Jewellery and how it affects the game

[Shwish]

Originally Posted by Wi3ld

I stopped playing for this reason. A game where you have zero chance of defeating someone of the same class and level is not a game worth playing. Of course people will disagree, but this opinion is not mine alone, I assure you.

Unfortunately this is the nature of "free to play" games.

The sole reason why I started playing Regnum Online all those years ago was because it was the furthest thing way from 'Pay to Win' online at that time. A lot has changed since then and I'm not sure if NGD is entirely to blame for that.

[The_Pirate]

Originally Posted by Shwish

The sole reason why I started playing Regnum Online all those years ago was because it was the furthest thing way from 'Pay to Win' online at that time. A lot has changed since then and I'm not sure if NGD is entirely to blame for that.

Ok, gonna open myself up to flaming here. I have 2 lvl 60 toons. One is ximmed out, the other not.

The ximmed toon isn't invincible. In fact far from it, although I take less dmg than many players, it isn't exactly a staggering amount less. And I do not deal dmg that far above average. My calculations are that you need 4-5 of the most expensive lucky boxes per piece of gear you want to be good. That's a lot of money. I stopped at 'Good' coz thinking about spending anymore trying to find 'OP' gives me a headache.

My other toon I have not used any lucky boxes (well, just 1 and it was crap). I still have good kit including legendaries. Those I bought in-game with mags (freely available) and drops (freely available).

Funnily enough, the non-xim toon is more dangerous than the other. Mainly because I play it slightly better. I.e. slightly more skill is more important than purchased kit, and good kit can be traded in-game for non-purchased items.

Also its not really the purchasable kit that makes a toon a killer, but the amulets and rings (which are in theory droppable and free). I.e. cash is not the ultimate decider on heavy dmg, but amulet and rings are.

[Telwe]

how about make it 1 boss jewelry per character? that way ppl have something to work/trade towards in terms of gear (ppl like collecting gear). but then the gap between someone with boss jewels isnt as much as someone without. the gap is closed so to speak and not as big as it is now between someone with 3 jewels and someone with 0.

the boss jewel guy is still going to be slightly stronger but deservedly so considering it is the hardest gear to get in the game.

[Wi3ld]

Originally Posted by Shwish

Unfortunately this is the nature of "free to play" games.

The sole reason why I started playing Regnum Online all those years ago was because it was the furthest thing way from 'Pay to Win' online at that time. A lot has changed since then and I'm not sure if NGD is entirely to blame for that.

It hasn't always been PTW, but as you say, a lot has changed.
I used to be the first to defend that RO was not Pay to Win, but sadly the time has come where I have to face facts and say it has. I've never believed in Pay to Win schemes: it saps the fun out of games and turns people against each other and into thieves. Nobody seems to play for fun any more. It's just a marketplace for premium items bought from NGD and traded by players for mags, ximerin and real money.
If everyone used shop bought equipment and quest jewellery for an entire week, the fights would be much more involved, and a lot more fun. Plus the warlocks would probably rape us to death, but still. Think about it.

[Telwe]

disagree about the pay to win part.
gearing up is part of the skill aspect of the game. which resists? which bonuses? which gem? which weapon speed? how do I negotiate to get items I want for the mags I have? where have I seen mags drop the most often? Skill isn't just about what you do in the middle of the fight, its about how you prepare for it. People like the journey from going from a poor bum to blinged out. Yes, boxing stuff provides a short cut..but here's the hard truth:

1) not every boxed gear is good
2) the game needs money or else it will shut down. they make it primarily from boosters and boxes. I like the game and would rather see it not close. Every once in a while I buy some xim. I've boxed some stuff (and never gotten a good piece).
3) People dont have infinite money. The idea that people box and box and box and spend 1000s on this game to rofl stomp people with perfect gear is inaccurate.
4) a non boxed player can beat a boxed player, more often then we think.
5) the larger the battles the less box gear has an effect and more the use of certain skills at critical times. ie a key area or mass dispel or confuse or shield wall.

I can argue that the difference between a boxed character isnt THAT much different than a non boxed one.


Boss jewellery is more of an issue for me. the spike in damage between 0 pieces and 3 pieces is crazy good. See my post above for what I think should be done about it.

[The_Pirate]

Originally Posted by Telwe

disagree about the pay to win part .... See my post above for what I think should be done about it.

