TDG said:
You're misguided here. Many PC games have gained massive followings in the past without any sort of ranking system whatsoever. Call of Duty (the original, for PC) had a far larger player base than COD4 has every accumulated, and (if I recall correctly) did not constantly tell players how special they are, in fact, I don't think it had a ranking system at all.
People do not require a ranking system to enjoy their experience, they never have, and far more don't care about it than you think.
A few years ago I would have agreed with you, and on the PC things still remain very much that way. But it's clear that, at least on the console front, that players enjoy this reward system. There hasn't been a big PC shooter that's really experimented with this sort of thing really; Battle Field 2 is the only thing that comes to mind. But this is where I'll shift the focus of the argument. CoD4's reward system, and Halo 3's playlist exp to a much lesser degree, do more that just give a player a pat on the back when they do something good; they offer a sense of progression. Back to the PC, MMOs (WoW) seem to have really hit massive success. It's the best selling and most popular PC game. Much of the appeal of MMORPGs have been becoming a really high level with really hard to get stuff and showing how awesome you are to everyone else. One of the things WoW really nailed was keeping a reasonable carrot at the end of a stick for the user. Characters leveled up fast and kept getting cooler shit. They feel like they're achieving something in the long run each time they hop on a thus continue to do so.
This is obviously where all online games are heading. I wouldn't be surprised if all upcoming MP shooters have some for of leveling, exp, or persistent characters. This only adds to the experience IMO. The gameplay still has to be fun but people find enjoyment out of a sense of progress; that is part of the fun for many people. People play videogames to have fun and enjoy themeselves so it's only fitting that these videogames do whatever it can to make the user feel as good as possible.
TDG said:
I don't think anybody's suggesting that, but to go in the other direction with sarcasm:
Why not send players laminated certificated signed by Jason Jones everytime they successfully switch their weapons? How about sending them money (or coupons for penis enlargements) everytime they get a kill? How about parades in honor of the winning teams? Why should there be limits to how players are rewarded for their in-game accomplishments?
:lol
You bring up a good point in asking whether there should be a limit to how much and for what players should be rewarded. Regardless of what someone else thinks it worthy of reward, the user being rewarded must feel like they did something worth it. The must be a sense of accomplishment, however little, to go along with the reward; the reward itself should never (and hardly ever can) trigger this feeling. So would one feel accomplished because they found the button that lets them switch weapons? I'd hope not. For stopping the flag carrier or planting the bomb? Sure.
TDG said:
People quit games back in Halo 2 before there was the threat of losing EXP, and they still do now.
And I think that when you look at things like K/D ratio, achievements for kills with certain weapons, and the ranking system, it's easy to find a lot of people who actually play the game INcorrectly due to these things. And a lot of people who are no longer playing the game for their own enjoyment, which is a whole other problem.
I can't really follow why including a system that rewards players for playing as the game was designed would encourage people to do the opposite. Of course some players won't care for the rewards but I still don't see how the possibility for positive reinforcement would backfire.
TDG said:
I definitely feel like a better human being than the rest of you, that's for sure. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some repairs done on my ivory tower.
:lol
Thanks though for responding. I feel there isn't enough discussion in this thread. I enjoy shootin the shit as much as the next guy but when more people respond with angry replies about some guy's discontent about his exp than people taking the subject in a more interesting direction it's a bit sadface inducing.
I'd love to see Bungie do something groundbreaking with what I feel is just as important as core gameplay when it comes to player enjoyment and especially long-term enjoyment. There are so many directions to take it (looking at MMORPGs, games like Chromehounds, CoD4, etc.) and I can't wait to see where developers take in the next few years.
