MSQ Difficulty and Exclusion

[redheadturk]

Well, congratulations, you've just encountered one such person (me) and I know of others who are like me (not surprising since most of my other friends are also elderly). We are not as uncommon as you might think. Unless that is, you are going to start claiming that I am a liar. Do you need my damned medical records to prove my existence to you?

^this. I am 52, legally blind, and have severe coordination issues. I raid savage, but it takes me a while to learn the fights in such a way that I can react to the mechanics a few milliseconds before they go out. I have to react before they go out or I will get hit by them. Making MSQ content too much more difficult would frustrate me to the point that I would not want to keep trying.

[Supersnow845]

^this. I am 52, legally blind, and have severe coordination issues. I raid savage, but it takes me a while to learn the fights in such a way that I can react to the mechanics a few milliseconds before they go out. I have to react before they go out or I will get hit by them. Making MSQ content too much more difficult would frustrate me to the point that I would not want to keep trying.

Wait I’m confused I understand your condition but how can you both raid savage and almost be at limit with the MSQ difficulty, mechanics go out way slower in normal content than savage content, if you aren’t dodging with 2-3 seconds to spare in normal then you’d be getting hit by every mechanic in savage

[weebtext]

Wait I’m confused I understand your condition but how can you both raid savage and almost be at limit with the MSQ difficulty, mechanics go out way slower in normal content than savage content, if you aren’t dodging with 2-3 seconds to spare in normal then you’d be getting hit by every mechanic in savage

Not to mention that in savage a good chunk of aoes aren't telegraphed.

[redheadturk]

Wait I’m confused I understand your condition but how can you both raid savage and almost be at limit with the MSQ difficulty, mechanics go out way slower in normal content than savage content, if you aren’t dodging with 2-3 seconds to spare in normal then you’d be getting hit by every mechanic in savage

A damn good shot caller, primarily. By the time I have been hit by the same mechanic a dozen or so times I learn the pattern so I can predict it going off in time to avoid it. That is also why I struggle with mechanics like Channeling where it's random though [especially when I'm in a crowd of people so reading the marker is rough for me.]

Also, it isn't so much that I am at the limit as that I don't want to deal with that level of frustration and the time it takes to learn and overcome that challenge in casual main story content and I shouldn't have to.

One more edit to add: The reason I will tolerate the frustration of dying to/wiping to mechanics time and time again in Savage is because Savage is supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be frustrating and you are supposed to fail again and again and again until it finally clicks. There is no feeling more satisfying than clearing a savage after your thirtieth wipe. But I don't want to go through that in MSQ.

[Eraden]

^this. I am 52, legally blind, and have severe coordination issues. I raid savage, but it takes me a while to learn the fights in such a way that I can react to the mechanics a few milliseconds before they go out. I have to react before they go out or I will get hit by them. Making MSQ content too much more difficult would frustrate me to the point that I would not want to keep trying.

The biggest problem I have with people calling for the MSQs to be made more difficult is that most of these people are not even asking for OPTIONAL harder modes. They want it to be made harder for EVERYONE. One has to wonder why these people feel the need to make things more difficult for everyone. For the few who have come to this thread to put in a word for OPTIONAL harder modes, I can get behind this. It gives those who want more of a challenge an opportunity to have such a challenge while at the same time, allows those of us who might be struggling from time to time with current content to be able to keep playing.

[Packetdancer]

The biggest problem I have with people calling for the MSQs to be made more difficult is that most of these people are not even asking for OPTIONAL harder modes. They want it to be made harder for EVERYONE. One has to wonder why these people feel the need to make things more difficult for everyone. For the few who have come to this thread to put in a word for OPTIONAL harder modes, I can get behind this. It gives those who want more of a challenge an opportunity to have such a challenge while at the same time, allows those of us who might be struggling from time to time with current content to be able to keep playing.

My own stance on this notwithstanding—though I think my post above this one makes it pretty clear where I fall in this debate—I will note I think part of the reason people argue for the MSQ difficulty being raised just flat-out, rather than optional harder content, is the idea that it would provide more encouragement—and more opportunity—for people to hone their skills on the way to endgame. Because, everything else aside, people aren't wrong that the MSQ's current difficulty level does not actually require people learn how their job works to any real degree. Freestyle SAM, Ice Mage BLM... playing like that won't actually prevent anyone from getting through the MSQ.

