Yay KP is back \o/

[danolt]

Just because the KP are extremely aggressive now does not mean they always will be. I am hopeful that their return and increased aggressive nature is plot-lined based and not just something thrown in to add something “new”. How cool would it be if the players could gage the Kitin threat levels by observing patterns of behavior of the Kitin patrols? Meaning, more patrols and higher aggro range equals increased threat levels.

Take it a step further, during set times, could it be possible to avert attacks or lessen the overall number of invaders by taking the fight to the Kitin by eliminating patrols and bosses like the ones we have recently encountered. For added fun, there would be no warning from the NPC’s about the presence of the new menace. A boss is up for a week; he is coming out to play in a city (or outpost) near you.

The optimist in me sees this last patch as the beginnings of creating a foundation for two new ‘sagas’, the return of the Kitin threat and the return of event/storyline based Homin conflict.

[raven41]

Had a long post ready, But there is no point. I just don't have a good feeling about where this is headed, if they are here to stay, the way they are.

[gralen]

Just because the KP are extremely aggressive now does not mean they always will be. I am hopeful that their return and increased aggressive nature is plot-lined based and not just something thrown in to add something “new”. How cool would it be if the players could gage the Kitin threat levels by observing patterns of behavior of the Kitin patrols? Meaning, more patrols and higher aggro range equals increased threat levels.

Take it a step further, during set times, could it be possible to avert attacks or lessen the overall number of invaders by taking the fight to the Kitin by eliminating patrols and bosses like the ones we have recently encountered. For added fun, there would be no warning from the NPC’s about the presence of the new menace. A boss is up for a week; he is coming out to play in a city (or outpost) near you.

The optimist in me sees this last patch as the beginnings of creating a foundation for two new ‘sagas’, the return of the Kitin threat and the return of event/storyline based Homin conflict.

Which is my hope as well, hence my mentioning that at least this time the arrival of the patrols was based upon player actions rather than arbitrary (one could argue that the railroaded events made it arbitrary but that isn't the point).

Personally, I would like to see the patrols come and go. Right now they make sense: We invaded their nests and killed some of the monstrosities that they follow....of course they're out for blood but over time it would be natural for the heightened aggressiveness to calm down some.

It also makes sense that during invasions that the aggressiveness would go through the roof...prevent the enemy from gathering as it were.

My point is that kitin patrols with extreme aggro ranges are not mere obstacles to be overcome but deterrents that tend to discourage all but handful of players UNLESS they are dynamic and evolve with events within the game. If they are dynamic, becoming more or less aggressive based upon game events, then they add meaningful danger to the game. If they are just static then what real benefit do they provide other than as a "challenge" to a few and a reason to never set foot in the PR for others?

[fiach]

If they are dynamic, becoming more or less aggressive based upon game events, then they add meaningful danger to the game. If they are just static then what real benefit do they provide other than as a "challenge" to a few and a reason to never set foot in the PR for others?

I personally consider them an impediment to enjoying PR, as they are currently implemented, still only 3 signatures so far, to do a search and destroy event in PR, so I cant be the only one

I like Gorrans point above, It could be implemented like the Kami Tolerance bar for digging, as people start ragging the resources in PR, the tolerance bar reduces and the KP threat increases in tandem with this.

As it stands, it serves no purpose, especially with the current population on Arispotle anyway.

[gcaldani]

I like Gorrans point above, It could be implemented like the Kami Tolerance bar for digging, as people start ragging the resources in PR, the tolerance bar reduces and the KP threat increases in tandem with this.

As it stands, it serves no purpose, especially with the current population on Arispotle anyway.

Even being happy about KP back, i agree with you. If they are a challenge is ok, but if they turn PR impossible to travel, then better to turn off the portals and amen.

I asked many time to add 'triggers' in the world to make it really dynamic (automatically, without csr mastering), but i know adding triggers is not a fast thing that can be developed, so eventually we'll have to wait a bit of time to see them.

Triggers have an advantage: being more expensive at beginning to implement they turn the overall cost of the game cheaper, because you need less employeers to run it. Yes, i know most of the csr and event team are volunteers, but a good company can't base his game on a volunteer-program only: there is no guarantee of a real presence of all the needed staff.

What would happen if the company would need to add servers in the future? (i hope they will need to do at one point, of course).

Anyway I like how things are going on at this time, apart of some short/medium/long plan that we still lack.

But, hey, this company is doing things, so.... *cheers all devs. Go, devs!*

[dazman76]

Although I'm not currently playing, I would agree with Valda and co. on this one. I think the KP are a great feature, and I was pretty amazed/surprised/amused when I first ran into them, all those moons ago I'd say that, in an attempt to please as many players as possible without genuinely alienating anyone, there should at least be some fluctuation present. Be that in strength, in numbers, in patrol routes etc. Something to periodically reduce the threat slightly, with a view to varying the overall difficulty of the roots.

[dentom]

Umbra is free of Patrols. So the trek routes aren't affected by the pats. Newbies in general are not affected by them: There's no need for a newbie to get the TP of the wastelands or of underspring. The whole surface is still reachable without ever meeting a single pat. Even Nexus via Umbra.

The lvl 250 PR just *have* to be the most dangerous and most challenging region in the game. It's a region for the most skilled and expierenced players. It's a region with the best raw materials you can find. Which region of Atys should be more dangerous, more frightening, more deadly?

It's a challenge for the experienced players that learned over years to observe their surrounding, to use their speed / invul / auras, to sneak. And they get the access to the best materials of Atys as a reward.

Newbies in digging start at the surface. And there's still pat-free Umbra where they can dig in peace to level 200 (and above with less XP, but you can level to 250 digging Q200 mats).

If you want to get the best, if you want to enter the bark of this dangerous, deadly and beautiful planet, to crawl under the surface and venture into the dark you have to be good. Very good.

If you want "roots light" (for showing to newbies, digging to level 200) you have Umbra. If you want the best that atys has to offer - supreme mats - you have to run, hide, bleed and in front of all: learn!

It's doable.

[gcaldani]

This is a good point, dentom.

Just to clarify my post, it was meant more about the 'dynamics' than the danger itself.

Of course it must be a real challenge for the high level players, it was too much easy.

[gralen]

At this point, all I'll say is that I have seen kitin patrols decimate the player population once (as noted above) and I would hate to see it happen again.

[bruare]

Checked out the KPs a bit today and they look tough but doable by a good group of 6-9.
But there are so many KPs now, it just looks pretty much undoable by less than 2 full groups.
Now if the KPs did not respawn for say 2 hours or so, it might be worth the effort to take them down, but with normal fast respawns, you gotta really want that Boss or dug mat or just not care about DP.
Same goes for penetrating Demon's Lap, you start making some headway into the kitin and then you have pops on top of you, how about at least having them spawn in the back rooms and slowly move out.