For me, a choice is only a choice if both answers are valid – otherwise it’s a trap or a waste of time. I’m happy with a choice that might not seem optimal for some players, as long as it’s optimal for others, such as a class that doesn’t perform so well in raids but is a strong solo player (as long as the game offers a robust solo experience).

Having the ability to make “interesting” choices about the play style and advancement of your character in an MMO are really viable only under 2 sets of circumstances. 1.) You play in a vaccum – that is, you solo only. 2.) You play with a group of friends that don’t mind or are willing to work with sub-optimal builds/specs/whatever.

The problem arises when you don’t want to solo, (or the game’s requirements don’t allow you to), and your circle of peers suddenly evaporates for whatever reason. At that point, you’re forced to find non-friends/associates to group with. The LFG was designes specifically to assist in that role. But the moment you do that, you open all of your “interesting” or eccentric or flavorful choices to be called into question.

I can’t claim credit for this idea, but I saw someone mention it somewhere (it may even have been here), but instead of forcing you to play with the unwashed masses, as it were, what if our social organizations in MMO’s – guilds, were redefined. What if instead of one guild that you could only join at a time, and were essentially married to until it dissolved or you moved on, guilds were more like social organizations, and you could join any number of them at the same time.

In fact, not only did the game allow you to join multiple organizations within game, but encouraged you to. So you could join an alchemists’ guild to swap recipes and components, a Wednesday-night raiding guild because you can only raid on Wednesday nights, and a Pig & Whistle social club to sit around and socialize with on Friday nights. I think if guilds allowed more ebb and flow of their memberships and players were allowed to participate in many of these organizations, it would help offset the inevitable dissolution of this organization or that one, and help to keep the player engaged in the game.

Apologies for hijacking your comments thread with blog posts of their own, lol.

I think there’s more to be said about uninformed choices too, because I’m with you on that. Because there are different ways to give out that information. You can foreshadow (ie. if you line the route to the monster’s cave with the corpses of dead adventurers, hopefully they’ll twig that it’s dangerous), you can use some labels (eg. “class x is the primary healer class in this game”), or you can let players explore and find out for themselves (eg. allow easy class/ talent changes so that people can easily experiment.) But if you go with the last option, then people need a way to get some feedback from the choices they make — talent A gives me an extra ability B, for example. Or this change gives better damage. Or this one gives interesting AE options.

And the other information needed is about the game itself. There’s no point offering a really good AE dps spec if none of the game’s monsters ever come in groups, but players aren’t going to know that.

Truth is, though, that complex systems to work through really do appeal to theorycrafter type of players. And they’re only really compatible with players like me when I can either figure out how to play well enough via play (frex, I had no major issues speccing my warrior competently with the old style trees, I knew the class very well even if I might not have been minmaxed out) or when some theorycrafter presents me with a build and says ‘use this.’

But I hear what you’re saying that you found your hybrid class more fun (and more hybrid, even) before the trees were streamlined.

Really good outlook on the topic. I especially agree that a call for more ‘choice’ is needed. Not choice as in – “anything but this will gimp you”. But choice which allows you to develop a particular style with it’s own perk and pro/cons.

New subscriber,

- Jamin

I’m assuming you mean pre-Cata. I’d agree with you – my point wasn’t that it was a shocking change from WoTLK – only that the old trees pre-BC even – had alot more variety and flavor – and it was possible for you to talent build yourself into a role that wasn’t ‘intended’.

I never had as much fun as I did *tanking* on my shaman. I had threat spells… a threat weapon enhancement (rockbiter gave threat in those days) and even in chain I could rival plate AC.

These days you pick a pre-determined role and you are stuck with it. I personally think the choice to do ‘off the beaten path’ types of things are what made the game fun.

“the way stats on gear worked never really supported it ” – This I disagree with. Stats on gear was all over the place and many set pieces were horrible for the stat you actually wanted. Back when the stats were not loaded for your class/role you could pick up gear for a rogue/hunter and change how your class played.

In BC for instance an enhancement shaman would go for leather raid drops all the way into BT. Chain options would actually *lower* dps in most cases.

Yes gear is now tailored to your role – but I thought the point of this article was the fact that less options reduce the fun That’s my point – sure the game is hyper tailored now – sure the talent trees are synergistic. Sure the gear supports your role and stats. But all that hyper adjusting and focus took something away from the game (IMO).