Game of the World Tree
chapter-379

Li Mu completely understands the players’ dissatisfaction.

In fact, he himself felt a bit annoyed upon learning that the Silver-rank was going to be unlocked yet there is seemingly a catch that it would be limited in number based on the slots available.

After all, he had just recently reached level 40 not too long ago.

It’s frustrating to reach max level cap and barely have time to enjoy it before a new level cap is introduced.

Anyone would be upset by that, right?

Moreover, the new level doesn’t appear to be fairly accessible to everyone; and it seems to have an element of luck involved.

Essentially, if you’re unlucky, then you might fall behind…

This kind of scenario naturally breeds feelings of insecurity and unfairness among players.

However, despite his own discomfort, when Li Mu thought about the unique storyline and ecosystem mechanics of Elven Kingdom, he began to have some theories about why the developers chose to introduce the new level in this manner.

….It’s likely an attempt to maintain the game’s ecological balance.

Li Mu thought.

It would be a problem if players are too weak, but if everyone reaches the Silver-rank one after another, then it could destabilize the game’s complex simulated ecosystem.

A player at the Silver-rank has far greater destructive power than one at the Iron-rank.

Li Mu still remembered how, in the beginning, players nearly drove the magical beasts inhabiting the Elven Forest’s core area to extinction.

After some thought, he decided to create a new post to share his opinions on the matter and tagged the almost never active official account of Elven Kingdom developers.

Recently, some players have obtained advanced slots for a jobclass promotion while completing a hidden quests. As such, It’s highly foreseeable that Elven Kingdom is preparing to unlock new levels.

This topic has sparked significant debate on the forums.

I have some personal, albeit immature, thoughts on this matter, which I’d like to share…

The reasons for opposition and dissatisfaction have been thoroughly discussed already, mainly: the new levels are opening far too quickly, and there are concerns about fairness and balance within the game.

I won’t dwell on these points.

Instead, I’d like to try and analyze why the new levels are being unlocked in this particular manner from the developers’ perspective.

As we all know, ElvKing is different from other online games.

In this game, apart from specific dungeons, monsters don’t respawn. Instead, the game replicates an ecological system similar to reality.

From this angle, limiting the number of players who can advance to Silver-rank makes some sense.

Simply put, it’s probably to stabilize the game’s ecological environment.

Giving everyone the access to Silver-rank immediately could likely impact the carefully constructed ecosystem within the game.

Although the solution might seem straightforward—just spawn more monsters and create new dungeons—we’ve all noticed that ElvKing isn’t like those other games that constantly add new storylines and dungeons, willy nilly.

In this game, everything is pre-determined, and we the players are merely participating in the progression of the overarching storyline.

Given this situation, I believe the ElvKing developers prioritizes creating a sense of realism, and any actions that could disrupt this realism are likely being avoided.

In fact, the developers have done an excellent job so far.

The realism has become one of the game’s major attractions.

Many players often find themselves wondering if they have truly been transported to another world while playing.

For a virtual online game, this is an enormous success.

Similarly, if factor in these aspects then we can finally understand why they impose a restriction on the number of players that could advanced to Silver-rank.

Beyond maintaining the game’s ecological balance, the developers also need to consider its sense of realism.

In the real world, not everyone has the same strength.

It’s normal for high-ranking individual to be rare and for there to be a large number of mid-to-low-level players.

From this perspective, allowing a small group to become high-level players is quite realistic.

However, this brings up another issue:

—Fairness and Balance.

But really, is there even an absolute fairness in any game?

Instead of fairness, I think what most players hope for is to be part of that small group of high-level players and their real concern is ending up among the majority of mid-to-low-level players.

However, I believe there’s no need for concern if you’re thinking about such things.

Even if only a few players can advance to Silver-rank in the next update, this will likely just be a transitional phase.

As we know from the game’s lore, as the goddess’s power recovers, the world’s magic level will also rise. This means that the strength of monsters and enemies will also increase over time.

I think this is the developers’ way of balancing the power between players and NPCs.

Given this assumption of mine, it’s foreseeable that the number of Silver-rank slots will gradually increase, and it’s only a matter of time before higher levels are fully accessible to everyone.

Initially, only a few lucky players will reach higher levels and enjoy the benefits of greater power ahead of others.

In contrast to other online games that open up levels all at once, ElvKing is gradually unlocking them from the top down.

From another perspective, isn’t this approach quite interesting?

The premise, of course, is that we all have a chance to be among that small group of high-level players.

Therefore, I hope the developers will soon reveal a stable and reliable method for obtaining these slots, giving everyone a clear direction to strive and compete for, rather than simply relying on the unreliable parameter called—luck.

Additionally, I hope the developers will also address the gap between Silver and Iron ranked players.

We can already see hints of this balance in the game, wherein strength alone isn’t solely determined by pure level and stats.

Players can use strategies, tactics, equipment, and other methods to defeat stronger opponents.

Overall, ElvKing differs greatly from traditional online games in many aspects. I believe the developers are trying to create an unprecedented path.

The realism that blurs the line between reality and game, the high degree of freedom, and the growth alongside the story are all part of Elven Kingdom’s charm…

I think it will become one of the most engaging games in history, especially for early players who develop a deep attachment to it.

I love this game.

I hope Elven Kingdom continues to excel and doesn’t disappoint us.

Keep up the good work! @ElvenKingdomOfficialAccount

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【 LI MU’S ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION 】

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