[2019 Q4] 2019 Strythmas Wishlist

[Stiehl26]

Same xp whether 3 (I’ve NEVER grouped with more than 1other person) or 1 in a group....please.

[Davairus]

hey stiehl,

I have considered your suggestion. We have imms disagreeing on that subject at the moment. But we all agree basically that we should not modify grouping much, or modify areas in a way that alienates our AR experience from olden times especially. however there is one and only one thing I am willing to offer and I will say overrule every imm on if I saw decent support from the players for it. I have said that very very rarely in my time as the games leader and only because I feel full conviction that a measure is needed to be taken and I am very confident about this one.

My offer is simply that we take the Seringale perimeter guards (which used to be solo-ranked on anyways) and make them fineable to fight, but the guards will scale to fit the person they are tanking. This way you can break laws to get viable solo exp, but only in a VERY visible location, and this is also keeping Justices busy. Fight at your own risk. Also, because these mobs are scaling mobs, all experience will be divided between the people that were fighting that mob, and not awarded to a group. Maybe a thief will gank your kill and then you. Again, at your own risk.

Now keep in mind the INTENDED pro's and con's of that deal, and everybody should have the opportunity to weigh in and say if they absolutely dont like it. However, I think it is a solution to this quandry we are in of not being able to trivially solo level or want to modify much game content either. I think we have all spent a lot of time trying to think of creative solution to solo level where a trivial measure was needed, and it affects peoples choice of race/class so there's also that. There is some precedence for this proposal since we have scaling special guards and this will also help make it easier to get used to. But we will need to do some tuning to make sure it isnt the best available option when groups are to be found. if we choose to proceed, we should conciously start with this being pretty crap and review it regularly to make sure the difficulty fits in well with the other content.

If there is any real interest here, I would like to come up with a more fleshed out proposal of how exactly we will do this and what we need to do. My biggest worry is that it gets popular and then slapped on loads of mobs all over AR and kill the PK opportunity

[Stiehl26]

Hi Davairus,

Thank you for the response. Just to put the cards on the table, what I was envisioning was just a change so that the xp one receives for slaying a creature was the same, regardless of group size. I may actually be completely wrong here, but it was my understanding there is either a group bonus when there are 3 people grouped, or there is some minus to xp if the group is not 3. So I definitely wasn't thinking of a reworking of areas or anything like that. I haven't got to the point where I am leveling outside of Emerald or The Mansion, so I don't have the perspective of leveling passed 35.

I would like to hear more of the proposal. I will echo your concern and add my own where I wouldn't want to take away from the traditional xp paths that I am sure are engrained to most of the non new/returning players. I also would want to consider that those that play Lawful alignments, which seems to already be saddled with deficiences (I don't understand the Order flag), would not be able to take advantage of killing the guards in town.

Maybe if I understood better the other side of the coin, where people don't want xp to be the same regardless of group size (up to 3), it would help me.

Honestly, it is fun to grind out xp, but I would like to experience some of the higher level stuff. What happens now is I just create 100 guys and get them to 20/30 and then rotate them when I can and then just use the guild reward every 3 days for the xp. Do searches on the codex to find items (love you can filter by level and area!)...it is definitely fun. A selfish request to be sure...but that's what Strythmas is for.

Thanks all for those still playing and Imming!

[tayyah]

I believe, the idea is that, being in a group should always be the optimal setting. Given the choice between leveling with a group and going by yourself, going with the group should be the better choice. Having higher solo experience will be worse because people like me, will never ever group with someone else and carry them, why would I? I am capable of going from 1-50 solo if I wanted to but the rewards from a group far outweigh the negatives of being alone. Its to encourage group play. That's why he is suggesting what he is suggesting. because if it is a capable solo avenue, he wants it out in the open and very very vulnerable so that being in a group should still be the optimal setting.

Personally... I don't see what the big deal is about getting to 50, its 100000000x easier than what it used to be. I guess since, I can level its just not an issue for me, but I generally bring people with me because a group is always the optimal setting.

Do you just play, like 99% of the time you are the only one on? is that the issue? I hit the 4AM surge once in a while since I am super early riser and I don't usually see anyone on. Maybe you can explain the leveling situation to me so I can understand.

Order is very simple, it is the lawful wild. Only lawful or neutral ethos people can hold orderly equipment and there is an abundance of it. This and the protection of being in town as a lawful, is what you get for being lawful.

Did you know that you can get a constable (help constable) and in Seringale, if you are being attacked the constable will fine the attacker. There is caveat's so read the helpfile carefully.

[Stiehl26]

Hi Tayahh,

I am 99% alone and I have hit maybe 2 surges. I understand that in an optimal setting, one with a healthy playerbase, a 3 man group makes sense. I would challenge your statement, though, about never grouping with people. The speed that a 3 person group or even 2 person group can go through mobs is typically 2 to 3 times faster than if you are alone. That in itself is an incentive to want to group. Take that into account, along with the random learns ones gets for grouping and you definitely have a reason to group over solo when the occasion arrives.

I understand that people have the ability to get a person or 2 on with them to group, which is great...group up! I am not one of those people.

