If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
You will still have "boring time" if the game requiers a player to sit and do nothing.
If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
You will still have "boring time" if the game requiers a player to sit and do nothing.
That would mean the game doesn't allow you to chat, manage inventory, gather materials, buy, sell, read quest dialog, travel, or anything else.
Some one from the company would also have to show up at your house, and stop you from getting a soda, going to the bathroom, or walking the dog.
I don't know of games that require you to sit and do "nothing" after a battle.
If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
You will still have "boring time" if the game requiers a player to sit and do nothing.
I see your point. However, since character advancement would be a 24/7 regulated feature of such a game, I don't see any reason why there should be "designed" downtime between battles, since that is usually just a means to control character advancement rates as they get experience from battles. One could set the mana/heath between-battle regen rate at near instantaneous since the only significant function such rates would have would be during a fight.
Perhaps a 5 second wait to make sure that battle has really been cleared, and if there are no new adds that lock on you, you regain all lost mana and health.
If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
You will still have "boring time" if the game requiers a player to sit and do nothing.
That would mean the game doesn't allow you to chat, manage inventory, gather materials, buy, sell, read quest dialog, travel, or anything else.
Some one from the company would also have to show up at your house, and stop you from getting a soda, going to the bathroom, or walking the dog.
I don't know of games that require you to sit and do "nothing" after a battle.
EQ .. sit .. stare at a spellbook for 10 min to regen mana. They later "let" you view the environment instead of the spellbook.
And of course i mean "in game". Even you should have more intelligence to understand that.
If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
You will still have "boring time" if the game requiers a player to sit and do nothing.
I see your point. However, since character advancement would be a 24/7 regulated feature of such a game, I don't see any reason why there should be "designed" downtime between battles, since that is usually just a means to control character advancement rates as they get experience from battles. One could set the mana/heath between-battle regen rate at near instantaneous since the only significant function such rates would have would be during a fight.
Perhaps a 5 second wait to make sure that battle has really been cleared, and if there are no new adds that lock on you, you regain all lost mana and health.
That would work nicely. In fact, mana/hp regen is fast enough in wow that it is almost like that except you have to rebuff between boss fight. They should have make rebuffing a little less tedious (instead of hitting many buttons & checking people are in range, have a preset buff pattern and press one button and everyone will be buff when they come in range).
How would you react if the party you were in wanted to take a break every few pulls to drink and chat and stuff? You have the choice to leave. But they don't really have a choice but to go your speed if they want to keep you in the group, is that what you are saying?
Any social activity has compromises. If I wanted to keep them in my group, I'd have no choice but to stop. If both sides cannot reconcile, then everyone can go their separate ways and find groups that are more closely aligned to our views.
I like downtime, but I DESPISE FORCED downtime, almost as much as I despise Lady Gaga. So I didn't have an option in your poll.
I want a game to create downtime activities that I actually WANT to participate in, not create game mechanics that bring a halt to combat and questing while you wait for some artificial timer to reset.
For example, I loved SWG's crafting. I'd spend hours not having killed anything, scanning for areas to drop harvesters or unloading them.
I like fishing and festivals in LotRO. I also like exploration deeds.
I even like mining in Eve. And not just because the skill system accomodates it.
If a game comes up with a way to do character advancement through social events and interaction, I think the players will do it. Example, LotRO's shrew stomping contests. Take that to a more social level, and they will come...
LotRO and other games could greatly benefit(again, from SWG) via an entertainer system, where listening to PC bands playing buffs them in some way, and either create a "tip system" where listening costs money, or gives XP to the band members.
SWG had some good ideas but they used them in a negative way; entertainers dispelled negative effects. In LotRO, entertainers could "put a spring in your step"(+10% out of combat move for ## minutes), give "hope" (+# hope for ## minutes). Maybe even dispel dread from defeat. THIS is the way, IMO, to create downtime that people actually LIKE, that fits in the context of a game. NOT "takes 5 minutes to heal to 100%". That's just lazy coding.
EQ .. sit .. stare at a spellbook for 10 min to regen mana. They later "let" you view the environment instead of the spellbook.
