Mules, Sandboxing and Mail System?

ArchivedUser

So i was reading the discussion about solo carts and the topic of people using mules to get around the caravan system came up, i personally hate, and i mean really hate, the idea of someone having multiple instances of the game running at the same time.

It would be used to have extended on hand storage while gathering, to be able to transport large quantities of goods without paying for a caravan, or even to keep a watchful eye on the roads for the purpose of attacking traders and random adventurers. Now from the other side of the coin for the game not to offend any devs or anything but it makes sense to have no problem with people paying 2+ subscriptions to have the option of doing such a thing.

 Also you have the issue of how would my step son and i both play in the same house without being accused of said muling/exploiting without proof? I havent been able to come up with a good answer on my own so here i am asking for us to brainstorm about this as a community

The mail system was mentioned in the topic title because i wondered if there will be a system in which i could mail my alts items/currency like in other MMOs

ArchivedUser

They have said that they are not against multiboxing and would look at the issue if it became a problem in an earlier livestream. The quote I have seen thrown around is "One machine, one client." I am pretty sure they would not have an issue if you are controlling one account and your son is controlling the other. There are ways for them to detect such actions. I think the main reason for a prohibition on it is to stop what you see in EVE and others where it is permitted of one person running 12 accounts at the same time all tethered and following each other and stripping an area of resources like a locust.
You can bet the amount mules carry and their impact on the caravan system will be addressed and balanced during the testing phases. As one of their main features/pillars they are not going to just shoot themselves in the head without fixing a glaring balance issue like that.
Currency and items can be freely given to others and alts. They mentioned that the freehold/storage system will have a way to be account accessed, so equipment you find that doesn't match one character that you want to give to an alt would be able to be done. The third party program they plan on as part of the overwatch system will note suspicious behavior, so it looks like they have a plan in place for it.
https://www.panopticonlabs.com/

ArchivedUser

No i figured we could both play from the same house, just didnt want to assume. 

ArchivedUser

Why would there be an issue if someone had multiple accounts? In a subscription based model, they would most likely favor people paying for more accounts I would think.

As long as there is no automation built in, 1 person cannot fluidly control multiple toons. I believe it was also stated somewhere that on person storage was insignificant compared to carts, it would reason that even with 10 mules, you still wouldn't equal a cart, but would be dropping some decent revenue per month to intrepid.

ArchivedUser

I personally love when people bot like that. FREE KILLS AND LOOT! I would always be "THAT GUY" that would show up and just mass murder them and their alts.

ArchivedUser

I was always against multi boxing.

Seen that many times. It was never good.
Not for immersion, not for balance issues.

ArchivedUser

I was going to mention the fact that they prolly wouldnt mind the extra subsriptions, thought it would be a little snarky assuming they were so greedy considering they have already said no cash shop.

ArchivedUser

With all the limitations given to one account. and he statement that logging out in a tavern or similar area will give a rested exp boost. I have decided that I would probably go and get a second account. rather than spending money in the cash shop getting skins and stuff I would probably only buy to support the game. I would much rather have the option to gather and craft the stuff I like to have. than be showing off stuff that any one could buy.I am in the position that I could probably play the game for a lot off hours a day. and probably will do that if I really like the game. The exp boost and the option to be a gatherer and master craft person in more than one or two professions  would surely be worth the extra 15$ dollars to me. I also have two computers that could run the game at the same time with no problems. and by doing that I would still support the game but have a really good perk for doing so.

Would this be considered to be pay to win?
BTW the mail system would make this so much more easy.

sorry for my bad English. 

ArchivedUser

The_Bitty said:

With all the limitations given to one account. and he statement that logging out in a tavern or similar area will give a rested exp boost. I have decided that I would probably go and get a second account. rather than spending money in the cash shop getting skins and stuff I would probably only buy to support the game. I would much rather have the option to gather and craft the stuff I like to have. than be showing off stuff that any one could buy.I am in the position that I could probably play the game for a lot off hours a day. and probably will do that if I really like the game. The exp boost and the option to be a gatherer and master craft person in more than one or two professions  would surely be worth the extra 15$ dollars to me. I also have two computers that could run the game at the same time with no problems. and by doing that I would still support the game but have a really good perk for doing so.

Would this be considered to be pay to win?
BTW the mail system would make this so much more easy.

sorry for my bad English. 

 No way is that PTW.  That's playing.  PTW is buying the best gear, levels ,etc.  Having an account so you can craft things more is what they want in a player.  You would be adding to the environment and community, not detracting from it.

ArchivedUser

Oh, and your English is great @The_Bitty .  Keep it up.

ArchivedUser

@The_Bitty

I have a different opinion on mules, since they stated that weight and things will be an issue when transporting goods, I don't think the mule system will be a good idea because I'm sure it will be inefficient because they will want to have an incentive for using the caravan system, the Mule system is a work around and I am sure will be extremely inefficient because of it.

We have to remember most if not all the Dev's working on this project are MMO players so they have the same ideas and concepts and work around that's that we are use to. Id argue having one mule isn't P2W but when you start getting elaborate and botting programs start to take hold making it a locus plague for the rest of the community that's when the line has been crossed.

