This is what kills this game

[Unangwata]

So far I played 5 mmorpg games and all suffered from this issue and lost player base/went down.
Answer is simple:
With patches you buff characters, while monsters remain the same. Once charming game where players have to struggle and cooperate becomes one man slaughter. While challenge goes down, satisfaction from completing adventure also goes down, with result of players becoming bored, game not rewarding, and they leave.

Simple psychology rule: more challenge and cooperation = more satisfaction. Just keep the balance edge -too difficult may frustrate

What is funny, to battle player loss developers buff characters even more in hope of luring players back to game. You can guess the result. Also the more buffed character is the less buffs it needs, making offers from devs less attractive or just useless- you will kill everything anyways.

Developers these days forget what game supposed to be, and they fail to keep balance of difficulty making games walk in the park where players switch games frequently because nothing hooks them up.
This is your answer. Might be too late tho..

[dunklezhan]

Unfortunately, that is only the answer for a certain type of player who really likes that. Most people don't like to struggle all the time.

This game nearly died entirely because it didn't cater to a wide enough audience to sustain itself.

I wish the game was as tough as it was also - it felt balanced when it was like that. These days any toughness in the game is overwhelming, or it's non existent. But that toughness can't return without a huge reduction in power levels across the board, and that would drive away even more people upset at having their hard earned toys taken away

...so there's no answer there.

On the plus side the game is alive. Nearly 13 years later, its alive.

[Unangwata]

Unfortunately, that is only the answer for a certain type of player who really likes that. Most people don't like to struggle all the time.

This game nearly died entirely because it didn't cater to a wide enough audience to sustain itself.

I wish the game was as tough as it was also - it felt balanced when it was like that. These days any toughness in the game is overwhelming, or it's non existent. But that toughness can't return without a huge reduction in power levels across the board, and that would drive away even more people upset at having their hard earned toys taken away

...so there's no answer there.

On the plus side the game is alive. Nearly 13 years later, its alive.

This explanation is what people think who don't have a clue how things work. Every player wants things easy, ask them if they want 1mil plat and they will take it. Naturally they want easy, and at the same time they wonder why game is not as rewarding as it was, why it gets boring. Answer is: you got what you wanted pal, it's easy.
The truth is 90% of people have no clue what is good for them in long run. It supposed to be developers job to keep game attractive .. but it seems they have no clue either.

Mostly it is like: Player comes back to DDO, logs in, searches for group and is like: Hey, there are no groups. Maybe I'll make one then.. wait,but I can kill everything solo, why should I make group? Oh, maybe that's why there are no groups in social panel.
Then he logs out.

[PsychoBlonde]

So, I take it both of you are soloing all the content on R10 these days, that you're complaining the game is "too easy" once again?

[Unangwata]

So, I take it both of you are soloing all the content on R10 these days, that you're complaining the game is "too easy" once again?

Are you saying game starts there and all new players have access to it, do they? Unless you say this game is for top level old players... and that's probably reason it's dying.

[dunklezhan]

So, I take it both of you are soloing all the content on R10 these days, that you're complaining the game is "too easy" once again?

Woah woah there - I'm not saying the game's too easy now, actually. Or if you got that impression that's definitely not what I meant. Also what do you mean 'again'? When have I *ever* said the game is too easy?

As it happens I struggle with the game massively now and enjoy it less - because the *kind* of difficult it has is just not as fun for me as it was when I was running waterworks on elite in 2009.

The quest design was different, monster vs player power was balanced differently - fundamentally it was difficult for different reasons than it is now.

I miss that kind of difficulty but its not 'the difficulty' I miss, its the *kind* of difficulty. Right now the difficulty is, as I said, and I'm only talking about my experience: either trivial, or overwhelming. you've leaped to conclusion about what I meant by that, so to be clear: I don't play reaper. I play exclusively Heroic Elite and Epic Hard. Because I *can't* handle higher than that because I just find it overwhelming. Tactics seem redundant, at least tactics I am able ot pull off. But at difficulties lower than that its utterly trivial. Newer quest designs solve everything with giant packs of mobs and kill-to-proceed mechanics, which I also do not find fun.

