keriann wrote:why they didn't de-patched then? they should umpatch and put back the way it was before. even a rollback would be fine for me. so we can at least PLAY while they work a better system.
Possibly because the patch fixed a lot more than it broke, the issues that bothers people are probably microscopic (code-wise) compared to how much this patch added and fixed.
If you take focus off the increased NPC damage and harvesting issues for a moment and look around you you might notice that the game doesn't LOOK broken anymore.
Stanza descriptions are fixed and much more understandable, NPC names are fixed, you don't see 'mektoub_npc_0372' walking around the stables anymore, skill trees has had a major revamp and are now more educational from a beginners point of view (They are confusing to those who has got used to the old system, but it's far more structured now).
A proper trade system has been added, new NPC's has been added and i suspect there are more bug fixes than i can imagine.
Now, while i like a good challenge, i understand why the combat changes etc. are frustrating to most people, but you have to understand that fixing it takes a while. It doesn't matter how much you pay Nevrax, there's a limited number of developers and there are laws (Well, there are in Sweden, don't know about France) that prevents them from working 24 hours a day even if they wanted to.
If you think Nevrax really wants players to spend their time in the game dying more than they succeed you're not thinking realistically, are you?
They probably have so much to do, however, that they have to prioritize. If i was a dev and had a deadline for Patch 1, i would get all the bug fixes and basic features i could into the game first and worry about balance issues later.
The game doesn't look like a beta anymore, all fundamental basic features are in and now that there's a complete foundation for Ryzom it will be easier to focus on game balance (Because game balance, unlike a patch that covers the whole spectrum of game functions, doesn't require an entire developer team to fix.).
All big patches has aftershocks, MASSIVELY multiplayer games has massive ones.
But they all eventually bring forth a better game.
This patch is nothing compared to the chaos other MMORPG's has caused their players. In my opinion, Ryzom beats most of those in spite of the current issues.
Personally i haven't really seen any major issues with combat. Try soloing anything your own level in Everquest at level 50, unless you're one of two or three classes suited for this you will die.
In a team with a specialized tank and healer (Both are very rare in Ryzom it seems) you'll be able to fight enemies far above your levels. You'll get less exp, but do you really want to reach level 250 in two weeks?
For a game that is to be focused on guild and teamplay there are far too many people who are determined to solo (Crafting exp is the only exp you can't share in this game. Crafting is, however, the only skill that depends on other skills and can be made easier with a team effort).
I'm not saying that things are fine, only that you have to grow with the game. Instead of walking into the tree that just appeared in front of you over and over again you have to realize that you can walk around it.
You need a team to fight now, you get less exp, you can't fight mobs 40 levels above you anymore....so what? Mobs has less HP, you can fight smaller mobs faster instead of exhausting yourself on huge mobs. Just find a healer (And those hasn't had much to do until now, i'm sure they are very happy now.).
Take Atys for what it is, not what you want it to be and then find solutions instead of asking for them.
Take experience (a.k.a. 'Exp') for what it really is:
An easy task don't make you more experienced, the really tough ones where you make mistakes do. Did you ever really deserve the maximum 3K exp back when you didn't have to do much to aquire it? (Exp, because that is what it all comes down to in the end regardless of wich skill you consider broken).
Personally i've never cared at all about exp, even if i have a death penalty of 1000000, it won't ever prevent me from harvesting, fighting or crafting. I always catch up eventually.
*pants* Long post hehe, i suppose that's all i had to say on this issue, i'll go back to lurking after this.
Only the very first bit was in reply to Keriann, this post isn't aimed at anyone in particular. I too am a bit annoyed by the increased difficulty, but i also enjoy the challenge. Success is much sweeter when the odds are high. I'm a fighter in RL too and what frustrates other people mostly motivates me instead.
