Sorry guys, another level change poll. But this time, I'll be explicit in the system I am proposing. Expanding upon the poll question, the XP required for each level would be the same as it was in Pre-Pod, as opposed to now, where levels 31+ require substantially more XP. So, we would again see people at level 36, however, leveling past 35 (or some other level) would only grant the player a small bonus of 1-2 to their health.
Why the proposal? Well, I am aware that some people are unhappy with the current leveling system, for various reasons, including that reaching level 35 is impossible, grinding that much is absurd, game is more enjoyable with higher level builds, and other things. Those are entirely reasonable complaints, but for quite a while I couldn't see a way to have that, while still retaining the qualities that the current system has, such as that newer players are not fighting against a build 6 levels higher than their own, or the strain put on the engine by higher level builds.
This leads me to my justification for such a change. Those who are currently level 31+ will end up at the same, or a higher level build. Additionally, anyone who had some enormous grind to the next level would see that grind be substantially cut down. So, on average, player level would go up a bit, and the grind for the next level would go down. (unfortunately for those right near the cusp of reaching 34 or so, they might see their grind to 34 be wasted. I'll try to think about ways to deal with the possibility of this)
In any case, changing this leveling system in the proposed way would not put new players at a significant disadvantage, as any levels beyond 35 would only grant bonuses to health. In a similar manner, a level 37 build (if achievable) would also not be able to attain levels of agility that can put much strain on the engine.
I can't guarantee this is something I'll be easily able to implement, but I personally think it is a good compromise, that benefits everyone. Do note that this change isn't set in stone yet, and I'm very interested in hearing/seeing input on it.
Poll