Paper Street: Article 5

Was not able to post yesterday so, i will today.

Bringing players deeper into the game.

It is an obvious statement.

What things draw players into a game?

Activities: Solo, Group, Raid, Live Events

Community: Chat Boxes (ooc, shout, auction, and tell), Chat Server (aim or game server), Email (Players and CSR), and Public forums (Fan-based, and Official)

When it comes to Activities: There has from time to time been a struggle between Soloing and Grouping.

Sometimes you just want to be alone, sometimes you just cant find  a group :smileysad:

The problem is finding the balance of what progression ( experience and item) rate between Solo and Group. A way to draw the line is having tasks that test a players's skill when it comes to soloing, and for groups, having the abilities of numerous classes envelopes less risks of failure ( dont hold me to that la~)

A nice way to progress a Solo friendly player is give a player a continous Arc that helps them progress slowly over time (Casual Player friendly).

In regards to group oriented players, one may find a similiar reward available but less risk involved because of a group effort.

With raids (20 or more players), I do not believe in a system that rewards only one person per 20+ players. Everyone involved should be rewarded in part of progression.

Yes I repeatedly use th word Progression

I believe it is the best time sink for online games. Yes, that ill fated word. Time Sinks. You see them everywhere. In MxO: 1-50, Red Frag Farming, Arc Vendor rewards, Collector Rewards, Dungeon (Boss Hideouts) Rewards and so on. They require more time than the average mission to complete, where a reward is beleived to be worth the risk and time.

With progression, i believe it keeps a player focused. Focusing on different facets of a game; Character (skills), Reputation (players and pve), as well as Item.

But when it comes to items, replacing items becomes a burden instead of a reward. Needless to say tiresom for a developer to sit and create balanced gear for each profession each slot each gender.

I think of items that players can advance. Over time, players will attune their own gear with custom stats that fit their character's profession and talents.

Progression.

Casual Player Arc Tasks with progressive rewards.

Group/Raid risks that reward all involved.

Progression of Gear. Undo Item Timesinks.

This is Article 5.

Next issue will focus soley on Tradeskills.