WAR: Scenarios are Fine! Improve the Rest Instead

I’m concerned about the growing number of comments and opinions I’ve read/heard stating that WAR Scenarios are ruining world RVR, so nerf them.  One of the huge assumptions being made is that people are doing them because they provide more experience and renown.  I want to challenge that notion.  For a player to know that and use it as a basis for their choice of content, presumes that speed of advancement is the primary driver.  I don’t agree.  Only min/max players do those calculations and allow the sum of numbers to drive their in-game behavior. Think raiders…think hardcore, and we already know that those types of players ARE NOT the majority of the MMO population.

Highlights:

• Some of the Scenario popularity stems from the myriad of reasons people consider themselves casual players
• Scenarios guarantee the player a completion time that does not exceed fifteen minutes
• Order aligned players have virtually no wait time to get into Scenarios
• It's not all about better XP and renown for the average player - people continue doing them even when they lose repeatedly
• Post Tier 1 Public Quests require enough players and take more time
• Post Tier 1 Public Quests require the right team mix
• I enjoy Scenarios but Solo PQ Stage I is full of win for casual players.
• Open RVR works best with preformed teams - requires time to assemble
• PQs and Open RVR require you to stay until the end in order to get the best XP, Renown and a chance at loot
• Open RVR is too chaotic to support players taking breaks
• Scenarios and quests provide the most flexibility to casual players
• Scenarios and quests have the best risk vs. reward options for casuals
• You can't force players into doing content that doesn't meet their needs or schedules
• If not enough people are doing Open RVR fix it in a meaningful way that doesn’t include ruining the other content options
• MMOs should be about options not narrowly defined and barely disguised forced choices

I believe Scenario popularity stems from the myriad of reasons people consider themselves casual players or at least, play in a laid-back manner.  Things like time-bound constraints, lots of breaks in between, the luxury of sucking at your class without causing a cataclysmic event, etc.  Scenarios guarantee the player a completion time that does not under any circumstances, last more than fifteen minutes. PERIOD.  That’s a huge and compelling feature.  No matter how casual you are, who would log into a game and not have at least fifteen minutes of play time to spare?

This short duration content allows players to do a scenario then go check on the kids, dinner, laundry, spouse, etc.  You can get up and take care of things then sit back down to play again when you’re ready.  And at least for Order aligned players, there’s virtually no wait time after queuing up.  All the other content mechanics take more time – more time to assemble the group, and even more time to complete the activity.  On top of which, you’re not equally rewarded if you’re not there at the finish.  It’s not rocket science to figure out why these mini PVP events are so popular. Also consider that the losing side only gets a fraction of the XP and renown, yet players will do them over and over even when their side is losing.  That isn’t exactly efficient advancement is it?  So no, I don’t agree this is at all about it being the “fastest” or “best” way to gain anything.

Once you’re out of Tier 1, completing a Public Quest (PQ) can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the number of players involved.   On the lengthier side of the scale is when you don’t have enough people, and/or you’re missing a tank and healers.  As far as advancement gained, you will earn Influence (INF) along the way but if you can’t stay for the whole event, you have no possibility of winning any loot.  If you started after the rest of the party, you are still less likely to win because your contribution is smaller.  This boils down to it actually being more rewarding to do it alone and at your own pace.  All the drops are yours, you earn considerably more INF, you get considerably more XP and you can start and stop as you please.  *Raises hand*  I frequently choose to do PQs alone for this reason.  Solo PQ Stage I is full of win for a casual player.  I get good XP, INF, gear and presents for friends.

Open RVR suffers from the same problem as PQs.  You will earn renown along the way but the big reward is for completing the objective.  Again, this translates to being there until the end, in a situation that has few time limits or constraints.  A fortress siege can take a few minutes or a long time, depending on the number of the combatants involved.  In addition, the volatile nature of the activity doesn’t lend well to taking breaks.  You can return from a break to find yourself dead, behind enemy lines, far away from comrades, etc.  I’ve often been present when people have had to take a break during RVR.  Once they return, they spend the rest of the time dying in an attempt to re-join the group if it’s moved on to a new location.  It’s just too hectic and chaotic to allow people to leave at their leisure.  This tips the risk vs. reward scale, away from this type of content for very casual players.

IMHO it boils down to Scenarios and quests being the most flexible advancement opportunities for casual players.  Factor in that questing in WAR is nothing new really – we’ve all done it before, the result is Scenarios being the flavor of the month and very popular content.  I agree that Battlegrounds ended world PVP in World of Warcraft.  However, I don’t come to the same conclusion with Warhammer.  Unlike BGs in WOW, Scenarios are very PVP-centric.  You are spending every freakin’ second facing off with your opponent.  It’s highly concentrated player-versus-player that provides an addictive adrenaline rush.  AND here’s another biggie, it actually works out pretty good even if you join solo (PUG).  *Smile* No one should be wondering why Scenarios are so popular.

My take-away is that playing games is about having fun.  Players who do Scenarios simply because they like them, will be impacted by a nerf if the min/max players vacate them for greener pastures.  You shouldn’t attempt to force players to utilize certain content.  This isn’t work you know, we PAY TO PLAY Warhammer Online.  Rather, let’s fix what is broken or deficient in the other aspects of the game. 

