the NOMAD GAMER mentality...

(and a bit of a respec rant)

So, I got this name from a reply by someone on the Fallen Earth forums. And I actually think this can and should be coined a term now. At the end of this blog, I will post some snips of some forum posts that brought me to talk about this and show this mindset in motion.

I would like to define the Nomad Gamer as one of two types of gamer.

• The first type would be the "My way or I'm on the highway" Nomad Gamer. Which would usually be first noticed by their constant forum posts when their overpowered class or talent or skill point selections were brought down to a more balanced medium with the rest of the class/talent/skillpoint selections.

This type of gamer is the one who usually follows Forum of the Month (fotm) builds. Which is usually a community gathered and discussed build of talent/class/skillpoint selections that ultimately gives the player and extreme advantage in PVP mostly, although PVE usually is Included. Sometimes these builds remain a unspoken, passed by word of mouth etc. secret for as long as they are able to. This is usually because the players who follow these builds know that not only are they overpowered, but that they will most likely be hit with a developer nerf bat because the rest of the player community in game are now under this unfair advantage. This certain build usually is one that the developers of the game system never had intended to see the light of day. Which, usually is the reason why the developers alter the way the selected builds work together in a way to make it less appealing to the "1 button I win" type players.

The problem with this type of Nomad Gamer is that they have no loyalties. The problem truley lies where this type of gamer is constantly catered to by game developers. Which in fact turns it into a vicious cycle of Nomad Gamer vs Balance vs Developer Vision.

Developer makes game. Player buys game, pays monthly fee for game. Player finds a class/talent/skillpoint selection that either gives them an overpowered edge, or falls in love with that particular play style. Developer starts to see a trend that a majority of players are using a certain build and investigate why. Or developer starts to see an influx of complaints by other players at the business end of this type of build netting the wielder an unfair advantage. Developer decides to balance the build by decreasing its effectiveness. Nomad Gamer goes apeshit that their time and money was wasted since their build is no longer as effective. Which basically is the player reverting into a 8 year old "you stole my tonka" tantrum via words and insults on a web forum. Which most of these forum rants are usually filled with sayings like "my time", "I deserve", "I'll leave", "refund" and the most popular "respec".

This is where the developer gets into trouble. They either see the Nomad Gamer naively, and honest, and worry about losing each and every one of their subscriptions, or they try to incorporate a game design around giving the player the ability to go back and redo their choices in their build. Which, just promotes the player into finding the next overpowered and or "FotM" build. Which puts the developer into an endless cycle with this type of Nomad Gamer.

The problem with the developers facilitating this type of Nomad Gamer is that they spend more time listening to the vocal minority min/max player base, and designing systems around pleasing this type of gamer that has no loyalty to their creation only as far as they can still find a way to play with an edge.

Most notable developer creations that facilitate this is WoW's respec feature. Allowing this type of game system to dominate their game design, they also actually promote this, by implementing a dual build system that the player can switch between at ease. And taking this one step further, WoW's developers actually promote this by creating talent selections in each build that are effective in PVP, but not PVE and vice versa. Meaning the player is actually gated into playing this way, even if they don't want to, or were never this type of player in the beginning. You can also say that WoW's creators take it yet a further step, and create PVE Boss Encounters around a certain build/talent/spec choice that is required to complete the encounter.

Which brings me to the most notable portion of the mindset of this type of Nomad Gamer. Their ability to drop everything and cancel their game subscription upon the very second their overpowered game status is revoked, and they are not compensated for it, or allowed to follow yet another path for "1 click I win" status. Thinking that the "I will speak with my pocket book" action will make the developers think twice about taking away their cookie.

In fact, it is this gamers right to do that. And I fully support any gamer who no longer enjoys the game they are playing to leave or quit. The problem I have with this type of Gamer, and one that I think the game developers need to take notice of and stop catering too... Is this type of player only does this when their unfair advantage is taken away. I won't spit made up statistics, but I would have to guess that the ratio on the "you took my cookie" vs "not enjoying the game anymore" is HEAVILY one sided towards chocolate chip cookie dough.

Once the game developers actually stand their ground and develop their game they way they set out to, and put this type of fly by night gamer on notice. We can one day start to enjoy a game in the way the developers initially created it, not the way the vocal minority wants the game to be developed.

• The second type of Nomad Gamer is the less vocal, lesser known step child of the two. One who goes from game to game only based on their personal preferences. Perhaps this gamer has a reason for this, who knows.

A good example of a probable reason behind this type of Nomad Gamer is one who fully supported and enjoyed a game for a long period of time. One who might plan to play until no foreseeable end even. But one day is informed that the game they enjoyed playing is being shut down, no longer supported by an active development team or might be changing dramatically soon etc. Resulting in sending the gamer into a mindset of never fully trusting the game system they are playing and just finding small, single serving parts of fun from each game they play from there on out.

One of the most tragic types of these events that can create a Nomad Gamer of this breed is the SoE Star Wars Galaxies debacle. Where the game went through not one, but two complete game overhauls with an active and growing player base on the direct business end of these changes.

The entire problem with either of these types of Nomad Gamer is their lack of sustained longevity for any game they play. Developers need to realize that spending time, money and creativity on catering to this type of player and customer is less fruitful in the long run.

I truly hope that Icarus Studios not only sticks to their guns on their game balance decisions, but keeps their original creative process of Fallen Earth in mind while doing so. I stopped playing WoW because I wasn't actually playing the game I installed anymore. I was playing the "re-balance heres a new game mechanic to help with the adapt to re-balance game play" game. Not only is Fallen Earth enjoyable, but so far it doesn't have those signs that the developers are catering to and hoping to cash in on the Nomad Gamer player base.

The first screenshot is a snip that exemplifies the Nomad Gamer mindset perfectly:

The second snip is the same person, pulling out the Cancel Card. Funny thing is, this player isn't even max level and is so adamant about a respec now. What happens if the developers do in fact allow a respec ONE TIME, and he ends up fucking up his spec AGAIN? lol

This is a brilliant reply that I think pins the term "Nomad Gamer" down perfectly.

And this is a brilliant icing on the quit crying cake

I personally am looking for a game to play with the enjoyment, passion and self connection that I appreciated in SWG (preCU and even CU). I have found temporary places to park my mind and wallet since then. Only finding certain parts of the games I was currently playing worth a login each day. One of these things I personally am searching for in a game is an actual development team that has a vision and a direction in mind. And keeps that in mind the entire time the game is live. I get tired of games that change continually based on "FotM" and respec crybabies. I dealt with that for 3 years in WoW. And I honestly was there only because it was the only thing left available, and a majority of my friends ended up there too. So here is my challenge to you Icarus. Follow your vision of this game because you want to, not because people cry for you to change it during its lifespan. You will retain my subscription more by sticking to your guns, sticking to your initial creation and remaining the diamond in the rough, rather than catering to what might make a few fly by night gamers happy, or what "might" make you billions of dollars with 12 million subscribers... I like where your going so far.