Steering as a Zwift plus? If the functionality of the “feature” wasn’t so laughable, I would be p*ssed about how rarely I use it on my Kickr Bike.
I don’t think this is accurate. I mean yes, it’s a bit annoying for some people when they hit level 50, but I don’t think I’d call it a “pain point for Zwift”.
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I didn’t put that there. I was quoting the OP. I tried steering a couple times on repack ridge when that first came out but with the drift, it was a total botch using my phone. I haven’t used it since but maybe it’s gotten better for those of you with fancy toys? Doesn’t sound like it though.
There was a big group ride a couple months back where a pro leading the ride asked what the highest level in the group of riders was and if anyone was higher than lvl 50. I think it was Eric Min who publicly responded on the ride chat that it was a sensitive topic. So maybe not a point of pain for ZHQ, but there are not so pleasant feelings for it. Is that a better way to phrase it?
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Yep, I’ll allow that 
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Steering on the Elite Rizer is pretty good
Max of 50 is a pain point for Zwift and they know it.
On one hand, it’d be really easy to add some more levels. Rewards and assets for those levels might be a bit more involved, but it’d take a few seconds (fine, maybe a minute) of engineering to add 50 more levels following the same 20k XP per level scheme as the higher levels.
On the other… I’ve moved past it. I’m not there yet but it’s coming (level 45 now). Nobody joined Zwift to gain imaginary levels, we joined to get fitter and faster and make indoor training enjoyable. Being stuck at level 50 doesn’t prevent you from doing any of those things.
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These levels don’t mean anything to me. They just say how much a rider has been on Zwift. I don’t get motivated by leveling up, but I understand that others do. For Zwift this means that some will continue to use the game because of it. If a customer loses his motivation to use Zwift, Zwift will lose a customer.
As a racer, I would be motivated by a metric saying how successful I have been e.g. last season. It could be the average result position in percent of total finishing racers. Or a badge for placing in the top 10 X number of times the current season. BTW, Zwift should have a concept of seasons for racers.
Many customers of Zwift need external motivators. I think it would be wise of Zwift to focus on badges, levels, rankings, drops, etc. to hold on to their customers.
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I’m exactly the same, I really don’t see what the fuss is about levels? It is just a number no one sees unless you really want them to and does anyone really care what level someone else is? Does it make you feel differently about them if they’re level 35 or 46? Who cares?
Why even have levels then? Just get rid of them altogether.
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I think it was just something they put at the start
It’s a computer game, computer games have levels therefore we need levels.
They also work to a point it is quite nice when starting out to have a new jersey or bike or whatever but how many do people really need?
I don’t completely not care about levels… Everyone likes it when the numbers go up. It’s something to shoot for and adds a sense of progression to the game. But, I won’t let hitting level 50 ruin Zwift for me. I can watch other numbers (FTP, kms, hours, etc.) go up.
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I think levels stand for quite a lot, certainly did for me, where I wanted to get the top kit to feel like I wasn’t in a disadvantage in races.
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For me levels are just one goal, I think it’s important for them to be there, and it shouldn’t be so easy to cap them out - but it’s also good to have other goals. I liked the 25-times-up-alpe badge, and the route badges, but once you get them all once, and the tron, and finished the missions you end up at a spot where there’s no other cool things to unlock. I still have a lot of levels to go before 50 so I am still making progress on “something”. But the only badges I have left are ones I’m not 100% sure I physically can get (eg. the 1.1, and 1.2 kW badges, and vEverest). It would be good if Zwift (or RGT) have badges per month, or per season, or some form of prestiging so you can unlock something if you do all routes twice, or three times or something, so there’s always a goal to shoot for that is achievable for folks like me who need a carrot for motivation, or some random game’s goal to help direct what routes I’m choosing 
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I totally agree with you James.
Although I’m at level 50 for quite a long time, it’s just a number and as you know I have a quite big laundry list of things I’d personally address well before adding more levels.
I’d build out the Innsbruck world to be a much bigger one taking in the nearby big mountain climbs and maybe even get all the way down to Vipiteno - then that can become another permanent world alongside Watopia.
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do those on level 50 have an advantage when racing over someone on say level 10? Yes, because they have been on the game longer to accumulate the “better or faster” equipment, that really isn’t fair on the newer user, fair racing has been banded about so many times that I’ve lost track of what it actually means
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No-one know what it means.
I can’t think of any MMO game where you are not advantaged by having been on the game for longer in terms of kit/weapons/vehicles etc. It’s probably basic numero uno for designing a compelling and addictive experience. The more capable riders will almost certainly win regardless of their level, but knowing that there is slightly faster kit available keeps you motivated. It’s the same in real life, the stronger riders will almost certainly win, but the marketeers know that human psychology dictates most people will upgrade their kit before they upgrade their bodies. Oversized pully wheel at $600, or ensuring you get a good week of consistent sleep for free?
I think Zwift should have more of it.
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I have a strong preference for RGT’s “it’s not about the bike” philosophy and putting the game element into the sport itself (breakaways! tactics!( and not all this “marginal gains” paraphernalia wanketeering. But to each their own, I guess.
Mahjong (or chess) is still the same game whether you play it with pieces made of plastic or endangered animals.
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A small amount of gamification is fine, I just wish the gamification wasnt the focus of the system - It seems to me in recent time Zwift is becoming more of a game than a training \ cycling platform.
If you look at the training elements of zwift, they seem to have been left behind - The plans continue to be pretty poor, very little data analytics and im not sure I have seen much in the way of Zwift pushing users to improve themselves through workouts etc.
Perhaps all the eggs are in the TrainerRoad basket as that fixes an awful lot of problems quickly.
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I have never, ever considered Zwift to be anything other than a game…levels, equipment, etc. To me it is Doom with more sweat. Training is Sufferfest and TR. Zwift is, after all, a cartoon.
It would be a great Econ MS Thesis to compare Zwift to any number of PC gaming companies and their trajectories. IMO, and only IMO, if RGT/Wahoo are able to build up that franchise, Zwift will be in trouble. Zwift has wasted countless man-hours & $$$ trying to develop HW when they should have just bought someone 4 years ago. Again, IMO, the performance of the BOD needs to be evaluated as they have failed. IMO.
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