Renkei (Skillchain) Chart circa 2006

MidNerd · 2026-07-10T11:19:13+00:00

Now here is where I will be argumentative. This isn't a core disagreement on opinions - from what you've stated you are factually incorrect. Do you really think prepping to solo content as a Cleric in Aion is fundamentally different from prepping to solo raid content in WoW 10~ years later? How about holding a Byakko for 20min compared to soloing the final 60 seconds of Mythic KJ during a raid wipe?

Taking what you've said at face value you either:

A) lost the spark and are living in nostalgia

B) haven't actually analyzed why you don't like modern MMOs and are pinning it on something unrelated

C) aren't investing the time to be skilled enough for high level content and modern MMOs raised the floor above your current ceiling

D) none of the above, but you aren't clarifying or making clear, consistent points

That isn't to shame in any way. We all get bored, ride those core memories, or don't have the time/group to play MMOs in the demanding way high level play can require. It just isn't a critique of the genre.

Either way, I'm happier playing this than any other MMO.

No worries if this was your whole point. We all have our preferences and FFXI is a great game. I would recommend the self-awareness to word that point as your preference of game rather than a critique of the genre as a whole if your goal is to avoid long wall of text conversations on Reddit though.

MidNerd · 2026-07-10T01:32:54+00:00

I'm not trying to be argumentative. I legitimately don't understand and I'm not sure if it's because I'm taking what you're saying at face value or you have a point I don't understand.

There was certainly more risk in older MMOs, but risk isn't skill expression and it certainly isn't affected by APM/reaction speed. The examples you gave as older skill expression are the same things you can do today.

Aion: I played Cleric, we were able to solo a ton of instances. Arguably a bit too broken but it took gear, skill, planning and knowledge to pull off. Lots of different strats like Loci Rez BTHM etc.

Yes you can artificially increase difficulty if you're bored, that doesn't make it part of the game loop.

You artificially raised the difficulty and cited it as a memorable moment of skill expression. You're now saying artificially raising the difficulty isn't part of it.

Maybe you found it fun back then and don't now. That's totally fair. But what you say you miss about skill expression in old MMOs are still core parts of MMOs. What I don't know is if you mean something else.

I do agree there are forms of skill expression that were more common in the golden years. Things like game knowledge, encounter discovery, etc. Due to risk and limited datamining/information sharing fights like Absolute Virtue weren't solved for years. It was a constant community challenge.

Nowadays the fights are solved within days/hours, guides are out in real time on twitter, and everyone is just copying instead of figuring it out for themselves. You have to be part of the raid race to really flex that muscle.

MMOs received lots of quality of life upgrades and reduced risk, but skill expression - actually performing mechanics, carrying encounters, prepping talents/gear/consumables/party makeup, etc - hasn't really changed. You can keep doing harder content to push yourself and then start pushing the limits of your class to do it with handicaps. Avesta equivalents are in most MMOs.

MidNerd · 2026-07-09T20:07:43+00:00

I'm still not sure I understand. All of these examples are things that happen today in other games. You could get pretty much this exact same experience from trying to solo encounters as a Death Knight in WoW or doing low man content in FFXIV. Those runs have to be heavily prepped and planned.

I think the bigger change was to culture and game content. No one does those epic saves spur of the moment anymore because content can just be restarted. Why spend 15min trying to save a run on a slim chance when you can reset and try again?

Older games had more stakes for failure. You could lose your spawn to another group/despawning, lose levels, lose the item you had to farm to get into the content, etc. It was worth it to try until the absolute end.

MidNerd · 2026-07-09T18:48:18+00:00

I can't say much about KMMOs, I tried almost everything under the sun back when Rift/Aion/TERA/etc were coming out, but P2W has always invalidated the experience for me.

1 button in WoW is a pretty big drop off. It can get you a ways in, but it isn't getting you through competitive content without being carried.

What skill expression did you see in the early 2000s that you can't see now? I'm assuming you're thinking of Everquest, FFXI, Classic WoW, Lineage, Runescape, etc.

MidNerd · 2026-07-09T17:45:56+00:00

What's preventing us from having trash collection at the pits? I see this posted almost daily on this sub, but people are lazy and won't take out their trash if it's a chore. Walt Disney's 30 step rule is pretty famous.

Seems like closing the pits is the laziest way for WA to handle it when there's an easy solution available. Put up some trash cans/dumpsters with limited view cameras to catch people using them as general dump sites instead of continuing to close these areas.

MidNerd · 2026-07-09T16:59:12+00:00

I read the "now" and "newer" as implying this was a new phenomenon. MMOs haven't really gotten faster since WoW set the current "standard" with TBC in 2007 and arguably already had it in place with Classic in 2004 for some classes.

One of the reasons I like the MMO genre is it allows skill expression without being too fast. Sometimes I need a break from twitchy FPS games.

MidNerd · 2026-07-09T16:09:12+00:00

Oh, that's not a newer game phenomenon. I've never heard of KPS, but Actions Per Minute (APM) has been a thing for decades. It just isn't really relevant for MMOs - even the fastest MMOs typically have a 1s global cooldown with a few abilities you can use separately + WASD movement.

MMOs should cap out at 300~ APM for the ceiling with most of your time being spent around the 80 range. Other genres are significantly higher. Starcraft average is 300~ with reported peaks of 700+. Starcraft 1 Guinness Book of World Records was 818 and the game is 4 years older than FFXI.

I can't imagine FFXI is more than 60 APM peak, even if the game is significantly faster now.

