And here is the proof, straight from Blizzard-

http://pc.ign.com/articles/100/1002570p1.html?_cmpid=ign18

"StarCraft II's Design Philosophies
Blizzard on catering to the hardcore, making the game accessible and bringing eSports to the masses.
by Cam Shea, IGN AU
 

Australia, July 10, 2009 - Blizzard has an interesting challenge on its hands for the game design of StarCraft II. On one hand, the original has proven to be one of the most popular and long running multiplayer videogames of all time: not only is it still played today, but it's an institution in South Korea, where the game's popularity and its level of coverage essentially make it a national sport. On the other hand - and against this weight of expectation for a balanced, deep game that will thrive in the pro circuits - Blizzard is also looking for a blockbuster hit: a game that will go beyond the hardcore and enter the mainstream.

Of course, the company has proven time and again that it has what it takes to do just that, and that making a game that will appeal to the hardcore, as well as be accessible for mainstream players is not a diametrically opposed challenge, but part of the same process. Indeed, strangely enough, mainstream appeal is born out of making a game for the hardcore.

"This is sort of a Blizzard core design philosophy," Dustin Browder, StarCraft II's lead game designer told us. "We always cater to the hardcore community. Always. From minute one we focus on them, and then we try to make it more accessible after that... A lot of other companies say 'casual first because they're the biggest numbers… and then someday we'll deal with those hardcore guys if we get time to get to them...,' but we say 'look, at the end of the day, everybody has the chance to become a hardcore person if only you'll let them'."
 

Part of transitioning players from more casual fans to fanatics is about building the right learning curve; the classic 'easy to learn, hard to master' philosophy of Blizzard. "WoW has a real advantage over us in the sense that they have that 1-79 experience with questing, which is pretty easy to do and not too hardcore," Dustin says, "and then it gets pretty hardcore with raids and PVP arena, but at that point, how comfortable are you with this character?" The goal for StarCraft II, then, is to have stages for players to progress through.

Dustin maps it out: "Try your campaign, cool. Okay, try your skirmish – you can get some achievements playing skirmish for a few games. How about these challenges that you can play? Each of these challenges is about five to ten minutes, and each one of them teaches you a core bit of RTS StarCraft II strategy. Why don't you try those out? We've got some achievements for you there too. Hey, you know what? You should go online. There's this casual league online – you should click on that and see what happens there. It's a casual league, there's no rush maps, the game speed is set a little bit slower, why don't you try that for a couple of weeks? Hey, you know what might be fun? Maybe you should play a 2v2, just one. So if we can sort of step it out for them it'll be great. If they just play the campaign then click on 'play [online] game', then, oh God, it's going to be horrible.""
 

""Making a game that can ease in newcomers and provide a fun experience for casual players, as well as sate the appetites of pro gamers, isn't the whole story though. There's also eSports. How to promote StarCraft II as a spectator sport outside South Korea? How to introduce people to the complexities and minor details of pro play? Can it even work as a spectator support in the West? Dustin isn't certain, but the team is committed to doing everything it can to try and make it happen. That's why the studio is producing the Battle Reports, to "give people a window," that isn't too hardcore – quite a different approach to the Shoutcast community where a high level of knowledge is assumed. "If we can put out stuff that says 'hey guys – competitive gaming – fun to watch! Check this shit out!'," Dustin says, "I think it might get more breadth.""

Now read those highlighted parts again, and then you'll know exactly why WoW is so huge and every major MMO released since then has not been able to retain any more then a few hundred thousands subs.

Never know they start out hardcore seeing how level 1 to 79 is done. Im surprise. Now im really looking forward to WoW next expansion...

Thanks, good read...

I think everyone knows Blizzard is great at making games that cater to the least common denominator. They have the MMORPG with the largest paid subscription base by far. None of the others even come close.

The reason most of us post and read the forums here at MMORPG.com is because we want something else.

Otherwise, I'd just happily play WoW and not bother with the forums here.

Easy to learn, hard to master.

You're going to get arguments about how the "easy", when applied to WoW, is simply grind, and the "hard" is gear-dependant, time consuming, repetitive raiding and PvP (like Arena, which a very small percent of the WoW population actually enjoys - they just do it for the gear).

Easy to learn, hard to master is the right philosophy, though. Interesting to see how SW: TOR will pan out, then, since the devs have stated they're not going to cater to hardcores - their focus will be "fun" throughout the whole game. Does that mean there will still be hard-to-master end-game raids and PvP? I'm pretty sure, yes. But hopefully SW: TOR will not be as gear dependant as WoW, and the progression will be a little easier so as to cater to casuals who want to raid, not "hardcores".

