Linear, linear, linear

[Avoidy]

This is, frankly, entirely an "us" issue (as in the players). They used to create dungeons with multiple paths, optional side areas, etc.. What did we the playerbase do? Find which path was "optimal" for the fastest clear, and completely ignore anything that was optional. Case in point - every single ARR dungeon I played, the only way I ever got the map completion achievements for them (which involves exploring all of those side paths) was to queue as the tank and insist on going to them. This isn't about SE. This is what we did as players when they created non-linear content. I'm not surprised at all that SE simply started designing the content the way we insisted on playing it anyway.

You're not wrong, but this is also something a developer of games would keep in mind and probably circumvent somehow if they felt like being creative. It's human nature to want to opt for the best option, but we also want some semblance of variety. This is the challenge facing CBU3, and probably all game devs to an extent. Instead of tackling it head-on by simply making the different paths worth exploring somehow (EXP boosts, worthwhile loot, a simple gate that won't open unless the path is explored, etc; these aren't super imaginative but I'm also not paid to do this for a living and I'm just naming examples to demonstrate that possibilities exist), they took the bitch-way out and simply eliminated all exploration. Imagine if all designers did this in all games, what a boring genre of entertainment we'd have. "Well, we figured you'd go for the quickest way to the end of the game, so we made a game that opens on the final boss." "Well, we could've designed multiple swords, but only one was the best in slot so we figured we'd just give you that one right out the gate," like just because people are likely to opt for the best option, doesn't mean you stop designing multiple options. You just have to change how those options are implemented and what incentives you're providing to get players to explore those other options in the first place.

Basically this shit's lazy af and totally blaming the players for it is kinda scuffed but not entirely inaccurate.

[R041]

This thread was slowly whittled away, like 2 whole pages are gone. lol

By the way, what's it mean when someone doesn't have medals next to their avatar?