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The Daily Grind: How often do you want new abilities?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

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 not you hit a new level, but Star Trek Online only offers up a new set of abilities every 10 levels or so (equipment notwithstanding).

Granted, if a game gives you abilities infrequently, each one tends to be more vital to your overall play experience. Having a wider spread of abilities means more choices, but it also means that each individual skill doesn't matter as much. So which do you prefer? Would you like to be swimming in new abilities and new tricks at every new level? Or would you prefer a slow roll, with new skills coming infrequently but being special when they do come?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: How often do you want new abilities? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Snips and snails and Asmo tales

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Aion, Opinion, Wings Over Atreia

That's what this week's column is made of!

Back when I first decided I wanted to venture to the dark side of Aion and compare the leveling experiences of the two realms, I didn't really fathom that there would be so much content added that it would be hard to break away from sampling all of the goodies on my home server. Besides that, with all of the changes, comparing the leveling is just impossible. I knew that it would be easier with the introduction of repeatable quests, but it's just plain stupid-easy to level now as opposed to way back pre-Balaurea.

Even with the leveling comparison effectively nixed, I still can report on the differences in the feel of the two worlds as well as just run through and reflect on my impressions of the Asmodian life to give some screen time to the glowy-eyes. Did I mention I love the glowy eyes? With that in mind, Wings Over Atreia devotes this week to the furbacks (said with love!).

Glide past the cut for a look at Daevic life in Asmodae from Ascension to the Abyss.

Gallery: Aion: La Vida Asmo

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Snips and snails and Asmo tales

Wings Over Atreia: Snips and snails and Asmo tales originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Level Y

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Why are you leveling?

It's a fair question in Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV and really pretty much any MMO, especially because it's one of those questions you don't really ask while you're knee-deep in the game. You're just playing, you see that your level isn't at the level it could be, and you start doing what you have to do in order to make that number go just a little bit higher. By the classic model in Final Fantasy XI, you find a party, and in Final Fantasy XIV, you get some leves and head out to the races.

But that doesn't address the question. You know what you're doing, and I know what you're doing -- the question is why you're doing it in the first place. Even in a game without levels, you shouldn't be leveling. The answer to that question should always be confusion not over the reason but over the very concept.

So I'll ask again -- why are you leveling?

Continue reading The Mog Log: Level Y

The Mog Log: Level Y originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Leveling, the playing field

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Leveling, Opinion, The Daily Grind

They might be called security levels, they might be split between ranks and levels, they might disguise themslves as skill grinds. But in pretty much any MMO you care to name, there will be levels of some kind. (The only exception that springs to mind is Second Life, and even that can be argued.) Generally, it's accepted that the most meat to the game will come after you've made it to the apex of the leveling curve, whether it's a low cap or a high one. But that's not when you started liking the game -- no, even though most players see it as an impediment to getting to the good part, the leveling game is what first hooks you on the game as a whole.

So today, we ask a simple question -- what game have you played where you most enjoyed the leveling process? Forget all of the endgame nonsense, whether you had a broad endgame or a fairly narrow one. When did you just enjoy the path toward the endgame, perhaps even enough to be a bit saddened when it was over? Or have you always wanted to just get to the end without bothering with the whole "journey" element?

The Daily Grind: Leveling, the playing field originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How long should it take to reach the level cap?

Samuel Axon — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

Yesterday Blizzard revealed that World of Warcraft's recruit-a-friend program will undergo some big changes. One of those changes: if you group with a friend whose account was signed up because you invited him or her to play, you'll both receive experience at 300% the normal rate.

Blizzard has already decreased the amount of XP needed to reach level 60. When Wrath of the Lich King launches, word has it that an even bigger slash will occur in the 60 - 70 range. How long will it take to 60, 70, or 80 now, we wonder? That probably depends on your personal playstyle. But the question of how long it ought to take to reach the endgame in an EverQuest/World of Warcraft-style MMO has been on our minds ever since Funcom made a statement about how many hours it wants people to invest to reach level 80 in Age of Conan.

What's the sweet spot for you? Do you want to get there as fast as possible, or is the journey to the top the real attraction?

The Daily Grind: How long should it take to reach the level cap? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magic World Online to enter closed beta

Akela Talamasca — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Trailers, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Guilds, New titles, News items, Player Housing

Magic World Online is an MMO that's set to enter a second round of its closed beta on April 6th. Shot in an isometric view, it's not immediately compelling, but a closer look reveals some interesting, forward-looking features.

First, and perhaps uniquely, MWO offers in-game video chat. Now, aside from the dubious wisdom of covering up precious screen real estate with a cam feed, you have to admit: that's pretty cool. Furthermore, the site makes allusions to an advanced AI that can handle certain repetitive tasks, such as traveling and leveling up. But wait, what's left for the player to do?

Additionally, one can have a pretty sweet-looking house, and your own 'moving castle' (sorry, Howl) once you've joined a guild. If any of this sounds interesting to you, the game is downloadable now, but April 26 is when the actual closed beta begins.

Magic World Online to enter closed beta originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is it okay to kill animals for money and experience?

Akela Talamasca — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Leveling, PvE, Opinion

The time-honored tradition of starting out as a noob fighter, taking down the local wildlife to level up, has probably not been the subject of too much consideration. After all, you gotta kill something, right? Well, actually, that's another discussion completely. Now, I'm not one to trot out the 'Won't someone think of the children?' complaint, but this is a topic that's been on my mind ever since Pokémon arrived on our shores.

Sure, we can all tell the difference between reality and a videogame. And the average game wolf critter is no substitute for the real thing, of course. But it's a casual element that's easily rectifiable, and at some level, the message is clear: it's okay to kill animals for fun. At least with humanoids, there's provable intent to cause harm. With animals, you're just treading on their territory, and you should leave. I'm under no illusions about where my meat comes from, but this isn't about survival. Gaming or not, this is poaching.

Now, I can appreciate that this is a silly argument to some extent, but as game designers (and I include myself in that category, having worked in the industry previously), we ought to be able to develop ways to level up that don't involve predation. It sets a bad example, at this stage of MMO development history it's lazy, and there's no real excuse to use animals in place of people. A warrior should practice his combat skills on opponents who behave like he does, not on creatures with their own innocent agendas.

Is it okay to kill animals for money and experience? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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