disagree that the game needs help all you want, but it's easy to see that the player base is eroding steadily.
Fix 1. Allow anything to be unbound. Right now you have unbind tokens that are absolutely useless because nothing that can be unbound is worth unbinding.
Fix 2. Remove roles (dps, healer, tank) from the classes. Assign them to the gear. Your gear dictates what role you're playing. If I want to come in as a jack of all trades and have gear split equally between tanking/healing/dpsing, great. It's not that hard to do, you already have stats assigned to the gear.
Right now it takes forever to queue for any random content because you just can't find tanks. There's your fix.
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Lets start with idea/concept.
The concept you are suggesting itself is not new, and already so and played games which utilize such system. It have benfits and flaw. But thing s that it can't be applied here in Neverwinter online due simple reason.
Neverwinter online is based on D&D lore. The classes, races, real and even story arcs are already defined in D&D lore and there is not much you can do about it. The company which own IP ( intelectual property) are WIzards of the Coast
And when you have game build/design based on their license, you can only make changes if you get their ( IP owners) approval.
Your suggestion is to more less remove classes means eliminate one if core element of D&D. And it's hard to even dream about that Wizards of the Coast would approve that...
The other thing, is that to apply it would means, more less overhaul whole game, and with it's current situation, it's age, and current situation within Embracer group. I am sorry, but thats simply impossible. It would be considered as high risk invesment and current Embracer Groups top heads would not appriciate of such action.
And one other thing.. Lets assume developers due various reasons would implement such system. What odds that this make queue/party building faster?? none.
Players will stick with their current builds anyways. So you end up same place without fixing anything.
The reason why there is long queue waiting is simple.. Two months after expansion release, big portion of players simply become less active. It's the usual thing in this game... Players get bored and for time their explore other games or other activities..
Other thing, lot of players do random dungeon q's with friends, guild/alliance members, or players from custom chat groups. Build up party before q to random dugeons. This way same their time, and also make sure there is no usual pug hate fiesta.
Now the thing which need to point out. More less harsh reality of game and whole reason why there is long delays within queue/party building.
More players focus on dps gameplays cuz it's easier and more attractive with current game situation.
I mean, why should I play as heal/tank and fight group of enemies for 3 min if with dps class/build I can blast same group enemies with one or two hits?
There is not real encouragment for players to play as real heal/tank. For most time players do content solo, and your service as heal/tank only required in end game. And beore you reach that point need of your service is more less not required.
Non dungeon content??? How much do we have conent where in open non dungeon area would require tank/heal??? Bhe? but in most cases when group players come to bhe train, healer may restore just ~10% of players Hp ( in best case) more less your presence is not required.
tank? what for?? Enemies get wiped easily and fast and your can more less got afk if want, your presence is not required.
Skirmish??? no tank/heal required. Lot of times one player more less carry rest of group.. ( traditionally).
Random dungeons??? players with dps speendrun through them before heal/tank can do anything, cuz even with scaling down, players still have high stats making tank/heal presence as irrelevant.
Random advanced dungeons?? same case as normal random dungeons.. I have been multiple times in party where inside infernal citadel ranger was top dps and more less tanked in whole dungeon run. Even trolled second boss... So what the point to bring tank??? LoMM?? I am sorry, tank not required.
ToNG?? long time stop need of tank or heal.
With healer is thing that heal potion easily recover 70% of your HP all alone, so what the point to bring healer?? Healer more less become as tool to buy time till HP potion cool down ends.
The only field where you as tank/heal are trully rquired is end game.
It's not the first ime this game got in such situation.. mod 10~15, mod 18~19. I mean in this time I was doing dungeons on HC mode solo. Even without having end game gear and playing as warlock( one of bottom dps class).
And now lets not forget not long ago we have buffings fiesta for various(popular) classes. But after that there as no scaling system updates to match recent class buffings and current situation with gears.
Lets not forget that more new gear sets got added to game, even gear in seal vendor increase IL and stats for players to point making random dungeon content runs as joke.
The 80k IL player eaily can carry groups through most of game contents, and 80k is no longer a thing.
“The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.
Gustave Le Bon.
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Before RQ, players asked for tank and heal in the chat. It was the players who wanted to form the party asked because of the actual need of the run and not because of being forced by the game's role requirement. In fact, I once played the role of 'tank' as a TR. Not for taking a lot of hit but for grabbing aggro. We could not find a regular tank at that moment. Hence, we agreed on the strategy for the sake of trying (for fun) instead of waiting. It worked. It was the time when there was no such thing as role requirement. Don't do RQ. Set up your party to do private queue. No, this won't fix the game. It fixes one thing that bother you.
But I'd like to see Advanced Random Skirmishes. It would be a risk to fail, but it's more fun to play your true DPS class and earn daily AD. Some players are so powerful that classes don't really matter.
It's true that there aren't many tanks in the game, but it's also true that there aren't many useful companions and artifacts for tanks too.
Also I have a tank, it does sometimes take a while to queue as a tank too. Sometimes it's instant, but most of the time it takes a while for qpop. And I usually queue rdq or rtq when I'm on my own.
There is only one concern for a REAL aka legally operating company left:
The failure to NOT react in a business aka hype & advertising way to the success of #BG3 aka Baldur's Gate 3. The sales prove AGAIN that roleplayers are the larger & more reliable customer group. NOT drug addicts and NOT anti-social dungeon rushers aka ZERGS aka living spoilers.
Your game could have been revived into a decently lucrative one, if only you would have chosen to offer a real D&D game, not generic MMO junk we know, and get cost free, for decades already.
I can't help you any more, as my ex-homeless life was far from high income AND without the crucial business courses or university studies to update & improve my education.
My regards
Andre M. Pietroschek
P.S. If you want to see what the Foundry could do, click the link in my sig. I managed to capture some playthroughs right before it was brought town. There were dozens of custom maps that roleplayers used -- I left reviews for many of them **. All of those roleplayers left the game when it was brought down.
** The end chest in roleplaying maps is typically inaccessible to prevent gaming the system, but with a rogue, Shadowy Disappearance, and an hour's worth of persistence... What can I say--I was chasing a Foundry achievement that had to do with how many quests you reviewed. Foundry achievements granted rewards, like cloaks, titles, companions, and mounts. The night before it was brought down for good I made Dungeon Master rank 4. It granted the "Foundry Stalwart" title, which I use to this day.
Blood Magic (RELEASED) - NW-DUU2P7HCO
Children of the Fey (RELEASED) - NW-DKSSAPFPF
Buried Under Blacklake (WIP) - NW-DEDV2PAEP
The Redcap Rebels (WIP) - NW-DO23AFHFH
My Foundry playthrough channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Ruskaga/featured