That's not really accurate. The low-level game in WoW is certainly not what it once was, but it's not entirely as you describe, either. A lot of it has to do with server age. I haven't seen Blizzard open many new servers lately, but when they do, it's like the launch of the game all over again as far as low level material is concerned.
I play on one of the older servers, however, where it is entirely different. When I leveled at release, I had to scrimp and save and play the auction house and make money any way I could in order to get the 80 gold for my mount at level 40. I recently rolled a new character on that old server, and with no genuine effort on my part, had about 400 gold by the time I hit level 40. I wasn't doing anything particularly different; I had one crafting skill and one gathering skill, just like before.
The difference was that since it's an old server, there are plenty of people with level 70 characters - sometimes a half dozen level 70 characters - and money to burn. They're either newly picking up crafting skills and want to plow through the low level materials without putting in much time, or they're giving hordes of gold to their low level characters in order to speed them through the game. At release, if I could sell a decent level 20 green weapon for one gold, I was happy. Now, you're looking more at ten to twenty gold, and some of the twink weapons go for hundreds. Crafted materials (the good ones, anyway) are much the same.
I actually find instance runs easier to get together now than back in the day, though that's due almost entirely to the new tools they put in place, like meeting stones.
I tend to agree with you that the optimal experience is after the bugs but before everyone passes you by. What I enjoy most about MMORPGs, though, and what's sadly hardest to get, is that feeling of exploration and discovery. And while you can create that for yourself by not talking to anyone and not reading websites about the game, that's almost impossible (for me at least). It's best achieved by getting in at release, or better yet, beta.
I'll add my own personal experience, for what it's worth - and I agree, it really isn't that simple.
I decided to make an attempt at making some money, and hopefully some day making a living (pipe dream), off of all the music that I write. I, like many, figured the old way of doing things was dead, the net is the future, and what works for others should work for me. I decided to apply the webcomic business model to music. I write a song every month, post it for free, and you can, if you are so inclined, buy some merchandise to support my efforts. The back catalog is all available to anyone, and I make a couple other inconsequential updates between songs to keep the site alive and active more than once every thirty days.
So, a couple years back, I setup my website (shameless self promotion), and I started rolling with the project. What's working in my favor:
* I've got a MySpace page, complete with all the similar musical artists friended.
* I took out some advertising on what I figured would be the most relevant (affordable) website, Questionable Content.
* I do plenty of forum posting (read: free advertising), and had a few friends and some interest in my music before the site was launched due to that.
A couple caveats, to be honest and fair about this:
* I honestly do not write even remotely commercial music; it's instrumental, and it's somewhat experimental. It's not mainstream.
* My T-shirt and web design may or may not be the best; those are not my strengths.
* I don't update absolutely every month. Right now it's working out to about two on, one off, but I've had some longer on streaks.
* I could play the MySpace / LastFM angle harder than I do, I suppose.
* I don't play live. Probably the single biggest dent in this whole thing, and likely by a good margin.
So, no, I'm not poised to take over the internet and become the next Arctic Monkeys, and while I certainly daydreamed about such things, I was mainly hoping to cover costs, and maybe even make enough to purchase another effects pedal or even a new instrument. My total haul from not quite two years of all of this? Not enough to cover the domain name for a single year. Hell, even if the merchandise was completely cost-less to produce and I made 100% profit on it (Cafepress certainly takes plenty), I would still be in the red. Take out items bought by my friends and that would be even more true.
Honestly, a record contract is looking better and better the more I try to go it alone (this isn't my only musical project ever, either).
I'm not saying that because it doesn't work for me, it won't work for anyone, but it's not as simple or as easy as one might think. The net isn't the answer to everything, and the old guard isn't completely irrelevant or without its advantages. Going with a new, cutting edge model of distribution does not equal success, nor does it equal easy or guaranteed money. It doesn't necessarily even equal any money.
Slashdot Mirror
That's not really accurate. The low-level game in WoW is certainly not what it once was, but it's not entirely as you describe, either. A lot of it has to do with server age. I haven't seen Blizzard open many new servers lately, but when they do, it's like the launch of the game all over again as far as low level material is concerned.
I play on one of the older servers, however, where it is entirely different. When I leveled at release, I had to scrimp and save and play the auction house and make money any way I could in order to get the 80 gold for my mount at level 40. I recently rolled a new character on that old server, and with no genuine effort on my part, had about 400 gold by the time I hit level 40. I wasn't doing anything particularly different; I had one crafting skill and one gathering skill, just like before.
The difference was that since it's an old server, there are plenty of people with level 70 characters - sometimes a half dozen level 70 characters - and money to burn. They're either newly picking up crafting skills and want to plow through the low level materials without putting in much time, or they're giving hordes of gold to their low level characters in order to speed them through the game. At release, if I could sell a decent level 20 green weapon for one gold, I was happy. Now, you're looking more at ten to twenty gold, and some of the twink weapons go for hundreds. Crafted materials (the good ones, anyway) are much the same.
I actually find instance runs easier to get together now than back in the day, though that's due almost entirely to the new tools they put in place, like meeting stones.
I tend to agree with you that the optimal experience is after the bugs but before everyone passes you by. What I enjoy most about MMORPGs, though, and what's sadly hardest to get, is that feeling of exploration and discovery. And while you can create that for yourself by not talking to anyone and not reading websites about the game, that's almost impossible (for me at least). It's best achieved by getting in at release, or better yet, beta.
I'll add my own personal experience, for what it's worth - and I agree, it really isn't that simple.
I decided to make an attempt at making some money, and hopefully some day making a living (pipe dream), off of all the music that I write. I, like many, figured the old way of doing things was dead, the net is the future, and what works for others should work for me. I decided to apply the webcomic business model to music. I write a song every month, post it for free, and you can, if you are so inclined, buy some merchandise to support my efforts. The back catalog is all available to anyone, and I make a couple other inconsequential updates between songs to keep the site alive and active more than once every thirty days.
So, a couple years back, I setup my website (shameless self promotion), and I started rolling with the project. What's working in my favor:
* I've got a MySpace page, complete with all the similar musical artists friended.
* I took out some advertising on what I figured would be the most relevant (affordable) website, Questionable Content.
* I do plenty of forum posting (read: free advertising), and had a few friends and some interest in my music before the site was launched due to that.
A couple caveats, to be honest and fair about this:
* I honestly do not write even remotely commercial music; it's instrumental, and it's somewhat experimental. It's not mainstream.
* My T-shirt and web design may or may not be the best; those are not my strengths.
* I don't update absolutely every month. Right now it's working out to about two on, one off, but I've had some longer on streaks.
* I could play the MySpace / LastFM angle harder than I do, I suppose.
* I don't play live. Probably the single biggest dent in this whole thing, and likely by a good margin.
So, no, I'm not poised to take over the internet and become the next Arctic Monkeys, and while I certainly daydreamed about such things, I was mainly hoping to cover costs, and maybe even make enough to purchase another effects pedal or even a new instrument. My total haul from not quite two years of all of this? Not enough to cover the domain name for a single year. Hell, even if the merchandise was completely cost-less to produce and I made 100% profit on it (Cafepress certainly takes plenty), I would still be in the red. Take out items bought by my friends and that would be even more true.
Honestly, a record contract is looking better and better the more I try to go it alone (this isn't my only musical project ever, either).
I'm not saying that because it doesn't work for me, it won't work for anyone, but it's not as simple or as easy as one might think. The net isn't the answer to everything, and the old guard isn't completely irrelevant or without its advantages. Going with a new, cutting edge model of distribution does not equal success, nor does it equal easy or guaranteed money. It doesn't necessarily even equal any money.