@ DaveG: My experience was quite the opposite. Levelling up becomes increasingly easier while you advance. Even the increased distance you have to run between some trainers and MOBs to practice on didn\'t make up for the time it took at low levels to get one single kill. In fact, since the costs for training do not go up as you progress, there is no trace of logarithmic. It\'s 42 T for the first training bit at level zero, and it\'s still 42T for the last training bit at level 80. Likewise, for all I have experienced, the stats are not handled differently.
As for the lack of quests: I agree that this reduces the options to PL and RP, aye.
I don\'t consider high stats inherently evil. I, too, have, over the months, maxed some skills. Nevertheless, their use in RP is limited due to the differences in player online / grind time. Thus, they are only really useful in the interaction with the environment (quests), not in the actual RP part of the game. However, obviously, you cannot RP an experienced crystal way mage if you have zero levels in the crystal way, which is why I say limited[//i] use to RP. IIRC, I have managed to actually use, or witnessed actual use, of stats three or four times. Everything else was either plain or mostly OOC. It\'s basically the same problem that PnP RPGers face when forming a new party. Usually it is taken care of by artificially averaging the chars to about the same level, so that they and the NPCs can meaningfully use their stats.
Obviously this is not possible in a MMORPG, but still one must be careful to avoid RP vs. level conflicts.
As for me not wishing to have levels of any sort: this is partially true, yes. I think that due to the problems I lined out, stats don\'t really benefit RP. However, there is use for them ingame: as some way to keep one busy when there is no RP going on. It definitely is not the other way around.
Anyway, the designation of OOC is still mandatory IMO, even in the plaza. It is, after all, endured, not wanted in PS. Not designating it is acceptable only
- in group- and guildchat and tells or
- if you are in a place where you can reasonably assume that noone else will see your conversation.
@ Pestilence: Indeed some RPers tend to overdo things. I, too, prefer a clear OOC statement of \"(Please clearly designate OOC talk)\" to the NPC-like behaviour of \"What is that computer you speak of?\".
@ Malicus: why would MU*s be better suited for decent RP than a MMORPG? MUDs have levelling and stats and everything else it takes to PL, too? Conversely, PL is not an online gaming phenomenon, it is present in PnP RPGs just as well. The only difference there is that you can select whom you want to have in your party, whereas in online games, you need to make special rules and mechanics to reduce it\'s impact.
However, I accept your point of saying that not every PL is ignorant of RP.