I am not looking to make waves, I just have trouble seeing how killing a creature by yourself, investing more time and resources to kill said creature with a very small playerbase and wanting the same xp as if I was having a much easier go of it with a group of 3 would be anything byt helpful.

Also, some classes are much more suitable to soloing, which makes, for me..a solo player, not want to try out mage classes for example.

The result of making xp equal is what? You veterans get some item/kill pinantas to pop at 50? New or returning people have more incentive to stay in the realms for longer periods of time and grind out xp? Sounds good to me.

[Nycticora]

Hey Stiehl, there's going to be a brawl pretty soon where we bring the game up on another server where all characcters are level 50 from creation and can duke it out or go exploring. We do this once in awhile when we need to test a big change to the game. Make sure you check that out.

Regarding easier leveling:

solo leveling in my opinion is not really possible (read:fun) after around level 36. It's like insane levels of grind. That means there's no way for me to feasibly solo to 50, so if I want a 50 I have to level with you.

If we changed XP gain to make soloing possible the effect would be that instead of it being impossible for me to solo to 50 it would become possible. Even if difficult it would still be possible.

I once played a couple other games where it was very difficult to progress and very easy to die, just like AR. But progression in these games was based entirely on equipment and not on character level. So in these games if you lost all your shit you were reset effectively back to zero, except for what gear you could hide or bank. The effect of this was that almost all players would always be totally naked all the time. The low skill players would do it just because they didn't have anything, but the high skill players would do it just to deny equipment to other players. They'd never be geared at all unless they were fielding overwhelming force, even if it meant they were taking a huge hit in their ability to play the risk/reward game. It was more valuable to deny others than it was to progress.

Shifting from a system where progression is impossible without others to possible without others could result in a similar kind of dynamic coming into play in AR, where the high skill players would prefer not to group with you ever because it's now possible for them to solo. Even though it's true that they'd get more xp faster with you in the group, it could be the case that it's more valuable to them to deny you XP than it is to get XP themselves. I think that's what people are worried about here.

[Stiehl26]

This may be the perspective that I need and was hoping wasn't the case, where at some point you are nearly dependent on 2 other people to get past a certain rank.

In that case I would wholeheartedly support whatever Davairus proposed in regards to scaling mobs for xp. Otherwise I am mostly going to be playing ranks 1-40 maybe. Not a horrible thing to be sure.

[tayyah]

Can I ask roughly what time you usually play? compared to right now. Seems odd that you are around right now but not able to find groups?

Also, there is certain classes that can solo the last 14 levels. monks being one, very easily can get to level 50 alone from 1. Invokers if you can get to 40, they can solo to 50. Shamans can solo to 50 but it would just take long time. Dark-knights given time could do it as well.

I guess it really just depends on what you want to put into the game versus what you are expecting to get out of it.

[Davairus]

tayyah, i think someone that is outgoing, veteran, engaged at all time in the game and caution-to-the-wind appoach to AR like you will always find an easy time to 50, dragging your balls out behind you everywhere, its not about the class you pick, its having all those traits that make you solid for fast ranking. you know every group has a ninja afk'er ? that is not you. you are never that guy

[Stiehl26]

I'm at work nearly every day 8-5 EST, though I do get maybe an hour or 2 if I am working from home and can get some playing in during lunch. If I had to say when I play, if I'm lucky, it is sporadically some random time/day between 8 - 11 PM EST.

I played on a Sunday surge and I believe I grouped with someone, which was awesome. I have 2 kids and am pretty active with them so I truthfully just fit time when I can.

I had the pleasant experience of 1 of the very few times I was going to group yesterday where I was level 9 and some monk told me to follow him, dragged me to the hellhounds where I instant died then proceeded to yell at me about how I should've been easier to find. My other 2/3 grouping experiences were positive.

Also, just to add. I took a day off last week and played a good 6 hours straight creating and playing various characters and saw 2/3 people but they were always the same people and were 50's. @Tayahh is there a particular time where non 50's are playing? I could try and coordinate something.

[tayyah]

haha, its all random, depends on peoples schedule and what they are playing. you got the right timeframe, the hours you play are the times that people will play. my suggestion would be to hit the sunday afternoon surge or friday evening. those two seem to be the best to get groups in. If you are actually wanting to get to 50 than you'll have to focus on one character. The hours you cited are the hours I populate the realms and I find groups. sometimes I'll play for 6 hours by myself, but sometimes I'll find groups too. Knowing you are western though, seems just bad luck you haven't had a group yet. Keep trucking dude. (maybe your sample size is too small as well, your 2004 account is throwing me off hahaha)

[Stiehl26]

I have been back maybe a month. I came back maybe 2 years ago for about a month or 2.

[BlackWidow]

I wish for the admission ticket to the circus (Great Ring, whatever) to weigh less than 1 pound. (seriously, what kind of ticket weighs one pound???)

[Kalist19]

[quote] you know every group has a ninja afk'er ? that is not you. you are never that guy [/quote]

I am always that guy....

[Olyn]

The wishlist is now closed. Most wishes that were not vague, complicated, self-serving, or altering overall game balance will be granted.