Posts tagged level 
The Daily Grind: How often do you want new abilities?
We're all very familiar with the term "ding." We're also familiar with the immediate follow-up to a ding -- namely, figuring out what new stuff you get following a new level. Of course, that varies a lot depending on the game. Guild Wars will give players new abilities all the time, whether or ...
Leaderboard: Level-based vs. skill-based
When you think about it, the concept of "levels" in MMOs is downright strange -- and contrary to how we live life. I mean, do you suddenly "ding" to a new, arbitrary level after gaining a whole bunch of generic XP for killing spiders because your spouse/roommate/sibling is too scared to do so? Or ...
The Road to Mordor: Ten up, ten down
Levels in MMOs are best when accepted as a traditional aspect of the game that blends into the background. It's weird when you hold them up to scrutiny because it's very hard to mesh these arbitrary numbers with the pretend "reality" of the game world. I've always thought it was weird that I ...
City of Heroes launching the Strike Pack in February
City of Heroes has been firing on all cylinders for this month's announcements, promising a great deal to come in the next few months. One of those promises was an addition to Issue 19's list of feature in a smaller update, and now that's been both dated and expanded upon. The Strike Pack is due ...
The Daily Grind: Do we level too fast?
The old timer shifted the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other before launching a wad of foul blackness into a nearby spittoon. "Leveling?" he cackled. "Is that what you kids today call it? This fancy-pantsy autobahn of progression from zero to infinity in under a week? Why, back in my ...
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Community timing
Welcome to this week's installment of A Mild-Mannered Reporter, where we will not be talking about Going Rogue. Well, OK, that's a lie -- but we're not going to be doing our big analysis and in-depth look at the entire expansion. As of the time I'm writing these words, I've not actually even played ...
Guild Wars 2 level cap confirmed at 80
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Guild_Wars_2_confirms_their_level_cap_Level_80'; It's been a huge question for months: What will be the level cap for Guild Wars 2? Eager fans have grabbed onto every piece of information looking for clues over time, and tonight Isaiah "Izzy" Cartwright, ...
Final Fantasy XI frees up Chains of Promathia
Final Fantasy XI's Chains of Promathia was a bit polarizing for the players -- you either love it or hate it. No one can argue that it raised the bar considerably on the game's cutscenes and storytelling, but it was also restrictive in many ways and limited player access to new zones (which were ...
Having fun just isn't rewarding enough on its own
Regis over at the Wizards and Wenches blog brings up a good point when it comes to both having fun and getting your levels in -- sometimes you just can't have it both ways. Regis wants to spend more time in Warhammer Online's open Realm vs. Realm combat, enjoying the live PvP and the crazy times ...
EVE Evolved: Where's the grind?
Everyone who plays MMOs will be familiar with the concept of "grind", possibly one of the most debated topics in the MMO industry. Grind is essentially where users are forced to repeat something over and over again to get what they want. An example would be killing a certain type of monster ...
