I spend a fair number of hours playing MMO's, but I don't do so on any fixed schedule, which rules out traditional raiding. The things that do motivate me to continue playing are new experiences, such as:
- Story, if presented in a non-scheduled format (like WoW's EZ-mode PUG raid finder)
- Alternate advancement or similar (including more regular advancement in the case of my SWTOR character, who is still two levels shy of the game's cap)
- Perks and bonuses for future characters
I maintain that Bioware has not done a bad job in SWTOR. Many MMO's try to sell the player on multiple characters using additional leveling content the devs needed to build anyway, but SWTOR is the first game where I'm not only working on my second character before finishing my first, but even have plans out to what order I would tackle all eight of the class stories in. The catch, as Bioware completes their server merges (123 US servers will trans-merge down to 12, while 88 European Servers condense to 11 according to Darth Hater - nearly the worst case of the scenarios I examined last week), is that this continues to be a recipe for a nomadic population which is less well suited to longterm MMO communities.
In LOTRO, I think of virtues and legendary items as a type of alternate advancement system, and enjoy working on in much the same way.
ReplyDeleteI also think Bioware has done a decent job with SWTOR, and I wonder with retrospect whether the community will ever be able to admit this.
ReplyDeleteWhat motivates me to keep playing an MMO is being in a world that feels comfortable. Give me that and I'll replay the same content over and over and over. I must have drunk a million cups of tea in my life, but another cup of tea is always good. Indeed, the next cup of tea is always as good as the first cup of tea or any cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteI don't need new things to do, just good things to do. A nice, big open world with plenty to explore and a wide range of races and classes that all feel significantly different works for me every time.
AA is my favorite "keep me playing at max level" mechanic and I completely agree with you about gear grind as a means for keeping a "finished" character rolling. Getting better gear as you're growing up is one thing; that's like growing out of clothes. Gearing up to do the same thing you just did only with a "harder" label stuck on the front? I don't think so.