作者：Josh Bycer

MMO游戏类型始终致力于让玩家长久待在游戏中。在过去这一般是以扩展和更多内容的形式体现出来。而这里所存在的问题便是一开始能够添加的内容非常有限，除非你拥有一个专门致力于这项工作的团队。

今天我想着眼于最近MMO设计所使用的全新进程及其利弊。

The Division(from gamasutra)

装备等级：

从属性看来，MMO和RPG设计是基于不断增长的抽象进程。即50级总是比20级更厉害。而最近的MMO游戏将游戏进程从级别系统转向了装备。

装备等级（GR）是对于玩家在最终游戏的装备的抽象衡量。当玩家到达最高级别时这将变成全新的级别或进程曲线。即比起通过体验去提高级别上限，现在玩家将致力于寻找更高GR道具。

GR是决定一种道具的属性范围的抽象数据，而这一数据是由设计师所决定。例如你可能拥有两个手套，一个手套的GR为110，另一个则为150。

当玩家收集到拥有更高GR的道具时，他们的整体GR便会变成拥有优势的伪级别。

这种类型的最终游戏模式拥有一些主要优势。

直接到达游戏最后：

传统意义上，在玩家到达游戏最后前MMO便拥有较大的级别曲线。但是玩家进程会在到达级别上限前便看到所有机制。

而基于GR，设计师可以有效缩短级别上限。比起像《魔兽世界》等MMO，《全境封锁》和《DC漫画英雄》都拥有较低的级别上限。一旦玩家触及上限，他们将转向挑战可获取更高GR装备的更复杂任务。

这能让玩家到达级别上限的一个稳定点，即让设计师可以在设计最终游戏内容时考虑到这点。

较低级别上限同时也意味着开发者可以不用去管早前的游戏阶段了，因为玩家将快速完成它。而他们将通过所有人都可以看到的全新内容去维持最终的游戏阶段。

持续的进程：

通过将进程转化为装备，设计师可以创造一个持续的进程模式。因为装备是抽象的，所以比起创造全新级别，你可以不断提高最大GR。

随着你不断提高GR，你将能够创造出以特殊GR形式出现的全新道具类型。《全境封锁》便是一个很好的例子，如果你能有效使用纸牌，你便能够为玩家提供无限的进程数。

不过话虽如此，GR也拥有一些不能忽视的弊端。

人造进程：

GR能够帮助你不断扩展进程曲线，但是玩家可能会被这样的进程所吓到。升级的关键便在于玩家角色将基于某种方式不断发展，这也是推动他们继续游戏的动力。

如果只专注于装备，玩家便不能再拥有有意义的进程形式，反而将面对一个人造进程。让我们再次以《全境封锁》为例，即对我来说我觉得枪支可能更合适，但它却拥有较低的GR。也就是尽管某种武器虽然很好，但是如果我需要获得更高的GR我就不应该去使用它。

GR便变成了影响玩家进程高低值的唯一方式。

在《DC漫画英雄》中，玩家只能在GR到达一定级别时才能执行最终游戏任务。而如果玩家运气不好不能获得合适的掉落战利品，他便不能继续向前进。

开发者如果专注于GR就必须提供能获得更高GR的选择。不管是《DC漫画英雄》还是《全境封锁》都拥有能够销售更好GR道具的供应商。而基于不同游戏，供应商的道具可能会比那些玩家所找到的道具更厉害，不过反之也亦然。这里的要点在于如果随机性并不能发挥作用，玩家就必须拥有B计划。

不能只是依靠GR：

基于GR的游戏具有通过扩展GR而获得无限游戏可能的潜力。同时从玩家角度来看它也具有无限刷任务的可能。如果没有新任务或新内容能够带给玩家挑战，他们将只是为了获得战利品而去获得战利品。

你不可能创造出一款让玩家不断重复同样内容的MMO。这时候的《全境封锁》便陷于游戏终端环节。世界层系统并不能为玩家添加任何新内容，反而只能不断提高敌人的性能。

在我看来《暗黑破坏神3》便不具有Troment。即一旦到达Torments，游戏除了提供更多战利品去挑战玩家外便别无选择。

作为设计师，你不能只是依靠GR系统便期待玩家能够持续待在游戏中。你必须不断创造出全新内容，否则玩家最终都会对你的游戏感到厌倦并停止游戏。

在《魔兽世界》中，因为游戏拥有强大的扩展内容，所以它们才有可能在下一款游戏出现前长久地留住玩家的心。几乎任何游戏都是基于长期的规划，而一旦你为全新内容制定了计划，你就必须将其执行下去。

MMO的未来

《魔兽世界》仍然是MMO市场上不可取代的领头军，但是现代MMO仍在不断尝试着各种全新内容。《命运》和《DC漫画英雄》便是如此，我们也可以期待《全境封锁》1.4版本后的发展。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转发，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

How Modern MMOs are Changing the Game

by Josh Bycer

The MMO genre has always been built on keeping people invested and playing. In the past, this has been in the form of expansions and more and more content. The problem is that there is only so much that can be added in this front, unless you have a dedicated team working round the clock.

