This game needs less solo content.

[Payadopa]

People should not be "incentivized" to play specific parts of the game. If they want to, they will. Stop trying to force people into specific content you want to play. Clearly they enjoy the solo content more.

Of course they should be incentivised. If you have the same content but can choose between solo and group play the latter should always be better/faster. Otherwise you just create a ghost town and then nobody logs in anymore because "bruh, game dead".

And Criterion is also proof you need to incentivise and that's group only. You even have quest markers with a + so you know there is a reward at the end. That's just how our rodent brain works for better or worse.

[Aldath]

I mean, we have plenty. 10 years of content catalog actually.

Problem is, it's neglected, and there's no reason at all for you to rerun anything. I got a friend to try the game with the expanded Free Trial and though he's living the combat and instances, what is eventually driving him away aren't just the endless fetch quests, but the question of "this is great but why should we bother?"

[Saraide]

I mean, we have plenty. 10 years of content catalog actually.

Problem is, it's neglected, and there's no reason at all for you to rerun anything. I got a friend to try the game with the expanded Free Trial and though he's living the combat and instances, what is eventually driving him away aren't just the endless fetch quests, but the question of "this is great but why should we bother?"

A weird question, if it was so great wouldnt that alone be reason enough to do it? If you're already having fun why do you let a lack of rewards stop you?

[Aldath]

A weird question, if it was so great wouldnt that alone be reason enough to do it? If you're already having fun why do you let a lack of rewards stop you?

Okay, some arguments.
First, we need other people to play the content. For me some of the most fun I've had playing has been the Ivalice Raids and the Four Lords Trials. As a DPS, I have to potentially wait 20 minutes in queue on Primal for content almost no one else currently runs in order to do it, or create a PF that will potentially take longer. The time actually playing the content we enjoy is less than the time waiting to play it.
Second, rewards are part of a healthy gaming gameplay loop, no matter what. Even the simplest games like Mario platformers give small incentives in the shape of coins and score to give players a small dopamine rush. There's nothing as dissapointing as getting into the rush of combat just to finish it with nothing in return. Why would anyone queue for Normal trials, for example, if there's nothing but the once and done experience? Why would you queue for more than one run of each raid nowadays since that's enough to gear one character and said gear will get replaced not long into the MSQ? It's like watching an exciting film that gets cut abruptly by a sequel bait ending.

We are humans, it's part of how our brains work. This is a game that has group activities, depends on groups to play them as intended, and since most people will do them not only out of enjoyment, but for a feeling of accomplishment, there needs to be incentives for said groups to engage more often. Part of the average player enjoyment comes from conquering or achieving something, participating many times in a battle can be fun but it will get tiresome if there's no motivation, no goal.

[Saraide]

Okay, some arguments.
First, we need other people to play the content. For me some of the most fun I've had playing has been the Ivalice Raids and the Four Lords Trials. As a DPS, I have to potentially wait 20 minutes in queue on Primal for content almost no one else currently runs in order to do it, or create a PF that will potentially take longer. The time actually playing the content we enjoy is less than the time waiting to play it.
Second, rewards are part of a healthy gaming gameplay loop, no matter what. Even the simplest games like Mario platformers give small incentives in the shape of coins and score to give players a small dopamine rush. There's nothing as dissapointing as getting into the rush of combat just to finish it with nothing in return. Why would anyone queue for Normal trials, for example, if there's nothing but the once and done experience? Why would you queue for more than one run of each raid nowadays since that's enough to gear one character and said gear will get replaced not long into the MSQ? It's like watching an exciting film that gets cut abruptly by a sequel bait ending.

We are humans, it's part of how our brains work. This is a game that has group activities, depends on groups to play them as intended, and since most people will do them not only out of enjoyment, but for a feeling of accomplishment, there needs to be incentives for said groups to engage more often. Part of the average player enjoyment comes from conquering or achieving something, participating many times in a battle can be fun but it will get tiresome if there's no motivation, no goal.

I'm not saying there shouldnt be rewards. As it is the game would collapse without the active bribery that is duty roulettes. Trial roulette especially could stand to have better rewards in comparison. But 'he's loving the battle content' and 'why should he bother' is a contradiction that has plagued the entire genre for ages.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Okay, some arguments.
First, we need other people to play the content. For me some of the most fun I've had playing has been the Ivalice Raids and the Four Lords Trials. As a DPS, I have to potentially wait 20 minutes in queue on Primal for content almost no one else currently runs in order to do it, or create a PF that will potentially take longer. The time actually playing the content we enjoy is less than the time waiting to play it.
Second, rewards are part of a healthy gaming gameplay loop, no matter what. Even the simplest games like Mario platformers give small incentives in the shape of coins and score to give players a small dopamine rush. There's nothing as dissapointing as getting into the rush of combat just to finish it with nothing in return. Why would anyone queue for Normal trials, for example, if there's nothing but the once and done experience? Why would you queue for more than one run of each raid nowadays since that's enough to gear one character and said gear will get replaced not long into the MSQ? It's like watching an exciting film that gets cut abruptly by a sequel bait ending.

We are humans, it's part of how our brains work. This is a game that has group activities, depends on groups to play them as intended, and since most people will do them not only out of enjoyment, but for a feeling of accomplishment, there needs to be incentives for said groups to engage more often. Part of the average player enjoyment comes from conquering or achieving something, participating many times in a battle can be fun but it will get tiresome if there's no motivation, no goal.

Actually, it sounds like your issue is the crossword DC. Everyone does content on aether now.

[Zakuyia]

TLDR

SOLO CONTENT KILLS GROUP CONTENT
GROUP CONTENT KILLS SOLO CONTENT

Were at odds huh