Posted 05 November 2012 - 18:44
I've kept my mouth shut throughout all this. Now that it's effectively over, I'm going to alienate a few people. Well, a few MORE people.
So some of you feel the original goal was too steep. Despite:
* potions introduced solely for the purpose of artificially inflating your kill count
* creatures that counted as more than one kill (to artificially increase your kill count!)
* a longer than usual event length
You whine. The Cows respond. As usual. The length of the event is increased even more, AND the goal for ruby tier is lowered...twice.
And so, of course the community makes its goal with time to spare. How could they not when the goal posts keep moving toward them by leaps and bounds?
Frankly, my Silver Global Participation badge, which I'll be getting after this event is over, is going to be worth a lot more to me than the potions, which although nice, will seem unearned after this event. Yes, I qualified for Ruby tier. But frankly, in my mind, the community did not. And are being rewarded as if they did anyway.
BigGrim and company, I know you walk a fine line sometimes. You have to at least appear to try to please everybody, even though it's patently impossible. And the most vocal segment of people in this forum frequently seem to be the "I want a win button" contingent. But as has been said so many times in this forum, Global Quests are not supposed to be about self-aggrandizement. They are supposed to be about community. The community should succeed or fail based upon how much effort they are willing and able to put into it. And if they on occasion fail, so be it - it will be that much more of a spur for working harder next time.
I would really like to see the next Global Quest be tightened up. Get a realistic estimate of the number of active players, and how much stam they can reasonably put into the event if they so choose. Set a goal commensurate with these figures. And STICK TO IT. Announce in advance that these goals are final, they will not be changed, and it is up to the community to succeed and fail based on the parameters you've given them.
You'll still get whiners, no doubt. But you'll restore some meaning into an event that has, quite frankly, become a farce.