For today’s post, I want to look at a new alternative to progression that recent MMO design has been using, and the pros and cons of it.

Gear Rating:

MMOs and RPG design by their nature are built on an ever growing scale of abstracted progression. A level 50 is always going to be better than a level 20 as an example. What recent MMO-based games have done is switch progression from a leveling system and instead put it on the gear.

“Gear Rating” or GR for this post, is an abstracted measurement of the player’s gear at the end-game. This becomes the new leveling or progression curve when the player is at the max level. Instead of having to raise the level cap via experience, now the player is hunting for items of higher GR.

The GR is an abstract stat that determines the stat range of an item and is defined by the designers. For instance: You could have two gloves, one has a GR of 110, and the other has a value of 150.

As the player collects items of a higher GR, their overall GR becomes a pseudo level for defining strength.

There are several major advantages of this kind of end-game model that we can talk about.

Getting Straight to the End:

MMOs traditionally have large leveling curves before the player hits the end game. However, the player will most often see and get access to all the mechanics long before they hit the level cap.

By focusing on a GR, it allows the designers to have a drastically shorten level cap. Both the Division and DC Universe Online have low leveling caps compared to MMOs like World of Warcraft. Once the player hits the cap, the focus is now on doing harder missions for gear of higher GR.

This allows the player base to all reach a point of stability or a baseline of the level cap that the designers can take into account when designing end-game content.

The low leveling cap also means that the developers can leave the early-game alone as players will blaze through it. Future support can focus on enhancing the end-game with new content that everyone can see.

Sustained Progression:

By taking the progression and switching it to gear, it allows designers to create an unending progression model. Because gear is abstracted, you can simply just continue to raise the max GR as you see fit instead of creating new levels.

As you continue to raise the GR up, it gives you the option to create new types of items that appear at specific GR. The Division as an example saves set pieces until you hit the level cap. If you play your cards right, you could give a foundation that allows for an infinite amount of progression for the players.

With that said, GR does have its downsides that you must plan for.

Artificial Progression:

GR is a great way for you to keep extending your progression curve, but a horrible way for the player to see progression. The point of leveling up is that the player’s character is growing in some way, and that’s the motivation to keep playing.

By focusing only on gear, the player no longer has a meaningful form of progression, but an artificial one. In the Division for example, I found a gun that was better for me stat-wise, but had a lower GR. Even though the weapon was better, I couldn’t use it if I wanted to keep my GR for missions.

GR as the only form of progression leads to peaks and valleys of progress for the player.

In DC Universe Online, you could only do end-game content if your GR was at certain milestones. Get unlucky with loot drops, and you won’t be able to move forward.

When focusing on GR, you must have an alternative to getting higher GR. Both DC Universe Online and the Division have vendors who sell comparable GR items. Depending on the game, vendor items could be better than those found or vice versa. The point is that if the randomization isn’t working, players must have a plan B.

All Dressed up With Nowhere to Go:

A GR-focused game does have the potential for infinite play with extending the GR. However, it also has the potential for infinite grinding on the player’s part. Without new content or things to challenge the player, they’re simply getting loot for the purpose of getting loot.

You cannot have a MMO-based title and expect your players to repeat the same content with no changes. The Division at this moment is suffering in the end-game department. The world tier system doesn’t add anything new to fight, but simply raises the stats of enemies.

Diablo 3 is still lacking as well in my opinion with the Torment system. Once you get to the Torments, there’s no motivation other than hoping to get more loot to challenge the player.

As designers, you cannot just sit back with a GR system and expect people to keep playing and paying. New content has to come regularly or people will get bored and stop playing.

In World of Warcraft’s case, the expansions are so big, that they can hold most players over until the next one. With any game built on long-term plans, once you set a schedule for new content, you must adhere to it.

The Future of MMOs?

World of Warcraft is still the undisputed king of the MMO market, but modern MMOs are trying new things to stand out. The likes of Destiny and DC Universe Online are still hanging in there, and we’ll have to see if the Division can bounce back following the 1.4 patch.

Thanks to focusing on GR, MMOs can say that there will always be something new for players to find, but will there be something to do? For everyone reading this, what are your thoughts on this change to progression?(source:gamasutra)