Quote Originally Posted by linay View Post
There is always a most efficient way of achieving a goal. Flexibility means you can sacrifice that efficiency if you value other things and it won't be such a detriment to your goal. If you want the most efficient method, then of course you've limited yourself to whatever is the most efficient method available.
If there is a most efficient method to do something, there is at least one. There is nothing limiting the number of solutions to one though. FF14 leveling is a good example. Leveling through roulettes is only efficient because of the "artificial" daily bonus. If that didn't exist, leveling a little every day would be as efficient as leveling in chunks every few days. A player aiming for efficiency would have a choice to make. Right now we don't. This is what makes roulettes restrictive.

Quote Originally Posted by Shurrikhan View Post
Again, the reason I posed the question about roulettes, and how much systems should condition their players towards particular choices in the duration and locations of their playtime, is that as the game is increasingly streamlined, efficiency increasingly takes priority over engagement. We see this in the developers' designs and that does trickle down into player and community perceptions as to the shape and therefore intent of the game. (They then make requests for efficiency over engagement in ways that are easier for the devs to meet than requests for engagement over efficiency, and the feedback loop spirals on.)
This is a very good point, I feel the same at times. Requesting improved QoL is valid, but some suggestions just seem to be about streamlining the process of logging in, doing your allotted tasks, and then logging out.