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In my opinion, PoE2 should move away from punishing mechanics entirely or at least give players the option to avoid them. If the goal is to retain players and attract new ones, providing choices is essential.
Challenging gameplay is fine—I enjoy difficulty—but frustrating and seemingly pointless punishments alienate most players. Mechanics that feel unfair or impossible to counter aren't fun and don’t help the game grow. For example, XP loss is an outdated concept. It doesn’t add value to the experience; it only frustrates players, especially when they face poorly explained challenges they’re unprepared for.
These kinds of mechanics—like losing maps, wasting trial coins, or suffering XP loss—don’t just punish players; they undermine their investment and enjoyment. Over time, this can lead to rage quits, as it did for me in PoE1. I got tired of punishing, unexplained systems that felt like a waste of time and effort. That’s not how you keep players engaged or happy.
It’s a misconception that PoE1 succeeded because of these mechanics. The game thrived because of its depth, variety, and frequent updates—not because of frustration.
A better approach for PoE2 would be to offer freedom of choice. Leagues already provide a framework for different playstyles, so why not expand on that? Here’s what I propose:
Hardcore League: Similar to PoE1—if you die, you lose everything.
Punishing League: Includes XP loss, map loss, trial coin loss, and other hardcore mechanics for players who enjoy this level of challenge.
Casual League: No XP or map loss, no trial coin penalties, and more freedom to experiment with builds (e.g., free respec points). Unsocket gems!
By offering these options, PoE2 could appeal to a broader audience while still catering to its core players. Let each player decide how they want to experience the game, and you’ll likely see better player retention and satisfaction.
Last edited by leoviale#3633 on Dec 30, 2024, 6:45:44 PM Last bumped on Dec 31, 2024, 10:56:20 AM
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Posted byleoviale#3633on Dec 30, 2024, 4:01:22 PM
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i think something like the ideas you are proposing would be great.
it is obvious that some players love the game the way it is. so that can be one difficulty.
it is also obvious that some players are frustrated by the difficulty (myself included so flame me if ya like).
i cannot think of a reason that difficulty settings would hurt the game?
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Posted byvincent_vfx#4010on Dec 30, 2024, 4:17:31 PM
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"games are all about NOT easily giving players what they want".
let that sink for a while...
try to get into the role of someone who has to create a game full of challenges
try again
age and treachery will triumph over youth and skill!
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Posted byvio#1992on Dec 30, 2024, 4:21:21 PMAlpha Member
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In my opinion, PoE2 should move away from punishing mechanics entirely or at least give players the option to avoid them. If the goal is to retain players and attract new ones, providing choices is essential.
Challenging gameplay is fine—I enjoy difficulty—but frustrating and seemingly pointless punishments alienate most players. Mechanics that feel unfair or impossible to counter aren't fun and don’t help the game grow. For example, XP loss is an outdated concept. It doesn’t add value to the experience; it only frustrates players, especially when they face poorly explained challenges they’re unprepared for.
These kinds of mechanics—like losing maps, wasting trial coins, or suffering XP loss—don’t just punish players; they undermine their investment and enjoyment. Over time, this can lead to rage quits, as it did for me in PoE1. I got tired of punishing, unexplained systems that felt like a waste of time and effort. That’s not how you keep players engaged or happy.
It’s a misconception that PoE1 succeeded because of these mechanics. The game thrived because of its depth, variety, and frequent updates—not because of frustration.
A better approach for PoE2 would be to offer freedom of choice. Leagues already provide a framework for different playstyles, so why not expand on that? Here’s what I propose:
Hardcore League: Similar to PoE1—if you die, you lose everything.
Punishing League: Includes XP loss, map loss, trial coin loss, and other hardcore mechanics for players who enjoy this level of challenge.
Casual League: No XP or map loss, no trial coin penalties, and more freedom to experiment with builds (e.g., free respec points).
By offering these options, PoE2 could appeal to a broader audience while still catering to its core players. Let each player decide how they want to experience the game, and you’ll likely see better player retention and satisfaction.
Someone carve this into stone and put it in the GGG Headquarters.
Thank you for perfectly formulating what is wrong with the game.
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Posted byrhaspy#0592on Dec 30, 2024, 4:25:07 PM
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I don't think a difficulty choice is the solution.
The solution is just better game design. There's absolutely nothing wrong with challenging mechanics in a game, but the issue is that GGG keeps these PUNISHING mechanics instead. Aimed at keeping a player down, rather than driving them to improve and enhancing their gameplay.
It's archaic game design. People seem to think getting rid of XP loss on death makes the game easier, but it doesn't. It just makes it less frustrating. You can totally have a super challenging game, and not have it be frustrating for the player, you don't need 'punishments' in the game to do so either.
An easier difficulty does make the game more playable, but so does better game design.
For example. XP loss on death. You're punished for not doing well. Unfun.
Replace it with. Increased item quantity the longer you're alive. Now you're rewarded for doing well instead. If you die, you're not really losing anything but a bonus. Much less frustrating, and people will play better, to get that bonus.
