High levels and content they add

[palenen]

With it being fairly easy to level. I am concerned about getting to the upper levels. 40 is just around the corner. I know that some of the first quests your receive from the earth-kins in Angmar give like 4k xp per quest. WOW! What i'm concerned with is future content they add. Such as what we have already seen in Evendim. (Even though there was a hole in the 30's for solo quests) Alot of 50's surpassed new the levels of the new content added thus quests/mobs were all grey to them. Sure they can go back and work on things they missed but who really wants to fight greys? Myself, I really don't mind but it does make ya look bad to people at lower levels fighting the same mobs you are when those mobs are grey to you.

For instance, I was killing harvest flies in The Shire at lvl15 on the hunter and found lvl50's there doing the same. They offered to fellow which was nice but when I saw the lvl50, I simply said 'take care' and left to let them do their thing. I'm concerned playing Palenen for I'm starting to feel the same about being high level with the end of the tunnel kind of in sight. Will Moria be lvl50 or mid-level therefore making it all grey? I am more casual than most. Being online and standing there watching tv. Distracted. Im sure some of you all have seen it fellowing with me. Mind you I can be as focused as the rest if I choose. Just a thought I had seeing so many posts on the LOTRO forums that alot of 50's are leaving. What do you all think?

[jimli]

I can say as a level 47 atm, that I have more quests to complete now than at any other level. The problem I have is that the majority of them are fellow and raid quests. Which unfortunately, means that I can't just hop on and do them, I usually need to schedule it with people or risk the PUG.

Quite honestly, I don't know why they made Evendim level 30-40 content. I have never had a problem with solo quests at that level range. Between the higher level stuff in the Lone Lands, North Downs and Trollshaws...there was no hole. The hole is that there is no solo content for upper 40s.

I guess I just don't understand what people are complaining about, what did they expect when they sprinted to level 50 two months after the game comes out? I mean they have already added Raid content a whole new area in 2-3 months SINCE release. Dang. What more do you have to do to keep the power-levelers happy? You can't plan a game around them. Yet they are always going to complain because they don't have anything to do.

[sheridan]

We've debated the finer points of MMO gaming ad infinitum over the two and a half years we've been together in Teamspeak. The power-levelling portion of the MMO community is a minority no doubt, but an active, high-profile, extremely vocal, and apparently growing minority.

We actually discussed this thread in TS last night, myself, Palenen, and Laughingman. My feelings are pretty simple, cut and dried: any developer that allows a significant portion of its subscribers to power their way to max level within 6 months of game release deserves all the malcontent, forum-spamming, and loss of revenue related to those very same power-gamers making an early exit.

noVus in particular has been a very vocal proponent for non-level based advancement, arguing that a skill based system for enhancing character development is much more balanced. I have to agree for no other reason than these power-gamers see a number, be it 40, 50, or 60, and charge headlong after it at the expense of actual enjoyment of the game, immersion, storyline, and other content related aspects.

I don't see how any developer can change this mentality, (it is often pervasive with these same people outside of MMO's) but the collateral damage done when these gamers do start piss-bagging or just up and leave is much more damaging to the remaining majority of subscribers who now know content, higher level facets of the game, and storyline spoilers before they themselves have enjoyed the discovery process.

This is the 'me! me!' and 'I want what I want, and I want it now!' generation of teen to early twenty year olds who have a short attention span, a highly competitive gaming credo, and an apparently insatiable appetite for the next new thing.

All a casual gamer can do, I guess, is try and stay away from public spoiler mediums like forums and e-zines, keep their heads down in-game, and continue to smell the roses as they play their own way through their own chosen form of digital release and relaxation.

[jimli]

It is a tricky balance the developers have to maintain. If they make the game too hard or too involved, then the casual gamers won't play it and vice versa if you go too easy.

I agree that a skill based system would be much better. Unfortunately, I don't think all games could adhere to such a system, it wouldn't make sense for some games. But a number would probably be a lot better off in that type of system.

I agree with you...just play the way you want and how you want. I know "spoiler" type stuff about the game and how certain things go. But I don't care, I still want to do it for myself.

For me, I want the level 50 mark so that I can do whatever I want when I want in the game. I can log on help somebody lower do something or I can schedule some time and do things with other people who are my level. That to me is the nice thing about LOTRO...there is so much content already and they are adding more.

I think the vast majority of people are going to stick around with the game to see how it develops. The powerlevelers, you aren't going to keep them in game no matter what, so why worry about it. You can add content until your blue in the face, it is never going to satisfy them. It works on a bell curve...you have the people who powerlevel on one end and the really slow people on the other...both are probably going to complain the most because their "needs" aren't being met. But I don't think that should drive how the developers react when the majority of people who are playing the game at a reasonable pace are enjoying themselves. It really serves no one to give in to any one group.

Now if the majority of the community is complaining, then you have a problem.

[jimli]

Just to give you an update, I hit level 49 yesterday and I still have almost a full quest load still going (35/40 give or take).

There is so much to do and places I haven't even been to yet. I still have not been to Evendim. Also heard a rumor that they are adding Moria in December. I sure hope they up the level limit when they put it in. Going to need to do something to balance out all the content added.