Some thoughts about XP cristals...

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iphdrunk
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Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2004 8:20 am

Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by iphdrunk »

Hello all,

Having been MIA since the whole Outpost thing started, and having used only the cristals after the Ep2, I've been chatting to a few friends in game about their thoughts regarding cristals as outposts rewards, to get their view, and this is the purpose of this thread, as well, to get a token/sample of what forum members think about this: their value, their rate of production -- of course, related to the guild size --, if they are creating a game imbalance or not, etc.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a rant and the fact that I'm in a small guild unlikely to hold an OP in the foreseeable future is not the cause of this post :) . I was planning to create a poll, but I was afraid it would end up biased or incomplete.

For the moment, I'm getty pretty different opinions, all founded with relatively good arguments, imho. I know it's hard to get an opinion since the OP are recent and the dynamics may vary.

In this sense, some players think :

* That to some extent, xstals are perfect rewards, giving a good reason to own and hold an outpost. There is no imbalance since players can trade them, give them away, and if needed, an alliance of smaller guilds can be set up to attack and outpost, thus opening new ways of diplomacy,trading, negotiation, etc.

* That the xstals idea is good but the rate is too high (I don't have formal data myself, but apparently 1 xstal is generated every 5 seconds, more or less 14 stacks of 999 a day).

* That boosting xp rate means only players getting faster to the top, getting bored faster, and not enjoying the trip. Of course, this varies a lot according to play styles, so if players get more xp faster, more power to them (oh, bad pun)

* That xstals are even more fostering greed and bad feelings.

* That it is pretty reasonable to state that stablished and relatively big guilds hold the higher outposts. Do you think this can cause the demise of smaller guilds and a snowball effect where players tend to join a established guild rather than going their own? thus powerful guilds getting more powerful. Does it come down to "join an well established guild holding an OP, you'll powerlevel twice as fast" (exageration for dramatic purposes)

* with regard to EP2, they didn't affect the game that much, since time was spent on a certain task, for which several players didn't get xp, thus in some way accounting for the time we could have been doing other things, basically.

* That it is creating an imbalance between players that have and players that don't. They may become another currency as mats are, where items are exchanged, in a wat similar to what mats

- Do you think we risk ending up in a "permanent regime" where each guild has his OP, setting up a status quo where the OP dynamics will estabilize?

In summary, this is like a thread of "post here all you wanted to say about xstals". I didn't want to sound biased so apologies if I did. Thoughts?



Edit: it is possible that you may want to add "you are whining because either you can't have them or because it will let players get to your levels". We can discuss that privately :) I'm seriously curious about fellow players opinionsm really.
thanks,
Anissa - Jena's Lost Tribe -

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oldmess
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by oldmess »

iphdrunk wrote:* That boosting xp rate means only players getting faster to the top, getting bored faster, and not enjoying the trip. Of course, this varies a lot according to play styles, so if players get more xp faster, more power to them (oh, bad pun)
In general, I like the crystals because the rate of progress above 200 is too much of a grind and that's where I've used them most. I also use them now that armor crafting has split because that's another area where the progression is just too boring for words.

But something that occurred to me is this: There's a certain type of player that seems to come into a game like this with the goal of maxing his/her levels as quickly as possible. We all know these players exist; there's even a common term for them: "powerlevelers".

TBH, as much as I want a nice full population, powerlevelers don't add much to the community while they are leveling, they get bored after they finish powerleveling and they leave. So, in a sense, XP Crystals actually help us by encouraging that personality to come and go even quicker.

Others have made this point to new players better than I am - "Don't power level. Spend your time enjoying the world in as many ways as you can think of and you'll enjoy it longer." This is more true now than ever before.
OudKnoei - Pegasus-Foundation
Tryker / Karavaneer
Avatar of Destruction / Pikeman / Master of Life / mediocre digger in the sand

"I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out." - Bill Hicks
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alibasil
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by alibasil »

In addition i think the xp crystal takes some of the credibility out of your work! Admittedly i have used them on my amp craft, however i had the option of using them on my digging but decided not to.

