(04-01-2014, 05:02 PM)synaesthetic Wrote: The problem I have with the removal of the trinity and making every player "responsible" for themselves basically removes the cooperative aspect of the game entirely and severely limits the interesting mechanics a raid boss can have.
Your dream game would work fine in a PvP-only context. I just don't see it working very well in a PvE raiding context, not without becoming a mindless, mechanicless zerg.
Most of the interesting mechanics I've come across over the years have little or nothing to do with the presence - or lack thereof - of the trinity model. Take XIV's recent instances for examples: neither Diabolos' doors nor Gobmachine's bombs require any of the three archetypal roles to deal with.
When I think "trinity-based mechanics", I think of things like stacking debuffs that need to be cleansed (or not, hello Arioch), AoEs that need to be positioned clear of the party, DPS checks... you know, the mind-numbingly boring fare that has come to pass for MMO design.
All the trinity system does is impose cooperation on players by pigeon-holing them into certain tasks based on the class they chose when they started. Lack of trinity doesn't mean lack of cooperation, it just means that instead of Joe Schmoe performing task X every time, maybe he swaps out with Mary Sue for a particular encounter because Mary Sue's player happens to excel at said task for that particular encounter.
Unfortunately, that's not how and will likely never be how MMOs are designed due to developers being caught up in delivering the familiar to the consumer base for safe returns.
EDIT:
Mind you, 1. I've never played GW or GW2, and 2. By all accounts Arenanet failed miserably in doing away with the trinity system, and it sounds like a lack of innovative mechanics had a lot to do with that.