Blizz Forum Police, since when?

DeLindsay

10s4Lyf
In the ~9 years I've played WoW on and off I've never had a single issue with speaking my mind on the Official Forums. Hell I've never even received a reply from a Blue quoting anything I wrote to warn me not to continue... Until today lol. I've gotten my first ever 24 hour Forum Ban for basically calling Blizz out on their own laziness in disabling all Set Bonuses pre-WoD instead of actually fixing the broken ones so that those of us who don't give 2 shits about Level Cap content anymore can still enjoy WoW to it's fullest potential, Set Bonuses included. Here's what I wrote, I'll let you decide if I "crossed the line" of Forum CoC:

This change is one of if not THE dumbest things Blizzard has ever done to WoW in the ~9 years I've played. IDAF that some Set Bonuses are no longer valid or a few of them are bugged. FIX the ones that are broken instead of just disabling them all. I'm sorry to tell you this Blizzard, but your current end game is garbage and many, MANY Players are continuing to throw money at you to play Lower Level content instead of max Level. Disabling all old Set Bonuses tells those Players "we don't give a shit about you".

I think it's hilarious that they actually Banned me for that comment, but it's all good. I guess I got a little too close to the truth and the Activision Police came out in full force. Well, not really full force as it's only a 24hr slap on the wrist. It'd be interesting to find out just how far one CAN go before the Ban Hammer comes down, obviously my comment exceeded that threshold.
 
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You cant simply shittalk best expansions thats is the reason of content drought in WoD , since BIGGER TEAM THAN EVEN BEFORE spent working on legion ALL THIS TIME man.

Talk shit get hit.
 
People who hang out on that forum general comprise of the few kiss-asses blizzard currently has. That's why I like forums like Xpoff. It's specific to certain types of players in wow, where as the official wow forum has such a diverse community with different views. But they feel the need to object to game suggestions and personal opinions even if they would have no negative impact on them.

Hehe, I had a similar rant when the nostalrius stuff went down.
https://xpoff.com/threads/battlenet-forum-users-are-sheep.66907/

I even got banned there for 1 hour for posting a suggestion thread for timewalking raiding while people were asking for Legacy servers. I did nothing wrong at all, but it seems blind justice prevails there.
 
In the ~9 years I've played WoW on and off I've never had a single issue with speaking my mind on the Official Forums. Hell I've never even received a reply from a Blue quoting anything I wrote to warn me not to continue... Until today lol. I've gotten my first ever 24 hour Forum Ban for basically calling Blizz out on their own laziness in disabling all Set Bonuses pre-WoD instead of actually fixing the broken ones so that those of us who don't give 2 shits about Level Cap content anymore can still enjoy WoW to it's fullest potential, Set Bonuses included. Here's what I wrote, I'll let you decide if I "crossed the line" of Forum CoC:

This change is one of if not THE dumbest things Blizzard has ever done to WoW in the ~9 years I've played. IDAF that some Set Bonuses are no longer valid or a few of them are bugged. FIX the ones that are broken instead of just disabling them all. I'm sorry to tell you this Blizzard, but your current end game is garbage and many, MANY Players are continuing to throw money at you to play Lower Level content instead of max Level. Disabling all old Set Bonuses tells those Players "we don't give a shit about you".

I think it's hilarious that they actually Banned me for that comment, but it's all good. I guess I got a little too close to the truth and the Activision Police came out in full force. Well, not really full force as it's only a 24hr slap on the wrist. It'd be interesting to find out just how far one CAN go before the Ban Hammer comes down, obviously my comment exceeded that threshold.

Your post had absolutely zero value to a developer or player who might happen to come across it. What's worse, your tone and language speak volumes of disrespect for a company who isn't in the business of catering to disrespectful people. It's not hard to see why you got a 24 hour vacation, it's not a surprise at all, really. If you have feedback about changes, they won't be heard if you can't articulate in a positive manner and provide actionable feedback on the things you see as 'wrong.' Here's an example:

'Your game is shit and you need to fix it because is us players keeping you in business.'
vs
'I enjoy playing your game, but there are some things about it I find frustrating. Here are the things I feel should be addressed to provide the player base with a less frustrating gaming experience.'

