Three faction split - FL resolution

If SE is going to keep the three faction split for FL and large scale PvP, I would recommend a change to FL queues and allow same factions to be able to fight against each other.

If Mael is overpopulated, instead of those players waiting hours to queue, and instance could be created for a Mael 1 vs Mael 2 vs Mael 3, or Mael 1 vs Adder vs Mael 2, just to name a couple examples.

What issues do you see with this being implemented? Do you think it could solve some longer queue issues?

Just throw factions out for frontlines.
make it The Onions Vs. the Slimeballs Vs. the Flans, it doesn't matter.

if it "Breaks lore" then...
Lore is something you make up, so make it work.

Am I the only one who actually LIKES the GC in Frontlines?

It gives it a certain charm to play. I'm not nearly as motivated to play if I'm the Crabs fighting the Lobsters. Giving each team their respective GC role makes it even more fun. It's like fighting against the cities or for the ruler of the city to the GC you belong. It's just fun.

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Originally Posted by TheWaywardWind

Am I the only one who actually LIKES the GC in Frontlines?

It gives it a certain charm to play. I'm not nearly as motivated to play if I'm the Crabs fighting the Lobsters. Giving each team their respective GC role makes it even more fun. It's like fighting against the cities or for the ruler of the city to the GC you belong. It's just fun.

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The only way I see GC as "fun" would be if this was OW PvP where defeating your opponent out in the lakes (Frontlines for this matter), and eventually entering their city to take it over. Other than that, GC is quite boring as I couldnt care less who I'm fighting against because it doesn't matter.

I would love some shorter queue times for Frontlines, but I agree with TheWaywardWind. Now that we've had GC restrictions for Frontlines, I'm not sure I'd want it changed, it gives a sense of comradely. I also appreciate that it's one of the few things that is actually effected by your choice in Grand Companies.

As for your suggestion though, do we have any data that suggests any of the Grand Companies are overpopulated in PvP? Because if there's not, for example, at least twice as many Malestrom than I don't think having the option of two Maelstrom alliances in one Frontlines will change anything.

Queue times for all factions will always fluctuate depending on who queues and when. Not to mention you can change your GC countless times (so much for comradely). If GC was a permanent choice and this game was one that involves PvP more heavily on its players, then I could see a sense of comradely for who you fight for. But since this is the minority group in a PvE based game, the tri-faction model does not work very well.

There is definitely some value to seeing the same people when you log into frontlines. When you recognize certain names and groups, you know for sure you're going to have a good time and it's nice to know they're always going to be on your side.

I think there's a lot of ways they could improve queue times without getting rid of GC restrictions

- Actually make it transparent how many people are queuing from each GC (ex: xx/24 Adders, xx/24 Storm, xx/24 flames), they could even have a GC-in-need bonus of +10-20% wolf marks/exp to incentivize people to switch.

- Allow different GC's to queue with each other, and use the leader's GC to determine which team you are queuing for. This allows people to queue with friends in different GC's and combined with the previous info will significantly help queues.

- Combine Primal/Aether for frontlines. This is probably unrealistic due to hardware and server constraints, but for the longer term survival of less popular content this would definitely help out.

To their credit, square enix did a lot of things right with frontlines which often go underlooked. Letting you queue as any class and switch significantly reduces queue times, letting everyone in the game even if 1 person didn't click commence (if anyone remembers the first week frontlines was out this was stupid), only having 1 pvp option frontlines which is i80 made it accessible to all and made it so everyone is queuing for the same thing. As they open up more frontlines rules and maps queue times are definitely going to get worse, hopefully their pvp roulette will help out.

Huge problem with GC switching if added wolfmark bonus: You will have an influx of people moving to that GC (not to mention everyone now switched starts back at PvP rank lvl 1 LOL) and then the bonus gets flipped to another GC.

SE did a few things right(and even fixed a some things they got wrong). FL queue times are not bound by your class so regardless of what you queue as, your time will be the same. However letting you be able to switch classes while in your GC base was the right move. Seeing as PvP is the minority, I lean towards stat balancing as a plus, but if PvP was on the flip side, I would be totally against it (many reasons for this). I'm not sure how much attention we get, but I do hope they are looking into what we are saying.

Yeah the GC restrictions definitely need to go. They add nothing and only hinder que times. Not to mention the fact that I can't even que up with friends because we're all in different GC and no ones willing to budge. "Camaraderie" shouldn't trump the most important factor and that's gameplay.

Just get rid of the GC stuff entirely, so what if it breaks the "lore" reason, the lore part is dumb and make little sense anyway... why would three GC's be stationed in that area with "high tension" against each other, like some childish squabble when it's already established the three nations are allied for a cause, wouldn't they be stationed there to defend the zone from, oh, I don't know, Garlean forces or any other outside force, including shutting out that liitle gremlin guy?

He may have jurisdiction and a hold in Ul'dah, but he doesn't hold anything over Limsa and Gridania, they could shut him out.

TL;DR - The GC restriction is pointless and serves no purpose, makes no sense, especially not lore-wise and only acts in negative ways, no positives.

If they want to keep this silly GC thing, then remove the restriction and just name the teams - Adders - Maelstrom - Flames, there, sorted.

There was a similar problem in pvp a while back for a different mmo i won't bother to name.

The solution was as simple as adjusting the "lore" so that the battlefield was now a "Training Simulation" or something of that nature.

It doesn't have to be Shakespeare, just make up some quick crap so that gameplay can be better.

This, to me, is even more important to this mmo because it would help offset the natural bias towards certain classes that the different GC's tend to have for the most part.

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Originally Posted by Nyteryze

It doesn't have to be Shakespeare, just make up some quick crap so that gameplay can be better.

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Our battle is more full of names than yours,
Our men more perfect in the use of arms,
Our armour all as strong, our cause the best;
Then reason will our hearts should be as good.

Henry IV, part II, Act IV, scene 1, line 154.

For coin and country! :p.

The GC locked queuing sucks all around. Longer queues for whatever GC has the highest proportion of experienced players at any time; a frustrating experience with faster queues for whichever GC has the least but which makes the better players not want to queue up after losses far outside their control. At this point I get fast queues in Adder, and I'm rank 45 already so I could just join and soak up more Wolfmarks by queueing fast mult times and getting a high probability of second than queueing for a long time for a higher chance of a win but that's not fun for me. And no way in hell am I changing GC now and losing the ability to equip my i100/i110 PVP gear until I rank up again with the DF waiting that entails, I worked too hard for that.

I'd rather play with people I see all the time than play with randoms every match.

No thanks on the no-GC thing.

It's like none of you people PVP for the PVP, just for the bonuses at the end of the match.

The only change they should really make is to make AP and gear requirements go off your highest Rank, not your current Rank. Meaning you can switch Grand Company without issue and after your first R45 it's solely about Achievement/Title farming. Got to Rank 40 with the Immortal Flames but all your friends are in Maelstrom and you don't want to lose your progress? No problem. Rank 41 will take an age to reach (unless you switch back), but at least in the meantime you can still use your i100 equipment and retain your AP.

People can dismiss the atmosphere of Company verses Company if they like, but it enhances plenty of peoples gameplay. They should enhance that aspect further rather than removing it outright, make it a substantial thing rather than a novelty. The bigger problem is SE is plainly inept at handling PvP content. Frontlines was released back in 2.3 and it's taking them until 2.5 to simply add new game modes? In that time I'd expect new maps ffs, and that mentions nothing of Wolves' Den and there utter lack of ability to address it in the slightest. Perhaps if PVP wasn't obviously on the bottom of their list of priorities more people would actually bother with it, instead we're stuck with random 90ks for months on end.