Experience gain

It would be cool to have a POT tool that could blacklist certain decorations.

 

but how would a player know, like what if a player has a place in a town and they then buy something with crowns to find they can't place. so player would need to know what they can't place always which I am not sure how that interface would all look like or work. would be neat though.

 

It could be something like the deco palette. The governor (or steward) puts the item in the blacklist palette and then residents are not able to place that item. Before purchasing an item, a resident could look in the POT blacklist palette to see if it's in there. I know that this would require the governor (or steward) to have the item but that would be the price of blacklisting an item and it would be a pretty simple mechanism.

[edit] Or just have it so that the governor/steward could right click an item and select Blacklist.

 

I didn't want to derail the thread, it was just an example on how players may put a finger on features/problems they don't even care about and cause bad discussions. I think I proved my point.


Long story short: if you don't like grinding XP, don't try to get into the way of those who enjoy doing so by telling them they shouldn't grind XP at high levels.

 

And the response if pretty straightforward, no one wants you to not grind, the issue is when you want the progression system changed so you can grind more efficiently in such a manner that it affects new players. If you petitioned to have the exponential formula, or whatever it is, capped or modified so going from skill 100 to 200 only takes 50 times the XP as from 0 to 100 instead of 10,000 times or whatever it is at the moment, no problem, big number gang all the way.

 

Then we need a new tiers. Level 1-100 = normal xp. 101 - 140 = 3x xp. 141 - 200 = 4x xp.

 

To me is double experience really doesn't matter anymore. It's all mental. If you aren't enjoying the game with single xp, then you aren't really enjoying the game. Getting double the xp really isn't going to change your gaming experience enough so that you are having fun. If it takes a crap ton of xp to raise any of your skills, and you feel like there's no reason to level them anymore, then congratulations, you've reached your personal cap! Find another goal, or achievement to pursue instead.

I enjoy the game with normal xp just as much as I do when double is on, probably even more. But i definitely play differently in the two situations. I know this kind of contradicts my first paragraph, because I play more when double is on, and I do different activities. I'm more likely to grind adv xp with it on now, and I save up all my materials and try to do most of my semi-afk crafting stuff when dbl is on. When it's off, I feel more freedom to just do whatever I feel like doing, and I like that.

The reason why I like the leveling system in this game is you as the player determine where your cap is. I'm perfectly happy at the level I'm at, everything I do now I do purely for entertainment. I lost any urge to grind a long time ago.

I know not everyone plays like I do, and I definitely respect those types that enjoy grinding up their skills at very high levels. So i would like to see some kind of powerhour available to help balance the mental side of all this. I think that could possibly benefit both the casual players and the grinders. I'd love to be able to turn it on at the oracle, or maybe receive a token/potion (no trade, possibly with inventory limits) that we could consume to enable it for an hour.

Changing the xp so that double is the new normal, will not fix the problem. And it leads to burnout for the type of players that feel the need to grind during double xp. It would just move the goal post, and the same issue will come up again, just at a higher level.

 

I would like to see a group mechanic for multiple enemies. That is, if you're fighting multiple enemies then they're worth more experience, since it's much harder than a single enemy. Like how parties get a boost for each player in the group. Say you get 10% more per kill for each enemy that is currently targeting you.

 

I'm not petitioning anything specific here.

The devs must solve the problem how they see fit. The systemic vision to make the fix avoid collateral damage is up to them.

My point is: there IS a problem. I'm just asking people to stop denying its existance by saying "you shouldn't grind this is not the game's objective".

 

I am afraid to say that won't happen. Traditionally the devs of this game has an opportunity to tell the backers to shut up instead of trying to implement all of the "suggestions" every made into the game. This listening to the players added Elfs (Richard was against on adding Elves, no wonder he left), plus more stuff instead of just making an Ultima game that was groundbreaking.

I still love SOTA but it could of been better than what it is now. I have been itching my Ultima itch with UO.

 

Experience gain in terms of adventurer level and raising skillpoints might be considered slow - But there is another side to this coin. There is a vast depth to this game that can easily be overlooked if all we focus on are those coveted "dings" of our levels.

Think of perhaps a speed-limit sign. A lot of people want the speed limit raised because they just want to finish the race as quickly as possible. Well, if you do that you'll miss the turn down the alley that leads to the best cup of coffee in town.

 

Some people enjoy slow paced progression, some people enjoy fast paced grind.

Players will reach skill cap (lvl 200) in their main skills eventually. When this day comes, devs will have to sort a new end game for this demographic, or they'll just leave the game.

 

To get a 1x skill to 200 will require nearly 17 billion experience.

 

Well, if things go if they have in the past, in 3-4 years double-double-double-double-double xp will be the new normal. So don't rule it out.

 

I have read all the replies here. Everyone makes some good points. I guess the pace of a game just may not be for everyone. Looks like bullets will be bit eventually to define what group to develop for, and don't cry when that group cannot finance the operation. On the other hand, perhaps more people will be attracted. Glad I am not the decision maker here.

 

That's why I said eventually

 

I initially thought this is what Control Points would be. The Control Points would grant bonuses to whichever side controlled them. They seem to just grant massive amounts of experience now.

The problem is that the game was never really meant to be an MMORPG. If it had been designed from the ground up, the Devs would have leaned heavily into the Order vs Chaos aspect of the game. The first half of the game could have been a great single-player story experience even in a shared universe. You have to make a lot of moral choices along the way. The conclusion of the single player story would be the player allying themselves to one side or the other. From there on, the game becomes a MMO with players having ascended to the level of "Avatar" and facing an all out philosophical war. You could have had quests on both sides to convert believers in the neutral zones. You could have quests to establish churches or embassies in all the towns. You would have this end-game flow back and forth. Keeping people around long term is more than just leveling up. There needs to be things to do that bring them back.

I am still relatively new to the game, so right now I am just focusing on getting a house. And then I am sure crafting and exploring every zone will entertain me for a while. After that? I don't really know. As long as Catnip can stay out in front of players with new zones, they might pull it off. But that is a constant grind on Catnip's part to keep churning out content.