(non-issue of course because of the invuln shield, just found it funny)

And since you are asking, maybe I do not want 11 million people playing my game if that means I have to split my client base across enough servers to suggest I anticipate a revival of my decrepit golden goose in lieu of fixing fundamental flaws. After all, as long as I feed the mouth that complains the loudest I am an all-star parent: producing the best result in the completest sense of the phrase. Optimum revenue, community reception, and rage.

I will agree in the reality that a larger customer base degrades the overall quality of your product, but that does not mean everyone has to shut up and eat their McGarbage in complacence just because a few fresh ideas have not been added to the arsenal of the discontent.

I’d even say that WoW has destroyed the social dynamic much farther than you are suggesting.

Guilds which form to do difficult raiding content don’t recruit individuals — they recruit for class roles that meet specific requirements. One of the ironies being that if you want to do ’serious’ content, you often have to leave your old comrades behind.

WoW also encourages a lot of loose or temporary relationships. The problem with these relationships is that it’s too easy to just screw someone else over with little to no consequences. The result is AFKers in Battlegrounds and Ninja Looters.

Still, the basic problem of how to find and meet up with other people exists in pretty much every game. That’s why I’m a big advocate of tools that get people to network up.

Faced with not grouping at all or using an automated tool, well.. the tool is undeniably useful.

However, I would rather see solutions where people are provided INFORMATION that they can use to help them form groups instead.

I was at the initial attack on Angfrost the other day but the attack was so poorly organized that we had a full retreat 10 minutes into it. I logged out after that but supposedly that is when the real action happened.