[MUD-Dev] DESIGN: WoW quests and content

[cruise]

Travis Nixon wrote:

> But I think the thing that's most shocking to me is that the part
> of my brain that's saying "wtf are you doing?  this is just the
> same-old-same-old" is being totally ignored by the part that's
> still having fun after a year of playing, which is about 3 or 4
> times as long as it took me to totally burn out on the last couple
> I played.

> And I really can't explain why.  And that bothers me.  A lot.

I was having much the same conversation about CoH the other day,
strangely. In Guild Wars, after a few hours, I wasn't fighting
monsters, I was just watching the power buttons recharge and
clicking on them in a pre-learnt sequence. There was no immersion
for me at all.

And yet, in CoH (and, yes, WoW mostly), despite the fact they use
the /exact/ same mechanic, somehow I'm a hero fighting the villains
with my superpowers.

The difference? I have no idea. And it's bugging me too.

The only thing I can point at is the graphical feel of the powers -
there's a wonderful OTT nature to the superhero powers in CoH, an
impressive tactility that makes them fun to watch.

Hm. Could it be the provision of short-term rewards in addition to
the longer range goal of "the next level?"

ie. the basic grind has basically only the goal of the next
level. Killing a mob cannot really be considered a goal after the
first one.

By providing the extra visceral thrill of OTT superhero powers, each
fight (for me, at least) becomes a mini-reward.

Presuambly, WoW is doing the same thing on a slightly longer scale,
as the (admittedly basic) emotional hook of the quest provides a
shorter-term reward, breaking up the slog to the major goal?

--
[ cruise / casual-tempest.net / transference.org ]
   "quantam sufficit"
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