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Leveling up and acquiring wealth are vital parts of RPGs, both on and offline. These often take an even more dominant role in MMORPGs than their offline counterparts and are far more time-consuming. Lately, a larger number of games have started offering periods where exp and drop rates are higher than usual. In some cases, this is merely for a week or so as part of a special event to get players that might be wavering to become interested again. The question is, if higher exp and drop rates prevent the grind from being as dull, why not simply put the higher rates into effect at all times?
Though MMORPGs are the main culprit, some offline RPGs do something similar. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time in particular comes to mind due to its bonus gauge. For those that are unfamiliar, when certain conditions are met, exp, money, etc. increase dramatically. In fact, the change is so dramatic that it's easy to laugh at the pathetic end-battle results given when the gauge isn't active. With the large amount of optional material and high maximum level, it becomes almost vital to have the gauge running as much as possible. The player would just be wasting their time in battle otherwise.
In the end, one has to question why games include these special bonus playtimes and gauges to reduce dull grinding when simply making the bonuses permanent would result in the grind being more bearable at all times. Games are about fun, not sitting around waiting for the next time the MMORPG owners decide to temporarily raise the rates or jumping through hoops in order to active and maintain bonus gauges in games like Star Ocean 3.
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