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Main Forums => Suggestions => Topic started by: you axed for it on March 26, 2011, 04:10:32 AM

Title: Hardcore Mode
Post by: you axed for it on March 26, 2011, 04:10:32 AM
I suggest the implementation of a hardcore mode.

The exact mechanics of this risky mode would be left up to DMs of course, but for a baseline I'd suggest earning XP at the rate of a PC one level below.

Why? Speaking for myself, I hardly play EFU these days because my RL time is limited and the quest grind just really irks me. Spending huge amounts of time everyday for a week or more repeating the same quests I've all done literally hundreds just to be able to reliably forward ambitious plots sort of just kills interest for me. And, without naming names, many others I know including some DMs!

I think this mode, which would be a riskier but faster way of levelling up for confident players like most of our veterans qualify as, might reinvigorate alot of interest.
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Post by: Spiffy Has on March 26, 2011, 04:23:19 AM
No. Those who DO have time and are good questers will abuse this function
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Post by: VanillaPudding on March 26, 2011, 04:27:03 AM
I have a feeling this will get instantly shot down but hopefully not. There have been so many XP cuts just to prevent "useless high levels" that it's become a headache to try and progress to an acceptable point to really generate a good amount of conflict. Protagonists and conflict generating PCs quite simply need to be mechanically equal or stronger than their foes to succeed in being interesting, sorry forum warriors.

I would much rather have two of seven level 10s being interesting than zero of two that semi-retired because they have no challenge from their opposition outside of NPCs. I would much rather have a handful of level 7s and their groups generating conflict rather than one at a time. I'd much rather people spent more time on the lengthy higher-end dangerous quests than they do "farming" a Troglodyte cave, Granary, and Harpy nest.
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Post by: Money's Dew on March 26, 2011, 04:34:44 AM
I truly hate questing. I hate it so much, but I have to if I want to get to a level where I can back up plots.
I simply want to be able to get to at the period of 6-8 and stay than powerquest everyday like many of us have to.
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Post by: Ebok on March 26, 2011, 05:37:13 AM
Champ Chosen of Orcdom have made this mode standard practice.

Its called, die.

And VP, high level quests requires you to also be of a decent level. Farming those quests can only occur if everyone is dying all the time. Which would indicate that this suggestion is less relevant, then it already is.
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Post by: Knight Of Pentacles on March 26, 2011, 05:53:57 AM
Yeah, I've noticed the xp rates are a lot lower than what they used to be.  Haven't been able to get a single character over 6 in months. And Ebok, yes, the invis ganking Chosen of Gromthar (or w/e) make the orcs quest totally unrewarding.  Either make the Chosen weaker or increase the xp gain or loot gain.
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Post by: Ebok on March 26, 2011, 05:57:30 AM
Im not worried about random spawns, to be perfectly honest. Those happen. However death is far more common now then before Mort's update, as intended. Many things that were tough before will kill people.

Efu is hardcore mode, all the time.


Edit::
The quest grind is really getting old however.
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Post by: Random_White_Guy on March 26, 2011, 06:45:56 AM
The Grind is always the grind. Try mixing up the quests you take. There are dozens on EFU people can take!

I have always dreamed of being able to apply for a level 8 from day one but truth told while the grind does suck you don't have to always adhere to it.

Proactivity and interesting concepts draw DM attention which can get you up the ladder. May take more than 2 days of HARD XTREME CRUSH, but it's infinitely more amusing I think.
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Post by: Egon the Monkey on March 26, 2011, 10:06:26 AM
I agree that the risk-reward balance has be shot way out of whack by mobs using potions more and being better equipped. It's made quests where they do this trick far less attractive, especially Orcs which seems to have been loot nerfed too.

I would prefer to see more scaling added to lower level quests and the level cap moved up. For example, open up Jergals and Goblins Part 1 to L8 PCs, but increase the spawn power if a couple turn up. If quests are available to a greater range of levels, it stops the grind of people doing the few profitable quests at later levels. The L8 XP nerf that kicks in should counter the effect of spamming. Make it easier for higher level PCs to get supplies and entertainment value from quests, if not XP. It sucks if you feel you can't do anything with your faction because a bunch of you are a level or two higher than the rest.

