Meursault wrote on Dec 23
rd, 2019 at 8:25am:
LOL, you're right, of course. Nowhere did they advertise Play to Win, or Fair and Balanced, or anything like that. And even if they did, we'd have to consider the source and realize it wasn't going to be truth in advertising. Anyone with even a passing acquaintance with SSG knows that regardless of what they say, it's all about making whales stand still long enough to be milked. And for that, mission accomplished.
And the whales (and quite a few collateral non-whales, but who cares) enjoyed the experience, so it's a win all the way around. This is what we expect now from SSG, and this is what we got, yay.
The problem was entirely in the expectations of myself and others who saw them borrow phrasing that sounded similar to games like PoE and assumed it would be a similar quality experience. But SSG borrows the name D&D and the "roll a d20" mechanic, but abandons most of the finer points that keep D&D balanced, so why on earth would we expect them to be faithful to the standards set by PoE? There isn't even a licensing agreement to back it up.
It is what it is and I'm fine with it, just please don't tell me clouds are bright blue and the large wet drops falling from the sky are sunbeams so you can cheerfully proclaim it's a bright sunny day. Rain makes the crops grow and Pay to Win is how SSG keeps the lights on, accept it for what it is and be content.
Sounds like we agree.
I think players need to realize that the competitions are, as currently designed, going to skew towards people spending both a lot of money and a lot of time in game to win competitions. Players who want a completely level playing field are probably not the target audience. Because SSG wants players spending both a lot of time in game and spending a lot of money on the game.
You can pejoratively call heavy money spenders "whales" and pejoratively call heavy time spenders "no-lifers" but that doesn't alter the fact that the progression and reward systems have been targeted at this group of players for years. And, more accurately, at the intersection of the two in the Venn Diagram.
For example in Hard Core, it turns out the winner was someone with a willingness to spend AND a willingness to dedicate a full time job's worth of hours per week. Not surprising at all. That maximizes both advantages to the fullest. Skill is still required, but skill over too few hours doesn't get the same result. Nor will skill without the results magnifiers of store items yield the same result.
Both the "whales" and the "no-lifers" benefit from these kinds of competitions and SSG benefits from their activity. Some people only care about the "whale" advantages. Some only care about the "no-lifer" advantages. Personally, I care about both. However, as I said, I get that I'm not the target audience for these competitions. Until the competitions limit both money and time as advantages, then I'm just there for the fun of hard core and the thrill of the game as a challenge again.
I personally think the game would be better if the store did not sell progression items and monetization was based on content, cosmetics, and QoL. At the same time, cap the grind on a per character basis and limit single character progression over time. That will reduce the need for progression bypasses, lower the power gaps, and increase alt play. Then make competitions based on skill, not money spend or time spend. That would make the game more accessible to a larger player base, including new and returning players. I know some folks think these ships have sailed, and that's fine.
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Hardcore eyeroll (Read 15855 times)
