I think this is getting at a key issue. Ryzom has been a niche game for a long time. For a couple of years now, a small core of devoted players has been playing it a lot, and enjoying it. Those people not only love the game... they are now good at it (from practice) and their characters are powerful (from having levelled up and gained experience). And of course, there is nothing wrong with that.mithur wrote: My problem it's the same: the game is targeted to be pretty fun at high level; i'm sure you can make it, without changing that, more fun at low level too, and less frustrating (Like the actual event; while it's truely a slaughter week, it far from fun for a lot of people).
BUT...
... I think a lot of vets, who have not been an actual level 50 in many months or even years (and I don't mean someone with 250 in 8 different other skills who is working level 50 ranged combat or something, but a REAL level 50 where 50 is his highest skill) -- I think a lot of them have forgotten what it was like to be a true newbie. The things that can frustrate a low true low level character are things that a high level character can (literally) shrug aside.
A non-extreme example: I remember when walking from Yrkanis to the Kami Circle was an exercise in frustration and usually asking for death penalty. Most trips I would have to respawn at least once, sometimes a couple of times, before I got there. I'd do OK for most of the trip but there was always one spot or other where I got jumped by multiple gingos or raguses, and I'd end up in the dirt. I was around 60th level fight, and my other skills (other than maybe desert forage) were far below.
Now, my character is level 107 or something in close combat and 1-hand swords. She has Q110 heavy armor (vs. Q45 medium ranger armor). She has higher level HP jewels. Now, today, if I want to go to the Kami Circle, I just go... and mostly ignore the gingos (I can one-shot them). Getting to Kami Circle is trivial for a level 107.
But it was not trival for a level 57, and I think people who are very very high level, and have been for quite some time, can forget what it was like to be truely low level. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking you do remember, by putting on the amps (say) and becoming a level 50 affliction mage, and saying, "See I am experiencing the level 50 game." But you're really not, because you have +2000 hit points or so over a real level 50, if you're a level 250 swordsman switching to amps... and you can wear much more powerful jewels, and even use light armor that gives you more HP than the lowbie could get from heavy. So there's really no comparison... and I think sometimes vets tend to forget it.
I know it happens to me, also... with harvesting more than combat. I often forget how unbe-freaking-lievably hard and downright frustrating 50 m search, with no specializations, and 5 m 10 degree prospect, could be. Heck I have trouble sometimes with 350 m specialized search and 40 m 90 degree specialized prospect, but with the real beginning stuff, it was very difficult. It's easy to forget how frustrated you were, as the months go by... and of course not everyone was frustrated. But I know I was, back on Silan, when I first started (to the point where I was sure I'd never harvest in the main game once I got off Silan), and it's important to realize that just because as a high level you are not experiencing those frustrations today, doesn't mean you never did, or that no one else will.
It's also important to realize that not everyone enjoys the same things out of a game. I happen to really like Ryzom's harvesting and crafting system. I find its combat system decent enough in short bursts, but not something I'd want to do for long stretches. Once a week with my guild for a couple of hours is enough. The rest of the time I RP, or harvest/craft. That's what I'm happy doing. If they put in an event that (as this one is sort of doing) ends up making it hard or impossible for me to harvest and basically leaves me stuck doing a lot more combat than I would like, why should I *enjoy* that? Just because you do, don't assume I will.
My solution is to cut back on my login hours this week and do other things.... since I am not really into hardcore combat for hours at length, and this event is entirely combat oriented. I don't have a problem with "sitting it out."
But I *do* have a problem when the vets who can easily wipe the floor with these kitins, take me and others to task because we don't happen to enjoy the event. I'm not angry that I feel the need to sit this one out... but I have been flamed (mildly, I admit, but flamed nevertheless) on these forums for having the unmitigated gall to actually dare saying I am probably going to sit it out because I'm not enjoying it. And that's the part I don't like... as long as I'm polite about it why can't I say I don't find the event fun without having people jump down my keyboard?
To sum up I would like to urge two things.
First, I would like to urge vets to realize that what is "trivial" for them is hard for a newbie, and what is hard for them can be downright impossible for a newbie, because by definition newbies do not have your player skills, character level, or equipment/skill stanzas. So perhaps we can try to be a tad less judgemental when a struggling new player comes on here to state his woes and ask for a bit of moral support. Because I'd rather see players giving each other moral support than see the vets flaming new players and basically saying the equivalent of the sorts of things I expect from other game communities ("LRN 2 PLAY, n00b!", in so many words).
Second, I would encourage people to understand that fun is different for everyone, and that (a) just because YOU have fun doing something in the game doesn't mean I do, and (b) just because I *don't* happen to have fun at one thing in Ryzom, and state it, doesn't mean I am bashing Ryzom or dislike the game.
C
Well I think I agree with you on just about all parts there. 
