Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Incline Who actually likes level caps?

Do you like having a level cap in an RPG?

  • Yes

    Votes: 40 39.2%
  • No

    Votes: 62 60.8%

  • Total voters
    102

Harthwain

Magister
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
4,688
I suspect it's actually just an oversight.
Considering how many games FromSoftware made with this feature, I highly doubt that.

Respawning upon reload might be intentional, risk versus reward. But probably not when merely activating a bonfire "save point", without any reload.
Could be a console thing (Dark Souls 1 was a console game and a very bad PC port). Or to prevent players from upgrading their stats mid-journey.
 

Artyoan

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
632
I prefer having no level cap but having a break point level where further leveling becomes substantially less meaningful. No longer accruing experience is a boner killer.
 

Saduj

Arcane
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
2,547
Why do level caps exist?
:littlemissfun:

In seriousness, I agree with those saying that levels are not really ideal anyway. If a game could find alternate ways for players to learn/improve skills and acquire perks without making it so that every character can improve every skill and acquire every perk, that would be ideal. But the easiest way to do that would be to tie progress to completing tasks for a specific faction, which I don't necessarily like either....

Another alternative is to make levelling a diminishing returns sort of thing. In reality, the better you are at something, the more work it takes to improve. This is simulated by increasing the XP needed to attain levels. But it is also true that the better you are at something, the more subtle any further improvement will be. At lower levels, gaining a level should be a big power gain. After a certain point, that should flatten out and improvements should be minor. A level 10 character should easily be able to defeat a level 8 character but a level 22 character should only have a minor edge against a level 20 character.
 

Silverfish

Arbiter
Joined
Dec 4, 2019
Messages
3,064
I dig level caps, but I'm retarded and enjoy that feeling of "okay, you've made your choices, time to see if they were right".
 

SumDrunkGuy

Guest
Nobody showed up at Dolph Lundgren's door and told him he couldn't be a action movie star because that requires high CHA/STR and he already specced into high INT for an MIT scholarship. I think certain RPG philosophers are so annoyed by all the Dolph roleplayers that they want to impose caps to force more creative characterization. But like no duh every new or casual roleplayer wants to play Dolph Lundgren as one of their very first builds. People start crafting more unique and interesting characters when they're more experienced and start craving variety.
I liked the Dolph Lundgren juxtaposition.
 

ItsChon

Resident Zoomer
Patron
Joined
Jul 1, 2018
Messages
5,381
Location
Երևան
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I like level caps as long as they are well done. You shouldn't be hitting the level cap until the very end of the game, and that's after doing almost all the content leading up to the level cap and going out of your way to gain xp. Underrail does an amazing job of this with its Oddity system, where even throughout a 100-200 hour game, you can do the vast majority of the content and kill the final boss and still not hit the final cap of 30. Baldur's Gate and Iceland Dale do a good job of this as well. It's hard to balance the final sections of the game without a level cap, as the boss fight will either be too difficult for those below the expected level, or will be way too easy for those above it, and that's even with some wiggle room involved.

Also, setting/world consistency is very important for me, and it's very difficult to create a story where the character can start weak and underdeveloped, and end up being an all powerful god, without it feeling cheap and rushed. The time spent getting to that point needs to make sense, both in regards to how much time you spend out of the game getting there, and how much time you spend getting there in the game. Level caps help keep this consistent, and Underrail snf BG/IWD do a great job of this too.
 

Generic-Giant-Spider

Guest
I prefer levels to feel like they're important. If I had it my way the max level would be like 20 or something, with most interest of mine in a traditional D&D sense waning after 15 or so.
 

Not.AI

Learned
Joined
Dec 21, 2019
Messages
305
Could be a console thing

It could that. They might be optimizing ... save files size ... but why ... on modern consoles ... ? To not be like Cyberpunk?

I prefer levels to feel like they're important

Gothic 1 & 2 had new animations for higher skill levels. In the long run maybe one of the best ideas ever ...

If a game was simulation in the same sense as Sui Generis is simulation then animation-based level improvements could be a progression route and fewer levels might feel great. But few games actually decides hits based on simulated hits. (Even half of FPSs do not?)

Might happen in another 20 years in some space like VR.
 

Jason Liang

Arcane
Joined
Oct 26, 2014
Messages
8,336
Location
Crait
Why do level caps exist?
It amuses Ludo.

Ludo-Rathowm-sprite-Rance-X.png

https://alicesoft.fandom.com/wiki/Planner_Scenario?so=search#Levels
 

Valdetiosi

Scholar
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
215
Location
Finland
I can't play any RPG unless number keeps constantly flowing and I can defeat enemy with 1 and half hits instead 2 and quadruple hits

10CC7C0E0715322E4F4F8B6C57172C5D75F5542F
 

Not.AI

Learned
Joined
Dec 21, 2019
Messages
305
Seems like the poll converges to around 4:6. (Lucky numbers, eh?)

Democracy reveals the magical truth.

Maybe the best game is one where there is a 40% chance any playthrough later turns out to have a level cap, otherwise not. He he he. (Where's my donut?)
 

Bruma Hobo

Lurker
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,409
I think the fear is that the player will become an unstoppable god that trivializes any gameplay challenge. If you ask me blatant power fantasies are like half the point of RPGs. If you spend all your playthrough grinding every possible enemy, dungeon, and side quest before completing the main quest, you should be able to instantly vaporize the end boss. That's rewarding the player for effectively investing their time.
tumblr_oxuajnOVbW1rxmai6o4_500.gif
 

Not.AI

Learned
Joined
Dec 21, 2019
Messages
305
Maybe it needs to be a Taro Yoko style game but in the sense that level cap is higher each time when replaying again and with a different endgame and ending each time.

Don't think that's been done.

Level cap increases with expansions in MMOs but not with replays in SPGs.
 

Not.AI

Learned
Joined
Dec 21, 2019
Messages
305
Wow - at total 100 votes the split is a neat 40 to 60.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom