Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Is disposable world content good?
Amaranthar
Member EpicPosts: 5,797
We all know the score.
You get a game with 60 levels, and you start in a zone for levels 1-5, then move on to another zone for levels 6-10, etc., etc.
You can only play in 8.33% of the game world at any one time. Practically speaking, at any rate.
Once you reach level 60, you are pretty much stuck doing the same content until the game releases new content for levels 61-65.
And at that point, you are limited to less than 12% of the world to get any practical benefits from.
And with each new addition to game content, your limited to even a smaller percentage.
By level 80, you are limited to 6.25% of the game world.
Is that a good thing?
(Hint, when you run out of levels, you run out of game.)
I've made two prior posts that relate to this in overall game design.
Scaling:
https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/481815/is-scaling-content-a-good-thing/p1
and After Max Level:
https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/481646/after-max-level/p1
You get a game with 60 levels, and you start in a zone for levels 1-5, then move on to another zone for levels 6-10, etc., etc.
You can only play in 8.33% of the game world at any one time. Practically speaking, at any rate.
Once you reach level 60, you are pretty much stuck doing the same content until the game releases new content for levels 61-65.
And at that point, you are limited to less than 12% of the world to get any practical benefits from.
And with each new addition to game content, your limited to even a smaller percentage.
By level 80, you are limited to 6.25% of the game world.
Is that a good thing?
(Hint, when you run out of levels, you run out of game.)
I've made two prior posts that relate to this in overall game design.
Scaling:
https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/481815/is-scaling-content-a-good-thing/p1
and After Max Level:
https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/481646/after-max-level/p1
Once upon a time....
Comments
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
If I had to choose, scaling is the better option. Allows for more playable content rather than one-and-done.
Mend and Defend
Once upon a time....
You are missing the point, lack of re-usable content is only an issue for developers, players do not care.
In fact, they do prefer not to return to areas they already progressed through.
It is like asking them to use lvl 5 gear when they are lvl 60.
The question here, to define it, is if a game is designed to restrict players to 8.33% or 6% of the game world, is that a good thing?
Once upon a time....
...you are stuck in a loop with a question that just makes no sense.
If we are talking about 'traditional mmo', players do demand a progression and you will get 'wasted content' due nature of progression itself. There is no way around that.
Only of many reasons I enjoyed EVE more than any others.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
The first, many already know about, is called Scaling.
This normally takes the form of Scaling Down, so, you start in the low level zones, and can move up as you level up, but you can also return to the low level zones and you will scale down to be a fair fight in them, thus as you level up, the game becomes bigger, not smaller.
This a great system IMHO, especially for more Open World style games, like GW2.
Another System I have seen in Action. Re-Leveling.
This is where you basically have 1 character, that you can run through all the classes and what have you, and re-level each time. Since this is not so much an Alt as it is just a mian that keeps getting more and more powerful, each time though, obviously becomes easier, but also can be more tedious.
There are variants on this theme, but the basic idea remains the same, you are going to do this content several times over.
This works well for the games that are designed around it.
And there is an alternative. And that's what my next question is about, after this thread runs it's course.
Once upon a time....
Most starting zones centered around a city. In this city were banks, crafting areas, trainers, and more non-combat activities. Why are they "irrelevant?" Oh, right... combat.
- 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
So you now can get platinum coins instead of gold coins. You can buy "better" gear with it, but when you use that gear it's still limited to your level. If it's overpowered for you, most games go as far as to remove that OP until you level up.
Crafting, as above.
Trainers, same thing.
You increasing the numbers, getting some new animations, some new art. Nothing else changes.
Oh, sure, you can go to old level zones and be more powerful, but what does that get you?
You are still PRACTICALLY SPEAKING locked into 8% (or less) of the game world. You are still corralled. You are still not part of the world, only that set of boundaries restricted to you at any given point and time in your experience in that game.
Once upon a time....
At max level, 99.999% of the game is open to the player, depending on zone "keys" or some other such barrier if in place.
For "combat only" folks, in EQ you could go to lower level zones and kill monsters that were above the zone level like Sand Giants in Ro, Griffons in the Commanlands, Cyclopses (Cyclopsi?) in Karana and such. You could even act like a hero and sit in lower zones waiting for that "HELP!" to come across in chat.
Are there level restrictions on interacting with others in a non-combat way?
Looking at the big picture, not just the microcosm of ONE player, ALL zones are relevant to someone.
- 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
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/Just make sure you release new content before anyone reach the level cap and get stuck in doing the same stuff over and over again AND keep all content unchanged to ensure the gaming experience remains intact for both new players and rerollers.
Nothing makes a game world more irrelevant than allowing a player to explore everything right away.