BioWare - People Don't Pay Money to Suck

Lead combat designer Damion Schubert discusses MMO gameplay, written up by Charles Onyett.

The endgame, elder content is also the most challenging piece of an MMO, says Schubert, especially compared to the leveling process, which he compared to popping bubble wrap. Because of the open nature of MMOs, it's possible to explore the world and discover where the best spots to level are, removing even more challenge from the process. With the endgame, however, people are more restricted, and the difficulty level, either in PvP contests or PvE raid encounters, shoots up dramatically.

In order to pull players through the sometimes dull leveling process, Schubert says it's necessary to give an indication of what's going on at higher levels. In games where the endgame revolves around player versus player territorial control combat, for instance, a good game will let players view a territorial control map. On World War II Online's site, for instance, the main page prominently displays the line of contest between the two sides and which side, the Axis or the Allies, are pushing forward. It's, in effect, an advertisement for the dynamic, high level activity that most new players might not necessarily be aware of.