First of all, I'd like to point out that "linear" has become just a forum "buzz word" just like terms such as "grind," "hardcore," and my favorite, "vaporware."
The real meaning behind the word has been lost, people have a vague understanding of what the word is suppose to mean and the proper context in which to use it in this forum environment, but they don't really understand what it really means.
In MMORPG lingo, linear best falls into the dictionary.com definition of "extended or arranged in a line: a linear series." What this means, is that the player character follows a straight line from point to point to point as they progress their character. There is very little room for deviation or exploration, or simply that there are very few, if any, alternative paths to advancement.
You go from the Level 1-10 zone to the 10-20 zone then to the 20-30 zone etc. You go from this quest to the quest after it, and that takes you to the next quest, and so on.
This is best characterized by the standard MMORPG question for general chat, "I'm level XX, what zone is best for me to level in?"
I think many at MMORPG.com see the word "linear" and think "classes, levels, quests, raiding" and they are only partially right.
The only difference between modern, quest based games and the sand-box games of old is that the quest-based titles provide direction. Before, /con systems where the only way to tell if an enemy was too powerful for you to fight, so you'd stick to areas where things were more "at your level" until you became strong enough to /con the tougher stuff and be capable of handling it. UO didn't have anything other then trial and error. Is this really any more or less linear?
I don't think so. It's still a progression system based off of your relative power in comparison to the game world. Even in a sandbox game, you could go to a new area and find the mobs way too challenging for you. The only difference is, in a quest based title, one that many here would call "linear," you are guided to content appropriate for your level.
So does this mean that the title is really more "linear" or simply that it provides more direction?
Or.. you could have a system where you gain xp in different skills as you use them... no matter if it's against mobs or players or crafting or social skills or...
that way, you are rewarded for doing the things that you want to do, and you get better at those things AT THE SAME TIME.
Wait, isn't that a "skill based advancement system?"
Didn't old SWG have that? I think it did....
Problem is, it still becomes a "grind" because people end up only doing one or two things. They want to be good at killing stuff, so all they do is "grind" up their combat skills...
The only alternative is providing players with... wait for it... CONTENT!
And in order for content to be successful, to properly hide the grind underneath a little thing called "fun," the player has to care about the content.
A quest to kill 30 rats for the sake of killing 30 rats is not content, it is a grind. A quest to kill 30 rats because the Queen of Cheeseville is having a crisis trying to get ready for the anual Cheese Ball and is in desperate need of help to clear out the pesky creatures so that...
Just an example.
There will always be a "grind" in MMORPG games. Fact.
The ONLY thing you can do, is provide fun, operational game systems with depth and variety, as well as content that is interesting, varied, and entertaining in order to HIDE the grind underneath a little thing called "entertainment value."
This is, of course, EXTREMELY subjective. As in, all about your personal opinion. If you enjoy the content, and are having fun, it won't "feel" like a grind. No matter if it's a so-called "linear" game or "sandbox" game.
If you are doing something JUST to get to some end goal some where down the road, you are probably grinding.
If you are doing something because you enjoy it, and it's fun and interesting to you, you'll reach that end goal and it won't feel like grinding.
Point is,
It's only a grind if YOU make it a grind.
Unless it's a Asian game with NO content except killing monsters over..and over... and over... for no purpose other then watching your XP bar slowly inch up... that's a grind no matter what you do.
Here's a thought. HIDE you XP bar, and just enjoy the game for what it is. READ the quest text, explore the game world, take TIME off from questing/killing to socialize, dance, play music, craft....
Yes, I just copy/pasted this from some forum posts I made, but I thought it was enough to bring together into a new blog entry.
I guess the overall sumerization is that a game is what you make it. Instead of always blaming the game or the developers, perhaps you should take a step back and ask yourself "how am I approaching this game? What can I do to make this experience more fun/challenging?"
If you can't find an answer, maybe you're playing the wrong game, or the wrong genre.
The skill based system of SWG may have been as much of a grind as the linear, level based games of today, but it did have one unique element that got lost along the way....sandbox.
Although I would agree that without content, any game would quickly lose it's appeal, I would like to point out that going from region 1-10 to 10-20 and so on to quest- kill -loot -repeat also loses it's appeal, and a lot faster.
Thu Nov 29 2007 1:37PMLike I said, it's all subjective. It's all based on opinion.
I think the skil based sandbox games of old were MORE grind heavy.
