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How should xp be distributed in an mmo? (with poll)
Dzone
Member UncommonPosts: 371
How do ya think xp should be distributed in an MMO? I choose from killing mobs + crafting
I feel like everything else just power levels your character.
Comments
The best strength of an XP/Level-based system is it frees the player to choose which activities he/she wants to engage in to level. So All makes the most sense.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
I think all is self evident, so I put that, but I'd hope that someone sitting in town crafting wouldn't be the first character to max level. Unless they come up with one heck of a crafting system.
First to max should be someone that's out there exploring and adventuring.
Asdar
I don't mind if everything gives experience but don't make it ridiculous. For example... if someone dies in Guild Wars 2? The incentive that one player has for reviving the other is a free handout of a small amount of experience. That is a good example. It's not ridiculous, it's not an arduous task, and it gives the selfish an incentive to be less of a d***.
Now what MMOs SHOULD all implement is an undeniable boost to experience when grouping with others. As another player was quoted earlier in another thread, "Going mainstream has ironically hurt and retarded the social aspects of MMOs". I don't necessarily agree nor disagree with the reasoning but as our genre currently stands? It is very difficult to deny the simplicity of playing solo while there is a lack of incentive for grouping. I think a boost to experience when grouping should be generous, not frugal. Add a percentage to boosting item quality (or rarity) and/or item quantity. Boost the difficulty (not scale the health, longer fights does not mean harder fights) of Player Versus Environment encounters to the point where you may actually die if you're playing solo and accidentally chain-pull.
What do you end up with? You got yourselves a community full of players chanting 'LFG'.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't even like the XP leveling systems that exist now. Gradually clicking memorized buttons until the bar finally tells you that you've gained a new skill seems strange. With MMO's being well over a decade old, most of us that play them already know the tired leveling formula. Xp is only gained through the following;
Combat
Crafting
Exploration
Sometimes "resting" boosts the amount so that is technically a form of XP. The exploration category is the least comprehensive in most MMO's, it usually involves a fly by or crossing a border. In life you can gain XP aka Widsom through inner reflection and observation I think both of which may be hard to translate.
For myself it might come down to the fact that I'd rather not even bother to earn XP, unless the game changes it's progression system radically, I don't even think I want to level that much anymore. I think I prefer systems that allow me to create my own reward for my own progression pace... I.E. crafting unique items through experimentation or creating my own combat moves and affects with matching animations.
I know that I'm asking too much lol
Although I voted "Mobs" I agree with the above as each player should be allowed to peruse what activities they wish... without getting in the way of the others. I think the categories for xp should be broader than one or a couple.
Combat XP - Fighting mobs/players
Crafting XP - Crafting items
Explorer XP - Gained for discovering new areas
Faction XP - Gained by questing, unlocks better cheaper items through city or village vendors
Just an example but if you separate the xp categories it gives you a wider variety of things to focus on.
My thoughts exactly. Make everything give exp, but don't pigeon hole players into having to quest or having to grind mobs or having to do something they don't want to. I'm tired of games that you can get to cap within like 5 days too.
Monster and craft for xp
Quest for money and fame.
For me, it depends on the game. If the main mode of advancement is grinding on mobs, I'd rather the quests didn't give any experience at all. I like to do quests. Sometimes, you feel that pressure to "do this quest before I get too far above it and it becomes worthless." If the amount of experience I get isn't significant even when I do it at the appropriate level, I'd rather it not give me any at all so that I don't have to fret about how soon I get around to completing it.
Edit: I guess the same applies to crafting. I like efficiency and I suppose I like XP as being a good reward for efficient behavior. But I don't like crafting being a part of that formula. Let's say there are certain levels where your class is a bit weak, like the couple of levels before each major ability upgrade or equipment upgrade. If leveling up a craft grants XP, that's like an XP supply that you can dip into anytime, but there's only so much in the supply. The metagame strategy suggests that if you're going to level up a craft, you should only do it during those levels where it would be hard to go out and fight, and then stop crafting when you hit the good level. I don't like this level of metagaming, planning out what activities I can or can't do at a given time. So I don't want XP attached to crafting because I don't want to be rewarded for playing the game that way.
Yeah that can work, but has the distinct downside of the player being forced to do Activity X to increase Skill X. And the broader the list gets, the more likely it is to include game activities which the player doesn't enjoy as much.
It's the age-old Skill-advancement vs. Level-advancement debate, really.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
Sometimes you have to think outside the box.
Dont award XP for anything. Let players buy it. Here is how this would work:
Mobs drop loot + chests, etc. The value of this can be turned into XP. This makes it worth killing mobs.
Quests provide loot + items, etc. The value of this can be turned into XP. This makes it worth doing quests.
Crafting allows you to make items of value that can be sold. The value of this can be turned into XP. This makes it worth crafting.
Etc.
This also makes a huge gold sink. Players can either use their currency to level up, or to trade, or to invest in crafting (to sell). However, every time they spend money to level up, it leaves the economy. It is a clear trade off of progression vs wealth. The only time this is an issue, is the level cap. Once you reach that, then you can accumulate wealth without the tradeoff.
Was there ever any doubt how this poll would turn out? Of course all activities should give you XP. If an activity is coded into an MMO it's implicitly a valid way to play the game and devote time to it...resource gathering, crafting, questing, mob killing, dungeoneering, PvP... they all should give you experience credits.
The better question is should all activities give you the same type of experience that advances all aspects or only give you XP directly tied to the ability? I.e., should resource gathering simply make you a better resource gatherer or should it also enhance your ability to use your shield?
In past years, experience pools were kept separate and related only to advancing the specific activity. Nowadays in many MMOs, resource gathering, crafting and PvP also give you generic leveling XP.
I had to laugh at the OP's "only mob killing and crafting"... in other words "only what I personally want to do...screw the rest of you"
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The irony of your view presented here and the username beside it.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
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Wax on...