In the annals of Dark and darker, I once staunchly believed that gear-locked lobbies were an unnecessary addition, attributing the game’s issues primarily to the problematic High Roller dynamics. However, as the gaming landscape evolved, a stark realization surfaced – the crux of the problem didn’t rest with High Roller but rather with a subset of players. Left unchecked, this trend has the potential to estrange the casual player base, creating an urgent need for intervention.
Even for seasoned players like my gaming group, who have actively participated in every playtest since Playtest 3, the recent struggles to find an enjoyable start underscored the gravity of the situation. Joining the game a few days late proved to be a disheartening experience when faced with a Barbarian capable of one-shotting through a blue potion and Cleric buffs with a purple axe, a Ranger picking off targets from afar, an almost invincible Fighter blocking your path, or a Wizard unleashing havoc with three spells. The stark reality is that skillful play is virtually non-existent when confronted with such adversaries sporting starter gear. While some may propose avoiding these players, the sheer gear advantage propels them ahead of those with starter gear, rendering evasion an insurmountable challenge.
So, what’s the panacea? One viable option involves assigning a gear score to each item, effectively restricting lobbies to players below a specified gear score threshold or endeavoring to match players with comparable gear scores whenever feasible. Even if the latter proves challenging, facing formidable opponents is still preferable to the disheartening alternative of not playing at all.
An alternative remedy could lie in the introduction of more maps, with some tailored exclusively for starter quests, rendering them essentially worthless to geared players. These maps could feature quest progressions across various tiers, providing a nuanced gameplay experience. However, this approach necessitates a substantial investment of time for implementation, raising concerns about the game’s survival with a potentially poor initial experience.
The delicate path the developers must tread involves avoiding the fragmentation of the player base through an excessive proliferation of queues. A potential approach could involve creating a queue for entering top-level dungeons while randomizing accessible layers within those dungeons. Simultaneously, the introduction of solo queues for small maps, duo queues for small to medium map sizes, trio queues for medium to large maps, and a rotating High Roller queue covering various map sizes could provide both variety and balance. To address the issue of gear disparity, Gear-Locked dungeons could be introduced, potentially rotating between solo, duo, and trio queues, thereby granting everyone a fair chance while maintaining manageable queue numbers.
In navigating these uncharted territories, the developers stand at the crossroads of innovation, facing the imperative of restructuring the gaming landscape to foster a fair and enjoyable playing field for all. You can leave a comment here to give Dark and Darker more valid opinions, thank you. I recommend MMOexp to buy Dark and Darker gold and service, it is the best.