Since Deep Dungeon gonna come back in EW, let's revise the queuing system

[InkB]

It doesn't require it at all, but it definitely makes like easier. It's not uncommon either. These sites have always been a thing because an MMO can only provide so much to facilitate communications. If they were to have things like in-game voice chat, it would be so much more to maintain. It would be a bigger money sink dragging them further down and forcing them to look at charging more. (MMOs have had the same subscription rate for over 20 years now, while everything gets more inflated.)

It's not a design failure. It's focusing on what matters by focusing on the game content. Why should they bother with comms services when something like discord exists?

Voicechat is not my point...

I meant that to get into content in-game, thats not savage static, you shouldnt need external programs or sites to connect with like-minded communities to be able to do it at all.

Example; There shouldnt be any need to join discord community to be able to run thro Bozja content. The bozja story requires you to do Castrum and Del - but barely anyone does them because castrum is "not optimal EXP/Hour for my reaper leveling!!" or whatever. And Del gives no rewards at all unless you do relic. Sure, its not MSQ and its optional. But even then.
You join discord community who semi-regulary do pre-made runs for Castrum etc. Otherwise you might not be able to run one for weeks or at all if you end up in "wrong instance"

Or another bizarre example.. Rival Wings. They spend lot of time making that PvP mode only to remove one of the maps AND never put it on any type of roulette or part of FL roulette pool. To play this mode you basically had to rely on "community-run events on weekends" with specific times. You dont need discord to know when its up but if you have need to advertise days before the event to do regular in-game content I find it bit .. bad?

[Deveryn]

Voicechat is not my point...

I meant that to get into content in-game, thats not savage static, you shouldnt need external programs or sites to connect with like-minded communities to be able to do it at all.

I know what you meant and that's a very narrow view of things. I refer back to my main point on communication. In the presence of all these ways to communicate, it shouldn't fall on the game designer to spend time and energy on such things. When those areas first came out, it definitely wasn't needed. It's inevitable that things settle down for areas like bozja, which is why they've moved away from it. It would have been even worse if they had decided to make yet another battlefield, but they saw that it would take people away and they truly would have wasted all that development time on short lived content. Bozja still has plenty of incentives to get people in there. Eureka still sees plenty of use.

I don't see anything wrong with using external tools to find info or people, but again, I'm just used to it. There's only so much to be done, especially when you have all these connected Worlds and now connected Data Centers. That's one of the best things they have going for getting content done. There was none of that in past games. You HAD to do your content when it came out and before the level cap increased or that was pretty much it.

[Neoyoshi]

The queue system for that content relies heavily on individual progression of said content, if they made it anymore flexible, it'd break the system and make it unplayable for those that aren't ready for the higher floors, plus since Story is attached- you know, spoilers.

EDIT: plus this really is a non-issue, the only reason queues are slower right now is because of the content lull and a lot of the WoW players we got in that super influx ran back to WoW recently because of classic WoTLK.

[InkB]

I know what you meant and that's a very narrow view of things. I refer back to my main point on communication. In the presence of all these ways to communicate, it shouldn't fall on the game designer to spend time and energy on such things. When those areas first came out, it definitely wasn't needed. It's inevitable that things settle down for areas like bozja, which is why they've moved away from it. It would have been even worse if they had decided to make yet another battlefield, but they saw that it would take people away and they truly would have wasted all that development time on short lived content. Bozja still has plenty of incentives to get people in there. Eureka still sees plenty of use.

I don't see anything wrong with using external tools to find info or people, but again, I'm just used to it. There's only so much to be done, especially when you have all these connected Worlds and now connected Data Centers. That's one of the best things they have going for getting content done. There was none of that in past games. You HAD to do your content when it came out and before the level cap increased or that was pretty much it.

I'm not sure you get what I'm saying. Discord and the likes should not be used as queue system or fix to one. For community and communication? Yes 100%!

I consider queue-system fail if you have to download seperate app, join specific server (you might not know about unless you ask around), use the chat there, wait for people, setup group, setup date or hour when you wanna do it or wait for grand event that might or might not happen once a week.

You can queue in-game for Bozja's Del, but you need to be next to the NPC. The queue will forcefully start Del after certain amount of time no matter how many people get in. Sometimes its 2. Sometimes 4 if lucky. Thats why you either join discord or setup PF. PF might work but ive seen one PF be up for hours with just 2 people.

You can queue to POTD/HOH 11-50, but you have to go to NPC and have save for those floors so you will never know what floors are needed by someone going thro them first time, for example. I'd love to help people go thro 11-50 but it would take hours to do all 40 floors.. lemme just press button and be thrown into something like 31-40 and help people out while getting something small in return.

For POTD and HOH i'd say at least add them to duty finder as "random floor" option. Dont have to be roulette. Or heck, add them to mentor roulette.