Making it harder to reach higher levels by whacking the challenge up in a few places without boosting the reward just promotes uber quest teams that go hit one querst for healing, then one for gold, then one for potions. Allowing more questing that provides fun and loot, if not XP means that a successful non-powerquesty PC can enjoy wrecking the odd quest alongside his allies.
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Post by: derfo on March 26, 2011, 11:18:25 AM
agree with OP, i would like to believe what RWG is saying but you simply need levels to back it up now
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Post by: xXCrystal_Rose on March 26, 2011, 11:44:10 AM
QuoteNo. Those who DO have time and are good questers will abuse this function
What about those of us who have lots of time but are -terrible- questers or plain bad with mechanics? *pouts* Quest grinding then becomes not only unrewarding, but very stressful as well. Yea... there is too much potential for a system like this suggestion to be abused.. but it would be cool if it were possible.
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Post by: FlowerEatingElf on March 26, 2011, 11:59:32 AM
I, for one, welcome the new wave of week-old, level 11 wizards/sorcerers.
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Post by: Lenthis on March 26, 2011, 02:15:12 PM
I would suggest just making quests to have more spawns and the like. You don't need more exp, but more foes. You don't need hardcore mode if instead of one trog elite milling about alone in the halls of some cave, its an elite with a shaman and 3 lower ranks in a group. There needs to be more spawns to introduce more risk and "reward" make hero spawns that are weaker in lower quests so players that are new and old get the ability to learn how to combat stronger mobs and make the bosses, actually buff up and potion chug. Also note, when I say this they do not need to have hero loot, but perhaps a small cache of potions if you kill them fast enough which will be reward for lower levels rather then OP hero loot for their lower level.

Players want more exp, in relation to the greater difficulty, well then give them the chance by making monsters in greater bulk rather then finding on or two stragglers. Also, Make monsters worth the same as they are in quest areas. I have noticed that an orc outside of the orc quest gives an extremely lower amount the one in the quest does. People will be "Oh noes don't do this, they will teh farm"
Farm? When you only see 3 orcs in the middle of a field and they suddenly chug invis and smash you, I doubt you will decide to go hunting creatures that not only now know how to invis gank, but also buff up.
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Post by: The Beggar on March 26, 2011, 02:48:14 PM
I love the Grind.

If Grind gets boring, add a little Bump for spice.
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Post by: Howlando on March 26, 2011, 03:15:31 PM
I don't think it's desirable to reach level 10 in a week, but correct me if I'm wrong but it still does seem level 7 is pretty manageable in a short period of time.

I'm definitely sympathetic that it gets tedious to do the same quests. I do promise this is being worked on, and in the meantime I'm going to go through and make some of the less common quests a lot more rewarding.
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Post by: Anonymous Bosch on March 26, 2011, 03:32:18 PM
Only been back a little while, but found getting to 7 pretty quick and easy on the 2 chars I've had.  Admittedly aided by legendary Quest Crushers though.
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Post by: Drakill Tannan on March 26, 2011, 03:48:27 PM
Could something be fixed that reduced the amount of XP depending on how much time your character has been logged unto the server since it's last reset? The more time, the less XP.

That way questgrinding for 4 hours would be, say twice as rewarding than grinding for 1 hour, rather than 4 times.

That way people who play 1 hour each day have a chance against thouse of you with too much free time.
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Post by: Lenthis on March 26, 2011, 03:50:57 PM
..Simply- No, This is instated in other severs and just pisses off the player base. Time = Reward, Just like Risk = Reward.
 
Less time to play, Take more risks, To much time to play, Take less risks.
 
Simple
 
^Do note this is just my output on this^
 
Also, leveling isnt hard, Not Dieng is hard. You just need to find friends you trust, If your a new player all you need to do is rp make some ic friends and then quest. In this questing you must actualy use supplies and spells. People have this odd penchant to not do such and die. <<<< This is what causes deaths, which makes exp be lost and thus causes people with little time to be frustrated beacuse they got one quest in, in thier few hours on and then they die and lose four days of time! Just dont die, and then your time is put to good use.
 
I do support quests growing more in risk=reward rather then reward
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Post by: Blue41 on March 26, 2011, 04:12:19 PM
Grind is grind.
 
I'd personally like to see a few more cases where the risk matches the reward, especially considering the new AI of spawns on quests. Quests are harder to do, exp is less. Not necessarily a bad thing, if you're getting plenty of supplies out of it. However, with champions popping shield/haste/bark left and right, you've got to work a little harder just to get by. Pretty soon you're using more potions than you're getting back, which leads to questing more with less people just to try and break even. And that sounds like something you'd want to avoid if you can.
 
Necessary evil- gotta be supplied to push plots, reward minions, push for recruitment into factions, spark conflict, be somebody. Moar exp is nice. Moar of a reward would be nicer.
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Post by: Shamtastic on March 26, 2011, 07:58:55 PM
Level 6 can be gotten in two days, with some luck. (2-3 hours questing time, per day)
Level 7 on the third day with some good luck karma in PU groups. After that , it is a slow climb, as it should be.  As far as the OP, I do agree, the quest grind has kept me from jumping back in game of late, but..more so the lack of a decent concept and RL getting in the way.
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Post by: EfUA_undercover on March 26, 2011, 08:08:16 PM
Quote from: Drakill Tannan;231240Could something be fixed that reduced the amount of XP depending on how much time your character has been logged unto the server since it's last reset? The more time, the less XP.

That way questgrinding for 4 hours would be, say twice as rewarding than grinding for 1 hour, rather than 4 times.

That way people who play 1 hour each day have a chance against thouse of you with too much free time.

