The Problem with the Community Progress Bar

[TNTninjatech]

At first the community progress bar was made to equal out the the experienced players with the new players.  To make way for newer people playing the game.  However, the release of the Forge, Reforged, had been very fun for newer players, but then, many people had lost interest.  Including myself, when you were blocked out of progression, due to the community having not progressed that far, as wel,l as others who played the game.  Eventually I got bored after the 6th time beating the Boarilla wave and all incentive to make it to further waves had been gone.  Especially, for Experienced players (last year), due to playing the same first few waves, up to the Boarilla several times.  As players have to go through the same waves over, and over again, which can get pretty tedious.  Which leading to the problem, that most people have left mid-way through the round.  Before the Snortioses even appear, because there is less incentive to get to the Rhinocebros, when it means playing the entire Forge over again.  To just see one new Wave, to then, wait 5 more days for another wave to come out.  Servers have dwindled from around 6,000 to 9,000 servers on at all times, to around 600 to 700 servers.  However, this is not because the new content is bad, by all means it is because majority of the people who have played the game are not motivated enough to try to go through all 11 waves again.  To just see a new item gets lackluster and boring after the 9th time of constant attempts by players to get up to that wave, Through my Experience most quick-play games end with half of the team leaving before the Boarilla's come through boredom.

However, this could be fixed Next Year by getting rid of the Community Progress Bar, as it would give players more incentive to get to higher waves, when they aren't hit by a Roadblock.  Instead, progressively keep loosing to them, with every attempt to get closer and closer.  By getting to newer waves, then to feel a sense of achievement, when you have made it past that wave.   Then, to see what the next wave is, to progressively get more and more skilled at the game.   Instead of beating the same waves over and over again for a week, to get every one on the same level in which it is were people loose interest.  As most loose interest after getting bored, from the repetition of waiting.  The sense of Challenge is eliminated, when you have no Goal to seek, to beat, the same thing again and again.

[fimmatek]

I'm not sure I understand what you are suggesting. How or when would the new waves get unlocked? Can you explain it better or give an example?

[Zeklo]

I don't follow. 

You think people leave mid-way because they get too tired of the old content and want to see the new content?

Wouldn't they want to get through the old content then?

Or not play in the first place?

I don't see how these are connected to mid-match drop-outs. 

[TemporaryMan]

I suppose if all you want is to see the new content, yeah, you're going to get bored.  But if that's all you want, without community unlocks, wouldn't you just play once or twice and quit forever?  It's kind of hard for me to relate, since I approach the Forge with the same attitude I take to the regular game: I'm not seeking something new, but consistency and self-improvement.  It's one thing to beat the Boarrior by luck, another to do it reliably.  In that way, every match is different because I'm different and my teammates are different.  I also don't share your experience with teams quitting from boredom half-way through.  Mostly I've seen things from the other side, joining a 30+ server (not mine, mine would have a password) and watching it fill up with quick match level 1s, 4s, and 11s who all think they're special snowflakes who don't need to follow the posted level requirement and expect everyone to drop everything and teach them the rules of the game right then and there in the lobby, because heaven forbid they should read a guide or watch a stream or something.

Anyhow, those early rounds still serve a purpose for experienced players: they give you a chance to assess the skills and coordination of your team.  If we're this sloppy and barely pulling through the pit pig round with 6 deaths, what chance do we have against the boarrior?  Is our runner good at animation-cancelling?  Is the Wolfgang smashing the petrified pigs out of ignorance, impatience, malice, or just a network latency thing?  Should we play aggressively or defensively?  If our healer quits in frustration with our clownish antics, do we have enough of the fundamentals to get serious, pull a misfit mobilization moment, and win with a team of 5?  I guess those questions aren't so important if you aren't playing with randos, though.

[HamBatter]

7 hours ago, TNTninjatech said:

The sense of Challenge is eliminated, when you have no Goal to seek, to beat, the same thing again and again.

14 minutes ago, TemporaryMan said:

I'm not seeking something new, but consistency and self-improvement.

Had the leaderboard worked according to plan.

[GenomeSquirrel]

I would very much argue that the new content is bad; barring the grenade, all the unlocks were armor which despite being improvements over the other armor don’t add any novelty to the already static and figured out mode.

[Zeklo]

1 hour ago, GenomeSquirrel said:

I would very much argue that the new content is bad; barring the grenade, all the unlocks were armor which despite being improvements over the other armor don’t add any novelty to the already static and figured out mode.

imo the sword is much more useful than the grenade. 

[GenomeSquirrel]

22 minutes ago, Zeklo said:

imo the sword is much more useful than the grenade. 

Novelty is different that usefulness, I’ll accept an inferior weapon as long as it’s interesting.

[Zeklo]

Just now, GenomeSquirrel said:

Novelty is different that usefulness, I’ll accept an inferior weapon as long as it’s interesting.

Try beating Swineclops without the sword. You'll realize the novelty pretty quick. 

[GenomeSquirrel]

1 minute ago, Zeklo said:

Try beating Swineclops without the sword. You'll realize the novelty pretty quick. 

My biggest obstacle is that I find the preceding rounds to dull to play the game anymore, and being a dedicated quick match player, most games wouldn’t even reach clops anyhow.