WoW, The powerlevelling paradise

Games
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I’m going to write something long for my website since I’m starting to see a good number of “tendencies” all gathering in the same focus point. In particular I’m noticing that the “ease of play” that is the standard design concept of the game and that everyone loves, is also severely damaging the game.

Aside this, I post here two comments I wrote on the official forum because I’m curious about your opinion around here.

The topic is about peoples getting powerlevelled constantly through the instances by high-level friends to finish quests and farming loot quickly or building large raid groups in the case they reached the top of the treadmill (a “shifted” form of the same powerlevelling).

Both these “solutions” allow you to quickly run through an instance that was meant to be played by a specific level range. Trivializing any kind of “difficulty” or “challenge” the game may have. And the whole thing becomes just a competition between who has the “biggest” friend to show his Ubar Skilllzor.

Obviously the high level players assail directly whoever suggest to fix this exploit. Why? Because the instances are “boring” (their words). Imho the direct consequence of a game that is being trivialized in a farming festival and nothing else. Where there’s nothing to do aside powerlevelling, farming and ganking as a self-praise to the ego. “I’m big, I’m cool, I can own everything”

A silly, narcissist “show up”. With all these high level players joining parties ten or more levels below to show proudly how uber they are.

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It’s the same with powerlevelling. Peoples get powerlevelled by high-level friends to do the instances instead of building parties with the proper level range. And to farm loot non-stop without the risk of other players competing for a roll. I always find hard to build normal groups around the same level range because everyone just waits for a friend at level 55+ to be in the group. Noone else anymore “looses” time to do an instance with the risk of dying.

It’s three days that I try to lead groups in Uldaman and it’s definitely HARD to find players to join even if I’m on Mannoroth, one of the most crowded servers.

This game is becoming a powerlevel party where noone does anything without the patronage of high level friends.

Again this was pointed out and ranted about in bata since June. The devs have deliberately choosed that powerlevelling is a standard of play in WoW.

No high-level friends? No party.

Of course this issue is too important to get a straight answer from devs (through moderators). Blizzard likes better to spend time telling jokes and repeat fakely positive “intentions”. Smoke in the eyes because they cannot admit the truth: “we are clueless, we don’t know what to say”.

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World of Warcraft isn’t anymore a single player game.

What others can do is the whole difference between a single player game and a MMORPG. When the achievement is the whole and only purpose of the game and 90% of the playerbase “cheats” the system by exploiting its poorly designed mechanics, everyone else is affected.

In particular when powerlevelling is a standard and noone else accepts anymore to play in another, less “optimized” way.

The point here is that not only they have an huge exploit that is warmly supported and encouraged, but this exploit ruins directly the depth of the game for everyone. Noone excluded. Really transforming this game exactly in the farming field that was EverQuest.

Wait few months and 90% of the quests will be considered obsolete and not worth the pain. Eaten by the well know “mudflation”. This because everyone will get powerlevelled through the “optimized path” only. While the few starting players that will try to experience the game properly will be just left to a solo experience.

When this is the standard for all the playerbase or you swallow it, or you play alone.

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So… high level characters are bad, then.

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No, but in a treadmill game they should play with the players in their own level range instead of wiping the experience of those who are still on their way.

On MUD Dev there have been a lot of discussion this summer about experienced players destroying the game for the low levels. This happens both on a conscious and unconscious level. Because this “sets” the standard. So or you follow or you are out.

Unconscious because the players actively destroy their own fun once the game is transformed in a race encouraged by the game design.

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Jesus, HRose, I don’t know where to begin.

So, it’s bad for people to help their friends now? Has it occured to you that perhaps some people’s idea of fun might differ from yours?

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you swallow it, or you play alone

Timmy, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?

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Timmy, do you like gladiator movies?

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In a game conceived as a linear, exponential experience this is an issue.

It’s like if you are going to play Doom and just as you start to play you find a friend bringing with himself the BFG. At the first level.

Yes, maybe it’s fun. It’s about taking the whole concept of the game and toss it away. I have a BFG, why I shouldn’t use it?

The point is that on a multiplayer game this behaviour will affect you directly even if you refuse it. The BFG becomes a standard and you are supposed to play with it from the beginning till the end.

Same as those players searching for the cheats right when they launch the game for the first time.

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Only if you define yourself by others’ expectations.

I understand that that can be a problem for people with weak senses of self.

