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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsOfficial class forums to be replaced with role forums [UPDATED x2]
by Alex Ziebart 
Oct 30th 2008 at 2:30PM
Want to hear something frightening? There will be no more class forums. Nethaera announced it a bit earlier on the official forums, and I'm still not sure what to think. They're breaking down the class forums and replacing them with role forums: Tanking, Healing, and Damage Dealing. For those players that have been afraid they're homogenizing classes a little too much, this really isn't helping.Personally, I think this is a horrible move. The official class forums were bad enough, and now they've thrust all of the classes together. Have you seen those really cruel, gross videos where they put two scary looking bugs together in a glass cage and let them kill each other, and they'll do it every single time just because it's in their nature to defend themselves? This is the WoW forum equivalent of it. This is going to be a disaster. The walls are going to be painted with blood.
On the other hand, this might turn out to be a good thing in that you're going to see a lot more community-made class forums such as ShadowPriest.com and Maintankadin cropping up. Places like that are generally far more useful in my experience, but come on. Does removing the class forums really sound like a good idea? It's just spreading the venom around instead of trying to find an antivenom. I could understand this if they added these three forums in addition to the class forums, but in place of them? Yeesh.
We're really interested in what all of you think about this as well, so we've made a handy dandy poll. Do you think they should have kept the role forums? Do you like the switch to role forums? Do you think they should have both?
EDIT: Blizzard poster Tyren later said they're not adverse to keeping the class forums, and may do so all depending on the feedback they receive. So we'll see what actually ends up happening, but I have a feeling class forums aren't going anywhere.
EDIT 2: Blizzard has taken only a few hours to decide to they will be keeping the class forums as well as the role forums. Crisis averted. Put down you dot shockers and step away slowly.
| Class forums! | |
|---|---|
| Role forums! | |
| They should have both! |
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Forums
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 7)
Aeritides Oct 30th 2008 4:32PM
If you've followed the forums you'll realize that they are doing this because of having to deal with each and EVERY class telling the blues that their class is underpowered and needs buffed. This should help force the different classes to interact more and force forum goers to see more variety in what's going on. I think they are hoping to see those two bugs work it out themselves so that they don't have to be the target of so much hatred. I think it's a good idea. The biggest issue with the forums is that a large majority(not all) of the people that go there are whiners.
Qpally Oct 30th 2008 4:38PM
Unfortunately, this already exists. Its called Trade chat, and everyone sees how great that is with every class talking about each other. Classes don't play well together when it comes to a reasoned discussion about balancing and class roles. I pity the first paladin to post in the DPS forum.
Qpally Oct 30th 2008 4:34PM
I understand that the devs want a more condensed forum system to make their life easier when checking concerns, but I think it will backfire. A topic in a single class forum usually fades from Page 1 (sorted by creation time) in a few minutes, now think of every class posting in the same forum, DPS lets say, and imagine how quickly your post will disappear into the abyss? Maybe you had a great point or valid concern, but if a dev isn't on at that exact minute you post, then its all down the drain. Sorting by responses just puts the flame-fests at the top usually.
This is not even considering the deluge of trolling that will occur. Right now, a troll will generally sit in one class forum and bait everyone with how OP or how suck their class is and blah blah blah, now they can troll EVERY class from one forum.
I don't see how this will raise the level of forum discourse at all. Perhaps the forums will be more closely moderated so that trolls and flames get taken down faster. I doubt it.
Michael Oct 30th 2008 4:40PM
LOL, lets call it the tard tank. I cant stand looking at the forums as is, everyone just bitching that they suck at their class... errr I mean other classes are OP.
Kadamon Oct 30th 2008 4:41PM
To put this in perspective for some people that haven't quite understood the scope of this.
They're putting the Warlocks and the Mages in the same board...on purpose.
Just sit back and read that sentence a few times and then you'll understand the insanity this idea will cause.
Unenlagia Oct 30th 2008 4:48PM
If anything, the Class Forums need decentralization. They are largely a whining affair, and when it comes to finding something meaningful within them, it usually takes a good deal of time. However, I'm curious as to how Class-specific stickies will be handled in a vastly centralized forum, seeing as I rely on class-specific forums when undertaking a new class that I've never explored before. They're very useful for finding things out like the mechanics of the class and the best talent builds for levelling as well as raiding. With all of these forums condensed it seems like the library of stickies (95% of the posts with solid, good information) would take up at least the first few pages of said forums (especially the DPS one). Will they just delete the old stickies all together? That would be a shame. Any thoughts?