While I do agree that it sucked being forced to stare at a spell book while meditating for mana regeneration, that was changed for the better & meditation would work simply by sitting down to rest. At least you could view your surroundings. As for the down time.. I really wasn't bothered by a 10 minute downtime every 40 minutes or so & even that decreased a bit as I leveled up & got better , more mana efficient spells. In fact, I like getting out of my chair every now & then to stretch or get a drink/snack or to use the washroom without people b*tching that i'm not fighting. If playing solo, the downtime could be much more frequent, if you were not a necromancer, but EQ was a group based MMO, which I also like.
Yes, but you will always have one or two players trying to rush along. That sort of limits the ability for a player to take it easy and move at their own pace. In my opinion the forced downtime was a way to regulate progression and inspire player interaction beyond combat. Not saying you are wrong, but don't pretend like having the option to have downtime would mean anyone would opt for that over instant gratification.
Always? Just group with like-minded people. And what is the amount? 15 sec between fights? 1 min? 10 min? The beauty of a no-down-time system is that you can choose to stop for ANY AMOUNT OF TIME. And who are YOU to dictate what other players want? If they don't want to stop, who are you to say they should?
Forcing everyone to play at the pace of the slowest person is making everyone suffer for the minority. If you want lots of down-time and chat, find the players who are willing to do that and stick with them.
I will never go back to a game that does not give me that choice, and I don't any any developers would be misguided enough not to give that choice. In fact, is there a modern MMO that will force a player to sit for 10 min doing nothing?
Ironically enough, I think you helped my point, even though you were trying to argue.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
You will still have "boring time" if the game requiers a player to sit and do nothing.
That would mean the game doesn't allow you to chat, manage inventory, gather materials, buy, sell, read quest dialog, travel, or anything else.
Some one from the company would also have to show up at your house, and stop you from getting a soda, going to the bathroom, or walking the dog.
I don't know of games that require you to sit and do "nothing" after a battle.
EQ .. sit .. stare at a spellbook for 10 min to regen mana. They later "let" you view the environment instead of the spellbook.
And of course i mean "in game". Even you should have more intelligence to understand that.
Balance is always tricky, and the devil is always in the details.
I like downtime, but I DESPISE FORCED downtime, almost as much as I despise Lady Gaga. So I didn't have an option in your poll.
I want a game to create downtime activities that I actually WANT to participate in, not create game mechanics that bring a halt to combat and questing while you wait for some artificial timer to reset.
For example, I loved SWG's crafting. I'd spend hours not having killed anything, scanning for areas to drop harvesters or unloading them.
I like fishing and festivals in LotRO. I also like exploration deeds.
I even like mining in Eve. And not just because the skill system accomodates it.
If a game comes up with a way to do character advancement through social events and interaction, I think the players will do it. Example, LotRO's shrew stomping contests. Take that to a more social level, and they will come...
LotRO and other games could greatly benefit(again, from SWG) via an entertainer system, where listening to PC bands playing buffs them in some way, and either create a "tip system" where listening costs money, or gives XP to the band members.
SWG had some good ideas but they used them in a negative way; entertainers dispelled negative effects. In LotRO, entertainers could "put a spring in your step"(+10% out of combat move for ## minutes), give "hope" (+# hope for ## minutes). Maybe even dispel dread from defeat. THIS is the way, IMO, to create downtime that people actually LIKE, that fits in the context of a game. NOT "takes 5 minutes to heal to 100%". That's just lazy coding.
EQ .. sit .. stare at a spellbook for 10 min to regen mana. They later "let" you view the environment instead of the spellbook.
While I do agree that it sucked being forced to stare at a spell book while meditating for mana regeneration, that was changed for the better & meditation would work simply by sitting down to rest. At least you could view your surroundings. As for the down time.. I really wasn't bothered by a 10 minute downtime every 40 minutes or so & even that decreased a bit as I leveled up & got better , more mana efficient spells. In fact, I like getting out of my chair every now & then to stretch or get a drink/snack or to use the washroom without people b*tching that i'm not fighting. If playing solo, the downtime could be much more frequent, if you were not a necromancer, but EQ was a group based MMO, which I also like.
