Just look at games where the best loot is dengoens and raids - empty worlds.
/snip
Also that big admission of the problem is:
"This ties back to what i was saying earlier in which Ascended Gear and really any progression related reward mechanism that impacts the world globally should be introduced (Where possible) across the game and inside the different type of player's activities specifically. Allowing players to continue doing the things they love without focusing player migration to a specific part of the world. The introduction of the Ascended reward in one part of the game was a mistake and one that i don't want to make again. Soon Ascended Gear will adhere to these rules."
43. I am L26, and it is reaaaally slow going, as the maps and events are deserted, and everything you designed for crowds in mind, I have to solo. Is there any chance of getting heroes/henchman to offset this, at least until L80?
I love the idea of henchmen and this is something we would discuss, however the problem you raise initially would be complemented by this feature rather than fixed. We are going to ensure full use of the world by not polarizing content. This has been a huge topic of conversation today. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and questions.
Gdemami - Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Just look at games where the best loot is dengoens and raids - empty worlds.
/snip
Also that big admission of the problem is:
"This ties back to what i was saying earlier in which Ascended Gear and really any progression related reward mechanism that impacts the world globally should be introduced (Where possible) across the game and inside the different type of player's activities specifically. Allowing players to continue doing the things they love without focusing player migration to a specific part of the world. The introduction of the Ascended reward in one part of the game was a mistake and one that i don't want to make again. Soon Ascended Gear will adhere to these rules."
43. I am L26, and it is reaaaally slow going, as the maps and events are deserted, and everything you designed for crowds in mind, I have to solo. Is there any chance of getting heroes/henchman to offset this, at least until L80?
I love the idea of henchmen and this is something we would discuss, however the problem you raise initially would be complemented by this feature rather than fixed. We are going to ensure full use of the world by not polarizing content. This has been a huge topic of conversation today. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and questions.
Just because other companies don't admit problems (maybe it isn't a problem since most of the content in the open world for most MMORPGs is soloable) it doesn't mean the world isn't empty.
Still there is no admission that the world is empty, just that they will make the open world a reliable alternative to the instances concerning rewards.
As I said it is all a question of luck - sometimes there is tons of people others just a few.
(I guess we may say Rift had a problem with its own rifts.)
Currently playing: GW2 Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
Just because other companies don't admit problems (maybe it isn't a problem since most of the content in the open world for most MMORPGs is soloable) it doesn't mean the world isn't empty.
Still there is no admission that the world is empty, just that they will make the open world a reliable alternative to the instances concerning rewards.
As I said it is all a question of luck - sometimes there is tons of people others just a few.
(I guess we may say Rift had a problem with its own rifts.)
Are other game worlds top/bottom heavy? They might be but that's not the point of this thread.
This thread is to discuss the high-level game designs that might have caused the problem in GW2, not GAME X.
I'd like to point out that this thread accepts that ANet is a competent game company that knows what goes on in their game and that they were honest in that AMA.
If a fanboy wants to say 'ANet lied in that AMA' or 'ANet doesn't know what goes on in their own game', that's a separate issue for another thread.
Gdemami - Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
I managed to solo / small group finish more than 3/4 of the zone bosses for 20-70. Low population really isnt an issue for completion of events.
The reason these zones are so barren is due to no real reason to keep doing them once you have gotten 100% completion. They need to beef up rewards from the open world if they want people to continue using it.
Is it a problem for leveling or zone completion? No. But it does lead to a perception of an empty world.
Perhaps if they added regular world events which gave notification to everyone in the game and had decent rewards for all levels they could get people visiting the old zones, although thats more of a band aid, much like the dragon spawns which are always busy. Permanently better rewards for low level DEs would be required to keep the zones busy.
Just because other companies don't admit problems (maybe it isn't a problem since most of the content in the open world for most MMORPGs is soloable) it doesn't mean the world isn't empty.
Still there is no admission that the world is empty, just that they will make the open world a reliable alternative to the instances concerning rewards.
As I said it is all a question of luck - sometimes there is tons of people others just a few.
(I guess we may say Rift had a problem with its own rifts.)
Are other game worlds top/bottom heavy? They might be but that's not the point of this thread.
This thread is to discuss the high-level game designs that might have caused the problem in GW2, not GAME X.
I'd like to point out that this thread accepts that ANet is a competent game company that knows what goes on in their game and that they were honest in that AMA.