We'll see.

Like I have said many times, Blizzard didn't enter into the MMORPG business with WoW and try to re-invent the wheel, the created it long before MMORPG was even an acronym...they did it with Diablo.    Seems everyone forgets that back then Diablo was the game.  It had millions of players that bought and played it.    People freak because of WoW's numbers.   Don't - Blizzard is use to it.   Blizzard makes great games.   I expect no less when their next MMORPG comes out.   I have no doubt that their next game will be even a bigger success than WoW.  

Originally posted by Comnitus

Easy to learn, hard to master.

You're going to get arguments about how the "easy", when applied to WoW, is simply grind, and the "hard" is gear-dependant, time consuming, repetitive raiding and PvP (like Arena, which a very small percent of the WoW population actually enjoys - they just do it for the gear).

Easy to learn, hard to master is the right philosophy, though. Interesting to see how SW: TOR will pan out, then, since the devs have stated they're not going to cater to hardcores - their focus will be "fun" throughout the whole game. Does that mean there will still be hard-to-master end-game raids and PvP? I'm pretty sure, yes. But hopefully SW: TOR will not be as gear dependant as WoW, and the progression will be a little easier so as to cater to casuals who want to raid, not "hardcores".

We'll see.

I dunno once you hit 70+ in WoW you have to make right choices on how to spec out your character to make them effective.   It's really easy to make a bad choice in those skill trees that will gimp a character.

Originally posted by heerobya

 

and then it gets pretty hardcore with raids and PVP arena

 

No further comments.

Originally posted by Teala

Originally posted by Comnitus

Easy to learn, hard to master.

You're going to get arguments about how the "easy", when applied to WoW, is simply grind, and the "hard" is gear-dependant, time consuming, repetitive raiding and PvP (like Arena, which a very small percent of the WoW population actually enjoys - they just do it for the gear).

Easy to learn, hard to master is the right philosophy, though. Interesting to see how SW: TOR will pan out, then, since the devs have stated they're not going to cater to hardcores - their focus will be "fun" throughout the whole game. Does that mean there will still be hard-to-master end-game raids and PvP? I'm pretty sure, yes. But hopefully SW: TOR will not be as gear dependant as WoW, and the progression will be a little easier so as to cater to casuals who want to raid, not "hardcores".

We'll see.

 

I dunno once you hit 70+ in WoW you have to make right choices on how to spec out your character to make them effective.   It's really easy to make a bad choice in those skill trees that will gimp a character.

Let's see, WoWHead, WoWWiki...

Oh? It was hard? My bad, I was too busy looking at these "Best Spec for Raiding/PvP" things. I, like the majority of the sensible population, will look for the consensus of what the best spec is, since we don't want to screw up and get laughed at or kicked from our raids. Thank you for other people experimenting and telling me what the best spec is! Though actually, there was a little hesitation as to whether Survival or a Marksmanship/BM spec was better for DPS, but overall a strong Survival spec is the highest DPS for a Hunter in raids.

Besides, what does that have to do with my post? The raids would only be "hard to master" because you have to learn some fights. But even that only takes time and a little experience.

Edit: Now Matty (post below) knows what I did. Dang, he discovered my evil Huntard scheme!

Originally posted by Teala

Originally posted by Comnitus

Easy to learn, hard to master.

You're going to get arguments about how the "easy", when applied to WoW, is simply grind, and the "hard" is gear-dependant, time consuming, repetitive raiding and PvP (like Arena, which a very small percent of the WoW population actually enjoys - they just do it for the gear).

Easy to learn, hard to master is the right philosophy, though. Interesting to see how SW: TOR will pan out, then, since the devs have stated they're not going to cater to hardcores - their focus will be "fun" throughout the whole game. Does that mean there will still be hard-to-master end-game raids and PvP? I'm pretty sure, yes. But hopefully SW: TOR will not be as gear dependant as WoW, and the progression will be a little easier so as to cater to casuals who want to raid, not "hardcores".

We'll see.

 

I dunno once you hit 70+ in WoW you have to make right choices on how to spec out your character to make them effective.   It's really easy to make a bad choice in those skill trees that will gimp a character.

Google ---> How to spec my huntard? + What rotation I use for dps? -----> Mastered!

Originally posted by Mattyb710 

Google ---> How to spec my huntard? + What rotation I use for dps? -----> Mastered!

And that's Blizzards fault?

Blizzard knows whatsup, and makes rock solid games that appeal to the masses.  They target the broadest range possible, deliver polished and fun games, and deserve everything they have earned.

