Possible Alternatives:
- Add a 50% (or even greater) EXP bonus to non-queue parties.
- Add an EXP bonus/50% EXP bonus for having someone on your Friend’s List in your non-queue party (would not stack with more friends or queue).
- Allow the person(s) in queue to see who/which classes the queue is currently attempting to pair them with.
- When a queue’s roster is complete, give each member the opportunity to view the members/classes of the newly formed party as well as the opportunity to withdraw from said party before physically entering the dungeon/using up their entry.
- Create a “Dungeon Lobby” area (specific for each dungeon/mission area) where people from different servers can interact and from there form their own parties (with a 50% EXP bonus) and enter that specific dungeon.
- Allow players who are in the same local party to enter the queue together as a group if they have less than 5 members.
- Instead of the 50% EXP bonus for queued parties, give them a large stat point and/or damage reduction and sp/hp regen bonus, to buffer the lack of party composition planning.
Any one of these (or multiple ones together) would be a fast improvement to/over the current system.
As it stands, the current system is highly inconvenient at best. I’m actually quite shocked that such a disorganized system even got the green light to be added to such party-oriented MMO. Dungeons/Missions are clearly much more difficult than standard play/questing (at least pre200 for sure) and were meant to be partied, yet the game essentially strongarms the playerbase into attempting them with a party composition that has ZERO thought behind it. You may queue and not even get a healer. You may queue and get 4 full support healers (this has happened to me more than once since my main is a full support cleric); You have no idea what’s going to happen, nearly no control over what can happen, and if you choose not to simply “deal with it” the penalties are either incredibly steep (you forfeit that entry) or very steep (you lose the 50% EXP bonus because you made your own party; the equivalent of losing half a run’s worth of EXP each clear).
The amount of “good” coming from this system can’t possibly compare to not only the amount of frustration it causes, but also the vast amount of ineptitude it is [and will continue to] breed. For an MMO like this, being able to structure your own groups and test different strategies/compositions that you come up with to tackle dungeons is absolutely vital for the health/growth of the game and it’s community. Talking to and building connections with players you find interesting before and after the run (because the party’s existence wouldn’t be limited to the active dungeoning period only) so that you gain insight is pivotal as well. The current queue system greatly inhibits/discourages all of these important aspects of gameplay…
Also, I know in this day and age there are lots of players worried about class discrimination and “elitism” when it comes to a world without queue, but in the same way that’s exactly why you don’t truly need to be concerned (especially not for leveling dungeons); there are clearly a number of like-minded/similar-minded people who either fully welcome any-and-all, or simply aren’t so rigid that they can only tolerate the best of the best.
I think when it comes down to it, all of us want the option of at least being able to secure a healer for our party without facing severe penalties (and if not that, then to at least be able to structure agreement with everyone in the group beforehand to bring hp potions; that also isn’t possible with the current queue system).
Please, please, PLEASE make a change to the queue system (preferably one of these) and make it quickly.
