You what?Follow

This.

I've only ever played one game where leveling wasn't a nuisance: DC Universe Online. Mostly because it's a sandbox type of game, so you can level up without having to do the same linear path every time, but also because there are only 30 levels in it.

I really don't get why new MMORPGs start out with 50-60 levels these days. You just end up with a crazy level ceiling like in WoW. 90 levels, man. While the first 60 levels speed by pretty fast now, with heirlooms and whatnot, the road from 80 to 90 is still painfully slow and linear.

Do they expect us to go for 100 in a couple of expansions? Can you imagine that? Even with heirlooms and all that, it would take weeks. Months for the more casual players. I normally wouldn't mind that, because leveling is part of the experience, but this game is seriously not fun to level in, anymore. With the talent revamp and the automatic obtaining and scaling of abilities, it's like a conveyor belt of "go there, kill that, bring back something". 100 levels of that would drive me insane. Hell, 90 levels of that was enough for me to retire my alts.

They should do double-xp weekends like BioWare did with SWTOR. Might encourage people to level up new characters.

Edited, Jul 10th 2013 8:17pm by Mazra

Should have used the boosts during the weekend, to compound the bonus. ;)

Double EXP weekend/days in WoW would be awesome. I've only leveled 2 characters to 90, I'd like to level a few others but I have zero motivation to do so.
It took me 2 weeks to level 85 to 90 with my DK (I could probably do it faster with the other 85s, because I was raiding on Monk and level DK when not raiding). Would like to get my warrior and hunter to 90 but ugh...just don't have it in me to give them the time.

I like rested exp as a mechanic in general, but I don't think WoW has ever had a great implementation of it. Though it wasn't bad in vanilla; it kind of outgrew itself.

Some obvious pros of rested Exp:

-They add incentive to logging off. Sure, you'll gain experience faster while playing, but you get a better ROI for spending some time away from the game.
-They encourage you to head back to town which, when done properly, helps with the sense of being out and adventuring.

Some obvious cons of rested Exp:

-Hiking all the way back to town can be difficult to appreciate, versus logging out in the wilderness (particularly by WoW standards).
-It doesn't always have enough of an effect that you would care.
-If you're ONLY going back for rested experience, why care?


But I think rested exp can be incorporated into a larger value that adds value to town environments in games. I'd like to see inns become more than "that place you should think about logging out" and include other services that might make players want to spend time there. Either way, I think it's healthy for a game experience to not be GO GO GO all the time. /shrug

Yeah, I figure they need to add some kind of activities. In-game card tables, for instance, with an actual gambling minigame system? What fantasy world doesn't include cards? I wouldn't want it to be poker or anything, more like a unique in-world minigame a la tetra master or something.

Maybe add in stages that mean something? Give a real avenue for people to add music and "performances" to the game by using a set of development tools for them to use. Maybe tie these performances to their own set of progression? Add achievements and other rewards for gaining a sufficient number of ratings, unlock a cosmetic reward at different threshold. Likewise, add achievements for watching them.

Return to the age of food that mattered, and let the tavern npcs sell some stuff that's actually quality. Will it be as good as what players can make? No. But if you're not near an AH, then it'll be good enough.

In FFXI + FFXIV fashion, allow some space for player-run shops. Maybe have a few booths in the tavern that players can "rent" to sell their wares, with some advertising space (or let the NPC repeat their advert in /say, but so it only pops up in-game, not in your chat box).

Let setting your home point mean more than it just being where you port back to. In a current WoW context or old-FFXI context, let you garden there or something similar, maybe create different options, like starting a crystal farm).

Do something interesting with in-game alcoholic drinks. Right now only an RP-er would use one, since they actually just make playing more annoying. But if using them had a chance for a better effect? Maybe not.

Add bar brawl achievements and rewards. Each class gets unique brawling skills.

Make pet battle arenas outside the tavern, a la Pokemon fights outside a Pokemon Center. Also, MAKE YOUR MMO A GODDAMN POKEMON MMO (because everyone wants one).

And, the most important part, make sure that these aren't activities you would generally binge on (though could if you really wanted to), but are also simple and easily accessible, so you'd actually bother to check them out before logging off/when you log in.

People will do a lot for achievments, which will get them to investigate in the first place. And as long as they're enjoyable, people will keep checking them out.

Not saying that any of this would work in a WoW context, or in anything outside of a game still in development. Just saying there's plenty developers can try, if they'd stop remaking WoW, dumbed-down WoW, etc.

I think that was the idea behind the adventurer's supplies vendors in Pandaria and apparently there's one in Ht. Hyjal too?

But there's one problem.....

they forgot to add one for Level 90!!.

When you ding 90, you're pretty much forced to do Dread Wastes because the best trinket/rings you can get without questing are 408 because there's no Lv90 vendor (only an 88).

They should make a vendor with at least 429 junk so you're not forced to do Dread Wastes to fill those trinket slots.

Also, 450 Rings and Amulets are way too ridiculously expensive to make. 6 Serpent Eyes? lololololol.

458 Gear + 408 Rings/Trinkets puts you <435 a lot of times, depending on your weapon. You can't even Q for Scenarios or Heroics until you quest in Dread Wastes. Bleck.

Edited, Jul 11th 2013 8:34pm by Lyrailis