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Paths and Difficulty

Discussion in 'Release 36 Feedback Forum' started by Paladin Michael, Nov 19, 2016.

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  1. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    Hail Avatars!

    With the new Relase 36 we received annoyed feedback in the forum. And I really understand this comments.
    To understand doesn't mean to get angry. It means: I feel with. I remembered of EXODUS- Ultima III. AHHRG...
    Awful, how often I died with really unfair enemies! 8 and more against 4. And how often mage spells failed! (In this time I didn't know this word fizzle).

    So I wrote the following letter in the age of 12 to a game designer.
    "Dear Lord British/R.G. You really made me enraged!
    I begun to play and entered the Skulldungeon. And what should I say?
    I was killed all the time by huge Skeletons. Now I know the real meaning of HARD.
    Hard, harder, hardened! This can't be!
    I just want to enter the ground with my pet - my pet was lacerated! Horrible! How can you do this!"

    Is there anyone who wrote such a letter to Richard? ;) Nor I did. Just a joke *g*

    Serious:
    I think, the main reason (I don't must repeat that the game is unfinished - yet...) at this point is we don't have enough quests to follow a really red line. So we gametester(!) go on - around, looking, exploring the world. And enter gameparts we wouldn't enter too early in a finished game!

    Yesterday I saw a poor player with ca. 140 HP at shuttered eye! She fought brave against a Sk. And then was followed from a red spider! I couldn't run that fast to help her! She passed away - so fast I couldn't resurrect her by myself... I was remembered on my first time entering Shuttered Eye ;)

    The first time I entered Shuttered Eye to meet Min Liang I left after a few "whhoooos" later and went out, exploring the world and skilling up! But: is this satisfaction? When entering a (quest) path, we want to follow it straight. It should be a challenge, but not a mission impossible ;)

    I wouldn't enter Shuttered Eye before having 200-250 hp (in the past!). Now I would prefer 300-400 hp!
    At the moment I have near 500 and it is hard to fight 1 hardened Sk. Good for me to have my "pet" Icy elemental with lvl. 48 and Ring of Fire and Banish Undead at 65...

    The thing I see at the moment: our world is static. And this is the challenge for the following reason:
    Consider: When entering a path it is necessary to have a Character that can stand the first enemies to lvl up well.

    BUT if we can choose the first path it will be difficult all the time to manage it to enter the next path, because there is no order to do the paths. Entering first the path of love and follow it to the end, we will have no challange on the next paths, IF they would be static! The hp of the enemies must be lifted depending on the actual player lvl.

    This means a Hardend Skel. could have 400, 800, 1200 ... xp, depending on the player lvl entering the place.
    Hm - theoretical *g* Consider a group of 5 players with different player lvl - ok. Mathematic will solve this :) But is this handable for multi role playing? A challenge for the developers :)
    And as promised from Richard: When game is finished we all can do the paths again from beginning :)
    This means the modifications must be implemented in such a way :)

    An idea to keep the world and every path static (like a real world) for the first time (until doing all paths!)

    What about ONE first starterquest for ALL new players to push them up to a lvl with f.e. 200-300hp. May be in the hidden vale to learn this place and its towns and the gameplay. It would it make easier for the new gamer not to be confronted from beginning with the big world. At the end we enter the oracle confirmation to choose our first path and starting with at least 250 hp to grow in a good way on the paths!

    Why I thought of this?

    Think about the scene with Min Liang from Ardoris: He wants to meet us at the shuttered eye. At this time I find it not possible to do it (and so it was before as I told) as SINGLE player. And this is one of the most criticism I read.

    Well, why not meet Min Liang at another place? May be Solace Bridge?
    Or in this tower a guard of Ardoris
    shooting children.
    So the quest could be solved some deeper, that Min Liang manipulated this poor guard to do this. (Just an idea at this moment I wrote it ;))

    And I know - I am repeating - to not confuse new players a "red line" quest book is necessary as I posted before in different threads like:
    https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...d-clear-arranged-questbook.45524/#post-504206

    Ok. Thats enough for now. Keep care while playing. It was never so hard to die, but humans are ever so hard to please ;) That's life!

    Have fun by finding YOUR way to manage the moments in game, YOUR path of an AVATAR.
    Well, I think this is the reason we are here, aren't we?

    Live long and prosper V ;)

    Hearty Greetings
    Michael
     
    Last edited: May 4, 2017
  2. Kara Brae

    Kara Brae Avatar

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    @Sir_Michael
    I love the humor in your feedback!

    I seem to remember that Lum said they would do something to prevent new players from following quest lines in areas that were too dangerous for the avatar, and it is indeed important to happen. Having the difficulty of the quests scale with the level of the avatar sounds like a good idea, but it may be too difficult to implement in a multiplayer game.

    I was intending to wait until all the quests are polished, then embark on all three quests at the same time in order to do the easier parts of all three paths first. I'm not one of those juggernauts who can easily handle any scene thrown at them :). I don't know if that will be possible though.
     
    Acred and Roycestein Kaelstrom like this.
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