Gaute Godager's latest state-of-the-game address (thanks JoeBildo) is disheartening. Funcom is missing out on the bigger picture of things.

Most players will be 80 by the time they get their new 55-60 zone out the door.

Kheshatta is overcrowded on half the map where the 75+ mobs are, but it doesn't instance much because the other 70-75 half of the map is devoid of activity. The game desperately needs at least one dedicated 75-80 zone, preferably several.

Sieges barely work, I understand the need to fix them up, but creating even more 'massive' ones? The game engine so obviously doesn't support amassing large numbers of characters together for such a task. Funcom is just spinning their wheels trying to squeeze that in.

Why are the Border Kingdoms so desolate, what happened to their plans for a host of PvP activities in those areas? Instead they've crucified the concept by kicking everyone else out of the zone when Sieges are about to start? Seriously?

Age of Conan needs more content, period. Specifically they need more Endgame content, PvP & PvE. Funcom should go with the game's existing strengths and stop fiddling with what isn't working.

I realize they are trying to address the biggest complaints, but you cannot go back in time and fix what players have already bypassed by grinding. Yes, this stuff is good for alts, but provide for main characters first. And if you don't solve the Endgame for existing players, I don't think you'll get too many new ones.

You hear this term a lot, I use it myself plenty, but what is Endgame exactly?

It comes from standard RPG gameplay, where the player "levels up" to progress. But an online world needs persistence, you can't trap players into leveling up forever. It has to plateau, it needs an End. At which point players begin a sort of new game, where some of the rules change and new activities are repeated or take a much longer length of time to complete.

Anyone who doesn't play these games could look at that description and shake their heads. We don't repeat the leveling grind into infinity, because the repetition without end would frustrate players-- So we give them an End, but then redirect them into other activities that repeat anyway. Or make them progress very slowly.

That about sum it up?

I think it's perfectly possible to have activities that aren't a grind, the plain and simple of it is: gameplay and content.

It's easier to repeat gameplay and stretch content than to provide more of it.

Clearly it's impossible to create infinite quality content, but I also think there's this situation in MMORPG development when they stop making a game for the players and start cashing in. Further development slows, they accept the monthly fees but the content trickles out, reducing cost and turning the whole thing into one big cash cow.

I'm generally not this sort of cynic when it comes to game developers, the ones I know are passionate about their games, but I can't explain the trend for MMORPGs any other way.

I think this market is wide open for the first game that keeps up a better pace with quality content and a greater variety of gameplay.

Good old Lum the Mad has written the quintessential Age of Conan review, where he hits the nail on the head with the subject line "It's the Fun, Stupid" and then brings it home with this little ditty:

Read the whole thing, it's worthwhile.

I'll note that my most recent AoC article was about putting undead zombies to rest. =)

The raw fun factor is what also drew me to City of Heroes a few years back. The rest of the features will be the deciding factor over how long I stay. For me the most important of those are the immersion and world setting appeal, where I also find Hyboria a win-win.

Blogs and press will focus on competitive Endgame and certainly the more aggressive players will continue to do so as well, but dammit I'm just having too much fun to worry about whether Sieges or Crafting are all that they were supposed to be.

Funcom will have to fix things up sooner or later though, some of these other MMOs might wizen up to this concept of fun.

Since it was announced at Blizzcon, player response to Wrath of the Lich King has been mixed. What surprised me most was the large number of players that have balked that the new expansion may be coming too soon.

Too soon?

More content is always needed and Blizzard thus far has been poor at keeping up with the rate players churn through the existing content.

So what's too soon about it? I started asking some in-game friends and it's become clear: They still haven't fully settled into the Endgame of Burning Crusade and it's too soon to start the process of leveling all over again. Even with the expansion coming in a year or more, they're not comfortable with the reset switch it will come with, following Blizzards formula with Burning Crusade.

That "reset switch" sucks

Blizzard is still rebalancing classes for level 70. Arena PvP is just hitting its stride now. Most raiders still haven't killed Vashj, let alone done much in Black Temple. Zul'aman is on the horizon. But meanwhile, there's a lack of small team content and areas to satisfy the explorers among us. Wouldn't it be great if Northrend could be added while Outland is still content at the same level?

Do we really want to level to 80? Do we need that as an excuse to add new gear, new progression, new professions and a new class? Are we really lacking in powers / abilities that we need more of them and additional talents as well? I understand the idea of progression, but we all know we have that with gear. Why couldn't Northrend just have higher quality gear?

Blizz needs a new paradigm

The real problem here is Blizzard's leveling system, how it's designed to work best as solo content. When Burning Crusade was released, it tore apart many guilds and raiding groups as they had to put their teamwork on hold and it went back to everyman for himself for awhile. Some of them pushed to 70 as fast as possible, but this divided friends as others (myself included) took time to explore the Outland quests at the levels they were designed for.

I really think Blizzard should take another look at whether they need to push the level cap up to 80 at all. Is level 80 just a way to force players to buy the expansion to be able to catch up to the new Endgame?