Useful?? Suggestions for players and devs alike

[mytra]

OK

Been dealing with PATCH 1, hopefully if we all work together we can improve the game. I'm starting a suggestions/discussion thread to constructively repair the game. I understand alot of people are hurt (hence the negative tone of much of whats on the board now), but lets try to be positive here.

Some general comments on the new system:

After gaining 5 or so levels (and as quick as before I might add), I see some potential. Fights are much faster now and more hectic - more challenging. More tactics are needed and the combat system isn't a sleeper anymore in a group.

Lets face it, the old system was terrible. A blinder and melee is all you needed. Ranged weapons were pointless, defense afflications were pointless, healers were semi-useless. As long as every melee had a blind enchantment on their weapon, one reliable mage was all you needed.

I think ranged weapons are much more useful now. As a player base, we havent exploited it yet. However, offense magicians are feeling the hurt. The main problem I see is that resists rates are high. A battle is now typically over in two to three casts. The chances that all of them are resisted is high and you get no exp. Additionally, damage output relative to melees is low. This has to be fixed soon.

Suggestions for Devs:

1st Communicate more effectively in the patch notes. The patch 1 notes were difficult to understand and the players - especially if you are reseting all skills - need some guidance on how to allicate skill points without totally having to go out and relearn the game.

Eliminate or greatly reduce the resist rate. Instead, have the mobs resist reduce the amount of damage. For example, a 47 off mage casting on a 101 raspel, would maybe see his spells doing 25-50% damage, with occasional fulls. This way they arent excluded out of exp.

Now I figure that this unbalances the afflication spells again, which is why you havent returned resistances to a reasonable level yet. My suggestion is that you either bite the bullet and code different resistances or - this one I like alot more - make sap usage of afflication spells depend on relative levels. For example, if a 70 off mage uses a 50 power blind on a level 200 onyx, have it use 200-(70+50) = 80 extra sap a tick (or something like that). Thus afflications are better, and you could attempt higher level mobs but need more coordination (i.e. someone feeding sap to the blinder).

Having afflication sap drain key on monster level would also give a realistic way to allow for multiple afflications. You could tie two scary gingos down, but now you've got >100 levels of mobs and sap usage is very high.

This would also help with soloing a bit. A mage could reliably solo something a few levels above him - but not take down something 100 levels above him like before.


For players around 70ish:

First, running though the gingo lines isnt gonna work anymore. You need to have a systematic, patient approach. Either as a 50 melee or as a 47 off mage, I've been able to pull singles and kill them easily. Unfortantely, I wouldnt attempt to leave town in Matis unless I was at least 45 now.

2nd, teams need to look for large concentrations of mobs about 15-25 levels above their highest level. You are aiming for mobs expering about 1000-2000 a pop. Chaining these mobs is important now. Have a puller and a main tank, a couple of healers, and damage. Battles are very fast, if you pull well you can exp at close to the rates we saw before. Aim for always having a mob in camp.

3rd - I think its more important to be all close in levels now. Since, you do need to be aiming at mobs not too far above your highest level. having a 90 healer with a bunch of 50 melees and fighting something maybe around 115 means the melee are gonna have a tough time hitting it.


As a closing thought, the patch was hurtful in that finding out someone cheated to win a game over you. My guild is in shambles as we struggle to come to terms with the patch. I understand why people are upset. 1 person 'whining' - hes probably a troubled soul and we should pity him. 5 people 'whining' is a bad day. The whole gaming community is a hurtful patch. Understand this and you will know why the community is lashing out at each other. Get the pain out of our systems, and lets fix this ship or hop a new one.

[keriann]

for devs and players alike: at the state of the things now, this game is doomed.
on monday there is world of warcraft open beta. you have til monday to fix the game back as it was, then probably you won't have anymore the playerbase you need to even make this crap run anymore.

[wayas]

exellent post mytra, well thought and constructive critisism.

love it.