Author Topic: Development Teams at Blizzard
Vault_News 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Zarhym posted:
There isn't a singular Blizzard Entertainment art team. Each franchise has its own art department. We don't just pull resources from one project to give more attention to another in the sense you're suggesting. This is why we have multiple development teams (which include art teams for each) and can work on multiple franchises simultaneously.

(...)That wasn't at all the context of the post to which I was responded. That player was suggesting that a singular art team directs their attention away from WoW to work on art for our other games. That's not true.

Now, if an individual person does move onto a new project, their position is filled. Therefore, the resources are still there (which is why I said "in the sense you're suggesting"). This is how career advancement works at any company. How else do you account for a company's growth? You bring in new talent (or move them up from within the company) and train them under the current folks so they can eventually fill the vacancy.

This talk about losing WoW developers, or that WoW is left to a "B team" is getting tiresome. There is no finite pool of talent and we have every intention of making sure WoW development remains very strong.

All of this is practically besides the point anyway. All you've been told is some talented people who helped build WoW into what it is today have moved over to another project to help bring it to fruition. You don't know who those people are, what positions they held on the WoW team, or how many of them have moved onto other projects. Most of them, in fact, are programmers working to develop the systems and tech for a new project. And the programmers WoW has now are amazing. They've taken the original systems and improved upon them many times over.

Just as an example, think back to how slowly UI improvements would be implemented in vanilla and TBC. Now there are scores of great UI improvements nearly every patch. That team is incredible and very experienced. Just the same, the class design team has hardly changed in years, save for a couple of additions (read: not subtractions).

Every department at Blizzard has expanded immensely over the years to accommodate the growing playerbase, as well as our ambitions for the future of the company. You can look at our job opportunities page just to get an example for the talent search we have constantly going on.

Bringing in new talent and growing the company from within is far from a bad thing. It's a great thing and has allowed us to develop several projects simultaneously without short-changing any of them. Anyone who says otherwise is working on an incredible amount of speculation and assumptions.

And even still, the WoW development leadership remains largely unchanged. Every time I stop by to chat with these people -- the same people I've been interacting with for years now -- I'm inspired by their creativity, their talent, and their dedication to making this game mega-awesomesauce. wink


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Deionnara 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
<<<
This talk about losing WoW developers, or that WoW is left to a "B team" is getting tiresome. There is no finite pool of talent and we have every intention of making sure WoW development remains very strong.
>>>

Maybe they should take a step back and and analyze why the player base has came to think this way.


<<<
All of this is practically besides the point anyway. All you've been told is some talented people who helped build WoW into what it is today have moved over to another project to help bring it to fruition. You don't know who those people are, what positions they held on the WoW team, or how many of them have moved onto other projects. Most of them, in fact, are programmers working to develop the systems and tech for a new project. And the programmers WoW has now are amazing. They've taken the original systems and improved upon them many times over.

Just as an example, think back to how slowly UI improvements would be implemented in vanilla and TBC. Now there are scores of great UI improvements nearly every patch. That team is incredible and very experienced. Just the same, the class design team has hardly changed in years, save for a couple of additions (read: not subtractions).
>>>

Yeah because the f'n point went *woosh* over his head. The quality of the software and the service haven't been a problem for a good while now. The stink is coming from further up.

Then again, I am preaching to the choir here.

 

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Quazimortal 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Deionnara posted:
Then again, I am preaching to the choir here.


I thought about mocking this topic as well, but this thought stopped me. grin

 

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Ugh_Lancelot 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Hey Blizz...why so defensive?

 

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Arunne 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
It always amazes me that they will actually tell thier customers that they are annoying them. Who does that?

As an IT person, i would love to send something like this to my business clients, of course I would get fired if I did. I mean they do things that make me insane but I dont get to tell them they are getting tiresome.

 

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_Taebo_ 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
The problem with Cataclysm is that it seems too short and too recycled.

The 5 levels was a mistake.

The quality of the zones we were given are pretty good and imaginitive. Deepholm and Vashj'ir were unique and fairly large zones. Hyjal
was very scripted and on rails, but it had a good story line and you actually saw the zone change.

Uldum was a cool zone, but there were too many cut scenes and the Harrison Jones/Schnottz thing got annoying, IMHO.

Twighlight Highlands felt a little recycled, a little Borean Tundra + Howling Fjord and Arathi Highlands. It was ok.

I feel we needed 1-2 more zones and a full 10 levels. Within a week, people were back to what they were doing December 6th.

When we are given less, we feel that less are working on it, or that they aren't putting as much effort into it, because we got MORE before. So now people are quitting and throwing Blizzard under the bus and they are getting defensive. The countless nerfs, hotfixes, nerfs, hotfixes really looks bad from a QC/Testing standpoint.

 

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Darcry 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Here's another idea as well though. Sometimes those original team members need to be moved else where after a while. At times, they have a tendancy to lose sight of the original picture. If they're saying that team members are the same but, the player base is complaining that we feel we've got the "B team" in here, then there is something wrong. No one that I'm aware of has been complaining of UI changes for the worse. What we're complaining of is the rail system, imbalances past 80 and a lot of recycled feeling. This post just helps to reinforce to us that you've lost your way and aren't really listening to what we're saying. As Deiornna said "take a step back and look." We're not just pulling these complaints out of our collective asses.

 

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Spookysheep 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
"This talk about losing WoW developers, or that WoW is left to a "B team" is getting tiresome."


LMAO, good old arrogant blizzard thinking a single one of their subscribers give a rats ass what they find "tiresome".