But if people then want to try higher-end content, there's not a lot of ground between "as long as you push some buttons you'll probably be okay" and "welcome to Extreme Trials!" The closest thing we have to an intermediate difficulty between the two is stuff like critical engagements in Bozja, and even that was enough of a step up from MSQ difficulty to give some folks a hard time. Not because they couldn't do it, but because the MSQ did not prepare them to do so. And we've seen a lot of people on these forums get frustrated because they feel like there's this giant gap to jump to get from the forgiving nature of the MSQ to even something as approachable as extreme trials.

No, I don't think the MSQ difficulty should be ramped up. Even if I would really love more content in this game that has some bite to it. (Fingers crossed for the Criterion dungeons?)

But I will admit I can also see why people would argue from the standpoint that it should be.

[Eraden]

My own stance on this notwithstanding—though I think my post above this one makes it pretty clear where I fall in this debate—I will note I think part of the reason people argue for the MSQ difficulty being raised just flat-out, rather than optional harder content, is the idea that it would provide more encouragement—and more opportunity—for people to hone their skills on the way to endgame. Because, everything else aside, people aren't wrong that the MSQ's current difficulty level does not actually require people learn how their job works to any real degree. Freestyle SAM, Ice Mage BLM... playing like that won't actually prevent anyone from getting through the MSQ.

But if people then want to try higher-end content, there's not a lot of ground between "as long as you push some buttons you'll probably be okay" and "welcome to Extreme Trials!" The closest thing we have to an intermediate difficulty between the two is stuff like critical engagements in Bozja, and even that was enough of a step up from MSQ difficulty to give some folks a hard time. Not because they couldn't do it, but because the MSQ did not prepare them to do so. And we've seen a lot of people on these forums get frustrated because they feel like there's this giant gap to jump to get from the forgiving nature of the MSQ to even something as approachable as extreme trials.

No, I don't think the MSQ difficulty should be ramped up. Even if I would really love more content in this game that has some bite to it. (Fingers crossed for the Criterion dungeons?)

But I will admit I can also see why people would argue from the standpoint that it should be.

The issue for some of us is that we CAN'T get much better than we currently are. No amount of trying to push those of us who are having difficulty with some of the content, due to our conditions, is going to make us better. Again, I have no problem with optional harder modes being implemented but if some of the people pushing for a non-optional increase in MSQ difficulty think that it is going to make us better, they simply do not understand our situations. All it will do is drive us out of the game.

[Ivtrix]

The issue for some of us is that we CAN'T get much better than we currently are. No amount of trying to push those of us who are having difficulty with some of the content, due to our conditions, is going to make us better. Again, I have no problem with optional harder modes being implemented but if some of the people pushing for a non-optional increase in MSQ difficulty think that it is going to make us better, they simply do not understand our situations. All it will do is drive us out of the game.

I’m more willing to believe this is not actually limitations but more so a mental block holding yourself back. Do you really feel like you have reached your peak performance in the game?

[DPZ2]

I’m more willing to believe this is not actually limitations but more so a mental block holding yourself back. Do you really feel like you have reached your peak performance in the game?

I'm more than willing to believe that you have no medical background and have not received a degree that grants you the ability to practice as a psychologist. Did you watch reruns of "House" recently?

Either take someone at their word or discard their opinion without comment. There was absolutely no need for your response.

[Ivtrix]

I'm more than willing to believe that you have no medical background and have not received a degree that grants you the ability to practice as a psychologist. Did you watch reruns of "House" recently?

Either take someone at their word or discard their opinion without comment. There was absolutely no need for your response.

No. Of course I have no medical experience. This is an Internet forum for a video game we all happen to enjoy not expressMD. But please forgive me for having some healthy skepticism and not automatically believing every Harry Hardluck and Sally Sobstory that comes into existence on these forums. Are there legitimate cases? Absolutely. But I am willing to believe there are simply a lot of dramatic people looking to overblow the issue. I’ll take my own time to decide how I feel about it, thank you.