I loathe leveling. Hate playing incomplete characters that don’t work right because they don’t have all their tools. The Hive Scum at release (before the talent tree changes so I can’t comment on it now) felt really underwhelming and difficult until you got to the mid 20s because so many tools just weren’t there but then it just skyrockets in capability once you flesh out the last bit of the talent tree. Same issue with grindfest games like Warthunder and World of Tanks/Ships/etc where you get a shiny new vehicle and it’s utter garbage until you spend 50 hours of gameplay time to kit it out to the state it’s actually built and balanced around. There’s a lot of feelsbad there.
Additionally, as we get more and more classes, for newer people starting the game wanting to flesh out each class, the time investment that isn’t already spread over years of playtime gets increasingly daunting. Leveling 4 core classes was one thing, if we’re at 6 now and looking at more, potentially 7/8/10 at some point, then that’s going to look like an overwhelming grind to many.
That said, at the same time, with Darktide specifically, I feel like leveling is a huge help in learning class mechanics and getting exposed to the different weapons and trying stuff out. I’m still not great at Hive Scum, but I’d be truly awful if I’d never had to level it from scratch. If you just got to skip straight to 30 with new DLC classes, I can only imagine the drama erupting here from everyone complaining about all the total idiots who haven’t learned the most basic functions of new classes yet that would flood into Auric/Havoc for their first games.
Not sure I have a clear answer or position, maybe a middle ground of allowing accelerated leveling? If you already have a couple characters at 30 and completed the storyline, maybe double leveling speed for characters after that? The leveling grind sucks, but there’s a valid argument that having to retrain basics has a place too.
I was fine with being forced to level up new classes before, but now since you have to play each difficulty numerous times to unlock the next one, I really don’t want to do it.
It’s a waste of time to have to play multiple brainless games only to get back to Auric Maelstrom or Havoc, and you also grief new players by queueing up with them as a long-time player.
Not that I know of, but please correct me if I am wrong.
Frankly, leveling and power scaling should never have been brought into the 'tide games. The first Vermintide had almost no power scaling; weapon tier did slightly change damage, and it was important, and leveling unlocked slots for the equivalent of curios, but that was it. You just played and got better at the game.
Leveling and RPG elements were added because clueless reviewers whined about “progression”. I’m an old-school gamer, back from the days when the “chase” was just getting better at the game, and you wanted to because it was fun. While the 'tide games have the fun, a lot of unfun games had to rely on the skinner box to keep people engaged, and well - that has now bled back into an actually fun game and revealed just how anti-fun this stuff is.
The whole point about giving players time to learn the character does have some validity, but I think there are other ways to do that than a level grind. But since it already exists, they’ll keep it. Oh well - it’ll be over before long and then you’ll be done. And all the people who probably would have loved the game if they’d actually been able to try it without the grind will never come back.
This is a greivance I have with modern gaming in general, devs are inserting rpg mechanics in non rpg’s and removing them from rpg’s and I hate it. There is basically no difference between a Far Cry and Fallout anymore in terms of rpg mechanics.
Well, I shouldn’t complain too much because the next class has to be incredibly amazing in terms of gameplay, personalities, voice acting, cosmetics (yeah, I know), and “roleplay” if I am to give up on my mucker.
Like I said, it would save me the time and hassle. If I could buy it with in-game currency, I would do it 100%. I will learn the character and gear on my own terms, thanks!
it’s the neat “invention” of not-so-current generations, to fake a sort of progression via numbers when the actual player stagnates due to a plateau or lack of skill completely.
“back in the day”, you sucked, you sucked.
it was cursed onto you to never clear the highest echolons of quake/doom ultra nightmare etc for no matter how many times you threw your head against that wall, all you got was a bleeding nose.
up come rpg/mmo crap into first person shooters:
“hey mom looook, I beaten the boss with that new fancy gun I recently unlocked”
(moms face in real time when thinking about timmy’s “skills”)
though I have to concede a positive turn of events (well not positive in terms of balancing in the game but still…)
majority of folks in current event really turn it into a meth induced speed ballet, giving hope that a solid base of remaining players mastered their craft and not only need to blue/yellow themselves against green enemies.
seen movement/aim and reflexes that show mechanical skills aplenty, so for those we truly could do away with the number crap and make em pop the cork on a new class by their own natural means
Glad you’re having that experience, every run I get into everyone seems to have just optimized the crap out of their build to invalidate it. Plasma, Kraks, DS.
