getting long so snipping some stuff for the benefit of the digest folks.
At 01:37 PM 2/26/01 -0700, you wrote:
> >this has nothing to do with my point, which was that you cannot selectively
>disregard
> >small segments of the population in an mmorpg because EVERYONE is part of a
>small
> >segment of the population. just because it doesn't affect YOU doesn't mean
>it isn't
> >important.
>
>That's only true if the opposing segments are of equal size. When bards are
>a 4% segment out of 14 unallied segments none totaling over 15% they are
>significant. When pvp is 7% out of two total segments where the other
>segment is 93% they are insignificant. To balance the effects on the whole
>population of anything because of the effect on that 7% is patently unsound.
actually the 14 unallied segments would actually be allied for most of the bard
issues as "don't know and/or don't care".
> >If a lot of people don't know all that bards can do, then a major reason
>there aren't >more
> >bards would be ignorance, not some ''underpoweredness'' to the class. i
>agree that >...
> >what bards can do don't want to work that hard when they are playing a
>game.
>
>Not likely. The reason more people don't play them is because the return on
>the work invested is not proportionate. Unless you truly enjoy the actual
>work involved, there is no reason to play a bard. Some people do enjoy the
>constant challenge despite the fact it is not rewarded equivalently to the
>lesser challenges of other classes.
but class balance has nothing to do with the balance between return on work and
work invested. it has everything to do with Class A's fullest potential vs Class B's
fullest potential.
>Bards are not some Nietzschian ideal class that only those who are willing
>to sacrifice can play and for which they are rewarded with awesome powers.
i dunno what nietzschian is, but by your definition, that actually seems to describe
the bard class to a T. you can take the easy way out and play mana song all the
time and still get experience, depending on how good your group is and how safe
the areas you hunt are, or you can do the hard stuff and learn how to cc or learn
how to pull, or twist multiple songs to make your group much much better.
>It is inherently arrogant to assume that bards are actually really powerful
>but are not played by more people solely because of ignorance, laziness, or
>incapacity.
are you denying that there are people out there who are ignorant or who are lazy?
how about this analogy? why aren't you a professional baseball player making millions
of dollars a year? The reward is there. Some would say the reward is much more than
the work put in. Is it arrogant to say that you aren't doing it because you are incapable
of playing baseball at that level? I think it's being honest.