Rebuilding endgame communities, just a thought... ?
The biggest barrier to any player like me returning, is that what I enjoyed was the community. It took years of immersion in catching up past content, at my own pace, for me to build up my sense of real community. Now those communities have left, and I'm not subbing, I don't see how that will ever recover.
The problem is that it is highly unlikely that SE 2025 will ever make a game that will ever provide enough content to keep players other than those who enjoy (or feel 'a la' Arthars "obliged") to do all content, happy.
There is a load of content in the game that I have never done, but frankly it is mostly solo style content, and I would never be prepared to pay $19 month for, when I feel I've already paid for it, and I've got other better solo content and I can do that I would have to pay nothing for. Who doesn't have a library of unfinished Steam or PS games?
So how's about this?
The objectives are 'only':- To rebuild 'community' among endgame players, who longer have catchup content they can use to incentivise that.
- It is NOT to otherwise satisfy endgame players in a way that does not serve rebuilding 'deep' community.
The following scheme:- Is only available to a single 'character' nominated while the player was still subscribed.
- Only a character that has completed X.0 MSQ of the latest expansion can be nominated. (there may be limits on how often this nomination can be changed, irrespective of re-subbing).
- Non-subbed players will be able to login to the game and access all social features under that character.
- The character will not be able to queue 'any' player instances. Saving certain exceptions to mention later.
- The character will be able to Trust queue instances already completed.
- The character will be able to do old game+.
- 1st exception will be treasure maps, as these are highly social set-pieces.
- 2nd exception is open world zones.
- 3rd exception is Field and exploration zones.
- 4th exception is Island Sanctuary.
- NB: uncompleted X.1+ MSQ will not be available if not subscribed.
- NB: any/all quests post 'dating' uncompleted MSQ will not be available. (Yes, will require some significant dev).
- We will assume housing will still be lost, because... the community has to get stronger not weaker.
- No. Unlimited or unsynced party instances for Bluemage farming will not be available. No player instances save the exceptions above.
- additional retainers, are unavailable.
- No PvP save for standing around Wolves den
Only a single character is available because the only point is to rebuild communities. It is of little value for people to disappear of on some alt, that they are just going to dispose of, and never login to, to speak to the people who have befriended it, once they hit latest MSQ. Or some other short lived alt objective.
The aim is just to have people around, making friends, appreciating content on a playing field that is level with the solo games it is competing with... and you never know, a few of them might resub here and there to join their friends as they observe them having fun in chat when they say... "lets do x", and get back to a point where the game takes life again.
Just a idea...
(honestly, its got the point where I don't even want to see the game succeed. My only remaining motivation is just to see the dev team succeed again, because it seems like they are the only one's with any skin invested in the game still, and we'll see what comes out of that.)