See the difference? Blizzard can't do anything with feedback unless it's constructive. Are they really going to sit the lead systems designer down and tell him that he's doing a shit job and needs to fix it for some angry asshole on the forums? That's not a good way to do business or lead your employees.
 
I will NEVER preface a requested fix to a broken part of a game I pay real money I earned while working a full time job to play with "while I enjoy your game, and love kissing your ass, I'd really love you even more if you'd check out maybe, possibly, if you have time fixing this thing over > that's broken, thanks and keep up the great work".

I have no issue with my 24 hour Forum Ban, just thought it funny as I've always spoke my mind before and never had issues until now. While my comment had language not suitable for a 10yr old, it was no less constructive. I specifically suggested they fix the Broken and outdated Set Bonuses instead of taking the lazy way out and just disabling them all. Blizzard can in fact take that one sentence out of my post and use it to make the game better.
 
It's not a matter of kissing ass or talking down to children. It's a matter of being professional when talking to another professional, especially when you want something from them. You get more flies with honey than vinegar, as they say.

Your suggestion is not actionable. How do they fix them? Who are they fixing them for? What do they get out of fixing them for who? If it's just a dude on the forums whining about set bonuses going away on legacy gear, when the philosophy going forward is to no longer have set bonuses on old gear, there is absolutely nothing in your post that helps them make a better decision about the direction they are taking the game.

I understand that it's difficult for this generation to keep calm and carry on, and even more difficult to watch a company 'ruin' something you like, but it's their stuff to ruin. Your self-entitlement doesn't really mean anything to Blizzard.
 
  • How do they fix them: The same way they fix anything in the game, some programmer sitting at a desk typing code into a computer.
  • Who are they fixing them for: Every single Player who PAYS Blizzard money to play this game. I 100% guarantee not everyone plays WoW ONLY for Level Cap, End Game content.
  • What do they get out of fixing them: See the above sentence about Paying Customers.
  • If it's just a dude on the forums whining...: Yeah man, I'm one of MANY that are pissed about this decision.
  • Your self-entitlement...: It absolutely does because my money means absolutely everything to Blizzard and Activision. I pay for a thing, I'm not getting what I believe I paid for, therefore I have every right to tell the Company that makes that thing why I'm unhappy. That doesn't mean they have to listen, or even care to, but I have every right to speak my mind (just not for the next 24 hours lmao).
 
The biggest complaint they received about WoD was that there isn't enough end-game content so of course they're going to focus on that. They've been doing a phenomenal job on end-game in Legion from what I've seen.....unless you only PvP......but PvP-ers not getting as much as pve-ers is really nothing new. I've never understood limiting yourself to one aspect of the game anyways.

I don't understand why you think Blizzard is Wal-Mart customer service. The customer is not always right. Paying a subscription doesn't just give you the right to say whatever you want to them. You may have been able to "speak your mind" before, but if it was in the same fashion as the post that got you this little slap on the wrist, then they probably ignored your ass. Your post reads less like an adult trying to solve an issue and more like a hormonal, pissy teenager with nothing to do outside of wow. Sometimes when you act like a bitch you get treated like a bitch, which is what happened here. Unfortunately, 24 hrs probably isn't enough, but at least it was effective enough to make you come on here and cry about it.
 
Not crying about it, just sharing what happened to me, simple as that. There was nothing I wrote in the OP or any reply since where I acted mad, sad, upset or otherwise pissed off about getting a 24hr Ban. My comment on the Forums was absolutely inflammatory, and rightfully so as that decision by Blizzard is not in any way a popular one with the Player base. I'm certain I wasn't the only one who got a slap on the wrist as there were many, MANY strongly worded comments on the Forums and Reddit alike to the same effect and tone.
 
Lol don't forget the current dogshit character page that only shows your primary stat
I'd hate to see what happens if someone complains about it.
 