True, the "content" in more linear games is really, too many, just "fluff" but it's designed to help mask the grind.
It all comes down to quest direction, style, and whether or not there is much variety.
Having the same quests level 1-10 you have level 10-20 does, indeed, feel very grindy and does lose it's appeal quickly..
However if you expand the variety and feeling of importance as you advance, where tasks level 10-20 are more challenging and complex then the 1-10 quests, you have yourself a winner.
Unfortunately, in most every quest / level based games, a level 8 player fighting a level 8 mob feels exactly the same as a level 18 player fighting a level 18 mob...
Thu Nov 29 2007 2:15PMI'm totally with you. I mean, I wrote this novel, right? I put it online for people to read, and then I get these emails and they're all like "Your book has a horrible plot! I can't even tell what the protagonist is trying to accomplish!" and "Why does he kill 30 spiders and only get 5 legs?!"
So I wrote this guy back and I'm like, "Okay, it's not my fault if you won't put effort in to enjoying my HARD WORK." And then he just cancels his subscription.
Thu Nov 29 2007 2:46PMHa... well done Crose.. well done.
Obviously you can't blame the player in THAT sense, if the devs make a crappy game, no amount of player effort will be able to make it good... well, unless they are REALLY die hard fanbois...
I'm just saying people need to take MMOs for what they are, and stop expecting so much. I think they'll find, the expectations are not really expectations of the game, but instead faulty expectations of their own desires and goals.
Thu Nov 29 2007 2:55PMTheir expectations are that when they buy a game with "RPG" in the genre, they'll experience an actual story line. But MMORPG quests don't work like that, and it's a shame.
Fortunately, Age of Conan will feature the voice acting and branching conversations that we expect from a single player RPG. That's a step in the right direction, but I hope to really see it come alive in Bioware's MMO, or now perhaps Bethesda's.
Thu Nov 29 2007 3:57PMWell I for one would like to see less story line and more action....I quit LOTRO about a week after I go the game cause I spent the vast majority of the time running around back froth from NPCS clicking the next button on the story driven quests. Back and forth from the same NPC's like 4 times a piece. What a joke...less talk more action.
Thu Nov 29 2007 4:48PMNicod3mus:
Is it fair to say story development is undesirable when what you are really annoyed about is a poorly designed quest?
Forcing story upon players in this way is probably unwise, but let's not wish for less story in out RPGs, please! Most of them are tragically thin and ragged as it is.
Thu Nov 29 2007 5:15PMyou speak my mind via your keyboard...
Thu Nov 29 2007 6:45PMI do? Thanks! Or were you talking to someone else? :)
Fri Nov 30 2007 8:08AMImagine a game with the engrossing, deep, and choice-driven story of Mass Effect, with the same number and quality of side stories and quests as Morrowind/Oblivion...
Now make the main story line instance based, and the side stories/quests in the open world like better written versions of the modern MMO quest...
Throw in your favorite game mechanics (for me it'd be skill based advancement and Spellborn style gear/appearance customization) as well as your personal preference of PvP, dungeons/raiding etc.
Golden. A "true" WoW killer IMO
Fri Nov 30 2007 8:25AMUnfortunately, more focus on story and less grind-based quests doesn't guarantee more player involvment.
Final Fantasy XI has more storyline packed into a single quest line than some MMOs have from beginning to end. The stories are interesting, there are fully choreographed in-game cinematics - often times putting your character directly in the center of the action/dialog, etc... And that's just regular quests. The main storyline missions are x10 more involved and impressive.
If you look at the basic design of the game it's clear it isn't intended to be a grind-grind-grind race to the finish line experience, but a slow, deep and immersive experience that you get to experience with others.
Guess what people do with all that depth and content and storyline? They ignore most of it as they reduce the game into a grind for "end-game". Players, by and large, want constant, rapid reward and gratification. No reward is too great, no matter how menial the task (discovery xp anyone?). Anything that doesn't provide them that constant gratification is ignored. So, even though Square-Enix has tried to provide this deep immersive and truly massive world... the players have said "ahhh no thanks... we just want levels" and turned it into a grind-game.
Point is, certainly some players want more depth and story and meaning to what they do in a game... but the majority, from what I've seen... just want to grind grind grind to get to end-game, the only part of a MMO they seem to feel is important.
Wed Dec 26 2007 9:56PMMMORPG.com writes:
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