Talk:World of Warcraft/Draft

Classes

The section describing classes should be re-written to be a little more functional and to better outline what the different main roles are of each class. I feel a table will suit this purpose well. Will be working on this soon. --Eric Clevinger 14:22, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Wow! is all I can say.... Hayford Peirce 16:11, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

lol Hayford. Okay, I have added the classes table and re-designed that section. This should be fairly accurate. Let me know if there are any issues. --Eric Clevinger 22:54, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

Suggestions

How about a criticism or public reception section? While the article is well written, I can't stand the game itself, and know that alot of other people feel that way. It would be good to include that info somewhere in the article. Drew R. Smith 21:22, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

This is a great idea. I'm not even a huge fan of the game anymore, just make edits now and then because I know about it. But a reception/criticism section would be great. --Eric Clevinger 23:27, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Races

I removed a couple of sentences that seemed out of place here. --Eric Clevinger 00:37, 15 March 2010 (UTC)

Gameplay Section Removal

I would like to suggest removing the 'Gameplay' section, thereby making 'Settings', 'Professions', 'Characters', etc. top level sections. This is because there are going to be a lot of sections to this article, and many of those will require sub-sections and sub-sub-sections. As most of the article will refer to different aspects of 'gameplay' I believe the 'Gameplay' heading itself is redundant. What do you think? Chris Key 18:10, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

Obviously you plan to discuss gameplay in much detail. This may make the main page article too long and too detailed for the "casual" reader. Therefore I would suggest to consider moving details to (a) subpage(s) or (a) separate article(s) or and restrict the main page to an overview that is informative and interesting for readers not (yet?) afficinados of the game. --Peter Schmitt 20:38, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

I would agree that there is a lot of details that will belong on subpages rather than the main page. I do still believe that the overview on the main page will require sub-sections to maintain good standards of readability. For example I think that the setting overview that I wrote earlier is appropriate for the main page, but would be awkward to read if it wasn't split into several sections. Similarly the current Player Vs. Player section could do with splitting into sections for Arena, Battlegrounds and World PvP. As such, I would still like to remove the 'Gameplay' heading. --Chris Key 20:54, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

As the structure is now, the title "Gameplay" is indeed not needed (there only is References on the same level), so it can indeed be removed. It may be necessary to restructure later. E.g., 1.6. and 1.7. (maybe also 1.5) seem not to fit in "Gameplay". As to material for subpages: the tables could be candidates ... but there is no hurry, this can evolve ... --Peter Schmitt 22:23, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

I think this highlights another problem with an overarching 'gameplay' section. There are too many variations on the definition. For example, 1.6 (PvP) is something that I would definately put under Gameplay. 1.7 (Servers) I agree appears to not mainly be about gameplay, however the choice of server does have a significant impact on the gameplay. It alters many of the rules of the game. Anyway, for now I shall remove the Gameplay title. --Chris Key 22:36, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

Setting

The sections about the setting are very well written, but I think may just be a bit too detailed, beyond the scope of a main article (even if they are split into sections). Perhaps a more brief and to the point summary of the setting, and the 3 main continents, and then have a secondary article, World of Warcraft Universe or something like that, that goes into all the greater detail regarding Azeroth, as you have written here in the main article. --Eric Clevinger 01:47, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

I agree - Azeroth --Chris Key 02:37, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

Too focused on gameplay?

This article should be interesting to non-players of WoW. There's nothing wrong with a broad overview of the game's aspects and, indeed, WoW's breadth is incredible. Generally, though, I think most gameplay minutiae is best described when it relates to topics broader than the game itself. For example, I recall seeing a Craigslist ad (it's all over the Web now) titled "An EPIC mount! (warcraft players look inside) - w4m" and offered sex in return for an Epic Flying Mount, something that some people spend years to attain. Some people pay real money for virtual goods; others "outsource" their own playing of the game--something I'd presume they would enjoy doing--at their own financial expense. And then, of course, there is the issue of game addiction, which is a charge leveled at WoW more than any other game that I've seen. There are the obligatory follow-up questions to these observations, particularly: Why? Why do people pay real money for virtual goods? Why would a woman prostitute herself for a couple of bits stored on a server? And so on and so forth. As the most popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft can shed much light on MMORPG metaculture.

I think this article in The New Yorker about Ultima Online is highly readable and enlightening for anyone, fans of the game or not. Nick Bagnall 13:23, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

Oops, I just (mistakenly) aasumed that there is no page on MMORPG (I took the abbreviation MMPORPG and spelling multi-player from the New Yorker article). I'll have to correct this. And since I trust the New Yoryker I probably will move the article to the title with the hyphen. Sorry for being hasty!