I'm sorry, but no one is going to take your message seriously if you write it in such a tone. XpOff tolerates more of that thing because it's recognized that a lot of the members are younger and a bit immature, but that kind of disrespectful attitude isn't acceptable in real life situations.
 
@DeLindsay and everyone else who thinks that "speaking your mind" actually means venting your unfiltered emotions, here's the difference between speaking your mind in an inflammatory, counterproductive manner, versus a professional, respectful, constructive manner:

1) DeLindsay, your passion for XP-Off play is evident all over this site, and I see you routinely jump in to many threads to help people here. You bring up an important point about how set bonuses could benefit players of all types in WoW, and I think both Blizzard and other players would rally behind you if you could bring specific examples of problem set bonuses and how to fix them while still preserving the wants of endgame players.

...versus...

2) Delindsay, this is one of the dumbest things I've heard a twink complain about in the ~9 years people have twinked. Quit being a self-important pissant who stains the reputation of the rest of the twink community with your made-up bull$@*# because "many, MANY players" actually don't give two $@%*$ about this. Blizzard has better things to do than deal with your craptastic whining.

That second example isn't me "speaking my mind". It's me being an asshole. For the record, I don't actually believe any of those things about you that I wrote in the second "inflammatory" example -- I believe the first example. But the emotional impact of the second example is strong enough that you might not accept that. More importantly, notice how the second example doesn't give you anything to use -- it just craps on your efforts. The first example actually gives a suggestion on how you can help make the change you want to see.

When @willix asked you to clarify what you wrote, all of the "reasons" you gave him about why this should happen had no substance. They were just how you felt, or you claiming that "everyone" feels this way, with nothing to back that up.

With that in mind, here's one way to rewrite your inflammatory paragraph to make it professional, and invite people to rally behind you.

This change is one of if not THE dumbest things Blizzard has ever done to WoW in the ~9 years I've played. IDAF that some Set Bonuses are no longer valid or a few of them are bugged. FIX the ones that are broken instead of just disabling them all. I'm sorry to tell you this Blizzard, but your current end game is garbage and many, MANY Players are continuing to throw money at you to play Lower Level content instead of max Level. Disabling all old Set Bonuses tells those Players "we don't give a shit about you".

"Blizzard, set bonuses give both old and new players very collectible and usable gear that adds longevity to WoW. I support keeping old set bonuses from interfering with new endgame content. How about only deactivating any set bonuses that specify a specific ability or a percentage? Dealing with the few specific instances of this will protect new endgame, and make a far greater impact on the WoW community by preserving the historical functionality of the rest of the sets we earned."

For another example of how to write a professional-toned post that attracts support, check out @Glorifyd 's thread.
 
Its okay to be emotionally invested. Its okay to let it show in your comments and posts about any given subject.

However, as soon as the 'focus' of the piece is centered around your emotional investment/state instead of the actual topic/issue at hand you start lose all credibility/other people's interest. It takes away from the topic/issue and brings no follow up discussion that others can join in on.

This honestly just comes down to a little life lesson; no one really cares about your feelings. Try avoiding them in discussion unless you are talking to a therapist of some kind. The easiest way to do this is to avoid using the context of 'I', 'My' and 'Me' when trying to get a point across.
 
I'm not really one to curse and blast out my emotions in a post such as his, and I definitely would have worded it better, but there's really an understanding for it. Call it "unprofessional" all you want. CEO's and Team Leaders do it all the time to their employees.

But yeah, how @Kirise worded it is definitely a more effective post
 
The Blizzard forum is not this forum. You are lu my you only got a one hour ban. Most forums would not put up with that sort of childish foolshishness.
 
