KrenianKandos on 04/19/2012, 09:52 AMThis thread delivers.
That is all.
/popcorn
Microwave, stove, air, or real popper? Makes all the difference in taste!
The thing I just want to point out to everyone, and it's my biggest point in this and the one thing I want people to realize, is the idea that an LFD system has a place in a game, but I don't personally think it should be right at release. You need time for a game to build it's base and then expand. Most problems with MMO devs is that they try to jump too big, too fast, and put everything together AND try to be revolutionary in their game. It just isn't the right way to do it: Build yourself a base, then expand.
I like how you think but I will disagree with you from a practical standpoint.
The latest example of why LFD is always good is SWTOR. I personally joined there just a month after release (many players had already moved on to higher levels) and it was ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to get a group for ANYTHING. The whole situation was pretty sad, because I wanted to group with people and do Heroics and Instances all the time, but without a LFD tool, it just could not happen. I was very disappointed, the whole game felt like a mediocre single-player experience.
After than (and Rift) I promised myself --- that from a practical standpoint -- I would never play another MMO that did not have a LFD tool at launch.
So althought I agree with you from a theoritical prespective, I think that reality is much more blunt. Perhaps if Tera was a different game -- maybe like GW2 with tons of Open World content where you can automatically join public groups and do stuff -- then a LFD tool would not be as necessary in the begining. As it stands right now, I think Tera needs it at launch.
All im trying to point out is that the LFD system isnt going to cause what your expecting it to by itself. Saying that "go look at any game that has a LFD and you see this" isnt exactly accurate because games that do have LFD are generally older MMOs that probably dont entice people to reroll toons or engage in active open world content like pvp or rift events and so fourth. Even if you make open world engaging and fun for all levels like what Rift did, that doesnt exactly make your game good and in Rifts case was its downfall. IMO open world content sounds great on paper but when implemented as a necessity to stay competitive or even just play the game it ends up caving in on itself because its too time consuming and its hard to get groups to do specific open world content to get certain rewards. Rift was a grade A example of this, the open world content style just isnt for everyone I guess.
I am in complete agreement with you, OP. On just about every single point you made, I really need not delve further.
However, I was there at the beginning of SWTOR, and I saw what happened when they didn't have an LFD tool from the beginning...and there wasn't even a lot of running...our MMORPG culture has just changed in to a more instant gratification type of people.
I loved the days where fly points were the only method of getting around, but a more modern player of this day and age will say "What's so fun about clicking a fly point and waiting 5 minutes". Nobody said the act of it was in and of itself fun, but it added a level of immersion. MMORPG's are generally several levels of immersion, and when you take away any of those levels it has a rippling effect on the entire MMO.
Everything is about having choices now, but the problem is that usually the choice is pretty one sided on the wrong side, like in the example you gave about using LFD for bonuses or not using LFD.
Here's what I think. Give group bonuses and extra rewards to groups that are formed of players all from the same realm, and simply allow the LFD players the convenience of a quickly formed group, nothing more. If the LFD players want to use LFD for its perks, they can, and it will work and do what it was created to do. If they want the extra rewards, then they need to go through the extra effort of forming the group. I've been preaching this idea since LFD came out in WoW though. To me it only makes more sense...more effort...more reward.
What do you think Krenian?
KrenianKandos on 04/11/2012, 07:04 PM
The voyage to the instance and that exploration is also removed. Now one could actually argue that after the first couple of runs to the instance, it's normally the same ol thing, and I'll agree. It does become repetitive which pretty much makes the walk less than amusing. But what people don't understand is the idea that the world thrives on people walking around. If the world doesn't have anyone in it, it feels empty and very weird. So many times I would walk around while leveling a character with a LFD system implemented and I would see so much art that was used for zones going to absolute waste because no one was really out there.
I wrote this in another thread but you basically answered your own question. You said that "If the world doesn't have anyone in it, it feels empty and very weird" and that is absolutely true.
What you said (without realising it) is that there is nothing to do in the game-world. THAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM!!!!!! It is definately is NOT fault of the LFD tool. What you intuitively understand is that developers have failed to provide content worth doing in the game-world and thus it is not worth going there. The solution to that is for Developers to actually develop endgame content worth doing in the gameworld. Then people will go out to the game-world. The LFD tool has nothing to do with this problem!