HOW is this a horrible example? I used it to show how vital equipment is in BG, which I clearly stated in my third post in this tread. Please read it clearly next time before judging my statements with the word "horrible," because honestly your judgment of my judgment was horrible. OBVIOUSLY, equipment plays a vital role. The trinket is an example. It's not a twink item; I did not say it was. Should I bold that so people can read it??
Its a horrible example, as I clearly noted explicitly after my claim, because its an item available to virtually all casuals and is an item that Blizzard is even making even more accessible post-patch by lowering the honor requirements. Its also not a twink item at all since it requires level 70 (or 60 if you have the old version.) It works against your argument that casuals are so out of place in BGs. Theyre not; the item you claim is the single most potent piece of PvP equipment isnt exclusive at all. Its also not even necessary if you have decent teamwork. Many classes have defensive dispels for fears, polymorph, and other crowd control effects.
More importantly, if you read on, you will note that item level is of much less concern than having the proper statistics on your gear. Karazhan or Gruuls Lair epics are often of much worse quality for PvP than proper level 70 blues basically low stam, high DPS items are NOT PvP items. Again, casuals have some failure to comprehend Blizzards blatant hints at what the primary PvP stats are.
WOW was built for both Casual players and hardcore players. Both types of game play are supported by the game. There are rewards for both types. The hardcore players will get better rewards. IF WoW is for both Casual players and Hardcore players, then why shouldn't BG be as well?
Life was built for both casual and hardcore players. That is, however, not an argument to rewarding mediocrity of ineptitude. You put in the time, effort, and skill or you dont get what you want. WoW should work that way. What the PvP gear level matching does is allow casuals to farm the same gear as hardcore players for less overall effort. There is exactly one set of PvP rewards, not one for casual PvPers and those who are serious about it. BG is already for both casual and hardcore players. Casuals simply shouldnt have as much fun or get the same rewards if they dont want to invest the time or effort. In the same way, that slacker playing WoW 20 hours a day better not make the same money as I do after spending years in college and graduate school.
It's fine and dandy that twinkers exist. However, it's not fair to casual players who just want to have fun. The game play is unbalanced and there is no competition. With the new implementation in BG, there will no longer be unbalanced games (I'm hoping). I still want things to be a challenge. BUT a casual player cannot beat a twinker that is his level unless, like I stated PREVIOUSLY, the twinker is a complete idiot and doesn't know how to play, or if he's ganged up on. This is not my definition of a challenge for either side.
Life isnt fair and it shouldnt be. You have an equality of opportunity to invest your time into the game as you see fit. You have the right to choose not to but dont expect to get the same returns as other people who are more willing to spend the time. Again, its a question of equality and equality of opportunity. The latter already exists. The former doesnt and should never exist.
Casuals SHOULD NOT receive the same rewards or fun from the game as people who are hardcore.
This is the DUMBEST statement. THIS IS A GAME. It should be fun for everyone no matter if they play casually or hardcore. And the idea of fun is very subjective. I don't find farming fun or doing raids 24/7 fun; a hardcore player might. However, the word FAIR is pretty much identically understood by all in the game: having equal opportunity no matter the game play style. BG should be a challenge of skill, not equipment. The new implementation will finally challenge skill of both causal players and hardcore players.
The amount of utility (fun, wealth, etc. if youre economically disinclined) should always be proportional to a function of talent and effort. Since talent can held to have the same distribution between casuals and hardcore players, the only variable is, thus, the time and effort put into the game. Life should not be as fun or easy for people who dont invest the time or effort and in the same way, WoW should not be as fun for people who are spending their time investing in other things. If these hardcore players are investing their time into this game for their utility, then they should reap more rewards than people who chose another investment or hobby. There is an absolute equality of opportunity in BGs; no one stops you from doing arena, heroics, or raids to get decent gear. As Ive already noted, arena and Karazhan are already very casual friendly. BGs are not separate from the game of WoW itself, there is no need for separate equality of opportunity in BGs. Its like handing the casuals a silver platter and saying you didnt do the same work as these other people but well hand you the same rewards. BG should be a method to enhance your fun based on what kind of effort you expend on WoW.
If you really don't have a clue how bad twinking is in the game, try playing in the lvl 10-19 bracket. The bracket where new players get their first taste of BG. It's HORRIBLE. It doesn't matter if you know what you're doing; I've seen single twinks walk through a whole volley of attacks by the entire group and wipe out 80% of the team.
Just because you lose doesnt mean there isnt an equality of opportunity. Get to 70 and farm some gear or gold (its very easy to get gold at 70) and buy some BoEs for your character. You can do everything those other twinks did. What makes your fun more important than their fun?
I have yet to figure out why Im supporter of liberalism when half of what it does is make people lazy and expect to get things easily in the name of equality.
I only play a few hours a week (stupid life and work getting in the way of WoW time) but this sounds very reasonable for casual gamers, but like all systems it will be exploited.
Probably very easily by people banking their items or putting their items in inventory before they queue should Blizzard choose to check that way. That or get lots of mediocre gear to decrease the average item level of the gear in their bags. Blizzard can't just not let people change gear after entering a BG so it's pretty much easily exploitable.
