NGD - Horus is getting stupid again...

[VeterKh]

Horus needs new blood....

[Quincebo]

No wonder Horus activity decreased a lot.....

[bois]

Don't expect NGD to divert resources to cure ills specific to Horus.

At best, it can be used as a testbed to develop code that scales properly across all kinds of population demographics.
At worst, it can be a revenue collection vehicle to fund NGD development projects.

Won't post more as I suspect this thread may disappear.

[Awrath]

Well, I think the biggest problem for NGD is that they have failed to foresee problems that their game mechanics would cause on an underpopulated server. I believe that most features in this game are implemented with Ra in mind, and whatever happens to the smaller servers can be dealt with later or adjusted later. Except, they cannot keep both parties happy.

I personally think the only solution is to have different versions of the game for smaller and larger servers, one where features can be introduced such that the game does not get frustrating for those unbalanced situations.

I agree that the nightly invasions are no fun, and I've seen too much raging over it. If player retention is what NGD have in mind for Horus, I'm afraid it's not working. Numerous people from my clan now play on Raven, as a result of this nightly imbalance, and I can't imagine how much more of Alsius and Syrtis have left Horus. For myself, I couldn't care less, I hate invasions, as invasions always has been a game of numbers, and zerging everything in my way isn't my idea of fun.

What does annoy me however is the nightly grinder ganking inner realm. So not only is a realm not able to defend their gems, they cannot grind their low level characters without getting ganked. My hunter killed twice inner realm while trying to grind -_-.

As it stands, invasions on smaller servers is a cake walk. The entire invasion system needs a revamp for smaller servers. What works on Ra doesn't always work on the less populated servers.

[VeterKh]

I had not felt like a rat experimental

[bois]

Originally Posted by Awrath

Well, I think the biggest problem for NGD is that they have failed to foresee problems that their game mechanics would cause on an underpopulated server. I believe that most features in this game are implemented with Ra in mind, and whatever happens to the smaller servers can be dealt with later or adjusted later. Except, they cannot keep both parties happy.

I personally think the only solution is to have different versions of the game for smaller and larger servers, one where features can be introduced such that the game does not get frustrating for those unbalanced situations.

I agree that the nightly invasions are no fun, and I've seen too much raging over it. If player retention is what NGD have in mind for Horus, I'm afraid it's not working. Numerous people from my clan now play on Raven, as a result of this nightly imbalance, and I can't imagine how much more of Alsius and Syrtis have left Horus. For myself, I couldn't care less, I hate invasions, as invasions always has been a game of numbers, and zerging everything in my way isn't my idea of fun.

What does annoy me however is the nightly grinder ganking inner realm. So not only is a realm not able to defend their gems, they cannot grind their low level characters without getting ganked. My hunter killed twice inner realm while trying to grind -_-.

As it stands, invasions on smaller servers is a cake walk. The entire invasion system needs a revamp for smaller servers. What works on Ra doesn't always work on the less populated servers.

I agree but think slightly differently on this. Several of the foundation ideas NGD has are pretty solid in concept. The issue is that quite a few are in a half finished state and I thoroughly believe they had intentions to come back to them. However, for various reasons they have not. For some reason they are driven towards new stuff while leaving the tightening up of old stuff to the tomorrow that never comes.

Let us look at invasions as an example.
The concept is not bad. It is not polished.

The basic and original concept allowed stops both by AI/ players and terrain. Even though invasions was reasonably easy against an underpopulated realm, even the slightest human resistance made it very difficult because of the interventions I mentioned. In many cases it required an overwhelming mob to manage it. This in itself was a control.
Since then NGD has tried to change things to :
A: spice things up
B: reduce FPS strain at the walls
C: Introduce new content
D: Introduce new tactics.
The attempt was commendable but it failed.

But (about to get tl;dr here), Let us look at this differently and work with what we have. Everything I mentioned as suggestions can work on every server.Why? because NGD has a system to check population imbalances. As such certain measures never need to be invoked when there is no serious imbalance.

Here are simplistic things NGD can do in the short term.

1. Remove the boat option for massively under gunned realms. This returns the focus to the gate. If the populations are weak then FPS is less an issue and actually a deterrent to the invading force. Allow the AI and terrain stops to do the work they were originally intended for. If a weaker army tries to invade a stronger army they have the boats option. If equal they have the boats option. If the population is buoyant enough they have the boats option.They can attack the gates from inside. As it should be with a surgical attack by a guerrilla type incursion.

2. Move the positioning and adjust powers of the gate guards. Do this for only the extra spawned guards. For realms and servers that have population equity this will never be an issue because these extra guards are never spawned in such a case. The powers I am looking at are : Slows, Strength debuffs, AS debuffs, armour debuffs.

3. Move the pedestals and gems to the cities. Not only will this spice things up, offer urban warfare and give new tactics, it will give the under gunned army options especially the ranged ones which are doing paltry damage at times.

