Quote Originally Posted by Sol_Aureus View Post
While you make some valid points, saying that vertical progression is nessesary for an MMO to be fun and successful without preceding or following that statement with "in my opinion" seems like you're trying to pass it off as a fact, which is very closed-minded. FFXI proves that vertical progression is NOT necessary to make an MMO fun and successful, otherwise it wouldn't have survived during the 7 years that I played and the cap stayed 75.
I also noticed some of her "valid points" aren't even valid.

Horizontal Progression
- New Items/Weapons/Armors
--- Negatives: Possibly Weapons/Armors you don't need/want
----Counter Argument: Someone will always want that piece weapon/armor.

- Old Recipes/Crafting Skills
--- Negatives: Same boring stuff, capped and bored, floods markets, ruins economy
----Counter Argument: So they can't add in new recipes?

- Old Gathering Locations/Items
--- Negatives: Same boring gathering, nothing new, why gather anymore?
----Counter Argument: They can't add in new materials?

- New Dungeons/Mobs/Challenges
--- Negatives: Could be fun, and could be a complete waste of time, with no drops that you need/want
----Counter Argument: So its not fun unless you get drops you need/want? Then once you have it, where is the replayability?

- New Maps/Areas
--- Negatives: Even though its a new map, you cant use repeatable mobs anymore without them feeling like the existing mobs. You negate the ability to re-use mobs and increase ranks/give new skills to.
----Counter Argument: This negates nothing. You can still always use the same mobs, just reskinned, how many companies already do this?

- Old Skills
--- Negatives: You occasionally might get new skills, but you are limited in what you really can add since fixed rank
----Counter Arguement: None, this is the only one that makes sense.

Vertical Progression
- New Items/Weapons/Armors
--- Positives: The new Weapons and armor will be better than the existing, and there will be something to achieve
----Counter Argument: And in 6mo to 1 year, will be replaced again, so hurrah for something else to de/vendor/whathaveyou.

- New Recipes/Crafting Skills
--- Positives: New Stuff for crafters to do, New Items in the market place and New Skills to achieve
----Counter Argument: And that old stuff will never be made again, except for niche markets.

- New Gathering Locations/Items
--- Positives: Keeps gatherers in business, keeps crafters supplied, gives new skills to achieve
----Counter Arguement: Again, niche markets for older materials/locations.

- New Dungeons/Mobs/Challenges
--- Positives: Gives players something to strive for, those few new ranks that allow them into the new content and can introduce new and harder challenges
----Counter Argument: Higher level =/= Harder challenge, that same content could be scaled back in level, and given to the current cap.

- New Maps/Areas
--- Positives: You can simply do more things with more maps/areas, more quests easier, new cool challenges can be made on those new maps and they don't feel like of its another Rank 80-90 mobs area...
----Counter Argument: Again, you can still create new maps and new mobs. FFXI did it time and time again.
- New Skills
--- Positives: Developers can get more creative and they can simply make new ones more powerful giving more things to strive for
----Counter Argument: Ultimately ending with every class/job having 70 odd skills plus an IWIN button just in case. How many is too many? When is enough skills enough?


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