Ryzom

Excuse me for thinking out loud, Ryzom has a huge appeal to me but more often than not I can't force myself online. I love the game for the setting, the AI, the graphics, the depth, the freedom, the people.

The main reason is that I have a 6 months baby, and combined with more work than I had when I started playing online games, the around the clock gaming sessions are over. I've become a casual gamer.

In the typical questbased MMO you'll get a feeling of accomplishment every 15-30 minutes of playing. In Ryzom I get a few pixels in the XP bar or a bunch of new mats for crafting. The core mechanics ain't bad, but the rewards come much too seldom and in my opinion, the game need some distraction whether it is quests or something else. I suspect many new players leave when they realize the game lacks quests (ofcourse some will stay just because of it, - it's a sandbox).

So I have a few questions, for both Gameforge and the players.
1) Players and GF; do you agree with above?
2) GF; you have mentioned you are working on quests for players below 50, will you eventually continue with higher level quests?
3) Players; what would you do if shorter sessions was all you had time for? Please give me some ideas (preferably ideas that give XP, but others are welcome).
4) GF and players; are there any alternatives to quests to achieve these micro rewards, something more fitting for a sandboxy game? In terms of game mechanics.
5) GF; will we see any invasions in the near future? Is the RAID engine really broken?

I hope I'm not coming out as too whiny.

cloudy97 wrote:
So I have a few questions, for both Gameforge and the players.
1) Players and GF; do you agree with above?

3) Players; what would you do if shorter sessions was all you had time for? Please give me some ideas (preferably ideas that give XP, but others are welcome).

4) GF and players; are there any alternatives to quests to achieve these micro rewards, something more fitting for a sandboxy game? In terms of game mechanics.


.

1. I hate quests personally,

A. Either the quests are given too early for your characters level vs a mob thats too high to kill (Archlord/EQ2).
B. Too much travelling when you could grind more mobs for the same XP in less time.
C. Fed Ex Quests are just plain annoying.
D. Storyline quests are usually pretty unfulfilling as opposed to what they purport to do.

3. I either grind solo and use the spare time to regen, or chat to mates in game.

4. I would have thought Ryzom Ring for quests, but I never did it, I think the Casino has a micro reward thing, but again, I never tried it. My rewards are cool guildies and team mates, to make the grind seem less so. An awesome environment in which to do it, and what other game has Kinchers!?! Best mob ever created and worth the price of the sub on their own

Anyway, just check my avatar from Lineage 2, its a dead givaway that I'm a grinder not a quester, chain grinding ftw

I remember when you posted here a while back announcing you'd become tainted by grinding, cloudy97. I see you still are.

1) Players and GF; do you agree with above?

No. Increased and quickened rewarding = bad.

2) GF; you have mentioned you are working on quests for players below 50, will you eventually continue with higher level quests?

They said they would, here.

3) Players; what would you do if shorter sessions was all you had time for? Please give me some ideas (preferably ideas that give XP, but others are welcome).

I'd check my contact list and get some RP going via tell with someone. If no one apt to RP was online at the time, I might start an OOC chat with someone else. Meanwhile, in either case, I'd probably do some exploring in a random region, do some relaxing digging, map NPC locations, do racial fame missions, or work on my new character's combat levels solo.

4) GF and players; are there any alternatives to quests to achieve these micro rewards, something more fitting for a sandboxy game? In terms of game mechanics.

Maybe bounties could be placed on kitin hunting, similar to that one invasion a while back, but non-temporary.

Ultimate solution is to make your own "distractions."

katriell wrote:I remember when you posted here a while back announcing you'd become tainted by grinding, cloudy97. I see you still are.

I'm probably the worst grinder in the game. Even Sxarlet is a faster leveler!!

katriell wrote:Ultimate solution is to make your own "distractions."

And I remember this being your position, Katriell. I have to admit I admire you more for it everyday. However, not everyone have your level of determination and imagination.

katriell wrote:Maybe bounties could be placed on kitin hunting, similar to that one invasion a while back, but non-temporary.

Excellent suggestion!

*thinks about the encyclopedia and sighs*

Ryzom has a fantastic core, so good it's kept me here for over 2.5 years. But the core is not enough to keep me playing here full time anymore. As much as I hate the rubbish that surrounds OP battles, they are really the only thing I come back for. If there was something more than another title to gain- I don't know what it might be- I would be back here extremely fast.

Hehe, when I used to see people post stuff like this years ago, I'd get all annoyed as a young freshfaced homin and think, 'well tough luck, you burnt out, stop whinging and go away'. But I see that the whinging now was due to only a pure love of this game and the dire need for a new excuse to stay here. I would love to see a company with the ability to throw a ton of money at Ryzom, to add all these new and unfinished things here, but I can't really see it happening.

I'll always have an account here out of respect for what i've gained from this game, but I need at this stage something a bit more than new titles to be here more than I currently am.

Kodel.

cloudy97 wrote: 3) Players; what would you do if shorter sessions was all you had time for? Please give me some ideas (preferably ideas that give XP, but others are welcome).

Look for bosses/named mobs and try to see which you can kill solo
Most of the time you get some good mats too with it

I guess I'm a very serious casual player...

I play almost every day, but only after all the day's work is done; the errands are run; dinner is purchased, prepared, served, and cleaned up; the house is straightened and the doors are locked; and everyone but me is in bed.

Then I log in and play for a while. Sometimes too long...

Anyway, I have yet to feel what you express. Even if I don't have time to "accomplish" anything.

I am sometimes quite happy to sit and watch the sky change. Watch the mobs wander about. Watch the trees blowing in the wind.

Other times I'll go exploring. Try to make cool screenshots. Fiddle with my stanzas and try out new combinations.

Sometimes I'll grind for 30 minutes. Maybe I'll only get a few pixels in the bar, but that's progress...

I guess I'm playing for the fun and relaxation, rather than "tangible" rewards. I guess I'm one of those sandbox people.

The rewards come when they come. I'm enjoying the journey.

Very short term and not deep content solution but:

Use the existing missions (journeyman, harvesters, tribes ....) and add 50 or 100 cats of the same quality as the area where the quest is taken....

2 Sides to this:
- those quests would be more appealing to some players and better access to cats for neutrals.
- For whoever does not want to change his fame, this will then suppose finding the opposite tribe (little bit of research and exploration) to make another mission canceling the newly gained fame points.

meloner wrote:*thinks about the encyclopedia and sighs*

*pats meloner on the back*

i get what you mean ulani (and would be happy to fight you, sxar, and jammy i think? for the slowest leveler in game ) but, i tend to spend more of my time having fun - not looking for rewards. its good company and an immersive world do it for me