I will start by saying that I am new to this forum, yet I feel a need to express some concerns about this game and the way it was structured in the iCBT. These are just my opinions, and may contain some unpopular stances on what I believe this MMO should be. Take it as you will, and don’t be afraid to give your own two cents.
For some background: I only entered the iCBT after the second wave of keys were handed out. I grinded casually since I knew any progress would be wiped soon, and I used the opportunity to get a feel for the game. Just a couple of bug reports and still unsubmitted real-time translation edits aside, I didn’t get to do too much. However, I’ve been following this game for quite a while and it’s been something that I’ve been looking forward to.
But rather than write my entire life story, I’d prefer to get to the point I’m trying to make: the grind and exp curve need some adjustments, but not extremely so.
What does this mean? Well…
- Grind should be alleviated for the early levels, up to rank 3 or 4.
This is without a doubt the most important fix that should be implemented. Whether or not the rest of the curve is affected at all, the early levels of a game leave the most important impression on a new player.
New players should not have to struggle with leveling or suffer through grinding with hardly any means of doing so besides the auto attack. The grind starts unexpectedly early, and that can easily be disheartening.
Instead, a “honeymoon” period where leveling is easy enough and a player is allowed to come to grips with a large chunk of their planned build would greatly help the leveling process to come. Grinding should only ever kick in when a player has all, or most, of the tools they need to grind effectively.
This would also have the side effect of making some more unorthodox builds viable. C2/C3 Wizard and STR-based Clerics come to mind, as otherwise they are a huge pain to actually level early on, with the iCBT exp rates.
- A “soft” cap should be implemented after the final rank is attained. Grind should remain in some form.
This might be controversial, but stems from my belief that this game is built on the grind itself. Why do I think this?
Well, besides the fact that the areas in the game are beautifully designed and the effort put into them would go to waste if the player just blazes through them effortlessly, I’ve gotten the impression that this game is about the journey and not the destination.
Grinding in a party is an inherently social activity. I’ve made many friends and happy acquaintances just from killing monsters monsters for hours alongside others. This sort of interaction is good for the game and its players.
It’s a distinctly different context of interaction than, say, sitting in town and talking to people there. Mixed in with exploring the areas and finding optimal spots to grind in, it can easily be a vehicle for memorable experiences and strong bonds.
However, this sort of extreme example should be reserved for late-game grinding, where the players involved have nearly or entirely fleshed out their character builds. There should be a place for those who wish to pursue a grindy endgame and those who just wish to “complete” their character.
Of course, I’ve no idea how the very high end class balance or progression will work, and am assuming that the rank 10 classes will be available well before the true level cap. The point remains either way. The grind needs to be there for the endgame.
No, I don’t think endgame should be structured around the level cap itself. Far too many MMOs follow that system and it rarely works out to anything more than a WoW clone. This game has the potential to be more than that.
Lastly, this should all go on top of a global experience gain increase that puts the leveling speed in between the iCBT and kCBT. The experience rate in iCBT is no doubt painfully low, but I also feel that kCBT’s is a little too loose. I’d say something leaning closer to kCBT’s exp rate, though.
- Any actual grinding should be smooth and hassle-free.
This is another important point, and it basically boils down to the number of channels available and the ravenous competition over mobs. Tenet Garden, while a good leveling spot, is a headache to actually grind in due to the overpopulation in a relatively small area.
This could easily be addressed with a dynamic channel system. If there are too many people in any one area, more channels should be created on the fly to support the number of players trying to level in that area. Some competition is expected, but to have people fighting tooth and nail over stray mobs or, heavens forbid, a blue mob just hurts the soul.
If this isn’t possible for whatever reason, simply increasing the base number of channels would work as well. Parties and solo players alike should be able level freely and with peace of mind.
- Challenges should be rewarded.
Relatively minor, but still important. There are some things in the game that don’t have a good enough reward for the effort required. The most obvious would be boss fights.
Boss fights can take significantly long, and shell out a very poor experience reward for the effort required. Drops are appreciated, but the player should receive a handsome experience reward for slaying a boss, considering how few and far in between they tend to be.
Some quests can arguably fall into this same category, but I’d rather not get into the questing dynamic, as that may as well be its own topic.
- Different dimensions should be added to the leveling process. Grind should have more purpose and viabilties.
Basically, grind only serves a few purposes at the moment: getting stronger, HATS, and perhaps the adventure journal.
In my opinion, players should have more reasons to work hard and things to look forward to in any extended leveling process. Hats are a nice example, but what about something akin to RO’s cards? (Sorry for dropping the RO bomb, it was bound to happen sooner or later.) Reasons to go back to old zones and explore more thoroughly are always welcome and make sure that all of the beautifully designed areas stay relevant, even to advanced players.
This is a difficult subject to expand upon, and would certainly require creativity on IMC’s part, but the result would be worth it for the player base.
Sorry for the unusually long first post. I was going to make it even longer at first, but I might as well limit this to just the topic of grind and not anything else. I really wish for this game to succeed, and I don’t want it to fall into irrelevance. I’ve already fallen in love with the game and it would break my heart!
With that said, please remember to take it easy. I welcome any discussion over the points I’ve made.