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I already wrote that my own problem is that I’m UNABLE to build a group of a proper level to enter Uldaman because NOONE accepts the risk to go in without a level 50+ in the party.

That’s the standard. The game plays like that even if I’m masochistic and decide to do the instance at the proper level with a proper party. If you risk you may loose time and peoples do not accept to loose time.

RISK is about a state. Not about a choice. If you “choose” a risk it isn’t anymore one by definition and by logic.

Quests, instances, loot. Everything is becoming a fast race because the gameplay is designed to ENCOURAGE those exploits.

So, let’s say that you find a way to kill the mobs at range without risking to die. Blizzard tells you that the exploit is tolerated.

WHAT YOU DO?

You keep using the exploit because it’s the best and right way to beat the game or you force yourself to ignore the exploit, letting the mobs hitting you, maybe even standing still so to give them an advantage and offer you some sort of challenge?

Or maybe you really play Doom using just the pistol because it’s not fun in another way?

You are SUPPOSED to use the best choice you have available. GAMES in general are JUST about paths. If destroying the paths themselves isn’t an issue I really wonder what else is a more legitimate design wreck.

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It’s nice that the designers of EQ2 realized this is a problem ( since they have expereince in making MMORPG’s ) and plugged the hole rather vigorously through their locking system.

Sadly they also ruined the game part of EQ2 through solidly opaque game rules. It still tells a story and it’s still an “experience” but it is not much of a game since the rules are simply not disclosed. It’s hard to game a system when you have no idea how it works.

Pitty. So much good, no wait fantastic, work ruined by someone, or perhaps a faction, with this belief that opaque rules work better.

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Whatever.

Not everyone powerlevels, and not everyone is affected by the “massively rampant” powerleveling because they’re not in a mad race to have the phattest loot possible.

I have two characters, a lvl 22 (as of tonight) undead warlock and a lvl 18 Night Elf Hunter.

I have 0 problem finding a group when playing the Warlock, should I choose. Often, I just solo around, taking down what quests I can. When I need a group (Fenris Isle, Pyrewood, Ambermill), I either respond to the frequent “LFG to do <foo>” or I just go to the place in question and more often than not there’s an unfull group there happy to have an extra target.

I’ve watched my guild, and while other players are outpacing me, that’s because I play my warlock maybe 3 times a week (and again, often solo). They’re not blasting through the game to lvl 60, as the group I joined the guild with is only 3 levels ahead of me, on average.

In the past two sessions, I’ve seen no less than 10 groups form. Some for Shadowfang, some for Fenris, and groups on both sides having a massive PVP fight in Hillsbrad (which isn’t an xp generator, but is an example of finding a group that isn’t about powerlevlling. Oh, and the PVP group had people on both sides ranging from 22-60).

My first trip to the AH was recently, when I put up 3 unuseable green weapons/armor. I just picked a buyout around the level of other items of similar level. 2 sold, the 3rd didn’t.

I chose Alchemy/Herbalism because it seemed to go with the Warlock persona.

With the Night Elf, I only (with a few very small exceptions) play with a friend. Again, no powerlevelling, no rushing through the game, no min/maxing, no loot salivation.

Same deal. The general channel (sadly, not the LFG channel) is pretty well stocked with people forming groups. We see groups frequently while travelling.

Are there people powerlevelling? Of course. Welcome to MMO gaming. Are there people helping friends? Of course. Welcome to friendship. Maybe those friends being helped just want to play PVP, where you kind of need to be higher level to have any fun.

Does this have a meaningful impact on the game for the people not powerlevelling? No. Is the problem so rampant it needs a lengthy essay about it? No. Ease of play isn’t runing the game.

People will play the game the way they want to play the game. For many, that’s the way it was intended. Pickup groups, solo, or with guildmates and a “normal” pace. For a smaller section, it’ll be like you describe. Either way, the game is free to be played however people want.

That Random Foozle quote is dead on, it’s not Blizzard being clueless. Your reaction that WoW isn’t a single player game anymore is the clueless part.

Like I’ve said, probably 90% of my time played with the Warlock is solo. I’ve had no problems playing solo, and I don’t give a flying pile of Koontz Ejaculate what other people do. It does not impact me

The whole difference between a single played and a MMO game is not what others can do, it’s what you can do with others. The achievement is not the whole and only purpose of the game. The purpose of the game is to have fun. For me, the achievement is secondary to the main purpose of having fun.

90% of the playerbase doesn’t cheat. To claim so is laughable.

