Bashiok on "Forced Leveling".

[mockery]

In a recent post found in our blue tracker, a Battle.net user pleaded with Blizzard to not require "forced leveling" in Diablo 3. Bashiok responded with the following clarifications:

Forced leveling? I'll just have to go along with what other people think that means. If forced leveling means a requirement to move through the game, such as "level 10 is required to move to Act II" etc. then no, there are no current plans to put level requirements on progressing through the game.

As far as I'm aware it's hasn't been mentioned by a Blizzard employee as being potentially included in Diablo III, but I could very well be mistaken.

So this level requirement business is usually discussed as a solution to 'glitch rushing' or a way of quickly leveling a character through use of bugs and loopholes. The assumption that these bugs and loopholes will exist in Diablo III in the first place is somewhat of a stretch of logic (maybe not as much as I'd like ;). So, the most obvious and popular solution is a level requirement. And yeah, it could work, but unless you can normalize XP gains you're probably fairly often going to be simply holding people back for no good reason. They've completed the act legitimately, but they're a single level shy of the requirement. Now they have to go grind for no reason other than to level so they can continue playing the game. It's not a very graceful solution. No, but there are solutions... nay, improvements! in how progression through the game can be handled. Ones that offer not only regulations on progression, but enhance the game itself.

What are your thoughts on the idea of level requirements in Diablo 3?

[kairu]

What Bashiok said. NO THANKS

[emilemil1]

The term forced leveling means to me that you are forced to level up, you can't stop leveling on purpose to stay in one level. Perhaps for twinking or something,

As Bashiok said, neither of those systems would work. But a little mix would be to require the party to not have a too big level difference. Then high level people wouldn't be able to complete acts for them. They would still be able to kill for example Duriel, but you would not get the quest completed. So a level 9 in D2 that kills andariel with a team of 15s would get the quest and come to act 2. There they would manage to kill Duriel, which still would let the level 9 continue. But level 15s can't kill mephisto (I think?) so he/she would be stuck there and be forced to move back for more leveling.

This prevents rush but gives one problem that is tiny for some and major for some.

"What if I have a high level friend which I want to play and progress with?"

I am against rushing in all forms (not killing together for drops though), that includes friends. Just because you have a friend you shouldn't be allowed to be rushed.

[XXLaw]

Thanks for the update!

[JNM-illiquid]

this is actually a pretty tricky question. d2 had lvl restrictions, had to be over a certain lvl to do ancients etc but of course ppl found a way around this lol. both sides have positives and negatives. I guess imo i would like it to have no lvl restrictions. rushing is unavoidable imo, people will still find ways to 'rush'. it might not be as effective as it was in d2 but im sure people will soon find the best areas and best runs to gain xp on and rapid lvl up. and i got no problem with that, let people do wahtever they want. if you dont want to 'rush' or 'rapid lvl' no one is forcing you.

[kairu]

Originally Posted by JNM-illiquid

this is actually a pretty tricky question. d2 had lvl restrictions, had to be over a certain lvl to do ancients etc but of course ppl found a way around this lol. both sides have positives and negatives. I guess imo i would like it to have no lvl restrictions. rushing is unavoidable imo, people will still find ways to 'rush'. it might not be as effective as it was in d2 but im sure people will soon find the best areas and best runs to gain xp on and rapid lvl up. and i got no problem with that, let people do wahtever they want. if you dont want to 'rush' or 'rapid lvl' no one is forcing you.

Quoted for truth

[DarkMagicc]

Well, I think I have a pretty good solution to this. I got this from playing City of Heroes.

Unless restricted, any level player can join a game. To join a party, you must be within the range of x levels. If you want to play with your friends who are low levels, then when you join the party it asks if you agree to being a lower level, and not getting experience, BUT, getting gold.

In a simpler way. I join a game with 3 low levels playing in a party, those people in that party, are in a range of x levels apart. If I am over this range of x, then when I accept to join a party, I am told the restrictions of not getting xp, but only getting gold. I wouldn't get as much gold either, only a small amount (it shouldn't be too good to get cash). When I accept the restrictions my level will be lowered to ONE level below the highest level'd character in that party I am joining.

I will have all the skills, and stat points that I had when I was that level. If I was level 50, and joined a party of a level 20, 25, and 15. I would be automatically lowered to 24 (a level below the highest level).

It is pretty much like I was that level again. For the gear. I don't suggest making them useless (because of the reduced stats), but make their stats 40% reduced.


If you are a lower level, and want to join a high level party, then you can. But your level won't be higher, and you probably won't be able to get to an area too strong for you to hurt a monster. If you are z levels below the level of the monsters you are fighting, then you shouldn't get xp..


I was just writing a lot, sorry if I repeated myself, and spelling errors..

[HARDCOREPOORE]

its just like ebaying items... i dont see why people get mad. you dont have to buy items, and you dont have to get rushed. play the game how you want to, and if you wanna get rushed you get rushed.

[LordRayken]

The more restrictions you place on a game, the less fitted you are to handle freedom in your game...

Didnt catch what I meant?

If you cant allow a player to do what he wants when he wants in your entire game world, such as a level 1 in World of Warcraft wanting to hang out in Northrend, (which they can), then your game isnt fun, its restrictive.

[Daemaro]

By "forced leveling" I thought he meant auto stats.