Bang spot on

+1

[kowocki]

The only problem with the boss gear is the simple fact that its damage is multiplied by buffs and that makes sometimes riddiculous results like 1.9k lethal strikes or 3.7k south cross. The solution was proposed by multiple players in multiple threads/posts as simple changing jewellery damage (no matter boss or quest one) to a post calculation addon so you get v good elemental damage boost from jewellery but still nothing overpowering.

The problem with boxes/items:

First thing with boxes is how illplaned they are. I think it was Boise who suggested in the past v simple and elegant solution. Give them all similar chances for special/magic/epic items (i omit the legendary ones as i feel they should be droppable only) but make them lvl locked like bronze box for lvls 1-10, silver box for 11-30, golden box 31-45, platinum 46-55, diamond for 55+.
Most ppl use boxes above lvl 50 now cause nobody will spend 7k+ ximerin for lucky box to end up with nice item but for lvl 20, 30, 45. I agree with Boise that it will increase NGDs income from boxes as ppl on more lvls will try their luck. Nowadays barely any new player stay long enough to get to lvl 50 tho this is another story for another thread.

Another item problem is a drop rate. Here is my question to NGD: does the game have something like resources base? I mean the more items are in game the less likely is to drop similar ones.
I noticed that the drop rate fall down significantly after merging Horus with Raven (more accounts, more items on them). Also does items from unused/banned accounts also count then?

I recently lvld up my last toon to lv 60 all by grind, the only usable things i dropped for these 60 lvls of grinding were the magic axe lvl 48 (i droped it at lvl 59 so yes its a v good damage axe but useless for me) and a 24 hit chance gem (only 1 greate gem i dropped since october 2013, the previous one was also a hit chance one ;/).

Before war masters all my characters could eaisily equip themselves properly via grinding drops or their trade. Now its just impossible.

[Shwish]

Originally Posted by Wi3ld

It hasn't always been PTW, but as you say, a lot has changed.
I used to be the first to defend that RO was not Pay to Win, but sadly the time has come where I have to face facts and say it has. I've never believed in Pay to Win schemes: it saps the fun out of games and turns people against each other and into thieves.

I too defended NGD for a long time and I believe that the game becoming pay to win was never intentional and merely a result of releasing an incomplete expansion.

If you think about it, before the level cap was raised to 60, was this game ever considered pay to win? I don't recall it. Lucky boxes has always existed in the game but they were never consider OP. My marksman had Epic weapons, mostly magical and epic armor with two +15 gems in my bow but I was considered mediocre. That's simply because when the level cap was 50, the most sought after gear came from bosses. Even minor inner realm boss drops like the Satarcos sword was considered a good weapon. Dean Rha and Evendim's Longbows trumped any epic bow you in existence at that time.

When the level cap was raised this gear became obsolete and everyone turned towards boxes as their primary source of gearing themselves. Sure warmaster gear was introduced but they lacked the stat bonuses world boss gear possessed.

And then came the flood of boss jewellery, I'm not sure why this happened or if its just another conspiracy. Before the warmaster update I witnessed a total of 2 amulets drop off alasthor. Ironically they were dropped by a hunter and a warlock, and this was years of going to alasthor every opportunity I got. Before NGD updated the dragons, they were dropping like almost every week. Although this doesn't directly relate to the "Pay to Win" argument, these gears did have a profound effect on well geared players making the need to have an epic in every slot even more important.

I guess NGD realized their mistake when they noticed the sales of platinum boxes sky-rocket. Why let a good thing go, right? How easy would it have been for NGD to make numerical changes to the gear dropped by bosses, but that would have resulted in a drop of sales of platinum boxes I would guess. By now almost everyone was packing full epics, so sales started dropping again. Then came legendary weapons and it started all over again.

Anyway this just made me realize that the one ray of light I saw in this game was obliterated. I now play mostly subscription games because everyone is on an equal level in most of them.

[Telwe]

it is my sincere belief that when people die, too much blame is based on gear or resists or being outnumbered. No one ever wants to ask themselves if they used their class to its maximum potential.

That being said read my first post on limiting boss jewels to 1 a character to close the gap between the super geared and everyone else.

-Daith

[Slartibartfast]

Originally Posted by Telwe

No one ever wants to ask themselves if they used their class to its maximum potential.

How to unleash maximum class potential when running and trying to reach first tree or rock while hunter or marks from out-of-range distance is hitting you with 500+ normals in your back?