Death Penalty

[geniusprime]

This is not the only game that does it so I am not just picking on this game however, this game's death penalty is bit steep. But what is the purpose of death penalty? You are already penalized by dying why add more penalties in addition to that? Just to create a timesink?

This game in particular penalizes you in multiple ways when you die. The first being the reduction in health and the weakness status. Second the weakness status lasts for three minutes. Third your skills take longer to execute. Fourth you are teleported to the last Crystal. Finally after all of this, you have to wait for your health to regenerate after the weakness status wears off. Thats quite a lot of penalties for dying. Doing nothing for three minutes seems rather counter productive for a game. Again, this is not the only game that is guilty of this.

[Hei]

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic...but I don't think you are. In which case, this game has no serious penalty for dying, lol. There are plenty of others with more extreme death penalties, such as Lineage 2, Aion or even FFXI.

[_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_]

This is steep? Let me put this in context before everyone else laughs at you:

• Previous MMOs required a corpse run. That is: all the stuff you had? You don't have it anymore. Go find your dead body, lying next to the thing that killed you, and get it back without dying so you can get your stuff back.
• Previous MMOs docked you experience when you died. Like, a quarter of your TNL. You could level down.
• Previous MMOs had permanent stat loss if you died a lot.
• Previous MMOs had weakness of five minutes or more.

Death penalties are good:

• They create incentive to play better.
• They prevent you from zombieing your way through challenges.
• They add some bit of realism in lieu of permanent death.

FFXIV's death penalty is really really mild. You're "weakened" for three minutes and you have to run back from your last crystal. It takes more than 3 minutes to do that, so it's really just one penalty. At least weakness doesn't slow your movement speed down like it does in some previous MMOs.

[geniusprime]

First don't ever talk about realism in a fantasy game or any game as a matter of fact. Its a game. Games are not real and the purpose of games are for fun not to simulate reality. When they begin to simulate reality they become a simulation and not a game.

Secondly the death penalties you're referring to are archaic mechanisms. Probably I don't play those archaic games but I am not aware of any modern game that still gives the DP you mentioned except for FFXI. So referring to old ancient MMO or stating games in which its worse does not make the current DP in this games and other games justifiable.

How does death penalty gives the player incentives to play better? Isn't it better to reward for playing better than to punish for not playing good? When you die you have been penalized by DEATH. Why add more?

I also don't understand what you mean by "zombeing" your way through challenges. I have no problem with a gamer dying and returning to the last checkpoint. Thats fine, for it works out as a reset. However, all of the added penalties are unnecessary.

When you die in this game you are sent back to the last crystal. Which is fine but then you are practically useless for three minutes because now its harder to play because of weakness. And this difficulty is not just because of health reduction but a reduction in everything else. Three minutes of doing more or less nothing. Yes I can browse the net, get a cup of coffee etc but the object of a game is to keep the gamer playing.

[DoctorMog]

...steep...

Try losing 10% of your levels XP and then come back to reality.

[_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_]

If you're already inclined to disagree with anything stated by people who aren't you, you should just close the thread and let it stand at that.

[Chezen]

I was thinking like you for a while, but I realized there is an element of danger that is missing when there isn't a good death penelty, and I have to say I miss it. It's not about punishment, it's about pushing the thrill of the game. I personally think the death penalty should be a little stiffer.

[geniusprime]

If you're already inclined to disagree with anything stated by people who aren't you, you should just close the thread and let it stand at that.

I apologize. I thought that forums are where people discuss different point of views, I wasn't aware that I was supposed to share my view, then you and then we are to move on. Part of a discussion is to state your view and I either agree of counter argue your statement. Nothing to complicated. You stated contrary to my view and I stated why I disagree with your counter argument. While my view is very rooted it does not mean it is unchangeable.

[geniusprime]

I was thinking like you for a while, but I realized there is an element of danger that is missing when there isn't a good death penelty, and I have to say I miss it. It's not about punishment, it's about pushing the thrill of the game. I personally think the death penalty should be a little stiffer.

I agree with you that there must be an element of danger however, I don't believe this is accomplished through death penalties. The "standard" penalty is that you die and you revert to the last safe point. Adding more to it does not increase the element of danger. No one wants to die in a game and most try their best not to die. Again I agree that the element of danger must be present.

[geniusprime]

...steep...

Try losing 10% of your levels XP and then come back to reality.

I tried it, I didn't like it and as I said before this is not the only game which is victim to this. When I first played FFXI and I realized that you can level down I was baffled by the logic behind such a penalty and I am still baffled. Not because other games have worse does not make this better. Its like saying that the camera is bad in GameX then point out a game that has possibly the worse camera system. Whats the point of mentioning the game with the horrible camera? It does not justify the bad camera in GameX if you get what I am saying.