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Oyvid
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Oyvid


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PostSubject: non-theorycrafting post   non-theorycrafting post EmptyMon Oct 06, 2008 6:18 pm

Non theorycrafting post by my favorite feral druid. Interesting views on the state of WOW.

http://druid.wikispaces.com/message/view/ToskksDPSGearMethod/5741238

I’m going to apologize in advance for the following diversion from the original topic.. it’s what happens when you spend too much time merging video game design theory with Educational Psychology. However please bear with me Wink

The problem that spawned this itemization issue was the removal of druid-specific tanking and dps items, and that one change came along with many others like it, including the merging of Hunter and Enhancement Shaman itemization, the removal of downranking spells, the creation of groups of non-stacking buffs, the increase in the number of targets affected by class and spec buffs, the merging of spell damage and healing, spell hit and hit rating, and spell haste and haste rating, and the trend toward the sharing of specific class and spec mechanics with other classes and specs.

These kinds of changes, while certainly justifiable mathematically, all have the effect of decreasing the overall uniqueness and diversity of the available classes in World of Warcraft.

Is that a problem? To even begin to answer that question, we need to look at the function of character classes in a game like World of Warcraft.

Character 'classes' are a part of virtually all mmo-rpgs, however the concept of character classes and the function that they serve in fantasy role-playing games dates back to paper and pencil fantasy role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. The creator of Dungeons & Dragons Gary Gygax, for example, has a very good explanation of the function of character classes in fantasy role-playing games:

“The essence of a role-playing game is that it is a group, cooperative experience. There is no winning or losing, but rather the value is in the experience of imagining yourself as a character in whatever genre you’re involved in, whether it’s a fantasy game, the Wild West, secret agents or whatever else. You get to sort of vicariously experience those things.” (Gygax 2006) In short, the function of the character class is to cognitively place the player ‘into’ the game world and storyline.

This wasn’t just an idea that Gygax came up with, either. While Gary Gygax called them ‘classes’, he was drawing directly from the research by Carl Jung on ‘Character Archetypes’. According to Yung, Archetypes are innate, universal prototypes for ideas and may be used to interpret observations. As it applies to a character class in a video game, the Archetype you play directly influences your interpretation of the game world.

So why is class uniqueness and diversity important to that? Evaluating class diversity and uniqueness, while a highly qualitative assessment, is of critical importance when you begin to look at how a class functions in a game environment.

I am speaking here of terms like ‘tank’, ‘healer’, and ‘dps’, often referred to as ‘roles’ in fantasy role-playing games. For purposes of this discussion, I’m going to refer to these as Functional Archetypes. Functional Archetypes have just as much influence on the player as Character Archetypes, however the influence is of a very different nature. Imagine, if you will, a continuum line. On the one end of the continuum, you have the Character Archetype, which cognitively influences your in-game experience. At the other end of the continuum, you have the Functional Archetype, which mechanically influences your in-game experience.

Both of these Archetypes are important, and finding a comfortable balance point on that continuum is a requirement for all successful role-playing games. Without the Character Archetype, the game world loses its cognitive grip on you. You’re a twenty-something staring at pixels on a computer screen. Emphasizing the Character Archetype too much at the cost of the Functional Archetype, however, leads to discrepancies and inequalities in the interactions with other game elements and players. Without the Functional Archetype you have no interface for interaction with other game elements in the game world. Emphasize the Functional Archetype too much and the immersive aspects of the game become transparent to the rigid mathematical rules and formulas that govern it all. Players start thinking “your code is showing”.

The reduction in class uniqueness and diversity that I mentioned came in this case as the price of more uniform and balanced class role mechanics. On the continuum between Character Archetypes and Functional Archetypes, however, World of Warcraft is already heavily weighted toward the Functional Archetype. After all, when was the last time you heard someone say "LF for " instead of "LF Tank/Healer/DPS/CC for "?

I’m not in any way trying to suggest that World of Warcraft isn’t a good game. The game world is immersive and dynamic, and much of the storytelling is fantastic. World of Warcraft has even been mentioned in the writings of Educational Psychology researchers, and many good principles of learning and motivation are present in the game.

What I’m suggesting is that these kinds of changes push the existing game classes more toward the Functional Archetype side of the continuum between Character Archetypes and Functional Archetypes, and that the game could probably use a push back in the other direction.

I’ll finish with another quote from Gary Gygax, which I appreciate for the dichotomy:

“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.”
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Valdr
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Valdr


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PostSubject: Re: non-theorycrafting post   non-theorycrafting post EmptyTue Oct 07, 2008 12:01 am

While I love Gygax, this article's tone is too much Matrix Architect in it. Ergo, too much psycho mumbo-jambo. Concordantly, as to Gygax's parting quote, I must say gamemasters SHOULD know that they are not bound by rules but must give the ILLUSION to they players that they are, whilst shaping the campaign to best suit the players' situation.
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Naushan
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Naushan


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PostSubject: Re: non-theorycrafting post   non-theorycrafting post EmptyWed Oct 08, 2008 10:07 pm

After one tired day of work, this wall of text crit me for 2478979508473778 dmg.
j/k
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http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Nagrand&n=Naushan
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