Levelling Cap

(Bridger) #21

[QUOTE=DarkSlayer54;282233]I’m kind of wondering if games actually get funner to have items locked… I can’t help but think in the back of my mind that reaching the max level very quickly will get boring, but then I remember a lot of kick ass FPS’s from the early 2000’s that didn’t have levels and that would still be fun today if it still had a community.
These are the moments I wish I could just jump into the future to find answers to all the questions… but then again, if I could do that I’d probably just stay in the future to play Brink. :P[/QUOTE]

Locked content is best used as a way to avoid overwhelming the player. Imagine if you had to use every trick (repulsion gel, lasers, bridges, etc.) to solve the first portal 2 level? It would be way too hard and way too confusing. By slowly unveiling new tools/abilities the player learns how to use them at a manageable pace and is constantly playing something new so the game doesn’t get boring. Valve are masters of SP pacing in this regard.

However, getting this pacing correct is not easy. If you give out “things” (items/abilities/whatever) too fast, the player will not have really fully explored every facet of every “thing”. If you give out “things” too slowly, you risk boring/frustrating the player who feels they’ve already mastered the current level of complexity.

WoW gave out new things waaaaaay too slowly in this regard. I’d get a new ability and figure out how to incorporate it (or not) into my playstyle in about 15 minutes, but wouldn’t get another new ability for 4-6 hours (at the later levels). They stretched out this process in order to keep people playing longer. They partially made up for this by giving out other, less interesting rewards (gold/gear) as you go as well, but the gameplay only changed when you got a new ability. In between those steps I was hitting the same 5 or 6 buttons in the same order for hours and hours.

Hopefully Brink will pace the leveling so that you get to really explore each new ability as you unlock them, but not so slowly that you get frustrated by your lack of progress. In a recent interview they said you’d be able to almost get to level 5 in a single match if you were really good. That implies to me that it would take 2-4 matches to go from 19-20, which seems like an OK progression to me.

(Ashog) #22

After lvl20 we need to move to next game coz no moar XPz!

(Herandar) #23

I thought they said the best players could get just about get to level 1 in one match. Getting to rank 20 in 2 hours sound a bit rushed to me, actually. Also, I expect it will be significantly longer to get from 15 to 20 than it takes to get from 0 to 5. Level gains are exponentially longer as you progress.

(Weeohhweeohh) #24

I think I remember seeing that they could get to rank 2 after one game. Not sure if that includes the bonus lvl from watching the tutorial (ie: then starting at lvl 2). They have said that lvling in the early levels would be quite quick while lvling towards the end would take longer.

The last time I prestiged in Blops, I ht lvl 9 that next round. That was more luck then skill, but I think multi leveling in Brink will be possible (especially when you get butt tons of xp for doing things you should be doing anyways)

(LyndonL) #25

I think they said recently that their best players could get to rank 5 in one match?

(Herandar) #26

Level 9 in a game with 70 levels is much less than level 5 in a game with 20 levels.

(Weeohhweeohh) #27

Agreed.

I think that was lvl 5 (rank 2). I would hope you couldn’t get to lvl 20 in 1 match!

(Herandar) #28

Weeohh, please turn you sarcasm detection chip back on.

(Bridger) #29

Rank != level. I believe the actual quote was “the really good guys at the office can almost get to rank 2 in a single match”. Rank 1 is 1-4, rank 2 is 5-9, etc.

And I meant that the time it would take to go from level 19 to 20 would be probably 2 or 3 matches. Meaning that the time to go from 1-20 would probably be ~20-30 matches.

(Weeohhweeohh) #30

HAHAHA wow…that went right over my head. I was thinking to myself, “what the hell herandar?!”. Now I’m thinking I’m not the sharpest crayon in the box. AHAHHAHA

(brbrbr) #31

20 lvl caps ?
why ?
not no compress leveling further CONSIDERABLY[in in scales, similar to getting ETQW shields–>stars–>wrenches range, toward latest curve], ie veeeeery slow.

(Zekariah) #32

[QUOTE=Bodo Fraggins;282267]I feel sorry for people who can’t enjoy the gameplay for its own sake and need some carrot on a stick to stop them losing interest
[/QUOTE]

Regardless of how immersive the gameplay is, lvling or gaining bonuses keeps the ENTIRE game interesting and fresh. Why is WoW so popular? For its expansive universe: the world AND your character.

There are endless FPSs out there. But the ones that keep on going are the ones that dangle said carrots.

Besides, a little more vegetables never hurt anyone…

(Chili Squirts) #33

Beyond simply leveling to get abilities, you also have to complete challenge levels to unlock weapons and attachments. That’s a whole new beast to conquer.

(SockDog) #34

The gamer inside me just died a little.

(Herandar) #35

Right. Totally missed the ‘9’ in your original post.

Though I still suspect it will be longer, but that could be because I’m playing Bad Company 2, and I’m level 45 after 400 hours. Only 1.3 million more points to go to max rank…

(brbrbr) #36

yeah, porting “achievements” from ETQW could be cool, also.
in one or another way.
including storyline-related awards, probably.

(SIiced Bread) #37

As long as there are challenges to complete with an ability or weapon or gameplay (like blow up this many doors etc.) I will be happy with what is in store for the game.

(brbrbr) #38

pop 100 ZOmbies,erm, security heads and get fancy new[tritium-highlighted] C7 scope for you trusty AR or [bonus !!]new softpoint/halfjacketed/expansive rounds for you sidearm[fanfares].
but even strictly-decorative awards[like in ETQW] could be nice.

(Linsolv) #39

I wouldn’t mind it taking a few days to unlock. Games didn’t always have a carrot to dangle in front of you. Used to be you just got what weapons were on the map, and that was that. If there was a Quad damage on the first map you ever played, then guess what? First match ever, you had a chance at getting Quad damage. I like unlocking things, and it does give me a certain sense of enjoyment, but I don’t need it.