If people are enjoying Scenarios and do them a lot because they don’t enjoy the other content quite as much, there’s no guarantee that they’ll just happily move along to next boosted up hamster wheel.  They may in fact decide that they didn’t like what was done to the part of the game they were enjoying and just leave the game altogether. 

I’m always fascinated by the ideas players have about forcing other players to do what they “want” in a game – play their way, only spec that way, your role is only this, Open RVR is more important than scenarios so nerf it to force people back out, etc.  This is a game and it’s not a free one, for those that need reminding.  You can’t force anyone to play and pay for something they don’t like or want to do.  You’ll only result in alienating some and possibly losing others altogether.

If not enough people are doing Open RVR fix it in a meaningful way that doesn’t include ruining the other content options.  MMOs should be about options not narrowly defined and barely disguised forced choices.  The game will not succeed by strong arming its player-base into doing things they don’t enjoy for whatever reason.

Comments

[JoBildo]

I've not really seen any claims to nerf scenarios, only to "buff" the rest of the content to match them in terms of incentives.

Hopefully the recent changes mentioned in Mark's state of the game address will do just that for RvR. But PQs still need some love as well. Perhaps additional XP, and maybe renown for those that are contested PQs?

[Julie Whitefeather]

Great Article. I too have seen people saying Scenarios should be nerfed, especially where experience is concerned to encourage people to participate in the "rest" of the world. I would like to feature this on the next "No Prisoners, No Mercy" over at Virgin Worlds (Show 11 to be released this coming Thursday). If you would like to be on the show as well you are welcome to submit an MP3 or something further in writing.

Great article.

Julie Whitefeather

[Thallian]

Hmmm... certainly better to improve than to weaken what working. Very true.

[Saylah]

@Bildo - Unfortunately, I've read and heard it which is what concerns me.

[Saylah]

@Julie - I'd be very honored!!! I'm a HUGE FAN OF YOUR SHOW! Plus all things Virgin Words pleases me. *Waves at Brent* If I can think of anything more to say on the topic I'll send along a file before the weekend is out. I need to know where to send it to you directly. Or I can send it to Brent. Woot for Sisters who play MMOs!

[Scott]

I'm glad you posted about this, because I was just about to writeup the same thing if I wasn't too busy playing WAR. ;)

Scenario's are fine.

Personally I'm anti-instancing, anti-battleground/scenario in "true" virtual worlds, because I do feel they take away by 'whisking' players away out of the world that they should be interacting in.

However for casual themepark style MMO's, they provide a fun, fairly quick way to enjoy an aspect of the game in a controlled environment with good rewards for time spent.

For me personally, I just haven't been able to spend much time in War, and for what time I do spend in it I want to be able to advance my character and PvP as much as possible with guildmates, the scenario's do that perfectly as we can group and play together from anywhere on the server.

Compare that to the RvR experience which at low-mid levels can be pretty uneventfull and a waste of time for progression. The activity in RvR comes in spurts, if at all, and if you're playing order you may find yourself outnumbered greatly at times as well. Plus after doing a handful of RvR quests there's not much left to do vs. the instant guaranteed action of scenario's.

I agree, and don't think scenario's need to be 'fixed', and I feel Mythic is taking their time as needed and putting in good buffs to enhance what needs to be improved in RvR. When we all start hitting the mid 30's, that's when I expect to see more RvR action happen.

[Grimjakk]

Very well said.

Leading with the Nerfbat is a bad idea. I like the measured approach Mythic has been taking.

Its always better to underbuff something on the first pass than to overreact and have to re-nerf it.

[Khan]

Great post, Saylah. My concern about Scenarios is that the rest of the world appears to be emptying out because everyone else is in Scenarios. I rerolled on another server where some friends are recently and the most number of people I saw working on a PQ at the time was three - in one PQ area, I was the only one there. This was in Empire lands. I had no trouble at all getting a Scenario to pop.

I don't think the issue is that Scenarios offer so much, it's that the rest offers so little in comparison. I hope they don't nerf Scenarios but buff the rewards for the rest of it. Frankly, I like the idea of being able to log in for 15 minutes or less, crank out a Scenario or two and feel like I'm making progress.

[Saylah]

Yes, it would be nice to see more people out and about the world. I'm sure that they can find positive ways to encourage it.

[Saylah]

@Julie - I sent Brent a file. Contact me via email if you have any questions or didn't receive it.

[Steve]

> I agree that Battlegrounds ended world PVP in World of Warcraft.

The achievement system has brought it back, at least a bit, in the last week. This weekend the alliance on my server Doomhammer made multiple attempts at the faction leaders in the main cities. Most of the attempts didn't work out, as the faction leaders are now level 83 bosses I believe, but that didn't seem to deter anyone.

Love the site, keep up the good work.

[Melf_Himself]

I agree, the accessibility of scenarios makes them quite appealing for the casual player.

Although they can't bring the "quick 15 minutes" thing to open RvR, I think they could bring a lot of the grouping convenience to it if they tried:

http://word-of-shadow.blogspot.com/2008/10/let-us-find-each-other.html

[Saylah]

@Melf - good ideas. I commented on your blog.