Originally posted by phumbaba

I too am slightly sceptical on the impossibility of implementing mob migration.

The probably isn't technical impossibility but a lack of desirability of such mechanics in the current design of MMOs.

Taking it a step further.  Let’s say the zone around the quest giver is tier 1 and the subsequent areas further out are tier 2 and 3.  Now the beetles can be in any one of these zones with their appropriate level increases. 

IN GAME “I’m running around for an hour trying to find those stupid beetles and now all the mobs are orange con to me.  This %$#^ game really sucks.  I finally find them and they are all several levels above me.   Argggh this is going to suck.”

And I now have a choice, try to finish the quest with the higher con mobs or wait till later and see if they migrate back to a lower con area.  Ahh, the possibilities.

Where the OP sees this as a wonderous moment filled with possibilities, in today's MMOs where mob killing is a means to an end and not a goal in itself, it is an annoyance and inconveniences to the majority of players. Mobs have 'evolved' to the way they are because they best fit the current model that MMOs are built around. We don't need it in all AAA MMOs. There are actually probably few, if any, AAA MMOs that would benefit from this.

That said, in an MMO designed more around experiencing the game world and less around being a genocidal maniac, this would probably make for a nice, albeit contrived, feature.

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Originally posted by Loktofeit

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Originally posted by phumbaba I too am slightly sceptical on the impossibility of implementing mob migration.

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The probably isn't technical impossibility but a lack of desirability of such mechanics in the current design of MMOs.Taking it a step further.  Let’s say the zone around the quest giver is tier 1 and the subsequent areas further out are tier 2 and 3.  Now the beetles can be in any one of these zones with their appropriate level increases. IN GAME “I’m running around for an hour trying to find those stupid beetles and now all the mobs are orange con to me.  This %$#^ game really sucks.  I finally find them and they are all several levels above me.   Argggh this is going to suck.”And I now have a choice, try to finish the quest with the higher con mobs or wait till later and see if they migrate back to a lower con area.  Ahh, the possibilities.

Where the OP sees this as a wonderous moment filled with possibilities, in today's MMOs where mob killing is a means to an end and not a goal in itself, it is an annoyance and inconveniences to the majority of players. Mobs have 'evolved' to the way they are because they best fit the current model that MMOs are built around. We don't need it in all AAA MMOs. There are actually probably few, if any, AAA MMOs that would benefit from this.

That said, in an MMO designed more around experiencing the game world and less around being a genocidal maniac, this would probably make for a nice, albeit contrived, feature.

 

 

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Originally posted by steelheartx
I love the idea of mob migration, but i think i may have missed something.   What happens when the new level 1 player gets the quest for beetles after they've migrated?

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Originally posted by Loktofeit

Originally posted by phumbaba

I too am slightly sceptical on the impossibility of implementing mob migration.

The probably isn't technical impossibility but a lack of desirability of such mechanics in the current design of MMOs.

Taking it a step further.  Let’s say the zone around the quest giver is tier 1 and the subsequent areas further out are tier 2 and 3.  Now the beetles can be in any one of these zones with their appropriate level increases. 

IN GAME “I’m running around for an hour trying to find those stupid beetles and now all the mobs are orange con to me.  This %$#^ game really sucks.  I finally find them and they are all several levels above me.   Argggh this is going to suck.”

And I now have a choice, try to finish the quest with the higher con mobs or wait till later and see if they migrate back to a lower con area.  Ahh, the possibilities.

Where the OP sees this as a wonderous moment filled with possibilities, in today's MMOs where mob killing is a means to an end and not a goal in itself, it is an annoyance and inconveniences to the majority of players. Mobs have 'evolved' to the way they are because they best fit the current model that MMOs are built around. We don't need it in all AAA MMOs. There are actually probably few, if any, AAA MMOs that would benefit from this.

That said, in an MMO designed more around experiencing the game world and less around being a genocidal maniac, this would probably make for a nice, albeit contrived, feature.

