Who is SE developing content for in this game?

[ko_]

I dunno. I play every day and I'm having a blast. Ofcourse everything does and will get old, but they are simply just using a system that works. Is it perfect? No. But that's what happens when you design for everyone instead of just a few people. Also a tiny bite I want to say. I get we are all at different skill levels. But and I say this with no hate. Every game is easy mode now. Remember when you only had 3 lives? Gameovers and no continues? I do. I also remember when games got mainstream everything got babied. So much so we now forget games like devil may cry 3 original mode and praise simple trial and error games like dark souls. Like that's the decade we are in now. Not a rant but that's across gaming as a whole. It's also cause devs dont want crap to be unseen. Its dumb but what're you gonna do? :c

[Hasrat]

As someone that started back in the 3.x cycle, and is basically only just caught up to where the game was when I started, I can say there's tons to do if you actually pace yourself. Granted, most of it is a grind, a dreadful one at that. But if you want to be completionist...

That said, when only a certain subset of the content is what appeals to you, naturally very little of any patch/expansion will keep your attention.

Perhaps it can be said the game caters best to the completionists. I'm wrapping up getting combat jobs to 60, but I've still got to loop back around and get my crafting and collecting classes up (finishing off those Moogle tribe quests in the process), I'm working on a second ARR relic weapon (and regretting the decision every step of the way), while starting a HW relic (regret soon to follow). I've almost finished off the ARR sightseeing log. I could craft one of everything just to say I did (damned addictive checkmarks). I think I've still got a set of ARR mastercraft books to get (stupid demimateria requirement). Demimateria! My desynth skills are woefully low. I was abandoned in an FC, I could figure out these exploratory missions. I've been to the Diadem once, that was kinda neat. I've heard there's a special zone I can see from treasure maps?

I've barely even touched PotD! The fact that I can't even get around to that astonishes me. It just comes off as the thing you grind so you can skip all that other stuff and get straight to the small slice of content you think you want. And if you have to do that, then, well, I hope you're getting your money's worth.

[CainCrimson]

As someone that started back in the 3.x cycle, and is basically only just caught up to where the game was when I started, I can say there's tons to do if you actually pace yourself. Granted, most of it is a grind, a dreadful one at that. But if you want to be completionist...

That said, when only a certain subset of the content is what appeals to you, naturally very little of any patch/expansion will keep your attention.

Perhaps it can be said the game caters best to the completionists. I'm wrapping up getting combat jobs to 60, but I've still got to loop back around and get my crafting and collecting classes up (finishing off those Moogle tribe quests in the process), I'm working on a second ARR relic weapon (and regretting the decision every step of the way), while starting a HW relic (regret soon to follow). I've almost finished off the ARR sightseeing log. I could craft one of everything just to say I did (damned addictive checkmarks). I think I've still got a set of ARR mastercraft books to get (stupid demimateria requirement). Demimateria! My desynth skills are woefully low. I was abandoned in an FC, I could figure out these exploratory missions. I've been to the Diadem once, that was kinda neat. I've heard there's a special zone I can see from treasure maps?

I've barely even touched PotD! The fact that I can't even get around to that astonishes me. It just comes off as the thing you grind so you can skip all that other stuff and get straight to the small slice of content you think you want. And if you have to do that, then, well, I hope you're getting your money's worth.

Hmm... we have similar play styles here, you and I.

[Gemina]

OP, just because you cannot find anything to do does not mean there is nothing to do. This game has a ridiculous amount of content that caters to all sorts of players. It is unfortunate if you have not found anything to keep you interested, or anything new to take your interest. What I always say to peeps in your case is if you can't find any enjoyment in the game then you have to strongly consider continuing to pay the monthly sub. You can always take a break, and check out the official patch notes as they release more content to see if anything grabs your attention then.

[Rufalus]

We have a lot of displeased with the game topics already. If people can suggest something they'd like to see it would be more constructive and valuable feedback. You'll find it's not easy to please everyone though as other people criticise your idea the way you criticise S-E. Coming up with sustainable content ideas under realistic technical and budgetary conditions that covers a wide spectrum of tastes isn't an easy job.

Making pve content stay fun after several playthroughs is especially hard. Everything in life wanes. If it were possible to have sex for 8 hours a day, people would get tired of that and say that sex is boring too. Part of what makes it special is that you're not doing it all the time. MMOs have a very hard task of staying engaging for many hours per week across many years.

They could implement some kind of infinite grind system just to keep you busy for more hours but then people with less time to play will feel left behind. If you don't want to farm mounts, cards, gil, pvp, etc between patches then maybe just take little breaks, a week off here and there, and the content may feel more engaging when you return.

[JCharms]

then people with less time to play will feel left behind.

I understand what youre saying and I didnt cut out the rest of your statements to dismiss them, but this particular part Im interested in. Do you think this is the reason there is not more robust game features being put in place?
Ive thought about it at times, but its such a complex question and answer as well, that its not something we are ever likely to get any sort legible answer to.(thinking back to so many Q&A's that get it so wrong)

[Rufalus]

I understand what youre saying and I didnt cut out the rest of your statements to dismiss them, but this particular part Im interested in. Do you think this is the reason there is not more robust game features being put in place?

I think it's a kind of middle ground compromise. They design things to last a certain amount of hours such that people with little time will eventually be able to get all of the rewards and not feel hopelessly left behind, but people with more time have just enough meat to last (especially if gearing several jobs instead of one.)

I'd be interested to know how other games handle it if anyone has a lot of experience in WoW or GW2 endgame, what are they doing to keep endgame players engaged for long sessions?

I know there was some kind of random stat titanforge thing in WoW. I always liked random stat aetherial loot in XIV like those from diadem that you could keep farming for different stat permutations. Hardcore parser people hated it because pve is like a competition to them and they didn't want somebody with better random stats beating them on fflog parse leaderboards.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Back when I played GW2, there was literally nothing to do at endgame other than grinding glamour items. Every piece of dungeon gear was equal in strength to any rare gear you could craft, so it was only going after the stats you wanted, which tended to be locked into the slaying? preset i think, that was crit dmg, crit%, and attack if i remember right.

They made everything else a grind even worse than XIV's.

[Aronys]

Back when I played GW2, there was literally nothing to do at endgame other than grinding glamour items. Every piece of dungeon gear was equal in strength to any rare gear you could craft, so it was only going after the stats you wanted, which tended to be locked into the slaying? preset i think, that was crit dmg, crit%, and attack if i remember right.

They made everything else a grind even worse than XIV's.

Then you only played it for a month after launch? Because they added fractals and raids since, not to mention various collections such as legendary armor, legendary weapons, mount collections... to name a few.
I've been playing GW2 again for the past 6 months and it's a much better experience than what XIV is offering at the moment. You have long term goals that actually matter and don't get outdated. Ever.

[NessaWyvern]

If you look, you can find content. I recently spent around 2mil mgp breeding a perfect stat and ability racing chocobo, which is soot black. Black Orchid (wearing Tsuku barding) is my pride and joy. Took a few weeks to get her too!

I also recently got 4 HoH clears using PF only