It is worse than 10 min per 40 min, even grouped, from what i remember. And solo-ing is agonizing. You blew your own mana on a blue mob and you have to wait 10 min before fighting again. That is just silly, group game or not.
Plus 10 min over 40 min .. forced .. that is too much. Much better to go at our own pace. When we raid, we take breaks every 90 min or so. And the point is not whether it is 40 min or 90 min. It is that we can CHOOSE.
EQ .. sit .. stare at a spellbook for 10 min to regen mana. They later "let" you view the environment instead of the spellbook.
While I do agree that it sucked being forced to stare at a spell book while meditating for mana regeneration, that was changed for the better & meditation would work simply by sitting down to rest. At least you could view your surroundings. As for the down time.. I really wasn't bothered by a 10 minute downtime every 40 minutes or so & even that decreased a bit as I leveled up & got better , more mana efficient spells. In fact, I like getting out of my chair every now & then to stretch or get a drink/snack or to use the washroom without people b*tching that i'm not fighting. If playing solo, the downtime could be much more frequent, if you were not a necromancer, but EQ was a group based MMO, which I also like.
It is worse than 10 min per 40 min, even grouped, from what i remember. And solo-ing is agonizing. You blew your own mana on a blue mob and you have to wait 10 min before fighting again. That is just silly, group game or not.
Plus 10 min over 40 min .. forced .. that is too much. Much better to go at our own pace. When we raid, we take breaks every 90 min or so. And the point is not whether it is 40 min or 90 min. It is that we can CHOOSE.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just find games where HP/MP regeneration, periodicly or by endless potion use, is so fast that a downtime is never required, that the game is too easy. Like a hackn'slash.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just find games where HP/MP regeneration, periodicly or by endless potion use, is so fast that a downtime is never required, that the game is too easy. Like a hackn'slash.
Hmm you certainly can have you opinoin. BUT what does difficulty has anything to do with down-time? It is completely unrelated. If you wipe and wipe and wipe on an encounter, it is difficult for you. Whether there is no down-time between fights, or you have to wait 10 min between fights ... is irrelevant.
Just look at WOW. The LK encounter is very difficult on hard mode .. and the Naxx raid 10 man normal raids are super easy. They have the SAME down-time.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just find games where HP/MP regeneration, periodicly or by endless potion use, is so fast that a downtime is never required, that the game is too easy. Like a hackn'slash.
Hmm you certainly can have you opinoin. BUT what does difficulty has anything to do with down-time? It is completely unrelated. If you wipe and wipe and wipe on an encounter, it is difficult for you. Whether there is no down-time between fights, or you have to wait 10 min between fights ... is irrelevant.
Just look at WOW. The LK encounter is very difficult on hard mode .. and the Naxx raid 10 man normal raids are super easy. They have the SAME down-time.
Obviously if the Naxx 10 fights had an enforced downtime of one hour after each then they would automatically much more challenging content
Comments
If the game had 24/7 character progression regardless of if you were online or off, there would be no such thing as "downtime". See how that solves the problem?
You will still have "boring time" if the game requiers a player to sit and do nothing.
That would mean the game doesn't allow you to chat, manage inventory, gather materials, buy, sell, read quest dialog, travel, or anything else.
Some one from the company would also have to show up at your house, and stop you from getting a soda, going to the bathroom, or walking the dog.
I don't know of games that require you to sit and do "nothing" after a battle.
I see your point. However, since character advancement would be a 24/7 regulated feature of such a game, I don't see any reason why there should be "designed" downtime between battles, since that is usually just a means to control character advancement rates as they get experience from battles. One could set the mana/heath between-battle regen rate at near instantaneous since the only significant function such rates would have would be during a fight.
Perhaps a 5 second wait to make sure that battle has really been cleared, and if there are no new adds that lock on you, you regain all lost mana and health.
EQ .. sit .. stare at a spellbook for 10 min to regen mana. They later "let" you view the environment instead of the spellbook.
And of course i mean "in game". Even you should have more intelligence to understand that.
That would work nicely. In fact, mana/hp regen is fast enough in wow that it is almost like that except you have to rebuff between boss fight. They should have make rebuffing a little less tedious (instead of hitting many buttons & checking people are in range, have a preset buff pattern and press one button and everyone will be buff when they come in range).
