Many people, myself included, enjoy playing mmorpgs slowly and at their own pace. They don't "rush to end game," and feel that a lot of fun gets missed by those who do.
But time and tide wait for no man.
More and more it seems, taking one's time leads to getting behind other players to a point where zones become wastelands. You may find it harder to group if you progress slowly. And when you do reach the "end game," it is no longer the end game! There will have been whole new end games introduced through patches and expansions. That, again, makes it hard to find people to do that content with.
So how does a game developer design their game to allow for fun, voluntary slow progression? How, as in golf, can developers allow faster players to "play through" without screwing up anyone else's game?
I hate playing games where I hear (metaphorically) a stopwatch in my head as I go.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
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In some games I have thousands of playing hours. And 99% of the time I spend in end game.
I think it is more about designing a game where the end game is the same from start to finish. Many game change dramatically during the leveling phase and max level.
Things cannot be made to please everybody. You can't cater to everyone, you're only goal as a business is to cater to whatever maximizes your profits. If you're a minority in what a player wants then you suffer as usual.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent.
"At one point technology meant making tech that could get to the moon, now it means making tech that could get you a taxi."
Why does an MMO have to please everybody? I know... Money. That is the biggest reason they all suck right now because not one focuses on any specific player group. Nearly every MMO is made for everyone... Except for us slow players, of course
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
I agree you don't want to damage the game by trying to do this and failing. Or by sacrificing something at the expense of something else. But it has been done successfully. For example, people forget that EQ had a ton of all types of players, who each enjoyed the game in their own way.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I think the only way to accomodate both, is make content that is fun while leveling as well. Don't focus so hard on endgame. If you focus on endgame you create the rush to cap.
Not sure if there will ever be a balance in a level based game, or a gear based game, for players who have time and players who don't. Which is why a lot of people I know gravitated away from MMORPG's. Most of my friends play shooters where everyone is on a relatively even playing field, or single player games.
I just can't burn through content. Not that I wouldn't, but I just don't have the time to play that I used to have, so I work slowly through the game. I like trying all the class/race combinations. I like getting powerful and then being able to help my alts with crafting stuff.
I'm def not a min/maxer and I'm fine with getting the best equipment possible before the tier that requires lots of grinding/skill. If it's something I can work on over time, then I'll do it, but I can't rush. And I can always go back and solo old endgame content for that stuff eventually, in WoW anyway.
I'm not a Dev, but I've never understood why they can't incorporate game mechanics to meet every players wants/needs, so it's easy for me to say.
Gut Out!
What, me worry?
He knows that many people rush to end content, and most developers cater for this category.
He is complaining there aren't many MMOs that cater for his slower play style.
He has a point, in my opinion.
And why I like exploration and mysteries to find and/or solve.
Players can speed their way through game play, and maybe find more things of interest, but the slower playing peeps can still make their own discoveries or solve their own quests too, simply because the speed players can't get it all. Plus, if they're rushing through, they could miss hints and clues that the slow players have a better chance of getting.
Some design concepts can greatly improve this. But that's too much to get into.
Once upon a time....
Themeparkmania lead to the current state. Refinements to make games better always seem to rip the soul of games. Kind of like going from Morrowind to Skyrim. Sure the game got refined/streamlined but it lost something.
MMORPG have largely walked the same path together. Similar improvements with similar drawbacks. To my point the genre is redundant and developers made ways to ease the pain. Even if it contradicts the very features. This pushes the rush on everyone.
Sadly even FFXI was ruined by corporate greed and became a much faster leveling experience.
Most every other game is a one of altaholic game,meaning early levels are forever forgotten,they no longer mean anything to your character.The FFXI design meant you actually did not need much new content for years,where as these other games,,you can see why they make expansions every 12 months.
Every single one of these games have become END GAME,nobody cares about the rest of the game and nothing other than those end game dungeons matter either,you play that zone once,cya later forever.You do NOT do LAZY fixes by scaling the content,that ruins immersion,the world has zero identity then,just becomes a bunch of computer code that changes the mobs.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
I didn't play Morrowind, but I had a feeling that there was a drawback going into Skyrim.
The level by quest systems are natural race-to-top creators. In any game, players will race to the top of the levels or skills systems, but quest designs give you the race track, front and center. And the power gaps make it much more meaningful.
Once upon a time....
Changing things to fit the character just seems so cheap and lacking in accomplishment. It's like blue ribbons for last place, equal to blue ribbons for first place.
I half expect an e-mail someday with a congratulatory "you're reached level 60!" in a game I never played, along with an invite to their cash shop.
Once upon a time....