Yesterday while I was playing Aion I came to a realization about myself. Games involve a whole slew of different activities that you can do in them depending on your personal choices, and one of those personal choices happens to fall under the category of ‘grinding’. I’m sure at some point in time, in some random game, we’ve all come across this. It’s where you do the same thing, over and over again for whatever reason (quest reward, experience, etc). This isn’t simply leveling up, it’s leveling up in the same little area for a good length of time.
Now, my realization was that number one – I don’t mind grinding, at all. But it depends on where I am and what I am doing. For example, craft grinding? I enjoy a great deal. I could sit for hours and watch movies on my laptop while crafting on my PC and it doesn’t phase me in the least. I actually find it pleasantly relaxing. Quest grinding on the other hand I can not handle for any length of time – game dependent. I don’t mind quest grinding in LotRO – but absolutely refuse to do it in EQ2 (especially RoK quests). I don’t mind grinding solo, in my own little area undisturbed, but I do not enjoy grinding (mobs) in a group. I find it boring, I start to fall asleep. So why do I enjoy doing that particular activity solo rather then in a group? I tried to figure it out and the only reason I really have is that when I’m by myself I can stop and start under my own decisions, and there’s absolutely no pressure because it’s just me.
In Aion if you wish to level up (not everyone does) you’re pretty much forced at one point or another to go grind mobs. There’s simply not enough quests that you could complete to level up just by doing them, and this has been a sore spot for a lot of people. This weekend (and for the next three weekends) Aion has bonus experience going on – and just as an example, when I kill an elite mob (in a duo) I was getting 50,000 experience (I need over 1.5 million to level) which is more experience for one single mob, then all of my quests. They reward you for deciding to grind rather then doing your quests. The bonus experience is also in place for crafting, and harvesting (two more ‘grinds’). Now, I’m not about to say no to this sort of bonus, it’s a HUGE increase and last night I managed to climb up two more levels, but I really wish I was being rewarded for something else OTHER then grinding.
What about everyone else, are you against grinding in all its forms? Is there one particular type that you enjoy more then the others? Let me know!
I don’t necessarily care for grinding, but know it’s all part of the game. I have never been a lore person so seeing the pve zones that I will never see again in end game have no meaning to me.
I can usually force myself through the grind the first time, but each alt after that it becomes a job that I hate. They really need to make once you have a main that you can get double or triple xp, autolevel to the halfway point or something. They always say they want to keep the lower zones viable, but just log into Warcraft and Chuck Norris no longer lives in the Barrens. It is dead quiet. It is like a ghost town.
Everyone does seem to experience grinds a little different, don’t they. I have no problem grinding through quests, although I don’t like to think of it as grinding since I like to at least scan the quest text and pay slight attention to the story (although the major book quest in LoTRO are very good). At least with quests you get noticeable incremental improvement in XP and money and items, grinding mobs always seems slower to me (even if it is the same or faster). I remember watching my XP bar in EQ and trying to see if I got another pixel added to the XP bar or not.