This parent page probably is the right place to discuss the social impact of these games. --Peter Schmitt 14:17, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

A first search seems to favour "multiplayer". I shall have to ask our language experts ... Peter Schmitt 14:29, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

Definately "multiplayer" without the hyphen. Publishers, leading developer resource sites, leading game review sites, universities and just about everyone else in the indusry do not use a hyphen. --Chris Key 15:47, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

I agree with Peter. The issues of microtransactions, addictions and social impact apply to all MMORPGs, not just WoW. WoW just tends to receive more attention as it is the biggest. Therefore most of these should be in the MMORPG page. I do however believe that there should be non-gameplay sections on things like reception and criticisms, and perhaps the WoW specific incidents such as Corrupted Blood. --Chris Key 15:55, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

Certainly, for game specifics. --Peter Schmitt 23:48, 25 March 2010 (UTC)

Catalogs

I have created a few Catalogs to move the tables to. This aids readability. I have just directly moved the tables so far and have not edited them for accuracy. I have seen some mistakes however, so I will do this later. --Chris Key 11:10, 25 March 2010 (UTC)

Nice work on the classes table, and catalog. I knew that there were some changes to the classes announced in Cataclysm, but I just never got around to updating it. I also like the decision to leave the main class roles explained in the main article. Good work. --Eric Clevinger 00:24, 26 March 2010 (UTC)

Comments

• 1st paragraph: "currently holds the Guinness World Record" -- 'currently' should be specified
• "Tanking - Which means being able" -- it would be better to use a phrase similar to that for the other items

--Peter Schmitt 23:30, 7 June 2010 (UTC)

Both fixed. --Chris Key 08:32, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

A question of style

Personally, I dislike phrases like "Finally the player must choose their characters appearance." I can "overlook" isolated occurrences, but if they appear frequently (as here) I find them irritating. Of course, I am not a native speaker ... --Peter Schmitt 23:35, 7 June 2010 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure why these are irritating to you, but I have changed a few of the occurrences in case you are not alone. --Chris Key 08:33, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

It does not fit into the language as I have learned it. It is a "forced" change by PC politics (if I am correct). There are similar attempts in German, too. I dislike them very much. But, as I said, it is up to the natural speakers to decide about their language. --Peter Schmitt 15:29, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

PvE

The acronym PvE is used once, with explanation what it denotes, but not from what long form it is derived. --Peter Schmitt 11:49, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

Fixed --Chris Key 12:59, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

What I miss

This is a nice and readable description of the game and some of its gameplay.

• However, what is the goal a player tries to reach? A high level? Many points? Simply survive? Is there some ultimate goal defined?
• How much time has to be spent (minimum) on the game to have fun?
• How is the outcome of an encounter, battle, etc. determined. Is it pure luck? Does the player have some information (a set of rules, etc.) from that he can infer a strategy for his actions? Or is the player kept completely in the dark about his chances and choices?
• Are manual skills important, or careful chosen actions?

--Peter Schmitt 15:16, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

In my opinion most of these questions are not relevant to the article as they are standard for the type of game and/or completely depend on the player:

* As in most MMOs there is no goal - each player chooses how they wish to play the game. Some choose to reach maximum level (80, as mentioned in the article), some choose to not level at all and remain level 1. Some players choose to concentrate on completing quests, some on taking part in instances, some concentrate on player-vs-player. Some simply use professions in order to make as much gold as possible. Some enjoy mixing all of the above. There are many other paths a player can follow, and some players simply create their own.

* Some players have fun from the moment they start the game. Some don't like levels 1-79, and only have fun once they reach top level play. For some, the fun ends when top level is reached. There is no correct answer to this question.

* The details of how battles are determined would take a discussion the length of the article again, but generally it is the same as in any MMORPG. There are some elements of luck and some elements of skill, but skill is favoured. Each role (DPS, Healer, Tank) plays completely differently, and each class plays completely differently. On top of that, each class has three skill paths it can follow, and again each plays completely differently. Also, PvP encounters are entirely different to non-PvP (PvE) encounters. In addition, PvE encounters (especially bosses in instances) are often very different also. In my opinion this is all the same as in almost any MMORPG, and would not be of interest to anyone who wasn't playing the game yet wouldn't be in sufficient details for anyone who was.

* Again, depends entirely on the situation, the area of the game you are talking about and the players class/skills.

--Chris Key 16:36, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

I disagree, Chris. If *I* as a complete neophyte wanted to find out about this game, those are all questions I would want answered. I remember years ago I was in a bookstore once and saw a book called "Teach Yourself Bridge" or some such. I was *vaguely* interested, at least to the point of picking up the book and looking at the first page. The opening words were something like: "In order to complete a double meld, the lead player takes the first 13 whammers and doogers them onto the table without telling his partner that the frammis is missing but has been doubled in spades." Not a single friggin' word about what the *point* of the game was, what the goal was, or anything elementary like that. As you may guess, I never taught myself bridge. But I've always been conscious of this sort of gap in CZ articles and have criticized a bunch of people over the years for writing articles in which the lede paragraph did NOT tell the average, intelligent layman WHAT the damn article was about, or what the whoosis is used for. You don't have to give *details* about any of these things, but enough so that layman who knows *nothing* about the subject now has at least a vague idea of where it fits into the general order of things. Hayford Peirce 17:43, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

I see your point, although I don't entirely agree with it. The last two questions I can come up with something for. The second question is entirely subjective, and I don't think there is an answer out there that would be accurate or useful.

