No problem with merc'ing but Odyssey V25 RP merc'ing needs to STOP.

[Alhanelem]

I can't agree with that at all. But it's well known what my feeling on alliance content is. Alliance content originally was and should be something you do at periodic intervals planned in advance. multiple times a week to daily stuff generally should not be. Have 7 people? Rotate. Find more friends and make two groups. 18 man content is too much of a hassle to set up and do to be something done constantly. I also generally don't approve of content allowing alliances but not actually needing them- A bunch of people leeching when just a single party can clear the content isn't my idea of fun and excitement, nor does it represent the challenging content that something for alliances should be. If it's not hard, it's just a loot pinata and that just isn't really that much fun.

I understand the consternation that the advocates of alliance content are expressing, but there are various ways around the issue.

The old endgame was all alliance. Dynamis was multi-alliance.

First, as previously noted: Content like old dynamis back in the day, with 30+ people participating, was a massive ordeal just to set up. Not to mention the whole reserving the area thing with some servers even forming server-wide schedules to try to maximize participation. Content like this was also done twice a week max. And I remind you that in the old days of endgame, most of us had a lot more time to spare for such things than we do today, where we tend to have shorter play sessions accomplishing a certain set of tasks daily or every other day if we have more obligations.

I have a linkshell that has a core group of people running content the most regularly. But I still don't feel like a "spectator." I'm happy to do my own thing most of the time, but when I really need to do something, the LS is happy to rotate people in and out to accomodate things.

It would be nice to have some new alliance thing. But I can only get behind it if 1) it actually *needs* an alliance and 2) it's not a daily thing. I do not see how a couple of people clearing a content with two parties full of people who don't have to do anything is any better than 6 mans mercing the loot from the content they clear, nor do I see how it is more fun or inclusive for the people who don't have to actively participate. I've been in stuff like that before and frankly, THAT is when i feel like a spectator- when I join a group for something like Vagary (which is alliance content, and - to be fair - originally did need full groups to clear), and I have little to do but watch the experts demolish the content, I'm not having fun, I'm just picking scraps off the floor.

[Dzspdref]

Again, there is already a possible solution built into the game to solve this problem, now SE just needs to implement it.
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In Campaign fights in Shadowreign Era, i.e. [S] areas, if you participate in a campaign then you receive only as much exp, allied notes, rewards, etc... based on how much participation you do.
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I have joined a campaign, got in possiblity 2~4 hits, and then *POOF!* it ended, and i walked out with near nothing.
I have joined a campaign, killed nearly a dozen targets plus a boss-type or two, and got a LOT of exp, allied notes, etc... (sic) comparatively.
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Make Odyssey also the same; you do nothing, you get nothing. This is an "instanced" battlefield, so should be done.
(Treasure pool lotting might still be possible, but that's not topic here atm, just RP and wins.)
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Ok, SE: make Odyssey same rewards system as Campaign and all the complaints here will cease.

[Alhanelem]

Well there are some balancing issues to work out in terms of how various actions of different jobs contribute to participation metrics. Outside of that though, it certainly would be preferable to do things that way.

[Dzspdref]

Well there are some balancing issues to work out in terms of how various actions of different jobs contribute to participation metrics. Outside of that though, it certainly would be preferable to do things that way.

It's also already in the programming for Campaign:
In lv. 75 - 90 era, I went many times as a WHM and mainly healed party members accordingly, and percentage of damage healed-to-taken, damage prevented via buffs, bar- spells, and enfeebling (Dia, Slow, Paralyze, etc...) and did NO combat damage, I still got nearly as much exp as other DD members.
In lv. 75 - 90 era, I went as BLM and did lots of DOT spells, direct spells, (weaker) AoE spells, and a few Ancient Magics, along with enfeebles like Poison, Blind, Bio, etc... Also got a lot of exp and more nearly as much as DD members.
Never went as BRD or SMN, so not sure how those would be parsed.
When I used to go as WAR, THF, NIN, BLU, or PUP, I would get a good high chunk of exp, allied notes, and rewards in coffers at end, just as if I went as BLM or WHM.
So seeing and remember these scenarios, the programming tweaks must already be in the game systems for it.
Now just transfer these over to any other "instanced" battlefield, and might actually work? Just speculating....

[Alhanelem]

It's also already in the programming for Campaign:

BRD doesn't get much from just using songs, so they have to fight too and jobs like this don't do a lot of damage and so need the battle to be long enough for them to meet all the performance metrics. Meanwhile, some jobs can hit those performance metrics in seconds.

Currently, the game just has a bunch of things you score points for doing and you get rewards based on how many points you scored. It's not job specific, and to really work, it needs to be, which is the biggest issue with the campaign system. It's the closest thing we have to what we're looking for, but it does need work.

[Sirmarki]

Again, there is already a possible solution built into the game to solve this problem, now SE just needs to implement it.
.
In Campaign fights in Shadowreign Era, i.e. [S] areas, if you participate in a campaign then you receive only as much exp, allied notes, rewards, etc... based on how much participation you do.
.
I have joined a campaign, got in possiblity 2~4 hits, and then *POOF!* it ended, and i walked out with near nothing.
I have joined a campaign, killed nearly a dozen targets plus a boss-type or two, and got a LOT of exp, allied notes, etc... (sic) comparatively.
.
Make Odyssey also the same; you do nothing, you get nothing. This is an "instanced" battlefield, so should be done.
(Treasure pool lotting might still be possible, but that's not topic here atm, just RP and wins.)
.
Ok, SE: make Odyssey same rewards system as Campaign and all the complaints here will cease.

Campaign is time capped. Meaning, you can only get so much EXP/Notes per min, as an example. Going in and AOE'ing everything in one shot is completely pointless.