The answer to the thread is right in the title of the thread - "grind". Grind, by our definition, is a menial task that we are forced to repeat over and over to watch a bar move, +1 a stat, get better gear, etc all in order to do more of the same only better/quicker/faster/more efficiently. It's at this point you realize what you're doing has no depth to it and how much time you've wasted.
Now, we all realize that everything takes a little bit of grind at the start....but it's for what purpose you are grinding that is the really important question. If it's to get a better sword to go off and PvP....ok maybe you see that as a necessary evil to remain competitive with your peers so you can kill them better. If you play competitive sports then you might look at "grinding" as the equivalent of going to practice. Why do you practice? To be better for when the real games start. But grinding for the sake of? Well to each his own I guess but you might have too much time on your hands.
Why have a level cap at all? Design the game so people can keep progressing their character in small ways infinitely and you don't need a gear grind. It's very possible to do this.
You can do this even with a level cap, see EQ
Yes, EQ had gear to get too, but when you got a piece of gear in EQ it typically lasted you a long time, getting an upgrade in EQ was a big deal. But that time inbetween gear drops you were getting AA to progress your character
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Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
gear grind is played out, boring, tedious and monataneous (sp?). If you enjoy doing the same thing over and over like Battlegrounds you've been doing for years for pvp gear then have to do arena for arena gear, props to you! It's boring for us people that like to dive into a game and not have to worry about doing the same crap over and over because devs are too lazy to push out Xpacs like EQ and EQ-2 did. Content is better than gear IMO.
If items has permanent decay and are crafted, then gear grind wouldn't be necessary and mmos won't have to be rebalanced everytime something new comes out.
Permanency of items and lack of ability to craft/purchase from crafters hgih level items is the calprit here.
Mobs shouldn't drop items as straight loots, they should drop mats that enables the crafters.
Liner, predictable, repeatable progression in MMOs isn't a very fun or unique design.
It's better than random gear drop tables to an extent, but ultimately a souless form of progression. You're wasting hours looking at the same content over and over collecting badges to ultimately be the same character dozens of other players already are.
Seems lazy design wise, and is just total appeasement for the bland crowd.
There's just better and more dynamic ways out there to do it.
have there been any studies associating gear grinding with boredom?
The only people that need a study are those that don't understand the meanings of the words in that sentence.
if you asked a subordinate at work to describe their job in one phrase and they said "a daily grind," would you really need further information to assess whether they were bored or not, or would that be a big red flag that there's a problem there?
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 "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
The user and all related content has been deleted.
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
The user and all related content has been deleted.
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
Comments
The answer to the thread is right in the title of the thread - "grind". Grind, by our definition, is a menial task that we are forced to repeat over and over to watch a bar move, +1 a stat, get better gear, etc all in order to do more of the same only better/quicker/faster/more efficiently. It's at this point you realize what you're doing has no depth to it and how much time you've wasted.
Now, we all realize that everything takes a little bit of grind at the start....but it's for what purpose you are grinding that is the really important question. If it's to get a better sword to go off and PvP....ok maybe you see that as a necessary evil to remain competitive with your peers so you can kill them better. If you play competitive sports then you might look at "grinding" as the equivalent of going to practice. Why do you practice? To be better for when the real games start. But grinding for the sake of? Well to each his own I guess but you might have too much time on your hands.
DAOC (retired): RR11 Merc
Upcoming: CU, Wasteland 2, Eternity, Planescape
You can do this even with a level cap, see EQ
Yes, EQ had gear to get too, but when you got a piece of gear in EQ it typically lasted you a long time, getting an upgrade in EQ was a big deal. But that time inbetween gear drops you were getting AA to progress your character
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
If items has permanent decay and are crafted, then gear grind wouldn't be necessary and mmos won't have to be rebalanced everytime something new comes out.
Permanency of items and lack of ability to craft/purchase from crafters hgih level items is the calprit here.
Mobs shouldn't drop items as straight loots, they should drop mats that enables the crafters.
Liner, predictable, repeatable progression in MMOs isn't a very fun or unique design.
It's better than random gear drop tables to an extent, but ultimately a souless form of progression. You're wasting hours looking at the same content over and over collecting badges to ultimately be the same character dozens of other players already are.
Seems lazy design wise, and is just total appeasement for the bland crowd.
There's just better and more dynamic ways out there to do it.
a yo ho ho
The only people that need a study are those that don't understand the meanings of the words in that sentence.
if you asked a subordinate at work to describe their job in one phrase and they said "a daily grind," would you really need further information to assess whether they were bored or not, or would that be a big red flag that there's a problem there?
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
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.
Somebody, somewhere has better skills as you have, more experience as you have, is smarter than you, has more friends as you do and can stay online longer. Just pray he's not out to get you.