Mercs and self mentoring

ArchivedUser

Will mercs and self-mentoring be allowed?  I hope not.  Both are work-arounds that eliminate the need to group.  AoC is supposed to be all about grouping.  By using mercs and self-mentoring a solo toon can effectively farm all group and solo content below max level and potential most content at max level.

ArchivedUser

what exactly do you mean by "self mentoring" ? 

ArchivedUser

In EQ2 you can pay a NPC to reduce your level so that you can complete lower-level quests that you passed by earlier.  A toon that self-mentors to, say level 30,is substantially more powerful than a level 30 toon who has never advanced beyond level 30.

ArchivedUser

Tbh that sounds super dumb and completely counter-productive to what any game should want to achieve, so indeed, lets NOT have that!

ArchivedUser

AoC was never about grouping, it will provide content for both solo and group players also I highly doubt something like reducing your own level will be available it just sounds stupid

ArchivedUser

Mercs here will most likely be other players instead of NPCs if that's your worry. So there might be merc guilds that players will pay to help them do caravans. 

ArchivedUser

You have to keep in mind that EQ2 is only a PvE game.

ArchivedUser

EQ2 is PvE now, but self-mentoring was available when PvP was still present. 

ArchivedUser

That was a long time ago they had a window of time trying out PvP.  PvP did not fit the game, mostly because it wasn't designed for it.

ArchivedUser

PvP was available I am guessing from launch to maybe 2014 or 2015.

Actually, according to Wikipedia PvP was added in 2006.  I seem to recall playing PvP as recently as 2013.  Was away from the game for several years after that.  When I logged back in this year PvP was gone.

ArchivedUser

I was there at launch for EQ2 and it was strictly a PvE game.  
When SOE added PvP, because there was some strong voiced demand for it; it had several servers and by attrition the numbers went down to one dead server that died.

ArchivedUser

Yes, PvP died for a variety of reasons, all of which I hope AoC has learned from and can avoid.  Allowing self-mentoring probably played a small role in that death.  But it did allow solo-players to go back and complete (and farm) group (heroic) content at will, which could be used to better equip low-level alts for PvP.  Now days using mercs and self-mentoring a solo toon can even complete epic quests.

ArchivedUser

AutumnLeaf said:

" AoC was never about grouping ... "

Then tell me why Combat is being designed for Group-Play ?

ArchivedUser

Eragale said:

AutumnLeaf said:

" AoC was never about grouping ... "

Then tell me why Combat is being designed for Group-Play ?

Just read what I said, it will provide content for both group and solo, meaning it wont be forcing people to play in groups to progress and/or enjoy the game. I highly doubt that I will need to be in a party just to level up through killing mobs.

ArchivedUser

I did not express myself as clearly as I could have when I said the game is all about groups.  I believe I heard during one of the live streams that class balancing was being done at the group level, which I believe is what Eragale is also saying.  I believe I also heard that groups will be required to visit some areas effectively.

I just hope not to see players short-circuiting that intent by using mercs and self-mentoring.

ArchivedUser

Yes, they have stated that encounter balancing for dungeons would be for 8 man groups. That pvp would balance around group dynamics also and not be balanced on a 1v1 basis. They have also stated that there would be plenty of encounter content that would be balanced for solo players also. I would expect that to mean that as long as you pull intelligently in the open world you will be able to handle a certain number of mobs of equivalent level solo, but if you poke your head into a dungeon and try to take on a group of mobs, even trash, you will get your ass handed to you.

ArchivedUser

Mentoring systems aren't inherently a bad thing when done correctly, they allow you to reduce your level to play with friends that may still be in lower level areas or complete quests at the level they were designed for.
I think FFXIV did this right with their level sync system. When doing content that was below your level you would get sync to an appropriate level including losing access to skills that you wouldn't have at that level.  If you were well geared you would still be a bit stronger than someone that was in questing gear but it wasn't unreasonable.

ArchivedUser

Neverwinter Nights had a mentoring system where if you talk to a certain NPC in the OOC room he could take away experience points and detract your level(s). The reason for this was because as we all know d&d mechanics is a lot more "manual" than "automatic" when it comes to leveling up, choosing your skills, feats, and prestige classes. So if you accidentally messed up (chose the wrong skill or feat during level up), you could delevel and relevel to choose the correct ability to meet the prerequisites for something you have planned for your character down the line.

ArchivedUser

I have no problem with mentoring as long as it's going to a lower level.  I do have a problem with having mercenaries.
EQ2 has a system where you can temporarily go to lower levels by paying status points and consulting an NPC: this helps for missed content.  Once you cancel the mentoring you will have to pay again to do another.  EQ2 also has a system that while in a group you can mentor down to a group member's level to play with friends; cancels when the group breaks up or you leave the group.