Mudflation is the answer to bigger and bigger separation between the lowest level and the highest level. This separation shatters the community. Companies create extra progression and so the separation increases. It hasn't worked in the past to leave it alone which is why mudflation largely happens. This is why the low to mid-level gets more casual and fast. It MUST be faster, so that players in the low end don't have to slog through all of it like someone who's been there the whole time.
No, what you want is your cake and eat it to. I am sorry, but here is the issue. You can't have a meaningful progression that takes time and provides worth to the effort and then turn around and circumvent it with a fast paced progression for late starters to catch up. The fact is, you can't have everything you want at all times. Now... that doesn't mean there can't be solutions to "Ease" such progression for a late starter. My suggestion is allowing high level players to de-level their characters to the level of the player they wish to play with, but going further than that of what EQ2 did (which was overpowered and less attentive) and making the character in pretty much EVERY WAY the same level and ability of the lower level player they wish to play with. That is really the only solution.
The idea that you have to destroy all lower content because some impatient little kid needs to get up to his friends fast is MAINSTREAM thought. It is what led us to the stupid systems we have today. Look, I understand your "friend" is high level, that you aren't, but that isn't a valid argument to piss off the lower play of the game. In fact, if you do, you will be a piss poor player who everyone complains about because you don't know your head from your ass when it comes to playing the character, which... will lead to you pissing and moaning about how the game is too hard and eventually we end up with WoW all over again. Sorry... we have been there. done that.
Do you know how disappointing it is to go to a game that pisses away lower content? My friends and I have gone to different games, decided we would group together and take on the content up, but... the game had already pissed all over proper progression and all the lower content ended up being was a solo fest to fucking end game. No thanks, sorry, those games can piss off. It is an insult to not only the player, but the developer to disregard all the work done in lower game so some fucking impatient piece of casual shit can "get up to their friends faster". Sorry, but they are the reason gaming is in decline. Understand the meaning of proper long term development or go play a fucking mobile or console game.
You might ask WHY new players have to move faster through the low to mid levels, as the MMO ages? Well, I've kind of covered that already in the previous post. Norfleet gives a good reason: the low levels are usually irrelevant and act as a barrier. There can be lots of reasons. One of my favorites is the low/mid content becomes outdated and not as fun for players, so speeding up progression makes it less toilsome. But there're many other reasons. Maybe htey want to play with a high level friend. Maybe there're too few players in the low to mid-level range to keep things social and/or to form groups. Maybe the low to mid-level game is too different from the high level game. Maybe the company focuses more on the high level game, so neglects the low/mid levels. Maybe the only respect one can get in the game is to be in the high levels, thus you have to slog through mountains of low/mid level content.
Norfleet plays games for different reasons and if you are using him for support for the arguments you make, I would take a back look at his arguments on gaming in general. You are a main streamer, everything you argue is such. I don't fault you for it, I mean, you like what you like, but you need to understand that your tastes are like spitting in the face of mine. See, I despise your expectations of gaming. Norfleet, I can understand why he dislikes levels. He is all about end game and fucking over anyone and everyone to show his superiority. He is a PVP focused player and it is the same with PVE. He is the guy that grinds what developers think are insane barriers to players, that nobody with a life would attempt. He likes pissing off anyone and everyone in games. It is how he achieves his entertainment. At his core, if you are paying attention his reason for "agreeing" with you has nothing to do with your ideal but rather a lacking of execution by game companies who tend to spend their time appealing to people like you. Frankly, you are his bitch. /shrug
I think this evolution of using mudlfation to solve the separation problem has led to MMO's which're more solo-oriented. By making them solo-oriented the game won't be population dependent. This means if the game grows older and incoming population drops, it won't have a serious impact on the ability of new players to progress. HOwever, the possible drawback of this is many players DO want a social connection. If they truly wanted a single-player game, they wouldn't be playing an MMO, would they? The company has to find a way to connect players, ideally players of all level ranges, in a meaningful way which doesn't make them feel neglected or irrelevant. This has led to things like mentor/teacher mechanics which allow high levels to interact with low levels in a productive manner. This is why some MMO's have insta-grouping or cross-server grouping. This is why there're quest hubs. This is why the company created the Plane of Knowledge. This is also why pvp instnaces might allow low levle players to compete against high level players on a fair playing field - which mostly disregards their level.
Fundamentally, the progression mountain which separates players has to be transparent or porous. It has to allow transport of meaningful things in both directions from the low end to the high end. This strengthens t community which keeps players playing.
You can't have a beginning and an end and expect people to start at the end. Now agreed, games over time get light on the lower end (ie not enough new players coming in to sustain original game designs). I think the solution to such is to meet that at the areas it is lacking. I think mentoring (done properly) and mercs (only at the levels lacking) are good ways to deal with content outdated. See, while you may want to "rush off to the end" because nobody is playing the lower levels, I like to actually play that lower level content and challenge myself through it. If you are going to invalidate older content because fewer people are playing it, just delete it all and make your game an FPS to appeal to the mainstream crowd.
edit:
There are many ways to help progression as such, but encourage lower level play. Here is a thought, how about allowing high level players to play lower lever characters for benefits to their own? These characters could not be used unless someone was a new character (there are ways to check for abuse). This way, players can get benefits who are already at the max level, but will still be playing with lower level characters. This works because these players can help the lower levels learn to play the game. Its a win win.
BTW you can play on EQ like servers today, with extremely slow progression and still excel, playing with other players and moving through content. This idea that you need to be able to jump to your "friend" at the higher levels quickly is pure impatient mainstream thought. It is people who aren't interested in gaming, but interested in social gaming.