Don't forget the people who rp for several hours and then go to do one quest! Would be a kick in the balls for them... apart from the fact that I sense a slight bitterness in the whole post.
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Post by: Lenthis on March 26, 2011, 08:11:49 PM
Quote from: Blue41;231243Grind is grind.
 
I'd personally like to see a few more cases where the risk matches the reward, especially considering the new AI of spawns on quests. Quests are harder to do, exp is less. Not necessarily a bad thing, if you're getting plenty of supplies out of it. However, with champions popping shield/haste/bark left and right, you've got to work a little harder just to get by. Pretty soon you're using more potions than you're getting back, which leads to questing more with less people just to try and break even. And that sounds like something you'd want to avoid if you can.
 
Necessary evil- gotta be supplied to push plots, reward minions, push for recruitment into factions, spark conflict, be somebody. Moar exp is nice. Moar of a reward would be nicer.

 
Excellent point, a small boost in loot would be excellent.. A Moderate boost in potions in low level quests would be perfect, so people whom die alot can claw thier way up a bit more easily.
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Post by: Wildlings on March 26, 2011, 08:22:26 PM
Quote from: Shamtastic;231268Level 6 can be gotten in two days, with some luck. (2-3 hours questing time, per day)
Level 7 on the third day with some good luck karma in PU groups. After that , it is a slow climb, as it should be.  As far as the OP, I do agree, the quest grind has kept me from jumping back in game of late, but..more so the lack of a decent concept and RL getting in the way.


I must be doing something wrong.  It took me 6 MONTHS to get a character to 8th level once, and that was before the 'nerf'.  I tend to only quest when it makes sense for my character, and then only the quests that again make sense.  I HATE power questing, now that is not to say that people can't or shouldn't do it.  But, with this, I tend to always be behind the curve. So the 'nerf' hurts me a lot more than it would ever help me. *shrugs*  

As for the OP, it would help people like me, but there is no way to stop the power questers from abusing it.
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Post by: One_With_Nature on March 26, 2011, 08:25:12 PM
I don't know about everyone else but i've found that with the changes Risk > Reward and its quite a turn off, one of the reasons i haven't been playing as much lately. I've seen too many crazy deaths with the new chages and then minimal reward.

Edit: Oh and with the xp nerfs it does seem like it has got to be a little much. How it was before it was possible to reach 8/9 but it still took a hell of a long time to get there. I've done quests now with the new xp system and recived no xp for killing mobs on that quest and i was 2 level under the max level limit.
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Post by: Lenthis on March 26, 2011, 08:53:11 PM
I agree with own, the exp nerf has made certain quests ridiculously poor leveling wise, and turned the viable quests even more bland to do and the like. Im a person whom tries to get his chars to a decent level while attempting to  rp in equal portion. But now a days, its more of a excessive grind towards getting to a decent level to further your plot line rather then a lets rp a bit, lets quest a bit. Its a tad like medieval ages atm.

 The rich get richer, the poor get poorer with the nerf. You have high up chars that can just sit about  mostly and enjoy thier high levels and only use supplies on high up quests when they have a safe group. While if your on the lower end, its more of a die.. and work towards getting up, die again and then your clawing back up, suddenly! Pvp caused by your conflicting plot lines, you notice your going up against a char thats been around longer, so long that they have been able to get to a excessively high level threw massive quest spamming you just don't have time with all your dieing and lack of potions, and you get stomped. Its not fun to die to some of the impossible odds were pitted against. You want intelligent spawns. Well then give us worthy loot to deal with the spawns. Give us the potions they don't drink if we kill them fast enough, Give the player base a boost, after boosting the AI, nerfing the exp, and, Making spawns even harder.

This is of course, as the thread is but a suggestion. Players deserve a chance to fight back, and a way to gain exp in a faster if abit more dangerous and/or rewarding fashion. Give more quests a part two, for example. Give trogs a underwater part two, or a part two in granaries where you can do in one of the goblin made tunnels, perhaps more quests like beetles and gnolls give it a bit more variation and more paths to make it more then just the same grind.
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Post by: Howlando on March 26, 2011, 09:16:07 PM
There has been no experience adjustments to my knowledge for months. Not sure what the "xp nerf" people are referring to means.

Specific example of quests where the risk > reward would be useful.
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Post by: Lenthis on March 26, 2011, 09:18:17 PM
Quote from: Howland;231287There has been no experience adjustments to my knowledge for months. Not sure what the "xp nerf" people are referring to means.

Specific example of quests where the risk > reward would be useful.

