Patch 5.2 interview with Dave Kosak
Inside an old alt's vault
The latest patch 5.2 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsMetzen talks user-created content at GDC panel
by Mathew McCurley 
Oct 12th 2011 at 1:00PM
While I am a fan of this type of content, I don't believe it really has a place in WoW. Azeroth is a much more story-driven, linear experience than most people want to discuss, and Blizzard likes to hold our hands through it all to make sure we're doing things according to plan. I don't think that's a bad thing, just one approach to an MMO's leveling and group content. In games like City of Heroes, the player-created content that was available made sense in terms of logistics and volume. For WoW, I can't even fathom how hard it would be to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Filed under: News items, Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
Pyromelter Oct 12th 2011 2:23PM
User-generated content = SecondLife.
While it's an interesting system, I'll take the spit and polish of a professionally developed game over secondlife any day of the week.
Minstrel Oct 12th 2011 2:34PM
The only way I could see user-generated content making sense on WoW is if Blizzard created a sanction private server system, where you could host your own "instances" of WoW. You'd be able to design instances using WoW art assets and systems, but the instances would not be accessible from the game proper. Only people who had the server address could direct their clients to connect to it and access it.
I realize that there are unsanctioned private servers in existence, that are against the ToS. That's not what I'm talking about. This sanctioned version would be similar to "private games" within WoW, but without the hacks that seem common to current private servers. I also imagine that nothing looted within the "private games" could carry back over to the regular game.
Dave N. Oct 12th 2011 2:43PM
I don't trust the wow community. Maybe a few rare individuals, but all that came to my mind when they said user created content I couldn't help but think of a dungeon shaped like and populated with male genitalia.
omedon666 Oct 12th 2011 2:42PM
Upon further consideration, I think another element of the, again, unlikely scenario of UGC in WoW would HAVE to be making it 100% optional, with rewards, if any, that were centralized to the feature itself. That being said, that just pushes it even further into the dark of unlikelihood, as WoW would have to gamble that it could sustain itself for all the dev time that would go into it. No rewards (at least, none not related to mission building), no penalties for dying. Totally counter-WoW... but so was visual customization. ;)
Now, if there was a "tier" of UGC that ended up getting dev-reviewed (COH/V has this, when I care about quality, I click those missions only) at whatever pace, THEN you could implement risks and rewards that would span beyond the builder itself, but otherwise, tying UGC to any remote feeling of "gotta do this", in WoW, would be a wrong move, IMO.
Bynde Oct 12th 2011 3:31PM
I've been in too many PUGs to ever want to leave something like this up to the average player in WoW.
Gerbera Oct 12th 2011 4:48PM
Those are apples and oranges. The types of people who would create new content are also the types who make addons currently. Granted, some addons are awesome, constantly updated, take user feedback, and so forth; while others well... aren't. You would see the same thing if this were allowed.
funkysocks1 Oct 12th 2011 4:42PM
User generated content in WoW would not work at all in wow itself. But the engine have endless posibilities.
WC3 sprang to life dota. Similar, user created content would be best as mini-games or own maps.
Imagine dota on wow. with loads of champs with 3 abilities, a apssive and a ultimate.
That sounds awesome to me
Gerbera Oct 12th 2011 4:45PM
"For WoW, I can't even fathom how hard it would be to separate the wheat from the chaff."
Here is the additional issue with moderating whatever content players might choose to create. Let's say that someone wants to create some scenario where Jaina flirts with Thrall and Aggra punches her in the face; obviously Blizzard wouldn't like that as they have an entire narrative built up around Thrall and Aggra, and who knows what their plans for Jaina are.
Nonetheless, there ARE people who might find that entertaining and would want to see it, so then comes the problem of selection and censorship. From something as minor as an iPhone app and Apple's selection process, there are already real examples of how telling the creator of some content no, while allowing others can lead to headaches I'm sure Blizzard would rather avoid.
RP players might have their own storylines they're working on and such, but to the main NPCs of WoW, we're all basically just ground troops and commanders. Sure, they can't win the war without us, but we're not involved in any major decisions.
From the ground up the Warcraft universe has never and will never be designed for such play. Neverwinter Nights however, using the Dungeons & Dragons rules, creatures, classes, and abilities was. In that game an entire toolset was available to make your own story-driven modules and run them as a GM, just like you might for a tabletop game. It had no effect on the main campaign.
shirtntie Oct 12th 2011 6:59PM
@Sara Bee
What eye opening ideas you have. Thanks for explaining yourself, i really like that direction. I think a personal experience of mine can be related to this. I played WC3 and long after i finished the campaign i kept playing the game. No i didnt pvp, i played the custom maps and games other gamers would make. I would also spend hours a day on the world creator making my own maps and quests. In the end i spent more time on player created content than on the content the game came with.
@Those opposed to player made content
I feel most of you are afraid. In fact you all reek of fear. One of you mentioned that the game would be over crowded by chuck norris quests? Opposed to what, the current chain of Harrison Ford quests? Heaven forbid we ever see Nazis or references to nazis in WoW...oh wait we did! And it was not the players that implemented it.
What else was said repeatedly, something like for every 1 good creation there will be 10 bad ones? That can be applied to many things, in fact look at your own lives and compare your success to your failures, your good qualities to your short comings. What im saying is that statement holds no water here.
Regulation, rating systems, there are hundreds of ways to maintain order and even a sense of quality with player made content.
Do not be afraid of your fellow WoW fans. Embrace player made content and you may find that these same people you are afraid of are the people that will make you enjoy the game more.
brain314 Oct 12th 2011 8:30PM
Whenever I hear "player content", I always imagine that the first thing someone makes will involve penis and/or boobs.
ie: no, I don't want player content in WoW.
amkosh Oct 13th 2011 2:39AM
I see this as hubris from Metzen (and Blizzard) more than anything. If you look at other games this becomes especially true, ever wonder why UO is 14 years old and still a profit center for EA? It is because of player generated content. Admittedly it is not the same thing as what Metzen is talking about, but I think it would have the same net effect.
Take mogging for instance, the ability to customize will cause players to play dress up til they exhaust the combos that interest them. Blizzard has probably injected as much life into WoW from that than they will from all the actual content in the new patch. If something like that can do it, then imagine what a build your own instance or quest line will do.
Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree that it would be a hard change, but the majority of the difficulty is in making the decision to try it. If other companies can do it, then why not Blizzard? Blizzard is supposedly the experts in the MMO genre. Put a different way if Cryptic can do this, then there's absolutely no technical reason why Blizzard can't.
It is all hubris.
AidenA Oct 13th 2011 5:41PM
They could give it a try and see how it would work... Personally I would be very curious to see what the fans were capable of.