Poster: Kor at 1/18/2006 4:45:33 PM PST
Subject: Blizzard's no ETA policy |
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I'm curious to know if anyone here feels the same way on this policy. First, my question.
NOTE: Long Read. If you must troll, make an attempt at intelligence and hear me out.
Why, Blizzard, is there hardly ever a ETA? I'm not talking a definitive date for a given content update, or what have you, I'm talking ballparks. I mentioned something to this effect in another post, but it seems the post was deleted for other reasons..?
I ask because, as a paying customer, I like to know when new things are coming my way. I'm not here to complain, just to ask a courtesy. Take for example, my current predicament. I am waiting for a brand new server on which I will roll a new character, my new main, and bring my friend, who I recently got to suscribe, to. I want this for a combination of reasons: to escape Queues on my original server, to relive the server founding atmosphere I was part of on Argent Dawn, and to allow my friend to approach the game in its most raw form, as I did.
One might protest that there is a problem in wanting to relive that portion of the game, that it's not neccesary. But as someone who has been with this game since beta, I've yet to experience a time in my long experience here that equals the opening of a new server. A new player makes lasting networks of friends, ultimately, provided they wern't a jerk, weaves themself into a steadily growing community.
The predicament is this: I do not have the foggiest idea of when the next bunch of servers will be released. I entirely understand Blizzard's desire to avoid adhering to a specific date for an addition to the game, but I don't see the problem in giving us a ballpark estimate as to when we might be able to expect this. It's especially important to me, as I wont be playing until the next release of a PvP server, and I don't want to pay for time I wont use if it will be some time from now, as recent posts sort of hint at.
The information I have seen thus far leaves me at this conclusion: There will be a site upgrade (?) in a couple of months that will enable blizzard to add large numbers of new realms. This doesn't tell me if there will be new realms released before hand, merely that two months, or so, down the line, a large number of servers will be added.
Obviously this same situation can be applied to many other situations outside of my new server predicament, so I feel this is something that should, at the very least, be commented on by a Blizzard representative.
Thanks Blizzard, and despite the errors, you're still my favorite developers :D
Keepin it Lok'Tar
| | | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6720000&p=#post6720000 | | | Poster: Caydiem at 1/18/2006 7:21:50 PM PST
Subject: Re: Blizzard's no ETA policy |
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We don't give ETAs because our own ETAs slip and shift. Things change. We have, in the past, been seriously burned by giving ETAs when, afterward, something unforeseen happened and we were forced to push back the date. We've tried it several times with the same results.
The fact of the matter is that we don't want to tell you when something is coming until we ourselves are confident it's coming at that time. I understand that you'd like an ETA, and I agree with you that many would appreciate it and be reasonable regarding any subsequent shifts in the timeframe. Unfortunately, the benefit for the community as a whole is somewhat reduced. We've tried it in the past, we've seen what occurs, and we're continuing with our current policy for the time being.
I'm not a malefactor, I'm a lagomorph!
| | | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6720000&p=#post6721767 | Poster: Caydiem at 1/18/2006 7:26:54 PM PST
Subject: Re: Blizzard's no ETA policy |
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Q u o t e:
Then why not give us a tenative schedual? It wouldn't be hard to post somthing to the effects of "We are expecting, the <patch,expan,whatever> to be ready for release within the next few months, keep in mind though, that this is tenative and may not be ready till later, if any problems arise."
Thats a ballpark ETA, and covers your booty if you guys can't make it. I think if you were more honest with the posters here, there would actually be less complaints.
No matter how many caveats and disclaimers we make, even ballpark ETAs can cause the same problems, though we do use them when we feel we can confidently. (See Ordinn's post on Realm Performance for an example of ballpark ETAs in action: https://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6635412&p=1)
I'm not a malefactor, I'm a lagomorph!
| | | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6720000&p=#post6721823 | Poster: Caydiem at 1/18/2006 7:30:36 PM PST
Subject: Re: Blizzard's no ETA policy |
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Q u o t e:
Wait...what??? That's one of the broasdest posts I've ever read. THere is absolutely NO ETA in that post. I hate that post because it's so vague. It acknowledges the problem but it does nothing to tell me when to expect it to be fixed...
No ETA, hm?
Q u o t e:
In order to accommodate the further growth of our player base, we have plans in motion to open a new World of Warcraft site a few months from now.
I was referring to ballpark ETAs. There's one.
I'm not a malefactor, I'm a lagomorph!
| | | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6720000&p=#post6721867 | Poster: Caydiem at 1/18/2006 7:33:05 PM PST
Subject: Re: Blizzard's no ETA policy |
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Q u o t e:
The only reason that one started such a fuss was that it came across confusing. Like it could imply that NO NEW realms will come until the new site is running. On the other hand we could see new realms when new equipment comes? Thats all that people want to know?
I'm sure, but it's difficult to answer confidently if we're not sure ourselves. Once we add the hardware, will the performance increase be enough, even with the increased population, to accommodate new realms? While we can speculate based on data, we can't be sure until we see it in action.
Can't give an affirmative response if we don't have one. :P
I'm not a malefactor, I'm a lagomorph!
| | | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6720000&p=#post6721900 | Poster: Caydiem at 1/18/2006 7:35:33 PM PST
Subject: Re: Blizzard's no ETA policy |
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Q u o t e:
Are you talking about where it says "a couple of months"? I'm really not trying to be a smartass, Cay, but I've worked with Blizzard before. Months turned into years. (Though I will concede that at least there is a glimmer of hope there...and that my typing gets worse by the hour)...
Okay, Demonaro, let's go back and look at what I was responding to.
Gloam suggested we use ballpark ETAs, and even gave the example of "next few months". I linked to a post to show that we already use such ballpark ETAs when we can.
I do thank you, however, for demonstrating with this very post (Blizzard "months turned into years") why we don't give ETAs. :D
I'm not a malefactor, I'm a lagomorph!
| | | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6720000&p=#post6721934 | Poster: Caydiem at 1/18/2006 7:43:24 PM PST
Subject: Re: Blizzard's no ETA policy |
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Q u o t e:
Thank you for the responses, Caydiem. I respectfully disagree with you, but I certainly appreciate your taking the time to post on my thread :)
And you're certainly welcome to disagree. ;) I know where you're coming from, and I'm with you in that I wish I could give you ETAs that, on the off chance that they would not be met, would not cause a bomb to explode. Alas, what would be ideal does not necessarily mirror the current state of things. ;)
I'm not a malefactor, I'm a lagomorph!
| | | http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=6720000&p=#post6722031 |
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