A self-improvement tool is needed in this game, especially for end game

[dragonseth07]

but no lockout from a large part of the game for the uncoordinated either. win/win.

Mind if I piggyback on this bit? This is something I see float around here all the time, that a paying customer should be able to do all or most of the content. The thing is, that's just not how nearly any video game in existence works. If I suck too much to beat a boss in God of War, I can't skip it. I can't get carried by other players. I don't get to see the rest of the game. I need to get better, if I want to make the most of my purchase. MMO's hit this weird area where we want to remove skill gating, when skill gating is an integral part of a game experience.

[TURBODOG]

...If I suck too much to beat a boss in God of War, I can't skip it. I can't get carried by other players. I don't get to see the rest of the game. I need to get better....

The key difference in a single player game is that you're wasting no-ones time floundering while trying to get better, a single player game doesn't blacklist you for not being good enough. As I put it, I get to test drive content that's over my head in an attempt to get good enough to do it properly, you get the trophy I'm not allowed to preserve your bragging rights, I get practical experience to get better as a player. Where would the downside be?

[Kirsten_Rev]

The key difference in a single player game is that you're wasting no-ones time floundering while trying to get better, a single player game doesn't blacklist you for not being good enough. As I put it, I get to test drive content that's over my head in an attempt to get good enough to do it properly, you get the trophy I'm not allowed to preserve your bragging rights, I get practical experience to get better as a player. Where would the downside be?

This is a good point.

I do worry, however, about the unforeseen consequences to any difficulty adjustment / solo practice system. My general experience right now suggests that people only tend to vote kick / rage / blacklist people over repeated, critical mistakes. If there were more coping mechanisms introduced, would there be less tolerance? Would there be immediate pressure on individually struggling players to lower the difficulty, with increased loot odds serving as extra incentive? Would there be immediate rage for even isolated or slight mistakes, since additional practice tools would in theory improve the base level of player skill?

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All this said, I personally wish MMOs weren't so focused on providing players with comfort zones. To me, the beauty of an MMO is precisely that it isn't like normal games. There isn't practice. It's part of what makes them so addictive for me: my decisions have consequences. I can't just hit the quickload button and have it all be forgotten.

That said, I've spent over 20 years playing video games, so I speak from a position of relative privilege. I've never been afraid to enter content in FFXIV, nor was I afraid even in less-forgiving titles like FFXI. I knew I was never going to be the weakest link in any arbitrary group of 6-8 people. So I can sympathize with people who prefer MMOs that more closely resemble cooperative theme parks than anything else. To each their own.