever you want to call it. And that's not even completely true that the live DEVs would make a bow around the forum of the Community Council. Lead Game Designer Muffins is very interested in working properly (now). And Devin accepts your PVP questions. Problem but is: 80 to 90 percent of the topics discussed in the Community Council turn around Live Wow, and there is this post with the links to interesting discussions approximately as impressive as the WOW Community Management in general. That it goes better...

Nutrition? This also knows Sylvan as...

... that could Jekyll learn from Mr. Hyde. Or to stay with Wow: the people of live wow could learn from the people of Classic Wow and Burning Crusade. Namely, they are running and lead a dialogue with the players. But as already said: Most topics of the community councils turn around live wow. And you can have a good or a bad opinion from WOW player president . The fact is that he has addressed some important topics in the forums. For example, that borrowed hero power is not a good concept and that grind is not content . These arguments also see many Normal players, complaining, rain on it. A reaction of the developer but where is it?

DEV player balance

Right, you can not only browse the forums all day and chat with the players. For this you would need community manager and... Wait...

Anyway, developers should make their developer work. However, you should not feel the players that they would be irrelevant. As if they were only any paid lemmings, which swallow everything no matter what is set to them. Because that is definitely not what happens in the WoW community. We already had the topic: Since July 2021, not only a handful of WoW fans have terminated their subscription.

I think the developers of Test, those of Classic Wow (in parts) and also those from New World to some degree, how to be respectful and interacted at eye level with the players. And they prove as so many other MMO developers also ensure that a healthy community for a healthy online role-playing game (as maybe that may fail in the respective definition). But the typical WoW community is no longer available, it is decayed with Classic, BCC, the season of the championship and the live version in many small splinter groups. Now these splinters are now summarized and grabbing, that felts the developers of WOW extremely difficult. Too bad. Because community and game currently suffer alike.