“This quest is too grindy!” “Why do I have to grind faction?” “If I have to grind my way through another grey con dungeon I’m going to gouge my eyes out!”
Uh huh.
All ‘traditional’ MMOs have some element of grinding, generally because it is needed to advance player characters.
“But I can advance my character myself!”
Oh really?
“Yes.”
How?
“…”
I thought so. THAT is why grinding endures – because (generally) guidelines are needed to help players skill and/or level up. We (the game developer) can build the most immersive and fully fleshed out perpetual space possible but without some instruction how can we expect the player to enjoy the world as it was meant to be enjoyed. Answer: We can’t.
The trick is to not shove the grinding directly into the face of the player, and there are a variety of ways to do this:
1) Break up the grind – WoW’s WotLK daily quests are an excellent example of this tactic. Players are presented with a wide gambit of daily quest options but they can only complete twenty five in a single day. This both acts as a soft gating mechanic and breaks up the monotony of questing for long term goals.
2) Blur the Lines – Eve Online broke the fourth wall and took character skill ups into real time. This not only helped give the impression of a lesser grind but instilled greater ownership in player characters. After all, you were investing real time in these characters, not just game time. This is a tool that I anticipate seeing developed more and more in the coming years. If you can play games on your cell phone, why not have limited access to your favorite MMO? Why not be able to do things that further your character while you’re riding to work? Or in the elevator? Or that boring meeting?
3) Disguise the grind - Here’s where the majority of games fall in line. Vanguard’s quest design ensured that players were presented with an assortment of quests for any given area with varying drop chances. This helped disguise the grind by presenting “cookies” at just about regular intervals during the hunting experience. WAR took the road of public quests. The Public Quest (or PQ) system allows for any number of grouped or ungrouped players to complete staged content for both influence and rewards. Then there is the achievement system. WAR, WoW, LoTR, CoH and others all use this to disguise (or at the very least reward) the grind of character advancement. Who has actually accomplished it the best is open to debate.
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~ by Amber on September 4, 2009.
Posted in Commentary, gaming
Tags: City of Heroes, game development, grinding, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO, Vanguard, Warhammer Online, WoW
The Daily Grind
“This quest is too grindy!” “Why do I have to grind faction?” “If I have to grind my way through another grey con dungeon I’m going to gouge my eyes out!”
Uh huh.
All ‘traditional’ MMOs have some element of grinding, generally because it is needed to advance player characters.
“But I can advance my character myself!”
Oh really?
“Yes.”
How?
“…”
I thought so. THAT is why grinding endures – because (generally) guidelines are needed to help players skill and/or level up. We (the game developer) can build the most immersive and fully fleshed out perpetual space possible but without some instruction how can we expect the player to enjoy the world as it was meant to be enjoyed. Answer: We can’t.
The trick is to not shove the grinding directly into the face of the player, and there are a variety of ways to do this:
1) Break up the grind – WoW’s WotLK daily quests are an excellent example of this tactic. Players are presented with a wide gambit of daily quest options but they can only complete twenty five in a single day. This both acts as a soft gating mechanic and breaks up the monotony of questing for long term goals.
2) Blur the Lines – Eve Online broke the fourth wall and took character skill ups into real time. This not only helped give the impression of a lesser grind but instilled greater ownership in player characters. After all, you were investing real time in these characters, not just game time. This is a tool that I anticipate seeing developed more and more in the coming years. If you can play games on your cell phone, why not have limited access to your favorite MMO? Why not be able to do things that further your character while you’re riding to work? Or in the elevator? Or that boring meeting?
3) Disguise the grind - Here’s where the majority of games fall in line. Vanguard’s quest design ensured that players were presented with an assortment of quests for any given area with varying drop chances. This helped disguise the grind by presenting “cookies” at just about regular intervals during the hunting experience. WAR took the road of public quests. The Public Quest (or PQ) system allows for any number of grouped or ungrouped players to complete staged content for both influence and rewards. Then there is the achievement system. WAR, WoW, LoTR, CoH and others all use this to disguise (or at the very least reward) the grind of character advancement. Who has actually accomplished it the best is open to debate.
Like this:
~ by Amber on September 4, 2009.
Posted in Commentary, gaming
Tags: City of Heroes, game development, grinding, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO, Vanguard, Warhammer Online, WoW