End-Game in the City, where do we go? (Lengthy)

Afternoon all,

The eternal refrain springs from players, whether tabletop or MMO, about "End-game content". Specifically, these players want challenging tasks against which they can pit themselves and their finely tuned avatars.

When designing End-game, where do the developers start? Are ancillary systems such as costume creation, role-playing, badges, marketing, reward accumulation, base building, PvP and other activities truly "End-game" in that some require level-capped avatars and canny play habits, or are they simply time sinks?

I refer to time sinks simply because they are the base of any game or MMO.
Now, in our specific game, we have players getting to 50, accolading and kitting out then...finding tasks lacking. Are they, though? Here are a few things level-capped players can accomplish:

-Task Forces
-Hamidon Raids
-Rikti War Zone (RWZ) Raids
-Purples
-PvP

Of course, you can accomplish the first and obtain the fourth without doing much more than running missions. Hamidon and Rikti War Zone raids are certainly the two major tasks (outside Cathedral of Pain) that require large-scale coordination with a good reward. Cathedral of Pain is an oddball. Some teams roll over it, others...not so much.

Where do the Devs go from here?

Do their base their endgame on current structures such as the RWZ raids or Hamidon raids? Do their base it on instanced task force content with challenging mobs such as the Cathedral of Pain? What about the Incarnate System? If avatars are granted additional buffs, it stands to reason they'll overcome current challenges that much quicker, perhaps resulting in downward trending Merit rewards.

Do the developers skew new challenges to the tried and true "SOd character" mantra, or do they examine potential power creep from invention and say: "Ok, we're tailoring this task for characters with X Regeneration, Accuracy, Recovery..." and go from there? Given the abundance (often to absurd levels) of buffs, debuffs and raw damage in the game, are tasks heading toward more of a "large-scale attack" model seen in the Reichsmann TF ambushes, zone events and so on, overwhelming players?

Lastly, and more importantly, where do the Developers draw the line for item acquisition (as gear treadmills are a true part of MMOs) with the Incarnate system or events, and will these systems create a planned obsolescence of the IO system? Likely not as IOs still help greatly for most of the tasks.
Given the Incarnate system is power (?) slot (?)-based, how do the Developers continue adding these slots and increasing power levels while maintaining growth of the Praetoria zone and keeping the current base happy? Do powers come into review for adjustment because of IOs or the Incarnate system itself? How much work should the Devs put into end-game, given the reputedly low number of people that get to 50 in the first place?

Do the developers borrow from other MMO models and time-gate encounters, or are players allowed to manipulate the environment to create these events? How does the super sidekick system tie in to potential zone events? Can the devs use existing structures, modify them for use later in the game?

Transitionally, it may be important for the Devs to scale tasks as more challenging as players progress through their careers. The common refrain of the game being "too easy" may well be met by end tasks being "too hard", as the player is used to a certain amount of challenge. Of course, this is part of the challenge...adaptation and survival before conquest.


Here's to hoping that the Incarnate system and its associated rewards and tasks are entertaining enough for repeatability and challenging enough that you will want to repeat them, without reaching levels of MMO frustration.

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Questions about the game, either side? /t @Neuronia or @Neuronium, with your queries!
168760: A Death in the Gish. 3 missions, 1-14. Easy to solo.
Infinity Villains
Champion, Pinnacle, Virtue Heroes

Personally the problem I have with most "end game" content is that it lacks...well, an end. Hell, that's true of all the content in this game, as no matter what herculean feats your character accomplishes or what titanic foes they slay the status quo always remains the same.

Now, I realize it has to remain this way for a number of very valid gameplay reasons. However, I do think there are ways to add content that adds a sense of closure to the game, or at least to a single character. What I would really like to see with end game content are tasks that truly bring an end to your character's story. Content that would allow you to confront a final foe, defeat them in a spectacular fashion, and then allow your character to essentially leave the world, knowing they have left it a better (or if you are a villain, worse) place. Now while outright deleting characters is kind of extreme, I'm sure you could find numerous ways in-canon to allow players to continue with their favorite characters even if they have "left", be it cloning or alternate universes or something entirely different.

Figuring out how to actually DO all this without completely screwing over the gameplay side of things is another matter entirely, but if our dev team has proven one thing over the years, its that they are capable of pulling off countless feats previously deemed impossible.

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