Does Blizzard need to put out more content faster?
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Jun 22nd 2008 at 5:30PM
It seems a complaint I've heard a lot about Blizzard lately is that 2 years between expansions is just far too long. We'll languish too much without new content, and people will leave for Age of Conan and Warhammer Online and other games, they say.
Myself, I think the length between expansions is acceptable, provided that Blizzard is working on improving and adding new content. To some extent, they are doing this. 2.4 was a tour de force that granted us a whole new area to grind and quest in, and if Blizzard can be out patches like 2.4 on a regular basis, I can forgive them for a few delays in the expansions.
That said, I do feel like they could stand to pick up the pace.
Magister's Terrace was the first new 5-man we had since Burning Crusade came out. By then, many of us who'd been around for the beginning of Burning Crusade had run Shadow Labyrinth until we heard Murmur's voice at every waking moment. Sunwell Plateau came long after many 25-man guilds had Illidan on farm, and Death and Taxes even cited the wait for Sunwell Plateau as part of the reason they fell apart. Now, most of us have our 70s up to Exalted with the Shattered Sun Offensive, we've run Magister's Terrace until our eyes bled -- although some of us are dedicated to running it more just because that orb and that bird refuse to drop -- and a sense of ennui has set in. We want more. Patch 2.4.3 is giving us a few new items and a quest, but with at least 3 months to go until WoTLK comes out by most estimates, it's very likely that we'll need more.
It seems to me then, if Blizzard wants to wait 2 years between expansions, that's fine, but they could stand to get a little bit more content out to keep us occupied in those long stretches. Put out a 2.4, with a new 5-man and 25-man dungeon, every 2 to 3 months or so. That should be long enough for us to get tired of running the 5-man, and long enough for a decent chunk of 25-man guilds to get through the dungeon. You could even add a new arena floor or a new battleground to some of these patches to help out the PvPers.
They don't have to be fancy. They can have 2-3 new bosses each, a decent amount of trash, some side-grade or small upgrade drops, and maybe a new pet or vanity item. They can be shoehorned into existing lore or factions. You can give us a new Burning Legion dungeon hidden somewhere in Hellfire Peninsula. You can give us a Grimtotem dungeon somewhere in Feralas or Thousand Needles. If you want to get really ambitious in a patch, you can let us into a really lore-rich area like Uldum or modern day Hyjal.
More consistent new content for all types of end game play: It's an idea whose time has come. If Blizzard can plug up some of these long content droughts with a steady stream of new content for us to explore, it'd go a long way towards customer retention, and cementing their position on the top of the MMORPG heap.
Filed under: Patches, Buffs, Bosses, The Burning Crusade, Raiding, Expansions, Instances, Blizzard, Analysis / Opinion, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Dean Jun 22nd 2008 5:39PM
It's physically impossible to make content quicker than people will play through it though. I think there's been a good balance reached, the dedicated players will be bored by now but there's enough to keep the occasional players occupied and they're still the majority.
Milktub Jun 22nd 2008 5:46PM
I wouldn't say they're moving too slowly. I'm not exactly a slack player (can't say three hours a night and seven hours a day on the weekends to all that casual), and yet the only 25-man content I've seen has been Gruul, Mag, and just a tiny portion of TK and SSC. I only have one toon that I feel comfortable as identifying as my own, and I still don't feel like I "know" all the content that I have experience with.
However, I would be overjoyed if a new 5-man were introduced every couple months.
As for the more top end content, that's the price hardcore guilds pay for needing to be first in and first to complete it. If it's really so bad as you say, that "many 25-man guilds had Illidan on farm", then why aren't there Warglaives and Bulwarks around every corner? I think it's more rational to say that a very small subset of WOW players have seen all the new content within months of it's release, and the rest of us simply hope to see what we set ourselves up as goals before then next batch of content comes around.
rick gregory Jun 22nd 2008 8:30PM
"However, I would be overjoyed if a new 5-man were introduced every couple months."
This.
They don't need a new 25 man every 2 months... that would be very hard to do well anyway. But look at the 5 man situation - nothing... NOTHING from TBC release until 2.4. 5 mans and Kara are what most PvE players do after they hit 70 (unless the immediately start another alt which is... odd).
I think Blizz realizes this and it's a major reason for the 10 man raids in WotLK. It's not that hard to get 5 or 10 people together... but 25 is a lot of people in one guild who are interested in raiding and willing to raid. Plus, well, it's easier to get people off a friends list together for an impromptu 5 man.
Wolffe Jun 22nd 2008 5:56PM
I can see your point Daniel, and it's well stated.. However, I cannot commit to agreeing because on face value it seems that Blizzard would be compromising - what I believe is - their core system of quality over quantity.
Moreover, something like a 'modern Hyjal' or Uldum I personally would like to see as not just patch content. I say this because the game is not just inside the game.. It has foundations in lore and that makes it bigger than just some mindless grind for purple. Your character is in essence a part of a larger story.
Over-saturating the game with fluff-content (what you seem to be suggesting) would make the game appeal to only people interested in raiding that content. In other words, constant bombardment with new content would cheapen the thrill of seeing lore figures such as Illidan and Arthas.
tl;dr version: a regular content stream would not be a good thing because raiders will be happy (minority) and the rest (majority) will complain.
Lollikins Jun 22nd 2008 6:19PM
I don't think that adding an entirely new dungeon is the way to go. It takes a lot to do the coding on an new instance all while working on the content for the next expansion.
Perhaps, they ought to make the dungeons staged.
For example, part one in May. Then August rolls around an a new expansion. With that expansion, they open up a new portion of the instance they had released originally.
