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I miss level grinding (1 Viewer)

Chuck Anstey

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I know we have discussed this before here on Video Gaming but Dead Island really made me miss level grinding. Level grinding is where a game is somewhat but not completely linear and each area has pretty fixed enemy levels so you have to gain levels in order to explore more of the map and enemies in beginning areas become a joke.

Dead Island has such perfect enemy scaling, the more powerful I become the weaker I get. Games like Borderlands 1 & 2, Skyrim, Far Cry 3, and the Fallout series tend to suffer one problem or another from autoscaling where characters become more likely to die as they gain levels or can pretty much go anywhere at level 1 without any more fear than a maxed out character (i.e. level means nothing). At least with Fallout, especially FO:NV actions have game altering consequences so exploring 'randomly' is a major feature of the game so some autoscaling is necessary.

I would love to have a new game designed like Might and Magic of old, say III and IV, where you had to earn the right to explore areas outside of the starting town and nearly max out before facing the final baddie but towards the middle and end game you didn't worry about trivial things like bandits and random encounters in the wild of well explored areas.
 

Sam Posten

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I am intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter!IOW, agreed totally. Being able to go back to areas that had kicked your ass when you just started out and turn the tables around? That is very fun. It rewards the accomplishment. Hard Work pays off. Rubber banded enemy toughness is a lazy game design principle that I too hate.Rubber baned opponent skills are even worse in sports and racing games too.
 

Chuck Anstey

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Don't even get me started on rubber band computer opponents in driving games. Might as well play Mario Kart, which I can't stand because it rewards luck more than skill. I'm not some hard-core simulation driver and prefer NFS type racing games but when your opponent crashes into a tree and you don't, they are out of the race.
 

Morgan Jolley

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The newest Mario Kart focuses way more on skill than luck. It's a great improvement.

Sometimes I really get into level grinding, but I always end up feeling like I just wasted a huge amount of time on essentially nothing. When I was a kid and could finish a 50-hour RPG every couple weeks, it wasn't a big deal. But now I just avoid those kinds of games altogether. I'd rather finish something in a nice 10-12 hour span.
 

Chuck Anstey

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Morgan Jolley said:
Sometimes I really get into level grinding, but I always end up feeling like I just wasted a huge amount of time on essentially nothing. When I was a kid and could finish a 50-hour RPG every couple weeks, it wasn't a big deal. But now I just avoid those kinds of games altogether. I'd rather finish something in a nice 10-12 hour span.
Well essentially the game itself is a waste of time but the games I was referencing are 40-50 hour per playthrough games anyway and have leveling. I end up doing every side quest normally (i.e. effectively level grinding) but without the reward of the effort since at best it makes no difference and at worst I end up weaker than when I started.
 

Bryan^H

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Chuck Anstey said:
Don't even get me started on rubber band computer opponents in driving games. Might as well play Mario Kart, which I can't stand because it rewards luck more than skill.
I love Mario Kart 8, but I agree the better you do, the cheaper the opponents get(in the higher cc classes). Best to test your skill in the time trials. Beating your best time on a certain course is a game all in itself.
 

Chuck Anstey

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Jeff Cooper said:
The Witcher 3 is going to be the game for you! Developer confirms, no enemy scaling. If you go too far too fast, you'll get your ass kicked.

http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/08/14/witcher-3-explaining-the-unique-world-battle-system-gamescom-2014
Finally a Dev who remembers (and likes) the old days. However I am not really a fan of Witcher's over the shoulder view so I'm not sure if I will get it. The intro ad on that link was the Jogger trailer (very shortened) for Dead Island 2 and the full version is an awesome game trailer. Doesn't tell you squat about the game but it is still great. I have seen the actual game trailer that is out now.
 

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