Jungle digging was my everest that i wanted to conquer without the double xp boost. I didn't want people to dig my sources at the end either. There is alot more satisfaction in it if you dont take a shortcut!
Alibooma

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fiach
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by fiach »

Having just returned to the game myself, I was intending to ask exactly this question.

On the day I came back, I was given a quantity of these crystals by Jela, I got about one level 34-35 maybe, I was asked by someone else if I wanted them subsequently, but I declined.

I am levelling Ele. and its pretty easy as I have a high CON and can wear Q200 armour, so in someways it maybe unfair for me to comment on how other people should level their characters.

I have to say that if I had grinded my way to level 250 in anyrhing (My levels are 183 Melee, 118 heal, 98 Ele), I would be bloody annoyed that someone could achieve what I have done in half that time, In essence I would have been Beta Testing levelling for a year!

Regarding their availibility, I have been offered them easily enough, but I dont think its fair that their availibility is confined to OP owners, who get to decide who can get them, its the smaller guilds with lower level players that need them more!

I can see the advantage from the Neverax as a marketing ploy, to help people that have just joined, bridge the "Level Gap" with older players, so maybe you should just confine their use to players that are EG. Sub level 100.

Anyway the bottom line is, I dont agree with them, but could be persuaded to tolerate them for lower level players, to maybe get to level 50 or 100 faster.
But as they stand, they are an insult to the people that stayed on and grinded their levels to 250, when the less faithful like me, left for other games ....

My tuppence worth :)

AGGREDIOR ERGO SUM
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melita
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by melita »

Maybe im an uggly stain in this community but i like these crystals..
Bitsy Mac'Toolly - Disobedient Trykerette
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iphdrunk
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by iphdrunk »

melita wrote:Maybe im an uggly stain in this community but i like these crystals..

hehe, of course you are not (neither stain nor alone). I have used them, I enjoyed them and helped me level several branches. My aim was to get something like an overview of the mechanic in a kinda macroscopic way.
Anissa - Jena's Lost Tribe -

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alibasil
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by alibasil »

melita wrote:Maybe im an uggly stain in this community but i like these crystals..
I dont think i would use the term "ugle-stain" for anyone in this commnity!

New players will like these crystals because they wouldnt know a ryzom without em. Could they imagine a ryzom without mektoub mounts? I remember those days like they were yesterday!
Alibooma

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26101987
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by 26101987 »

I think all know about my not good english...
If Nervax want to make leveling more fast do it FOR ALL!!! delete 3k as max and/or something more.
Xp cristals in OP is bad idea (14k a day 100% bad) imho and it could make a situation when 2lvl250 OP=number of guilds.
I hope you understand me :)
Kostoprav
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iphdrunk
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by iphdrunk »

fiach wrote:I can see the advantage from the Neverax as a marketing ploy, to help people that have just joined, bridge the "Level Gap" with older players, so maybe you should just confine their use to players that are EG. Sub level 100.

Good point. Maybe the rate of levelling and time required to hit cap and to some extend merge and be involved with the rest of high level players (to put in simply) is too big ?

I've just been told that I forgot to mention an important aspect, the population size, which should be taken into account.
Anissa - Jena's Lost Tribe -

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alibasil
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Re: Some thoughts about XP cristals...

Post by alibasil »

26101987 wrote:I think all know about my not good english...
If Nervax want to make leveling more fast do it FOR ALL!!! delete 3k as max and/or something more.
Xp cristals in OP is bad idea (14k a day 100% bad) imho and it could make a situation when 2lvl250 OP=number of guilds.
I hope you understand me :)
i understand- its where nevrax have planned for the guilds to start wars so that they can get in on the xp crystals
Alibooma

Was Sleeping... Is now Awake!
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