This, although I think there can be other contributing factors as well.
I remember during EQ 1 pre-beta I was chatting with Raph Koster. We were debating PvP, of course, and he kept insisting that there had to be PvP in an MMO because there was no way to make enough PvE content to keep players entertained more than a couple of weeks. So if we didn't allow PvP, we were going to be in big trouble as players would rapidly run out of things to do, monsters to kill, and quests to complete.
And Raph was right... when it came to UO. Their tools forced you to use a scripting language to do just about anything. This was supposed to a big plus, as designers could create virtually unique content and allow NPCs to have unique behaviors. But it also slowed down implementation to the degree that the game did really need PvP at the end-game to provide people with something to do.
EQ's tools were (and are) data driven (although they added a scripting language after I left and they did it well -- you don't have to use it, but you may if you want to do something cooler than the core data driven mechanics allow for). So we put in a lot of content, and then some more. We also made things take a while (downtime) and we put in some repetitive stuff (grinding). And then there was crafting, and (much) later AAs. And so we had plenty of content for the average player. We didn't have enough for the tip of the spear guys, but then you never do.
Where am I going with all of this other than to reminisce? Pantheon is going to have to have a LOT of content. With fewer levels and more content per level we can avoid spending time on dungeons and adventure areas that are never used. We *should* be making adventure areas and a lot of them. And yes, our content creation tools will need to be very efficient. And if we want to minimize (but not eradicate) unnecessary downtime and grinding, then we'll need even more content. This is going to be quite the challenge but I think we can do it and I think it will worth doing too.
