This Game Forgets About the Intermediate Player

[MasamuneBranford]

Allow me to explain (please read).

The hardcore player will always be at the head of the pack when it comes to content (as he or she should be). Going into patch 2.4; the hardcore player has cleared the second coil, likely has a nexus, and has a head start going into the final coil. Nerfs to older content don't impact the hardcore player much because the hardcore player has earned the right to be the first to experience the new hardcore content.

The intermediate player does not have the time the hardcore player has to play but has enough time / skill to take on the "intermediate challenges." In 2.2 and 2.3; the only intermediate challenges were the extreme primals. Unfortunately, the extreme primals reward players with items that are no better than what can be earned via casual content. Going into 2.4; the intermediate player has likely bested the extreme primals, bested turn 5 and is working on his or her animus (or potentially has a novus).

The casual player does not have much time to play and "sometimes" is not as skilled as the intermediate or hardcore players. The casual player runs expert (ironic isn't it?) dungeon roulette's, purchases weathered gear and upgrades the weathered gear with sands of time from Tower runs. The casual player is scared off by the atma phase.

Here lies the problem. Going into 2.4; both the casual player and the intermediate player will enter 2.4 with seemingly the same item level. Atmas are now dropping at a laughably easy rate (2 or 3 per hour some are finding). Books are cheaper than ever (500 soldiery). Essentially any grind time made by an intermediate player was for naught.

Why be an intermediate player? You see no benefit. Grinds are only fun when you feel that you are working towards something but when the countless hours you spend are given away to casuals for free - it makes the grind not worthwhile. I have nothing against casual players. Some of the casual players are the best you will ever meet. The problem is that there is no incentive to play this game at an "average / intermediate" rate. You might as well play as a casual if you don't have the time to be a hardcore player.

Casual or hardcore. No middle ground.

[Taika]

Hardcore players = those who clear Coil 2 fast after it's been added and Savage Coil before 2.4. Intermediate players = those who slowly work on Coil 2 with pugs or casual statics and clear it all or a few turns of it by 2.4.

Preparation wise all that matter is they gave everyone a chance to get ful i110 before 2.4 hit, no matter how casually people play. Only thing that's preventing the so called "casuals" or "intermediate" players from entering final coil is T9 win (and for some, T5 win). Which a lot more people are probably interested in learning and getting when it's been added to DF and will be nerfed with echo.

[TheMoonflow]

Please stop with the stupid generalizations, I for one fit in to none of those categories

[Clavaat]

I have no idea what you are talking about.

First of all, everybody unweathers equipment, hardcore, mid, casual, so that point makes no sense.

Worrying about the relic weapon is silly. There are other options like the soldiery weapon. It's also not difficult in any form, just time consuming.

Why, as an intermediate, are you not working on SCoB, particularly T9 now that it is unlocked? If you are just now beating T5 by this patch, you are not an intermediate, but a casual. That's not an insult, especially since I hate those terms, but your definitions here are really flawed. Honestly, out of those categories, I'd consider myself intermediate and my static nearly cleared T8 pre-patch.

[DarkDedede]

Finding the grind entertaining should be it's own reward, no? What does it matter how anyone else gets their content?

[Xystic]

Casual or hardcore. No middle ground.

If a casual can be anywhere from dungeons to the final turns of coil, how can an intermediate player exist? What bars an intermediate player from turn 6 and up, when casuals regularly do turns 6 and up? If you have more time to invest than a casual, who can regularly access such features, shouldn't you be able to access those features for more regularly than they are?

This post is awful confusing!

[samnas]

If you see no benefit in trying to be an "intermediate" player....then dont be one. Pretty simple huh? Better yet maybe try to not have to generalize a diverse set of players into three generic generalizations. I play the game for fun....if its not fun then I stop playing....in either case it never crosses my mind to consider what asanine classification I should be part of.

[KisaValkyrie]

I guess I would be intermediate to casual but I fit into none of those. It all depends on the person.

[VesperValveto]

The OP is a great example on why a game developer can NEVER win regardless of what they do.

[Jimsvaliant]

There seems to be a very thin line between "casual" and "intermediate" for you, but the only impression i'm getting from this post is that you don't think you're a casual player and you don't like that the casual players are getting equally rewarded. Your biggest problem is that you think other players aren't working as hard as you are.