If a fanboy wants to say 'ANet lied in that AMA' or 'ANet doesn't know what goes on in their own game', that's a separate issue for another thread.
And we are discussing it.
It just isn't the ones you have pointed, difficulty (due to number of mobs scalling) and bad area design.
Things that would help to keep the areas more populated:
- More events.
. Better drops from veteran and especially champion mobs.
- More rewarding event chains with skins only achievable from DEs.
- More Karma merchant options.
- Scavanger quests.
- Non tiered crafting that allows some of the best items to also require low level materials (Mystic forge allows to upgrade materials and whatnot but it isn't enough).
Currently playing: GW2 Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
It just isn't the ones you have pointed, difficulty (due to number of mobs scalling) and bad area design.
Things that would help to keep the areas more populated:
- More events.
. Better drops from veteran and especially champion mobs.
- More rewarding event chains with skins only achievable from DEs.
- More Karma merchant options.
- Scavanger quests.
- Non tiered crafting that allows some of the best items to also require low level materials (Mystic forge allows to upgrade materials and whatnot but it isn't enough).
Would more events really get the players into the world more?
What's the percentage of events that players have seen right now? I know for me, it is less than half; at 80, I'm not going to run those events when I can run other more rewarding events.
The hithrathi highlands chain event is fairly nice that a lot of people saw but since it was 'nerfed', it basically died in my server.
I don't think it is the 'content' per se, I think it is the rewards. Look at how the Bal-Temple DE is constantly being done cause people want that Karma vendor.
Maybe run X amount of different DEs and you get a skin or w/e?
I hope they dial back some of the down-scaling as well, maybe not so much like WoW (where they are none) but a few levels higher than right now.
I think a henchman is a good idea for the following reason. If every player had a henchman, a 10 man DE event suddenly looks like 20. The perception between 10 and 20 is huge and the perception that 'hey there are a lot of chars here.' is very powerful to players.
I think the Mystic Forge is a terrible game design (from the player's perspective) and explained very poorly but that's my personal opinion.
Gdemami - Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
It just isn't the ones you have pointed, difficulty (due to number of mobs scalling) and bad area design.
Things that would help to keep the areas more populated:
- More events.
. Better drops from veteran and especially champion mobs.
- More rewarding event chains with skins only achievable from DEs.
- More Karma merchant options.
- Scavanger quests.
- Non tiered crafting that allows some of the best items to also require low level materials (Mystic forge allows to upgrade materials and whatnot but it isn't enough).
Would more events really get the players into the world more?
What's the percentage of events that players have seen right now? I know for me, it is less than half; at 80, I'm not going to run those events when I can run other more rewarding events.
The hithrathi highlands chain event is fairly nice that a lot of people saw but since it was 'nerfed', it basically died in my server.
I don't think it is the 'content' per se, I think it is the rewards. Look at how the Bal-Temple DE is constantly being done cause people want that Karma vendor.
Maybe run X amount of different DEs and you get a skin or w/e?
I hope they dial back some of the down-scaling as well, maybe not so much like WoW (where they are none) but a few levels higher than right now.
I think a henchman is a good idea for the following reason. If every player had a henchman, a 10 man DE event suddenly looks like 20. The perception between 10 and 20 is huge and the perception that 'hey there are a lot of chars here.' is very powerful to players.
I think the Mystic Forge is a terrible game design (from the player's perspective) and explained very poorly but that's my personal opinion.
COncerning the number of Events.
Depends on how one plays.
If you spend a considerable amount in an area or if you play many alts at the same time, you might see many events often.
Still, the biggest problem is rewards and the fact DE still get stuck and it require the intervention of Anet to get them sorted.
For example, many times one just avoid that champion boss hidden in some cave and notlinked to a DE.
I sometimes kill it but then I get a white item or a blue item and I wonder why did I bother. I mean it is fun but I might as well skipped and do that DE that also has a champion boss that at least gives some reward.
While I like henchmen and heroes (a large part of my Guild Wars experience was 2 or 3 players +5-6 heroes) I think it isn't needed.
The game already has NPCs and some DEs, like the one in Straits of Devastation that starts with the protection of the submarines and follow with a massive disembark to conquer a base, already bring that feeling of war without needing many live players.
So they could just boost the number of allied NPCs participating in events if the numbers of players are low.
