[MUD-Dev2] [REPOST] Value

[Brian Ayavaron Ross]

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*  REPOST
*
* Original Poster:  Brian "Ayavaron" Ross
* ayavaron at gmail.com
*
* 11/20/2005 11:09 AM
*
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A topic that always came to mind to me when I played games was
value.  I don't like it when I pay $50 for a game only to find that
I couldn't get more than an hour into it due to insurmountable
difficulty. When I pay full price for a game, I expect to be allowed
to see all of the game regardless of my skill. It seems unfair that
when I pay $50 for a game, I am only privy to 10% of the game.

I think this is a problem with MMORPGs too. MMORPGs are more
expensive than normal games because there is the additional
subscription fee beyond the initial price of the purchase.

But MMORPGs also do a lot to lock off people of lower skill. I've
heard people mention it within this mailing list even. They talk
about locking off content to lower level players as a way to help
prevent quest vandalism and such. But it seems unfair as they're
paying the same price as everyone else.

But I've hared some MMORPGs don't really start until you're at level
XX (Usually 20). What if someone doesn't get to level 20 in the
first month and then decides to quit? That person will have invested
$65 into something that they didn't get to enjoy.

So I wonder now, do other people see this as a problem? Some games
are designed around the idea of avoiding this type of thing (CoH and
WoW) but why should some games require work before you can start
enjoying them. That just isn't cool.

Do other people have anything to say on the subject?