This is a negative outlook from my end (shocker), but it's less that "back when information about combat, sparring, and opportunities to fix your build weren't as common, things were a lot more easygoing" and more "you had 10% of the playerbase in discords that gave build advice and 90% of the players struggling and wondering if it's just a matter of lucking into a good build, or skill, or if it really is all exclusively sig diff".
Imo, that's how it was in E3. The underlying problem is that fotm and certain meta-builds/strongest picks always last way too long. The only difference is that in the past, most players didn't know what to attribute it to so it was quieter.
You still had players generally being unable to compete until they were taught the ins and outs by someone that's already dominating. You just had less players that knew that path existed for them.
Imo, it's just a matter of the community taking note that there's players and characters they know they'll never compete with unless they do the same things they do. The only alternative is to go back to when most players generally don't actually matter in the world stage until someone that repeatedly takes center stage holds their hand, but being more oblivious.
It's like you said though, things are generally better now. Imo, the one change that could actually be acted on is improving the balance cycle. If you want things less predictable and mathed out, the picks that spike in popularity and win rate just need to be quickly nerfed so players stop relying on them and the players on the receiving end don't have time to look at them and go "Okay, this is obviously what's good right now" and consider adjusting to it. Even if we still have those periods where there are obviously stronger builds, if players expect "If this keeps dominating anyways it's going to get toned down in no time" then you run into less of that fotm fever everyone gets into both in actual building and discussions.
No other way around it, I think.
EDIT: Also, heavy disagree on there being more plots to involve yourself with but everyone probably knows that. I know too many non-combat players that have just dropped off entirely during this arc, or stick to settlements and complain about their plots not progressing. I'm not playing fauste right now because there is no plot or project for me to engage in besides building uniques for people.
If you want a complaint that doesn't tie back to the current arc, one big reason for this is that by simplifying the apps, flavor apps seem a lot more dead. You only have 'Wonders' as a location to app for something that like, summons a bunch of spirits or creates a plague or whatever.
And wonders are so unbelievably not worth it right now. In my experience and the experience of others, that's at least a month wait before you get a single view for some reason. I had a wonder app take 2 months without getting looked at before it was denied (the denial was fair, but the two month wait before it was even seen is a bit inexplicable to me). I know of another player that I think was over a 1 month wait on their wonder app and died waiting on it.
Back in the day, I had a lil sparkle in my eye because of the app system and I wrote who knows how much in that non-combat guide because the prospect excited me. Now, I don't think I have it in me to bother with apping for something like Law Magic again. Despite being a spirit summoner as fauste, actually /summoning/ spirits, whether it's getting black circle summoning as fluff or getting an app in to open an emporium for ANYTHING is way too much of a hassle for me. I know a third very dedicated player that's been working on her wonder for months quit before apping because of the current arc, and I'm sure the fact that another wonder app she has out has been several weeks without views doesn't help.
It's just not the case that there's these other deep avenues for plot that don't involve combat, there's small talk.
If you'd like to fix this without touching the game's PVP focus or shifting perspectives, then fix the wonder issue. Reopen the 'Applications' subforum, but make it clear you don't app for sigs there, it's just for lore/gameplay relevant projects that don't meet the criteria to be considered a wonder. Give players something to do through roleplay except buff other people's stats, imo.
Imo, that's how it was in E3. The underlying problem is that fotm and certain meta-builds/strongest picks always last way too long. The only difference is that in the past, most players didn't know what to attribute it to so it was quieter.
You still had players generally being unable to compete until they were taught the ins and outs by someone that's already dominating. You just had less players that knew that path existed for them.
Imo, it's just a matter of the community taking note that there's players and characters they know they'll never compete with unless they do the same things they do. The only alternative is to go back to when most players generally don't actually matter in the world stage until someone that repeatedly takes center stage holds their hand, but being more oblivious.
It's like you said though, things are generally better now. Imo, the one change that could actually be acted on is improving the balance cycle. If you want things less predictable and mathed out, the picks that spike in popularity and win rate just need to be quickly nerfed so players stop relying on them and the players on the receiving end don't have time to look at them and go "Okay, this is obviously what's good right now" and consider adjusting to it. Even if we still have those periods where there are obviously stronger builds, if players expect "If this keeps dominating anyways it's going to get toned down in no time" then you run into less of that fotm fever everyone gets into both in actual building and discussions.
No other way around it, I think.
EDIT: Also, heavy disagree on there being more plots to involve yourself with but everyone probably knows that. I know too many non-combat players that have just dropped off entirely during this arc, or stick to settlements and complain about their plots not progressing. I'm not playing fauste right now because there is no plot or project for me to engage in besides building uniques for people.
If you want a complaint that doesn't tie back to the current arc, one big reason for this is that by simplifying the apps, flavor apps seem a lot more dead. You only have 'Wonders' as a location to app for something that like, summons a bunch of spirits or creates a plague or whatever.
And wonders are so unbelievably not worth it right now. In my experience and the experience of others, that's at least a month wait before you get a single view for some reason. I had a wonder app take 2 months without getting looked at before it was denied (the denial was fair, but the two month wait before it was even seen is a bit inexplicable to me). I know of another player that I think was over a 1 month wait on their wonder app and died waiting on it.
Back in the day, I had a lil sparkle in my eye because of the app system and I wrote who knows how much in that non-combat guide because the prospect excited me. Now, I don't think I have it in me to bother with apping for something like Law Magic again. Despite being a spirit summoner as fauste, actually /summoning/ spirits, whether it's getting black circle summoning as fluff or getting an app in to open an emporium for ANYTHING is way too much of a hassle for me. I know a third very dedicated player that's been working on her wonder for months quit before apping because of the current arc, and I'm sure the fact that another wonder app she has out has been several weeks without views doesn't help.
It's just not the case that there's these other deep avenues for plot that don't involve combat, there's small talk.
If you'd like to fix this without touching the game's PVP focus or shifting perspectives, then fix the wonder issue. Reopen the 'Applications' subforum, but make it clear you don't app for sigs there, it's just for lore/gameplay relevant projects that don't meet the criteria to be considered a wonder. Give players something to do through roleplay except buff other people's stats, imo.