DahliaNightshade wrote: »I read everything you guys wrote and I am enjoying this thread, good discussions, nice ideas.
I read it while at work, so forgive me if I missed this and it's already been written: wouldn't it be good if they removed the need for the third team?
I might be wrong on this, but downscaling BGs from 3 to 2 teams might help in having more BGs going on at once, almost like falsely increasing the population, even though the pool from which players are chosen remains the same.
8 players instead on 12 on every BGs going on should automatically make more BGs possible at once, reducing the time of a queue.
I suppose the idea of having 3 teams comes from the 3 Alliances War, but the teams aren't bound to alliances, so, what is the point of having the third team? Two teams could still have fun, use the maps and play the kind of "Arena gameplay" we have seen in a lot of other games.
CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »Personally, I like the 3 team set up in DM. While it might not be as streamlined or competitive as other head to head game modes from other games, I think the 3 team setup adds a layer to DMs. On guild pre-made nights, comms are all about trying to judge when to engage/when another team might 3rd party.
I totally understand if this isn't everyone's cup of tea, because it can certainly turn some matches into a game of chicken, but I like it.
What I DON'T like is how the 3 team system ruins engagement in objective modes. Why fight as the third team in crazy king if you can just run to the unguarded flags and cap while the other two teams are fighting? However, i don't think decreasing teams to 2 is necessary. The objective modes just need to reduce the flags/objectives so that the game plays more like musical chairs. If there is always at least one fewer objective to capture than teams, combat is encouraged.
There's been arguments in this thread for 1 flag and arguments against 1 flag, I personally thing Dom/CK should cap at 2 flags (MAYBE 3 for CK) because 1 flag would likely turn a little stagnant in unbalanced matches; with 2 or 3 flags, there's always an option for teams to go to another flag and move the fight. Regardless, objective modes should NOT have more objectives than there are teams, because then there will always be an uncontested objective no matter what. Imagine if Overwatch or Team Fortress 2's KOTH modes had 3 hills; the match would just be running from point to point the entire time.
In an arena setting, the number of objectives should always be less than the number of teams.
Eh, this is probably the worst time of the year to properly gauge the death of a pvp mode:
- New DLC, zone which means new, quest, set and achievement farming.
- Major gear set changes, which means farming new gear
- Curated sets collection, which means many are farming new gear.
- Thanksgiving break among other holidays in the US and abroad, lots of travel and what not.
- Dungeon event, which means people are doing dungeons for gear and for event rewards.
- And in another Month, more holidays and travel for people.
All of that combines for a very unfavorable pvp environment. Even myself, prior to the DLC drop, was working on Grand Overlord. Once the DLC dropped, I did zero PVP until this past Saturday. So nearly 3 weeks of no PVP, at all, to focus on farming gear, completing a new zone, doing dungeons during the event, etc.
So yeah, this is just really really bad timing imo, and we really won't have any idea where things really stand until January or so.
trackdemon5512 wrote: »
Eh, this is probably the worst time of the year to properly gauge the death of a pvp mode:
- New DLC, zone which means new, quest, set and achievement farming.
- Major gear set changes, which means farming new gear
- Curated sets collection, which means many are farming new gear.
- Thanksgiving break among other holidays in the US and abroad, lots of travel and what not.
- Dungeon event, which means people are doing dungeons for gear and for event rewards.
- And in another Month, more holidays and travel for people.
All of that combines for a very unfavorable pvp environment. Even myself, prior to the DLC drop, was working on Grand Overlord. Once the DLC dropped, I did zero PVP until this past Saturday. So nearly 3 weeks of no PVP, at all, to focus on farming gear, completing a new zone, doing dungeons during the event, etc.
So yeah, this is just really really bad timing imo, and we really won't have any idea where things really stand until January or so.
It’s never optimal. Players made the same points about the last test.
Problem is there is always some broken set, some activity, something pulling players in another direction. A healthy multiplayer scene means none of that matters but ZOS PVP has been anything but healthy for years, regardless of what metrics they use to define as “healthy”.
