HadwespokendirectlywithaGM,weimaginetheconversationwould'vegonelikethis:
"DearBRK.Shutitdown.Love,theBlizzGMs."
"Butit'sjustalittlelag..."
"Youdon'tunderstand.Youhave1000peopleinyourraids.TheAlliancehas300orsopeopleguardingStormwind..."
"Threehundred?"
OurBabyTaurenArmyhad897babyTaurens,peacefullyhangingoutanddancing.Wehadafifty-fivelevel70sintworaids,readytoplowthewayintoStormwind.Then,attheappointedhourof6pmEST,westartedforRatchet,andthelagstarted.GMsstartedwhisperingpeopleinournewly-formedguild,tellingusofdireconsequencesifouractionsdidn'tstop.
"Almostall70s,too.Coupleofraidsfull.Wecan'thandlethatPvPbattle,theserverisalreadywobbly.Shutitdownnow,spreadout,dosomethingor...justdosomething."
"Yougotit,we'redone.Crashingserversisnotwhatwewanttodo."
Soweendedit,assoonasweweretoldtoendit.Butitwasn'tsoonenough,ArgentDawnwaslockedtonewcharactercreation,andthen,wethink,rebooted.
Theauthenticatorservergoingoff-line?Wasthataresultofourraid?Noidea,butlet'sjustassumeitwas.
Wedidit.Weapologize.
ManypeoplehavesaidthatchoosingArgentDawnwasabadideafromthebeginning.Ourfriendsthereassuredusthatweekends,especiallyatour6pmstarttime,shouldn'tbebadatall.Anditreallywasn't.Therewasneveraloginissueorlagproblem,untilwestartedrunningtoRatchet.Yes,thenstuffstartedhittingthefan.
ButwhatweheardwasthatitwasthepotentialforfurthercatastrophethatconcernedBlizzthemost,notthecurrentsituation.Yesthereweredisconnects,bythetruckload.Butasthearmyspreadout,thingscalmeddown.Weareassumingtheyshutusdownandrebootedtheservertopreventanythingworsefromhappening.
Althoughwe'vesaiditmanytimes,weneveronceconsideredcrashingtheserveragoal.Quitethecontrary,wewantedtokeepitupsowecouldhaveourbattleatStormwind.Thefactthatitwasshutdownneitherpleasesnorthrillsus.Wemaybeguiltyofmanythings,butschadenfreudeisnotoneofthem.
Nowpleaseexcuseus,we'regonnapullaYodaanddisappearforawhile.
Oh.Ifyouwanttoflameus,wecanhandlethat.Butifyouwanttoflameourcause,thinktwice.Please.
Ifyouwereadverselyaffected,we'reverysorryforyourtroubles;itwasnotintentional.Ifyoujoinedtheraidandweredisappointedwedidn'tmakeittoStormwind,wewishthingshadgonebetter.IfyouwerepartoftheAllianceraidwaitingforus,youjustluckedout,(wewould'vecleanedyourclock.)
Butaboveall,regardlessifyou'reangryorhappy,wehopethatyouchosetomakeasmalldonationtoourcause.Nomatterwhatyoumaythinkofus,wehopeyoudidn'tletthataffectyourdecisiontohelpasickchild.