Gwynplaine
10-21-2011, 06:58 AM
The development team at Square has often mourned the fact that much of the vast FFXI content is "sleeping". In fact you get the feeling that this whole year is devoted to renewing and reinvigorating less used "sleeping" content as it moves toward the 99 level cap.
But it's also important to not keep churning out more content that will simply lay dormant as soon as it's released. Case in point, Voidwatch. A lot of people I know tend to like at least the idea of Voidwatch, but for whatever reason it doesn't seem to take off. Only a handful of players have done its content.
The enemy fights are fun and unique. It provides something for larger more coordinated groups to do in contrast with the simpler small group content in Abyssea. Rewards from VW are pretty good and can't be obtained anywhere else, as well as the mirrors and heavy plates needed for trials. And going by the road map VW clearly has a long future system planned. So why hasn't it caught on as a popular event?
My answer to this is that the reward system is very bad, starting and accessing the event is too time consuming and inconvenient, and that forming pickup groups is not as convenient as could be. Wedging lots of magian trial items into the battles is not enough to ensure its popularity among people who want other things out of it.
Here's my suggestions for fixing and mainstreaming the popularity of Voidwatch:
1-Ditch the loot system entirely. Implement a points system like Assault or Nyzul tokens or Einherjer Ichor. Killing a VW NM results in a points minimum, where procing weaknesses will boost the points won massively with your performance. Save up your points for the loot YOU want to buy from the NPC. Include mirrors and heavy metal plates purchasable with VW points.
One bonus here is that equal points for all comers means it's much simpler for there to be no drama and make pickup groups (like assault). One flaw might be that universal points could mean groups will only spam the easiest NM that grants the most points. To counter some of that you could make region specific points perhaps just like you had Assault points split up for Mammol Ja/Ilrusi/Halvung areas. Split it up into like Bastok/Windurst/Sandoria/Jeuno/Norg/Rabao/Khazam
2-Reduce the amount of running around to start up. Talk to ONE of the three nation NPCs who gives you all THREE stratums. Talk to ONE of the three zilart town NPCs who gives you all THREE stratums.
3-Reduce the amount of cruor required to upgrade Atmas and buy abyssites. I don't mind having to use up some cruor or other regional points to buy Voidwatch things or services. But the huge amount needed is a transparent way to keep players on a points treadmill.
4-Grant area teleportation to VW fights from the start, purchased from either with cruor or Voidwatch points. What does it matter if some people can warp to the area if some can't and you must wait on them anyways?
5-Tie together as many Voidwatch warp NPC areas as possible into one /yell chat. This would make it easy to hang out at the NPC, form a pickup, then go immediately.
Here is the cold hard psychology behind current Voidwatch rewards. You spend 15 minutes wrangling up a VW party. You explain how it works and get your group of confused players together after 15 more minutes of coordinating and traveling. You spend 20 more minutes fighting, trying to call attention to weaknesses and light levels. You have succeeded and you go to inspect the reward chest to see what your precious time spent has afforded you. You peer in and find... some tea leaves a little worm and a mythril nugget. For four of the six players in your group, that is the beginning and end of their Voidwatch ambitions.
Now alternatively let's see how it could go using Voidwatch Points. You spend 50 minutes wrangling, explaining, and fighting your Voidwatch NM. You have succeeded at skillfully hitting weaknesses and maxing out lights. Every player helped to do a good job at coordinating weakness and lights. Every player gets the same amount of Voidwatch Points now. You return eagerly to the Voidwatch NPC to see what the implications are and what you should start planning to save up your points for.
This is the most important aspect that needs addressing. When an MMO shows its disdain for your time spent with pitiful rewards don't be surprised when the players rightly conclude their time is better spent elsewhere.
But it's also important to not keep churning out more content that will simply lay dormant as soon as it's released. Case in point, Voidwatch. A lot of people I know tend to like at least the idea of Voidwatch, but for whatever reason it doesn't seem to take off. Only a handful of players have done its content.
The enemy fights are fun and unique. It provides something for larger more coordinated groups to do in contrast with the simpler small group content in Abyssea. Rewards from VW are pretty good and can't be obtained anywhere else, as well as the mirrors and heavy plates needed for trials. And going by the road map VW clearly has a long future system planned. So why hasn't it caught on as a popular event?
My answer to this is that the reward system is very bad, starting and accessing the event is too time consuming and inconvenient, and that forming pickup groups is not as convenient as could be. Wedging lots of magian trial items into the battles is not enough to ensure its popularity among people who want other things out of it.
Here's my suggestions for fixing and mainstreaming the popularity of Voidwatch:
1-Ditch the loot system entirely. Implement a points system like Assault or Nyzul tokens or Einherjer Ichor. Killing a VW NM results in a points minimum, where procing weaknesses will boost the points won massively with your performance. Save up your points for the loot YOU want to buy from the NPC. Include mirrors and heavy metal plates purchasable with VW points.
One bonus here is that equal points for all comers means it's much simpler for there to be no drama and make pickup groups (like assault). One flaw might be that universal points could mean groups will only spam the easiest NM that grants the most points. To counter some of that you could make region specific points perhaps just like you had Assault points split up for Mammol Ja/Ilrusi/Halvung areas. Split it up into like Bastok/Windurst/Sandoria/Jeuno/Norg/Rabao/Khazam
2-Reduce the amount of running around to start up. Talk to ONE of the three nation NPCs who gives you all THREE stratums. Talk to ONE of the three zilart town NPCs who gives you all THREE stratums.
3-Reduce the amount of cruor required to upgrade Atmas and buy abyssites. I don't mind having to use up some cruor or other regional points to buy Voidwatch things or services. But the huge amount needed is a transparent way to keep players on a points treadmill.
4-Grant area teleportation to VW fights from the start, purchased from either with cruor or Voidwatch points. What does it matter if some people can warp to the area if some can't and you must wait on them anyways?
5-Tie together as many Voidwatch warp NPC areas as possible into one /yell chat. This would make it easy to hang out at the NPC, form a pickup, then go immediately.
Here is the cold hard psychology behind current Voidwatch rewards. You spend 15 minutes wrangling up a VW party. You explain how it works and get your group of confused players together after 15 more minutes of coordinating and traveling. You spend 20 more minutes fighting, trying to call attention to weaknesses and light levels. You have succeeded and you go to inspect the reward chest to see what your precious time spent has afforded you. You peer in and find... some tea leaves a little worm and a mythril nugget. For four of the six players in your group, that is the beginning and end of their Voidwatch ambitions.
Now alternatively let's see how it could go using Voidwatch Points. You spend 50 minutes wrangling, explaining, and fighting your Voidwatch NM. You have succeeded at skillfully hitting weaknesses and maxing out lights. Every player helped to do a good job at coordinating weakness and lights. Every player gets the same amount of Voidwatch Points now. You return eagerly to the Voidwatch NPC to see what the implications are and what you should start planning to save up your points for.
This is the most important aspect that needs addressing. When an MMO shows its disdain for your time spent with pitiful rewards don't be surprised when the players rightly conclude their time is better spent elsewhere.