While outside in the world the grim specter of cold progression makes the rounds, players of MMORPGs have been struggling with a different phenomenon since time immemorial: The linear progression.
There is always the goal of getting one item level higher, looting one more artifact, rising another rank in PVP, to finally get closer to the ideal goal of a maxed character. We leave cold progression alone and take a hot look at the linear.
The next upgrade beckons
Everywhere in our lives we see upgrade opportunities. The old bike could be replaced with a new mountain bike, the old tube could be replaced with a sparkling LED screen, the wardrobe could also use an upgrade, and the Mickey Mouse watch on the wrist obviously no longer matches the new lifestyle, and when the gaze falls on the girlfriend – well, let’s leave that, otherwise we might get swapped for a newer model.
Let’s be honest: In life, you often get pretty stuck. Upgrade opportunities don’t easily arise, the voice of reason keeps saying: You can’t afford that.
And those who actually have a bit more money in their account will hardly go to their trusted blacksmith and demand new cutlery – preferably a decadent plus-five knife – but will invest the money sensibly, maybe even plan for a vacation or make another one-time expense that can’t be accounted for in the inventory afterwards.
In MMORPGs, especially in the ever-popular World of Warcraft, it’s quite different.
[pull_quote_center]WoW recognized the players’ longing for an upgrade a long time ago and has become a master at repeatedly dangling the carrot of progress in front of the player.[/pull_quote_center]
No day goes by, so the idea is, without the player’s avatar becoming a little stronger. Working towards a goal. He still logs out a little stronger than he logged in, or is at least close to the goal.
The possibilities that Blizzard and other manufacturers exploit are the meanest and most insidious of all: filling bars and growing numbers! What exactly is growing isn’t that important. Whether the faction bar with the guardians of the golden nightpot, our resilience against dragon breath, or – for the truly hardened – even the value in fishing.
As long as there is a number and preferably a leaderboard where you can compare it.
And it’s not just a male thing: For many WoW female players, nothing is more important than the number of their achievement points. There are rumors of entire guilds that are enslaved on Sundays to raid some ancient content because there is still an achievement missing. Let us take a moment to pray for these poor souls.
Various methods of progress, or not?
For most of us, it starts so harmlessly. At some point – probably in ancient times – it must have happened to each of us: The first level-up. Just a moment ago you were a lowly level one – and then something happened that you didn’t quite understand, a hotkey was pressed, a monster bit the dust, a light lit up, a number flashed, and: Ta-da! Make way, you beginners, I am level 2.
At some point you were even level 5, and the monsters that at first took you three hits now fell over at just a glance. The starting area was quickly abandoned, and you turned to new tasks, dreams of omnipotence arose. The journey continued, new abilities were unlocked, and with each logout, you felt closer to that magical state of having reached the max level.
[intense_progress size=”large” animation=”1″ colors=”success,” values=”60″ texts=”Not far until the next level!” /]
Well, for some casual players, those lucky clueless ones, the journey ended somewhere along the way. Or – as some players hold – the journey ended exactly at the maximum level, then these players logged out, started a twink, or were never seen again. For hardcore players, however, the game only begins upon reaching max level.
The collecting, the hunting, and the ladder of progress
Upon reaching the highest level, there are of course still opportunities to further develop the character: Now the character must be equipped with a series of items. With each item, the character becomes stronger and is therefore able to defeat stronger monsters, which drop better equipment, enabling the player to take down even stronger monsters.
WoW has elevated this to a high art.
Even in the times of The Burning Crusade, the hoops players had to jump through were clearly outlined. First, the most important main quests were completed, then it went into the instances, then into heroic instances, then into 10-man raids (after Karazhan), and finally with the guild into the increasingly difficult 25-man raid instances. Solo players were out of luck (or had luck), for them the game truly ended at max level.
The other players embarked on a clearly defined ladder. Step by step they had to climb. It is still like that today.
Each class has a specific playstyle that promises optimal benefit. Clever minds – usually bored mathematicians – create huge tables and wage small wars over what exactly this configuration looks like, but it is clear: It is somewhere out there. For the players, the ascent on a ladder begins, on whose top rung this ideal vision awaits.
The ladder of progress is narrow and steep …
Now, there could have been various possibilities – and maybe there still are – to shape this ladder of progress. In WoW – and for most other players – the ladder has become narrow and high over the years: for each class, there is exactly one item of a certain quality in a specific level range, after which the next must be obtained.
A hunter in World of Warcraft can always check how strong his bow is. If he has the fifth strongest bow in the game, he knows exactly which opponent he must defeat to get to the fourth best.
It almost seems as if all hunters in World of Warcraft play the exact same character, only at different stages of their development. The hunter with ilvl500 already knows which items he will wear with ilvl510 – because there is only one “best” configuration.
… but it is fun to reach the top
Now, this ladder has several reasons. Especially WoW is a game that has polished away almost all corners and edges in recent years. Huge guilds, where real money is at stake, compete across continents in a race to see who will defeat the latest bosses first. Equal opportunities are to be maintained.
The elite hunter of the North American super guild should have the same opportunities as his rival from Sweden. But doesn’t this also rob the game of any surprise? Can a player shape his character however he likes? Can he give it his own personal touch – or even develop a distinctive style and still remain effective and not burden his raid?
Well, World of Warcraft at least makes an effort on a cosmetic level. For some years now, it has been possible to change and personalize the appearance of the game characters and their items.
Other games follow a different philosophy. In them, items do not play such a big role, but progress then occurs through vanity items, i.e., items that only serve to boost the player’s ego, but do not make the character stronger.
The strange thing is, however, that many of these games live in the shadow. While the magical allure of WoW is likely based on the fact that in the world of Azeroth, it always goes higher, stronger, and further.
What do you think?
Do you like linear progression, or do you hope for a bit more variety in character development from new games like Guild Wars 2, Everquest Next, or TESO when it comes to your character?