I don't really like Mystic forge either due to the RNG nature of it, but what i was talking about was maybe that level 80 exotic sword need some tier1 gems that require ore, plus somme iron and some tier 3 blood alongside higher tier materials.
Currently playing: GW2 Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
1. The problem is Dungeon Play is much harder than the PvE World, especially non level 70+ areas, making your argument void.
2. One can divide a globe into rectangles. There is no doubt you can travel between areas only by specific paths, but again that is something normal.
Rivers, mountains, sea, canyons, deserts, swamps,are all geographic features that divide our world.
Sure, one could say the designers clearly made the world in a way that doesn't have huge plains covering multiple zones.
The only way for one to see that zones are rectangular is by looking at the map because if you just wander around, you won't see anything strange.
Did you really just compare group instances with world PVE content?
/facepalm
Trying to say it isn't an 'issue' when ANet has accepted the issue as fact, is probably not going to work that well.
Just going to say this once, you need to stop making this argument that Anet accepted it as fact. They accepted that there are fewer players in these zones than other zones, but that DOES NOT mean that there are not enough players to do a DE.
Lastly, some obscure number like 99% of DEs are soloable. I also understand that some people suck and about 5 or so of them make up for a good player
Just going to say this once, you need to stop making this argument that Anet accepted it as fact. They accepted that there are fewer players in these zones than other zones, but that DOES NOT mean that there are not enough players to do a DE.
Lastly, some obscure number like 99% of DEs are soloable. I also understand that some people suck and about 5 or so of them make up for a good player
43. I am L26, and it is reaaaally slow going, as the maps and events are deserted, and everything you designed for crowds in mind, I have to solo. Is there any chance of getting heroes/henchman to offset this, at least until L80?
I love the idea of henchmen and this is something we would discuss, however the problem you raise initially would be complemented by this feature rather than fixed. We are going to ensure full use of the world by not polarizing content. This has been a huge topic of conversation today. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and questions.
"Allowing players to continue doing the things they love without focusing player migration to a specific part of the world. The introduction of the Ascended reward in one part of the game was a mistake and one that i don't want to make again. Soon Ascended Gear will adhere to these rules."
They specifically say 'problem / mistake'.
If you want to argue ANet was not entirely truthful in that AMA, make another thread about it.
Gdemami - Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Just going to say this once, you need to stop making this argument that Anet accepted it as fact. They accepted that there are fewer players in these zones than other zones, but that DOES NOT mean that there are not enough players to do a DE.
Lastly, some obscure number like 99% of DEs are soloable. I also understand that some people suck and about 5 or so of them make up for a good player
43. I am L26, and it is reaaaally slow going, as the maps and events are deserted, and everything you designed for crowds in mind, I have to solo. Is there any chance of getting heroes/henchman to offset this, at least until L80?
I love the idea of henchmen and this is something we would discuss, however the problem you raise initially would be complemented by this feature rather than fixed. We are going to ensure full use of the world by not polarizing content. This has been a huge topic of conversation today. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and questions.
"Allowing players to continue doing the things they love without focusing player migration to a specific part of the world. The introduction of the Ascended reward in one part of the game was a mistake and one that i don't want to make again. Soon Ascended Gear will adhere to these rules."
They specifically say 'problem / mistake'.
If you want to argue ANet was not entirely truthful in that AMA, make another thread about it.
Ha, I log in to day and this is at the top.
The "problem" is the problem presented by the lvl 26er (who has minimal experience in game). (If a lvl 1 said I don't know how to equip an item, that would be a problem for the user as well) You're presenting this entirely in a fashion to support your opening post claims, when in fact you are using it very subjectively.
I don't need to make another thread about it, since I'm arguing it isn't fact, but just your interpretation of a response. Which is fine, as long as it isn't continually presented as fact
Some servers may not have as many people in the "wastelands", but I always have a few around for any event that is somewhat challenging, and I prefer a small number of players so some skill is involved instead of a freaking zerg per event which outscales the mobs.
The "problem" is the problem presented by the lvl 26er (who has minimal experience in game). (If a lvl 1 said I don't know how to equip an item, that would be a problem for the user as well) You're presenting this entirely in a fashion to support your opening post claims, when in fact you are using it very subjectively.
