u/darkroadgames

No, I'm not serious.

"Change the meta" is something lazy developers do instead of adding actual real content to the game. It's a cheap tactic to make players be in-game for more hours just trying to redo what they've already done.

I've seen this in too many games to count. It's not always a sign of a declining game, but it often is.

To be fair, I understand why a developer might do these things. A ship might be overlooked by the players and they want to give it a fresh chance. A ship might be overpowered. Etc. If that's the case, they need to give people a chance to refund the ships they bought that are now no longer even similar to what they originally wanted.

But make no mistake: The primary reason developers "Change the meta" is because it is the CHEAPEST way to (temporarily) increase hours played per customer (at least on paper).

Just keep in mind that as you're discussing the nuance of the individual changes, the real reason for the change is to make a cheaper product it takes you longer to consume. Because the longer you are in-game regrinding a ship to replace the one you just lost, there are opportunities for you to spend money.

It's all about financial metrics. On average players will spend X dollars per Y hrs. Increase Y hrs = increased profits.

TLDR: This is a lazy replacement for actual content designed to make you burn more hours in the game doing things you've already done so there is an increased change you might buy something from the cash shop while you're doing it. It kinda sucks.

By several accounts this game is dying. Game has lost 50% of its players in 6 months, and lost 7% of its players in the last 30 days even though we started a new season.

By many accounts the game has flaws that predictably will lead to this (posts about grind, ptw, zergs, balance, lack of content, etc...)

But how many players have left this game because of the terrible moderation?

The moderation is worse in WoSB than in any context I've ever seen. Worse than any other game. Worse than covid-era twitter. Worse even than reddit.

The mods are gassed-up and showered with praise from a hand full of sycophants who then get to say whatever they want, while everyone else walks on eggshells constantly. The rules are applied randomly at best and with clear bias at worst.

I have one friend who quit the game just because the moderation was so bad and chat was so cringe. Both I and another friend have spent money in the game and regret it because of how bad it is, and even our "sunk cost" can only last so long.

And before you tell me this doesn't matter, there are game populations that have disappeared because of lesser things like moderation of discords. "Community managers" can and do kill games. It's well documented.

TLDR: When this game is sitting at 500 players and has officially lost 90% of its player base, don't forget to include the impact of handing a game over to terrible mods like Mod V in your discussions of why games die.

The more I read fantasy and adventure fiction, the more I notice how unique Conan is. What stands out to me as the most unique thing is Conan's disregard of the arbitrary rules, social constraints, political systems and codes of honor that control characters in other fiction and cause needless melodrama. It is his roguishness that truly sets him apart in my opinion.

Howard (and other writers) don't just pretend these things don't exist, but rather present Conan as being completely without even the pretense of respect for them. He navigates them, sometimes bends to them when he must, and breaks them without a second thought when he can. It probably says a lot about my personality, but this is both deeply satisfying and realistic.

It's not satisfying or realistic when a cowboy, who was about to be murdered by an evil enemy who will go on to hurt others if he lives, throws down his revolver to have a fist fight the moment he disarms the murdering villain. (Looking hard at you Louis Lamore). The same protagonist that was not only about to die trying to save a damsel in distress now risks the person he was about to save with some absurd show of "honor". Conan would never.

It's not satisfying or realistic when protagonists accept ill treatment of themselves and the ones they love because of the elevated social station of their antagonist. It's one thing for a character to recognize that he lacks the opportunity or ability to defend himself, seek revenge, or justice. It's another thing to actually condone the arbitrary social rules and believe that you are morally or ethically bound to defer to the whims of antagonists in whole or in part.

I grow tired of fiction where the protagonist is directed by a "prophecy" (often not even of his own culture or belief system) into actions that would otherwise not fit his personality or stated motivations. I'm sick of the "good guy" risking all the other good people in absurd displays of virtue.

While most other fiction is doing its best George Costanza "We live in a society!" impression, Conan is going "No, we really don't".

TLDR: Conan DGAF and that's why I love him.