Would you prefer a pm, or a post?
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Post by: VanillaPudding on March 26, 2011, 09:22:59 PM
http://www.escapefromunderdark.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50670

Although seemingly a joke post, a big hit happened right around here, and IIRC, about a month or two prior there was a reduction as well. There was even another a few months before that (in terms of monster rewards and quest endings)

Quests heavily influenced by potion chugging NPCs / xp that fail to reward for their risk often enough are -

Orcs part 1 (also reduced to 8 max)
Gnolls
Flayer temple

I'm sure there are more but I have not had the chance to see many of them since that change.
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Post by: Nuclear Catastrophe on March 26, 2011, 09:52:04 PM
Quote from: VanillaPudding;231290http://www.escapefromunderdark.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50670

Although seemingly a joke post, a big hit happened right around here, and IIRC, about a month or two prior there was a reduction as well. There was even another a few months before that (in terms of monster rewards and quest endings)

This was because of a real bug ingame that allowed characters to get more XP the further they were from an NPC kill.

That was fixed.
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Post by: VanillaPudding on March 26, 2011, 10:06:03 PM
Well, around that time of the fix there was a heavy nerf on melee xp as well. I always received the same whether I was at range or in melee prior (on my last pc, a melee cleric), but then got far less after it and, as I recall, the same at range and melee.
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Post by: Drakill Tannan on March 26, 2011, 11:48:36 PM
Quote from: EfUA_undercover;231271Don't forget the people who rp for several hours and then go to do one quest! Would be a kick in the balls for them... apart from the fact that I sense a slight bitterness in the whole post.

yes.. there is bitterness actually. Hadn't noticed i guees. Can't help it, i've only twice reached level 8 after months of questing at every chance i got, and thouse character lasted in said levels for 2-3 days respectively. Furthermore i always panic at the thought of PvP because only once i've had decent supplies and a level beyond 7. Meaning plots that involve chance of PvP are a no-no unless i lay low, in wich case it's boring. The one time i followed LPFF's advise and said "Screw levels and supplies, let's rock!" i died to my first fight without a chance. I honestly don't get how people manage to level so fast. I've always assumed they are arround when DM events happen, or something. I can't figure it out.

Now that i've gotten it out of my chest, i can post something usefull.

How about incresing the XP gain and the supplies gained by low level PCs? That way getting to level 7 is fast, but to level 9 very slow. I yes, i know this already happens, what i mean is do it even further.
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Post by: Egon the Monkey on March 27, 2011, 12:23:05 AM
I find more that I have decent supplies going up to 7 or so without too much effort, and easily resupply if I run low. Then at 7 or higher, if you get there you end up locked in a quest cycle to be able to get enough supplies and money to pay your underlings or fight off rivals. People less familiar with EFU quests may have more trouble. Your Mileage May Vary, players.

I think a solution would be some more loot reliability. Not Hardcore Mode, but Easy Mode. Purple Crystals is a healing resupply run, but few other quests have guaranteed payouts of a specific thing. The high level ones tend to be high risk high reward, randomised loot. Now, a few quests of low risk, lowish but clear reward in money or other supplies, would let you not have to take on quests when you are supply drained.

Make them time consuming though, so they are inefficient to grind unless you need the loot.  You could RP, hit the simple quests to restock, and then take on a challenge when you are actually up to it, rather than needing to gamble. There is one delivery quest that goes up to L10, but it's only available to one part of the server. Similarly for the wilds quests.

I find Gnolls to be a great example of a quest that is exciting, varied and usually rewarding, with an interesting way to get extra loot beyond just social checks. Orcs though, does seem to be shrunk to a vestige of its former payout, for the same risk.
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Post by: you axed for it on March 27, 2011, 12:41:33 AM
I was hesitant to post here in the Suggestions forum because I knew this shit would spiral into a formless, circular and moronic debate about how hard things are perceived to be by all and sundry. And I was right.

For the record I personally have not experienced some 'XP NERF' that people seemingly just made up in the course of this thread, and am not referencing that as to why there should be a Hardcore Mode.

People like RWG will always say 'Yeah, the grind is the grind yo' and then state that its possible to succeed without having to stoop to it. While that is true sometimes, even RWG must be forced to admit that 9/10 times he just gets steamrolled prematurely due to lack of levels and supplies needed to realistically pursue his plots. However, if RWG and a few savvy friends of his all chose the risky Hardcore Mode and managed to pull it off, they'd level to the critical point (which for most PCs will be L7) in a suitable amount of time and be able to legitimately compete from a plotting perspective, thereby enriching the server overall.

And Howland mentioned he'd not like to see L10 PCs after like a week- well, how about making the cap for this Hardcore Mode to be level seven? After all, the entire purpose of this mode would be the allowance for people with less IRL time to reach the critical mass needed to realistically pursue their plots with chance for success. As mentioned, this would be L7 for basically all classes except full BAB ones, who 'come of age' a level earlier.

I'd also just like to ask everyone not to dilute this discussion on the merits and disadvantages of Hardcore Mode with tangental, subjective bickering.
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Post by: meow-mix on March 27, 2011, 01:44:50 AM
The system I have always thought would be best is that each quest gave a significantly larger XP payout on completion, but only once per quest, permanently. That way, the only way to reach "max level" would be to do every single quest in the module.
 
Doing a quest repeatedly every day would only be useful for gear/loot and fun with your team.
 
