I finished Mirage in its entirety earlier this week, and although I welcome the change in difficulty, I think the steep increase in mob difficulty will drive away many casual players. In Mirage, the minions are just as dangerous as the bosses and that's a big adjustment coming straight from Polaris.
In Polaris, mobs for the most part were in the 3,000-6,000 health range and weren't that big of a threat. I agree that the mobs needed to be more challenging in Mirage, but the jump is so drastic. We went from 3,000-6,000 health to 8,000 and 9,000 in the span of one world. On top of that, they readily have shadow pips at their disposal, use enchanted spells, and can stack buffs. They're deadly and can strike incredibly fast.
I think it's wonderful that mobs are capable of playing this "smart," but I think that should have been an eventual change. In my opinion, it all happened too suddenly and casual players are the ones who suffer. There are A LOT of mob battles in Mirage and if people are getting frustrated by the difficulty, the game as a whole suffers. We want to invite people in, not scare them away.
I've seen some players say that the cheating bosses are the problem, but I truly do think it's just the mobs. Most of Mirage's bosses only have minor cheats (not unlike Polaris). I think where the frustration comes in is the sudden change in street battles. Difficulty should be a ladder with multiple steps over time, not a steep mountain.
I'm glad that some people are enjoying the world the way it is now, but I just want to make sure KingsIsle doesn't alienate their casual players.
I finished Mirage in its entirety earlier this week, and although I welcome the change in difficulty, I think the steep increase in mob difficulty will drive away many casual players. In Mirage, the minions are just as dangerous as the bosses and that's a big adjustment coming straight from Polaris.
In Polaris, mobs for the most part were in the 3,000-6,000 health range and weren't that big of a threat. I agree that the mobs needed to be more challenging in Mirage, but the jump is so drastic. We went from 3,000-6,000 health to 8,000 and 9,000 in the span of one world. On top of that, they readily have shadow pips at their disposal, use enchanted spells, and can stack buffs. They're deadly and can strike incredibly fast.
I think it's wonderful that mobs are capable of playing this "smart," but I think that should have been an eventual change. In my opinion, it all happened too suddenly and casual players are the ones who suffer. There are A LOT of mob battles in Mirage and if people are getting frustrated by the difficulty, the game as a whole suffers. We want to invite people in, not scare them away.
I've seen some players say that the cheating bosses are the problem, but I truly do think it's just the mobs. Most of Mirage's bosses only have minor cheats (not unlike Polaris). I think where the frustration comes in is the sudden change in street battles. Difficulty should be a ladder with multiple steps over time, not a steep mountain.
I'm glad that some people are enjoying the world the way it is now, but I just want to make sure KingsIsle doesn't alienate their casual players.
~Vanessa Mythdust
I completely agree with you.
A steady increase in difficulty is key to not scare the casual people away. I personally haven't finished Mirage in the test realm, but just from hearing from others on Central and on videos elsewhere, it seems to be more than a steady increase, like a "steep mountain."
If Mirage is this difficult, then what will the next world be like? Will that world be the death of the casual player?
Also (to go on a tangent), if newer players (who haven't played the game with level caps pre-110) decide to play through Mirage, I have no idea how they would get through without the help of more than one person. Having a steep increase in difficulty compared to Polaris, could possibly make those newer players concerned about the direction the game will go. Besides, there are only so many cheats and mechanics that the developers can add to the game before it is just outright confusing and virtually unplayable.
Thanks Vanessa for bringing up a concern of mine and many others.
I finished Mirage in its entirety earlier this week, and although I welcome the change in difficulty, I think the steep increase in mob difficulty will drive away many casual players. In Mirage, the minions are just as dangerous as the bosses and that's a big adjustment coming straight from Polaris.
In Polaris, mobs for the most part were in the 3,000-6,000 health range and weren't that big of a threat. I agree that the mobs needed to be more challenging in Mirage, but the jump is so drastic. We went from 3,000-6,000 health to 8,000 and 9,000 in the span of one world. On top of that, they readily have shadow pips at their disposal, use enchanted spells, and can stack buffs. They're deadly and can strike incredibly fast.
I think it's wonderful that mobs are capable of playing this "smart," but I think that should have been an eventual change. In my opinion, it all happened too suddenly and casual players are the ones who suffer. There are A LOT of mob battles in Mirage and if people are getting frustrated by the difficulty, the game as a whole suffers. We want to invite people in, not scare them away.