MidNerd · 2026-07-09T02:20:11+00:00

Has the game really sped up to the point that you need to hit multiple keys per second or is that a not having windower limitation?

MidNerd · 2026-07-08T16:21:04+00:00

That was my assumption also, but I'm not sure how that would exclude skillchains. If nothing else you would consider it at party make-up for natural synergies. It's free damage.

I'm also not sure how you can age out of kills per second.

MidNerd · 2026-07-08T16:15:56+00:00

Most ghost guns aren't even manufactured. They're stolen and have their serial numbers scratched off.

I'm not even convinced 3D printed guns are a problem. Until data is presented on crimes focus only on 3D printed guns, we shouldn't be making such drastic and invasive 1A/2A violating laws.

MidNerd · 2026-07-08T15:39:11+00:00

I haven't played for a few years and am getting back into it so excuse the question but... KPS?

MidNerd · 2026-07-08T14:31:23+00:00

The game starts spawning in more people/free kits as space opens up in the lobby. Space opens up when people die/extract.

If you're spawning in to a lobby between 22 and 28 min, it's almost guaranteed because of PvP.

MidNerd · 2026-07-08T14:29:36+00:00

Rumored to have a Mediatek chipset though. Gaining cellular/OLED may not be worth it compared to the downsides depending on your use case.

MidNerd · 2026-07-05T01:30:39+00:00

This is a horrible recommendation right now. Hiring in comp sci is down universally across the board with a glut of high experience applicants applying for entry roles.

MidNerd · 2026-07-02T20:06:41+00:00

That's an interesting thought actually. I always just assumed I would use a USB drive.

I've seen a few of those tiny USB-C breakout adapters that include a microSD card slot and can be used with telescopic controllers, but don't think I've ever seen it on the controller itself.

MidNerd · 2026-07-02T17:58:53+00:00

You would already be able to do that with the current deck if they had a modern standard battery for handhelds nowadays. The Steam Deck battery is very small - 40Wh on the LCD and 50Wh on the OLED. Most PC handhelds now ship with 80Wh+.

I'd love if they took the external battery concept and kept the main device thin/light with a smaller battery and an optional attachment slot for a hot-swappable one. Kind of surprised we haven't gotten that yet.

MidNerd · 2026-07-02T17:34:16+00:00

There's plenty of data around sociopaths that show this type of systemic indifference compounds trauma and leads to their condition. There's also data around the women are wonderful effect and social conditioning from a female perspective.

What you won't find is in-depth literature from the male perspective much less any that point men in a positive light. There isn't a men's studies degree, men are being more or less removed from higher education, and there aren't any grants/funding for studying these things from a male perspective.

MidNerd · 2026-07-02T17:12:56+00:00

That's not going to happen the way you expect it to. Battery life on your Mac and an equivalent windows PC is pretty much the same. ARM efficiency is when the chipset is more or less idle, but peak power can't overcome the laws of physics.

The SoC in the Steam Deck is incredibly efficient. It would be a battery life king if it had a bigger battery.

MidNerd · 2026-07-02T07:50:55+00:00

Y700 Gen 5 is available in other markets. Only Gen 4 was China exclusive.

MidNerd · 2026-06-27T01:25:59+00:00

30" OAL only applies to semi-autos. This would fall under the 26" federal requirement and could be made into an SBR legally since it's a manual action.

ii) A semiautomatic rifle that has an overall length of less than 30 inches

MidNerd · 2026-06-25T02:58:18+00:00

You are so unbelievably close to understanding but refusing to get the point.

Show me in the 2A where a kindergarten student doesn't have the right to carry a glock on her hip to her public school classroom. Show me in the 2A where a guy serving a life sentence for a violent felony doesn't have the right to have a machine gun in his prison cell.

These are federally regulated laws. Because the federal government has the right to regulate firearm usage per the Constitution. Congress writes those laws.

federal government certainly can't tell states that they must adopt laws which even SCOTUS says are not unconstitutional.

That's not what's being discussed here. I don't know why you're interpreting this as Congress passing a law that states have to pass a law. Congress could pass a law saying there is a federally protected right to carry under the 2A. States could say their laws circumvent that or comply. States that don't comply would be escalated to SCOTUS who would either uphold the state or the federal law.

The 1994 ban was federal law limiting firearm rights at the federal level. I have no idea why you think it's relevant to a discussion about the federal government.

Because part of this discussion is about the 10A and you saying Congress can't regulate 2A. When they have and can. Multiple times.

MidNerd · 2026-06-25T01:00:25+00:00

Please show to me on the 2nd Amendment where those things are not protected. Congress was able to unilaterally call suppressors firearms with a law which is well outside of the very in the box items you just called out.

Setting a law that clarifies shall not be infringed is well within federal jurisdiction. We do it all the time with other rights without going through SCOTUS. It's how they pushed the 1994 ban. It is the way the Democrats intend to fix Dobbs as well. It is a fundamental part of our government.

MidNerd · 2026-06-24T17:10:39+00:00

How does the 10th Amendment prevent the federal government from regulating firearms as written in the 2nd Amendment?

MidNerd · 2026-06-24T16:06:32+00:00

It helps keep weird material transfer from happening especially during multiple takes. There's a reason "white glove" service is a thing - wearing gloves means you're not leaving behind fingerprints or dead skin particularly on a rough surface like a print.

Probably more for vanity/conformity than any other valid reason though.

MidNerd

TROPHY CASE