The point here is that not only they have an huge exploit that is warmly supported and encouraged, but this exploit ruins directly the depth of the game for everyone. Noone excluded. Really transforming this game exactly in the farming field that was EverQuest.

This “exploit” has done absolutely nothing to ruin the depth of the game for me. Thus, I’m excluded. Thus, you’re wrong.

Lastly, I assume that english is a second language for you, so I try to let a lot of the spelling/grammar stuff go, but you really should take some time to at least run a spell check if you’re posting this as a serious “essay” and want it to be taken as such.

To be honest though, the Random Foozle seems to have you pegged pretty well. I haven’t seen such anyone with such a complaint heavy “complaint:praise” ration in ages. Not just with WoW, but with pretty much ever MMORPG.

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Could you fix the grammar and lose the attitude so that your posts become worth reading?

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And Leon is getting laaaaaaaaarger!

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Perhaps you are unable to build a group because people don’t like your glittering personality.

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So, HRose, everyone who doesn’t immedeately find/buy the best weapon they can use, or have the best armor they can use, or anything like that isn’t playing the game right?

I mus tplay the game wrong. My warlock has a staff. It’s good enough. There may well be better staves out there. Hell, I might be better off with a sword, I don’t know. There might be a better wand for use in my off hand, I don’t know. I might not be using the optimally effective combat method, but the one I do use kills the mobs.

You are not “SUPPOSED” to use the best choice you have available. You are supposed to do what generates the most fun for you, within the “rules” (last part added just to head off the “Well, I have fun greifing!” strawman).

I can’t imagine what you’re doing that makes it hard for you to find a group.

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Perhaps you are unable to build a group because people don’t like your glittering personality.[/quote]

You are too honest, sir!

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Man, your server has a bunch of chickenshits. I can understand wanting a 50 in the party for the final boss, but I’ve been getting groups with my hunter for Uldaman since level 39. Perhaps you should be saying which part of Uldaman you’re trying to complete in your LFG spam.

Quests, instances, loot. Everything is becoming a fast race because the gameplay is designed to ENCOURAGE those exploits.

Getting a higher level player to help you through an instance is not an exploit. The ability to get through an instance early does not confer one with any particular advantage other than getting loot slightly earlier. The problem with grouping with someone 10-20 levels over you is that they hose the amount of experience you get from the mobs in the instance. Sure you get the quest XP, but if you do every quest with the help of a higher level character, you will start hitting gaps in your quest log and have to either take green/grey quests, or grind on mobs. It’s a self correcting problem.

If you could look farther ahead than “ZOMG Someone went through gnomeregan at 28 instead of 31, and got a weapon they won’t even be able to use until 32 anyway! ZOMGWTFBBQ MY PLAY EXPERIENCE WILL BE RUINED!!1” you might be able to see that.

So, let’s say that you find a way to kill the mobs at range without risking to die. Blizzard tells you that the exploit is tolerated.

WHAT YOU DO?

Technically this applies to me at all times, since I play a Hunter and know how to play my class properly both solo and in a group. Nevertheless, I’ll address your implied point, which is that Blizzard won’t care about such an exploit.

I think the idea that Blizzard wouldn’t care about a situation like that is just pure, unadulturated fuckwittery. They have amply demonstrated that they don’t think that farming mobs from a position of safety is right or good for the game. It has been demonstrated by game systems (try attacking an aquatic mob such as a coral shark from the shore where it can’t get to you sometime) and in patches (the soothe nerf is just the most recent example of this).

That said, now for point number 2:

You keep using the exploit because it’s the best and right way to beat the game […]

If Blizzard says it’s OK, it is, by definition, not an exploit.

Perhaps you should think things through before you post every little thought that flits through your head.

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OF COURSE it’s the final boss. The rest of Uldaman is trivial to do. That’s no risk and it’s obvious that the players accept to do that.

For the boss I would expect to go in with a party around level 45 since yesterday we brought it at 5% of health with a party of level 43 plus me at 44.

Instead NO. To build that group I had to work two hours because noone does it without someone at least at level 50 in the party.

Sure you get the quest XP, but if you do every quest with the help of a higher level character, you will start hitting gaps in your quest log and have to either take green/grey quests, or grind on mobs. It’s a self correcting problem.

I’ve already stated that I’m ranting about the instances, not the whole game. It’s also demostrated that you can enter an instance with a player 15 levels above you and you get only slightly less experience than a full party around your level. with the difference that all the money and all the loot are just yours.