Remember when hitting 50 was actually an accomplishment?

I've been playing since the came came out in 2004 and my first few 50's took months, even a year on some of missions, TF's, hunting, etc.

I know there has always been farming and ways of getting gobs of xp easier then running missions and all that, but it just seems that now its too easy and quick to get a 50.

And it really hit home this last 2xp weekend with AE. I was teaming with some people on my 50 tank and we were talking and one of the other 50's brought up how long did it take to get to 50. I told him it took my tank like 8 months or so of constant playing to get 50. Then he says 'Oh I just got the game the other day and hit 50 already, you must not be a very good player.'

Pushing back the images in my mind of ripping him to shreds, I explained to him how life was before AE, half debt in missions, patrol xp, all the ways that debt became a joke and leveling was a joke. He says 'I'm sure glad I didn't play back then.'

To be fair, I also have done farming and AE farming to get new toons a decent level so I really can't throw stones but somehow the whole thing just seems....unfair in a way.

A lot of us vets busted our butts to get 50's and then along comes brand new players who say gee - I'll make a 50, and then in about 3 days of doing AE, they have a 50.

Now when a 50 has to ask how to get to Steel Canyon - thats just wrong.

Plus when a loading screen says 'You can level from 1-50 within Mission Architect' - to me that just sends the wrong message to new players. It's like saying - you want a 50 - do AE and you won't have to play the game.

I have a friend who was doing a lvl 44 respec with a lot of noob toons that leveled in AE and he told me the whole thing was an absolute disaster because none of them had any experience with their toons. The most they have done is spam button pressing in AE farms and watch their levels go up.

This is of course all my opinion and I'm sure a lot of people will find me wrong, but I feel the game has lost a big part of it's appeal - actually teaming and doing missions and TF's to level toons, doing arcs and seeing all the zones. Most of the new players don't even leave Atlas and if they put a trainer in the building, a good percentage of them would never leave the AE building.

Don't let noobs ruin what was an accomplishment for a lot back then, I know I spent somewhere between 400-600 hours getting my first level 50. Now a days, it doesn't take as long, but doesn't make it any less enjoyable (YMMV) and this is coming from someone who has around 20 characters that are level 50.

Heh, now I gotta say it..."Back in my day, we didn't have all these fancy little dodads that made life easier! We had to walk 15 miles in the snow going uphill to school, both ways!"

Although I disagree with calling the people many of which have 5+ years game time "noobs" because they choose to use the skills and knowledge they have developed over this time to speed level toons past redundant bland tired repetative content to get to high level content and sf/tf to play with their equally veteran high level friends that keep a heartbeat in this game and its community. The AE is not a problem, the BM was not a problem, the RWZ was not a problem, they were each new in their time and during that newness they captured a majority of peoples time and interest like all things it will eventually ballance out and people will be available for content again but in all fairness untill there are some much needed additions to content especially low level content you cannot expect those of us that have been loyal addicted CoX'ers to NOT use whats available to bypass the BS and get to the end game where all the fun is.

High Level - PvP, LRSF, ITF, BSF and Lady Grey thats where it's at since unlike blue side we do not have a gazillion SF to choose from.

I hear what you're saying, don't let the n00bs get you down. I'd be willing to bet you also know how to play your toon rather than just key mashing.

I probably have about 18 months of actual play time under my belt (not counting lengthy breaks) and was happy to hit 40 over Double XP weekend. So hitting 50 will be an accomplishment for me

I made a decision not to use the AE for leveling my first 50 so I could know the story arcs, task forces, zone layouts, etc. I can't promise I'll hold so firm for my 2nd, 3rd, etc real run up to 50.

My 50 took sevral months - I finally did it on top of the Atlas globe in RV while my mech was shooting turrets

So you like to level slow some people dont. My 1st 50 5 years ago was a controller which i did in about a month. Most of that was soloing no PL involved. As for people not knowing how to play cause of hitting 50 fast I dont know if I believe that. I have had toons go from 1-50 in less than that and I am fine playing them. I have PL'd people from 1-50 in 6 hours back in the portal mish grind days and they played fine. As for AE I am glad it happened sure did bring alotta people back to the game.