I've seen some players say that the cheating bosses are the problem, but I truly do think it's just the mobs. Most of Mirage's bosses only have minor cheats (not unlike Polaris). I think where the frustration comes in is the sudden change in street battles. Difficulty should be a ladder with multiple steps over time, not a steep mountain.
I'm glad that some people are enjoying the world the way it is now, but I just want to make sure KingsIsle doesn't alienate their casual players.
~Vanessa Mythdust
This As you went on to say, I believe the game has many casual players, even though I admire the fact that KI is trying to appeal to those hardcore, die to heart player/fan base but at the same time, as you said, they need to understand that a major part of players are just casual players seeking to just have fun and just play the game. They don't want to come and be stressed out and annoyed at all these major, arguably uncalled for changes. This gap was too big a jump, they can't jump it, they'll try, but they'll eventually give up. Less Paying Players = Less Profit. KI don't want that, they can't have that.
So, what do they do? Perhaps tone down the difficulty level a bit? Have an option for players to choose the difficulty of the game at their leisure as a few has suggested? Or just continue and hope that those Casual Players will eventually feed into the need to play the game and just, well play it.
It's up to KI in the end, not up to us. We can speak and express our opinions on a number of topics, but, will KI even listen?
I finished Mirage in its entirety earlier this week, and although I welcome the change in difficulty, I think the steep increase in mob difficulty will drive away many casual players. In Mirage, the minions are just as dangerous as the bosses and that's a big adjustment coming straight from Polaris.
In Polaris, mobs for the most part were in the 3,000-6,000 health range and weren't that big of a threat. I agree that the mobs needed to be more challenging in Mirage, but the jump is so drastic. We went from 3,000-6,000 health to 8,000 and 9,000 in the span of one world. On top of that, they readily have shadow pips at their disposal, use enchanted spells, and can stack buffs. They're deadly and can strike incredibly fast.
I think it's wonderful that mobs are capable of playing this "smart," but I think that should have been an eventual change. In my opinion, it all happened too suddenly and casual players are the ones who suffer. There are A LOT of mob battles in Mirage and if people are getting frustrated by the difficulty, the game as a whole suffers. We want to invite people in, not scare them away.
I've seen some players say that the cheating bosses are the problem, but I truly do think it's just the mobs. Most of Mirage's bosses only have minor cheats (not unlike Polaris). I think where the frustration comes in is the sudden change in street battles. Difficulty should be a ladder with multiple steps over time, not a steep mountain.
I'm glad that some people are enjoying the world the way it is now, but I just want to make sure KingsIsle doesn't alienate their casual players.
~Vanessa Mythdust
Man, thank goodness I'm not the only one who sees that, though I don't mind much that they have shadow pips.
I agree. especially for storm wizards. you guys know what happened with pre-nerfed Azteca so you should know that players will not be able to do it. even if people are helping them.
I finished Mirage in its entirety earlier this week, and although I welcome the change in difficulty, I think the steep increase in mob difficulty will drive away many casual players. In Mirage, the minions are just as dangerous as the bosses and that's a big adjustment coming straight from Polaris.
In Polaris, mobs for the most part were in the 3,000-6,000 health range and weren't that big of a threat. I agree that the mobs needed to be more challenging in Mirage, but the jump is so drastic. We went from 3,000-6,000 health to 8,000 and 9,000 in the span of one world. On top of that, they readily have shadow pips at their disposal, use enchanted spells, and can stack buffs. They're deadly and can strike incredibly fast.
I think it's wonderful that mobs are capable of playing this "smart," but I think that should have been an eventual change. In my opinion, it all happened too suddenly and casual players are the ones who suffer. There are A LOT of mob battles in Mirage and if people are getting frustrated by the difficulty, the game as a whole suffers. We want to invite people in, not scare them away.
I've seen some players say that the cheating bosses are the problem, but I truly do think it's just the mobs. Most of Mirage's bosses only have minor cheats (not unlike Polaris). I think where the frustration comes in is the sudden change in street battles. Difficulty should be a ladder with multiple steps over time, not a steep mountain.
I'm glad that some people are enjoying the world the way it is now, but I just want to make sure KingsIsle doesn't alienate their casual players.
~Vanessa Mythdust
Well said. Its too late to change the mind of this already alienated, average, family oriented player, but maybe if KI starts listening to people like you, since you are a community leader, the game might go better for the casuals who stay.
