FC has been too focused on reward and not enough on fun for some time now. Yes a reward is always nice but if you don't enjoy the process it becomes just an annoying grind to get out of the way. BSs are the perfect example of this. Pretty much right from the launch of LE people have suggested changes like more layouts, alternate win goals, semi-randomly generated teams rather than side vs side, allowing it to run with less people if not enough are signed up and so forth. Yet all they have really changed since launch has been the VP reward. First a big jump about a month after launch, another bump for most a few months later, recently they added those VP birthday gifts then now we learn they will later be permanent and they plan to tinker with win/lose BS VP some more again.
The only other real changes have been to apply some penalties for leaving (honour points and the disgrace nano), getting kicked out if you go AFK and to change PvP title mechanics so title huggers don't need to hug their title. But what about every other suggested change that keeps coming up again and again that is related to enhancing the fun of those that want to be there? Those get left alone as they keep increasing the reward to try enticing the unwilling to join BSs which they don't enjoy. That although also results in the willing enjoying BSs less as the unwilling tend to make poor opponents. Having strong thinking opponents is suppose to be why people like PvP. Fighting weak unwilling opponents don't provide that. So by focusing on the reward as they have causes everyone's fun to be reduced.
Some balance changes have helped or will help with making the process or game experience more entertaining (such as crat stun procs becoming root procs). Other things to change would be as follows.
- Change BSs to add more layouts, alternate win goals, semi-randomly generated teams rather than side vs side, allowing it to run with less people if not enough are signed up and so forth. A bigger VP reward doesn't make BSs something people want to do. Making it more entertaining for those into PvP would.
- Change the Scheol to Pen quest lines so a 220 escort is no longer required or it isn't just a marathon. This particularly applies to the Scheol and Ado quest lines. You also can't really expect to get much more than one or two others looking to do these anymore. Then it's more fun and satisfying if you can do something without a 220 babysitting you plus getting to the NPC shouldn't be more hassle than the task it gives you.
- Change older high lvl mobs so they're more than just a large health pool. LotX PF mobs have less health than other higher lvl mobs but more tricks which make them more interesting to fight as they're more of a threat.
- Rework LE missions. The mobs aren't bad but the halls of these "team" missions are too narrow for more than one person. VP and LE upgrade types tend to be gained through mechanics abusing means. Changes so rewards could be more effectively gained through more effort rather than just constant repetition makes gaining them more pleasant. Fixing the mechanics so they can't be grossly abused keeps things fairer and helps ensure things were gained by actual effort. Something like that happened with AXP so why not VP and types in these missions too? (I go into more detail on this issue in my thread on the matter linked in my sig.)
- More tokens for more work. We generally do barely green missions or hand in token guns as no matter how hard the task how many tokens you get depends only on your char's lvl when you use the mission token. So we do the fastest task that gives a mission token. A change that rewarded more effort would improve things. I know Means recently said they'd look/think about adding more ways to get tokens but based on past experience it will be new missions for just lvl 210-220s or so. Tokens benefit chars of all lvls, some universal change to token gains would be more useful.
Aside from just adding/changing things to a way that is more enjoyable to do they could also remove or lessen the things that are in no way fun.
- For team locked PFs and team missions they could add a portal that pops up after killing the boss or clearing the mission area then killing the boss. This portal would stay up permanently and when used sends you to just outside/inside the entrance of the mission/PF. The place is clear and the rat in a maze bit or long run to get out is not fun and a waste of time.
- A portal similar to the one mentioned above could be added after killing a dungeon boss. This one though would only last some 5-10 minutes after the boss is killed. If you could get there you could get back but many train back as it's faster, which tends to bugger things up for others.
- Add delivery to GMS. Finding the next item happens to be in the same way out of the way shop building you just came back from gets old fast.
- Speed up the chat rate of NPCs. No matter how fast or slowly they chat if a person doesn't want to read it they won't and will just watch for the next chat option to pop up. If they do want to read it they can always scroll up.
- Allow combining things and stack splitting in backpacks. People don't TS lvl anymore and having to take everything out all the time to do either task is a pain.
- Change PB parts so they stack. This applies to the pattern pieces, novi and filled crystals plus perhaps completed patterns, partial patterns and novictumized crystals. Perennium bolts and sheets stack making them easier to collect in volume, why not do the same for PB parts? Also the space saving and running back and forth saved as a result with this can't be denied.
- Give the PBs that drop nothing something to drop and add the patterns that don't drop to the loot table. It's certainly not fun and a waste of time to spend time getting pattern parts for PBs that give you nothing. That or hunting mobs for pattern parts for PBs that could give you something you want only to find those patterns don't drop.
- Change insignias so they stack. Yes I know it says they can't right in the description but just how many packs of items do we need to lug around?
- More backpack options to speed some tasks up. These would be things like assigning a default backpack appearance so we don't have to adjust each one manually. If you put a backpack with items in it in a shop terminal all the items are emptied out for sale. Assigning certain backpacks so when you pick an item up they automatically go in that pack. Linking backpacks so you scroll through the contents of multiple packs from one backpack window.
What other things do you think could be changed to make them more enjoyable or removed that are just seemingly senseless grinds?