Indeed I do remember. I joined CoX back during Issue 11. I'm hardly a grizzled old veteran but boy were things different back then. And I'm not just talking about the Mission Architect.

As I'm sure many of you remember there was no Patrol XP so laughing when you died was a much rarer occurence unless you were at 50 (I still hate it to this day, regardless of my toon's level). Leaving any one toon logged off for a few hours wouldn't do anything for you. You'd still have to wipe out that debt when you got back. That lasting death penalty encouraged everyone to learn how to make the most of all the tools at their disposal.

Of course the Mission Architect's implementation is the most recent and most dramatic change. I say implementation because the Architect in itself isn't the problem. Giving players a custom story telling tool is a great idea. Not accounting for a risk/reward ratio that's grossly disproportionate to the Dev created content isn't. Granted, the players clamored for XP and the Devs obliged them. Still, not the best way to keep people from exploiting the new shiny.

I've got 6 toons on my account; all of them are at 50. The most recent one dinged the cap just two days ago, admittedly with the help of AE farming. I haven't been here as long as many of my fellow forumites but I have seen some crucial game changes. Looking back over the last two years I've seen a trend in design philosophy that's heavily geared toward casual players. Patrol XP to erase debt when logged off so those with limited time don't have to struggle after dying, Auto SKing in Architect missions so players who don't have the time to grind up the levels can still play with their friends regardless of whether there's a mentor available, and now the upcoming Advanced Difficulty Settings so those who play at odd hours or don't know people in game can recieve the same amount of rewards as full teams.

While all these features are impressive and very ground breaking they can't disguise the fact that getting to the level cap, one of the biggest achievements in any MMORPG, has been sacrificed on the alter of casual player convienence to keep NCSoft and our favorite game around. Double edged sword indeed...

In Reply to my own post it is I who missed something in the original post and I apologise for all like many of you I hear all the ranting about AE people or farmer's / PL'rs it gets old bottom line is we all pay to play and should play however we find brings us the most pleasure. I am fortunate to be in a great VG "Excellent Evil" in a Great coalition and with many friends made over years of CoX. I love this game prolly too much for my own good and jump on my soap box pretty quick when I feel it needs defending.. Im a team melee toon its what I do lol

I will learn to read - I promise

Came across this, and recently had an experience that relates.

I have done a little PLing here and there, but usually it's when I'm up in the 45+ range, and that push to 50 gets a little difficult. So 8 man missions with SK to hurry along the process becomes easier to do until you can't be SKd anymore... it still takes long enough to experience the character the way it was meant to be done.

But just the other day, I experienced my first AE PL farm. Hordes and hordes of Freakshow. Stuff I couldn't hit, but I got XP galore.

I really didn't, at first, know what the heck was going on... then got it... and like a bad train wreck, became fascinated by the process. Ding. Ding. Ding... it was like a trance.

But I have a habit of saying 'Rock' for every Level I achieve on a character. The tank didn't like it. Told me to shut up. Knocked me out of the trance.

Yeah, I admit the constant 'Rock' would be annoying, sure... So I don't hold a grudge... but I just realized if I can't be 'me' in that, then I don't wanna be in it. So I bailed.

I'd gotten 8 levels. And I used them, to my advantage...

But I felt like I cheated. Oh, sure, it got me the stamina run, but... I missed out on *earning* that.

Simply put... I'll not do it again. It's just not the right way to go for me. That's not to say I care whether some others do it, I just don't care to.

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The other thing about a 50 relates to my Mind/Psi Dominator, Cerise Dawn. That character was 50 before they 'fren'ed the powers. And so I feel a little put out that I put so much effort (oh, goodness, it took *forever* on Pinnacle...) to get her to a 50, because until Domination went off... she was weak as all get out... and now, I understand they're much better offensively, and so it may be easier to do than in the past. Man! What timing is that...

But then I realize that my 50 Dom was hard earned, and makes me happy to know I did it before they screwed with the powers. /em dance5

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There ya go.