Its not a lurker comment if it doesn 't have a poorly delievered wisecrack with some kind of tyop (or three)

Also, note that I said "story" and not "lore". Having a vibrant world and a million lore blurbs scattered throughout it, doesn't help very much if they don't coagulate into enjoyable stories. (Including relatable/interesting characters!) The stories are why we care about the world, not vice versa.

I got him to try WoW, because I knew he would love the combat and raids, but he never got into it because he had zero interest in the lore or aesthetics of it.

I'm not quite as picky when it comes to story, but I agree with his sentiments. Story is important, even for raiders like us.

My friend explained it to me like this: Story and worldbuilding is what gets him engaged with an MMO, and then the gameplay is what keeps him playing for years. If the story sucks, he feels no attachment to the world and therefore no motivation to master any of the gameplay or grind any content.

I have a not-very-fun question... It's my opinion that, inevitably, all MMOs kinda suck in their first year or two after launch. Is FPC prepared for a rough start? (Not anytime soon, obviously.) And do they have the financial backing to continue development, if they don't hit their stride quickly?

Healer. For lots of reasons... Let's just say, I like doing casual dungeons and keeping the party alive, even if they are less experienced.

Like, give players the choice to bring whatever party comp they want. But design the content with the goal that 1 tank and 1 healer (or semi-tank/off-healer) should be the most reasonable choice most of the time.

As a bonus, that leaves space for a larger variety of encounter. 2/2

Different roles shouldn't be strictly required (by the UI or matchmaking). But there's no reason to make different roles in the first place if you don't have challenges that give each role/class a chance to thrive. 1/2