Originally Posted by
hensatri
Let me start by saying that if this behavior does not describe you, then you are not the intended target.
I have bounced around a few MMOs in my day, and it is almost universally true that it is the hardcore that complain the most. I mean we all know about the newbie who rages on the forum cause this class tanked better than them and was one level below, or that their DPS pulled aggro when they felt it shouldn't. They wail about this class being broken or that class being OP, and we mostly ignore them.
What really gets me is the old school hardcore gamer who frothes at the mouth at the slightest hint that they game may become easier, more streamlined, or more casual.
I don't know if its a pride issue, that they worked harder for something than the next generation did, or if they have a seething resentment of handouts, or if they see any change as a fall from the grace of some imaginary ideal era that never actually existed.
Hey guys, you are basically the crotchety grampa of the MMO world.....knock it off.
Look, the gaming market is getting broader everyday. Your Target audiance is no longer the person who somehow finds the time to play 30 hours a week or more. Your Target audiance is the mom who only has a few hours while the kids are at practice, or the young executive who wants to bash orcs for an hour or two and then has to get in bed early, or the student with a social life who wants to relax on Sunday evening but doesn't play much the rest of the week. These people need a game that will give them a rewarding experiance in a 2-3 hour session, won't take them a year to reach level cap, and with dungeons that don't take a whole evening to orgainize and run, and then run 10 more times to figure out the strategy to actually win.
You....hardcore gamer.....person who isn't happy unless reaching level 80 is a new year's resolution, who isn't happy unless the raid is hair-pullingly difficult, you....you are not the Target audiance, you are now just one demographic amongst many.
I'm not saying you don't get content. I'm not saying your $14.99 doesn't count. But the game needs to be broad, with specific material to Target specific gamers. That is why a game can be casual so I can play, but also have a few outrageously hard areas so you can get your kicks too.
So why is it that you arent content to have a corner of the experiance just for you? Why is it that if the whole game isnt hardcore than it sucks, and its the wrong direction, and its a sell out? Let's not kid ourselves and pretend AOC isn't hard. Isn't it known for having some of the hardest dungeons in a mainstream mmo? If you look me in the eye and tell me there isn't a compelling challenge for you in the game, then I don't believe you. If that is true, then congrats, you beat the game.
I for one love seeing a game populated with casual players, I love seeing the eager new faces. I love a game that rewards me without requiring a surrogate marriage to it. So why not let casual players play casually, and enjoy the hardcore content that you can complete, which most of the rest of us cant, because, we aren't as dedicated as you?
If your enjoyment of a game is dependant on everyone else having a hard time of it, then I say you need to reexamine why you play.
#bear in mind, im not an AOC vet, but I know the end game raids are tough cause they even come up in raid discussion on other game forums as being an example of a "hard dungeon", and these observations of the hardcore, which hold true in every game community I've been a part of, are on fine display here.