What if you DIDN'T lose points in Feast?

[Shihen]

The thing with botting is it will always exist when it's possible to succeed as a bot and there is no penalty for failure. There's no point to botting in ranked because failure would outnumber success and the bot would sit at square one forever, but the removal of lost points means even with 1 win for every 20 losses the bot will still eventually hit diamond rank. I mean don't get me wrong, I agree with the positive attitude and desire for change completely, but just think this particular solution would be tough to do right.

There should probably be a bot tutorial instance for first time players, but the skill ceiling in PVP also needs to be raised. When combat is as straightforward as it is in FFXIV, it is usually much faster. What we have is a straightforward system that is also on the slower side. There is more time to think than there are options to think about. The result is a bland spectrum of ability where everyone average and above just blends together, and people new to the mode drag the team down more than they should because even if a veteran does everything amazingly, 'amazing' and 'average' are not that far apart.

[Stormfur]

I mean, you can't exactly sip a mint julep while PVPing, nor should you -- you should be invested in the game. But when you base your entire schedule around the fact that X healer is currently online and streaming (yes people do this), then there's something fundamentally wrong with how the system works because that's just crazy. But people do it to try and improve their ranking. No system in any game should be that rigid.

I think ranking decay, done right, would prevent some of that. But whatever new rules they release for Feast, I dearly hope that promotional qualifiers get a one way ticket to the circular file because I loathe them with every fiber of my being.

[Chiramu]

The PVP system needs point decay so people keep playing, the problem with ranked PVP in FFXIV is there is no point decay. Once people reach the top rank they just stop playing.

Also OP, your idea is very carebear. You obviously are not a PVPer because you don't care for a competitive mode, you want everyone to get gold stars, everyone getting gold stars is not fun to win.

[kamenkuro]

It'd be better if they removed the requirement to go in solo. Getting good teams is such a crapshoot that I gave up on getting into higher ranks because I had better things to do than pray I got people that knew what they were doing

[Aylis]

[*]Less toxicity. No more spamming "Nice job!" or wanting to punch a wall because you just lost your platinum promotion [*]Less need to sit on your rank because you wouldn't lose points - only gain when you win

I could see it more or less increasing toxicity for very much the second reason you listed. Like if you and others want to increase your rank, but you get stuck partied with others who now have the mentality of "eh I won't lose points if we lose, I'm just gonna slack off and not try and just use auto attack. Hello Netflix!! 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 spam the whole match"

*Edit*
Also without losing points, there would have to be an equal counter balance to offset this. Meaning the total point's needed to rank high in the season would have to be increased dramatically. Not everyone can be on top and win the medal after all. Higher point total mixed with the new mentality of "I don't lose points so I don't care" would be a recipe for disaster for the players that do take PVP seriously.

[Commander_Justitia]

It is interesting how you assume that players would need to play less without points lost. Players would grind every day, the person with the most time gets the top spots, essentially that what you hate so much right now.

[Stormfur]

Also OP, your idea is very carebear. You obviously are not a PVPer because you don't care for a competitive mode, you want everyone to get gold stars, everyone getting gold stars is not fun to win.

The Platinum Wolf title I carry says otherwise but I appreciate the assumption!


I love the competition. I was just thinking of ways to lessen the backlash, especially toward new players, while keeping more experienced players in the game. Even if a ranking decay system did exist, by what degree and how often would your rank decay?
I mean, there shouldn't be SO much risk and penalization in the mode to begin with. Both with medals and with ranking. It's like tying your hands and feet and telling you to swim.

For example, if you're Gold and you get matched with bronze players, you lose way more points than they do. Not saying they should lose more, of course, but they risk very little while you risk a great deal. What's fun or competitive about that?
They could simply abandon the match and leave you stranded like a sitting duck. In this case, you lose points anyway and you might as well stand there and get beaten up on. There's nothing that really encourages or fosters the strategy of working as a cohesive unit.

[Stormfur]

I could see it more or less increasing toxicity for very much the second reason you listed. Like if you and others want to increase your rank, but you get stuck partied with others who now have the mentality of "eh I won't lose points if we lose, I'm just gonna slack off and not try and just use auto attack. Hello Netflix!! 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 spam the whole match"

*Edit*
Also without losing points, there would have to be an equal counter balance to offset this. Meaning the total point's needed to rank high in the season would have to be increased dramatically. Not everyone can be on top and win the medal after all. Higher point total mixed with the new mentality of "I don't lose points so I don't care" would be a recipe for disaster for the players that do take PVP seriously.

Good point! I'm wondering now, what if the ranking system awarded points based on your activity in the match?

Kind of like how gathering leves reward you based on whether or not you gather the tougher materials and what degree of success you have with them. Obviously such a system would need to be tweaked to look at things like % damage output, % healing, which team got the adrenaline and wolf boxes, etc. Some kind of formula that gauges your individual contribution to the team's success. That way if you alt-tab and watch netflix, you're going to get a very low ranking - or even lose points - compared to someone who actively participates.

This is, of course, assuming people even know how to do their jobs - so yes, some kind of tutorial would be necessary.

[Kazumi_]

Feast is not for everyone, It's the only Real competitve Mode in xiv and there wouldnt be any reason to try if there wasnt a penalty for losing rating, "Oh i see this healer on my team, its a lost" and not even try because it wouldnt matter.. lol no thank you

[Shurrikhan]

I'd prefer to see losses still cost, but for rank to decay either over time or cumulative hours passed without playing matches, as to force those who secure lead ranks early on to still compete throughout the season.