Balance, Homogenisation and Encounter Design: The Problem.

[ParadoxHealer]

It is so frustrating that everything has become focused on Raids and what is necessary for that content, that jobs are being homogenized and changed so that there are no discrepancies between the jobs. Changes to healers and other jobs have made a majority of the content less exciting. What is the point of a class that is only exciting to play for a small portion of the content? Also, why do you have to have a perfect group for a specific set of numbers for raid content? To me the content is more exciting with a level of unpredictability; that is the point of a MMORPG, you are playing with other people and DO NOT control everything. Excluding people because of the jobs they play. Why even have multiple jobs if they all end up being the same? Healers have become very boring due to the changes and lack of individuality with the jobs. I hardly see MU's in dungeons any more, especially RDM and SMN. I hope the people who are so focused on the perfect raid group are happy because I know a ton of people who play for the broader portion of the content and are not. I loved the storyline of the expansion, but I feel like I am watching this game go downhill just like SWTOR, Perfect World, and other games where everything gets made more simplistic and homogenized.

[linay]

It is so frustrating that everything has become focused on Raids and what is necessary for that content, that jobs are being homogenized and changed so that there are no discrepancies between the jobs. Changes to healers and other jobs have made a majority of the content less exciting. What is the point of a class that is only exciting to play for a small portion of the content? Also, why do you have to have a perfect group for a specific set of numbers for raid content? To me the content is more exciting with a level of unpredictability; that is the point of a MMORPG, you are playing with other people and DO NOT control everything. Excluding people because of the jobs they play. Why even have multiple jobs if they all end up being the same? Healers have become very boring due to the changes and lack of individuality with the jobs. I hardly see MU's in dungeons any more, especially RDM and SMN. I hope the people who are so focused on the perfect raid group are happy because I know a ton of people who play for the broader portion of the content and are not. I loved the storyline of the expansion, but I feel like I am watching this game go downhill just like SWTOR, Perfect World, and other games where everything gets made more simplistic and homogenized.

The part in bold is a big reason why.

[CapricaLangley]

The part in bold is a big reason why.

If people are really being locked out of duties because of the job they play, I think we have to blame disfunctioning social features and not class balance. I mean, that's what FCs and Linkshells were made in the first place. The duty finder was a great addiction, but it's because of it if we have to deal with these situations. We are in a MMO after all.

[linay]

If people are really being locked out of duties because of the job they play, I think we have to blame disfunctioning social features and not class balance. I mean, that's what FCs and Linkshells were made in the first place. The duty finder was a great addiction, but it's because of it if we have to deal with these situations. We are in a MMO after all.

Indeed, but it's not fun waiting for the community to fix itself. It's probably an old debate of how much should the people in power meddle with the people. In this case, whether SE should deal with people being in toxic in chats resulting in more rules and punishments being enforced or regarding job balance and how should SE deal with that to ensure people can play the job they want. The old advice to "make your own group" will always be an alternative, of course.

[Sloprano]

Getting a touch of WoW classic again and knowing there is no tomes to collect, daily roulettes or weekly tokens is extremely refreshing and relaxing. From interviews I recall it has been mentioned several times that SE want to stick to a strict schedule for patches, that might also cover new dungeons so you will always know what to expect. Which is a virtue in itself, yet for my part I feel they designed themselves into a corner where you are encouraged to run roulettes for tomes and helping out people doing them first time, not because you wanted to run that particular dungeon. So wish would be for them to go away with the dailies, make the dungeons themselves be the destination. Redesigning layout from bottom up might be a challenge, it wouldn't need to be more than adding in a couple interesting mobs that have time to get off some dangerous attack if not dodged/handled properly and add a chance for interesting, random loot to side parts. Dungeons would take longer and they'd readjust the XP gain based on your current level before sync. So they'd stop putting the rewards at the end of it, instead have them inside it. I want to load into Sastasha and suddenly see a chimera roaming the caves, but also knowing it has a chance of dropping a minion, glamour or rare crafting mats if we kill it. Or when we reach the tavern we know there is a chest that randomly spawns in one of the side rooms that reward items AND xp. Basicly mesh their fantastic level designers with the Deep Dungeon mechanics plus extra rewards dotted around.

This and going back to the drawing board for job balances and skill availability at lower levels. Logos actions was a great idea, let us use them outside Eureka in all the dungeons and fates, balanced for pure fun and havoc. Every job is loaded with a wide variety attack and support skills of varying usefulness all on the "OP" end of the spectrum and most importantly fits thematically and asthetically to the class and job. Then give a seperate skillset for Savage/Ultimate where it's balanced by the numbers like they do with PvP skills. I'd wish it wasn't the case, but it really seems like they are hypertuning every potency on the skills for the scripted fights found at the endgame.

To me the content is more exciting with a level of unpredictability; that is the point of a MMORPG, you are playing with other people and DO NOT control everything.

I loved the storyline of the expansion, but I feel like I am watching this game go downhill just like SWTOR, Perfect World, and other games where everything gets made more simplistic and homogenized.

I know the feeling. Getting a full group with friends on whatever job they want to bring is still fun, not caring if we'll clear or not, but then we're doing Leveling on 50+ jobs and everyone goes "No way, it's Sastasha. Again!" For all we know this is the direction SE wants to take the game and they have own telemetries support that game is going better than ever. Still like the game myself, but it's getting harder to do so. If anything is stopping them from doing something at all beyond raiding balance I'd wish they'd let us know.

[Edax]

I loved the storyline of the expansion, but I feel like I am watching this game go downhill just like SWTOR, Perfect World, and other games where everything gets made more simplistic and homogenized.

I don't think homogenization is what caused SWTOR to go downhill. It certainly wasn't the reason I left SWTOR several times.