After having played Elder Scrolls Online, nowadays my preference does actually go to downscaling the player depending on area. (Ofcourse it usually doesnt take in account most of the gear and skill variety so in the end it will still be easier in starter zones for higher levels, but at least its not fully irrelevant)
Since Ryzom has been mentioned a few times, here's my take on that game.
Ryzom has no real quests or dungeons, like many other games do. There are quests to make money, or build up faction. It doesn't have quest lines, or quests to go kill 10 boars.
It does have zones, but these are fairly mixed up. You might encounter higher level creatures, or even wandering bosses, in almost any zone. In general though, you progress from zone to zone. Exploration and mining for materials are the main actions, and fighting mobs.
Everything of value in the game is crafted, every weapon, every bit of armor, every piece of ammo. And there are no easy blueprints to learn, each player learns his own recipes. There are many ways to make the same item too, with varying qualities and enhancements.
The end game is really PvP, where guilds control outposts that provide special materials to craft with. And the absolute best materials are only found in a PvP zone that is full of very high level mobs.
So the game progression is to level up your skills, allowing you to go into harder and harder areas, with better and higher quality materials for crafting. Then craft better equipment, and go after even higher zones with even higher materials and mobs. At the end, you will need a full team of diggers and fighters, to get the best mats and to fight off other people and mobs.
Comments
(Ofcourse it usually doesnt take in account most of the gear and skill variety so in the end it will still be easier in starter zones for higher levels, but at least its not fully irrelevant)
https://ashesofcreation.com/r/Y4U3PQCASUPJ5SED
------------
2024: 47 years on the Net.