I am no longer playing because I have seen our pleas fall on deaf ears for too long. They even admitted themselves that the Darkmoor dungeon was where "the hardcore will live for a while' to quote KI. Well to have a somewhat enjoyable experience as a casual player you need at least SOME Darkmoor gear. I remember hardcore players telling us that DM is optional, we don't have to do it. The dungeon is finally something that THEY can enjoy and we can just stop complaining because it wasn't made for us. Casuals need decent gear too. Probably more than the hardcore actually.
Lack of easier options to get decent gear (not expecting DM stats, but something close enough to be helpful), combined with the big cliffs in difficulty every time a new world comes out, and the attitudes of the tryhard players who just want us to go away so they can have "their" game (never mind that this was a family game to begin with, targeted to a family audience) has made me leave the game. I know I'm not the only one. Who wants to stay when the company and other players make them feel worthless. I'm cutting my losses now, before I lose anymore money here.
Thank you Jewels900, Star Edward, Reyes107, and Lightdragonof101. I am glad you guys spoke up for the average player. I only wish more players of like mind had also come to the boards to make their opinion known, but I realize its not easy because a lot of the tryhards will bash you for it. That is so unfortunate. There are some of the more hardcore players like Eric Stormbringer, who seem to really want to help, but many just put us down.
I hope something is done to help the original target audience of this game to be able to keep playing. I don't think that scaled dungeons are going to happen this update, but it would be a good option for future ones. However, I don't see why crafted gear is not a thing, and I think that COULD be added in Mirage.
I wish all the average family type players all the best in the future of W101. I hope KI listens soon.
I agree and I am not sure what direction KI is taking wizard 101 in. I am an advocate for easy storyline quests and hardcore side content. This satisfies the majority of players as the casuals can get through the storyline(and Mirage's story is amazing-I don't think anyone will want to miss it) and hardcores will have their niche. Yet KI has done the exact opposite. They nerfed darkmoor angering hardcore players and then they made Mirage so difficult many casual players are having a hard time getting past it. Don't get me wrong, I am loving Mirage and I think it's great fun with a lot of innovative features. However, KI needs to look at their demographic as a whole. Look at the pokemon games-very easy main game with tough post game content. Everything is easily accessible to casual and hardcore alike and the players decide how involved they become. To that end, I think that the best gear should NOT be in hardcore side dungeons. The best gear should be easily accessible to all to facilitate both end game content(such as PvP) and to put players on a more even ground relative to each other. While hardcore dungeons should exist, their rewards should be things that don't grant a combat advantage. Look at mirror lake- it is still a popular farming spot, not because it offers great gear for combat but because it offers guaranteed mega snacks, energy gear and cosmetic gear. Think how much more popular Darkmoor would be if instead of DM gear it dropped energy elixirs, mega snacks and as an ultra rare drop-lore or hoard packs. Think how much less the divide among players would be if Darkmoor gear could be obtained via crafting or via some sort of token system. KI needs to take a serious look at how it can appeal to all its players.
I thought this was gonna be about mobs of people who rush into someone else's battle circle :D Sorry. Didn't notice the forum header.
On behalf of all casuals who are not there yet, thanks.
I'm at Celestia now and I'm not enthused. So I can only speculate about Azteca and Mirage, how I will feel. I do like to zip through things, because my main focus is being entertained.
Any increase that will drive away the more casual player is a bit fat no no. Ok fine there are some who complained polaris was well just too easy but come on. This is NOT WOW or LOL or any other such game this is first and foremost supposed to be a family game right? There are many adults who do play sure but unless KI wants to turn into an adult only game it really has to start thinking about all players not a few. There have been way too many changes over this last year or so only aimed at those hardcore players which is not good for this game really. all changes like this does is lower there player base not increase it so unless they are making more money than they need (doubt it) they should be looking to increase players or at least keep those they have. For those looking for more difficult challenges there are easier ways to satisfy them with more secret bosses or one shot duels of increased difficulty from the exalted we have atm. Darkmoor gear is no longer optional since there is no crafted gear of any real use after KH. Please KI kick those silly legendary weapons and give us a crafted gear set instead? Please consider looking closely to your players for once instead of doing whatever you want and not caring if anyone actually likes it or not.
