Sentinel_X

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Why do Powerlevelers feel like the people who have a problem with the concept are full of jealousy, that it's the haves vs. the have nots?


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Because they feel that if what they do doesn't affect you, then you shouldn't have any objection to it. In this post you're suggesting that it will affect you. I'll address that later. When the original poster said he was a little frustrated or whatnot with the debt he had gained one night while some power-levelled person gained several levels, it feels like I'm reaching when I try to think of another reason it would bother him. They're not trying to tell anyone how to play, but that is being done to them. It's not fair to call them cheaters when they're not cheating.
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Is it so difficult to see that we fear the changes that other people's exploitive gameplay could bring about that can affect ALL players, including those who have no desire to PL in the first place?

I'm opposed to AFK PL'ing. I'm not jealous of anyone for being able to do so.... Some of us aren't JEALOUS. we just don't want to see changes made to the game mechanics that will stop this type of gameplay and at the same time make it tougher on those of us who want to play the game as it was intended to be played.

In my mind, it's not at all about jealousy. To me it's simply a matter where my opinion is "Here is the game system, let's all play it as the devs intended for us to play it rather than seeking out ways to take shortcuts, or they're likely to make changes to the system that will make the game more difficult for us in order to eliminate potential shortcuts."


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Statesman's post indicates that the higher levels are easier than they intended. They're going to make those levels harder to correct that, not to stop power-levelling. However, it will make power-levelling a little harder as a side effect.

I'd also like to point out that by objecting so vigorously to power-levelling, you're probably doing more than the power-levellers to bring about what you claim motivates you to object in the first place - a change that you wouldn't like. Anyway, I wouldn't worry. In an interview with Statesman I read, he said that one of the things he thinks is important is to know the consequences (effects) of your decisions.

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If you put his quotes together, you see that he does not consider that type of leveling acceptable.
I do like your interpretation on the last part of his quote. I read that to mean something altogether.

I'm reading into that quote that he is going to make that kind of leveling so difficult that it won't be worth it. That's why he kind of leaves it as you're welcome to try.


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What are you talking about? He said that if people want to power level someone else "bravo". He leaves the choice to them. To be fair, it doesn't sound to me like he thinks it's a very fun choice, and he may not even have much respect for that choice.

What he clearly said was that the higher levels are easier than they should be. That makes it easy to power level someone. They're going to make those higher levels (and therefore power levelling) harder. I don't know any of Cryptic's plans, but the Statesman made a statement about fixing game balance, not doing away with power levelling. He could just as easily have said that power levelling is forbidden and that they're doing what they can to remove it. He could have said that it's cheating. He could have said a lot of things. He didn't. He leaves the choice to the players. That's not to say that everyone can just do whatever they want. I'm sure Cryptic takes steps to prevent people from ruining other people's enjoyment of the game. However, that isn't being done here, which I suppose is why the Statesman let's the player choose.

If you feel I've misread something, please point it out. Specifics would be helpful. Maybe you're right.

It's ludicrous, but I'd like to point out that players playing the game normally, rather than sitting afk at the train station, cause more harm. No one sitting afk ever stole a kill or caused a player death. They don't use as many system resources as an active player. They're not as likely to inconvenience someone. They're even getting FULL xp for those unbalanced high levels while a power leveller is only getting some of it. Again, I know these are ludicrous statements. The game was made to be played, but they're something to think about.

Dude, Statesman has spoken.

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But we are going to be ratcheting up the difficulty of higher levels, meaning that someone trying to "power level" someone will find it more challenging. If someone wants to do that, bravo, but I think we'll see the issue resolve itself....

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He understands what we're talking about. Fights are easier for higher level characters than they want it to be, but he said if someone wants to do it (power level)... Bravo. Sounds like Statesman just wants everyone to have fun.

