Me Not Loco, Thankfully

Well it seems that a number of blogs have hit upon roughly the same city capture issues  over the weekend. You see I am not losing my mind. Now Reroller put something together which was much more coherently constructed than my previous days rant, so pop over and have a good read. Oh yes, if you also have time read this at Hardcore Casual, it covers Syncaines experiences, which were the total opposite of mine. It’s always good to have balanced opinions, to much negativity can rot the brain.

Anyway back to me, since it’s my blog.

The weekends experience with the city capture still rankles, which would imply that my disappointment with the whole debacle is possibly higher than I had previously thought.

I am not sure I agree with people being able to pick which scenario they go into during the city takes. It just creates an opportunity for a lob-sided player experience, which ruins it for the both sides. Which is better, a one sided PQ PvE event or a vigorous PQ with good realm fighting? This of course depends on your view point, but I think you can see where I am standing on this issue.

The server is going to need to be a lot more active in allocating people into scenarios. Each PQ is timed say for 15 minutes, at which point all finish at the same time, the server then matches groups/single/ warbands from opposing sides in a single flourish, for a balanced IC PQ/Scenario. If one side is out numbering the other, then so be it, that’s what happens if you realm is not committed. Ideally the perfect size for the matching process is going to be a group. If you happen to do a IC PvE PQ (No players from the opposing realm in it) in the previous 15 minutes, then your group will get shoved to the top of the queue for an active RvR PQ in the next 15 minutes. The servers job is to balance the sides.

I also think that if you quit or remain idle during the ICs capture scenarios while they are in progress, then you contribute to the other sides city capture point score. While the scenarios are resetting you can log out/quit without a penalty. Mythic should also apply a 15 minute scenario ban, for chickening out during any scenario fights. Hell if your wife/girlfriend or puppy dog has told you to log off, then you’re not going to be back in 15 minutes, whatever your intentions. You are benched. I am just cheesed of with people bottling it during a fight, just because the scenario is not going the way they would like. If people want one sided fights, play a standard FPS, if people want PvE content, go and play WoW.

Oh yes, lets talk contribution. How can I gain contribution in these PQs if the mobs die before anyone takes any damage or before I can get an insta off? If you are going to let a warband into the IC scenario, then it needs to be scalable to the number of players involved. Unless of course, the mob is meant to be taken down, while fighting the opposing realm. If so ask them to come in from camping the entrance to this city capture scenario, it must be getting cold out there.

Now this is the kind of letter I would write to Mythic atm.

Dear Mythic,

Can you please fix things before we (Your paying customers) turn up to beta test them. So in advance of one of the realms getting into a city, you can use your vast intellects in anticipating things that aren’t going to work as intended. You really should know the minds of your player base by now, that’s on top of all that experience you were reputed to have gained during DAOC.

Skarmedidoc
Frustrated Of Karak Eight Peaks

Now all this is based on a very frustrating weekend of play, where as a player I was poorly guided in what was a totally new aspect of the game. If game companies want people to get involved in their products, then they need to repeatably review the guidance they provide, forums should be viewed as backup source of information, not the primary.

And finally on a more positive note, you may want to pop over to tentonhammer which has a 7 minute video of the slayer. There is not a lot of action going on, but it does run you through some of the configuration options, which shows off some very nice tattoos, so stick with it till the end.

NOTE: When I refer to the IC (The Inevitable City), that can just as easily be swapped for Altdorf.