PD
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I have… much to say of this discussion having been against these kinds of things for years. But only now is it becoming apparent what damage these kinds of things do in the long term. I will say in terms of rhetoric though, the very asking of this question invites the discussion of demanding reforms, if we come to the conclusion that none of this makes sense. That being said, despite my polemics from other discussions, I want to say at least this much:
1. It’s worth noting that as I said before, Frostval hasn’t had portals for itself since 2014. Thus the argument for angering the people who bought paintings won’t apply pre-2014.
2. I suspect much of this discussion will lie on the heels of personal judgement. There’s wide acknowledgment that staff indeed can do as they please with the product. Thus much is even acknowledged amongst themselves. The power shall lie within us the community to make a collective decision about being willing to confront this issue and come to a consensus, and ultimately give our consent to that said solution so that it may be done.
3. On the heels of the camp that will argue against any changes or even be hostile to reforms, some acknowledgement is going to be conceded that Frostval being as it is does do massive damage to the development of the game long term. And I offer 3 argument to this, irrespective of personal opinion:
Frostval because of its length has been a great contributor to the lack of existing content and the multitudes of equipment gaps that do exist. Particular in the respect to the element it usually represents, Ice and its adjacent element, water. Both elements which are in the most dire need of coverage. Particularly this year, we will not finish the MC Saga and will have to wait until next year for this, when the bandwidth is available for that.
A symptom of the problem of unobtainable content, the asking of more inventory space has been one that has been asked repeatedly. No doubt the current cap is low, but it’s exacerbated by the amount of unobtainable content. With permanent content, you can be much more flexible about it. If you need the space, you can sell items to make room, and then buy it again when you do need it. But unobtainables (and let’s stop using rares as a term. The correct term for this unobtainable) you cannot be so flexible. Your only option is to vault items to other characters, but more inventory slots which will run out eventually, or in the worst case sell unobtainable that don’t have any effects. But you cannot buy them back later.
As an addendum to the first point, these kinds of things worsen playability in that it’s difficult to follow character progression. I already made the “Extra Characters” thread awhile ago about how incredibly difficult the game is without access to seasonal and/or unobtainable content. It interrupts the a possible flow of character power progression and makes the game unfun to play at a level not at a maximum or even F2P. Even as someone who had been playing for years, every boss challenge in the game pales in comparison to a true new player experience. And a large component of that lack of centralized progression is of course intermittent content which Frostval is certainly the worst offender of. It’s just incredibly difficult to play when you are effectively playing with two hands behind the back.
4. Admittingly I will be on the most extreme of the other side of the camp, which in its ideal scenario demands complete reform irrespective of any sentimental judgement against it. But understanding this is likely going to be a tall order, both from a pragmatic standpoint and acknowledgment that there is work beyond just doing what we think we ought to do.
5. I have mentioned before elsewhere. But Guardian Giftboxes are the equivalent of an MC set, on top of the MC set that is also prepped in advance. And then there’s also the delivery set which while not explicitly a set like the giftboxes, pieces together as one. Certainly if not in judgement, Frostval indeed gives us the most items content wise. But this speaks to the above issues where it’s responsible for massive equipment gaps. Perhaps there maybe still people out there who will still argue against accessibility. They may even have a valid concern if there was money involved. Yet there still must be acknowledgment outside of personal judgement the playability gaps. We certainly at least owe ourselves enough to make sure the game is playable and approachable.
I was going to make a longer post about this when Frostval was over so so could let AQ finish for 2021 and have a better picture. The staff had commited itself in word at least, to focus more on updates, accessibility and other pressing overhauls that are widely acknowledged in need. Let’s hope they follow on their word. It’s going to be a crucial year 2022 for sure no matter what happens. And we’ll all be in it for that ride where ever it takes us.
< Message edited by PD -- 12/15/2021 2:25:39 >
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