I think it's very cool he took the time to write a response. Hope he didn't wade through too many of those posts, though. I'd like to offer the following suggestion:

I think part of the problem is how lower level people gain more xp when the team defeats villains higher than their combat level. There should be some comparison to the average level of the team, and the higher level characters should get more xp than the lower level ones because they contribute more. So, if 5 characters the same level defeat higher level villains they still get more xp, but if one of the characters is higher level than the rest, he should get more xp because he contributes more.

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I don't know the age of the average person on the boards but sometimes kids or young adults have trouble understanding the notion of fair play and may never have been exposed to ethics and a system of beliefs. I have gone over this many times.
Frankly, I am a psychologist, and the arguments here remind me of the prison inmates that I used to work with. They would constantly use they "how does my behavior affect you" line of reasoning. How did my stealing a car affect you! One does not have to be affected directly by a behavior to not like it. And once again the designers do mention that they do not want people to gain an unfair playing advantage. What more is there to say. The problem is that people that are unethical are either so unethical that they don't know it, or they are rationalizing.

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You're pretty judgemental and not very open-minded for a psychologist. Hopefully, you're not a therapist, although from what you said, it sounds like you are. Stealing a car hurts someone. Powerlevelling does not. I'd like to see you defend your arguments or criticize specific points of other people's arguments. I don't see you doing much besides calling people cheaters and judging them. That's pretty lame.

I've never done what you find so unethical, which is sitting at the train station getting xp. But I disagree with you and find nothing wrong with it. I have grouped with higher or lower level characters and done or received some degree of powerlevelling in that way.

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Let me give the best analogy I can:

What we have is a backed up busy interstate off ramp. We have people sitting patiently in line to exit the interstate. Occasionally we have a driver who drives past the majority of the line in hopes of wiggling in. He does. Now all the people, who just saw this, are angry because that one driver skipped way ahead of them without having to wait. They aren't exactly jealous. They do wish they could do the same, but are bound by their beliefs that sitting in line was the proper thing to do and someone who jumps ahead is cheating the system.

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Your analogy is a poor one. It would be more accurate to say that there are 2 people on bicycles, headed towards the same destination (in this case level 50). At some point the person being powerlevelled throws his bike into the back of his friend's truck (his friend is the powerleveller) and get's a ride part of the way.

I didn't read all the posts after yours yet, but I had to respond and give you a better analogy. Personally, I think the destination should be fun, but people who have a problem with powerlevelling seem to find the xp gain to be the main issue. No one in this thread is complaining about people afk at the train station who aren't being powerlevelled.

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I don't have to be hurt by something to oppose it. Cheating on taxes, lying about disability or welfare fraud doesn't hurt me, but I oppose them.

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These things don't hurt you, but they do hurt other people. So, you'd have a good justification for opposing them.

Powerlevelling isn't cheating. To powerlevel a character, someone has to do the work in the first place. To powerlevel someone standing around they have to share the xp with another person. Effective powerlevelling is usually done with a middleman. The person doing the powerlevelling finds someone several levels below them to sidekick a much lower level character. That way the much lower level character gets xp as if the mobs were several levels above them. In that case the person doing the work is sharing their xp with 2 people! So, someone is paying a price for that powerlevelling. They are making a sacrifice. People may find powerlevelling personally objectionable, but it certainly isn't cheating.

My goodness! When I started reading this thread it was at 13 pages. Now it's at 32! I was reading it at work, but now that it's time to go home, I'm going to play the game. Maybe if you spent more time playing than reading this junk you wouldn't be so worked up about powerlevelling.

When hunting cot in kings row, there is a heavy concentration of spawn points directly north of the trainer, in the southern part of the "Gris" or whatever it's called.

Wish I'd known this with my first character. That mission took hours to complete.

I also use the method of running up stairs by strafing and ascending the next flight backwards.

It is a good idea to plan your characters ahead of time and to post your build in the forums so experienced players can help critique your build. I've never posted my build, I usually just search the forums and form my build on that, but posting your build is a faster way to do that.