RPGs & Leveling Caps: What do you prefer?

[Mutant1988]

I'm fine with both slow and fast progression, as long as there's actually a sense of progression. I detest universal level scaling (Like in Elder Scrolls Oblivion). It ruins any and all sense of accomplishment.

As for having an upper cap, I'd rather not. I'd rather just have it be infinite, so that people are actually rewarded relative to the time and effort they put in.

 

[Bad Jim]

I prefer a small number of meaningful levels. Having to add a couple of stat points every half hour feels like pointless busywork.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

My preference varies depending on what type of RPG I'm playing. In ARPGS (Grim Dawn, Diablo, Torchlight, etc.) I prefer more levels, I think it keeps things interesting and gives a constant sense of progress, which is important in those games when killing bad guys is basically 99% of how you gain XP. This was one of the reasons I liked Torchlight 2 a lot. In Diablo 2 and 3, and single playthrough of the game would usually put you around level 30. In Torchlight 2, you'd generally be at level 55-60 with a single playthrough.

For WRPGs, I prefer it to be a little slower and more methodical because the games themselves are set up that way. I'm playing Pillars of Eternity right now and I think it does a great job. You don't level up particularly fast, but you really look forward to it because you pretty much always get new spells, abilities, or talents when you do, so it makes each level up feel meaningful.

 

[Scars Unseen]

I'm pretty cool as long as you don't end up like Final Fantasy 8 where you top off at level 100, making your entire party vulnerable to Level 5 Death.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I like lower level caps that have more meaningful differences and choices between them. IMO, having tons of levels to grind through just gives the illusion of content. It's the same reason that I don't like it when MMOs release new level caps and new gear tiers. It's just a gear treadmill that gives the illusion of content while not really being all that meaningful. That's my preference anyway.

 

[FPLOON]

More levels and no caps... except in stats in relation to certain builds and shit... Also, if a game's going to have a level cap, it better make good use of the journey to reach said level cap otherwise it was pointless to put one there in the first place...

Other that that, I love level-grinding, so that could be the bias talking through this particular post...

 

[Javetts Eall Raksha]

i wouldn't say more levels means less punch. you can go to 100 in most SMT games, but every level feels like maybe i wont get my ass kicked now. (which is a lie).

 

[Abbyka]

I liked being able to go past level 99 in Star Ocean Second Story. I think I made it as high as 120? It was a long time ago though.

 

[tilmoph]

I hate when I hit a level cap and I'm not even half way done with a game. I mean, if you're going to have leveling in a big sandbox with all kinds of fun side activities, set your cap high enough to accommodate the people who are going to do the side things before doing the main quest. It's just kind of annoying to see XP rewards that mean nothing. So super high level caps (or, even better, no level caps) for me.

 

[DementedSheep]

Depends on the overall game but in general if I'm levelling constantly but all I'm going to be doing each level up is pumping stats I might as well just put it on ratio and have the game do it for me without interrupting flow because there really isn't much of a choice involved. Some times I get lazy in RPGs with lots of levels and don't bother allocating points every time I level up. I would rather each level up be more interesting where you get to pick a skill or feat that affects your character fairly significantly and differentiates you from other builds. Although yes this method dose sometimes result in sudden difficulty drops when you level up and get a new powerful skill.

Actually I wouldn't mind a game that did let you pick a ratio for stat allocation (and let you do it manually if you prefer) and then you only had to go into manual leveling when you get a new ability point (say every 5 levels) or want to change the ratio.

 

[Mikeybb]

I prefer an open ended level with a soft cap, applicable to both the character level and skill development.

The concept is that there's no appreciable cap to how high you can level, but progression slows considerably above a certain level.
In practice this means a character hits a wall where development in a certain field slows down dramatically and they are then left with a choice of either sticking with their specialization or diversifying and developing quickly in another field.
A character who stays focused will outstrip the diversifying player, but the diversifying player will not have to deal with the slowing down of development and the distinctly wider apart 'progression points' in skill or level.

I've yet to see this applied to a Crpg, but it has turned up in many TTrpg.
The inherent danger of the system is that it can be possible to have a long lasting character who becomes capable of doing nearly everything, however if the system is tuned correctly as far as development goes, you don't often play long enough to see this happen and more often than not there's far too much for a character to diversify into anyway.

As systems go, it shares a lot with level free systems.

 

[maninahat]

Lower level caps please. I like to have a level increase to be a big event with decent perks, coinciding with beating a large quest. I find it cheap and unrewarding when there are loads of levels with smaller, incremental perks.

I have a similar preference for weapons and armour. Dungeon crawlers and the likes of Borderlands pride themselves on constantly funneling new weapons or shields at you, but I don't like the tedium of switching out my kit for bits that are a tiny bit better, in a perpetual arms race. I become attached to weapons, and don't like to see them become totally obsolete. I prefer games to give reasons to keep certain toys, such as implementing an upgrade system, or giving them distinct advantages that will always make them useful.