expansion-changes
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Lord of the Rings Online explains Hunter changes in Helm's Deep
Ranged classes can be hard to handle from a design standpoint. Lord of the Rings Online had exactly that problem with Hunters; players felt that one of the class trait lines was the "main" line and the others were just supplementary. The latest development blog explains how that issue has been corrected: the developers have given the Bowmaster, Huntsman, and Trapper of Foes lines unique roles and specialties on the battlefield. The Bowmaster is a stationary high-DPS ranged specialization that requires a steady spot for consistent damage. The Huntsman, meanwhile, emphasizes mid-range mobility and rapid output of weaker attacks. Trapper of Foes fills out the roster by focusing on crowd control and AoE, trading in some damage for more group offerings. Players can start enjoying these changes when the expansion goes live in November. On an unrelated but important note, players impacted by the game's outage issues earlier in the month have now been compensated via time extensions for subscribers and free Turbine Points for lifetime members. It's not a class revision, but it's certainly a welcome bit of recompense.
The Daily Grind: What should expansions do to the level cap?
A successful MMO gets expansions -- it's one of the oldest truisms in the genre, and even as free-to-play games begin to ease in on the market, it remains the prevailing expectation. Of course, the expansion also comes on the heels of several players having already reached the level cap, which presents designers with an interesting conundrum -- how do you get people interested in the new content you're selling? World of Warcraft's choice has routinely been to increase the level cap, making a new rush of content for players to level through before populating the endgame with roughly the same diversity. Other games -- including Guild Wars, Final Fantasy XI, and City of Heroes -- broaden the level cap, adding new content that players can work through without necessarily requiring a new bout of leveling. So which do you prefer from a retail expansion? Do you like the model of adding another group of levels to move through, obsoleting the old level cap but letting everyone catch up to the same point? Or do you prefer an ever-larger endgame with the same cap but more options when you reach it? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
