17 replies to this topic

[llucid]

I've seen it mentioned in several threads and it always get brought up. There are people that enjoy the end game content and try to get there ASAP. Then there are those that enjoy the journey, they take  their time to level.
As i progress toward endgame I usually do every quest I can find and if I have a group I run the dungeons I come across. I uncover all of the maps on my way just so I know where everything is. I tend to enjoy the journey. However the journey eventually ends and that is where personally I feel the content needs to be. While I enjoyed the journey if I make it to the destination and it sucks, then the journey really wasn't worth it.

So my question to you is, what do you consider enjoying the journey? and how is it any different for those that take the Journey to get to the endgame?

[iamurmom]

I'm definitely a journey person. Like to take breaks from any lvling and pvp at a certain place for, well, a long time.

[Valish]

There are usualyy factors involved as to how i play. If I am planning on starting a guild then yes i play hard to gain lvls quickly. If I am not starting a guild then I am very much the kind of person that enjoys the journey and not the goal so much. I tend to look at it this way, I wouldnt buy a dvd of a movie and just jump to the end scenes, or I wouldnt read a book and just flick straight to the last few pages, so why would I rush through a game in a short amount of time. Remember this is just my way of looking at things and is right for me.

Although in these games you can experience both if you wish. JUst take one char through the journey way and create a raid char so you can enjoy content on different lvls anyway.

Valish

[Thuulic]

I am usually the last one of my group of friends to get to high lvl. Heck, I made my first max level toon in EQ2 just awhile back...the FIRST max level character in any MMO for me (played eq1&2, ac1&2,daoc,wow). I like to explore the world as a healer mainly, support (buffs, dps) otherwise. To me, so far, no game besides EQ1 has made the journey to the high lvls worth it.

[Stalvos]

I am never in a hurry. Usually the "end game" is four hour long boring raids. I don't take part in that therefore I am never in a hurry to get there. Besides... what do most people do if they maxed level in two weeks? Come on the forums and yell and scream about there being a lack of content? I'll still be playing the game and enjoying myself for months.

[balamoor]

I honestly believe that fun should start at character creation and go from there. It always seemed silly to me archaic even to have to rush to level cap to actually enjoy what a game had to offer. A mark of a great MMO is folks who play because it is addictive and fun now , not that it will be once I can Raid the forgotten Tombs of Woggie Woggie. That type of game play only fosters a Caste system and puts the player on a fast track to nowhere.

[Therian]

I honestly believe that fun should start at character creation and go from there. It always seemed silly to me archaic even to have to rush to level cap to actually enjoy what a game had to offer. A mark of a great MMO is folks who play because it is addictive and fun now , not that it will be once I can Raid the forgotten Tombs of Woggie Woggie. That type of game play only fosters a Caste system and puts the player on a fast track to nowhere.

this^^^^^^^^^

[Dura]

Hrmmm, it could also depend on what sort of situation you are in as well. I am a fan of the journey for sure since it is a good way to learn the limits of yourself in the world around you. There has been an instance where I have had to "skip" the journey because I wanted to play with my friends who were considerably higher than myself in the game we played.

Basically, I purposely rushed and was helped to the end-game content so I could be with them and their community. The journey could have been fun, but that would have meant less time with the friends I already had, and the reason I was in the game in the first place was to participate in the game with them.

In my case, I have gone back through with the higher level character and gone through old quests to understand the lore and get the story. Obviousily, there is no challenge left in the quests themselves, but at least, you can still enjoy the story.

[iamurmom]

I honestly believe that fun should start at character creation and go from there.

Character Creation - the first thing someone sees. If a person is disappointed / frustrated / etc by char create, then they're going into the game with that baggage coloring their view of everything.

[llucid]

I'm not saying the journey cant be fun, as I said I tend to go through the leveling process rather quickly, however I still experience most of the content. that being said, eventually given enough time everyone is going to reach endgame and there needs to be a focus there. however I am all for when new content is created that lower level stuff needs to be added as well....I need somewhere to run my alts through that isnt the same as the last 4 times.

A couple questions

iamurmom Posted Yesterday, 01:28 PM I'm definitely a journey person. Like to take breaks from any lvling and pvp at a certain place for, well, a long time.

