Why should an MMO be "Alt Friendly"

[Deleted]

WoW is/should be alt-firendly becasue it encourages you to play alts and this makes you spend more time ingame.

What the actual fuck did I just read

Just another Nost-Cult-Disciple, pay him no mind.

[darkwarrior42]

I don't know if "alt friendly" is what I'd want. I think I'd prefer a system that was in FFXI (might be in FFXIV too, but haven't touched it much) is where you have a character and you can change classes whenever you want and level them. You keep all your rep, gear, items, etc just need to relevel the class.

Granted I don't find a point in "mastering one class". You are just limiting yourself on different things ingame because you don't want to experience other classes.

This is a system I've always loved as well.

It would be particularly beneficial in WoW, given how much they keep changing the classes. That, more than anything else, is why I think everything but gear should be account-wide in WoW... I started on a paladin in Classic. Through no fault of my own, eventually the paladin became a class I no longer enjoyed. I mained a brewmaster in MoP, but brewmaster in Legion doesn't look even slightly appealing. They keep re-writing how the classes work, then try to say it's our fault not everyone likes the changes...

But beyond that, look at content droughts. Alts are an option for players to turn to, that lets them find enjoyment even in a drought. Mastering a single class is good, and enjoyable... but a great deal of mastery comes not from learning the abilities, but learning fights and mechanics. Playing multiple classes, learning how to handle different abilities, can also help you master your primary class, as well as understand how the rest of your team fights. It's one thing to know that an arcane mage with a rune of power has mobility issues, it's another to experience those yourself (as a random example).


There are many definitions of "alt-friendly", however. FFXIV is alt-unfriendly in that you lose EVERYTHING, but then, a single character also DO everything, so it's not needed. I consider GW2 very alt-friendly... account-wide banks, a great deal of gear and items that are account-bound on acquisition, mastery points carry over, but you still have to do all the content again on your new character.

So, contrary to what some might say, you can have a game that's alt-friendly that doesn't trivialize the game. How? A few ways:
1) Account-wide storage. You can still have soulbound gear, but now you can easily move items between characters. Pure quality of life.
2) Easing time-gate requirements for alts. MoP actually had a great idea on this front, with the rep boost items; you buy it on your main, your alts now earn rep twice as fast. You still have to play the game, you don't get to actually skip anything, but you don't have to put in as much time for the sake of time. (Contrary to what many might say, "do this every day for 20 days" is no harder than "do this every day for 5/10/X days", it just takes longer.
3) Dungeon/Raid currencies. I still think Wrath and Cataclsym had the right idea here, with two tiers of currency. You play the game and get gear to be at the previous tier of power, but you still have to complete content to do it. Put higher quantities of currency in the raids, and you instantly create incentive to run that content instead of heroics. Just make sure that the hero points don't provide gear on par with current content.

I could probably come up with more if I thought about it, but the point is, there are mechanics in these games that are about gameplay, and there are mechanics that are ultimately just time-sinks. Easing the latter while retaining the former is, in my opinion, the best way to create an environment that's alt-friendly without sacrificing actual gameplay value.

[Deleted]

Have you paid any attention to legion? A lot of the features announced and tested aren't alt friendly or at least they are far more conducive to a single spec or class. WoD was alt friendly because there was bugger all to do anyway once you done your weekly stuff which took 1 day for a lot of us.

[Flurryfang]

WOD is absolute shit for alts. It's the worst alt expansion since tbc and that's only because levelling was shitty slow back then.

Alting is not about having several chars at ma. Level. It's about what you do with them at max level.

In wod you need to worry about garrison, legendary quest, harbour and Tanaan before you can do anything that makes the game worth playing.

I don't mind it if they make levelling from 100-110 take a little longer. As long as they don't timegate stuff, force alts into lfr to gear or make them spend weeks on something that should have carried over from their main

For me, being alt friendly is all about how fast you can level multiple characters and how easy it is to switch to another "main", ie, going from a raid ready dps to a raid ready tank. WoD have been very effective with this, with Tanaan, LFR, Easy dungeons system, which made it easy to max out on 630 gear. Even more heirloom gear then before and ofcourse, more XP overall.

After you hit max lvl, the garrison, the legendary quest and the harbour, was not required for you to have a good working Alt. All these things were bonuses and since the legendary quest followed raids, it is often something you can get without trying hard. Don't really know how they could have made it much more alt friendly.

But that is really what i am putting a critique up for. I hate that things are gotten so easy. I hate that i don't have to dedicate large amount of time to my alt, for it be on the same lvl as my main. In my opnion, it should not be like that and it is something that drains the game of possible content.

[kamuimac]

Reroll whatever

Clicking search in LFG, afk dungeon one button at best.
Clicking search in BG, afk BG

Reach max level with " gameplay, fuck this " spirit.

Click search in LFR, afk, click need in loot, Ma i level oh yisss
Click search in BG, afk, spend currency in ileveling

Oh, click the facebook game, gain gold with, buying tokens, a lot of token, subcription become Free.

At best you only pay the game now 60 buck per year, less than 6 per month.

Insulting people because they play on NOS, because they are thieves.... when you can't even understand that Blizz² is losing more Money via it's own profit design...

Paying a sub is now completely stupid, because 6 per month + 5 per month (= 60 bucks to buy the next xpac ) = 11 per month.

So the game itself should be free.


ilevel grinding >>>>> rpg experience, gameplay or social or whatever.

WoW is a browser game.

tears of ex nost players are so delicius jummy jummy - gimme moar ^^(also learn not to steal)

[WowIsDead64]

Alts - is the only way to provide enough content in MMOs. MMOs are based on repetitive content, but stretching the same content too much turns it into grind. And usually, the closer you to endgame - the more grindy and less rewarding content is. Reward/effort ratio drops lower and lower. For example: 5ppls are very enjoyful and have best reward/effort ratio, but they last only for 1-2 weeks on one character. That's why developers don't want to rely on them. Alts - is the solution of this problem. You don't need to do grindy endgame content, such as raids, in order to have something to do. You just do enjoyful content, such as 5ppls. Obtained all possible gear? Move to next character.

Also. I guess, I'm collector kind of player. I feel, that some entity isn't full, if I don't have all pieces of it. If I wouldn't be timid in a real world, I would definitely be ladies'man, I guess. For players like me Blizzard implemented achievements. But achievements are just illusion - they're artificial goals. And having all classes and specs - is REAL collector's goal.

[Pua]

Why should an MMO be alt-friendly?

Because there isn't enough content to satisfy a single-character, and the effort taken to master one has been dramatically reduced.

[Cathbadh]

Why not make it alt friendly? If you stick with one character there is an extremely finite amount of content. You run your raid at your personal max difficulty once a week. You do your garrison BS or don't. Maybe run a few 5 mans for valor and then..... What? Go spend your time and money on another company's products and ignore WoW? Doesn't seem like a smart business plan to me.

Making the game alt friendly hurts no one. Don't want alts? Don't level them. Do something else with your time.

[thilicen]

Alt friendly can be many things. Personally I would prefer it meant easier leveling (I.E Heirlooms) and not so much catch-up when hitting max level. My biggest problem with alts is that I level one to have one to play for a while, but getting decked out so fast that I consider that one done way too soon.

[Deleted]

because they are to stupid to balance the clases

[AeneasBK]

You're wrong, the reason why leveling is so mind numbing/boring and easy is to encourage people to try out other classes and/or level alts.
.

Isn't that exactly what he says in the OP?

[WowIsDead64]

Unfortunately I can't find that picture, where leveling is cake, dungeons - is carrot and raids - is skull. It explains it all.

