There is a simply point why different rulesets in different games will hurt the playerbase: they split the community. Even if its just a mindset.
Having two different rules will not only confuse the players, it will also add complexity where it is not needed. All the different game modes and their difficulties already require different playstyles to be effective. So if someone does have problems dealing with enemies as a 100 HP character, they can switch to easy difficulty (where enemies deal less damage).
Not to forget that there are characters that are easier to play specifically for casuals.
What we need instead is actual balancing, based on the experience of players with knowledge about the game. And balance that is applied differently to each version of the game.
Popcaps main problem seems to be that they simply don't have enough funds to pay professional players for feedback that is not simply an opinion, but actual experience that is written down in a contract. And that being said; it should not be easy to find players to hire for a rather unknown game with a focus on humor and colors.
Instead they listen to the crowd on twitter and fool around with things that went wrong multiple times (which actually drove mid-core/harcore gamers away).
What Popcap should do instead is play their own damn game (and not just the console version), give players more reasons to not play 6 Imps - or whatever the meta is right now - in one team (quests are a step in the right direction but more effective solutions are needed), give players more reasons to experience the whole game - and not just one team/class (quests again, but ineffective) and find effective ways to keep people playing through whole matches (the shorter timer at the end of each round came again from complaints that did not help at all).
I think the best change that came from feedback so far (in a world where Popcap actually balanced the game), is the placing of the Mixed Mode closer to the center of the mode selection screen. That actually had an impact on players. It could even be the main mode presented right at the center. Because Mixed Mode gives a much better impression of how the game works with all the different classes.
So here are a couple Quests Popcap could add to the board that simply make me laugh:
😉 ...
Because in the end it's the players that play the game wrong/abuse the mechanics. And while Popcap has to find a balance for that, the players need reasons to adjust their behavior.
I know what you mean. The best example is how people simply power-leveled their characters in single player to be max rank much faster. What took me over half a year, they did in days.
But it's not about Quests as a specific solution. My general approach is to give people more reasons to play in likable ways. And with that being said, there is still ways to enforce healthy rules.
I mean, as much as i love to see 6 Chompers going completely ham in one match, or 8 Super Brainz jumping all around - it gets old when it happens every third match. And its with no surprise the Imp who causes most of these problems. So technically each class could be restricted to 3 per match. Or anything like that.
But GW2 even fails to inform the players about what a healthy team is. Overwatch for example tells the players their team does not have a healer, or tank.
Popcap simply made a lot of mistakes in their general design. Having a funny chaotic game is one thing. But people playing as a team and approach certain things with a couple thoughts beforehand is something completely different. And yes, that needs more than a couple Quests. But they can help.
