Quote Originally Posted by Vidu View Post
PF-Farm parties require a certain commitment.

RF is only asking me to commit to one run at a time.
That's a fair point about the social constructs, but the PF includes the ability to specify, "One run only," or "One run, maybe more if time allows," at which point your social obligations are essentially the same as in a random party.

The perceived convenience of using the DF/RF over the PF, while being more than 0, is, surely overemphasized.

Duty Finder
1. Select duty.
2. Queue.
3. Wait for party to fill.
4. Confirm participation.


Raid Finder
1. Select duty.
2. Select clear/noclear preference.
3. Queue.
4. Wait for party to fill.
5. Confirm participation.


Party Finder, leader
1. Select duty.
x. Set item level (the default is no different from using DF/RF)
x. Set party composition (the default is no different from using DF/RF)
2. Comment. (≡ RF step 2)
3. Post listing. (≡ RF step 3)
4. Wait for party to fill.
5. Queue.
6. Confirm participation


Party Finder, joiner
1. Select duty.
2. Join party.
3. Wait for party to fill.
4. Confirm participation.

(I decline to consider the ready check process, as the "Confirm participation" step easily subsumes the function of a ready check; anyone who is not ready can simply decline the pop -- this is analogous to a random person in DF/RF declining a pop.)


And if we remove RF.2, RF is exactly a DF. Then if we move the clear enforcement to PF, this changes the Party Finder leader's task flow to

Party Finder, leader
1. Select duty.
2a. Select clear/noclear preference.
2b. Comment.
3. Post listing.
4. Wait for party to fill.
5. Queue.
6. Confirm participation

Or if we add a bonus indicator to the DF,

Party Finder, leader
1. Select duty.
2. Comment.
3. Post listing.
4. Wait for party to fill.
5a. Check for bonus indicator
5b. Queue.
6. Confirm participation.

(Here, I decline to consider the joiners ability to see the bonus indicator or not, as it has no effect on the ultimate outcome -- if the party leader queues anyway, the rest of the party will see the bonus message on entry and people might quit, which makes it no different than using the DF.)


The PF joiner task flow would still be the same, and it is equivalent to the DF flow. Interactions like clarification of expectations, experience levels, and prefered strategies, or the lack of such communication resulting in unpleasant surprises, is independent of which interface is used. However, if you use the PF, you have the option of clarifying these things before committing to a 30 minute penalty if things go unexpectedly.