Game is now more challenging if you choose for it to be. It's an opt-in mechanic. Players aren't forced to engage with it if they don't want to.
Last edited by Akedomo#3573 on Dec 30, 2024, 4:31:28 PM
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Posted byAkedomo#3573on Dec 30, 2024, 4:29:19 PM
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+1
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Posted byToforto#2372on Dec 30, 2024, 4:31:01 PM
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In my opinion, PoE2 should move away from punishing mechanics entirely or at least give players the option to avoid them. If the goal is to retain players and attract new ones, providing choices is essential.
Challenging gameplay is fine—I enjoy difficulty—but frustrating and seemingly pointless punishments alienate most players. Mechanics that feel unfair or impossible to counter aren't fun and don’t help the game grow. For example, XP loss is an outdated concept. It doesn’t add value to the experience; it only frustrates players, especially when they face poorly explained challenges they’re unprepared for.
These kinds of mechanics—like losing maps, wasting trial coins, or suffering XP loss—don’t just punish players; they undermine their investment and enjoyment. Over time, this can lead to rage quits, as it did for me in PoE1. I got tired of punishing, unexplained systems that felt like a waste of time and effort. That’s not how you keep players engaged or happy.
It’s a misconception that PoE1 succeeded because of these mechanics. The game thrived because of its depth, variety, and frequent updates—not because of frustration.
A better approach for PoE2 would be to offer freedom of choice. Leagues already provide a framework for different playstyles, so why not expand on that? Here’s what I propose:
Hardcore League: Similar to PoE1—if you die, you lose everything.
Punishing League: Includes XP loss, map loss, trial coin loss, and other hardcore mechanics for players who enjoy this level of challenge.
Casual League: No XP or map loss, no trial coin penalties, and more freedom to experiment with builds (e.g., free respec points).
By offering these options, PoE2 could appeal to a broader audience while still catering to its core players. Let each player decide how they want to experience the game, and you’ll likely see better player retention and satisfaction.
THERE IS!!
Diablo 4 is the easy button. Its free to play too
Step 1 is to self reflect.
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Posted byRKxZlcLUUF#5704on Dec 30, 2024, 4:31:58 PM
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"
In my opinion, PoE2 should move away from punishing mechanics entirely or at least give players the option to avoid them. If the goal is to retain players and attract new ones, providing choices is essential.
Challenging gameplay is fine—I enjoy difficulty—but frustrating and seemingly pointless punishments alienate most players. Mechanics that feel unfair or impossible to counter aren't fun and don’t help the game grow. For example, XP loss is an outdated concept. It doesn’t add value to the experience; it only frustrates players, especially when they face poorly explained challenges they’re unprepared for.
These kinds of mechanics—like losing maps, wasting trial coins, or suffering XP loss—don’t just punish players; they undermine their investment and enjoyment. Over time, this can lead to rage quits, as it did for me in PoE1. I got tired of punishing, unexplained systems that felt like a waste of time and effort. That’s not how you keep players engaged or happy.
It’s a misconception that PoE1 succeeded because of these mechanics. The game thrived because of its depth, variety, and frequent updates—not because of frustration.
A better approach for PoE2 would be to offer freedom of choice. Leagues already provide a framework for different playstyles, so why not expand on that? Here’s what I propose:
Hardcore League: Similar to PoE1—if you die, you lose everything.
Punishing League: Includes XP loss, map loss, trial coin loss, and other hardcore mechanics for players who enjoy this level of challenge.
Casual League: No XP or map loss, no trial coin penalties, and more freedom to experiment with builds (e.g., free respec points).
By offering these options, PoE2 could appeal to a broader audience while still catering to its core players. Let each player decide how they want to experience the game, and you’ll likely see better player retention and satisfaction.
THERE IS!!
Diablo 4 is the easy button. Its free to play too
Diablo 4 is the boring button for similar reasons where POE2 is heading. And it is not free to play.
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Posted byrhaspy#0592on Dec 30, 2024, 4:35:16 PM
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These kinds of mechanics—like losing maps, wasting trial coins, or suffering XP loss—don’t just punish players; they undermine their investment and enjoyment. Over time, this can lead to rage quits, as it did for me in PoE1. I got tired of punishing, unexplained systems that felt like a waste of time and effort. That’s not how you keep players engaged or happy.
The mechanics also bite the games tail. They already said they want to have up to 500(?) different bosses in endgame. I have bosses that i found only once ever. No way to learn how to deal with them if they rarely appear at all. The super hard to get end game boss access items are just the cream topping on this mess.
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It's archaic game design. People seem to think getting rid of XP loss on death makes the game easier, but it doesn't. It just makes it less frustrating. You can totally have a super challenging game, and not have it be frustrating for the player, you don't need 'punishments' in the game to do so either.
Its not only less frustrating, but it also compensates for odd combinations that you can get. Ppl would complain alot less about impossible combinations if they wouldnt be punished for having the bad luck running into it.
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Posted byXebov#4972on Dec 30, 2024, 4:42:06 PM
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+1, I love the idea
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Posted byVinsdvalh#0247on Dec 30, 2024, 4:58:39 PM
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