Bloodbringer
Active Member
Yes, as I said, when I mean progress we are talking about MMORPG and specifically the character progression towards becoming stronger or torwards an objective.There are two types of progress in games.
The first is the player ability to play with their own skills. Think of counter strike, that the only way to beat someone is getting skills with weapons, the weapon will be the same for everyone, but the person who holds it that will change. Super Mario is other example, because you need to learn well how to play to pass through the game, but the same physics applies to everyone.
The second is the avatar 'ability', or level, that make the character stronger, reproducing a fake idea of getting stronger. The second way is totally accepted and valid to the experience of the player, it is just a way to modelling something that is not avaiable in the game. Think about fifa (just for this example), if you get barcelona team you will have a better performance without learn anything, just because the characters have better velocities, aiming and resistance.
Also, if you consideer the experience in the gameplay and the learn through the game as a progress, then there it is! Of course this is not the main focous on RPG games, mainly because these games started as a book games, only with dice and imagination. But get Zelda, this game is a good example of a balanced gameplay that have both of these progress. You get new weapons and learn new abilities and also you get better swords and more piece of hearts.
I think the most important thing in a game is to have fun. But this is only my opinion.
Sorry for the long post
I play Counter-Strike competitively so yes I understand, what you mean is just individual skill, which exists for any game, but thats not the concept of progress in MMORPG we reference when we say "progress". Learning the game and getting better a it is a completely different thing (you can call it skill / knowledge / learning curve / whatever).
You have stated some obvious (to some) stuff, which you are right about, but you didn't answer my question. Your OT is not CS, it is allegedly a mmorpg, and its inherent to the MMORPG genre to exist some sort of character progress (level, strength, whatever). I can't see a MMORPG where you don't have this concept, thats my questioning. (so, unless it is NOT an mmorpg, I can't see how there would not be levels)