ThereIsHope

I read the first article, and it was a really eye opener. Indeed, there is a fine scale to balance between immersion in the game lore and interaction with the community. A great article, and a new way of thinking about the game too.

I agree with Alg on the balancing problem, and it has indeed been around a long time and discussed before. They overdid themselves by making the GWD the biggest, baddest place in the game, dominated by an elite, high level team community that pretty much owned the lootshare worlds and organized hours long boss trips, while those who couldn't afford the best had to make due with what they had. Then anything comparable that was released needed a bone-crackingly hard quest or another boss, or both. Then it became a tug of war between the highest leveled people seeking challenge and the lower leveled people not wanting to be shunted aside. Even with the EOC working to repair the misbalance of the combat triangle, I agree that bosses need to become more like ones in Dungeoneering, less stats and more tactics/maneuvers. This is a better avenue towards a high difficulty level than adding raw stats.

In regards to Two 3 or Not 2 Three, I have a mixed opinion. I can understand comparing various game features and the end message of playing what you feel is best, but the delivery was a tad too cynical/abrasive. Referring to 2 and 3 as an 'inert work-simulator' and a 'pay-to-win pissing contest' from the outset doesn't cast a good light on the rest of the article to come, as it comes off as a kind of attack on both sides of the argument. Also, while the numerical system in the EOC does look intimidating at first, one can understand how attacking and defending work in numerical terms by simply studying it, as one would have to do to understand combat statistics in the previous version as well. And the values on armor and weapons, as well as abilities, are in no way 'misleading', but are simply more aligned along the combat triangle than before. On The Sixth Age, I agree with the intrigue of the player his/herself being the driving force behind events, and I do wonder if Jagex will implement a system in which choices made in future quests have more impact on your continued journey than aesthetics or certain people not talking to you. I too am anticipating what is to come.