The problems with the SF and other farming nerfs is manifold.
1. Only a small part of the people will ever be outgoing enough to want to be with and enjoy everyone. Beyond that, small groups are the human norm. In the study of man, no dig site of more than 15 or more population has been found without signs of violent conflict.
2. The extreme range of skills, class options, and varied skill bar arrangements means that not ever collaborative effort can succeed. In fact, since one cannot readily change classes and set up skill trains with the same numerical effect and merely different graphical presentation, learning to be successful with all ten classes is made highly difficult.
3. Very occasionally skills will be dependent upon other skills effects in order to work. Each class that has skills that depend on an effect can cause that effect relatively easily. There are no skills that depend entirely on effects caused by other classes, nor are the symbols on the screen sufficient to make that kind of opportunity useful. Especially under the lag which is normally suffered throughout the game. So truly interactive team builds are at best very limited.
The justification for nerfs have been under concepts of balancing PvP skills, and increasing multi-player instead of solo play. It is similar to the recent changes in monk and rit skills that have wiped many of my most useful skill bars. They are aimed at eliminating the effectiveness of heroes so as to force more multi-player play.
4. Even GW has had to admit that PvP and PvE cannot adequately be consolidated under the skill systems which have been employed. Constant rebalancing for PvP has continuously led to the destruction of PvE enjoyment to such an extent the skills are now separated. The separation of these styles of play is due to: i. Differences in lag making PvP the game for those who can afford to purchase elite machines and elite ISP services, ii. Differences in personality and culture on the nature of what is acceptable competitive behavior, and iii. How are defined definition cooperation, competition, and opposition. (Competitors have respect for one another, and in my experience, this is not observable in the PvP environment.)
5. Solo play is preferred on one hand because one has a higher chance of getting drops, even with loot scaling. Interest in getting more drops is based upon two completely different purposes. One of these is greed: people want drops that they can sell to others because they are 1337 in some way. Another is the desire to obtain certain items not available except in drops because they go with a character’s theme. Those who are only looking for money will rarely be concerned about the entertainment value of plot, theme, and appearance. The game stories mean little or nothing to them. Those who are plot and theme oriented are more concerned with their entertainment and will at some level of mild to greatly resent the forced farming in order to find or purchase what entertains them. Under both conditions, botting, e-baying for gold, or other EULA violations have been inspired in order to achieve entertainment. Those who want the gold obtained through sales do not want players to be able to do things for themselves and oppose anything that would disrupt their accumulation of wealth. Those who are more interested in theme and role play will rarely if ever have the wealth needed to purchase from those only concerned with sales.
One example of a game item like this is the Superior of Vigor, which I have read is limited to one per character in drops. That remains ludicrous. I have 30 characters. I have had 2 Sup of Vigors drop in 3 years of play. I ought to be able to put a Superior of Vigor on 3 armors per active character from drops alone. Someone else has all my Sup of Vigor drops and I cannot nor will I ever be able to afford them. Further, I will be denied the ability to play effectively in the different suits of armor I collect (and yes that 9 health matters, I have seen people survive to make a difference on less than 9 health too many times in three years). And so people farm in order to be effective when they play and to get the things that will make their play fun.
These nerfs intended to change the nature of what we are as a species will fail in their objective. We will never be willingly more social than we are naturally. We can be forced to work together unwillingly, and as we can see by the devastation of Yugoslavia, Iraq, etc. this kind of liberal forced love policy is superficial at best. The inspiration to work separately from others has always been based on the lack of effectiveness in PUG’s and in obtaining those things that make one’s play both entertaining and effective. The interest in going outside the economy provided can only be understood in the marginalization of enjoyment in order to force team play and bolster a trade system that has never been enjoyable. In summary, the reason for the nerfs is an attempt by the powers that be to make up for things they cause to be unenjoyable while still leaving these things unenjoyable, inefficient, and contrary to human nature.
