Does 14 Promote a Culture of Mediocrity?

[IdowhatIwant]

The player base is not homogeneous. One player having criticism doesn't mean another player cannot disagree with the criticism.

Maybe you should read that whole thing, as what I am calling deflecting is not a disagreement.

The player base deflects criticism consistently and that is a fact. People try to turn criticism into some sort of attack on who ever makes it by saying they are rude, trolling, or in your previous example a frequent thread maker.

Example:

Yet another "you are all plebs" thread by Caurcas.

[Theox]

It's funny how some people in here have decided to oppose the op with an aggression towards them and it feels personal. We understand the devs are catering to you big time and please don't worry - nobody's taking away from you, judging by the direction the devs have taken it's only gonna get worse. I believe many people misinterpret the main idea here which is class degradation. Many classes in this game feel painfully simple and familiar, it's all about gaining resource and spending resource, you just learn your rotation and perform it every time with no thought or deviation. I really don't understand how that feels interesting even if you're one of the most mediocre players in this game. Do you really want every class to be just a reskin of another? I do agree that many older systems were not very bright and they're gone for good, but the general trend here is "this is too hard, let's remove it" and that's the problem. The idea behind playing a certain class is always about pressing the right thing at the right time in an ideal situation and we can build upon it, like let's make a class more rewarding if, on top of anything else, it also does more damage with right planning and positionals, but of course there will always gonna be people saying its hard, impossible, doesn't make sense and all of that to hide the fact that they're just lazy and mediocre (and there's nothing wrong with that). I also believe, however, that there's a possibility to balance the job both for casual players and for hardcore ones. If not, I have another compromise - let's divide jobs by difficulty! For example, let whm be the easiest healer in the game and keep it easy for casual/new players and make ast the hardest one with which you can experiment and build new stuff on. There certainly needs to be a place for both parties, but right now the game is leaning towards one party specifically.

[linayar]

Maybe you should read that whole thing, as what I am calling deflecting is not a disagreement.



Example:

Your example shows a post that can be safely ignored. Why are you focusing on such posts? The important posts are the ones that actually engage with the criticism.

Responding to them would just shift the discussion to talking about people on both sides of an argument rather than the criticism.

It just ends up in people insulting each other rather than discussing the game.

[Krotoan]

Do you disagree that they are someone who consistently posts veiled derogatory commentaries on the skill level and content preferences of the majority of the playerbase?

Do you think that someone who would do so consistently and regularly is engaging in the discussion in good faith or would just rather take another swipe at those who they look down upon?

[MidnightEquinox]

You can discuss class design without bringing in the "mediocrity" of players into it. Lots of people constantly complain about Summoner in that vein, for instance.

[TaleraRistain]

I disagree, I don't think his advice is good at all. The player base deflects criticism consistently and that is a fact. People try to turn criticism into some sort of attack on who ever makes it by saying they are rude, trolling, or in your previous example a frequent thread maker. People don't criticize the game cause they want it to fail, they criticize the game because they enjoy the game but want more out of it.
If you look at the progression of this game we have lost much more than we gained with each expansion. So yes I want the devs to change the game but it has nothing to do with gatekeeping people or any sort of measuring stick. This formulaic BS is lacking.

In Caurcas' case it is gatekeeping. Caurcas has more than once in many threads made it clear they see anyone who doesn't play to their exacting specifications as unworthy of playing this game and not only being bad at the game but being bad at life in general because they don't wish to get better in a video game.

So don't let their "I was just innocently asking X" type of attitude fool you.

Krotoan sums it up well a few comments back

"you are all plebs"

That's Caurcas's whole perspective in these threads.

[Shironeko_Narunyan]

I'm mediocre and I'm fine with it. This is a game, not a job.

[Caurcas]

I wonder why certain posters get bent out of shape at others for having an opinion that runs counters to their's. So much so that they must attack the person rather than engaging the argument. It's plain to see jobs and roles have been vastly simplified, yet performance does not increase. So the devs continue to take from one group to their detriment, and give them nothing in return. Meanwhile, the other group grows fat and gets when called out.

[linayar]

It's plain to see jobs and roles have been vastly simplified, yet performance does not increase.

Earlier in this thread, you said:

Savage completion, and floor completion and engagement has gone up every expansion. Which, is a good thing if there is a silver lining.

[Caurcas]

Earlier in this thread, you said:

Savage fight design is not job design, furthermore population increases have happend. Particularly from mmos that have a raid focus.