That way, non powerquesters would be average level without the grind, and powerquesters could STILL be mechanically more powerful than their less crush devoted servermates, but people who would rather plot and RP could do so without being at a terrifying disadvantage of levels, when conflict time arose.
 
But then I suppose that SOME cawazy few would just do every quest in 1 day...sigh...that WOULD be lame, wouldn't it...Grind it is!
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Post by: AceOfSpadesX on March 27, 2011, 02:10:19 AM
This would just cause unnecessary divisiveness within the player base. The chasm between veterans who have been rolled over each quest hundreds of times and newer players would only widen. People already complain that the elite questers exclude them from the action. This would only exacerbate the problem.

Also, the XP nerf is very real.
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Post by: One_With_Nature on March 27, 2011, 05:22:06 AM
I think its more a matter of the risk getting greater with the new changes as people are dying more often and there being no change in reward supply and xp wise.

I don't know how the xp system works, but since the changes (months ago) it has been alot harder to level especially after level 6, although i don't think i have had a pc above six since then.

Quests that i have found to be Risk > Reward would be:

-Orcs 1 & 2 (2 gives litrally no xp to level 8 + and its a max 10 quest/ Also low reward supply wise at least for orcs 1 given the risk)
-Flayers 2
-ToM (Despite the potentially nice rewards everyone seems to die on it now)
- Temple of Jergal (Jusy my opinion but seems a little light on reward)


Basically what i thinks happening is mobs have suddenly got alot harder and unlike before people are actually needing to use their supplies more often but because there has been no change in reward people are suffering from low supplies leading to more deaths. The fact that the xp is less then it use to be just makes it difficult to progress in levels + supplies. Also when you die the set xp loss is still 1/3 so with that in mind the gap between level progression and death penalty becomes more and more brutal and when you don't have the supplies to prevent such, it becomes frustrating.

Edit: Also the only reason the XP nerf has been brought up was because you can actually really start to feel it now.
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Post by: Letsplayforfun on March 27, 2011, 08:29:29 AM
There’s an issue with people getting bored with quest-grinding. That’s perfectly understandable, and we don’t want players getting bored. Some simple player based solutions exist though:
1 - don’t grind them. RP during the quests. Take your time. Enjoy the presence of others. Avoid the casual metagaming (that’s a killer]. Do quests with less than optimal groups.
2 â€" do harder / more exotic quests.
3- don’t quest: gather people to do your stuff, send a pm on dm channel and see what happens, or ask on IRC if someone want to spice your exploration/building team.
4 â€" don’t quest: plot, chat, etc. But it’s not as XP rewarding, because it’s risk free.

#1 & 2 means you’ll probably die more. But you’ll be having more fun questing.

Quest grinding is not a necessity, it’s a stress you’re putting on your own shoulders.We can implement more quests for diversification, but it would only work for a week then you’d grind them alike.

To sum up this issue: XPs and lvls are an addiction that doesn’t care what lvl/XP you already are. We could make everyone start at 7 and you’d still complain others get to 11 faster, or that you still “need” to lvl up faster to reach your goals.

Then there’s a (real) issue with a widening gap between vets and occasional players, but it won’t be solved by allowing vets to lvl up even faster. Worst, it would only widen the gap, and I don’t think that’s positive.

People lvl up faster than others because:
1- they play more
2- they die less (they are mechanics-wise)
3- they have a group
Changing the XP factor would only change #1. We could make it easier until lvl6-7, but it wouldn’t stop people dying frequently, and they’d still miss the ooc-buddy quest-train that takes others to 9 in a week.

As for solutions to diminish the lvl gap between vets and others, well, any other suggestions are welcome.

One might be to lower the lvl cap to something like 9. (more or less like EfU)
One might be to ease the way to lvl7 (but it’s so easy already...).
One might be to have low lvl quests give supplies and higher lvl quests force people to use their’s. (but that’s hard to balance, and mech-wise people are able to waste less supplies, so it wouldn’t help much anyways).
One might be to give everyone lvl 7 with no XP gain or loss except dm XP, but wouldn’t that be boring too?
One might be to have a lvl5 starting portal (app only?) to avoid repeating newby quests.

Whatever. Keep suggestions going, maybe something good will come up.

But just be sure what’s irking you: “needing” to grind quests (which is a self-twisted need), or comparing your pc with other pcs (then it’s ego you’re looking at, not EfU). Lvls only matter in pvp, and even then, it's people that are mechanics-wise, pvp-friendly, and loot-filled that'll save the day anytime, even if they are 2-3 lvls below their foes. For what it’s worth, the players/PCs that are getting complimented on EfU are one who’s pcs rock since creation (ex: BOM), not the ones that reach lvl9 in a week. Some can do both: good for them.
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Post by: VanillaPudding on March 27, 2011, 09:07:03 AM
Quote from: Letsplayforfun;231344There’s an issue with people getting bored with quest-grinding. That’s perfectly understandable, and we don’t want players getting bored. Some simple player based solutions exist though:
1 - don’t grind them. RP during the quests. Take your time. Enjoy the presence of others. Avoid the casual metagaming (that’s a killer]. Do quests with less than optimal groups.
2 â€" do harder / more exotic quests.
3- don’t quest: gather people to do your stuff, send a pm on dm channel and see what happens, or ask on IRC if someone want to spice your exploration/building team.
4 â€" don’t quest: plot, chat, etc. But it’s not as XP rewarding, because it’s risk free.

Odd suggestions on the first two considering there is another thread on how quests have already become unrewarding and overly risky. As for the others, no thanks. We're still playing a video game at the end of things, and while the core of it is indeed roleplay, I am not going to expect a rather understaffed and busy set of volunteers who already spent time designing quests to reward me for avoiding them, nor do I think anyone should expect that.

Most games, including any sort of RPG, PnP, or whatever else have a thing called progression, and I see no reason to halt that at any point (although the means in which one can progress may change and swing to another spectrum quite often!) Also, avoiding RISK on EFU is just silly, that's probably a good reason why a lot of people remain here is to face a (legitimate) challenge through it's many aspects.

QuoteQuest grinding is not a necessity, it’s a stress you’re putting on your own shoulders.We can implement more quests for diversification, but it would only work for a week then you’d grind them alike.

It's a complete necessity if you want to play a proactive / conflict generating PC. Any sort of villain or even a big goodly force needs supplies and levels to face it's many (and typically greater) challenges.


QuoteThen there’s a (real) issue with a widening gap between vets and occasional players, but it won’t be solved by allowing vets to lvl up even faster. Worst, it would only widen the gap, and I don’t think that’s positive.

Hardly. The gap will remain identical, with "vets" having an easier time and hitting your level caps while the regulars and less experienced people (who typically CHOOSE to and have chosen to avoid learning the mechanics of an ancient game). Very few people are new to NWN, and I think even certain DMs and active players (IO, SC) have proven that you can learn it very quickly if you try.


QuoteOne might be to have a lvl5 starting portal (app only?) to avoid repeating newby quests.

The Veteran portal, I like it. It could replace INHABITANT that most of us click to avoid the same old scene when the mythalar lights up.
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Post by: derfo on March 27, 2011, 09:11:23 AM
it's cool and all to derail a topic with speculation but can we please have hardcore mode
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Post by: TheImpossibleDream on March 27, 2011, 09:49:56 AM
Quote from: Letsplayforfun;231344There’s an issue with people getting bored with quest-grinding. That’s perfectly understandable, and we don’t want players getting bored. Some simple player based solutions exist though:
1 - don’t grind them. RP during the quests. Take your time. Enjoy the presence of others. Avoid the casual metagaming (that’s a killer]. Do quests with less than optimal groups.
2 – do harder / more exotic quests.
3- don’t quest: gather people to do your stuff, send a pm on dm channel and see what happens, or ask on IRC if someone want to spice your exploration/building team.
4 – don’t quest: plot, chat, etc. But it’s not as XP rewarding, because it’s risk free.

1 - Grinding quests does not mean you are not roleplaying on a quest. It just means you are doing multiple quests a day in the hopes of gaining experience and supplies.

After completing a quest multiple times with the same character it becomes more and more difficult to come up with methods of making them appear surprised or afraid when they should be.

As for non optimized groups. I've done a lot of these recently. it does not raise the difficulty. It only slows things down drastically and often feels like trying to paint a shed with a toothbrush, you'll get there, but it takes a lot longer. When it comes to future attempts with the same character it becomes harder and harder to keep things interesting when otherwise short quests drag out in the same predictable manner as before.

2 - Quests difficulty generally is not the reason a quest is avoided. If a quest is fun and challenging (sinister enclave) or/and rewarding (coral cove) it will be done regularly. if it is a very tough quest that rewards very little (lizardfolk) then it will almost never be taken for anything but once off roleplay trips. Which are only enjoyable once per character.

3 + 4 Are a random chance of success and exploring some areas is a bit of a drag once you've been there a few times before if something doesn't happen.

Quote from: Letsplayforfun;231344#1 & 2 means you’ll probably die more. But you’ll be having more fun questing.

Quest grinding is not a necessity, it’s a stress you’re putting on your own shoulders.We can implement more quests for diversification, but it would only work for a week then you’d grind them alike.

To sum up this issue: XPs and lvls are an addiction that doesn’t care what lvl/XP you already are. We could make everyone start at 7 and you’d still complain others get to 11 faster, or that you still “need” to lvl up faster to reach your goals.
QuoteNot really. Within our maximium level range the key level you want to obtain based on your class is 7 or 8. Any level above that is nice, but for the most part any veteran can do without them. The thing about levels is. While a level 7 can defeat a level 14 a level 5 has no chance against a level 10. Assuming the players in these examples are mechanically adept. Show me an example of a player below level 7 defeating somebody 2-4 levels higher than them and I'll show you somebody who doesn't know thier mechanics.

