Hoping GGG sticks to their guns.

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Panda413 wrote:

My intent isn't to debate FFA or respec in this thread. I can just see what kind of attitude is coming up a lot and hope that GGG doesn't feel the need to compromise on their goals and ideas to satisfy the loudest critics that believe they know more about game design than the professionals.

It's as if I can predict the future. :/

Mods, I understand if you have to lock this thread. So much anger and hostility driven by entitlement. This is why we can't have nice things.

Any attempts at changing the loot system will result in the horrific detonation of your stash. Consequences will be instantaneous upon non-compliance of this demand.

People who present ideas as "Do this or face my wrath" aren't useful.

People who respond to ideas as "You suck we already decided what we want" aren't useful either.

Remember that just because some have already considered and discarded an idea doesn't mean that it can't be rehashed on an intelligent level.

Do people really think that GGG should "stick to their guns" even when it's a poor business decision?

Loot rules are not a zero-sum game. Microtranaction games need lots of players, so the more players GGG can suit with varied loot systems the better. It would be a poor business decision to force all players to use a FFA loot system that many perceive as a form of forced PvP. Forced PvP is unpopular and limits the potential of the game. The forum is full of requests for flexibility, so the better business decision is to implement a couple of different loot systems and make the game appeal to a broader market.

As for respec, again it's a business decision and this time it's a question of player retention. First-time players are the most likely to mess up a spec and hit a wall. They're slso the ones who really want to get a character to end-game rather than reroll. GGG sends the negative message that they don't value the player's time or care whether they can finish the game if they force a reroll rather than offering an opportunity to fix the character and continue playing.

I don't advocate unlimited free respecs at all because it would ruin the replayability of the game. However, GGG needs to figure out a way to retain players who really screw up their first character. Orbs of Regret are not the answer because they are too rare and a new player won't have access to enough of them.

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MorriganGrey wrote:

Do people really think that GGG should "stick to their guns" even when it's a poor business decision?

Loot rules are not a zero-sum game. Microtranaction games need lots of players, so the more players GGG can suit with varied loot systems the better. It would be a spectacularly poor business decision to force all players to use the same loot rules all the time, particularly a system many perceive as forced PVP, when player feedback is mostly requests for choices.

As for respec, again it's a business decision and this time it's a question of player retention. First-time players are the most likely to mess up a spec and hit a wall. They're slso the ones who really want to get a character to end-game rather than reroll. GGG sends the negative message that they don't value the player's time or care whether they can finish the game if they force a reroll rather than offering an opportunity to fix the character and continue playing.

I don't advocate unlimited free respecs at all because it would ruin the replayability of the game. However, GGG needs to figure out a way to retain players who really screw up their first character. Orbs of Regret are not the answer because they are too rare and a new player won't have access to enough of them.

Valid points Morrigan.

Believe it or not, I don't believe a business should base every decision on profitability and number of customers. I believe the close to 1 million dollars GGG has already made in PoE purchases is an indication that they don't need to compromise on this issue to be successful. I believe Blizzard made a profit with D2 which only offered FFA (with no timers).

I am not convinced that a change in loot mechanics is necessary for PoE and GGG to be successful.

Chris's stated goal of PoE is to recapture the feeling he had playing D2 and offer that to the people that have been looking for it. I believe if he can accomplish his goals, pay all his bills, and have enough left over to celebrate over a pint, this game was a success! Hopefully he does even better than that though.

Interesting points...

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Basinx wrote:

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Why you have not been banned from here is incredible. Pretty obvious that you are the type of person most complaining about FFA are worried about.

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Panda413 wrote:

Believe it or not, I don't believe a business should base every decision on profitability and number of customers. I believe the close to 1 million dollars GGG has already made in PoE purchases is an indication that they don't need to compromise on this issue to be successful. I believe Blizzard made a profit with D2 which only offered FFA (with no timers).

Agree so much I can hardly stand it. There is ZERO need to cater to a really wide player base, in fact it would be detrimental to do so. A game can be wildly successful while only appealing to a small percentage of players due to the large world population and number of total gamers. Watering down the essence of the game in an attempt to attract other gamers will do nothing but take away the unique feeling that makes this game worth playing.

PS it's NOT a dick move to snipe loot in this game. It is part of the game and intentional, have fun with it!