How visible Achievements and Talents affect anonymity

by Mike Schramm Aug 4th 2008 at 7:00PM

Reader Alex was kind enough to send along this forum post he wrote, and he hits on some interesting questions about achievements and how they might affect bullying and posturing on the forums. Right now, people can spout off pretty much any opinion they want without repercussions, but when achievements are added into the Armory, people won't be so anonymous -- we'll all be able to know, within a few clicks, what bosses you've downed and what you've really done in BGs and Arenas. Sure, people will still spout off whatever they feel like saying, but as Alex says, there'll be a little less anonymity.

I'm not sure how much of a change it will really bring -- when it was first announced that talents would immediately be viewable by other players, a few worried that it would cause more problems (people would be discriminated against because of their talent choices), but I haven't seen that happen in game -- just like always, if someone says they're a Feral Druid, you just assume they can tank as a bear, without checking out their talents closely.

And my guess is that it'll be the same with achievements -- people will still say whatever they want, and while there may be the occasional player called out for not getting the Onyxia achievement after he's claimed to have "been a raider from the beginning," there's always the old argument of "this is my alt!" At least, that is, until Blizzard shows us a way to see whose alt is whose...

Tags: achievements, bullying, feral, forums, posturing, talents, visible, wrath-of-the-lich-king

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Blizzard, Alts, Forums, Achievements

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Nick S Aug 4th 2008 7:09PM

i hear criticism of my talent choices from better-geared (meaning T6) players who think they're WoW-gurus pretty regularly.

that said, i'm glad we can view talents - it's an easy way to check out a player without a lengthy interview.

i'm sure achievements will be similar.

Procris Aug 5th 2008 3:37AM

Yeah it happens. Just a week or so ago i had someone inspect me in AV and mock my talent choices or maybe he was just mocking my spec. Not that i'm worried, its a good build and he was a jackass from another server. But it certainly happens.

zrob Aug 4th 2008 7:13PM

Oh Talent fascism has happened here and there.

I was once headed to Kara on my rogue, pugged in to a speed run with a sunwell guild.

I got booted because I put 10 points in subtlety in my combat swords build. (Why, I soloed a lot on that toon and I like to move fast and not be seen in stealth) Raid leader said that my talent choices obviously showed that I "did not understand my class"

My response was "it's Kara FFS, get over yourself"

Nick S Aug 4th 2008 7:18PM

yeah, actually, points in subtlety make for a fantastic soloing/5-man build. quick and easy saps ftw.

Tasty Aug 4th 2008 11:48PM

Not really, I can sap just fine in heroics with no points in subt. A higher damage output is 100x better than imp stealth/sap. Just means you have to be a bit more careful.

Heilig Aug 5th 2008 12:22AM

Yeah, that's why he said "quick and easy" and not "slow and careful."

Increased movement speed while stealthed is a convenience that a LOT of rogues take regardless of the rest of their build. If you're just doing kara/heroics, it's really not a deal-breaker.

goliathsdkfz Aug 5th 2008 1:23AM

I think his point was. He likes fast stealth, so what are we to judge. He was dragged in as an extra,

Tasty Aug 5th 2008 1:41AM

Hey who said anything about slow :P
One of the best ways to sap mobs is to be quick about it. A well directed sprint sap is not only fun but can help you sap see-stealthers :)

Eternalpayn Aug 4th 2008 7:14PM

Feral druids can be kitties, too...

But anyway, I don't think viewable achievements will be used against any honest person by an intelligent person. It will sort out liars, and it will give epeen strokers something to use in their bragging, but it won't be incredibly meaningful, IMO.

Sean Riley Aug 4th 2008 7:20PM

Meh. You don't need to have a mechanism for seeing whose alt is whose.

Now, you just state: "Name your main, then. Put up, or shut up."

I like visible achievements.

uncaringbear Aug 4th 2008 7:24PM

I see talent 'critiques' all the time, and have been guilty of it myself. The achievements system is going to take this even further. Oh well.

Worcester Aug 5th 2008 12:57PM

I actually think visible Achievements might counter-act some of the talent "critiques". If someone makes fun of your build, you can point them to your Achievements. It's not fool-proof, mind you, but the Achievements might at least show that you've got some skill or knowledge.

fridaymacfay Aug 4th 2008 7:28PM

Oh absolutely. Talent Fascism. Love that term. It happens a LOT. Just yesterday I popped into WSG for a match and the frost mage went nuts on me and another Fury warrior for "not spec'ing PvP properly." We then proceeded to out kill, out damage, and save his ass at least twice. He was just a nutter... he was spec'd wrong for PvP, wearing greens and blues, and obviously had no clue. But the Talent bullying happens quite frequently. And yah, Achievements will make it much worse.

I like both, however. They shouldn't take it away or change it. Having Talents available is a great idea. And so is having Achievements. Before running a particular instance or inviting a new guildie, it's nice to be able to take a peek and discuss how they're gonna use thier talents to support the group. Achievements will help verify they can do/have done what they say. That's what it's for.

But the ignore button is going to get quite a work out for some people. Here's an idea for an Achievement:

Number of people who have you on ignore. -10 points.

:)

-Fri