To borrow an idea from another MMO I've played (FFXI), I thought it'd be a good idea to implement level syncing into SWTOR.

 

If you enter a FP or OP that is balanced for a specific level, Level Sync would lower all party members down to the level that the event is balanced for if they're above. Gear itself will scale down and be proportionately balanced for that level as well.

 

This would let friends, no matter what the level, do FP's and OP's with newer players and still have some fun out of it and not streamroll everything. Of course it could be made entirely optional, I couldn't see Bioware making it forced upon you to level down.

 

Opinions

Edited September 21, 2012 by odericko

Might be fun provided that it can be toggled on and off.

Once people are overleveled or overgeared they do 'old' FP/Ops for different purposes, i.e. to get piece of nice looking gear or make quick and easy EV/KP GF SM Ops for Black Hole commendations.

I remember the old level capped fighs in FFXI, too. Can't remember how many times my LS dressed up as BLMs to take on Bitoso

 

I think BCNMs were slightly different to what you're suggesting, though - the fights were capped to level x (in the case of Bitoso, 30), but the rewards had a chance to be higher level (such as an Utsusemi: Ni scroll or higher level crafting materials).

 

I think the HM/Nightmare versions of FPs/OPs are considered the equivalent of this mechanism these days - instead of artificially limiting the player, they buff the encounter. I think I'd prefer the FFXI approach, though, as it would mean that higher level players would be able to redo the encounters with on-level friends without being unstoppable killbots, whilst still having an incentive to do the content at that level.

As long as it is optional. I like being the all powerful sith sorcerer destroying Athiss or theBrentalstar it makes me feel like I have UNLIMITED POWERRRR!

As long as it's optional. I like over-leveling content and coming back to solo it.

As long as it's optional. I like over-leveling content and coming back to solo it.

The fights the OP mentioned were specific fights intentionally designed to be played at certain levels. If you wanted to do that fight, your level would drop to the level of the fight. There was no option to do it at a higher level.

 

They were not, however, tied to your character progression in any way. You would do them for the challenge, with the possibility of relatively high level rewards for the level of the fight. Although in more recent years it's been the case that whatever armour you had at e.g. l75 would scale down, too, it was originally such that you also had to wear level-appropriate gear, so people would intentionally keep l30, 40 and 50 gear just to do these instances.

 

It's a feature of FFXI that I quite miss, as trying to play with only half of your usual abilites can be quite challenging.

The fights the OP mentioned were specific fights intentionally designed to be played at certain levels. If you wanted to do that fight, your level would drop to the level of the fight. There was no option to do it at a higher level.

 

They were not, however, tied to your character progression in any way. You would do them for the challenge, with the possibility of relatively high level rewards for the level of the fight. Although in more recent years it's been the case that whatever armour you had at e.g. l75 would scale down, too, it was originally such that you also had to wear level-appropriate gear, so people would intentionally keep l30, 40 and 50 gear just to do these instances.

 

It's a feature of FFXI that I quite miss, as trying to play with only half of your usual abilites can be quite challenging.

 

Making it an optional feature would solve issue. Not everyone cares about the challenge. I just go back to experience story or farm items without needing others to do so.

Making it an optional feature would solve issue. Not everyone cares about the challenge. I just go back to experience story or farm items without needing others to do so.

The option in this case is to do or to not do the encounter. In these particular cases, there was no story and no guarantee of high reward - it was one particular mob / group of mobs with a chance of high reward, and the cost of consumables required could (in the case of no high reward) vastly outweigh the value of the reward. As I said earlier, it's the alternative approach to the story/HM/nightmare versions of FPs/OPs.

 

Although technically, I doubt there's any reason why the two systems couldn't be implemented into the same game, I can't see any reason why anyone would implement both, as they both ultimately solve the same problem of how to maintain an interesting challenge once you've outlevelled content. FFXI went one way, other more recent games went another.

Today in the live chat they mentioned scaling content to the amount of players. Not really what I was wanting, and less useful than scaling level to the content itself, but better than nothing.

Today in the live chat they mentioned scaling content to the amount of players. Not really what I was wanting, and less useful than scaling level to the content itself, but better than nothing.

 

But it is far more easy to implement because lowering the level from 50 to 15 (for example) would require:

- resetting your quickslot bars because of the abilities you'd not have

- resetting your skill tree (you'd have to choose again how to use the reduced skill points pool)

- removing items that you are not supposed to have at that level (matrix and implants are not available below a certain level)

- removing companions that you'd not have (and they are maybe your best geared ones)

 

Incresing the level of the FP/OP, instead of nerfing chars, doesn't have any of these problems.

But it is far more easy to implement because lowering the level from 50 to 15 (for example) would require:

- resetting your quickslot bars because of the abilities you'd not have

- resetting your skill tree (you'd have to choose again how to use the reduced skill points pool)

- removing items that you are not supposed to have at that level (matrix and implants are not available below a certain level)

- removing companions that you'd not have (and they are maybe your best geared ones)

 

Incresing the level of the FP/OP, instead of nerfing chars, doesn't have any of these problems.

 

FFXI gets rid of all these problems by letting characters keep abilities and gear, but scales them down in a percentage compared to difference in the level they're at and the level the content was meant for. You keep your skills, gear, etc.

 

It'd be nearly the same, as they'd introduce scaling to players gear and skills one way and scaling mobs themselves the other way.

Edited September 22, 2012 by odericko

with optional it sounds like fun and would help those on the way through.

FFXI gets rid of all these problems by letting characters keep abilities and gear, but scales them down in a percentage compared to difference in the level they're at and the level the content was meant for. You keep your skills, gear, etc.

 

I don't know how the other games work, i have experienced just 3 MMOs, but if i can mantain my skills i think that it will be alot easier. Doing a FP with a CC or interrupt (that you are not supposed to have at that lvl) makes things alot easier also if you are levelled down (and the same applies to high dps attacks like heatseeker missile or stackable buffs and debuffs).

 

Nothing is impossile but buffing up is easier and faster than nerfing!

Edited September 22, 2012 by Savro

I don't know how the other games work, i have experienced just 3 MMOs, but if i can mantain my skills i think that it will be alot easier. Doing a FP with a CC or interrupt (that you are not supposed to have at that lvl) makes things alot easier also if you are levelled down (and the same applies to high dps attacks like heatseeker missile or stackable buffs and debuffs).

 

Nothing is impossile but buffing up is easier and faster than nerfing!

 

True, but buffing up is a one-track thing. I suggested level scaling only so you could go back and help lower level players or experience the content again without steamrolling it. Raising difficulty to only be balanced for higher levels doesn't really allow you to go back and help friends like I was suggesting.

True, but buffing up is a one-track thing. I suggested level scaling only so you could go back and help lower level players or experience the content again without steamrolling it. Raising difficulty to only be balanced for higher levels doesn't really allow you to go back and help friends like I was suggesting.

 

I understand that, but as i wrote, it creates an huge number of problems in a game designed like this because not only abilities but also skills are level based. Other games works differently, but here i don't think that it will be developed.

if it is optional, yes.