Rested experience mechanics are actually one of my favorite systems in online games. They’ve taken many forms over the years, from Ultima Online’s power hour to City of Heroes’ patrol experience to what is now the genre standard in the form of World of Warcraft’s rested experience. Essentially, these systems grant accelerated experience or skill gain at the beginning of a play session, thereby encouraging players to play (actually play, not just log in) every day for brief periods, without necessarily penalizing players who keep playing anyway.
I started thinking about rested experience a few weeks back when MOP’s Justin mentioned that he was finally giving in and organizing his WoW character’s leveling around rested experience. I think it’s just smart to play this way, and I do it quite a bit, especially in City of Heroes, where I have a whole roster of toons I rotate through until their patrol XP is used up.
Do you plan your MMO play around bonus experience mechanics? How do you go about it? Or do you just ignore it and play as you please?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
