Urgat
Part of the furniture
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2003
- Messages
- 662
Hi folks...
I think it is safe to say that DAOC has been in a decline for a while now, the fall may have leveled somewhat recently, with hardcore oldtimers staying on regardless of population issues etc, but i think the trend is there.
However, the point of this post is not the decline itself... rather to talk aboput the REASON for it.
There are many theories... Natural Progression, Other games better, I myself am a strong subscriber to the thought that the prolific use of buff bots combined with the rediculus "additions" that TOA brought us was a strong contributor to this great games spiraling downfall...
However...
An incedent on the US cassic server where i am currently taking solace may have opened my eyes to the bigger picture... Let me briefly explain.
I was happily plodding along with leveling my midgardian hybrid tank, when soemone announced they were putting a group together with the intention of gaining pve experience. In short, i joined, and we were soon an eight man (dwarf, kobold, troll!) group gathered up and ready to head into a dungeon.
The conversation was pleasent, and the trip there was easy... then it started.
Now, bieng as this was a low level group, my expectations were not sky high... unfortunatly... wipe after wipe after wipe soon took its toll, and it was clear to see that the group's healer was clearly not doing his job correctly. The mistakes were obvious to myself (having bieng playing this game since its initial US beta stage) Over healing, bad agro management, no mezzes on adds, running from mobs making it hard for peel etc etc etc... basically everything a healer should NOT do... this guy was doing. The other group members clearly saw what was going wrong also... and the upshot was he was kicked... and an advert for a new healer was placed. Now.. at this point i also left the group...
and ill tell you why...
It didnt "sit right" to me what had happened... i was uncomfortable to say the least. Acting on a hunch... i sent a PM to the healer in question...
"Hi there friend... How long have you been playing DAOC?"
The reply came back after a few seconds...
"Sorry, Just 2 days"
SORRY!
SORRY?
Here was a brand new player to the game APOLOGISING for bieng new...
I was GUTTED for him!
I imediatley invited him, and set about telling him everything i could about healers, Midgard, strategies, BAF, Agro, tanks, casters, support... the whole game in general whilst doing some pve with him. It turns out he picked healer after reading about it in the game manual... After a couple of hours... he was doing well... healing at the right times, mezzing, dealing with agro... etc etc. Unfortunatly i had to log out after a while, but i left that guy in the knowledge that he had a better understanding of his chosen class, and the game in general.
Now... to my point...
Could it be... that it was the PLAYERS that contributed significantly to the decline of DAOC?
It seems to me that the great majority of players expect the best right off the bat... and are simply not willing to entertain a little bit of "avarage" or even "under par"
Had i not helped that guy out (and apologised for the bahaviour of the other players) i wonder how he would have got on... Here we had someone who wanted to play a crucial support class for midgard.. yet i doubt there are many who would have set aside the time to help him understand how it worked?
We were all "Newbies" once... however.. we all had an advantage over the "newbies" of today... We had nothing to live up to... because everyone else was a newbie too...
The more i think about it... the more i believe that it was US, the players, that contributed most to the decline of DAOC... and that ashames me, and makes me determined to act diferently... even if it may be too late now to make a difference.
Next time someone isnt performing so well in your group... do me (and them, and everyone else) a favour... and take the time to explain things... pass on your knowledge of the game to others... dont just kick em and call them "noobs"
You were just like that once. Remember.
I think it is safe to say that DAOC has been in a decline for a while now, the fall may have leveled somewhat recently, with hardcore oldtimers staying on regardless of population issues etc, but i think the trend is there.
However, the point of this post is not the decline itself... rather to talk aboput the REASON for it.
There are many theories... Natural Progression, Other games better, I myself am a strong subscriber to the thought that the prolific use of buff bots combined with the rediculus "additions" that TOA brought us was a strong contributor to this great games spiraling downfall...
However...
An incedent on the US cassic server where i am currently taking solace may have opened my eyes to the bigger picture... Let me briefly explain.
I was happily plodding along with leveling my midgardian hybrid tank, when soemone announced they were putting a group together with the intention of gaining pve experience. In short, i joined, and we were soon an eight man (dwarf, kobold, troll!) group gathered up and ready to head into a dungeon.
The conversation was pleasent, and the trip there was easy... then it started.
Now, bieng as this was a low level group, my expectations were not sky high... unfortunatly... wipe after wipe after wipe soon took its toll, and it was clear to see that the group's healer was clearly not doing his job correctly. The mistakes were obvious to myself (having bieng playing this game since its initial US beta stage) Over healing, bad agro management, no mezzes on adds, running from mobs making it hard for peel etc etc etc... basically everything a healer should NOT do... this guy was doing. The other group members clearly saw what was going wrong also... and the upshot was he was kicked... and an advert for a new healer was placed. Now.. at this point i also left the group...
and ill tell you why...
It didnt "sit right" to me what had happened... i was uncomfortable to say the least. Acting on a hunch... i sent a PM to the healer in question...
"Hi there friend... How long have you been playing DAOC?"
The reply came back after a few seconds...
"Sorry, Just 2 days"
SORRY!
SORRY?
Here was a brand new player to the game APOLOGISING for bieng new...
I was GUTTED for him!
I imediatley invited him, and set about telling him everything i could about healers, Midgard, strategies, BAF, Agro, tanks, casters, support... the whole game in general whilst doing some pve with him. It turns out he picked healer after reading about it in the game manual... After a couple of hours... he was doing well... healing at the right times, mezzing, dealing with agro... etc etc. Unfortunatly i had to log out after a while, but i left that guy in the knowledge that he had a better understanding of his chosen class, and the game in general.
Now... to my point...
Could it be... that it was the PLAYERS that contributed significantly to the decline of DAOC?
It seems to me that the great majority of players expect the best right off the bat... and are simply not willing to entertain a little bit of "avarage" or even "under par"
Had i not helped that guy out (and apologised for the bahaviour of the other players) i wonder how he would have got on... Here we had someone who wanted to play a crucial support class for midgard.. yet i doubt there are many who would have set aside the time to help him understand how it worked?
We were all "Newbies" once... however.. we all had an advantage over the "newbies" of today... We had nothing to live up to... because everyone else was a newbie too...
The more i think about it... the more i believe that it was US, the players, that contributed most to the decline of DAOC... and that ashames me, and makes me determined to act diferently... even if it may be too late now to make a difference.
Next time someone isnt performing so well in your group... do me (and them, and everyone else) a favour... and take the time to explain things... pass on your knowledge of the game to others... dont just kick em and call them "noobs"
You were just like that once. Remember.