 I mean you can use a mule I don't think anyone would have any issues with that but I think it wont be worth the fee.At the very least its a interesting concept.

ArchivedUser

Mules
Pros : Less risk than a caravan when transporting goods.
Cons : Holds less than a caravan 
Caravans
Pros: Holds a higher volume of goods than a Mule.
Cons: High risk transporting goods.

From @Diura at this post.

I guess which you use would depend on if you are a major crafter/harvester and game play style which you prefer to use. I'm sure they will balance it out. I think the Caravan is a really interesting system that finds a way to tie in PVP.

With the type of systems they are proposing for the game and the anti PTW campaign, I am sure they will strive to make it balanced between the Mule and Caravan, with the main seperation falling in line with their vision of Risk vs Reward.

The_Bitty said:

With all the limitations given to one account. and he statement that logging out in a tavern or similar area will give a rested exp boost. I have decided that I would probably go and get a second account. rather than spending money in the cash shop getting skins and stuff I would probably only buy to support the game. I would much rather have the option to gather and craft the stuff I like to have. than be showing off stuff that any one could buy.I am in the position that I could probably play the game for a lot off hours a day. and probably will do that if I really like the game. The exp boost and the option to be a gatherer and master craft person in more than one or two professions  would surely be worth the extra 15$ dollars to me. I also have two computers that could run the game at the same time with no problems. and by doing that I would still support the game but have a really good perk for doing so.

Would this be considered to be pay to win?
BTW the mail system would make this so much more easy.

sorry for my bad English. 

Tho this may not be popular with some people I see nothing wrong with having more than 1 account and what I like to call 2 boxing.

Definitely not PTW in my eyes.  

I think with a lot of people the concern is with people having bot accounts but that's a whole issue on it's own.

I can tell you that I had a lot of fun 2 boxing. I did not do it to deplete resources I still grouped and let people know I was playing 2 accounts when I was playing EQ1 and EQ2, tho I have to say I enjoyed the experience much more on EQ1.

I played a Monk and  a Bard and would double split pull mobs for my groups for really difficult grouped mobs that had a high agro and hate factor. Split pulling 1 mob from the group was pretty impossible without dual split pulling. For me I enjoyed 2 boxing not to avoid grouping or for farming but rather I really enjoyed the skill it took to play 2 characters at once, especially when it came to some thing like split pulls which required a lot of skill. Probably one of the reasons I did not enjoy 2 boxing as much in EQ2 a with EQ1 was EQ2 while it looked good lacked some of the advanced game mechanics and mob pathing and agro algorithm that EQ1 had.

Some people enjoy 2boxing for the challenge and fun it provides.

I fall into this category.

Chubaka said:

Now from the other side of the coin for the game not to offend any devs or anything but it makes sense to have no problem with people paying 2+ subscriptions to have the option of doing such a thing.

 Also you have the issue of how would my step son and i both play in the same house without being accused of said muling/exploiting without proof? I havent been able to come up with a good answer on my own so here i am asking for us to brainstorm about this as a community

The mail system was mentioned in the topic title because i wondered if there will be a system in which i could mail my alts items/currency like in other MMOs

There really is no reason I can see for having more than 1 account at one location. Many couples play together or children in a family this would be counter productive for a subscription based system.

As far as people botting 12 accounts and such from one location people that go through this length have ways fo doing this and going undetected so a rule like this would not effect the people that it should, for people that have those concerns.

Should be a fun experience playing with your stepson hope you both have fun.

As far as the mail to be honest I would prefer they did this through housing and not the mail system to transfer goods. The mail system can often lead to miss use.

I would also prefer that people were not able to mail items to other players as this can greatly effect global economy. It could work against localized economy.

ArchivedUser

i agree with there not being an instantaneous/meta global mail system, what if you had an NPC system that could be robbed like a mail caravan for higher level townships and a "pony express" that sends and delivers mail in more secluded/rural towns

ArchivedUser

I second a pony express style system.

On the other topic, I used to 5 box WoW, back when Blood Elves were released.  Tons of fun, the best part for me was figuring out just how to do it, and then making it actually function.  I was able to enter 5 man dungeons and clear them fairly efficiently, once you figure out how to setup a resync to reposition everyone to the formation you want for the current situation, it became very simple.  (V, inverted V, box, horizontal line, and vertical line formations)

If you are wondering, I started with 5 paladins, then moved to 4 paladins with a shaman.  Auras rocked back then.  That was the only time and only game I did so, as the system I was using was based heavily on Windows XP APIs and was only 65% to 70% functional on Windows 7 and the developer was a college student who didn't have the time to resolve the issues.   so the program slowly disappeared.

I've come to find that I just don't have the time for setting up such things any more and just want to spend some time gaining enjoyment, without having to go out of my house and socialize... oh wait... it's an MMO...

ArchivedUser

In the example provided by finndo it appears that boxing was used to avoid playing with others. I understand the fun and challenge that was had in developing such a way to play without others, but in the end it seems to be more work simply to avoid having to play with others.

This is another style of MMORPG play that I don't understand.