“Contested” Raids or “Instanced” Raids – What’s Your Favorite?
The debate now is “Contested Raids” (as in Everquest) versus “Instanced Raids” (World of Warcraft). While the former is more suited to solo players, the latter requires teamwork and the ability to muster allies into an “instanced” area.
According to one side of the debate, the problem with “Instancing” is that it promotes a type of “elitism,” which excludes single players who may not belong – or wish to belong – to a guild. Instead of bringing folks together to enjoy interactions in the virtual world, it simply divides players into smaller groups.
On the other hand, it seems that MMO gaming is not as “player-driven” as it once was. Practices such as “Griefing” and “Botting” apparently have caused problems in open zones, forcing hundreds of players into “instanced dungeons” in order to escape. It seems that single players can indeed enjoy instances, undisturbed by other players whose goals may be the same. According to this argument, “contested” areas often require long camps that don’t always end successfully. With the existence of instanced dungeons having lockout timers, camping becomes unnecessary. Players needn’t worry about “kill stealing,” or other players lying in wait for another’s failure.
Those who advocate for “contested” raids insist that the problems with their preference are due to the actions of a few “bad apples.” Contested content, the insist, provides the “purest MMO experience. By attempting to legislate game behavior through instancing because of a handful of cheats will lead to games in which everything is instanced and all players are segregated except for a few meeting areas. By this argument, its better to have and create even more contested content with more areas in the game in which the game excitement can be spread among a large population. Having only one or two “cool” areas in a game will – understandably – lead to congestion and frustration.
So…where do YOU stand on this debate? Weigh in below…
Via MMORPG.com
The debate now is “Contested Raids” (as in Everquest) versus “Instanced Raids” (World of Warcraft). While the former is more suited to solo players, the latter requires teamwork and the ability to muster allies into an “instanced” area.
According to one side of the debate, the problem with “Instancing” is that it promotes a type of “elitism,” which excludes single players who may not belong – or wish to belong – to a guild. Instead of bringing folks together to enjoy interactions in the virtual world, it simply divides players into smaller groups.
On the other hand, it seems that MMO gaming is not as “player-driven” as it once was. Practices such as “Griefing” and “Botting” apparently have caused problems in open zones, forcing hundreds of players into “instanced dungeons” in order to escape. It seems that single players can indeed enjoy instances, undisturbed by other players whose goals may be the same. According to this argument, “contested” areas often require long camps that don’t always end successfully. With the existence of instanced dungeons having lockout timers, camping becomes unnecessary. Players needn’t worry about “kill stealing,” or other players lying in wait for another’s failure.
Those who advocate for “contested” raids insist that the problems with their preference are due to the actions of a few “bad apples.” Contested content, the insist, provides the “purest MMO experience. By attempting to legislate game behavior through instancing because of a handful of cheats will lead to games in which everything is instanced and all players are segregated except for a few meeting areas. By this argument, its better to have and create even more contested content with more areas in the game in which the game excitement can be spread among a large population. Having only one or two “cool” areas in a game will – understandably – lead to congestion and frustration.
So…where do YOU stand on this debate? Weigh in below…
Via MMORPG.com
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