Angry Joe Oct 30th 2008 4:49PM
lolwut?
Ghostlobster Oct 30th 2008 4:53PM
I like it.
And I hope blizzard has the balls to keep the decition.
Because people will QQ. They always QQ a lot.
And thats exactly one of the big reasons I think this is a good change.
It will force a fusion of the QQ and give players of all classes a taste of it.
Hopefully it will help the WOW forum community be a better place.
Because right now, its one of the most pathetic places over the internet. They make fun of us, those forums are a shame.
But do not fear! Usefull information for each specific class can still be found around in the right places, there are many unofficial forums anyway.
Keltar Oct 30th 2008 4:53PM
In the latin forums we got the 3 roles forums and the class respective forums, so a update on the post would be great :)
Walynds Oct 30th 2008 4:55PM
I like to read the blizz forums for a laught. there is about one useful post in 20. The tanking forum will just turn into ' is better than your respec to heal/DPS/reroll etc.
Secondly there are SO MANY keyloggers on the blizzard forum. I know its your fault if you click on a dodgy link, but the keyloggers are getting clever and putting links for loggers in the guilse of asking for help and shit
juhani Oct 31st 2008 9:45AM
Haha.. now the Shaman forum is really gone.
MaverickSoloist Oct 30th 2008 5:10PM
I for one would welcome these changes. Too often the Class Forums become territorial gang hideouts more than community bulletin boards, with "invaders" from other classes showing up to troll and flame simply because they're a different class. WoW by design encourages far more classist nonsense than many other RPGs, and this would really pull the rug out from under people who would love nothing more than to turn the class forums into fortresses to flame others from. I expect at least 60% of the people who hate this idea to be people who engage in this kind of activity.
Silverlynx35 Oct 30th 2008 5:13PM
Couple things come to mind. People are really going to hate rogues now. Believe me, they save their best poisons for their forums. Also, now all the "x class is OP" QQ will be mostly focused in one of three places rather than on x class's forums.
What I don't get is the purpose. Rogue DPS is very different than mage DPS and Warrior tanking is very different from Pally tanking. The concept is the only thing that they have in common and that doesn't seem to be enough to hold a forum branch together.
Necromancer Oct 30th 2008 5:16PM
It's probably so they can cut back on the staff required to monitor the forums. 8 less forums to moderate.
Aubrecia Oct 30th 2008 5:35PM
Eugh, as if druids weren't told to be resto all the time already. As a feral, definitely not looking forward to this. Just because I wear leather doesn't mean I can't tank, and just because I can heal doesn't mean I don't prefer DPS. Blech.
darian Oct 30th 2008 5:36PM
One of Ghostcrawler's big lamentations throughout the beta has been the blinders all players wear, particularly during a rigorous testing process. The class forums are very thoroughly segregated not just by virtual barriers but by emergent ones. Players naturally gravitate toward the forum appropriate for their concerns, which during a beta are typically specific to one or two classes.
What this does is isolate players from the concerns of other classes, aside from the few brave souls who make a point of interrupting a given diatribe with the point that things are not all sunshine and rainbows for the other DPS/healer/tank.
In theory, role forums replacing class forums would break down these barriers and enable better feedback overall as players garner a better understanding of their place relative to other classes and their concerns. In theory.
Realistically it's better to have both. People *like* having a class identity more than role identity. I heavily support having Role based forums, but I do not believe it is a good idea to have them replace the class forums. It's good to have a place for class specific issues to be isolated as well as one for it to be tossed about a wider group.
STereo Oct 30th 2008 5:50PM
sly move on Blizzard's part. That way they can leave class balance broken and give people no place to post about it.
redstar Oct 30th 2008 5:55PM
This is a move just to drown out the ret paladins.
:)
Muse Oct 30th 2008 6:14PM
Finally, the shamans, druids and paladins can stop coming into the priest forums to discuss healing. It's not so bad for all the holy/restos, but shadow got kind of tired of sharing the space.
skynes Oct 30th 2008 6:26PM
Here's one reason why role forums > class forum
"STFU AND GTFO OUR CLASS FORUM!!!!!!"
I rest my case.