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Stelarinna -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (11/23/2010 1:40:24)
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Low popularity? Yes. The fault lies partly in MQ's lack of funding, and AE's being spread rather thinly as a whole; and partly in MQ's lacking somewhat.
Don't look at me like that, you. We all know it's true. Very, very sad, and mainly due to the small (but valiant) available staff size, but true. Since we know that, I won't harp on about it for the amount of space that I usually take up. Instead, I'd like to write about the lack of content, which is what made me, personally, leave MQ for so long. You've already talked that subject over, as well, but with the holidays coming up, I don't see something else being pointed out.
In the state MQ is in currently, can AE really afford to take the time from more important matters to work on what is essentially a side storyline, or, to use this word in a slightly different manner from the usual, fanservice?
Of course, this argument could be used for a lot of things, including the infamous SCMM debate(s). (Please don't make me go there....) But to return to the original topic. The amount of space given to holidays and special events is quite frustrating, even to someone who's been playing MQ for as long as I have. If I took even a month away, I stood a good chance of losing a chance at missions and equipment that was now unavailable. As it is, I suspect that I've missed a good deal of content in the time that I was away. As pointed out on the first page, it is quite demoralizing to come back to MQ after six months' absence and only require a few hours of gameplay at the most in order to catch up with the storyline, even if it isn't enough to gain the current "Best" items and grind up to the level cap.
As for the storyline; for now I'll just focus on its organization, or lack thereof. As an relatively old player, I have a good idea of where to go and what to do, but even I was confused over the changes that have taken place over the past few months.
Case in point: Lagos.
Has anyone reported to AE the fact that, when traveling to Lagos via the Starmap, even on a character that has not completed the quest chain, the Pirates vs. Arthuria War STILL comes up after how many months? (Of course, I shouldn't be able to skip over that much of the story on a character that has barely completed Soluna. As for how I was able to even defeat the Gark enemies with it, I have two words for you: Lucky Bladestorm.)
Overall, I find MQ's organization to be very confusing, as there is little indication of where to go and what to do. Mashing the "Random Encounter" button gets boring after only so many times. (Indeed, we have a name for that particular playing style. We call it "farming" or "grinding", something MQ contains entirely too much of already.) Since I've been here since almost the very beginning, I was able to watch much of the story unfold and am thus familiar with it. However, if I were a player just starting now, I can say with confidence that I would be hopelessly lost upon landing the Dropship. There is not even a set ingame order in which to do the planets, for heavens' sake, despite the fact that they clearly build upon one another.
Not only that, but the relatively large amount of special events going on, especially at such a time as this, only serves to cloud the scene further. I'm not recommending that they be stopped entirely, but that the entire interface be streamlined; esp. for players that have not yet left Soluna. Nothing is more confusing for me in a game than to click "New Release" and be taken to the area using a mode of transportation that I have not yet unlocked. (AKA Frostval and Mogloween planets.)
Exploration is important, yes, but without any guidance or a straightforward quest order, the game just falls apart.
...I'll stop here. Looking forward to seeing my post being ripped apart by those more knowledgeable in recent events than I. Take care, all.
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