KarlHungis wrote:
Seriha wrote:
More to the topic of Yoshi's postings, I just hope he's mindful of the soloist/low-man endgame. He can say he understands that grouping is stressful, but that says nothing about not forcing it to progress your character come endgame.
I don't think he's trying to hide the fact that end game is going to be almost exclusively catered to groups. If you're looking for a solo/small group end game this probably won't be the title for that.
Re read the section where he talks about the needs of retaining customers long term: they consider grouping to be essential to forming those social connections that keep people playing, and while that might just be a "nudge" at first, it's going to become more and more required as time goes on.
You might get to 50 just fine doing your own thing, but you're not going to have much to do when you get there if you aren't forming some social bonds and seeking out group activities.
IMO this is not a bad thing. As much as I enjoy doing my own thing and being on my own program, it truly is the social aspect that has always kept me "hooked" on certain MMOs. I don't want to be forced to spend all of my time grouped, but some amount of forced grouping is not only okay, I think it is absolutely necessary. More importantly, Yoshi P seems to think so.
If it turns out I can just click on the Duty Finder and generally get things done quickly without pulling my hair out, fine. What I don't want is endgame to be having to show up 8pm every night for 4 hours, mandatory voice chat, and basically being a slave to player-run point systems if in-game currency/participation tracking isn't present. My schedule simply isn't stable, and if the first thought one might evoke is that, "This game isn't for you, then..." my prompt, blunt, and emphatic response is, ********** you."
It is inevitable that I will level all the classes I enjoy to cap, but then what? Where's the fun in guild hopping with no guarantee you'll find a group that suits your needs? Why pay a sub for a game where you may only effectively progress a couple nights out of 30 days? There are only two reasons to "prevent" such progress, and only one of them is legit. The first one is dev time/resources. Forgive me for believing this not an issue for SE, all things considered. The second reason, and ultimately BS, are those who can group without difficulty/are lucky don't want people who can't being at all comparable in gear/potential.
If it's unclear what I'm getting at, then perhaps this example will help. Take 2 players, both can play 3 hours a day. The first one logs in every day at 7pm, has no interruptions, and logs off at 10pm. He has decent flexibility when it comes to waiting in queues/LFG. Forming a static party for various things is also more likely. As for the second player, they're not so lucky. They sneak in a half hour before work, perhaps. They come home, play an hour, and then take care of dinner and perhaps some other things around the house. They sneak in another half hour, but then have to put their kids to bed. After that, they manage another 30 minutes before going to bed, themselves. At any point during that span, though, they could be interrupted by their family. Comparably speaking, both players are of equal skill. Yet, since the second is more pinched for time, they're "doomed" to mediocrity if no options of late game advancement are present to match their pace.
I don't think that's cool, no matter how much the first person or those like him feels the second doesn't "need" the same stuff. We all want our characters to grow socially and statistically. And over time, people of the first type are far less likely to want to play with the second if there's no incentive, and why should they? Teaching people can be a pain. Unequal gear could mean a mediocre tank incapable of keeping a mob off a strong damage dealer. There's a certain irony to demanding the social element outright killing itself if people can't keep up, and it only gets worse the more layers of tiering you add on.
So, if Yoshi is truly mindful of the social element, and not just Japanese customs, he best realize the divides he risks ushering.