by Psychotic » Tue Jun 18, 13 6:34 am
If the game has grind-based leveling and no end-game content it will ultimately still flop.
Leveling is a horrible mechanic. It is completely outdated amongst a generation who no longer wants to wait for things. Even I, a long-time RPG fan, have trouble swallowing level systems because they offer nothing new and are a very slow, boring, repetitive form of "progression" that is not necessary to "learn" the game.
As for end-game content, this one's the hardest. No MMO can match WoW's content on release in a development cycle of 5 years, it's just not realistic. WoW had ample time without competition to hone it's content but new MMO's don't but they need to at least try.
Lack of end-game content is what kills most MMOs for me, this and the grind needed to get there. I don't care if the end-game is fantastic if I have to spend too long getting there (and with the advent of B2P and F2P games there is even less of a reason to delay your users) only to find it doesn't have much of anything when I do.
"You either die a lurker, or you live long enough to see yourself become a troll."