Quote from: Letsplayforfun;231344Then there’s a (real) issue with a widening gap between vets and occasional players, but it won’t be solved by allowing vets to lvl up even faster. Worst, it would only widen the gap, and I don’t think that’s positive.

People lvl up faster than others because:
1- they play more
2- they die less (they are mechanics-wise)
3- they have a group
Changing the XP factor would only change #1. We could make it easier until lvl6-7, but it wouldn’t stop people dying frequently, and they’d still miss the ooc-buddy quest-train that takes others to 9 in a week.

The reason for veteran and "occasional" (I assume you mean newish) players not questing with one another has nothing to do with leveling speed.

Quote from: Letsplayforfun;231344But just be sure what’s irking you: “needing” to grind quests (which is a self-twisted need), or comparing your pc with other pcs (then it’s ego you’re looking at, not EfU). Lvls only matter in pvp, and even then, it's people that are mechanics-wise, pvp-friendly, and loot-filled that'll save the day anytime, even if they are 2-3 lvls below their foes. For what it’s worth, the players/PCs that are getting complimented on EfU are one who’s pcs rock since creation (ex: BOM), not the ones that reach lvl9 in a week. Some can do both: good for them.

I bolded the line where you basically give the reason that it is required you grind quests. There has never ever been a single pc who "saved the day" who did not grind quests to get the stuff he needed to "save the day." No matter where thier "largest source" of supplies come from, you can trace thier entire reason for gaining those supplies to the grinding of the quests.

At the end of the day. Increased rate of experience does not mean one side will level faster than another. If a veteran earns 200 experience a day and a non veteran earns 100 and experience rate is increased, the veterans experience becomes 400 and the non veterans experience becomes 200. The increments would be identical to before the change...

Also hardcore mode, yes please...
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Post by: Howlando on March 27, 2011, 01:12:04 PM
I'm going to leave aside some of the issues brought up in this thread.

What we'd like is -

Fast, simple progression to level 5. (it really does seem this is the case still?)

Moderate pace to level 7.

Slow but steady and achievable progress to 9, with excellent characters reaching 10 and a small number of long-term and dynamic PCs reaching 11-12.

I think what we had before is some quests, for example Orcs 1, giving such gigantic quantities of XP that a low level PC could latch onto an orcs group and vault into the high levels very quickly.
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Post by: Drakill Tannan on March 27, 2011, 02:30:39 PM
The idea of making high-level quests that alow low-level PCs give massive experience to low level PC seems like a good one. It encourages new players to make friends, rather than go erranding, in order to lvel up. It also allows already established groups to "train" their new members to their level rather fast. I also agree that a veteran portal "Start at level 5 and with 300 gold" would be exelent, you'd really start weaker than a PC that makes errands, but oh, how annoying errands are after you've done them 50 times! I'd take it every time...
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Post by: DeadBoondoggle on January 01, 2012, 07:41:18 AM
Any chance of something like this yet? The "grind" is worse than ever with the new setting and is literally keeping people from playing at this point. XP has been lowered in the new setting, DM rewards are honestly at a very low point, and those two factors lead to some bit of annoyance when trying to advance.

Combine the slower advancement and lack of RP rewards with a higher      low-end of levels and things just seem out of place. The only systems that have been put in support longevity rather than RP, in contrast with their name, and really do not help in anything since their rewards cut off at 6 or 7 while players are starting at level four after an intro and hitting level five within an hour of creation.

I am not a great roleplayer by far, but I'd certainly rather spend my time being proactive than being forced to spam and grind quests more than ever so I can achieve any success in the world outside of being reactive.
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Post by: mucka1916 on January 01, 2012, 10:26:40 AM
Since this thread has been brought up from the old I'd like to relate to my own experiences on the server.

As some DM's and players would be aware, I have a nightmare of a time when it comes to players that keep dying. I've never had a PC above level 7 and at most have held level 7 for a day max. I die constantly to quests and even spawns as DM's would be aware from the amount of "clear corpse" scenarios that they find me in... At times absolutely ludacris situations that even baffle them.

But there's many ways of gaining XP on the server other than running the same quests thats entirely possible to get to a high-level stage with BUT you must be willing to put in effort as well.

- DM's are extremely nice at throwing XP to players that put on a large amount of events or a single or series of events that are original and well thought out.
- The XP wage offered by DM factions goes a long way to getting a PC to the level 7 mark
- There are constant DM events and town raids that are a great way of leveling even if you just sit back, take an invis and watch the numbers fly high.
- XP gained from gathering and just exploration. Get a party and go for a long walk of the server to places you've never been.

And above all talk to the DM's. I've bitched and moaned countless times to DM's and experienced players about having severe problems with poorly mechaniced PCs. And for the most part they have come to me with constructive critism or do's and don't and possiblities to open my character up to avenues that I never even thought of.