I don't need to make another thread about it, since I'm arguing it isn't fact, but just your interpretation of a response. Which is fine, as long as it isn't continually presented as fact
Some servers may not have as many people in the "wastelands", but I always have a few around for any event that is somewhat challenging, and I prefer a small number of players so some skill is involved instead of a freaking zerg per event which outscales the mobs.
ANet calls it an 'issue / problem' and that they need to work on it.
Like I said, if you don't like ANet's response, take it up with ANet.
Gdemami - Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Eh, you're right, I should be taking this up with someone else, like that lvl 26 (people playing the game and experiencing it), instead of someone reporting on what occurred. NPC current roles in the game are really weak against enemies, so they would need to re-do much there if they wanted companions.
With the current issues in this game, I just don't see this as nearly as important as others - especially as it doesn't seem to be much of a problem on my server and time when I play, and it is a feature affecting most games to some degree. Guess it can be for others though.
We are however working on expanding reward systems to make them more re-rewarding across all parts of the game, making the open world more rewarding, and adding new ways you can earn precursors as rewards via new reward systems taking advantage of our open persistent world.
Some of these additions will come as early as the January release, and will get covered in more detail in the next week or two as well release all the details about this release once testing has signed off its all ready to go in January. (well also provide a high level summary of our goals with reward systems, etc. in our 2013 blog post, which should be out next week)
We'll hear soon enough what they are planning to get people back in to those open world zones next week, I really hope it's across levels.
We are however working on expanding reward systems to make them more re-rewarding across all parts of the game, making the open world more rewarding, and adding new ways you can earn precursors as rewards via new reward systems taking advantage of our open persistent world.
Some of these additions will come as early as the January release, and will get covered in more detail in the next week or two as well release all the details about this release once testing has signed off it’s all ready to go in January. (we’ll also provide a high level summary of our goals with reward systems, etc. in our 2013 blog post, which should be out next week)
We'll hear soon enough what they are planning to get people back in to those open world zones next week, I really hope it's across levels.
This is probably the best logical step on resolving this issue; up the rewards so high level players want to go to these zones.
I still think the 'leveling scale' game design does not encourage people to go out to the world but we'll see if this mitigates enough.
Thanks for posting this.
Gdemami - Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
We are however working on expanding reward systems to make them more re-rewarding across all parts of the game, making the open world more rewarding, and adding new ways you can earn precursors as rewards via new reward systems taking advantage of our open persistent world.
Some of these additions will come as early as the January release, and will get covered in more detail in the next week or two as well release all the details about this release once testing has signed off it’s all ready to go in January. (we’ll also provide a high level summary of our goals with reward systems, etc. in our 2013 blog post, which should be out next week)
We'll hear soon enough what they are planning to get people back in to those open world zones next week, I really hope it's across levels.
This is probably the best logical step on resolving this issue; up the rewards so high level players want to go to these zones.
I still think the 'leveling scale' game design does not encourage people to go out to the world but we'll see if this mitigates enough.
Thanks for posting this.
Actually they have already started on adding rewards for visiting mid-level zones. One of this month's monthlies is find the start of 30 jumping puzzles (and these are throughout all maps). The problem is, I already ran every jumping puzzle, except one in Orr, so for players like me - we were forced to revisit all these places we already spent time on and cleared for the monthly rewards. I saw lots of players in the jump puzzle areas, to get the monthly, the first few days of the month.
This monthly challenge would have been a whole lot better if I hadn't already done the content, then backtrack to get the rewards. On the bright side, I knew where to go to get the challenge done fast haha
Just to mention, but this wasteland thing is far, far, far more serious in games that do not have dynamic levelling. WoW for example is completely dead in any zone that's not a capital city or at least level 85. And with completely dead, i mean utterly lifeless - It's very very very rare that you meet any player in lower level zones, let alone higher level ones.
GW2 by comparison does a lot better here. While still not ideal, even as a low level i see a lot of higher levels tramping around lower level zones.
City of Heroes and EverQuest 2 also did and do pretty well here, respectively, making levelling still feel gratifying without taking away the relevance of lower level zones.
Comments
Are they empty?
I am not going to say whether 'GAME X' is populated or not, but ANet is the only company that admits it is a 'problem' in their game.
Actually, there were two instances.
That's the first one and the second one is this;
http://dulfy.net/2012/11/26/gw2-chris-whiteside-ama-on-reddit/
43. I am L26, and it is reaaaally slow going, as the maps and events are deserted, and everything you designed for crowds in mind, I have to solo. Is there any chance of getting heroes/henchman to offset this, at least until L80?