4. Offer lower levels a short term power up during invasion (if defenders) if the realm is massively underpowered. These power ups have been offered in events already and offer a quest that gives XP for participating in kills of enemies. Offer it from low level.

These are 4 simple things NGD can do without too much effort and using what is already in game to make things better .The best part is that it can be a unified patch across all servers. it won't harm the other Servers because they will never be invoked on those unless some major imbalance occurs.
I can be done but is there the will and determination to do it ?
NGD staff will have to ponder that in their quiet moments.

edit : the solution to inner realm low level ganking is simply an immunity switch for lower level players grinding inside their realm. I suggested a maximum of level of 35 for this immunity. That would put a stop to that. If NGD need to monetize it, offer an immunity scroll for level 36 to 45 and level cap its availability.

[Seher]

Originally Posted by bois

Won't post more as I suspect this thread may disappear.

Originally Posted by bois

Wall of text

A unified patch across all servers? You can have different guard behaviors in one version. There's absolutely no problem.
One type of guards, one HP value for all servers during all times of the day, that can't ever work, in my opinion. I've created 2 simple threads about this in 2010:
http://regnumonlinegame.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=64909
http://regnumonlinegame.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=64938
You'd think that this is obvious. But apparently it isn't.
The idea is: The more players online, the stronger the guards/the more mobs spawning/etc. So that playing at 4 am isn't grinders heaven and playing at 7pm on Ra isn't 50 players hunting one mob. So that weaker servers have a fair chance to kill their boss mobs and it at the same time isn't a joke for Ra. So that boss mobs can even be killed outside of peak times (whenever they spawn, actually), but that doesn't automatically make you get more drops. (Seriously, one drop per kill is bull shit)

So that fort doors aren't a matter of 3 seconds on Ra while being nearly unconquerable on other servers outside of peak times.
A door that's a challenge on Ra is impossible for other servers. A door that's a challenge for other servers is a joke on Ra. A door that's even just a bit of a challenge on Ra during peak times kills the last bit of fort wars on other servers outside of peak times.

Originally Posted by bois

1. Remove the boat option for massively under gunned realms. This returns the focus to the gate. If the populations are weak then FPS is less an issue and actually a deterrent to the invading force. Allow the AI and terrain stops to do the work they were originally intended for. If a weaker army tries to invade a stronger army they have the boats option. If equal they have the boats option. If the population is buoyant enough they have the boats option.They can attack the gates from inside. As it should be with a surgical attack by a guerrilla type incursion.

I don’t think the gates should be attacked from the inside at all. At least not directly after the gate is vulnerable. At first the enemies should try to get through the gate.


Surreptitious advertising:
Invasion mechanics proposal (Quite some discussion went into this ;P)

[bois]

Poor English for me. My bad. I meant that you could have all the mechanics that control this stuff (including you suggestion) in a patch that could be deployed to all the servers but work differently depending on the conditions in that particular server. All of it would be built in so no matter what server you are on it would scale.
In other words you wouldn't have to make separate patches for different servers.

I don't agree they should be attacked from inside either but when last you saw NGD revert anything they made? I am just dealing with the reality that they hold on to their coding with a death grip. I am just trying to work with what is there and maybe an idea can actually seep through the NGD stone wall.

Yes I still agree with that proposal you had there but I can't give you + 1 twice for that It is a good refresher though.

I am actually drifting to the old idea of Znurre which is to move the whole realm wall and actually wall the cities. Give lower levels immunity up to a certain level. Of course that will never happen but this is all just mental gymnastics isn't it ?

[Tamui]

I would agree with boat removals. Invasions are too easy to get inside. A proper and real invasion should be like that, bashing the gate from outside. The only problem is, that an underpopulated realm would suffer too to invade.

Or maybe my thoughts....Maybe boats should be accessible by the not-invading realm. Also they can access the realm once gates are broken. And maybe a price to pay to get inside such as 100k(The captain of the boat is risking too much to travel from one realm to another!). Also once died, you cannot return by boats.

Hmm, about gems getting moved to the city, would be better.
Question: Would both gems be in the same city?

Also, if they will be in a city, there should be a GC which should prevent the gem be picked up until he dies.
Another thing is that if there are gems in portal, There should be up to 4-5 GC protecting, one for each gems.( not 6 because, when you have all of them, your a doing a wish, up too 5 since 1 realm gem can be lost to another realm).

What if, the under attacked realm, could hire Guards, like the GC ones at forts? Improving a bit the AI,spells and damage of them.

[kmdk]

Agree with bois and i like this ideas.
Moving the gems to the citys and not remove but to disable boats for low populated realm or low population online.
Alsius and Syrtis are most of them europeans.Ignis are most of them USA.
The think that make ignis to invade so much is that have not many syrtis and alsius online.So basic not so many fort fights for them.
When most europeans are online and begin with 4 pm up to 10-11 pm gmt +2 Alsius i can say farm a lots at samal/meni and they have lots of fight with syrtis at aggers too.So more difficult for syrtis or alsius to make invasions.
Because there are forces to fight with.