If you can’t even retain those that have stuck through to now then you’re doing something wrong ZOS.
trackdemon5512 wrote: »
Eh, this is probably the worst time of the year to properly gauge the death of a pvp mode:
- New DLC, zone which means new, quest, set and achievement farming.
- Major gear set changes, which means farming new gear
- Curated sets collection, which means many are farming new gear.
- Thanksgiving break among other holidays in the US and abroad, lots of travel and what not.
- Dungeon event, which means people are doing dungeons for gear and for event rewards.
- And in another Month, more holidays and travel for people.
All of that combines for a very unfavorable pvp environment. Even myself, prior to the DLC drop, was working on Grand Overlord. Once the DLC dropped, I did zero PVP until this past Saturday. So nearly 3 weeks of no PVP, at all, to focus on farming gear, completing a new zone, doing dungeons during the event, etc.
So yeah, this is just really really bad timing imo, and we really won't have any idea where things really stand until January or so.
It’s never optimal. Players made the same points about the last test.
Problem is there is always some broken set, some activity, something pulling players in another direction. A healthy multiplayer scene means none of that matters but ZOS PVP has been anything but healthy for years, regardless of what metrics they use to define as “healthy”.
If you can’t even retain those that have stuck through to now then you’re doing something wrong ZOS.
I agree it is never optimal. I just think that the timing this time around is particularly jarring. These same changes made during the Q1 DLC would have gone over better imo, especially when a Dungeon event and new zone wasn't running.
It also doesn't help that it comes off the heels of a particularly brutal set introduction. One that I personally find ok, but a ton of people stopped pvping altogether due to hrothgar and DC. Which unfortunately hit at the same time as when the DM queue test began.
So yeah, while there is hardly ever truly optimal times to do these types of things, they definitely picked a very inopportune time to do all of this.
trackdemon5512 wrote: »
We will see just how much players are willing to engage in BGs come MidYear Mayhem in January. ZOS may get an earful from the casuals about all DM if things aren’t adjusted.
CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »Personally, I like the 3 team set up in DM. While it might not be as streamlined or competitive as other head to head game modes from other games, I think the 3 team setup adds a layer to DMs. On guild pre-made nights, comms are all about trying to judge when to engage/when another team might 3rd party.
I totally understand if this isn't everyone's cup of tea, because it can certainly turn some matches into a game of chicken, but I like it.
What I DON'T like is how the 3 team system ruins engagement in objective modes. Why fight as the third team in crazy king if you can just run to the unguarded flags and cap while the other two teams are fighting? However, i don't think decreasing teams to 2 is necessary. The objective modes just need to reduce the flags/objectives so that the game plays more like musical chairs. If there is always at least one fewer objective to capture than teams, combat is encouraged.
There's been arguments in this thread for 1 flag and arguments against 1 flag, I personally thing Dom/CK should cap at 2 flags (MAYBE 3 for CK) because 1 flag would likely turn a little stagnant in unbalanced matches; with 2 or 3 flags, there's always an option for teams to go to another flag and move the fight. Regardless, objective modes should NOT have more objectives than there are teams, because then there will always be an uncontested objective no matter what. Imagine if Overwatch or Team Fortress 2's KOTH modes had 3 hills; the match would just be running from point to point the entire time.
In an arena setting, the number of objectives should always be less than the number of teams.
trackdemon5512 wrote: »
We will see just how much players are willing to engage in BGs come MidYear Mayhem in January. ZOS may get an earful from the casuals about all DM if things aren’t adjusted.
trackdemon5512 wrote: »
We will see just how much players are willing to engage in BGs come MidYear Mayhem in January. ZOS may get an earful from the casuals about all DM if things aren’t adjusted.
If ZOS cared about people complaining on the forums, this would be a much different game by now, and likely not in a good way. It seems to me that ZOS has quite the thick skin when it comes to complainers of this game and its various intracacies.
People will complain about anything and everything. I'm not sure why it's relevant to this topic that a group of non-PvPers will complain about a PvP mode that they're "being forced to participate" in, theoretically without even trying to actually PvP.