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So why the concern over another rise in the cap? Maybe some of you can explain it to me...
(I respect you immensely OBD, so don’t take any of this as impugning your sage consideration. :) )
The pattern has been to release an expansion the only caters to raising the level cap and new areas and raids for people who are already at the previous cap, while neglecting content below that. You’re exactly the person who loses out the most with that sort of expansion because you’re still at a level where you can enjoy new content geared to you and you’ll have more choices and variety in where to go and what to do. The game doesn’t need more length, it needs more breadth.
Raising the cap reinforces the idea that leveling is the be-all and end-all of the game, which you said you don’t like. It makes some people at lower levels feel the game is expanding linearly faster than they can, and that they may never get to the “end gameâ€. (Truthfully, I have a hard time generating a lot of sympathy for that complaint.)
The first half of EQ1 expansions added large new areas, new races and classes and had something for every level. They did not keep jacking up the level cap. If they could do it then they can do it now. People at the cap can get new raids, new HQ’s, maybe some very long and involved quests for some early T8 items (like EQ1 Epics). To the min-maxxers at the end who say “What will I do if the cap isn’t raised†I say: if you got to level 70 a week after KoS was released it’s not really affecting you all that much, is it?
Their design of tiered content doesn’t help things – the only way they can add new items that people at the cap will want to go after is to add a new tier. They can’t add new items in T7 that are substantially better than the current T7 gear without throwing off their itemization scheme forever. I think they also made leveling a little too fast. They’ve somewhat restricted themselves to an ever-lengthening game.
They should have expanded the world’s breadth in the first expansion, but they instead chose to set the linear nature of the game in stone in players’ minds. Hopefully it’s not too late, and they see the value of bringing in more new players. What the heck, do both – expand the world and the level cap and everyone will be happy. (Well, making everyone happy is impossible, just read the official boards. :P )