Discussion : How to boost Alexander attractiveness ?

[Dererk]

Why not?

Can't beat the boss, can't see what happens when you beat the boss. That's how pretty much every game in history has worked. I get people being kind of annoyed, that's fine; but why in this game specifically is it treated like some unspeakable human rights violation?

T_T I pay a sub T_T I should be able to see everything. This is what happened this is why we have this crap right now.

[Februs]

T_T I pay a sub T_T I should be able to see everything. This is what happened this is why we have this crap right now.

That's not how a game works. That's how a movie or a book works. In a game, what you're paying for is the opportunity to win. It's not guaranteed. It doesn't matter how much money you paid for that opportunity. If you're not good enough, you're not good enough. It's that simple. You don't go to a carnival, for example, pay for a throw at a ball toss game, and then get given the JUMBO sized plushy just because you paid. You have to earn it. You're just paying for the opportunity to use the ball. The same thing applies here. You are not entitled to an instant or automatic victory because you paid the entry fee. That's like expecting to get laid because you bought a girl a drink. Silliness. You paid for an opportunity, not a fixed result.

[Fevelle]

Why not?

Can't beat the boss, can't see what happens when you beat the boss. That's how pretty much every game in history has worked. I get people being kind of annoyed, that's fine; but why in this game specifically is it treated like some unspeakable human rights violation?

Because putting content (I said content, not equipments/rewards) beyond a big difficulty wall is bad game design. Plus, this is a Final Fantasy game and most players play it for the story, so skill capping it seems even more dumb.

Also, this is NOT a game of chance, so you don't play for the opportunity, you pay for the experience/content.

I really don't know why people are so much enraged because of Alexander normal. This all sounds like jelousy to me, because the Savage player don't get exclusivity anymore.

[Malevicton]

Because putting content (I said content, not equipments/rewards) beyond a big difficulty wall is bad game design. Plus, this is a Final Fantasy game and most players play it for the story, so skill capping it seems even more dumb.

Also, this is NOT a game of chance, so you don't play for the opportunity, you pay for the experience/content.

I really don't know why people are so much enraged because of Alexander normal. This all sounds like jelousy to me, because the Savage player don't get exclusivity anymore.

So if you can't beat Sephiroth in ff7...

If you can't beat the Archedemon in Dragon Age...

If you can't beat Malak in KotOR...

Then what do you do? MMOs are in the unique position of being able to change. Other games that's not an option; you can't throw a fit to the developers and have them change it.

So what do people do in other games when confronted with difficulty?

I don't mind normal mode, let alone am enraged :P. I just don't get why anytime anyone mentions watching the cutscenes - that some are unable to unlock - from someone else (who was able to unlock them) a bunch of people take it as a personal insult. It's how games have always worked.

[Fevelle]

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Tell me again how close is Sephiroth in difficult to Alexander Savage?

[Malevicton]

Tell me again how close is Sephiroth in difficult to Alexander Savage?

Alex savage doesn't block anything. Regular coil did. Regular coi was also definitely easier than alex savage. I pugged t13 in df multiple times when it was added; low success rates, but possible with pugs. Get yourself a decent pf group and you were solid.

I mean, would people have really enjoyed t13 if it was as faceroll as normal alex? Different stroke for different folks, but that woulda killed the bahamut storyline if I rolled in same day he was added and just wrecked him in a df pug. Part of what made that story so engaging was that he was a legit big bad. Same for t12, if he was faceroll after those cutscenes it would've felt weird. I still would've enjoyed the fights for the mechanics, but the story would've been less engaging by a lot.

It has nothing to do with exclusivity. I don't mind other people having what I have. I mind other people telling me what I have needs to be lower quality so that they can have it.

[Fevelle]

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The problem is that a majority of raiders are requiring the END of the normal mode. Personally I don't get how having to try a thing N times to beat it is fun/enjoyable, but to each their own. The thing is that the normal version is needed for a bunch of reason like casual playstyle, gearing alts, low time queues on DF etc. (and I don't care if they implement it 1 month after the Savage version, if that's the problem).

[Malevicton]

The problem is that a majority of raiders are requiring the END of the normal mode. Personally I don't get how having to try a thing N times to beat it is fun/enjoyable, but to each their own. The thing is that the normal version is needed for a bunch of reason like casual playstyle, gearing alts, low time queues on DF etc. (and I don't care if they implement it 1 month after the Savage version, if that's the problem).

Then reply to their posts :P Why are you arguing with me over a point I never made?

"Majority" might be pushing it. Most raiders don't enjoy normal themselves, but I've only seen a few actually want it removed.

[Februs]

The problem is that a majority of raiders are requiring the END of the normal mode. Personally I don't get how having to try a thing N times to beat it is fun/enjoyable, but to each their own. The thing is that the normal version is needed for a bunch of reason like casual playstyle, gearing alts, low time queues on DF etc. (and I don't care if they implement it 1 month after the Savage version, if that's the problem).

I don't think that anyone is advocating for the removal of Normal difficulty (at least not that I've seen in this thread). It's totally fine that there is a kiddie play-pen difficulty for the players who can't stomach "hard" content. They get to complete it and get their rewards (story included). However, the only thing that keeps people coming back right now is gear rewards. The content itself does nothing for anyone, because the story is bland and the difficulty is even blander. There's no satisfaction in completing Alexander, so the raid feels more like a weekly chore than enriching game content that makes me want to come back.

Also, attempting something N amount of times to get your win is rewarding because its a challenge. Again, it's fine that it's not for everyone. Some people like competitive full-contact sports. Other people like knitting. To each their own, but completely castrating Alexander's difficulty goes a long way in satisfying the casual players at the expense of leaving the Raid players out in the cold. There is no challenge to Alexander. Dps checks that can be easily passed on the first attempt do not count as "difficulty." Savage Dps checks are, at best, temporary difficulty. So, right now, the kiddie play-pen players got something they can roll with, and then go back to sleep after, but the raid players, the ones who actually do come back to play the game over and over, get nothing and have no reason to come back except completing their weekly chores.

Again, I'm not asking them to remove "normal" difficulty, but having some bosses that actually require some mechs to beat would be nice and go a long way in keeping the raids alive. T5, in the coil, had people going back for seconds over and over right up until final coil. The way Alexander is right now, people will stop playing it almost immediately after the gear gets outdated, because there's no point and no one will have trouble clearing A4 in order to get into the next set of floors.

[Fevelle]

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So you're saying that Savage is too easy and needs a mechanic revamp to make it harder? Or do you think that Normal is too easy? Because yes, it is, and it was designed to be. I understand that the game lacks something in-between (well, Alexander normal is easy even for me, and I'm nothing more than a regular-skill player who can hit buttons), something that needs some effort but isn't a time sinking challenge where you have to memorize every single thing just to get past a phase.

About "the ones who actually do come back to play the game", do you know that hardcore raiders are the very minority in the game right? And that casuals do play a lot, but don't engage on hard content? Money talks, so SQEX is probably always going to make content focused on the majority and releasing harder version for the hardcore playerbase. Do I agree with it? No. But I do not agree that hardcore content needs anything other than high-level rewards.