I assume since you were on a PVP server in EQ2 you turned your Experience off, until they made it so you couldn't. and I am guessing you found a certain level range you enjoyed pvping in and the used yoru crafters to twink out your main?
I'm not saying anything is wrong with it....it just gives me an idea of a way to slow down and enjoy the journey...On a PVE server though you eventually run out of things to do at any given level range.

Stalvos Posted Yesterday, 06:52 PM I am never in a hurry. Usually the "end game" is four hour long boring raids. I don't take part in that therefore I am never in a hurry to get there. Besides... what do most people do if they maxed level in two weeks? Come on the forums and yell and scream about there being a lack of content? I'll still be playing the game and enjoying myself for months.

Your not in a hurry...I understand that, however does that mean you don't log in that often? or do you just take alot of afk's? to me you can only run a lower level dungeon so many times before it's time to move on, and as mentioned earlier you will run out of quests. What do you do at that point?

Therian Posted Today, 08:38 AM


this^^^^^^^^^

Therian I know from your previous posts you seem to put in similar amounts of playtime as I do so my question to you is, how do you slow the leveling process down?

I guess what it comes down to for me is.... I'm gonna do as many quests as I can in a zone until the grey out, then I move on to the next zone. Unless it appears to be a chain of quests that leads to somewhere. Is the answer to slow down the leveling process so that one has to experience all the content in a zone before they can move on. Or maybe require all the content and quests to be explored before you can proceed to the next area( actually to me that is not a bad idea, kinda goes back to the keyed instance thing I guess.)

Again I am not really trying to argue with anyone here...I always thought I took the time to enjoy the contenct, however I find myself at endgame rather quickly as well.

[Beta]

I, usually do all the quest that are thrown my way. After several months into the game, I will be into manufacturing and such due to the fact that my quest might be some-what slower to achieve due to skill level.

So, I help others especially rookies when I can and also show them the way if they do not understand but after while I find myself left behind as I cannot level up anymore at a regular pace. Mainly, I just sit back and relax when I'm at my peak level and go from there!

P.S.
I will try to max out my character in any shape or form!

[Drakynn]

The Journey is your route to the end game.Whether you take the scenic route,the fast lane or choose to turn around go back to the start and begin all over again is your choice.The end game is what you do after your done journeying.For me there is no conflict between the two.

[Maelkor]

I usually go at the speed of my guildmates or people i group with in game on my main character. I then will make alts to explore the rest of the game at a slower pace and to catch areas I simply missed because of class,race or just ignorance of the game world.

[balamoor]

The Journey is your route to the end game.Whether you take the scenic route,the fast lane or choose to turn around go back to the start and begin all over again is your choice.The end game is what you do after your done journeying.For me there is no conflict between the two.

Wow Drakynn that is a surprisingly zen statement.

[Hamarhand]

The Journey is your route to the end game.Whether you take the scenic route,the fast lane or choose to turn around go back to the start and begin all over again is your choice.The end game is what you do after your done journeying.For me there is no conflict between the two.

Very well said, and I completely agree.

As for the journey itself (and even the end game, for that matter) I just wish there was more variety. Of course some things need to always be there so there's a path, but random elements like pocket dungeons, rare events (not just rare mobs), and the like would make both more interesting.

[Rsmith]

I am definitely all about the journey. I never really understood why people are in such a hurry to get to max level. I am usually one of the last people to hit max level. I tend to run around exploring, trying to find places that people don't get to see because they are too busy trying to level.

[Crowl]

The journey is the best part for about 6 months after the game is released. Everyone exploring together, few spoiler sites new sites to see. After a MMO ages for a while the journey becomes less and less fun for me with everyone being max level and there not being very healthy low/mid level populations.

That is the best part about expansions. For a few months before them people usually tend to play solo or not as much, but as soon as an xpac hits you get that sense of community again that you hadnt seen since the game launched, and everyone exploring and taking the "journey" again.

[Maelkor]

There is no difference. For about half of the MMO crowd the end game is where the actual journey begins. The leveling part is just the setup. For me in a well designed MMO lvl 10-20 maybe 30 is the part of the game that is the most fun. You have just enough skills to get into trouble but not enough to be invincible. This is especially true on a brand new server. I like new servers the best in brand new games where everything is not known. Unfortunately with huge betas for all the games that come out now almost everything is known by the time of release so its not as big a deal outside of new servers and everyone starting from scratch.