Note- I originally posted this in the official forums, It was immediately deleted.

I want to start this thread out by saying, I love WoW, and I love playing it.

With that out of the way, I feel like this needs to be said. As consumers we have a great responsibility, it is our jobs to show the company's we support what we want. If you, like me feel that things like cross realm grouping should be a part of the subscription cost, then it is your responsibility to stand up.

We allowed,
BoA Mounts/pets in the pet store.
Additional monthly cost for remote AH/guild chat.
No Spawn installations on SC2
No LAN mode for SC2 tournaments,
No Replays with Friends in battle.net, causing issues for co-casting.

We have allowed micro transactions to permeate a monthly subscription based game. As consumers, we have shut up and allowed this to happen. If you like me feel that Blizzard is going to far, then our only reasonable course of action is to stop supporting them.

I love your game Blizzard, I love the friends I have made in it. But at a certain point I have to stand up for fair, and good business practices, that respect the people who have and continue to support you. And so if the Real-ID cross realm grouping service does become a premium. I will be forced to stop subscribing to WoW.


Please listen and respect your consumers, please do not attempt to nickle and dime us for services that should be included in the cost of the game. I know we have allowed this to happen for years now, but you are crossing the line. And I for one will look into free WoW alternatives if you continue to cross it.


[quote]A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.
~Albert Camus [/quote]

Do you say the same thing whenever you see a movie trailer, game demo, a test drive at a car showroom, a free food or drink sample at a mall, etc?

@Gunthen73

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnERkBKoj3E

I think we should enjoy the ride while it is free. That being said, if you enjoyed it then pay for it. IF you don't think it's worth it then don't. If we demand all these upgrades for free there will be a good chance we could get them in time. BUT I'm sure at some point blizzard will work it into the game time cost and quiet frankly that would suck for alot of people who don't need/want it. Just like remote g chat or remote AH. If my cost goes up because of stuff I don't need or want, like most people, chances are I too will go play one of the free games out there begging for our attention.

This seems like the line to me, all the other stuff they charge for really is extra but grouping is fundamental to the game. RealID is part of the game now, they should not charge for RealID grouping. I very much doubt this involved a lot of work to implement given the fact that we can randomly be assigned to a group with the people in question already.

Here's something to ponder. You ever wonder what all else might be in this premium package that hasn't been announced yet?

I wonder why they haven't finished and released cross server heirlooms mailing by now...

I completely agree with Guthen. Stuff like mobile guild chat and auction house I'm perfectly fine with being premium features; they're outside the actual game and are just little extras. But as Gunthen said, grouping up is pretty much the core of the game. And aside from how important grouping is, this is the first thing they're going to be charging for that is only usable in-game. Pets, mounts, those are vanity things that don't affect gameplay at all. But charging to let you group up with certain people? I don't find that acceptable. We've already bought the game, we pay $15 a month for a subscription; I think that's enough. I would never buy one, but I'm fine with there being one-time transactions like pets and mounts. But adding another subscription fee for something inside the game is going too far.

@Gunther73

This is what happens when Activision gets their greedy little paws into things....


...And it's only going to get worse.

I don't know what all the whining is about. Seriously, RealID grouping should be a premium service like MobileChat & Mobile AH. U never had it before and u don't have to use it now. It's an EXTRA bonus.
Do u complain when u pay a premium to watch a 3D movie at the theatre or that Blu-Ray discs cost more? Stop bitching or Blizzard will just say "Screw u guys. You don't appreciate it. So we aren't gonna create any more features for you."

With WoW's numerous servers, the chances of being on the same server as a new friend/acquaintance who also plays WoW are incredibly slim. Like, close to zero slim. The fact that Blizzard is charging extra to *play* with *friends* in an MMO does piss me off, and I think I'm more than justified in feeling so.

I understand that this has been the norm for quite some time, but more and more MMOs these days are surpassing the shard/server walls from days of yore. Look at how many employ "channels" that you can freely jump through without even having to log out. If you meet another person who plays Metal Assault or Guild Wars, that's it. You can play with them. There's no tricks or technical barriers. This is Blizzard's opportunity to finally tear down the ~150+ walls separating it's player base.

@Gunthen

It's impossible for any one person/group to claim they are speaking for the entire player base, even if it happens to be the one currently making the most noise. In the end the decision on what should or shouldn't be a charged service probably includes things like the number of people who - of their own free will (I hope) - currently subscribe to existing mobile/premium features.

At the moment I don't really have an opinion either way on the usefulness of Real ID grouping since I don't use Real ID outside of people already on my server, but I wouldn't feel disrespected by a charge on this feature and I wish people would stop taking it upon themselves to represent the cause of "all" players when they don't know how "everyone" feels.

@WrecklessMEDIC: "Do u complain when u pay a premium to watch a 3D movie at the theatre or that Blu-Ray discs cost more?"

Actually, yeah, I do. There's no reason to pay up to $5 more for a 3D movie than a normal one; it doesn't cost 150% more to make one so I shouldn't have to pay that much. So I don't. And I don't find BlueRay's quality worth the extra money, so I don't buy them. Your comparison is flawed, though; it's not like we're getting better graphics with the premium package. What paying for RealID is like is if you went to a movie theater and had to pay extra to sit next to your friends if they were from out of town, or if you bought a DVD and had to pay a fee when you watched it with people other than your family. Is it absolutely NECESSARY to be able to watch movies with other people? No, but it seems really stupid to not be able to do so for free.

First comment, intelligent discussions, criticisms, to think when I quit over the recycled of content as I recognized a pathos starting to form, and then this, no one accepted it was a poor decision on their behalf, now, this.

>soniamproud.png