I agree and I am not sure what direction KI is taking wizard 101 in. I am an advocate for easy storyline quests and hardcore side content. This satisfies the majority of players as the casuals can get through the storyline(and Mirage's story is amazing-I don't think anyone will want to miss it) and hardcores will have their niche. Yet KI has done the exact opposite. They nerfed darkmoor angering hardcore players and then they made Mirage so difficult many casual players are having a hard time getting past it. Don't get me wrong, I am loving Mirage and I think it's great fun with a lot of innovative features. However, KI needs to look at their demographic as a whole. Look at the pokemon games-very easy main game with tough post game content. Everything is easily accessible to casual and hardcore alike and the players decide how involved they become. To that end, I think that the best gear should NOT be in hardcore side dungeons. The best gear should be easily accessible to all to facilitate both end game content(such as PvP) and to put players on a more even ground relative to each other. While hardcore dungeons should exist, their rewards should be things that don't grant a combat advantage. Look at mirror lake- it is still a popular farming spot, not because it offers great gear for combat but because it offers guaranteed mega snacks, energy gear and cosmetic gear. Think how much more popular Darkmoor would be if instead of DM gear it dropped energy elixirs, mega snacks and as an ultra rare drop-lore or hoard packs. Think how much less the divide among players would be if Darkmoor gear could be obtained via crafting or via some sort of token system. KI needs to take a serious look at how it can appeal to all its players.
Bravo, bravo! These are my exact sentiments. My friends and I did a run of the Rat last night to try to help one of them be able to get to Mirage. We didn't have a life wizard with us as I thought why not try to get my fire thru, and I am usually the life wizard. I was THIS close to deleting my wizards but I can't just yet till I help my friends. We failed three times, and then it was late and we were tired. We will try another day. I will just take my life since it really doesn't matter at this point if my fire goes. We are average players and we are struggling. It is not fun.
I appreciate that you have offered to help players in our situation. The problem is that even if we can get us thru the rat battle, there are more where he came from, and they will only be worse. At some point enough is enough and it might as well be sooner rather than later, before we bleed out more money.
That is the sad reality for the average player who just wants to enjoy the story. I have played teen and higher rated MMO games that have extremely hard content, but the story quests were easy. I stayed away from raid and dungeon content. Those games practically handed you the base gear set which was more than enough to get you thru story line. If you wanted to PVP or raid, you needed to do dungeons for better gear drops. If teen and higher rated MMOs do this, surely W101, rated as E10+, should be doing this too.
I wish Dworgen or someone else from KI would get on this thread and at least tell us that they understand where we are coming from and are looking into ways to make it better for the average player. We are a big segment of the W101 community too. If they value us as customers at all it would be in their best interest to acknowledge us, and provide options to make game play enjoyable for us too.
Quoting Eric: To that end, I think that the best gear should NOT be in hardcore side dungeons. The best gear should be easily accessible to all to facilitate both end game content(such as PvP) and to put players on a more even ground relative to each other.
I don't mind the best gear in game in dungeons like Darkmoor; this started with Waterworks. The problem with locking the best end-game gear in Darkmoor was there was no reasonable crafted alternative. If Polaris had contained crafting (such as the Wintertusk gear as an alternative to Waterworks) this problem would never have occurred. If a token system were implemented to allow crafting of Darkmoor gear that would also solve this issue. I doubt I'd have farmed Darkmoor nearly as much as I did if there were no gear - because none of what you suggested as alternative drops interest me. I garden for mega snacks, and I'm rarely in a hurry enough when working on a pet to need an energy elixir. I only use them during Double Pet XP, honestly.
I farmed The Rat for my (now useless) Life Robe and amulets for each character - I wouldn't have done it past the original quest run if there had not been gear. I didn't farm Omen - I did him on each character for the badge - because he drops nothing I want.
That said - I agree with the rest of your premise. The storyline content should be doable by everyone. Not necessarily easy, but doable. Not necesssarily "never defeated", but doable without inducing stress.
I don't think anything that requires no thought - which is what easy means - can be fun or interesting. Games are supposed to be fun, so the storyline should be challenging enough that you cannot just "shut your eyes and click", but it should not require significant strategy development. The average player should not need a guide to accomplish storyline content, just possibly a second attempt - possibly an "Oh, I should try it this way, instead!" moment. Not major preparation and study.