This way, it keeps people's hunger for something new fed. It also doesn't overwhelm the devs and minds their bottom line.
All and all, I think that every two years is a fine pace. Though, I think if they aimed for 1.5 years, they could knock out the long, dark, tea time between expansions entirely.
Freehugz Jun 22nd 2008 5:57PM
I think new low level content needs to be added for the people who like to burn through new content. It gives them something to do while the other 99% of use enjoy the content that's been out for months.
Rulah Jun 22nd 2008 5:58PM
The problem with your idea, especially in Wrath, will be not only ensuring the content is quality, but also that it is properly tuned. Considering every 25-man will also house a 10-man, and you have a dungeon, two raids, arenas, battlegrounds, and some form of other "casual" content. Leave one of those things out and you risk driving that certain crowd away. No matter how fast they crank out content there will always be raiders completing it faster than it can be made.
Nosime Jun 22nd 2008 5:59PM
I agree to some extent. 2 - 3 months is a bit over doing it. 5-6 months maybe. Pumping out that much quality content and staying with the lore (dont mess up my storyline -- Wow doesn't need to become a soap opera) is too much.
Sirg Jun 22nd 2008 6:01PM
I think their problem is lack of variation. WoW is a game where 99% of the time you are killing mobs or other players.
The fire festival brought alot of new things to do, fun quests (the crab disguise) which prove that variation is good and not very hard to implement. Doing the same instances for more than a year is pretty boring. Some don't want to reroll alts, and being exalted with everything with one char can be boring if there isn't anything new and different to be done.
Blizz should add more fun and different content than it had. An other instance isn't the solution.
Taxis Jun 22nd 2008 6:04PM
Once age of conan gets its bugs worked out, and warhammer online get released, blizzard is really going to have to pick up the slack. Even though its buggy as hell, AoC has already stolen all my wow play time. The only time I log onto wow lately is to have a brief chat with my old guildies...
Rich Jun 22nd 2008 6:14PM
I lament the lack of new content mostly because WoW runs on a subscription model. I don't begrudge Blizzard making money, but charging me $15 (plus tax where I live) a month makes me feel entitled to something a bit more than an occasional in-game holiday.
Things sting a bit more for me knowing that when Blizzard does release a large amount of content: it's called an expansion, it'll cost $40, and it won't include that month's service charge.
That said, I remember the Scourge Invasion, and the gates of Ahn'Qiraj. Both were great, but I don't need anything that epic. Just smaller things on a much regular basis.
Flashy Jun 22nd 2008 7:02PM
I don't agree with the absolute need for speed. Im in the software industry and getting out new content is the fight that every company is up againt. Its a constant battle. For any company that has majority market share, the thing that you have to do is constantly strive to deliver on your promise and strive to add even more value to your existing product to stay ahead of the competition. It becomes more and more imperative to think smart and get whatever you release RIGHT ... make sure it works... decrease the need for resource-hungry patches to meet impossable deadlines.
So.... I think Blizz needs to think smarter...bring out content and associated services that will add more value to the product... and bring in more revenue.
Q: Do Blizzard REALLY understand their users and their broader needs regarding the game in a "End-user-life-context"?
vlad Jun 22nd 2008 6:19PM
after playing the F&F LK alpha all i can say is it may be another year before its ready. there is so much incomplete. the zones are massive and the range of work needed is from simplest things like mobs and decorations but i was surprised to see massive amounts of modeling and texturing still need to be done. hopefully they are done and just have not been added to the build yet. as i wandered around and seen what has taken two years to make, it still looks extremely incomplete.
slimj091 Jun 22nd 2008 6:43PM
if you believe this guy i also have some ocean front property in arizona that you can buy.. act now and i'll throw in the eiffel tower for free.
vlad Jun 22nd 2008 7:19PM
lol, your so clueless.
i can provide screenshots retard
Heilig Jun 22nd 2008 7:47PM
What, slim, you think because you don't get to play the alpha no one else does either? Where do you think the leaked screens are coming from? Employees?
In conclusion, you're an idiot.
Angry Joe Jun 22nd 2008 8:10PM
Screenshots or it didn't happen.
Super Guest Man 9000 Jun 22nd 2008 11:12PM
I'm pretty sure theres a difference between "not ready" and "not implemented".
I doubt the expansion is still a year off. More than likely they haven't placed everything together in the alpha yet.
Vektorix Jun 22nd 2008 6:24PM
It's not so much the *amount* of content but the pacing.
Had they released Burning Crusade with SSC as the top 25-man raid instance, but with Tempest Keep (and perhaps all the TK 5-mans) as the centerpiece of the 2.1 patch (when Black Temple was actually released), then Hyjal Summit (and perhaps one more Caverns of Time 5-man) as part of 2.2 in the summer, Black Temple (and ZA) as part of 2.3 in the fall/winter, and 2.4 exactly as it WAS released in the spring, we would have the same amount of content (more or less) and it would *feel* like more.
Most raiding guilds could not have progressed much quicker than that anyway, and we would not likely now had the issues facing guilds that have folded during the long BT/Sunwell break.
doyesac Jun 22nd 2008 6:39PM
I think this is exactly right. A steady stream of content -- even if it is a slow stream -- will keep everyone excited.
Blizz might also being doing something like this. When TBC came out it had 15 5-mans. WotLK (so says Blizz) is going to be bigger than BC, but it's been announced that it'll only have 12 5-mans, and they are all gonna be shorter. Either they are shorting us endgame content, or they are planning on holding back a few 5-mans for later. When Arthas makes his appearance as a raid boss, for example, a new 5 man or two might show up at the same time.