Main Scenario Restriction Bloodstorm - Very Very Bad idea.

[Reynhart]

Making niche games nowadays doesn't make you tons of money anymore. Just see at Wildstar and its attempt to gather the "hardcore raiders" back. Was a big success wasn't it?

So now a story driven game is a "niche game" ? I didn't know some people were stuck in 1983.

What I'm trying to say is, the more they gate the new players, the more it'll cost on US the current players to keep the game running by making more free stuff locked behind a paywall.

The more they gate new players, the more reward they'll design to encourage us going back to those old content. Too...bad...

[Voltyblast]

So now a story driven game is a "niche game" ? I didn't know some people were stuck in 1983.
The more they gate new players, the more reward they'll design to encourage us going back to those old content. Too...bad...

Because if you want a story driven game there is something called Visual Novel. Zero gameplay, only story: no more no less. An RPG is still a game, where you play, and videogames have a priority on making the game "playable" first.
So yes, if a game is based solely on telling a story (visual novels, walking simulators, and stuff like that) I can call them niche because they don't cater to most players. Heck most of people I used to play with don't really care of stories in OTHER games too (fps, adventure, etc).

And what reward?I ask because there's really no reward that I know of (unless you mean cutscenes?).
In addition, new players will focus on NEW content, not OLD content. It's ok to keep old content somewhat "playable", but there will be a point where even the new ones will get tired. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one here.

[Nayout]

Because if you want a story driven game there is something called Visual Novel.

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And if you want a MMORPG story drive that you play Guild Wars 2 or Wow

[Voltyblast]

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And if you want a MMORPG story drive that you play Guild Wars 2 or Wow

SWTOR: it does story telling much better than ffxiv does, your character isn't a silent meatbag, your actions have a (small) impact in the story and none of the expansions (as far as I know) is locked behind the main story, HOWEVER it will recommend you to complete it because of spoilers. Much better than completely lock it (But yes it's a crappy f2p: I can't even recommend it to anyone "sigh")

And yes, even GW2 does story telling better in some regards: it lets you choose your path for one thing and your character has a voice: it gives them personality - a bland one, but it's better than none. On top of that some of the world can permanently change depending on the story (Lion's arc: I still remember it got me by surprise when I got back after my yearly pause), which is something that really makes old player feel valued ("I remember Lion's Arc before: it was amazing").

WoW is the weakest in terms of story telling but 1) It has over 20 years of lore 2) It has more (and better) voice acting 3) there are far more cutscenes (in CG) than FFXIV does. However the lack of story department makes it a more approachable game and that can be either a bad or a good thing, depending on your taste.

That's my two cents however so feel free to disagree: I'm just concerned for the new players. I already am skipping most of the story anyway.

[Reynhart]

Because if you want a story driven game there is something called Visual Novel.

Or just any J-RPG that ever existed since the last 20 years...like, you know...Final Fantasy...

And what reward?I ask because there's really no reward that I know of (unless you mean cutscenes?).

You know about Daily Roulette ? Or wondrous tails ? Or the simple fact that you get bonuses for having someone who has never done the content in your party ?

In addition, new players will focus on NEW content, not OLD content. It's ok to keep old content somewhat "playable", but there will be a point where even the new ones will get tired. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one here.

For new players, everything is new content