I love the idea of henchmen and this is something we would discuss, however the problem you raise initially would be complemented by this feature rather than fixed. We are going to ensure full use of the world by not polarizing content. This has been a huge topic of conversation today. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and questions.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Just because other companies don't admit problems (maybe it isn't a problem since most of the content in the open world for most MMORPGs is soloable) it doesn't mean the world isn't empty.
Still there is no admission that the world is empty, just that they will make the open world a reliable alternative to the instances concerning rewards.
As I said it is all a question of luck - sometimes there is tons of people others just a few.
(I guess we may say Rift had a problem with its own rifts.)
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
Are other game worlds top/bottom heavy? They might be but that's not the point of this thread.
This thread is to discuss the high-level game designs that might have caused the problem in GW2, not GAME X.
I'd like to point out that this thread accepts that ANet is a competent game company that knows what goes on in their game and that they were honest in that AMA.
If a fanboy wants to say 'ANet lied in that AMA' or 'ANet doesn't know what goes on in their own game', that's a separate issue for another thread.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
I managed to solo / small group finish more than 3/4 of the zone bosses for 20-70. Low population really isnt an issue for completion of events.
The reason these zones are so barren is due to no real reason to keep doing them once you have gotten 100% completion. They need to beef up rewards from the open world if they want people to continue using it.
Is it a problem for leveling or zone completion? No. But it does lead to a perception of an empty world.
Perhaps if they added regular world events which gave notification to everyone in the game and had decent rewards for all levels they could get people visiting the old zones, although thats more of a band aid, much like the dragon spawns which are always busy. Permanently better rewards for low level DEs would be required to keep the zones busy.
And we are discussing it.
It just isn't the ones you have pointed, difficulty (due to number of mobs scalling) and bad area design.
Things that would help to keep the areas more populated:
- More events.
. Better drops from veteran and especially champion mobs.
- More rewarding event chains with skins only achievable from DEs.
- More Karma merchant options.
- Scavanger quests.
- Non tiered crafting that allows some of the best items to also require low level materials (Mystic forge allows to upgrade materials and whatnot but it isn't enough).
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
Would more events really get the players into the world more?
What's the percentage of events that players have seen right now? I know for me, it is less than half; at 80, I'm not going to run those events when I can run other more rewarding events.
The hithrathi highlands chain event is fairly nice that a lot of people saw but since it was 'nerfed', it basically died in my server.
I don't think it is the 'content' per se, I think it is the rewards. Look at how the Bal-Temple DE is constantly being done cause people want that Karma vendor.
Maybe run X amount of different DEs and you get a skin or w/e?
I hope they dial back some of the down-scaling as well, maybe not so much like WoW (where they are none) but a few levels higher than right now.
I think a henchman is a good idea for the following reason. If every player had a henchman, a 10 man DE event suddenly looks like 20. The perception between 10 and 20 is huge and the perception that 'hey there are a lot of chars here.' is very powerful to players.
I think the Mystic Forge is a terrible game design (from the player's perspective) and explained very poorly but that's my personal opinion.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
COncerning the number of Events.
Depends on how one plays.
If you spend a considerable amount in an area or if you play many alts at the same time, you might see many events often.
Still, the biggest problem is rewards and the fact DE still get stuck and it require the intervention of Anet to get them sorted.
For example, many times one just avoid that champion boss hidden in some cave and notlinked to a DE.
I sometimes kill it but then I get a white item or a blue item and I wonder why did I bother. I mean it is fun but I might as well skipped and do that DE that also has a champion boss that at least gives some reward.
While I like henchmen and heroes (a large part of my Guild Wars experience was 2 or 3 players +5-6 heroes) I think it isn't needed.
The game already has NPCs and some DEs, like the one in Straits of Devastation that starts with the protection of the submarines and follow with a massive disembark to conquer a base, already bring that feeling of war without needing many live players.
So they could just boost the number of allied NPCs participating in events if the numbers of players are low.
I don't really like Mystic forge either due to the RNG nature of it, but what i was talking about was maybe that level 80 exotic sword need some tier1 gems that require ore, plus somme iron and some tier 3 blood alongside higher tier materials.
