There needs to be a game mechanic that compromises between these two forms of improvement.Alan wrote:I do like the concept of your character getting stronger as you put time into playing him (or her, whatever). What I dislike is when the only measure of your skill at something is how much time you put into it. In other words, crafting. I mean, leveling up doesn't require a huge amount of skill, but it does require some minimum amount of knowledge and timing. As opposed to crafting, where the only thing is getting ingredients and pressing a button to make things.VLSmooth wrote:More randomness:</(pointless?) rant>
- I'm seeing a distinction between easy treadmill leveling, more time than skill-based (as in a typical MMORPG), versus completely skill-based improvement, a la Unreal Tournament and Counter Strike (so-called, twitch games that some people dislike, but should satisfy the killer hunger). Does this mean FPS games are the answer for Alan and Jonathan? I don't know (rambling is fun).
For example, in a turn-based strategy with a lot of units, the person who is willing to devote several hours each turn to micromanaging each unit has an advantage. But, the person who has played a lot and knows the most effective unit combinations also has an advantage. Both types of effort or improvement are rewarded. I can think of no way to translate this to a MMOG or RPG.