My point is not that the game is too easy now, or that it was harder before. Its that I miss *how* it was harder.

My other point is: so what if I miss it? So what if the OP misses it?

The game nearly *died*. There clearly *isn't* enough of a mass market for difficulty of that kind, its not a question of devs 'forgetting' something, its a question of making enough money to survive.

The game's still doing better now in terms of population and such, than it was just before it went F2P, though its far from the dizzying heights of 2012ish.

So as it happens PB, I disagree quite a lot with the OP's statement that its simple or that developers 'forget' [insert simple answer].


Clearly my reply to the OP didn't come across that way, since I ended up getting called someone who doesn't understand how things work by them, and construed as somehow bragging by you!

[Captain_Wizbang]

The game's still doing better now in terms of population and such, than it was just before it went F2P,

No offence to anyone, but F2P pushed quite a few players away.

And the threads OP, Power Creep. And no, it's not too late. SSG is doing the best job they can in the type of studio they're in.

We all have things we dont like, and we voice our opinions based on that. Day after day, it's proven we are exactly as E.Gary Gygax said, "D&D players are the smartest bunch of whiners you'll ever meet"

Power Creep is like a systemic disease that is eroding the game. Until that is addressed 100%, it will continue to happen. SSG has gained so much ground on that, it looks *promising*. And to quote Lynnabel "DDO has a bright future" and I agree.

It took a long time to get to where we were 2 years ago, and we are recovering a lot faster than it went off kilter.

[Garbudo]

The game is what it is, now raising all monsters all around the board for people with 100+ lifes under their belt yeah going to be a cake walk still, now think every new player first lifer the struggle becomes even harder on them. You bored? Is the game too easy? build gimp toons that are first life dump con only use what that character picks up don't use named items either, oh and play only reaper10s If you don't enjoy the game don't play it, don't say time and money invested as an argument, that is every game ever and you abandoned those as well.

[Unangwata]

The game is what it is, now raising all monsters all around the board for people with 100+ lifes under their belt yeah going to be a cake walk still, now think every new player first lifer the struggle becomes even harder on them. You bored? Is the game too easy? build gimp toons that are first life dump con only use what that character picks up don't use named items either, oh and play only reaper10s If you don't enjoy the game don't play it, don't say time and money invested as an argument, that is every game ever and you abandoned those as well.

It's sad that you must do all those things to reach pleasant playability. First few levels should be those most attractive to gain new players. Contrary to what you say challenge is something that "challenges" people to stay and reward them for commitment. You don't think people are morons who get away at sight of first difficulty ? Such people wouldn't stay anyways. Making game easy at the beginning will result with abandoning game before it becomes more interesting. Currently things are Vice Versa, while it should be hard from the beginning and become easier once you can play with other people and use your skills well, with option to chose even harder difficulty.

[Igognito]

Hi all,

I do not think the game is lacking in difficulty! The game has several challenging aspects to take in consideration and a variety of difficulties to choose from.

What I think you are experiencing is that you have played the same dungeons over and over again so of course the look easy now.
People seem to refrain to what is efficient/easy to them and not explore new parts.

Of course if you tell me I have played and master everything the game has, then I would say congrats you won the game, as very nicely the completionist feat states!

And yes this is what it is about, playing over and over the same dungeons makes the game easy. Especially, if you are playing the same character build.

Consider playing something different next time.

Now, I have played only once The Pit. And yes it is hard, long and tedious. But when everything else fails playing the Pit would be a challenge.

But to advocate a bit your position. At a significantly earlier post I made I suggested the introduction of a new 6th difficulty! Called D&D. This would remove a lot of the DDO specific abilities and mechanism and leave a closer to p&p D&D game.

That would be a completely different monster to tackle.

Would renew life to all dungeons and completely alter many builds.

Cheers
ps: maybe it is time to re ignite that thread :-D