This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
When video games become more like a job than what they're supposed to be, I begin to feel bad as I play. But that's not the case with the new expansion for WoW. I am happy to know that it accommodates casual gamers, like myself, because I can go to work, hang out with my family, and my friends, but not feel obligated to do 25-man raids, three times a week with my guild while working on my character. So overall, it was a job well done.
I do a 12 hour day at music college, then have to do domestics, work, practice, gigs etc. My wife is a nurse, and has to do funny shifts. Both of us love raids and instances, but although we are both in okish guilds, it's impossible to meet their schedules (8.30 kara= 7.30 for me in Ireland. I'm never free to play by then). I only stay in mine because of a couple of friends. I was actually thinking of trying to swap to a US server, as they are 5 hours behind me, which would mean I'd have more luck finding a spot as and when I can play. Does anyone have any tips on this?
I am not really excited about the end-game instances. Ye know why? I have NEVER done over a 5-man Instance. Why? Because everybody I meet In-Game is a ^&*git, or they just don't think I'm that good lol. Most of the people on my Server are stuck-up's that think they're good, while I have the crappiest Armor in the history of the game :PI have a couple friends, I ain't on alot so we sort of forget about eachother. I have one friend IRL that plays WoW, but we hate eachother, so that don't work out (and he on a dif. Server) so I have to meet new people through the game, and that's hard on my Server :PSo yes. I like playing with other people, but no, I ain't excited for 10-man Instances/Raids.
been casual for 4 years
This is where I think Blizzard actually got things completely wrong with the expansion. I think it should be the complete opposite than the way it is. From a Lore Perspective, I think it should be harder to kill Kel'Thuzhad with 10 people instead of 25 people.
I am definitely a casual player.. I enjoyed the 25-mans a few days prior to release of WotLK, but I am just not able to raid during the week.That said, I don't play at all currently. My computer is simply not good enough to run WotLK smoothly and can't handle all the people online in the same spot. It isn't fun for me to play at all so I can't be bothered to do so.
I definitely see both sides of the coin: playing a game like this and feeling like you finished the content in a week after a major release is not optimal. However, I think it is also not optimal to engineer the game in such a way that casual players never see certain content. For example: When Burning Crusades came out, I had three level 60 characters, When Wrath of the Lich King came out, I had 2 60s, 2 70s, and a 55. However, through all the time, I never once have done a Molten Core run. The amount of preparation you had to do before BC came out was ridiculous. I've only been up to the first boss in Hyjal for the same reason. I've always been really excited to experience the Hyjal content because I played Warcraft III and thought it would be awesome to see it from another perspective. However, that content remains closed off to me at this time. I'd like to think there's a balance somewhere that would accommodate both sides.
Since you gave your background, here's mine. My neighbor owned a video arcade, so starting at 3 years old in 1978 I had Pac Man, Space Invaders, Asteroids... all the classics in my neighbor's garage. By 1981, I had my first computer. An Atari 800 XL, 64 KB ram and a tape cassette drive (got a floppy drive for xmas, which cost, at the time $250). My first HUGE computer gaming obsession was ultima 3 in 1983 at 8 years old... it only has grown from there.I consider myself a hybrid Hardcore/Casual. Before LK came out, I had 8 level 70's, but none had gear beyond Kara (except badges). I despise 25-man raids because you spend 30 minutes explaining a fight, and then someone screws up in the first 10 seconds... lather, rinse, repeat. It was only worse pre-BC with the 40-mans, because someone was always leaving to go poop or something.So I play a lot, I consider myself quite knowledgable about a great many aspects of how to play each character class, but I'm very much a loner, or small-group kind of person.
I enjoy playing solo and with friends. When leveling, it almost always works out better for me to solo because the friends I play with tend to move a little faster paced than I do. I'm just slow for some reason. :) But for PvP, I much prefer playing with my friends. I don't really raid at all.I enjoy arena a lot with my RL friends. We do arena for fun more than points.
I do believe that they have made the game to casual. I was one of the few people to ever kill Kel'Thuzad in the 40 man version at lvl 60. At the same time on the server there was people that couldnt get past the first pull in MC. I played when you use to PVE to get better gear for PVP. Personally I like what blizzard did with BC, when the raids came out they were for the hardcore players, but when the next tier came out the dumbed down the old ones.Finally to Onyx if you had put the time in that you have on your alts into only 1 character you easily could have seen end game contact. My guild only raids 4 days a week from 7-11 and we downed KJ.So to summerize I think the developers have listened to the casual gamers to much and will prolly loose its hardcore gamers when the next big game comes out, and once the hardcore are gone and talking about how good the new game is the casuals will follow.
You all claim casual, but I am the embodiment of casual. I have been playing since about a month after the release of BC, and my main is level 65. I have several 25ish alts. Now THAT is a casual player. Work, college, girlfriend, three children, and a tutoring business. I get a couple good hours each week and occasionally will pull the all-nighter to do some college work and follow it up with 4-5 hours of WoW before the family wakes up.I can't wait to experience some WotLK content. I hope to someday see some end-game stuff, but with my limited schedule I am into PvP more. Heck, I haven't even made it into the Arena yet for crying out loud. Just when I'm within a few levels of the cap, the cap moves on me. Drat! = )