My biggest problem is the first question. Unlike a traditional video game, there isn't a goal to the game and there isn't a point to it. It would be like trying to define the goal or point of horseriding. There are many things to do, many things to achieve, but no goal. Whatever you do, there is more. This is common in almost all MMOs.

The article does describe the main points of the game though. Here are the key related paragraphs:

By accepting and completing missions (or quests, as they are called in the game), as well as killing enemies, characters will earn experience points, allowing them to go up in level and power, as well as earning them money, equipment, and increased reputation with their respective faction. Originally, characters could advance from level 1 to level 60. Now characters can progress to a maximum level of 70 if they have purchased the Burning Crusade expansion, and to a maximum level of 80 if they have purchased the Wrath of the Lich King expansion as well. Players who also install the upcoming expansion Cataclysm will be able to progress to a maximum level of 85.

[Instances/Raids] are harder than corresponding outside areas, featuring much stronger monsters and accompanying bosses. Of course, the rewards are also better. Such is the difficulty of instances that a character venturing into one of the appropriate levels will only succeed if grouped into a 'party' with some other players ... Some of the best rewards in the game are found by completing raids.

The gameplay for Arathi Basin is to capture the 5 nodes, and while holding these nodes, points are accumulated, and when either faction reaches 2000 points, the battleground is over. Other battlegrounds have different objectives and mechanics, such as capturing of a flag or the use of vehicles.

If the controlling faction manages to defend the keep for thirty minutes then they have successfully defended it and control is retained by them. However, if the opposing faction manages to breach the keep, they take control of the fortress for the next period. Controlling Wintergrasp brings various benefits, including access to a raid and to easier farming for crafting materials.

By winning arena matches teams advance in rank, and are matched against teams of increasing skill. Every year, Blizzard also runs an Arena Tournament allowing teams to compete for a variety of prizes, including cash prizes totalling more than $200,000

I personally believe that these sections give the reader an overview of what the game is all about, and what things can be done in it. If you still disagree, I shall add the following paragraph in the introduction:

As is common in MMOs, there is no particular goal or aim for the game. Players are provided with a large variety of areas that they can participate in. Some players choose to focus on reaching the maximum level in the game as quickly as possible, gaining the best possible equipment and completing the hardest AI controlled creatures and encounters, which are usually found in areas known as #instances. As content is added to the game several times a year, there is no end to this route. Other players choose to freeze the level of their character at a certain level so they can enjoy defeating encounters designed for those levels. Popular choices for this are to freeze at level 60 in order to enjoy the original end-game instances that were released with the launch of World of Warcraft, or to freeze at level 70 for the end-game instances released in The Burning Crusades.

Other players do not enjoy participating in instances, and instead prefer the experience of levelling characters by completing quests. These players often have many characters as there are ten different playable classes which each provide a unique playing experience, and each of these ten classes has three different skill paths which also alter their playstyle. Also the Alliance and Horde factions have many quests that are unique to their faction, so players often have characters from both factions.

For some players the fun part of the game is not in the AI controlled encounters, but in facing other players in combat. These players participate in the #Player Vs. Player portions of the game. Even within this area there are a variety of options. A number of battlegrounds are provided for those who enjoy large-scale combat, and each of these has it's own rules and winning conditions. Other players prefer smaller fights, and some say these require more skill. For these players the arena is provided, allowing teams of two, three or five players to face each other. There is also world PvP which can take the form of small random fights throughout the game world, annihilating small towns, or even invading the opposing faction's cities and defeating their leaders. Many players advance to maximum level in order to compete in PvP, however some choose to freeze their level at a lower point.

Options remain even for players who do not find enjoyment in any of those areas. Some players use #Professions and the auction house in order to make as much gold as possible. Other players set themselves goals such as reaching top level without dying or without killing anything. An achievement system also exists, giving players a number of tasks to complete for little or no reward. These achievements vary greatly and include defeating all instances in the game, exploring the entire world, participating in holiday events, and hugging all of the critters (rabbits, snakes, deer and other harmless creatures) in the game.

