Yep, that is indeed what I was thinking of (though I don’t have a link handy either).

Didn’t mean to imply that’s where experience levels were invented. The clarification is appreciated though.

And even thought I was alluding to that DQ comment, I’m sure it wasn’t the first game to adapt experience levels, and across the board making things easier wasn’t always the impetus.

Don’t know about CRPGs in particular, one way or the other. But in general I agree with you op.

If you level up, and it means your stats go up and all your enemies level up and stay at the same balance with you, it’s pointless. It still affords a moment of happiness ‘cool I levelled up’, but in a much less satisfying way.

The point of level up early in RPG video games was, to my knowledge, so that any one with time and patience could beat a game regardless of skill. The idea of level scaling is almost the exact opposite, to remove the advantage of levelling. They cancel out and both player level and enemy level should be removed if that’s happening.

That’s assuming a 1:1 unversal scaling though, which is rarely the case. In the details it can be tuned to something worthwhile - which enemies scale, how much they scale, etc.

Still, my thought is when games want level scaling, they should consider why. If you want players not to overpower enemies via stats, maybe get rid of the stats (or don’t change them on lvl up). Levels can still augment your player with new spells, unique abilities, or more options. Or maybe more carefully consider the placement of enemies and what their default level and stats are set at. Or maybe consider a lower level cap, or a lower range of stat values.

The possibilities are wide open, but level scaling done poorly can make level ups feel like a punishment.

Yes. ❤️

I remember going on a trip when I was younger, and my (also young) friend was driving. At one point we got onto a stretch of highway and he met speed with a slow or speed limit vehicle like that, kept going for miles.

I don’t remember what prompted it, maybe an aggressive driver we encountered somewhere and were able to block in, maybe just because it’d be funny. But I do remember he’d tell that story for years, and we’d laugh about traffic being backed up further than we could see. Looking back, such a jerk move. I didn’t argue against it at the time, but now I’m half surprised we didn’t get a ticket. It’s kind of a safety hazard.

Come to think of it, that was around 15 years ago. >.>

To tack on - if you’re still pretty early, beginner textbook style lessons will be the most helpful at the start. If your main goal is to communicate with folks in a the short term, memorize set phrases and common verbs (along w/ basic conjugation rules).

It’s surprising how much you can get by with when you have limited vocab and speed, but know how to ask someone clarifying questions or ask if they can slow it down.

Picking up a 2nd (or more) language is just going to be hard. There’s not a magic shortcut, or anything you can buy or course to take that will make you fluent in a month.

That out of the way, there are lots of resources out there!

Look up comprehensible input channels on YouTube (eg, Dreaming Spanish). You can find something at your level, even down to the point where they’ll mostly point at pictures and say words. Eventually add in things like cartoons, news, podcasts, or social media when you feel up to it.

There’s debate about whether you need anything besides input. I’m partial to a mixed approach, so I’d say get a good textbook too.

Anki is great for vocab flashcards (but you’ll have to find decks, which can be annoying). Apps like Duolingo can be a good supplement too.

Make a habit through the day or thinking about how to say things in Spanish. Repeat your sentences in your head, or think about what the Spanish version would be of signs you see.

It’s just a long term goal though, to get anywhere meaningful. Engage with your target language every day.