Let's Discuss: Weekly Limits

[Kaurie]

Someone on my server has the perfect search message for this: "RNG doesn't solve an MMO's problems".

I personally don't mind the weeklies. Gives me things to do and, when I'm done, either level other classes and/or run things with my FC. We do bird runs weekly etc. So there is plenty to do beyond gearing up.

And honestly, unless you're doing Savage you don't even need rush to gear up.

I am doing Savage; however, gearing up is pretty much the point of the game to me.

"RNG Doesn't Solve an MMO's problems" seems like a weird statement. IMO FFXIV suffers from RNG a lot worse than WoW does, but beyond that RNG is a useful too. Without randomness, games would be pretty boring. Random number generation has been used in like every video game ever.

[Frowny]

I am doing Savage; however, gearing up is pretty much the point of the game to me.

"RNG Doesn't Solve an MMO's problems" seems like a weird statement. IMO FFXIV suffers from RNG a lot worse than WoW does, but beyond that RNG is a useful too. Without randomness, games would be pretty boring. Random number generation has been used in like every video game ever.

Valid point then given you're doing savage.

RNG is fine, but there's a point where you shouldn't have RNG for the sake of having it. Forgot who (sorry!) that mentioned Legion is RNG on top of RNG etc. I haven't touched WoW so I can't comment on the validity, but that example is just tedious and tossing RNG in for no reason.

Edit: To add, I DO love the idea of a cap based on roles. I want to gear my WHM/PLD, but since DRG is my baby they're forced to get just A9-12 stuff right now.

[Zojha]

Without randomness, games would be pretty boring.

In other words: Nearly all sports are pretty boring. Platformers are pretty boring. Shooters are pretty boring. Racing games are pretty boring. Fighting games are pretty boring without Mokujin. Most Tower Defense games are pretty boring. And the majority of any given Legend of Zelda game is boring as well. TIL.

RNG is cheap design and for good reason rarely applied where things matter. Whether you advance to the next stage is almost never decided by RNG, but either your merit (eg fighting games) or point accumulation (eg experience levels). Whether your controls work is also never decided by RNG and you typically get set abilities, rather than random ones, when you advance. Level caps are never random either. Whether a boss is inside a dungeon or a quest target in the game and you can actually complete it isn't random either. Whenever things are important, RNG is kept out, because it's bad design and that's very obvious when you try to apply it to things that matter.
It's innately unfair, too, because it means people aren't rewarded for their merit or effort but rather the luck of the draw. I'm pretty sure more people would agree to have their salary performance based than to having it decided by a dice roll, because most people prefer just rewards over unjust ones.

Nevertheless, RNG still is common, no doubt. It's simple and adequately stupid, but very easy to implement and a great carrot on the stick because any time could be winning time. But that doesn't make it any less bad. It's a design relic that thankfully is being slowly phased out.