Quote Originally Posted by Prototype909 View Post
1)Gear discrimination or just player-base discrimination in general already happens, you're just as likely to get booted from a fight for not outputting enough DPS numbers or not being able to 100% deal with mechanics. It's dependent on the players involved.
I never said it didn't. Read again, I said horizontal is no better.

2) Player-base discrimination shouldn't be the basis for not releasing more content, even if there's 1 BiS set not everyone is going to be able to get it and ultimately concessions will be made, just not by the most elite of players (Which is fine and expected)
You would be surprised the list of factors developers have to consider when making new gear and content. Especially a horizontal one where balance can be easily broken by simply one piece of gear.

For example in XI, if I can't clear Dynamis I can just go to Sky and try to get drops there, if I can't clear Sky I can go to Limbus and try to get drops there, if I can't X, I can Y. Or if I have multiple end game shells I could do all of the above, or any combination of end-game events.
Sounds familiar. Ohh I can't beat Shiva and get the sword? Well i'll just go to ST, get a Sands of Time, Unmarked Allagan Tomestone, and 1300 Soldiery and buy one. Ohh or wait, I can keep doing my Zodiac quest and get one there. I need to build up my gear also, I can go do dungeon grinding, Hunts, Coils, Primals, or craft it.

3) Despite all of XI's problems it did just as many other things well - even exemplary, there are negatives in every game but it's about how that player views them against the positives. I'd rather have a breadth of content with a high barrier (With lots of lesser content predating it), than a selection of content that's shallow in both floor and ceiling just because "We're afraid playerbase might become douches" when in many cases the players in question are already exhibiting those behaviors
High barrier content already exists. Find how many players are in Final Coil right now. The answer is, not as much as you think. Creating too high of a barrier on several pieces of content makes it ultimately less appealing to the majority of players, and would eventually just become a niche game. People want to experience the content, and want the difficulty of the fights themselves to be the determining factor of their progression, not heavily built consequences to keep you away from it.

Also 100 damage on a mob? I don't care if I'm doing 500 damage or 600 damage as long as stuff is dying (Which in most cases, it's going to die regardless because most of the content in this game is outgeared on release), and unless it's some critical DPS check like cutting edge Coil turns chances are you can just deal with mechanics and still clear so long as nobody dies. In my book its either you clear or you don't, it doesn't matter if it happens 5% sooner or 5% later than what is expected of a group. I didn't feel stronger or empowered when I got my HA blade, I just thought "Ok, now time to work towards immediately getting rid of this because it's expected of me".
That doesn't really fly, especially in the DPS community. You should always strive to reach the levels that your skills are capable of despite if the fight is a DPS check or not. Also you prove my point saying you want more after your HA blade. Empowerment is quite a thing.