Now that you've beat PS.... and other questions answered by Smoke Jumper...

[MrVicchio]

Author Topic: Plateaus
JRavey
Station Member
Registered: Nov 1997 posted 12-13-2002 01:49 PM user search report post
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What happens when we max out our levels? Is there any point past trading bases with the other factions in a war without end? Won't people just max out a few characters so they don't need to reallocate certs, rather when they switch rolls, they just log on with their 'xxxxx class' character? We've already been told that we cannot "win" the war as an empire, we can gain to a certain high number of bases and go no further, conversely, we can not be defeated or go below a certain number of bases. As individuals we cannot "grow" past a certain point, but we cannot lose any progress. There is nothing to "hold" like we can with facilities, since individual progress goes only one way.
When we hit that point, we will have most characters set how they will be set, the empires will tirelessly and endlessly trade bases back and forth with no victor. Won't we be tired of trading the same bases over and over? We can march our armies to the front gates of our enemies' homes, yet we cannot enter to finish the job. Optionally, we can cower forever in our home and never suffer a defeat we've earned through poor performance. Where is the satisfaction in being beaten back to our home, then rebounding later? We'll have been indebted to artificial assistance given to the weaker empires and our existence will only have been maintained through the rules that will not allow us to be defeated.

*** DEV REPLY *******************

SmokeJumperPS
Station Admin
Registered: Sep 2001 posted 12-13-2002 02:53 PM user search report post
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Why would you play an MMORPG when you *know* there is a character cap at level 60 (or whatever)?
Pretty much because the fun is not the destination. The fun is the journey.

You don't *win* PlanetSide if you get to Battle Rank 20, and not even if you get 20 in Battle and 5 in Command.

You *win* PlanetSide if you have continuous, great battles over time so that everytime you log into the game, you are facing new challenges in new situations and creating new stories along the way. PlanetSide, after all, is an entertainment vehicle. If you are having fun, then we're doing our job well.

I've said it before...this is not the same old game you're used to with the Quakes and Tribes and Unreals.

Why is there an experience system? Is it so players can feel good about gaining rank and getting experience as they grow? Yup. Is it about defining their skillsets so that each character is specialized so that squads require multiple types of folks to be highly successful? Yup. Is it about a never-ending xp treadmill that folks feel they have to climb first or there's no gameplay? No. Not at all. The point of an xp system is to let folks feel successful while they stop being newbies. As you slowly gain cert points (and the ensuing skills), you'll become more and more confident with the various game abilities. By the time you've "capped out" at battle rank 20, you're a true vet and you can hang with almost anyone in the game. And that's where the real fun begins.

Don't worry...there will be goals beyond Rank 20. They just might not be the *same* kinds of goals you face between ranks 1-20.

Does this make sense?

http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/p...ML/000721.html