DEVS: Magic XP for Healing??

[yy48n19]

So, yesterday I was lollygagging about the Fyros Newbie Island, sipping on coconut juice, snacking on cactus, and doing some resource harvesting, when this nice guy came up and healed me after a ferocious patch of redhot sap exploded under me. He asked me if we could team up so that he could get some healing xp by healing me after violent resource encounters. I said, "Sure ."

So's, we team up and when stuff blows up on me or toxic sap gas gets me a-chokin', he hovers in the air for a sec and hurls a blue ball of healing energy into my chest. It makes me feel good--the third degree burns clear up, or my lungs stop bleeding, what have you.

After a while, though, he says, "WTF???!! I'm not getting any healing XP!!" He didn't exactly say it like that, actually. The important point here, though, is that he wasn't getting any healing XP. Turns out, you have to be grouped with somebody who is fighting mobs to get healing xp. This seems a bit odd to me. I'm not saying that there's a shady anti-harvester healing agenda here, but it does seem odd that you can only get xp by healing people who are in combat. I can tell you, harvesting is dangerous work. Granted, it may not be as glamorous as hunting suckling yubos, but exploding deposits of sap and dung hurt just as much as claws and teeth.

I'm wondering what the rationale behind not giving XP for healing harvesters could be? From what I understand, mages get xp for healing after the mob is killed. Similarly, why not give magic xp for healing harvesters after the resource is harvested? After all, harvesters bleed, too.

[larsa]

... I'm wondering what the rationale behind not giving XP for healing harvesters could be? From what I understand, mages get xp for healing after the mob is killed. Similarly, why not give magic xp for healing harvesters after the resource is harvested? After all, harvesters bleed, too.

It would be the risk vs. reward rationale. A healer healing harvesters has no risk whatsoever - thus there's no reward.

A healer healing in combat however has risk - he can get attacked by the mob any time - thus he gets rewarded with xp.

[yy48n19]

It would be the risk vs. reward rationale. A healer healing harvesters has no risk whatsoever - thus there's no reward.

A healer healing in combat however has risk - he can get attacked by the mob any time - thus he gets rewarded with xp.

That rationale doesn't hold up, though, because there's no risk when crafting; yet, crafters still get xp for crafting. There is a risk of failing in creating the item, but that's not the kind of risk you are referring to; you're referring to risk of bodily harm. That could be taken into account in developing an xp system without altogether denying xp for healing harvesters: simply make it less rewarding than risking your neck in combat. It still seems odd to me that there would be no reward at all for using a certain skill. I can't think of any other skill that gets this same treatment.

[elfmatic]

Being a healer now, and having come from playing SWG, I gotta say I don't mind it. In SWG you can Master the Doctor profession overnight using macro healing of a macro tumbling player in a very nice and safe place like, your own home. Forcing us to actually be engaged in combat, something that can adversely effect us, prevents that possibility and lends credibility to what I do and makes my leveling worthwhile. Now is there a descrepency with how crafting is handled? I don't know, I'm not a crafter. But regardless, I'm happy to have some barriers to hyper-leveling while AFK in my chosen profession if you will.

~Elothen

[yy48n19]

Being a healer now, and having come from playing SWG, I gotta say I don't mind it. In SWG you can Master the Doctor profession overnight using macro healing of a macro tumbling player in a very nice and safe place like, your own home. Forcing us to actually be engaged in combat, something that can adversely effect us, prevents that possibility and lends credibility to what I do and makes my leveling worthwhile. Now is there a descrepency with how crafting is handled? I don't know, I'm not a crafter. But regardless, I'm happy to have some barriers to hyper-leveling while AFK in my chosen profession if you will.

~Elothen

I can respect that, since I've never been fond of the power-leveling style myself; however, I still think that the current system is flawed. I can't deny that healing in combat is riskier, so should yield greater xp, but I still think that healers should get something for healing anyone who is wounded, regardless of how they got those wounds.

[bobturke]

I can respect that, since I've never been fond of the power-leveling style myself; however, I still think that the current system is flawed. I can't deny that healing in combat is riskier, so should yield greater xp, but I still think that healers should get something for healing anyone who is wounded, regardless of how they got those wounds.

The XP system at the end of the first Open Beta gave XP on a per action basis, thus you could XP for drive-by healing complete strangers and probably for healing harvesters. This system was eventually scraped, after intensive work and testing, because I believe they could not get it well balanced.

Thus we have the current system.

[korin77]

I think the rationale is that the skill is a combat healing skill. Your levels represent how well you can heal under combat conditions. I guess even the lowest novice can heal while out of combat.

[chuangpo]

Along with grossly unbalancing the heal skill, getting XP for all healing, any time, anywhere would be extremely unfair to other types of casters who have NPC combat as their ONLY way of getting XP.

Right now, I believe it's fair as implemented. You want XP, go fight something. My offensive caster can't go around rooting NPC's or casting Fear on guildmates (endless fun as that would be.) just to farm out XP.

For that matter, it's unfair to any of the combat skill specialists, as, like previously mentioned, with the right macro, anyone could get Healing 250 in a few days.

It's sort of like saying Fighters should get XP for swinging their sword around in the air a bunch...

[silvanis]

The best thing to do is just call the skill tree "Combat Magic". Then there's no confusion about when you shoudl be getting experience (Yes, I'm ignoring Create Sap Crystal).

[spaaz69]

Being a healer now, and having come from playing SWG, I gotta say I don't mind it. In SWG you can Master the Doctor profession overnight using macro healing of a macro tumbling player in a very nice and safe place like, your own home.

~Elothen

Warcry was a lot faster