Good Analogy behind GGG's Design Decisions...what do you think?

I thought of a good analogy that illustrates why GGG designs the game the way they do, and I was curious what people thought (it's a little long).

I think it's pretty well understood that many balancing decisions are based on the idea of maintaining the integrity of rewards for putting in more effort into the game or being better at it.

And every time a 'noob' or 'casual' says 'hey, can you loosen up on this so we can play the game too', GGG essentially says something about how they can't make changes that devalue the achievements of the core base who work hard (death penalty being a common one).

And that makes the core base happy, but it also means some gamers are just gonna stop playing your game. Maybe that was fine before, but now that TenCent owns GGG, it seems odd they would refuse a customer who is saying 'hey, I'll give you money if you can just find a way to accommodate me".

And the sensible solution to this is too just create difficulty tiers like games have been doing for many decades, rather than restricting a players ability to reach a certain level or finish the game.

I assume the reason GGG pushes back on this is because they want consistency. So if I get level 100 in standard, and another player gets 100 in hardcore, they don't want to devalue the 100 of the hardcore player. And that makes sense, because they worked harder to get it.

The confusing and frustrating thing is that there are so many other ways to open up the player base, while still rewarding top-tier players for their accomplishments.

The analogy I thought of that sums this up is that from the perspective of GGG, it would be like an economy class airline passenger asking for first class seating, but paying an economy price. Naturally, and rightly so, first class passengers would be pissed off that economy passengers get the same thing as they do, but have to pay a lot less money.

I truly think that is how GGG, and many core players, think about it.

Here is the thing...that is not how this has to work.

There is no reason to be so restrictive with most currency and enforce so many penalties and restrictions in standard because it devalues the work of other players in harder leagues. And I am genuinely stumped as to why, especially when GGG talks about innovation, they don't do any of this stuff.

(and maybe it is the plan, but then it would be great if that was communicated, since you're asking for a pretty steep investment of our time)

Here are some ideas...

* For one, you can probably just tell players you're in a harder league, and they would get it. As someone who would like to finish the game and get to level 100, but with a reasonable, yet not casual, amount of grind, I would never walk up to a hardcore player in game/in chat, be told they were level 100 hardcore and assume that my 100 was on par with theirs. And if I did, all you'd have to say is "hey man, no disrespect, but the league I play in is way harder"...and I'd be like "oh cool, congratulations."

* just make currency that is exclusively for them. As a standard player, I never need to see a mirror in my inventory slot, and I rarely need Vaal's. Since GGG won't do deterministic crafting for standard, all I need is a lot more exalts because that is the minimum amount needed to get decent items in trade. You can call it rare if you want, but the floor for decent items is an exalt, and the drop rate is extremely low for a standard player

* Or create unique items that are only available in those modes that can do special things or provide unique stats that are only needed to beat things in that mode

* could they be sold to normies, yes, but then balance against farming better. Also, does that mean the normie who has that item steamrolls through the standard campaign? Yes, but who cares? Why does it matter? As long as it's balanced for what we have, what difference does it make to me if someone steam rolls through the game because they bought a really expensive item? And if a normie is steam rolling through hardcore because they traded up out of their league, then you have other problems. There should be skill involved. If a single piece of gear is enough to just steam roll to endgame in hardmode without a high level of skill, that probably shouldn't exist.

* create an identifier on their name in game that signals they are from a harder league and have achieved a special status or distinction

* reward them with in-game currency they can use to buy stash tabs or skins not available in standard for getting x far in hardcore mode

* have an in-game leader board that shows where they rank among players. Standard players wouldn't care about a leaderboard, we just want to play the game. That is an honor for hardcore players, and they should be recognized for it

* give them exclusive hideouts that are only available in those modes

* give them priority channels for feedback when communicating with GGG so they're problems are addressed first, especially since their issues with balance are probably much more specific and detrimental on their experience

* player generated challenges that involve being able to do x challenge with y conditions, as well as a leaderboard to show who has done it, what their record is, etc...)

That's all I can think of the top of my head

My point is, I don't get why GGG, and possibly the players are so steadfast in the holding onto this belief that being able to finish the game or having the number 100 can't be shared. I just don't get it. It's like we're 8 year old's and GGG is saying only Phillip can play with the toy.

Having a sense of completion and wanting to finish the game is a pretty basic drive most gamers have, even those that can't mouse click at an elite level or grind for 3000 hours.

Especially now, there are so many players who are saying "we'll give you money and play your game if you just drop this or remove that", and GGG refuses to do that so they can preserve the integrity of level 100 or being able to beat x boss, when there are SO MANY other ways to reward top-tier players for achieving a high level of game play (which they fully deserve).

The vast majority of people can fly a plane and go to all the same places on the planet as a first-class passenger, but it really feels like GGG has said "yeah, you're just not allowed on the plane at a certain point". I just want a realistic chance of finishing this game without making it a full-time job. You can give me crappier hideouts, fewer rewards, less perks, worse skins/pets...just give me the ability to get to the same places as they go, but make it abundantly clear they did it a much higher level of game play than I did since they deserve the recognition

So yeah, that is my analogy and how I see it. I hope it made sense.

I highly doubt GGG reads these things, but it's worth a shot.

literally nobody is reading this. not just ggg.

Tldr, used chat gpt to summarize

The author critiques the game design philosophy of Grinding Gear Games (GGG) in Path of Exile, arguing that the company prioritizes the achievements of hardcore players over accessibility for casual players. GGG’s reluctance to accommodate less dedicated players is likened to refusing economy passengers first-class perks without additional cost, though the author believes this approach is unnecessarily restrictive and alienates potential paying customers.

The author proposes alternative solutions to reward hardcore players while expanding accessibility for others, such as:
1. Implementing difficulty tiers to balance effort and achievement.
2. Creating exclusive in-game items, currencies, or leaderboards for hardcore modes.
3. Rewarding hardcore players with unique cosmetics, hideouts, or priority feedback channels.
4. Allowing casual players to progress with fewer penalties while ensuring hardcore players maintain distinct recognition for their accomplishments.

The core argument is that GGG’s focus on maintaining the exclusivity of certain achievements neglects broader player satisfaction and growth opportunities for the game, especially under TenCent’s ownership. The author advocates for more inclusive gameplay options to allow casual players to complete the game without excessive grind while still honoring the achievements of elite players.

was reading up to the mention of tencent then just nopped out

if you can't tell that GGG is making the game they want to make and adjusting it based on the feedback of the players I don't know what to tell you.

I'm not saying at some point they wont veer off into the land of predatory monetizing everything (for those unaware GGG had paid betas even for early POE1 this is not new) and I'll be the first to raise the alarm. I hated the Kirac vault pass shit but in the end its pretty tame compared to say something like Diablo Immortal and the game itself well I'm fond of saying POE1 is a pretty good space ship shooter if you play one of the modes where its not ultra dumb.

I have plenty of criticism but the whole tencent narrative is silly you can just listen to the guys making the game and know that. Even when I'm ripping into them for bad melee or not scoping their end game out with sensible math, I can still see passionate gamers making a game they want to play.