The State of Homogenization: A New (Healer) Player's Perspective

[Elesh]

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And I suspect that's part of the reason that Square-Enix tries to simplify/streamline the primary content. Because no matter how vocal folks are here on the forums, I strongly suspect we're a fairly small portion of the playerbase. And much as I really wish I had a more interesting DPS rotation (or, y'know, enough DPS button variety for something to count as a "rotation" in the first place) as a healer, I also strongly suspect that making the combat more complex would alienate many players. And no matter how it sounds here in the forums, I genuinely wonder if the vocal few here would be enough to keep the game going indefinitely were they to reverse course... or whether it'd be a situation where, a few years from now, players were reminiscing about their much-lamented MMO's demise and holding an impromptu wake on Twitter.

(As is happening for WildStar right now.)

Agreed. And while I do think there's a bit of a middle ground they could make to add a tiny bit of skill expression, I also appreciate what we have and want it to keep going so... lol

[Packetdancer]

Agreed. And while I do think there's a bit of a middle ground they could make to add a tiny bit of skill expression, I also appreciate what we have and want it to keep going so... lol

Yeah. As a player, I tend to feel like there's got to be a middle ground.

On the other hand, as a former professional game dev, I also know that balancing things is a freakin' nightmare at the best of times; even if it all works out on paper, people will always try to find creative ways to eke just that little bit more DPS out... and you have to just pray those ways are ones you already foresaw and took into account when balancing.

And it takes less of those unexpected ways to use the system to destabilize it than you might think. Because—at least in my own personal experience—game balance is often a house of cards built on top of a table made out of dominos. And the playerbase are half a dozen cats laying on the floor with one paw out towards the first domino of that chain, staring thoughtfully as though wondering, "I wonder what happens if I bat at this domino here..."

(...I'm tired, my ability to analogy may be breaking down.)