It would be a jerkish thing for me to quote all of your post; and you've addressed quite a bit of it clearly and maturely, and I both thank and respect you for that.
So I'm just going to snag this bit here, since it was a more direct question:
Of the MMOs that I've played where I actually -reached- anything resembling end-game -- which, to me, suggests that I've hit the point where I am able to see as much of the game as possible, whether it be going back to re-live lowbie questlines, or high-end raids/PvP -- I'd have to say one. I'd like that number to be higher, but do you know why it's not?
Because the stuff I stuck with for years in the -hopes- of seeing the end required so much -forced- group play, that it wasn't at all possible with my lifestyle, time available, and general overall patience.
Let me go on the record at this point as saying -- I feel all end-game content should be group oriented. That's why it's a multiplayer game, for crying out loud.
I also firmly believe that the ability to solo my way to that point, with the knowledge that I will be missing out on content along the way, should be an available option. But I should not be forced to group just to gain some exp.
If I want to take one that totally awesome quest mob? I should probably bring friends. But if I only have an hour or two to play, I really don't want to have to spend 30 minutes finding a group, another 10-20 minutes getting to the grind place, and then annoying my entire group by having to leave after a ridiculously short time.
In short, I don't believe you should get to do all the awesome crap, see the awesome quests, kill the awesome mobs, all by yourself. If you want to do that, they make singleplayer games. But I have no patience for a game that forces me to group just to make piddling progress.
In almost every MMO out there, the game starts when you reach the end. Some make the process of getting there more fun than others, but you're not out there grinding for the love of grinding, most of the time. You're grinding because you want the next cool thing, the next awesome ability, the next neat piece of armor. You're grinding to get to the end, so you can do the really kick-ass stuff.
Let me get to the end however the heck I want. If that means I want to solo to the end and miss out on some stuff, that's my choice; not yours. And the smartest thing the game designers ever did was make their games more accessible to a broader variety of player: from after-school players to hardcore grinders to mothers who have to sneak an hour here, two there.
Just like anything involving lots of people -- if they want it to succeed, it needs to be available to lots of people. Cutting them off from even reaching the end is just as narrow-minded, from a developers standpoint, as telling overseas players "Sorry, it's always going to be nighttime when you play!".
So I'm just going to snag this bit here, since it was a more direct question:
Quote:I would like to ask you, how many MMORPGs you have played where you were able to access ALL the game? And are you not, in fact, saying that the game should cater to one group of gamers at the expense of others? I would never presume to tell anyone how to play a game, especially one they are paying for, but, if I may be so bold, I would still like to exercise the freedom to comment on the content and mechanics of said game.
Of the MMOs that I've played where I actually -reached- anything resembling end-game -- which, to me, suggests that I've hit the point where I am able to see as much of the game as possible, whether it be going back to re-live lowbie questlines, or high-end raids/PvP -- I'd have to say one. I'd like that number to be higher, but do you know why it's not?
Because the stuff I stuck with for years in the -hopes- of seeing the end required so much -forced- group play, that it wasn't at all possible with my lifestyle, time available, and general overall patience.
Let me go on the record at this point as saying -- I feel all end-game content should be group oriented. That's why it's a multiplayer game, for crying out loud.
I also firmly believe that the ability to solo my way to that point, with the knowledge that I will be missing out on content along the way, should be an available option. But I should not be forced to group just to gain some exp.
If I want to take one that totally awesome quest mob? I should probably bring friends. But if I only have an hour or two to play, I really don't want to have to spend 30 minutes finding a group, another 10-20 minutes getting to the grind place, and then annoying my entire group by having to leave after a ridiculously short time.
In short, I don't believe you should get to do all the awesome crap, see the awesome quests, kill the awesome mobs, all by yourself. If you want to do that, they make singleplayer games. But I have no patience for a game that forces me to group just to make piddling progress.
In almost every MMO out there, the game starts when you reach the end. Some make the process of getting there more fun than others, but you're not out there grinding for the love of grinding, most of the time. You're grinding because you want the next cool thing, the next awesome ability, the next neat piece of armor. You're grinding to get to the end, so you can do the really kick-ass stuff.
Let me get to the end however the heck I want. If that means I want to solo to the end and miss out on some stuff, that's my choice; not yours. And the smartest thing the game designers ever did was make their games more accessible to a broader variety of player: from after-school players to hardcore grinders to mothers who have to sneak an hour here, two there.
Just like anything involving lots of people -- if they want it to succeed, it needs to be available to lots of people. Cutting them off from even reaching the end is just as narrow-minded, from a developers standpoint, as telling overseas players "Sorry, it's always going to be nighttime when you play!".
![[Image: 13990_f2adb86436460f2d.png]](http://sigs.enjin.com/sig-ffxiv/13990_f2adb86436460f2d.png)
![[Image: 19282_338794d10803ab75.png]](http://sigs.enjin.com/sig-ffxiv/19282_338794d10803ab75.png)
