Goldkin @Goldkin@awoo.space

Anyway, I'm just relieved that I'd braced for "congrats, you won, here's our complementary escalation-of-commitment to keep you playing" and it wasn't there.

Like, it feels like MMOs and RPG subgenres have kind of branched into two tracks over the past several years.

Track A: here's a grinder that will take all of your time. Sometimes we love the idea of including mobile game FOMO because it makes all of the money, and if you fall behind, tough.

Track B: here's a game that's like a goldfish and expands to fill the time you have. We acknowledge that extreme type A people exist, but if you're not that, here's a minimum set of recommendations that you can probably automate or fit into your schedule. The rest is there when you want it.

It won't keep me forever -- there's just more to do in games that do self-motivated challenge runs better than 14 does.

But just the idea that there can be an MMO endgame that respects my time is... nice, honestly. Especially after bouncing off Warframe for the dozenth time and all of its incredible FOMO.

Caught up on MSQ through 6.0, and gotta say, I'm relieved that the endgame is no longer "tomestones and raid or perish" like it was during the HW era.

I always preferred solo and small group challenges and deep dungeon, and seeing a lot more of the current late game geared in that direction is more of my speed honestly.

@Felthry

Defraud series A (funding): basically, convince investors to fund the thing then run with the money.

Whale economy: deliberately designing game systems to condition players to pay that have no ceiling to how much money can go in. Typically kept afloat by "whales", people who invest upwards of thousands or tens of thousands of dollars because of exploitable situations like a gambling addiction.

@Moot I need a bingo card for these that's just a list of grifts like "defraud series A", "whale economy", and "straight-up theft". With the latest buzzwords in vogue as free spaces.