Any social activity has compromises. If I wanted to keep them in my group, I'd have no choice but to stop. If both sides cannot reconcile, then everyone can go their separate ways and find groups that are more closely aligned to our views.
Played: UO, EQ, WoW, DDO, SWG, AO, CoH, EvE, TR, AoC, GW, GA, Aion, Allods, lots more
Relatively Recently (Re)Played: HL2 (all), Halo (PC, all), Batman:AA; AC, ME, BS, DA, FO3, DS, Doom (all), LFD1&2, KOTOR, Portal 1&2, Blink, Elder Scrolls (all), lots more
Now Playing: None
Hope: None
I like downtime, but I DESPISE FORCED downtime, almost as much as I despise Lady Gaga. So I didn't have an option in your poll.
I want a game to create downtime activities that I actually WANT to participate in, not create game mechanics that bring a halt to combat and questing while you wait for some artificial timer to reset.
For example, I loved SWG's crafting. I'd spend hours not having killed anything, scanning for areas to drop harvesters or unloading them.
I like fishing and festivals in LotRO. I also like exploration deeds.
I even like mining in Eve. And not just because the skill system accomodates it.
If a game comes up with a way to do character advancement through social events and interaction, I think the players will do it. Example, LotRO's shrew stomping contests. Take that to a more social level, and they will come...
LotRO and other games could greatly benefit(again, from SWG) via an entertainer system, where listening to PC bands playing buffs them in some way, and either create a "tip system" where listening costs money, or gives XP to the band members.
SWG had some good ideas but they used them in a negative way; entertainers dispelled negative effects. In LotRO, entertainers could "put a spring in your step"(+10% out of combat move for ## minutes), give "hope" (+# hope for ## minutes). Maybe even dispel dread from defeat. THIS is the way, IMO, to create downtime that people actually LIKE, that fits in the context of a game. NOT "takes 5 minutes to heal to 100%". That's just lazy coding.
While I do agree that it sucked being forced to stare at a spell book while meditating for mana regeneration, that was changed for the better & meditation would work simply by sitting down to rest. At least you could view your surroundings. As for the down time.. I really wasn't bothered by a 10 minute downtime every 40 minutes or so & even that decreased a bit as I leveled up & got better , more mana efficient spells. In fact, I like getting out of my chair every now & then to stretch or get a drink/snack or to use the washroom without people b*tching that i'm not fighting. If playing solo, the downtime could be much more frequent, if you were not a necromancer, but EQ was a group based MMO, which I also like.
Ironically enough, I think you helped my point, even though you were trying to argue.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
Balance is always tricky, and the devil is always in the details.
I agree that downtimes in EQ were often to long.
^^ This
Gaming since Avalon Hill was making board games.
Played SWG, EVE, Fallen Earth, LOTRO, Rift, Vanguard, WoW, SWTOR, TSW, Tera
Tried Aoc, Aion, EQII, RoM, Vindictus, Darkfail, DDO, GW, PotBS
It is worse than 10 min per 40 min, even grouped, from what i remember. And solo-ing is agonizing. You blew your own mana on a blue mob and you have to wait 10 min before fighting again. That is just silly, group game or not.
Plus 10 min over 40 min .. forced .. that is too much. Much better to go at our own pace. When we raid, we take breaks every 90 min or so. And the point is not whether it is 40 min or 90 min. It is that we can CHOOSE.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just find games where HP/MP regeneration, periodicly or by endless potion use, is so fast that a downtime is never required, that the game is too easy. Like a hackn'slash.
Hmm you certainly can have you opinoin. BUT what does difficulty has anything to do with down-time? It is completely unrelated. If you wipe and wipe and wipe on an encounter, it is difficult for you. Whether there is no down-time between fights, or you have to wait 10 min between fights ... is irrelevant.
Just look at WOW. The LK encounter is very difficult on hard mode .. and the Naxx raid 10 man normal raids are super easy. They have the SAME down-time.
Obviously if the Naxx 10 fights had an enforced downtime of one hour after each then they would automatically much more challenging content
/sarcasm.