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Another month and with it comes another episode of Memmy goodness,
otherwise known as Casually Casual; my own personal column right here
at Ten Ton Hammer. Last week I discussed my feelings on the
current state of questing and the changes I would like to see happen. I
was pleased to see that I got quite a few comments. Some players seemed
to be happy with the current questing situation, while others agreed
that the current state of questing did indeed numb their minds worse
than when you drink a milkshake too fast.
I enjoy seeing every comment and will be the first to admit that it is
a pretty heady feeling. Speaking of heady feelings, that brings us
around to the topic of this episode of Casually Casual
Casual...Raiding?!
Raiding is a heady feeling. Not all of it I suppose, but that moment
when a boss your guild has been working on for days, or even weeks
falls before your feet it truly is a magical experience. The rush that
follows is nothing short of euphoric and I believe this is one of the
things that appeals to raiders so much. It appeals to them so
much that they are willing to devote hours of their personal time to
raiding. I know it was enough to suck me in and hold me tight for a
long time.
As you all learned if you read Episode I of Casually Casual recently
the allure of raiding has faded for me, instead I am devoting more of
my time to my family, friends, and other random things I like to do
that I have deemed more important than staring at the computer screen
four nights a week. I like my new lifestyle, not being tied down and
not having to explain to my non gamer friends that I need to rush home
because I need to raid.
However, sometimes when I’m sitting at home with absolutely
nothing to do I really want to raid (I wonder if this is perhaps
slightly how a drug addict feels?). I haven’t left my guild
and I could probably log on and manage to get myself an invite but that
somehow strikes me as wrong. I feel like that would be cheating, or
perhaps even hindering the raid. Especially since they are quickly
progressing through ICC 10 hard modes and I’ve missed most of
the fights. I do fill in from time to time upon request, usually when
another raider is going to be absent but I just can’t bring
myself to log on and ask for a spot otherwise.
My guild is a self proclaimed casual guild, and compared to some other
guilds out there we are, but it still demands a significant amount of
time and forces players who wish to raid to rearrange their schedules
to accommodate it. Most “casual” guilds are like
this, casual, but not really. There is nothing wrong with
this, but it tends to leave players who want to raid, but
can’t conform to a set schedule or dedicate an overly large
chunk of time to the game kind of high and dry. There are of course
those makeshift raids thrown together at a moment’s notice
that are open to anyone. These raids however tend to fizzle out, taking
out only the easiest of bosses.
This dilemma got me thinking and a solution manifested itself
surprisingly enough in my dreams, which are usually pretty awesome
might I add. Perhaps it was the shooter game I was playing before or
the meatloaf at dinner, but there the answer was, as clear as day; easy
mode. Yes that’s right, easy mode. I know it sounds kind of
crazy, but hear me out before you dismiss the idea.
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Many games, such as Call of
Duty 4, offer various modes of play to provide entertainment for all
skill levels.
Many other types of games offer three
(or more) different modes of play. The three are typically easy,
normal, and hard. Players then choose the mode that best suits their
level of play. Blizzard has already slightly implemented this idea into
the game, by adding hard modes to instances, so why not add an easy
mode? Adding easy mode could unlock raiding for many players who had
never thought it possible.
I am not saying that casual players cannot tackle bosses, but I am
pointing out that casual players do lack one thing; time. Typically
more casual players cannot devote the time that is needed for serious
raiding. As such they are often left out of the raiding scene and I
can’t help but feel this is unfair. In my mind I see easy
mode as a way to allow all players of WoW to finally enjoy the end game
raiding content the game has to offer. As it stands now many players
never get to see raid bosses at all, and if they do it is after the
content is old news.
Raid leaders would be able to select the easy mode option at the start
of the raid instance and the bosses would be scaled accordingly.
“Easy mode” bosses would have less skills, less
health, or be otherwise easier than their normal counterparts. The
bosses would still be a challenge, but not so much so that hours upon
hours of raid time and strategy reading would be required. I feel this
would open up the world of raiding to a broader range of players and
would probably entice new players to try out the game.
I can almost hear the objections to this now; but people
shouldn’t get the gear if they don’t put in the
tiimmmeeee. I agree. That is why I propose that normal and hard modes
drop significantly better gear. That way, players who choose to do easy
mode will still be able to get great gear, and have the raiding
experience but not on the same level as other players who play at a
higher skill level. Adding an easy mode option should actually appease
the more hardcore players who rage against the
“dumbing” down of the game. With this solution
every player will have a niche that they can easily fit into depending
on how they choose to raid.
So now that my master plan has been laid forth, I would love to hear
what other players think of it. To share your opinion, feel free to
leave me a comment on Ten Ton Hammer forums. I look forward to hearing
from you!
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