Irem

@jimr9999us
That just proves Eliot's point, though: that's not a definition, say, developers are usually working with when they say they want to appeal to casual players. It's -a- definition (and usually the one raiders are thinking of when they hear "appeal to casuals" and start moaning), but it's not THE definition.

Can we really call people who spend huge amounts of time in a game doing things other than PvP or endgame PvE "casual"? A good friend of mine in FFXI rarely did endgame of any kind...but he also rarely logged out or stopped playing, except to go to work. Leaving aside all discussion of how healthy that is, can that really be called "casual"? He'd done more content than 90% of the non-Beastmaster endgame players I knew!

The problem with this definition is that it's part of the reason a value judgment has become attached to the words "casual" and "hardcore," to the point that calling someone casual is an insult. Players calling each other casual isn't defining a playstyle, it's saying, "You can't cut it." You don't do PvP, you don't do endgame, you're a carebear who just wants pretty outfits and unicorn mounts and everything handed to them on a plate. That leads to hostility from the "hardcore" playerbase (many of whom are only in that category because they say so) whenever the developers make something more accessible, or less time-consuming or grindy, because god forbid we cater to those shallow casuals who don't have any skill.

Those look pretty damn cool. But then, I like most of TERA's monster designs.

Dungeons are a different animal possibly because they have different expectations attached to them than anything else in the game. They're meant to be just another activity for people who enjoy that kind of play, but as a stand-in for raids they also run the risk of being seen as mandatory, or as the ultimate content--the thing you're "supposed" to be doing at max level. The other activities need reinforcement to show people that they're meant to stand up to repeat performances, whereas dungeons need to break the conditioning that tells people there's nothing else worth doing.

@(Unverified)
There are dynamic events within dungeons. They account for some of the variation in different playthroughs of explorable mode. :D

I like how attempts to market to women so often swing to the completely absurd when all it takes to get their undying loyalty is usually a simple, two-step process:

1) Make an interesting, engaging, quality product.

2) Make sure that as few aspects of that product as possible actively repulse women.

The last part seems to be a tricky one for a lot of developers, so to clarify: pretend--just for a second--that you want both women and men playing your game. Then, with that in mind, try very, very hard not to assume that everyone finds high school locker room BS funny or appealing. Congratulations, you are well on your way to not only attracting female players, but probably anyone else who is sick of that.

Very nice, guys. Thank you!

@(Unverified)
This. If The Mittani wants to look for places to point fingers where consequences for his actions are concerned, he should start at a mirror.

@(Unverified)
Last year I seem to recall it being around for a few days at least.

The A2: Searing Day mission is a continuation of the previous year's April Fool's quest and it's a blast. :D

@Syesta
Oh god, I'm crying. XD Thank you for sharing that.