02-16-2003, 05:37 PM
Geoff Frazier is not, in any way, on the development team of any Blizzard title. He's a webmaster. Nothing more.
And, in answer to your question, yes, I do have the same problem with Geoff Frazier of Blizzard as I do with Derek French of Bioware. However, as I said above, Geoff Frazier is NOT part of making Blizzard games.
Regarding his comments at the forum, I must admit that after reading them their, they did not sound as harsh. Even so, that is no excuse for his flippant attitude. Likewise, Geoff Frazier has no right to speak the way he does. Personally, I find him to be an arrogant prick at times, not worthy of a second thought. The fact that Blizzard allows his behavoir to continue in such a manner is truly poor conduct, especially since he seems to be the self-appointed PR man. Then again, Blizzard is FULL of bad PR (BNetD, for instance). However, since none of the bad PR stems directly from the developers (nay, only #$%&ty work on D2 stems from them :P; but hey, enough bitching about D2; it has a #$%&load of problems, and it blatantly shows that the developers are flat-out sick of the game, but it's still a good game, nonetheless; I still have my regrets about getting the expansion, but I did get some enjoyment out of it), it has nothing to do with their games directly. That's the key issue here, at least for me.
Were Blizzard programmers to respond in such a way, yes, I would have EXACTLY the same attitude towards Blizzard and its games. Since they don't, however, the only issue I can take up with their games is with the game itself. Blizzard and Bioware both are on shaky ground with me. Not that that truly matters to them, of course. I'm too forgiving, but even so, I WILL be thinking before I make my next purchases from EITHER company, for a variety of reasons.
I will openly admit that I am strongly looking forward to World of Warcraft, despite my hesitancy to invest in any RPG (let alone another game by Blizzard). However, even given that, I am still very skeptical, and it will take ALOT more than flashy content to win me over, especially considering how much it's going to cost in the long run. To be blunt, if they screw WoW as much as they did D2, I'll probably be done with Blizzard. The only hope they'll have for me buying any of their games is in their RTS department, as at least THOSE games are rock solid (say what you will about Warcraft III, but I for one enjoy it; it does lack the spark of WC2 just a bit, but enough of it is there to make me keep coming back; and I will keep coming back, regardless; WC3 is one Blizzard purchase of late that I can say I don't really regret at all; D2 is another story). Starcraft: Ghost looks to be quite interesting, but again, I'm highly skeptical. Aside from the fact that I virtually gave up console gaming when it died with the SNES (I still mourn that loss), I have my doubts as to the quality and fun-factor of Ghost. It looks to be a very interesting concept, and it is based in the SC universe, but it's gonna take more than a hook in a SC-junkie's mouth to lure this fish in. Sorry, but just because if has the SC label on it doesn't mean I'm going to like it.
Getting back on-topic, I don't see why it's such a big deal to take offense to someone being a jerk. Think about it: you're paying these people, and allowing them to treat you like crud? Sorry, but I don't buy into that. That's not how I work. It's one thing to ruin a game; it's another to ruin your reputation. Bad games crop up every now and then. No one can make every game great, every time. That's just a fact of life. But to be an ass to your customer base is flat-out wrong. It can be avoided, and should be at all costs. Aside from the fact that it only serves to hurt your sales, both current and future, it's totally inappropriate, immature behavoir. If no one stands up and says "Enough is enough. Cut it out, or we're leaving", what will happen? It will become the new standard; a low one, at that. I don't feel that is acceptable. I also don't feel that releasing #$%&ty games and expecting us not to gripe is acceptable, but that's a different issue (although still completely related between Blizzard and Bioware). Then there's the problem of ever-increasing game prices. But, again, that's a seperate issue.
I hold everyone to the same standards. Geoff Frazier is not the equivalent, employee-wise, as Derek French. That is the difference.
And, in answer to your question, yes, I do have the same problem with Geoff Frazier of Blizzard as I do with Derek French of Bioware. However, as I said above, Geoff Frazier is NOT part of making Blizzard games.
Regarding his comments at the forum, I must admit that after reading them their, they did not sound as harsh. Even so, that is no excuse for his flippant attitude. Likewise, Geoff Frazier has no right to speak the way he does. Personally, I find him to be an arrogant prick at times, not worthy of a second thought. The fact that Blizzard allows his behavoir to continue in such a manner is truly poor conduct, especially since he seems to be the self-appointed PR man. Then again, Blizzard is FULL of bad PR (BNetD, for instance). However, since none of the bad PR stems directly from the developers (nay, only #$%&ty work on D2 stems from them :P; but hey, enough bitching about D2; it has a #$%&load of problems, and it blatantly shows that the developers are flat-out sick of the game, but it's still a good game, nonetheless; I still have my regrets about getting the expansion, but I did get some enjoyment out of it), it has nothing to do with their games directly. That's the key issue here, at least for me.
Were Blizzard programmers to respond in such a way, yes, I would have EXACTLY the same attitude towards Blizzard and its games. Since they don't, however, the only issue I can take up with their games is with the game itself. Blizzard and Bioware both are on shaky ground with me. Not that that truly matters to them, of course. I'm too forgiving, but even so, I WILL be thinking before I make my next purchases from EITHER company, for a variety of reasons.
I will openly admit that I am strongly looking forward to World of Warcraft, despite my hesitancy to invest in any RPG (let alone another game by Blizzard). However, even given that, I am still very skeptical, and it will take ALOT more than flashy content to win me over, especially considering how much it's going to cost in the long run. To be blunt, if they screw WoW as much as they did D2, I'll probably be done with Blizzard. The only hope they'll have for me buying any of their games is in their RTS department, as at least THOSE games are rock solid (say what you will about Warcraft III, but I for one enjoy it; it does lack the spark of WC2 just a bit, but enough of it is there to make me keep coming back; and I will keep coming back, regardless; WC3 is one Blizzard purchase of late that I can say I don't really regret at all; D2 is another story). Starcraft: Ghost looks to be quite interesting, but again, I'm highly skeptical. Aside from the fact that I virtually gave up console gaming when it died with the SNES (I still mourn that loss), I have my doubts as to the quality and fun-factor of Ghost. It looks to be a very interesting concept, and it is based in the SC universe, but it's gonna take more than a hook in a SC-junkie's mouth to lure this fish in. Sorry, but just because if has the SC label on it doesn't mean I'm going to like it.
Getting back on-topic, I don't see why it's such a big deal to take offense to someone being a jerk. Think about it: you're paying these people, and allowing them to treat you like crud? Sorry, but I don't buy into that. That's not how I work. It's one thing to ruin a game; it's another to ruin your reputation. Bad games crop up every now and then. No one can make every game great, every time. That's just a fact of life. But to be an ass to your customer base is flat-out wrong. It can be avoided, and should be at all costs. Aside from the fact that it only serves to hurt your sales, both current and future, it's totally inappropriate, immature behavoir. If no one stands up and says "Enough is enough. Cut it out, or we're leaving", what will happen? It will become the new standard; a low one, at that. I don't feel that is acceptable. I also don't feel that releasing #$%&ty games and expecting us not to gripe is acceptable, but that's a different issue (although still completely related between Blizzard and Bioware). Then there's the problem of ever-increasing game prices. But, again, that's a seperate issue.
I hold everyone to the same standards. Geoff Frazier is not the equivalent, employee-wise, as Derek French. That is the difference.
Roland *The Gunslinger*