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Occam's Sword of Usefulness +1

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Michael "Macstorm" Cunningham
EDITORIALS CURATOR

Occam's Razor is sometimes reduced to the simple phrase, "all things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one." If you've watched House, M.D. then you've likely heard this theory before. I now will apply this theory to the world of MMOs. Complaints from casual gamers are issues like MMOs taking too long to level, having friends out level them, and a feeling of never getting to end game content. Some end game complaints are about end game stuff taking too long to come out and being too repetitive. Most MMO expansions and updates are mostly end game related. Just look at World of Warcraft and what they've recently done in their latest patch. They've decreased the amount of experience required to get to level 60, where the end game stuff really starts. So, if most MMORPGs are mostly about end game, why not create one that is nothing but end game?

Think of it. Everyone starts on equal footing and can join at any time without feeling left behind. It's the same as hitting the level cap, except you essentially start at the level cap. There will still be noobs and uber characters, but maybe there would be less middle-of-the-road quitters that just got bored mindlessly grinding to catch up. Many claim World of Warcraft to be the ultimate casual MMORPG, but this would top it if developed with the same level of care that WoW has gotten. It could feature a huge world to explore, offering more than just finding the next spot to camp or the next quest to activate. Get rid of experience points and just start everyone on an equal setting. How they develop from there will depend on what they want to do, not what they have to do. Weapons, armor, skills, and magic will be the focus, the same as end game is now. At the level cap, there is no more leveling and the focus is elsewhere. World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI... they are nothing but grindfests of one type or another. So just cut out the middle man and let gamers do what they want to do. Play without having to level. It's the simplest answer and would work if someone like Blizzard or Square Enix would just give it a shot.