Hey guys, I don't want to seem like I'm throwing cold water over the topic (because I do agree that Mirage in its current incarnation is too difficult) but we at Duelist 101 have compiled a guide to gear options that can be used to complete Mirage. It offers comparison's to DM gear and several alternatives that are currently available.
Man, thank goodness I'm not the only one who sees that, though I don't mind much that they have shadow pips.
-101 Alejandro
I personally don't really mind the shadow pip aspect either. The reason I mentioned it was to illustrate just how powerful the mobs can be when all of these seemingly small additions are combined.
Well said. Its too late to change the mind of this already alienated, average, family oriented player, but maybe if KI starts listening to people like you, since you are a community leader, the game might go better for the casuals who stay.
I am no longer playing because I have seen our pleas fall on deaf ears for too long. They even admitted themselves that the Darkmoor dungeon was where "the hardcore will live for a while' to quote KI. Well to have a somewhat enjoyable experience as a casual player you need at least SOME Darkmoor gear. I remember hardcore players telling us that DM is optional, we don't have to do it. The dungeon is finally something that THEY can enjoy and we can just stop complaining because it wasn't made for us. Casuals need decent gear too. Probably more than the hardcore actually.
Lack of easier options to get decent gear (not expecting DM stats, but something close enough to be helpful), combined with the big cliffs in difficulty every time a new world comes out, and the attitudes of the tryhard players who just want us to go away so they can have "their" game (never mind that this was a family game to begin with, targeted to a family audience) has made me leave the game. I know I'm not the only one. Who wants to stay when the company and other players make them feel worthless. I'm cutting my losses now, before I lose anymore money here.
I'm sorry to hear that. :( Hopefully the community can encourage change and prevent anyone else from leaving. I absolutely love this game and want it to continue for many years to come.
Darkmoor arguably has the best universal gear in the game right now, so I can understand your frustration about that. Technically it's a side area, but if you want to stay up to date ... it's hard to avoid it.
I agree and I am not sure what direction KI is taking wizard 101 in. I am an advocate for easy storyline quests and hardcore side content. This satisfies the majority of players as the casuals can get through the storyline(and Mirage's story is amazing-I don't think anyone will want to miss it) and hardcores will have their niche. Yet KI has done the exact opposite. They nerfed darkmoor angering hardcore players and then they made Mirage so difficult many casual players are having a hard time getting past it. Don't get me wrong, I am loving Mirage and I think it's great fun with a lot of innovative features. However, KI needs to look at their demographic as a whole. Look at the pokemon games-very easy main game with tough post game content. Everything is easily accessible to casual and hardcore alike and the players decide how involved they become. To that end, I think that the best gear should NOT be in hardcore side dungeons. The best gear should be easily accessible to all to facilitate both end game content(such as PvP) and to put players on a more even ground relative to each other. While hardcore dungeons should exist, their rewards should be things that don't grant a combat advantage. Look at mirror lake- it is still a popular farming spot, not because it offers great gear for combat but because it offers guaranteed mega snacks, energy gear and cosmetic gear. Think how much more popular Darkmoor would be if instead of DM gear it dropped energy elixirs, mega snacks and as an ultra rare drop-lore or hoard packs. Think how much less the divide among players would be if Darkmoor gear could be obtained via crafting or via some sort of token system. KI needs to take a serious look at how it can appeal to all its players.
I think you nailed it on the head. The best way to satisfy both casual and hardcore players alike is, as you said, make the storyline content do-able, but add in some really difficult goodies as side content. That way the casuals can finish the game without being on the verge of rage quitting, and hardcore players can repeat the extreme dungeons as many times as they'd like. I also agree with the best gear being obtainable through mainline content. That would fix the Darkmoor gear issue that Black Pearl had voiced earlier. Difficult side content should have incentives (otherwise nobody would do it), but those should be cosmetic or "extras." If that were to happen, I think both sides would be happy.
I think (and this is pure speculation) that KingsIsle might be struggling with an aging playerbase. The people who started playing Wizard101 years ago are now much older, and so KingsIsle might be trying a more mature and difficult approach to compensate? It's a tough spot to be in being a family game. How does KingsIsle still appeal to the younger generation but also keep their existing members playing when they grow older? It's a hard balance. However, as long as they keep the difficulty at a steady increase (not a mountain), and focus on hard side content rather than mainline, I think that will get the best results.