[ItachiZaku]

Sometimes I want to roam around as a kitty and bite alliance asses. Sometimes I want to throw fire on them instead. Other times, I want to save the world by throwing tons of green around on my variety of healers. If I got stuck playing only one toon/class, well, i just wouldn't. SWTOR, my "mains" are Jedi Shadow and Trooper. Exact opposites.

[WowIsDead64]

Sometimes I want to roam around as a kitty and bite alliance asses. Sometimes I want to throw fire on them instead. Other times, I want to save the world by throwing tons of green around on my variety of healers. If I got stuck playing only one toon/class, well, i just wouldn't. SWTOR, my "mains" are Jedi Shadow and Trooper. Exact opposites.

Yeah. It's all about freedom of choice. Sometimes I want to drive red car and sometimes blue. And till our scientists won't invent a method to change colour of my car, the only viable way to do it - is to have both red and blue cars.

[Aeula]

Because levelling is a big part of the game. Alt friendliness increases replayability and allows players to branch out to more roles (Giving us much needed tanks and healers).

[Deleted]

It shouldnt. Alts become thing when game start run out of content 1-2 months into expansion.

- - - Updated - - -

Because levelling is a big part of the game. Alt friendliness increases replayability and allows players to branch out to more roles (Giving us much needed tanks and healers).

Leveling WAS big part of the game. Now you can hardly call it leveling. You just spam dungeons, outleveling zones and facerolling way trougth them and it so boring.

[Aeula]

It shouldnt. Alts become thing when game start run out of content 1-2 months into expansion.

- - - Updated - - -



Leveling WAS big part of the game. Now you can hardly call it leveling. You just spam dungeons, outleveling zones and facerolling way trougth them and it so boring.

A lot of people still love it and do it more often than anything else. Personally I never do dungeons while levelling. I enjoy the zones way more. Either way speedy levelling is good because it increases the flow of non-DPS characters to help queues when they're max level.

[melodramocracy]

It really shouldn't be. It removes the importance of decision making in a game (to an extent), and also serves to remove the notion that you, behind the keyboard, are represented through this individual avatar.

From the game designers view, it's a cheap and easy way to pass off "want more content? reroll!"

[Heladys]

Quite obviously, so that people will play alts - increasing in-game time and thereby increasing their attachment to and likelihood to remain subbed to the game.

This sounds suspiciously on the level of a "why do companies charge money for games?" level of question.

[toxicrusader]

Q: Why should a MMO be alt friendly?
A: Why not?

A game as WoW SHOULD be alt friendly, otherwise, why allow players to even create other characthers? It allows you to see the game from a different point of view, and even change your game experience. Sepaking for myself, I mained a Warlock through Cata, and barely ended MoP this way, before changing my mind and creating a DK. It looked like a completely different game! First, the starter quests were awesome, a thing I only experienced with my main by beating Kanrethad while it was current...

Another point is, you become self sustained in professions, and that can save you a lot of time, and gold in the future. Also, it gives you more freedom of choice (when professions did matter for raiding, at least).

I also like transmogging, and I believe a lot of people like too. When I first saw the Dark Shaman set, I knew I had to make an onc shaman, just for the sake of it. And I did. It's just like that. When I see a good set, I instantly imagine what would be a fitting race to it, and if it's appealing enough, I create the toon. Right now I have maxed a warlock, a DK, a warrior, a shaman, a rogue, a priest and a hunter. They help me to farm mounts and gold to buy more mounts (I'm a collector). And I have fun with them, farming transmogs suitable for the race/class combination.

But, I have to say, WoW isn't that alt friendly. Let me explain...

I would love to unlock things from past xpacs on my alts, specially things related to reputations... It sucks to have one toon exalted with almost every faction in the game and have all the rest unable to buy trivial things as recipes... They should rethink that, IMO. Also, as said before, WoD isn't that alt friendly either, with a chain of quests tied to the garrison that are mandadory to unlock content, as the legendary questline and Tanaan. Leveling is not a problem, the problem is what you need to fo in order to accomplish things in the max level. Leveling is not hard as it used to be, and frankly, it should not be.