Level UP: How to make MMORPG systems better

In the course of my life as a gamer, I have played many games which feature a level and quest systems for character growth. Some were nice and fun, but some were too painful and dull and others were even unfair. In this article the you will see the flaws of most of these systems as well as ideas on how to make this systems evolve to better and more fun schemes for the gamer to enjoy. Without further due, lets go to these ideas that can make these games a more richer experience.

And chuck never leveled up, he just learned and mastered stuff.

Idea #1: Better use of experience points

In most mmorpgs and games in general that use level systems. The points awarded to the player (simulating real life experience in something) are entirely one sided. Lets say you killed a wild animal in X game. You gained 100xp (xp meaning experience points) but they are just that, generalized experience points. That sounds good and simple, but it is fair? I mean if in real life you killed a wild animal you are supposed to learn more than one thing as opposed to gaining an overall generic experience in life. Lets say that your arms got stronger by using them (with your weapon) to hit the animal, your reflexes got better, your knowledge of that type of animal went up a notch, your knowledge of the place were you hunted the animal went up a notch, and psychologically speaking, your self esteem and confidence went up a little too. By now we have 6 different things that have improved when you slayed the wild animal. Most systems give you a generic sum of experience that when you get to level up it only means 2 -4 points added to basic parameters such as strength, dexterity, defense, agility, etc. So that means that by killing countless creatures I gained just that little? As for the levels come this other idea.

This is proof that people rather be enjoying the game than grinding.

Idea #2: Replacing "levels" with something more real and comfortable.

Levels are good an all for some games but for most (especially mmorpgs) they are becoming a nuisance. Oh you can't ride that machine until you are level 50, you can't have a ride until level 30 that type of things make many players frustrated and frankly speaking, they don't make any sense. Now lets say that instead of levels you can have this whole group of skills and traits that complemented with your equipment can enable you to be whatever you want to be (while inside your race native characteristics). Lets say I am an elf on a game where there are no levels and instead they used a "trait" system (Fallout games have part of this system but they included levels altogether which makes it the same as traditional systems). I use my elf and in the beggining I have all the trait associated with this race with some points added in certain basic ones. If I want to be a mage, I know I should train my intelligence by reading or getting to learn new stuff, as for my magic that trait raises every time I use a spell. I should have some dexterity if I want to cast spells faster so I train doing activities that would raise dex. That is a little example of how a completely trait based system would work. Having total freedom over my stats doesn't mean that I can make a god out of my character because there have to be limits based on race and job chosen so balance isn't broken by any smart ass player. Now that we talk about traits and stats what about the HP? How can that be enhanced on a game that uses a trait system? Well see the third idea if you want to know.

Well I have like 500 hp the monsters may hit by...oh whatever here I go! -said minutes before becoming a mangled corpse.

Idea #3: No HP growth, just modify the amount of damage taken.

This idea is quite simple. Instead of having a character whose HP or life is like 1000000 and this becoming a great mathematical calculation to have expectations of life and death in the game, it would be a lot better just to have a small number (like 100hp for instance) and modify the rate in which the player loses hp when fighting. Lets say that in the beggining, with newbie equipment the player can lose up to 3-9 hp per basic attack he is hit with (or even more if he battles stronger foes). but 2 weeks later, after the player has beefed up his stats and traits and now on the same area he just get damage around 1-3 hp making a lot less prone to dying on a fight. His hp is still 100 but his defenses are better so he is dealt less damage. Small modifiers can include elemental damage, magic damage, stab, slash, blunt damage and so on. This is not only much simpler to handle it is even more realistic. Because if I know that the monster over the hill will hit me for about 20 hp per basic attack I would not dare to fight with him. It is easier, more comfortable and it gives a more open insight to a player on how to survive in the game world. Now lets move on to the next idea.

Behold my great ride. I know nothing about horse riding but been lv 30 and doing an idiotic quest made the trick.

Idea #4: Fixing the issue with mounts, travels and pets.

If levels doesn't exist then how we will limit players for mounts, travels, pets, etc? The answer to this question is answered simply by saying that the chances of you doing something depend on your stats and the time you take to build them. So if you want to mount a horse for example you will have to learn how to ride it (unless it is on your race native talents). You may try and try, fall off the horse, not be able to have control over it, until you finally reach that point where you can ride as fast as the wind trough the plains, you just have to take your time to learn the skill before you can use it. The different trait that the player may or may not have will also affect how slow or fast you learn the desired skill. As for travel systems you don't need any level to ride a boat or an airship so the risks you may find in traveling to new places are entirely yours. The game should NOT limit any traveling because it is not only boring and uncomfortable, it is also unrealistic.

What? I've killed thousands, I am feared troughout the land and now you want me to fetch this herb to your grandma?

Idea #5: Not quest, just experiences...

One part of leveling up and doing stuff in most mmorpgs is going quests. These are a good source of game money, items and experience. The thing is, they are boring as hell. Deliver a piece of clothing to Johnny the one eye guy on the other village? Kill a thousand boars and give their skins to chief louis? How about following the ideas of games like Elder Scrolls Oblivion, where are simple quest starts then it develops into something more deep. Like the old women who seems to have a rat problem in her basement and you go there and kill the rats but they keep coming, later you discover that other woman is pouring rat food trough a hole in the basement and that's why the rats keep coming. You then have to trace the woman and either make her stop doing what she is doing by words (charismatic skills) or simply destroy her source of rat food. That is when the quest really ends. If this quest was done by some game standards standards, killing the rats ended the quest and nothing more happens. Why the over simplicity? So now for the rewards they come as you go trough the quest adding expertise to the various traits based on what you do to solve the problem and of course the other rewards will be gold and maybe some item. This is way more fun than dull fetching quests.

The Bottom line:

My last comments on this subject (how to make mmorpgs better) is that maybe this type of system is soon to come. Games like the new Star Wars mmorpg (based on the Knights of the old republic game) are signs that hope is not yet lost. Some day we will play mmorpgs and will develop a character that will become better as a real person does, by learning and improving, practicing and doing different things instead of mindless grinding and boring repetitive quest. Who knows? Some day we could even play a perfect simulation of real life on which we will hardly see the difference. Well folks this is all for today, hope you guys and gals enjoyed this article. See you all soon!