Discuss: Are DPS meters bad for MMOs?

[jars]

not having dps meters is like being on a track team without stop watches

[Bishop81]

not having dps meters is like being on a track team without stop watches

Except not everyone sees this game as a competitive race.

Some jerk yelling at you to "go faster" when you just want to take a evening stroll and watch the sunset, kind of sucks.

You should instead ask this: do developers need to restrict things because of people's lack of decency?

Or, does your local cinema need to restrict selling popcorn because of a group of people that like to throw with it?

They do "restrict" people from shouting "Fire!" for no reason in a crowded cinema though.

[Pells]

not having dps meters is like being on a track team without stop watches

And yet anyone involved in the pole vault, long jump, high jump or shot put would still argue that stop watches are not necessary.

[Ryel]

And yet anyone involved in the pole vault, long jump, high jump or shot put would still argue that stop watches are not necessary.

That's a poor argument, all of those other events still have a metric by which they are able to measure performance.

You don't pole vault or long jump and just walk away without knowing of or measuring your results, at least not at any team oriented event where performance actually matters, so yeah I'm not exactly sure where you're trying to go with that one.

[NaoKith]

not having dps meters is like being on a track team without stop watches

And yet anyone involved in the pole vault, long jump, high jump or shot put would still argue that stop watches are not necessary.

That's a poor argument, all of those other events still have a metric by which they are able to measure performance.

You don't pole vault or long jump and just walk away without knowing of or measuring your results, at least not at any team oriented event where performance actually matters, so yeah I'm not exactly sure where you're trying to go with that one.

Pell's analogy clearely stated that DPS meters might be the wrong tool for measurement of success in some activities. It is far from a complete representation of people's playing skill.

I personally think that DPS meters offer great insight, as long as they are analysed within the context of their respective encounter. Going back to the wacky racing analogy, would you be impressed by a runner's track times if he was at a children's three-legged race?

[jars]

And yet anyone involved in the pole vault, long jump, high jump or shot put would still argue that stop watches are not necessary.

that would be a track and field team. track is only running, field events are separate and frequently not included. kind of like how raiding and crafting are separate.

Except not everyone sees this game as a competitive race.

you must not have done a solo sport. your biggest competitor is yourself, not other people.

[Bishop81]

you must not have done a solo sport. your biggest competitor is yourself, not other people.

I think you are missing the point here ...

Not everyone sees this game as a sport!

Personally I see it as a trip to Disneyland, for a grand old time, and I'm fairly certain I don't want some guy yelling at me to "walk faster", that we have to "finish all rides by 3pm".

[Krr]

If the game is a themepark I want to meet the jackass who designed the ride that's a fire-breathing transgender dragon chasing you down a go-kart course while your go-kart is chained to 7 other peoples', and if you didn't bring 7 friends you have to run the course with 7 strangers from the internet. Also the line is 30 minutes long because you decided to pimp out your red go-kart instead of a green or blue one.

I WANT TO GET OFF NAEL DEUS DARNUS'S WILD RIDE

[Gardes]

I think you are missing the point here ...

Not everyone sees this game as a sport!

Personally I see it as a trip to Disneyland, for a grand old time, and I'm fairly certain I don't want some guy yelling at me to "walk faster", that we have to "finish all rides by 3pm".

Those theme parks are technically solo content though. You don't actually have to have anyone else be with you to go into the attractions.

Plus you are guaranteed to 'win' after entering said rides and shows. That's like having 2 different groups enter titan ex, one doing what they should be doing, another just pressing one button repeatedly while standing still and both of them winning at the same time.

[Bishop81]

Those theme parks are technically solo content though. You don't actually have to have anyone else be with you to go into the attractions.

Plus you are guaranteed to 'win' after entering said rides and shows. That's like having 2 different groups enter titan ex, one doing what they should be doing, another just pressing one button repeatedly while standing still and both of them winning at the same time.

Just pointing out people play the game in different ways.

FFXIV can be seen as a theme park with "challenges" and "time sinks" as SE charges by the month and want to keep our patronage as long as possible.

As for "guaranteed" wins ... the game is designed to be beaten. If not at the present, the sometime later when you outgear it.