The Pulse: Community Catch Up | 2WC 4 Sept

[Doctor Internet]

I apologise but the past needs to stay in the past. Things have come a long way since 2011

Except things haven't come a long way. The core of the game mode and the meta is still the same. We are so focused on trying to make everything better, that we are not focused enough on what actually works.
And in 2011 things worked. They don't anymore, sorry. Too many baseless changes and flawed updates. One of the best places to start would be the changes to the economy.

Hey, sorry, I haven't been following the whole conversation, but one thing I always talk about when FL comes up is this idea of the meta.

I think that's one of the biggest problems you guys are facing.

From 2016 and before, I remember there being a good variety of passive and agg rp at any one time with a 'let's get on and RP' mentality. Post that period, I feel that every year the server moved closer towards being a chatroom in a multiplayer game: less clans, no government, no shops, nothing ambitious.

With the prior meta, things almost run themselves, as everything was super player driven. But as soon as that was out of the mainstream, the USP of the gamemode started to get lost, and you were left with something that wasn't very special.

So, I think the meta did 100% change, and they're absolutely right to make changes if they'll satisfy current wants.

And this is 100% part of the issue. There are major differences in the playerbase and expectations from 2011 through 2023, that's 12 years of changes in the sate of the entire industry. HL2RP, the main gamemode based on those player interactions that Haarek spoke about, went from being a major gamemode, down to a nearly dead niche. Players demanded more systems, more interactions, more things to do, instead of just having those individual interactions.

I appreciate that things seemed to work better in 2011, but I don't think that just turning the dial back on the gamemode will fix it. It's not just the gamemode that changed since then.

[Haarek]

Players demanded more systems, more interactions, more things to do, instead of just having those individual interactions.

I'm not arguing against innovation or the addition of new systems. My point is that these changes should not upset the core gameplay balance. New systems should be integrated in a way that complements rather than competes with the foundational elements of the game mode.

I appreciate that things seemed to work better in 2011, but I don't think that just turning the dial back on the gamemode will fix it. It's not just the gamemode that changed since then.

I understand that turning the dial back to 2011 may not be the solution. However, critically examining what worked before offers insights into how to improve what is broken. Sometimes the best way to move forward is to take a step back and reassess. The economy is the backbone of the entire game mode. The economy influences player decisions, the roleplay in the city, and even the extent to which aggressive and passive roleplay can co-exist. When the economy tanks, it impacts every other aspect of the game.

This isn't about stubbornly clinging to the past, but rather using successful mechanics to improve FL.
The economy needs attention, and it needs to be rolled back to where it was before.