Monsters Too Easy To Kill

[capturts]

In my latest project you walk around a large 'world' you have a particular place on the map that contains you village which has your home and various other areas which you go back to in between quests. The problem being you start the game with low stats so all the monsters  around the village will be low level, easy to kill or you'd never get away from the village without dying. But after a few quests the monsters will be way too easy to kill - one swipe from your sword and splat - it's dead. Also the rewards (gold, experience etc) will not be worth the effort for higher level players. Any ideas?

[hiigara]

Well, what all rogue games do: higher level players have to walk further and travel to the dungeouns with stronger monsters

[Barrikor]

It's a problem/"feature" lots of mmo's have: starting town becomes "Noobsville".

(To make it worse, if new players are able to get out of Noobsville too fast, then the starting town might be empty, which can make the game world look dead to people logging in for the first time)

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As for the monsters, you could always just put high level ones on one side of the village (ex: south) while putting "safe" roads to the North and West. Or put a cave under the city that new players can't get too.

[Chris]

One village with portals to more dangerous regions. Portals are unlocked by placing a gem you get after killing a boss in each region.

You have no village but a flying castle (more for a single player I guess).

Players can set "danger level" which boosts monster power and rewards from all encounters (check my Samurai).

There is a dungeon next to village and players decide what depth they want to explore (check my Moonstone).

[capturts]

Players can set "danger level" which boosts monster power and rewards from all encounters (check my Samurai).

I quite liked this idea, but I wonder if people might set it too high and then be off put by the game seeming too hard...

Well, what all rogue games do: higher level players have to walk further and travel to the dungeouns with stronger monsters

Yes, I see this but in my game you have head back to your village periodically so you'd get attacked by the easy and boring monsters every time you did.

I think what I am going for in the end is either you can buy a potion to ward off monsters of certain power. To start with you'd not have the money to do this but later on as you get more gold you would have enough. Then as you progress you'd be able to buy a stronger and stronger potions to ward of stronger monsters each time (which would be boring to battle as your weapons and stats improve). Alternatively maybe it could be a simple case of lower level monsters are scared of you as you level up and keep away anyway...

[Nox]

1) Imho it's okey - how can the game can seem too hard when it was they who just set the precise difficulty level a few seconds before? In Chris' games this is very free so the player can immediately set a lower level the second he'd think it's too difficult

2) Don't forget: fun & coolness first - it's good idea, but imho I wouldn't do it as poitions. If you'd want the player not to be attacked by boring stuff, do not replace this by having them to do different boring stuff = buying potions (buying health potions is a bit different, there's more clearer and pleasant effect; plus it's good if it's supported by a great UI like in D2 - shift-click makes you instantly buy as much potions as you can fit onto your belt)

So either give them not potions, but ...say wards or tatoos or whatever permanent you can think of... or just give them teleport.

You say they need to keep going to the city*, then make it as easy as possibly. The thing I might have hated the most during the not-so-long time in MMO was the insane time spent walking and just walking... why the people play that stuff when 90% time is travelling?

Again see Diablo2 - you just click to summon town portal and you're immediately in town and then get immediately back to action...easy, fun

*) you can also think about if it's fun, although I personally kinda like the returning back to city to refresh, resupply, more like sticking nearby - given it's fast to go in and back ... also see Black Isle's games

[Chris]

Well, what all rogue games do: higher level players have to walk further and travel to the dungeouns with stronger monsters

Monsters will flee at the sight of the stonger player, the player has a chance to pursue them (Champions of Krynn - that's a game from 90s so it is not even a modern mechanic...).

the insane time spent walking and just walking... why the people play that stuff when 90% time is travelling?

Yeah... You know people, you say my layouts are from 90s, which is true, but when it comes to gameplay it is yours that's from 90s or even 80s

Don't stick to the ancient game mechanics. Check how they do it in modern games. Check boardgames published after year 2000. Check eurogames premise. There are the same outdated ideas coming back over and over. Sometimes I feel as if I was the youngster here surrounded by old geezers who olny played Teris and Asteroids when they were young No, you don't have to return to the village by walking all the way on foot. There are plenty of solutions, you can board a gryph for example, catch a pegasus, open transdimensional tunnel, ride a goblin (if you are really desperate).

[capturts]

Well, what all rogue games do: higher level players have to walk further and travel to the dungeouns with stronger monsters

Monsters will flee at the sight of the stonger player, the player has a chance to pursue them (Champions of Krynn - that's a game from 90s so it is not even a modern mechanic...).

This is a good idea. Just a little message that there is a weak enemy trying to flee and a button to pursue it. Then if you can be bothered you can click and battle it or you can quietly ignore it and get back to what you want to be doing. Thank-you