So, hello there!
Today, I'm going to write up something different. This is going to be a rant about videogamers and how they seem to have low attention spans nowadays. So, feel free to turn away because I'm about to put in my old man dentures and find a walking cane.
[Gramps mode]
See, back when I was a kid (not TOO long ago, I'm actually only 22 as of the time of this writing), the average videogame took a LOT more attention to detail. Oh, did you accidentally kill that one gargoyle? Yes, that ONE gargoyle that actually wasn't hostile? Well, guess you can't finish the game. Or, maybe you drank that bottle of wine you were supposed to give to your friend so that, satisfied with the beverage, he could give you a stick that you could throw to distract a monstrous dog-like alien. Umm, New Game is looking pretty nice right about now.
Situations just like those, or similar to those, were all over the videogame library about 15-20 years ago. If it wasn't you essentially shutting yourself out of completing the game because of a poor decision, it was the game's difficulty cranked to 11 that essentially forced you to restart the entire game repeatedly. Battletoads and Contra come to mind right about now (I have played neither of these games and, from what I've seen, my sanity thanks me for it).
I wrote up an article at Hubpages talking about how games have changed in the past decade or so that's pretty appropriate to the subject, so feel free to check it out by clicking on any part of this sentence.
Now, the reason I bring this up is because I've been repeatedly assailed in some of my
Dragon Quest IX articles for help.
Mind you, I love helping people and, my conclusion usually states that any feedback and/or comments should be directed to that section. So, if you ask for help, you'll get it. The problem is when people post their party setups AFTER reading my "how-to beat a boss in DQ IX articles" and AFTER reading the recommendations and then wonder why they can't beat the boss with their party.
I look at their party and it has critical, glaring, flaws that I address during the article. I mean, if you posted in my comments section for a given article, I have to assume you did read it, right?
(If you ask for party help in one of my DQ IX articles that doesn't involve killing bosses or setting up your party, then you're forgiven out of principle. After all, I can't know for a physical certainty whether you've read the relevant articles or not.)
Most of the time, they lack a strong healer. The need of a healer in Dragon Quest IX is something I repeat ad nauseum. DQ IX plays like a classic roleplaying game, and in those games your most important character is your healer.
You may scoff at that statement, but think about it: What good is it if you can kill someone with one spell if you're dead before you can cast it? Your healer makes sure your mage can let loose with that One Spell of Death.
(Oh, and inb4butwhatifmyhealergetskilled, since I know some of you probably went there.)
Nevertheless I help them out, in spite of the fact that, had they read the article they were posting a comment to, they would already have their answer. But, it gets grating. It's like you telling someone how NOT to fall into a hole, and they do it anyways. Then, you remind them, and they fall in AGAIN!
But, what would I know right? This is the generation of Too Long; Didn't Read anyways. If YOUR party setup isn't working despite not having a healer and/or capable tank then it's obviously MY fault isn't it? Heavens forbid the article you're posting your question to actually answers it! -_-
Now, this isn't a declaration that I'm the ultimate Dragon Quest guru. In fact, I could name a few usernames of people who have posted in my comments section for said articles that have helped ME out with builds and such things. Like a true rant, this has gone all over the place, so here's the
main idea I'm trying to put across:
If you're going to ask for help in the comments section of an article, at least have the decency to read it first and mention the fact. If what has been said in the article doesn't help you out, THEN you can call the writer out on it. Until then, you're just being lazy and inconsiderate.
It makes me feel better if you ask, "Hey, I read your article and it says I need a healer. But, I don't want to use one. Here's my party setup." than if you ask: "So yeah, here's my party. Help me please."
[/Gramps mode]
Anyways, that's about it for now. I really had to get that off my chest and so decided to kill two birds with one stone by writing it here. :)
I hope you have lots of fun, even more so now that you know that you need a healer in Dragon Quest IX. :P
Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)
-Winterfate