When a company becomes too arrogant and stupid to hear what the customers are saying and respond appropriately, it is the beginning of the end. Some of the richest and most successful fortune 500 companies in the world have gone bankrupt and the number one reason was poor customer service.


Priceless, truly.

 

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Quazimortal 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Darcry posted:
Here's another idea as well though. Sometimes those original team members need to be moved else where after a while. At times, they have a tendancy to lose sight of the original picture. If they're saying that team members are the same but, the player base is complaining that we feel we've got the "B team" in here, then there is something wrong. No one that I'm aware of has been complaining of UI changes for the worse. What we're complaining of is the rail system, imbalances past 80 and a lot of recycled feeling. This post just helps to reinforce to us that you've lost your way and aren't really listening to what we're saying. As Deiornna said "take a step back and look." We're not just pulling these complaints out of our collective asses.


Oh snap! Nice viewpoint.

 

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Billarious 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Spookysheep posted:
"This talk about losing WoW developers, or that WoW is left to a "B team" is getting tiresome."


LMAO, good old arrogant blizzard thinking a single one of their subscribers give a rats ass what they find "tiresome".


When a company becomes too arrogant and stupid to hear what the customers are saying and respond appropriately, it is the beginning of the end. Some of the richest and most successful fortune 500 companies in the world have gone bankrupt and the number one reason was poor customer service.


Priceless, truly.
. T

It's been said that the only thing that will kill WoW is Blizzard. Responses to their customers like this is helping to advance that occuring.

 

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Sprawl-zero1eye- 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Ugh_Lancelot posted:
Hey Blizz...why so defensive?

Wow, no [BEEP]? Seriously? Who tells their community that their point is "tiresome", even if you disagree?! Wow...

 

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Sprawl-zero1eye- 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
wow... I'm still a bit shocked... it doesn't get more arrogant than that!

I *wish* I could tell my clients that they annoy me, because guess what, sometimes they do.

 

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Quazimortal 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
I'd hate to be a mod for their forums after saying that crap. laugh

 

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regulator_cracka 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Well let us do the math.


Development Teams at Blizzard = 12 million+ addicted junkies who will not leave for major $$$$$.






You complaining = Sad.




Blizzard wins, again.

 

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Renegade. 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
wtf is this i dont even

 

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Sprawl-zero1eye- 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
regulator_cracka posted:
Well let us do the math.


Development Teams at Blizzard = 12 million+ addicted junkies who will not leave for major $$$$$.






You complaining = Sad.




Blizzard wins, again.

So, you agree with them then?

 

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Broken_Kayfabe 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
The best things about this blue post: 1) they've heard the B-team snark enough to remark on it, and 2) it struck close enough to home to sting them into biting back.

Bitter mmorpg vets like all of us know weakness and blood in the water when we see it.

shock

 

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LadyGodiva. 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Apparently the 'very talented' B team feels a need to get standoffish with their paying customers. face_plain]

 

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Ugh_Lancelot 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Broken_Kayfabe posted:
The best things about this blue post: 1) they've heard the B-team snark enough to remark on it, and 2) it struck close enough to home to sting them into biting back.
Amen. If the ideas were good ideas and not just "let's see what sticks" crap, they wouldn't have to defend them.

Sounds like the community has reached critical mass. tongue

 

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Ferrydust 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
My idea of a Dev meeting:

 

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laugh

 

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Bremen_Gaheris 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Ugh_Lancelot posted:
Hey Blizz...why so defensive?



Their desperation is getting ugly. I don't think they are going to go out of business or anything and I sincerely hope not....but it is obvious they are feeling the pinch and things are NOT going as well as they planned. The arrogance is very offensive.

 

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Unstruck 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
This forum is full of win. Great posters with a level head who can see the forest from the trees.

If you visit wowhead at all, that forum is full of fanboys who defend what the developers say up and down. It's one part funny, two parts sad.

 

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Sprawl-zero1eye- 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Unstruck posted:
This forum is full of win. Great posters with a level head who can see the forest from the trees.

If you visit wowhead at all, that forum is full of fanboys who defend what the developers say up and down. It's one part funny, two parts sad.


I want to defend them and say they mean well, and they probably do, but they keep sticking their foot in their mouth with their PR department...

 

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PlieBrac 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
just wait until this sentiment of "tiresome' gets out...

i mean really out there where a majority of the playerbase finally figures out that this is blizzards "true" feelings about its' paying customers.....

i will likely spread like a firestorm and anybody over 12-14 that knows things will drop them like a hot rock.

personally, i don't go anywhere i am not welcome.

and if i thought someone i knew or did business with was growing "tiresome" of me..

well i would just leave sooner.

 

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PlieBrac 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
There is no finite pool of talent and we have every intention of making sure WoW development remains very strong.

didnt they mean to say Infinite?

the way things are going it appears the talent pool at blizzard IS FINITE... angry

 

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Quazimortal 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
Sprawl-zero1eye- posted:
Unstruck posted:
This forum is full of win. Great posters with a level head who can see the forest from the trees.

If you visit wowhead at all, that forum is full of fanboys who defend what the developers say up and down. It's one part funny, two parts sad.


I want to defend them and say they mean well, and they probably do, but they keep sticking their foot in their mouth with their PR department...


Maybe they've moved some people from the QA department over to the PR department? happy

 

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Pacorra 
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Quazimortal posted:
Maybe they've moved some people from the QA department over to the PR department? happy

The ones with bad grammar and spelling were moved to Design.

 

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Kriegprojekt 
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Subject: Development Teams at Blizzard
My God...

WTH is wrong with these guys? Ive said it many times before, they need to find someone with PR skills to listen and speak to their customers. This post was even more arrogant, ignorant and defensive than a GC post.



 

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