How long can I keep this up - http://bit.ly/pYDkvl

_________________
Bored? Head on over to my blog and see what I'm up to.

Microsoft XNA MVP

My advice is to not put too much emphasis on "realism".

Stats are made to increase at the rate they do because that is what happens to optimise the gameplay enjoyment. Focusing too much on realism by using shallow stat growth, and you could end up with something boring.

If the stat curve is too shallow, then players will feel a poor sense of progress. What they struggled to kill at level 20, they'll still be struggling to kill at level 25. Leveling up loses it's significance (and thrill factor) if you can't feel any difference between one level and the next. WoW is very balanced in this regard ~ you can just about feel the difference between level n and level n+1. Players can feel they have advanced.

For completeness, if the stat curve is too steep, the game can begin to feel linear. "It's impossible to survive this task at level 10, but it's doable and enjoyable at level 11, but if you leave it until level 12 it's not worth doing because it's so simple that it's boring."

_________________
I ain't pushing no moon buttons.

Methinks someone is confusing stats with skills. In most traditional P&P systems, stats don't increase much, if at all... it's usually about skills, which are augmented by character stats, and increase each level. Stats only increase by one point (in total) every four levels only in the d20/D&D system, for example.

I find the d20 system has it nailed, though. The perfect (or as close as I've found to perfect) list of attributes, balancing simplicity with flexibility. In fact, I've gotten into the habit of making new stat systems at least loosely based on the d20 attributes. It's pretty much the best I've seen, among others such as GURPS, Fudge, et al.

_________________
What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

But the gameplay doesn't necessarily need to be optimized by stat increase. I don't see why gameplay has to be boring just because stats don't advance.


That's only if nothing else advances. That's not going to be the case. Skills will increase with use and they should notice the missions they're assigned being "better".


I played WoW a bunch of times and never noticed this, at least at the first twenty levels.


And that's why levels aren't going to be part of this. It's an artificial indicator of advancement through the game that's not necessary as long as the player feels he's accomplishing something another way. Leveling isn't the goal, completing missions is. The advancement will be bigger, more complex missions, just like most MMOs.

_________________
Bored? Head on over to my blog and see what I'm up to.

Microsoft XNA MVP