No DM wants a player to have a rough time unless you grind out constant min/max characters who's sole purpose and design is crushbotting and just being boring.

Hardcore mode is a no for me because it allows for too much mediocrity. People who haven't and aren't willing to spend the time developing the characters... Not only from a fighting point of view but from an rounded character style.

No-one wants a server full of awesome characters because it's the triers and battlers that make the server what it is. Too many high end characters spoils this because the only benefit for overall high XP gain is fast built PvP characters. And PvP =/= RP. It can add but one does not constitute the other.

That's my ramble anyways.
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Post by: Zborowski on January 02, 2012, 01:03:38 AM
I don't see how a veteran's portal/hardcore mode would in any way contribute to either an increase or decrease in the quality of the characters being made by players. Its just an option for veteran players who are confident in themselves to quickly get into the mix without needing to invest exorbitant amounts of IRL time they do not have or cannot spare to quest extensively.
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Post by: Seanzie on January 02, 2012, 01:51:29 AM
I think that questing is only good for two things. Getting supplies and gaining/loosing levels. It takes away from meaningful roleplay, but adds the chance for new players to be friends with higher level/vet players. I think this should be implemented.

If this happened. It would allow players to:

1) Create a better story
2) Spend less time grinding quests
3) More time role playing
4) Create a sense of excitement for those who choose it and a different level of danger
5) Make people stop complaining about there not being a hardcore mode
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Post by: Nihm on January 02, 2012, 02:01:42 AM
Level six can be reached extremely quickly, so I don't think allowing people to start there would be overpowered, or possibly even level seven.
 
It'd be worth trying this as an experiment for awhile I think.
 
Hardcore : start level seven, but cannot respawn or be raised.
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Post by: WildPirate13 on January 02, 2012, 02:16:49 AM
Quote from: FlowerEatingElf;231217I, for one, welcome the new wave of week-old, level 11 wizards/sorcerers.

Umm no... Hells no! LOL!

Time invested should count. If someone plays 4 hours it should not equal time spent for 12 hours in a day. The time is relevant. That person that plays 12 hours a day should be rewarded much more than one who doesnt spend that much time in the virtual world.

Servers often have a disjoint between things like..

Time zones. Server number drop during some players time zones as well making getting DM exp harder to achieve and harder to find people to do quests with.

Pacific time zone seems to have heavy activity where I find the time zone I play in Atlantic for the most part.. low server numbers.


Example some people can get to level no problem level 8 with my uber buds helping me get there within a week..

Well if you dont have uber buds that wont grind you up to level 8.. its frickin tough.

Some areas can lead to death just by lag through no fault of a player as well.

Its a balancing act.. for sure.

I do like the hardcore no respawn idea as an option.

Luckily I am a noob! I have no experience in the this game so I can say silly things and "tongue in cheek" be dismissed :)

Good posts and cool topic.
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Post by: Seanzie on January 02, 2012, 02:46:07 AM
Dont think you're opinion isn't valid because you've been here for a short time. This change would effect everybody, so voice your opinions!
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Post by: Spiffy Has on January 02, 2012, 02:49:43 AM
I revise my opinion and find myself in support of this change.
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Post by: Anon on January 04, 2012, 08:41:39 PM
Always wanted this implemented. (along with my death lottery system that nobody commented on) I would suggest maybe 2 lives or 3 because of lag based deaths.
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Post by: KillerKan on January 04, 2012, 10:52:42 PM
If you want to be hardcore. Log off when you get sent to the fugue, tell your party your dead  and don't come back on that character.

I don't think people need a reward for being hardcore, playing a different way shouldn't make you more special.
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Post by: Advocatus Diaboli on January 04, 2012, 11:38:32 PM
Its not playing a different way.

Its an option for people with limited IRL time to make characters that can quickly get in the mix and compete on the plot level.
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Post by: WildPirate13 on January 05, 2012, 12:16:54 AM
10 is almost impossible in my view unless you are getting uber dm awards. The current exp gain rate is very tough on noobs.

Seven is still somewhat tough believe it or not depending on what time zones a player plays in and how much time they have.
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Post by: sylvyrdragon on January 05, 2012, 12:20:57 AM
Quote from: Nihm;269091Level six can be reached extremely quickly, so I don't think allowing people to start there would be overpowered, or possibly even level seven.
 
It'd be worth trying this as an experiment for awhile I think.
 
Hardcore : start level seven, but cannot respawn or be raised.

No, Hardcore should hit Mistlocke at level 2... perhaps if you go with the "hardcore Mode" you could get extra XP per quest.  But, starting at 7 when we soft cap at 9-10?  How is that Hardcore?  Oh, you got 2-3 levels without dieing... good job!

Pretty much to get level 10 you have to know how NOT to die.  This is no amazing feat to me if we give you level 7.
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Post by: Mort on January 05, 2012, 12:33:43 AM
Will never happen, yo.
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Post by: Mort on January 05, 2012, 12:34:15 AM
Never say never.