  • How do they fix them: The same way they fix anything in the game, some programmer sitting at a desk typing code into a computer.
  • Who are they fixing them for: Every single Player who PAYS Blizzard money to play this game. I 100% guarantee not everyone plays WoW ONLY for Level Cap, End Game content.
  • What do they get out of fixing them: See the above sentence about Paying Customers.
  • If it's just a dude on the forums whining...: Yeah man, I'm one of MANY that are pissed about this decision.
  • Your self-entitlement...: It absolutely does because my money means absolutely everything to Blizzard and Activision. I pay for a thing, I'm not getting what I believe I paid for, therefore I have every right to tell the Company that makes that thing why I'm unhappy. That doesn't mean they have to listen, or even care to, but I have every right to speak my mind (just not for the next 24 hours lmao).

Kirise can tell you, I've spent a long time on forums advocating for meaningful changes to the game (changes I thought were meaningful, anyway ;)), and my attitude has changed a great deal over the years. Part of that has come from learning patience. Blizzard isn't the sort of company to emergency fix anything that isn't game breaking. An issue has to be stopping players from enjoying the game for them to address it with any sort of real urgency. I remember in 3.2/3.3/3.4 when Blizzard was spending a great deal of time on the pvp systems for Wow. They had decided to give low level pvpers a chance to prove their mettle in XP off games, separated from the rest of the low level community so as not to interfere with their goal of getting more people into low level BGs.

That part of the game was truly suffering since it offered no progression path to a leveler. BGs didn't reward experience until 3.2 and everything about low level pvp was an exercise in staying at one level. Blizzard saw that as a problem for levelers, and rightly so. Why should anyone take low level pvp seriously while leveling if it offers meager gear rewards and does not allow you to continue leveling? If you did try to play that part of the game, you just got destroyed by veteran players who understood the system better than you. We called those players twinks, and the forums were littered with threads speaking out against the way they treated other players. Some of those criticisms against twinks were completely founded, such as gear disparity and premade teams being able to GY farm the other team with little effort.

In fact, my attitude back then was largely skewed by the power my Warlock had in BGs. I could practically farm the other team myself without a healer or any other support, because low level warlock was already equipped with a complete toolkit for pvp (compared to other classes like shaman or priest, lel) and had the gear to support shadow power stacking, which meant somewhere in the neighborhood of 210 shadow spell power on a level 29 in 2006/2007. It was an incredible time for game balance and twinking, but an awful time for other players.

Blizzard changed the system to benefit the greater good at the expense of twink activity, which was infuriating to players like me. Some of these changes created bugs that prevented twinks from being able to play games in XP Off, even after the great migration and organization efforts had restored activity. It was Cataclysm that saw the worst of it, imo. We had just had an enormous round of Grandfathering (probably the biggest ever) and people were excited to get into the new expansion and leverage features such as cross battlegroup matchmaking, but found that when they tried to queue, games would either never pop or would pop and then not let players enter.

Imagine having at your fingertips, the ability to connect with twinks that aren't in your battlegroup, who maybe got left behind in Wotlk and never knew where the community went, only to be unable to use it until Blizzard decided it was a big enough problem to address. Our bug reports went ignored for some time. Forum threads, no matter how well written, were met with the vitriol of players who hated twinks and were happy to see our demise, even though we were not present in their BGs anymore.

I understand how you feel, that's not the issue here. It's important to you to see this fixed, I get that. I support you 100% in asking for fixes. You just have to do it in a manner that is consistent with professionalism. You can't expect to be brash and angry on the forums and get anything other than your thread locked/deleted and your account suspended. I've made enough of those posts myself to learn that the hard way. I'm just trying to share with you my experience and give you a better vehicle to deliver your message by.

I don't expect you to read this post the whole way through or even heed its message, but if you do, I hope you get something useful out of it.

Good Luck.
 
You create something and put it up there and let us say "this is shit, fix your garbage" and let us know how helpful that is. Maybe, just maybe you have no clue what's going on coding wise behind the scenes and it makes more sense for them to axe set bonuses then try and support a tiny sliver of their player base. Maybe, since you don't invest hours of you life making the game, being humble when asking for something you don't fully understand is the best course of action.

If everyone could just think of someone besides themselves this would be a better world. There are millions of people that play this game and they all think what they do is the most important part. Be different, understand it's impossible to please everyone and form a comment that actually helps and is respectful... :-/
 

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