I feel that it’s essential for games to offer players something else to do – some mindless goal to work towards so that they’re not constantly doing the same thing all of the time. Other wise they’ll complete that one goal they set out to do, and then stop playing your game. Out of all of the games I’ve played over the years I still feel that no game does this better then the original EverQuest. The Alternate Advancement path was one of the greatest things, giving raiders and casual players alike goals to work towards. Now, you may say to me “But Stephanie! What about those new players who don’t HAVE thousands of points to spend, isn’t it hard for them to catch up?!” – No. The less aa you have, the faster you’ll earn them. The curve is not quite so far out of reach even if you are a new player.
These little points are small ways for players to customize their characters, connect with them, and feel more ‘unique’ compared to their friends and the masses. Of course EQ is not the only game with these (EQ2 has aa, WoW has their talents, WAR has a similar set up, LotRO has their method even). I still feel strongly that EQ is the best example of this. There are literally thousands of possibilities for players to chose from. A player who has dedicated a year or two to their character will not have the same achievements as someone who has just reached level 55 – or someone who has been playing for 10 years.
House of Thule has hundreds of new achievements for players to work towards. The level cap is going up by 5, and in the mean time there is a bonus granted to players who have a lower amount of achievements at the moment. It’s not a perfect set up, but it at least shows some consideration to ‘new’ players (I put emphasis on new because I’m not really sure that EQ is bringing in truly new players as opposed to returning players).
I’m excited, does it show?
Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!