I LOVE Miragle, which might be non-optimum for more casual players. Most mobs can be killed within 3 or 4 rounds solo, which really isn't too bad if you have decent gear & pet, but "glassy" players may not live that long in the 3:1 and 4:1 fights.
I agree with Eric and Vanessa -- variety is good. If every fight is cake easy, those who like a challenge will get bored. On the other hand, if every fight is an epic battle, casual and solo players will get discouraged, and the game will feel draggy. It's nice to be able to enjoy story line content without too much stress (which doesn't mean mindlessly easy) while having occasional tricky boss battles, and some killer optional side content (with special rewards).
Boosting companion powers, and including them on more challenging sections is another way to help casual players get through content, but still allowing more ambitions players to repeat or farm at a higher level of difficulty.
I think you nailed it on the head. The best way to satisfy both casual and hardcore players alike is, as you said, make the storyline content do-able, but add in some really difficult goodies as side content. That way the casuals can finish the game without being on the verge of rage quitting, and hardcore players can repeat the extreme dungeons as many times as they'd like. I also agree with the best gear being obtainable through mainline content. That would fix the Darkmoor gear issue that Black Pearl had voiced earlier. Difficult side content should have incentives (otherwise nobody would do it), but those should be cosmetic or "extras." If that were to happen, I think both sides would be happy.
I think (and this is pure speculation) that KingsIsle might be struggling with an aging playerbase. The people who started playing Wizard101 years ago are now much older, and so KingsIsle might be trying a more mature and difficult approach to compensate? It's a tough spot to be in being a family game. How does KingsIsle still appeal to the younger generation but also keep their existing members playing when they grow older? It's a hard balance. However, as long as they keep the difficulty at a steady increase (not a mountain), and focus on hard side content rather than mainline, I think that will get the best results.
~Vanessa Mythdust
I think (and this is pure speculation) that KingsIsle might be struggling with an aging playerbase. The people who started playing Wizard101 years ago are now much older, and so KingsIsle might be trying a more mature and difficult approach to compensate?
That would probably apply to people who started the game when they were teenagers or perhaps pre-teens who want to play something more than a kids game now that they're in their late teens or early twenties.
On the other hand there are people like me who started playing this game in their thirties or later (or maybe earlier) who only stuck around because the game offered something most other online games didn't. A fun, relaxed environment.
It doesn't matter how many more years I put behind me, I don't need a "more mature" game. When I play a certain racing game on my PS3, I still drive Carl Edwards backwards around the track so that he can smash head on with Kevin Harvick to try and flip him on his lid. That's how mature I want my games to be. I want to laugh and have fun, not be swearing and stressed out.
But overall I think you're right, I think that's the rock and the hard place that KI feels they're stuck between.
No! Make the mobs harder, if this world is nerfed I will be extremely dissapointed as I still found it easy, although that Old Cob fight was pretty hard but was still fun
I think (and this is pure speculation) that KingsIsle might be struggling with an aging playerbase. The people who started playing Wizard101 years ago are now much older, and so KingsIsle might be trying a more mature and difficult approach to compensate?
That would probably apply to people who started the game when they were teenagers or perhaps pre-teens who want to play something more than a kids game now that they're in their late teens or early twenties.
On the other hand there are people like me who started playing this game in their thirties or later (or maybe earlier) who only stuck around because the game offered something most other online games didn't. A fun, relaxed environment.
It doesn't matter how many more years I put behind me, I don't need a "more mature" game. When I play a certain racing game on my PS3, I still drive Carl Edwards backwards around the track so that he can smash head on with Kevin Harvick to try and flip him on his lid. That's how mature I want my games to be. I want to laugh and have fun, not be swearing and stressed out.
But overall I think you're right, I think that's the rock and the hard place that KI feels they're stuck between.
You and me both. ;) I started playing Wizard101 in early High School and I'm now in college and still enjoying it as much as I did then. More "mature" games don't always correlate with age, but I've had a lot of people ask me, "Wizard101, isn't that a kids game?" While people who are familiar with the game know it's a family game and that it has challenging aspects, it's hard to shake that perception once it's formed. I wouldn't be surprised if people stopped playing because they deemed themselves "too old" for it (even if that's not the case) or people have avoided playing it altogether because they assume it's a kids game.
I just hope they don't abandon their current audience while trying to appeal to a new one. Again, this is all speculation. I don't know why the difficulty seems to be increasingly different, I'm just throwing out possible motivations.
