Power Creep

[thegreekboy]

http://extra-credits.net/episodes/power-creep/

How will PS2 deal with this issue? From my perspective, it's easy to create incomparables from abilities/characters that have no numeric value to them, but how will SOE create incomarables out of numerically valued guns/vehicles?

Discuss

P.S. I don't know how to embed videos.

[Infernalis]

Nah everything is balanced and certs are finite, it's not like they will add better loot ala Warcaft or things like that. Is there power creep in BF3 despite EA/Dice releasing new guns with each expansions + the leveling mechanic? Nope. The only problem is new players vs vets but it's an issue of balance and not power creep.

[Xyntech]

Since everything is endgame content and their goal even at the launch of the game is that new characters be relatively equal in power to players with everything unlocked, I don't think this will be much of a problem.

This is a bigger problem in games where it's already accepted that low level players are weaker than high level powers. This is just contrary to PS2's design philosophy. It could still crop up to a smaller degree in a way similar to how Hi-Rez releases overpowered new guns in Tribes, but that's more of a greed thing than a power creep thing.

Incomparables can't be done so much with guns, but they can be comparable without power creep through sidegrades. Beyond that, the devs can add new class abilities and equipment that can do a lot more incomparable uniqueness.

They have also expressed interest in adding new types of combat like naval or space combat, as well as the possibility of adding new vehicles like buggies (which will hopefully fill some unique role), so there will be a lot of areas that they can add new content without having to obsolete old content.

Even guns and weapons can have novel new approaches taken, where a new weapon line does damage in a totally different style to previous weapons.