I like having an added motivating factor to complete content when it’s current.
I like optimizing and planning my playtime to achieve these goals.
I accept that there are some things that I will not achieve, due to personal circumstances, be it limitations on time, money, skill, or appeal of the content.
As much as people decry “FOMO,” this is a “problem” I want to have. I thrive under a deadline. And when this content returns, it cheapens that experience. Not only in retrospect, but for future content as well.
Not only that, but returning rewards tend to take the place of new rewards, and those who achieved something while it was relevant are left without a new carrot to chase.
Personally, I’m a fan of adding new tints of cosmetics if they need to return - I understand the angst against being locked out of accessing a specific model. Felbear did it best.
As to current events… add another slime cat tint (in addition to keeping the green available, if they must). Add a title for getting Taivan before TWW. And so on. The more reasons I have to think about optimizing my playtime, the better.
While everyone is afflicted by FOMO to a different degree, I can honestly say optional cosmetic items in a video game do not and will never cause FOMO for me. So if I want a reward that’s time limited I go get it, and if I miss out that’s the way it goes. There’s 10s of thousands of things to collect in this game so I just go get something else if I’m so inclined.
Ngl all i really got from this is unless blizzard implements goal posts you dont have the self control or discipline to do it otherwise. And people wonder why they do it. Wow players truly are their own enemies.
All things you can do without events being time limited. Essentially the same response I would have to a remove add-ons thread. You can do it yourself!
Give yourself a deadline and you’ll have it as a motivating factor without other players being limited by your own personal agenda!
If plunderstorm wasn’t advertised as limited time, I probably would have just said “that looks neat. I’ll give it a try eventually” and probably never actually given it a proper try.
Because it was advertised as a limited time event, I hopped right in, pushed past the little learning curve at the start, and actually really enjoyed it.
imo, fomo is only really bad when it does not act as an incentive to try something you normally wouldn’t have. Like for instance, the trading post which ironically a bunch of the people who hate plunderstorm want all the transmogs to be released on.
It’s an additional layer to my goalsetting. Weighing what I can do against what I cannot. What I want against what I do not. Limited rewards aren’t a checklist - they’re the reward for being able to mange my time as I see fit. And that type of gameplay structure isn’t available when you can just do something whenever.
One that you could apply to any goal in the game! Set a deadline for that thing you want, if you get it, great! If not, treat it as limited time and deny yourself the reward.
FFXIV did ranked crafting seasons with limited rewards a couple of years back. I was always interested in crafting in that game, but I never gave it a proper shake. That limited event was just the kick in the pants I needed to give it a try. Plus, the nature of the event had a social aspect to it, bringing all sorts of people together who I never would have met if it was “do it whenever” content. It remains one of the most memorable MMO experiences I’ve ever had.
Why add rewards to anything in the game, then, if the sheer act is reward enough?
While I do agree that you should be doing something else if you’re not enjoying the moment-to-moment gameplay and are in it entirely for the reward, I do not agree with depriving the playerbase of a particularly reward structure because of that.
Is there a way to create illusionary deadlines that would help you achieve that rush/presure without imposing them on people who don’t share your tastes?
But… but… the number of ugly dumb mounts I’ll never even consider using would go up by one! Which would get me closer to a mount collection achievement that will never matter! These things are critical to my life having meaning.
Rewards should be a motivating factor. Some people are motivated by making numbers bigger. Others by pretty colours. Others by the challenge offered - and that challenge may take many forms, be it difficulty, time investment, or a deadline.