 

 

True. It all boils down to the same old questions of what are the projected retention time and rate, and what are the most cost effective and risk averse means to achieve it. Your cynicism is touching^^ However realistic it might be..

One point tho. Many games these days already point out on the map where you find the particular npc or mob. This doesn't need to go away and in case of large migrating paths, could simply point out the main resting or stopping points of the mob (or alternatively the whole migrating route or both). Considering today's traveling tools, I at least would consider it a minor inconvenience if some mob tribes etc migrated. If all of them did, I might agree with you a bit more.

Purely for the sake of argument, I'd also argue, that there is demand for more sophisticated mob behaviour. The fact that it hasn't been done in a game that was overall a hit, doesn't make singular features undesirable or unneeded. Cost effectiveness without any market research is impossible to value.

The question remains .. is looking for thing a fun activity many craves?

People like to look up where to go online. People like to use add-ons to put an arrow to where to go. Given these behavior, i would conclude that people do not think looking for thing is fun, they are going for the combat.

Originally posted by Loktofeit

Originally posted by phumbaba

I too am slightly sceptical on the impossibility of implementing mob migration.

The probably isn't technical impossibility but a lack of desirability of such mechanics in the current design of MMOs.

Taking it a step further.  Let’s say the zone around the quest giver is tier 1 and the subsequent areas further out are tier 2 and 3.  Now the beetles can be in any one of these zones with their appropriate level increases. 

IN GAME “I’m running around for an hour trying to find those stupid beetles and now all the mobs are orange con to me.  This %$#^ game really sucks.  I finally find them and they are all several levels above me.   Argggh this is going to suck.”

And I now have a choice, try to finish the quest with the higher con mobs or wait till later and see if they migrate back to a lower con area.  Ahh, the possibilities.

Where the OP sees this as a wonderous moment filled with possibilities, in today's MMOs where mob killing is a means to an end and not a goal in itself, it is an annoyance and inconveniences to the majority of players. Mobs have 'evolved' to the way they are because they best fit the current model that MMOs are built around. We don't need it in all AAA MMOs. There are actually probably few, if any, AAA MMOs that would benefit from this.

That said, in an MMO designed more around experiencing the game world and less around being a genocidal maniac, this would probably make for a nice, albeit contrived, feature.

Pretty much this ^

Such a mechanic would indeed be interesting. It can & has been done already. However, implementing such a mechanic would involve a VERY different kind of MMO. It would nice to see more of those types of MMOs, but they just don't have a place in today's achievement-driven MMO crowd =/.

Simply put, such mechanics work great in more virtual world simulations. It is technologically taxing, but definitely doable. Especially if the game had limited / no pvp.

Originally posted by grogstorm
The main argument is to keep the newness in the game.  One of the reasons I quit a MMO and move on to something new is the fact that all of it already known and therefor boring.  I really want the game to always be changing so when I am doing the same things again on another character at least make it different somehow.  Mob migration is just one idea to achieve this result.

It is simple to have newness in games. Just move on to the next game when you are done with this one.

Oh, another idea is to use random dungeons.

if the area where the beetles are is tier 1, and you are tier 4 and still need the materials, that right there makes the world crappy. If you go back to the tier 1 area to get low grade materials you should have a challenge with mobs there as well. That i love from GW2s level downscale. If only they could make the mobs even more challenging since you have better gear when you come back to the area at higher tier.

So mob migration + downscale system = even better

Originally posted by rojo6934

if the area where the beetles are is tier 1, and you are tier 4 and still need the materials, that right there makes the world crappy. If you go back to the tier 1 area to get low grade materials you should have a challenge with mobs there as well. That i love from GW2s level downscale. If only they could make the mobs even more challenging since you have better gear when you come back to the area at higher tier.

 

So mob migration + downscale system = even better

Agree, downscaling is an awsome mechanic.  But the only real challenge to a level 80 in level 80 gear downscaled for a level 1 mob would be finding it if migration is one of the mechanics.