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I'm going to go out on a limb here....
Suvroc
Member Posts: 2,383
And make a prediction.
Within 6 months SWG will take a page out of WoW (yet again) and increase the level cap to 100.
Why? Simply because new players just aren't flocking (and staying) to SWG (my proof of this is the server selection screen), and SOE must now rely on player retention more then ever. With no new expansions on the horizon SOE must keep the current players occupied. We all know the old saying 'idle hands do the devils work' and in this case the devil's work would be looking for the cancel button.
I'll even go further out on this limb and suggest that perhaps we'll see a reward of some kind upon completion of hitting level 100. A reward like unlocking a third character slot and a new player race, so that subscribers have a whole new toon to grind. This I'm sure would ensure that current subscibers keep paying until SOE is in a position to release an expansion.
This of course is just pure speculation, but a reasonable prediction IMO.
I just realized that I think SWG already had a level increase once before that pre-dates WoW's level increase, so maybe SOE will take a page out of their own book this time.
Comments
SWG could better use a level DECREASE than an increase. 90 levels, when only about ever 4 or so actually give you any new abilities is already way too many. Every level should give you something new, not every 4.
1. Your 6 months time frame barely allows time for mid-level toons to reach 90, if it does. Most of these toons are the newer players SOE wants to hold onto. If they raise the level cap, that may leave a large chunk of their playerbase further behind. This is an issue because . . .
2. What challange can SWG offer a level 100 that doesn't involve beefing existing MOBs once again? This would not only be weak, but further piss off the players, particularily those not near level 90, many who are already struggling with the recently up-gunned mobs.
If this did happen, I'd join the "SWG is dead" crowd.
I think the SWG guys are desperate enough to do something as foolhardy as this, as they are infected with the short term, not long term perspective.
Their problem is that WoW was designed long term for level cap increases. SWG was not designed for levels at all. If they do as Suvroc suggests, they'll only exacerbate the problems they already have. Long term retention of customers does not seem to be their focus, but it should be.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
This wouldn't surprise me a bit. And it might slow down the hemorrhaging of player leaving over the C6 Combat Downgrade. Would be just exactly like SOE to not do a roll back, even if its clear they messed up, but add yet another patch to try and correct their mistakes 6 months after the fact.
Given that this is the absolutely worst and most brain dead idea to "increase" content (more levels to grind=content) and the easiest to impliment, they might just do it.
They never should have taken it to 90 from 80 in the first place.
SWG is a holding action for SOE. Easy will win the day.
The catch they're facing is that most of the player base they courted with the NGE needs new directed content to keep playing. The audience they explicitly rejected with the NGE could create their own content in the sandbox SOE casually tossed away...meaning they are lower maintenance than the NGE target audience.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
level 80 was perfect. level 90 was just a cheap attempt at bringing in more players. If your gonna raise the level cap at least raise it with an expansion or some new content. If SOE really wants to bring SWG to its former glory, they should really listen to this guy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OX8pzy6r2s
The reason they raised the level cap to 90 wasn't because of ToOW but to give people a reason to get involved in combat and get used to the changes. That's what they said after the NGE was released anyway.
I personally doubt they'll increase the level cap anytime soon. We're only just starting to see level 90 content start to come through now with the two themepark revamps and Chapter 7 (which will include nearly as many new high-end instances as ToOW did).
There's really no debate here, when SOE instituted the level based system SWG died. Its a mere shell of what an enjoyable game it used to be, let it go.
What level was my character pre CU? Oh, there wasn't one. What level is my eve character? There isn't one...
THAT is how it should be.
Fortunately, we found a lava flea kill quest that could be repeated for xp. BUT of course SOE saw everyone flocking to the lava flea mission, so they nerfed it. Killing this repeatable quest killed the best hope for ToOW pre-order players to grind up to 90. It also killed one of the few remaining opportunities for high level players to travel and quest together in the new expansion. At the time, I thought SOE managers had gone insane.
Fortunately, we found a lava flea kill quest that could be repeated for xp. BUT of course SOE saw everyone flocking to the lava flea mission, so they nerfed it. Killing this repeatable quest killed the best hope for ToOW pre-order players to grind up to 90. It also killed one of the few remaining opportunities for high level players to travel and quest together in the new expansion. At the time, I thought SOE managers had gone insane.
Well, sure, it's insane, unless they wanted to really get rid of those bothersome, troublesome veterans who were totally unaffected by their weak attempts at Jedi mind tricks, and leave the game for their desired audience.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
if the upcoming games actually release on time i'm guessing in 6 months swg will be a goner no matter what nonsense they try to pull. there are already many dead servers and not many new people showing up so when the remaining playerbase takes a hike it's over.