That doesn't mean that WoW is what all gamers want.  To me it is far to mind numbing, easy, and I don't like the direction they took PvP.  It is definitely not the MMO for me.  That doesn't mean it isn't a badass rock solid polished beatiful piece of a game.  It's just like with supermodels.  They are almost all super smoking hot, but that doesn't mean they are your type or they particularly attract you.  Some do, and some don't.  It's like tied into your genetics.

Blizzard, further redefining "more of the same".

---

Originally posted by Teala

---

Originally posted by Comnitus Easy to learn, hard to master. You're going to get arguments about how the "easy", when applied to WoW, is simply grind, and the "hard" is gear-dependant, time consuming, repetitive raiding and PvP (like Arena, which a very small percent of the WoW population actually enjoys - they just do it for the gear). Easy to learn, hard to master is the right philosophy, though. Interesting to see how SW: TOR will pan out, then, since the devs have stated they're not going to cater to hardcores - their focus will be "fun" throughout the whole game. Does that mean there will still be hard-to-master end-game raids and PvP? I'm pretty sure, yes. But hopefully SW: TOR will not be as gear dependant as WoW, and the progression will be a little easier so as to cater to casuals who want to raid, not "hardcores". We'll see.

---

  I dunno once you hit 70+ in WoW you have to make right choices on how to spec out your character to make them effective.   It's really easy to make a bad choice in those skill trees that will gimp a character.

---

People can argue till the cows come home about how WoW is really easy, offers nothing to 'real' hardcore gamers and how it deserves to crash and burn. The numbers however speak for themselves. Blizzard has managed to cater to (and continues to do so) the hardcore crowd and the casual gamer. Personally their design philosophy is one more developers should follow even if the execution is slightly different. 

Good read by the way!

The fact that you would have to google how to spec your hunter and what rotation to use to max your dps proves your an idiot, and that Teala is right.

Blizzard may "master" the art of applealing to the hardcore game and make it mainstream. But, wow for an example, there is not one great aspect about that game. It doesn't do well in anything. It's a jack of all trades game that caters to everyone. I agree with most of what everyone has already stated in respects to the other side of the coin.

Thier philosphy about making it easy to level up and then hardcore at the end game, is horrible. Blizzard, no wonder why your games community sucks, and "pugs" suck! There is a drive for players to be hardcore in a different way, the right way. And that way is simply, have incentives to make them group at leveling up time and make it challenging. By doing so, more people would group, which will cause a server reputation. Where most everyone knows you becuase you group. Act like a rude idiot who is horrible, you wont be invited anymore to groups! This also builds the community, something blizzard isn't that great at trying to implement.

Originally posted by Arath

People can argue till the cows come home about how WoW is really easy, offers nothing to 'real' hardcore gamers and how it deserves to crash and burn. The numbers however speak for themselves. Blizzard has managed to cater to (and continues to do so) the hardcore crowd and the casual gamer. Personally their design philosophy is one more developers should follow even if the execution is slightly different. 

Good read by the way!

WoW is great add  fueling the Pokemon syndrome in players. "I've gotta have them all!!"   If by hardcore you mean, I have to get all the trophys, mounts, armors, titles,, then yeah WoW is hardcore.

If you mean hardcore in pvp, FFA loot, death penalties, actually having to be good at your character? No, wow is not hardcore.

in WoW :   LOOT means EVERYTHING.

What are you people smoking? Blizzard catering to casuals?

This article is about SC2, not WoW. So I would love to see some of you complaining about how Blizzard caters to causals, play some SC2 against a pro Korean player.

SC2 Casual my ass

---

Originally posted by GreenChaos
What are you people smoking? Blizzard catering to casuals?
This article is about SC2, not WoW. So I would love to see some of you complaining about how Blizzard caters to causals, play some SC2 against a pro Korean player.
SC2 Casual my ass

---

"This is sort of a Blizzard core design philosophy," Dustin Browder, StarCraft II's lead game designer told us.

Hello?

Originally posted by Demonshank

 

---

Originally posted by GreenChaos
What are you people smoking? Blizzard catering to casuals?
This article is about SC2, not WoW. So I would love to see some of you complaining about how Blizzard caters to causals, play some SC2 against a pro Korean player.
SC2 Casual my ass

---

 

"This is sort of a Blizzard core design philosophy," Dustin Browder, StarCraft II's lead game designer told us.

Hello?

My point is SC2 will not be for casuals. It is a game for pro gamers. This is just a marketing piece, to get normal folk to buy it.

Marketing = talking smack = may not true.