2013-01-30, 11:29 AM
Stereo Wrote:The problem, to me, is that Nexon focused on new classes = new content. On one character, I'm fine with 8+ hours per level (my Paladin spent a good stretch, probably 50-155, at a minimum of 8 hours each, reaching up to 25+ hours at the slower points, since LHC came out when it was high 15x). If the only way to experience new content is to grind a new character to 120... no thank you. My account has what, 9 or 10 4th jobs on it now? If they want me to enjoy playing all those characters to 4th there'd better be a decrease in the grind I have to accomplish on each of them.
If they want me to try the new classes, specifically their 4th job skills they can't nerf grinding. And since they want me to try new classes, the equation is simple.
If they want me to grind characters I've already got, they can balance the existing classes so there's a point to me playing Aran/DK/Paladin (all of which lose out in the dps race by a large margin - the DK and Paladin in general, the Aran at high-end upgrades due to its low hits per second). A single equip upgrade for an AB could add more dps than my Aran can do, total.
It's the way the game is designed that makes it hard for them to create new content that everyone can participate in. MapleStory isn't like every modern MMO, where the level cap is easily reached by anyone who plays the game for more than 60-100 hours and all new content can be focused at the level cap, or scaled. MapleStory was designed to be an endless grind, where casual and average players could have plenty to do in lower level areas, while the hardcore players could continue to log in and play for more experience. For years, that meant concentrating the content at lower levels, while putting in a handful of high level bosses that hardcore players could kill over and over again for experience and lucrative drops that they could sell to invest into the luck-based upgrade systems.
Over time, the continuing power creep (natural to have in MMOs) meant more and more players got to higher levels, exposing a void in content, crowding the few areas and bosses that were available, and pushing players to grind for 20+ hours for a single level. Nexon has a limited amount of resources with which to create new content. They could add more high level content, but that keeps a significant part of the playerbase from accessing it, and you reach a dead end at level 200, so they needed to preserve that time sink.
So what did they do? New classes! The point was not just to give players new gameplay options, it was to encourage players to start over by making them overpowered, giving them something new to work on. Make them forget about the broken systems at higher levels. Everyone can participate, and old content gets recycled.
By making dozens of new classes, they've managed to extend the life of the game by quite a bit, and avoid making any big changes like the level cap extension until now. It was a brilliant move by Nexon.