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
Just going to say this once, you need to stop making this argument that Anet accepted it as fact. They accepted that there are fewer players in these zones than other zones, but that DOES NOT mean that there are not enough players to do a DE.
Lastly, some obscure number like 99% of DEs are soloable. I also understand that some people suck and about 5 or so of them make up for a good player
http://dulfy.net/2012/11/26/gw2-chris-whiteside-ama-on-reddit/
43. I am L26, and it is reaaaally slow going, as the maps and events are deserted, and everything you designed for crowds in mind, I have to solo. Is there any chance of getting heroes/henchman to offset this, at least until L80?
I love the idea of henchmen and this is something we would discuss, however the problem you raise initially would be complemented by this feature rather than fixed. We are going to ensure full use of the world by not polarizing content. This has been a huge topic of conversation today. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and questions.
"Allowing players to continue doing the things they love without focusing player migration to a specific part of the world. The introduction of the Ascended reward in one part of the game was a mistake and one that i don't want to make again. Soon Ascended Gear will adhere to these rules."
They specifically say 'problem / mistake'.
If you want to argue ANet was not entirely truthful in that AMA, make another thread about it.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Ha, I log in to day and this is at the top.
The "problem" is the problem presented by the lvl 26er (who has minimal experience in game). (If a lvl 1 said I don't know how to equip an item, that would be a problem for the user as well) You're presenting this entirely in a fashion to support your opening post claims, when in fact you are using it very subjectively.
I don't need to make another thread about it, since I'm arguing it isn't fact, but just your interpretation of a response. Which is fine, as long as it isn't continually presented as fact
Some servers may not have as many people in the "wastelands", but I always have a few around for any event that is somewhat challenging, and I prefer a small number of players so some skill is involved instead of a freaking zerg per event which outscales the mobs.
ANet calls it an 'issue / problem' and that they need to work on it.
Like I said, if you don't like ANet's response, take it up with ANet.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
My english is just fine.
However, if you can't read what ANet is saying or don't like what ANet is saying, take it up with them.
Arguing with me won't change what they said.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Eh, you're right, I should be taking this up with someone else, like that lvl 26 (people playing the game and experiencing it), instead of someone reporting on what occurred. NPC current roles in the game are really weak against enemies, so they would need to re-do much there if they wanted companions.
With the current issues in this game, I just don't see this as nearly as important as others - especially as it doesn't seem to be much of a problem on my server and time when I play, and it is a feature affecting most games to some degree. Guess it can be for others though.
Colin Johansson Just posted this :
We'll hear soon enough what they are planning to get people back in to those open world zones next week, I really hope it's across levels.
This is probably the best logical step on resolving this issue; up the rewards so high level players want to go to these zones.
I still think the 'leveling scale' game design does not encourage people to go out to the world but we'll see if this mitigates enough.
Thanks for posting this.
Gdemami -
Informing people about your thoughts and impressions is not a review, it's a blog.
Actually they have already started on adding rewards for visiting mid-level zones. One of this month's monthlies is find the start of 30 jumping puzzles (and these are throughout all maps). The problem is, I already ran every jumping puzzle, except one in Orr, so for players like me - we were forced to revisit all these places we already spent time on and cleared for the monthly rewards. I saw lots of players in the jump puzzle areas, to get the monthly, the first few days of the month.
This monthly challenge would have been a whole lot better if I hadn't already done the content, then backtrack to get the rewards. On the bright side, I knew where to go to get the challenge done fast haha
Just to mention, but this wasteland thing is far, far, far more serious in games that do not have dynamic levelling. WoW for example is completely dead in any zone that's not a capital city or at least level 85. And with completely dead, i mean utterly lifeless - It's very very very rare that you meet any player in lower level zones, let alone higher level ones.
GW2 by comparison does a lot better here. While still not ideal, even as a low level i see a lot of higher levels tramping around lower level zones.
City of Heroes and EverQuest 2 also did and do pretty well here, respectively, making levelling still feel gratifying without taking away the relevance of lower level zones.
Playing: WF
Played: WoW, GW2, L2, WAR, AoC, DnL (2005), GW, LotRO, EQ2, TOR, CoH (RIP), STO, TSW, TERA, EVE, ESO, BDO
Tried: EQ, UO, AO, EnB, TCoS, Fury, Ryzom, EU, DDO, TR, RF, CO, Aion, VG, DN, Vindictus, AA