Cold take: Starting the dev podcast is one of the best decisions Blizz has made in recent years

[u/userrnam]

I think everyone agree that the podcast is good, but I really think it marks a pivotol moment in their community engagement and even game design philosophy. They've talked about some of the more polarizing topics in a way that feels natural and not overly burdened by the restrictions of a corporate overlord. I also think the host, Josh, has done a really good job so far of steering the conversations.

I've had a lot of fun with Forever so far, but I'm also excited to see how they continue responding to feedback.

[u/Kabaal]

How can anyone criticize the openness?

Now let’s not scare them away with hostility and insults.

[u/danglotka → u/Kabaal]

Yeah most devs that try this last about 1-2 controversies, and then get tired of the hate mail. Usually people hate the company, with stuff like this lots of crazies start to believe these devs personally killed their dog and fucked their spouse

[u/kpkost → u/Kabaal]

I just hope that these Devs knew what to expect out of a Rabidly passionate Fan base. I think lots of people who get thrusted into publicity with this kinda breaks down cause they don't expect just the pressure and tenseness that can be felt. I feel like these Devs knew this was coming and were prepared for it.

[u/userrnam → u/kpkost]

Not sure about Aggrend or the other lead dev, but Chris has been around since vanilla. I imagine you develop quite a thick skin at that point. Can assume the same for the others that are willingly public-facing.

[u/Captainjook]

Same. Love it.

[u/CG20370417]

While I am unhappy with the answers (or lack of answers) for the legitimate concerns of Shadow Priests, I have to hand it to the Classic Team--they are open, responsive, and even if their vision isn't mine, they clearly care about the game they are building.

Best community facing version of Blizzard since the Ghostcrawler days

[u/Lofi_Fade → u/CG20370417]

The right-most dev seemed a bit hostile to questions

[u/ErrorLoadingNameFile → u/Lofi_Fade]

I really did not feel that way. I felt he was defending the game from retail, so put a badge on that man please.

[u/Lofi_Fade → u/ErrorLoadingNameFile]

No, it felt like he was hostile to questions about certain design choices.

[u/userrnam → u/Lofi_Fade]

Hostility =/= conviction. I did not get any hostility from him, rather, it just seemed like he was defending some of the choices they've made. That is a beneficial quality in a dev.

[u/CG20370417 → u/Lofi_Fade]

Zirene has a habit of being pretty blunt.

[u/karrotwin]

They deserve a lot of credit for talking about design philosophy. I feel like I learn more about how the game will be from these podcasts than I do from the beta.

[u/skinnysnappy52]

Josh does a great job. Admittedly he’s one of the only content creators I really follow, but he was the perfect choice for this as he’s been doing this format or a version of it for years on Countdown to Classic, which is a great place to get the viewpoints of all sorts of players (leaning a bit more hardcore than casual) on all sorts of issues. They’re also hours and hours long so great to listen to over a few gym sessions.

[u/Paradidle_RLRR_LRLL → u/skinnysnappy52]

Josh Corbett is one of my only cultural experiences with a person from Australia, and he's a class act. I eagerly awaited each episode of Countdown to Classic in 2019. Super happy he's got this gig.

Now in my mind now all Australians are down-to-earth nerds that know how to run a podcast. Or wrestle crocodiles like Steve Irwin, rest his soul.

[u/Valrysha1]

I hope they keep doing it, even if it drops to monthly after launch that'd still be great and an interesting insight.

[u/Lava-Chicken]

It's a highlight of each week. I'm excited about everything they talk about. To see the issues i haven't considered and to get an ideas of the vision they have.

Excellent decision by blizzard

[u/9500140351]

yeah it feels much better seeing the enthusiam and nuance that wouldnt normally get from just reading a soulless blue post

[u/Mysterious_Bass5724]

I had a lot of concerns about several classes, and I feel much better about them now after hearing their reasoning.

Purely a good thing

[u/Sick_Nerd_Baller]

Absolutely love it! Aggrend is the boss I wish I had, supportive, knowledgeable and a beautiful man.

[u/Terrible_Tadpole_861]

Ya it's so cool

[u/Jynirax]

What a long way we’ve come from the dickheads on The Instance saying pirates don’t deserve Classic. Josh has been holding court on Classic WoW for almost a decade now and it shows. True legend.

[u/userrnam → u/Jynirax]

This generation's Greg Street

[u/CycleOfBans]

how have I not come across these? I see them referenced but thought it was a one time thing. how can i get one of my questions answered?

[u/userrnam → u/CycleOfBans]

Seems like they respond moreso to collective feedback rather than individual questions. I'd say: Make posts here, on Twitter, in streamer's chats, etc.

[u/Gukle]

Wait til next internet troll/degenerate to fuck this up and the devs decide to shut down communication again.

[u/gabo2007]

I've been pleasantly surprised, maybe even shocked, to hear them react in real time and give input on things they might change or didn't realize (e.g. Warlock Fear range).

[u/TheSadBoy1991]

A noble initiative, but devs don’t make the final decisions. They can promise or state something on a podcast, but in the end, none of it may actually happen. In that case, they’d end up being labeled as liars

[u/Rare-Industry-504]

I'll believe they're genuinely open when they talk about RMT and the streamers who do it, not to mention what they're actually going to do about it.

But they're going to dodge the topic and wait for people to forget about it like always.

[u/Squirrel09 → u/Rare-Industry-504]

I wonder when this was filmed? because it went up as a complete video, not a live. Could be that all the RMT stuff happened after filming, but before it released?

They did briefly talk about how changes to the mage partially came from bots farming entire dungeons though... That plays into the conversation some.

They've already said that their going to be banning accounts. And then it's a "trust our process of determining whether gold was bought or you just played the AH really well." It's hard because if they come out and say "this is the type of activity we're looking for" well, then sellers will start moving gold a different way.