I don't personally think this adds much to the article, as it mainly repeats things stated elsewhere. However, if you like it, I'll add it. --Chris Key 20:47, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for all the work! I'll let Peter make that weighty decision! Hayford Peirce 21:57, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

(unindent) I'll have to think about this. In the meantime I have two more questions (on the reception) which may help in connection with the others: What does this game distinguish from others? What is the reason for its tremendous success? This game is said to be very addictive for many, more than others -- what makes it so? --Peter Schmitt 23:24, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

The paragraph you suggest, Chris, does not really solve the problem. It still assumes some acquaintance with such games, and mentions too much details, I think. You are still writing from the point of someone knowing the game very well for persons who know (at least) these types of games quite well. (It is similar to the article on baseball, Hayford -- that is also (still) too crytic.) In the meantime I have some more questions, on details, but quite important: How easily do characters get killed? Have players to start from the beginning? (Costs?) What if a player owns several characters? What happens to characters when one is not online? Detailed answers on this can go into a general article (on gameplay, mechanics, strategy, etc. of multiiplayer online games), of course. But a brief characterization -- emphasizing particularities -- belong here, too. --Peter Schmitt 12:21, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

Peter: I've added to the lede para. of Baseball -- what do you think? I see that some of my text is now redundant with the end of the second para. but the hell with it.... Hayford Peirce 18:51, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

Peter, when you write an article such as countable set you do expect the reader to have some familiarity with mathematics, or at least expect them to read the linked articles. Similarly, I don't think it is unreasonable to expect the reader of an article about a video game to have some familiarity with video games, or at least to read the relevant linked articles. If not, then I am going to end up having to write almost exactly the same paragraphs of every single video game, and then another set of paragraphs on every single game from a particular genre.

Having said that, I've read the bit I wrote above again and I cannot see which bits you are referring to. All of it reads very straightforwardly to me, or is explained in more detail elsewhere in the article. Which bits do you have problems with?

I'll look into getting answers to some of those questions into the article. I'm also, for now at least, am going to put the paragraphs I wrote above into the article. --Chris Key 19:01, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

Hayford, you react very quickly ... but I'll not check it out as quickly. There are other things to come first.

Chris, it can well be that "countable set" (or other mathematical topics) could and should be improved. But I do not think that the situation is comparable. I agree with you that (as I said above) common issues should be treated in separate articles. But this does not exclude to try to put the individual articles into perspective. I'll try to show what I mean with an example that could be put into the lead section. But this example is ficticious insofar as I do not know if the facts stated fit WoW.:

WoW was the first game that combines all types of video games -- from one-person shooting over puzzle-like adventures and strategic battle planning to cooperative roleplaying -- in a single unified setting from which every player can choose according his preferences. The game is highly flexible and can be played successfully whether one spends two hours a month or several hours a day online. This, together with superior graphics and sophisticated rules, have made the game the most successful video game yet. A minor drawback is the fact that a player who loses his character has to register again and start from the beginning. It is often criticized since because of its attractivity the game also generates more addictive behaviour than any other video game.

--Peter Schmitt 22:16, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

I agree with this kind of introductory paragraph, and as I said I will attempt to include answers to most of your questions once I have a bit of time - including mechanics and reasons for success. However, the above paragraphs that you said did not solve the problem were an attempt to answer the question "what is the goal a player tries to reach?". I still don't understand how they fail to answer that question in a satisfactory way. --Chris Key 22:27, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

I meant: They do not solve the problem of briefly characterizing the game in the lead. They were an expansion of the article. You yourself put them in as a new section of the main article (and called them (partially) repetitive?). --Peter Schmitt 22:53, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

Yep, that's because they were designed to answer the question about the game's goal, not as an addition to the lead. I'll add something to the lead some time this week when I have some time. --Chris Key 09:19, 14 June 2010 (UTC)

I've made a number of edits that I think answer all of your questions, as well as enhance the introduction. What do you think? --Chris Key 13:04, 14 June 2010 (UTC)

As time progresses it may be difficult to tell which edits I was referring to. It was these edits. --Chris Key 15:32, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Some minor questions

What is "mana"? What is "AI"? Is it one subscription per character?

Ref 2 and 4 point are for the same news item -- ref 2 is "Press release not found" but offers to switch to its German version. Moreover, this shows also some duplication of content in the introduction.

Ref 11 is "Press release not found"

--Peter Schmitt 16:37, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Mana is a resource used to power spells. It is a technical issue and not worth expanding on, so I have removed the reference to it.

AI = Artificial Intelligence. I've made this clear on it's first usage.

As explained under Cost of Play, "Licences allow the player to create up to 50 characters, although this is limited to 10 per server." It is one subscription per licence.

I fixed ref 2 and 11 - they definately DID work before. Is there a way to point ref 4 to ref 2?

--Chris Key 17:58, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Do you mean <ref name=... /> (see e.g. Domain Name System)? Well, I know AI, but I did not think of it here ... --Peter Schmitt 19:42, 27 June 2010 (UTC)