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Server Restarts
PherPhur
Member
AoC has so much potential for server restarts, so many world changing and social variables that can form the world in different ways each time.
It's a better alternative than just piling on expansions because what happens is the world gets bloated, or too large, quickly, and requires more players, which the network foundation can't support. It raises the level cap which eventually means they have to trivialize many aspects of how leveling was originally designed, if you start an alt or you're a new player.
It's ashes and more of a sandbox, but it's supposedly also has themepark aspects so what I just said will happen if the game isn't redesigned in some ways.
I mean if it's done right it can work, but it's just a cascade of problems that happen very quickly. With server restarts(for games that accommodate them like AoC) you can still add content, but you can also do things in "seasons" like Path of Exile does, where with each ladder reset new things are added and if they work really well they stay, if they don't they're gone the next season.
This allows them to rework/add to the game gradually. You know I think of WoW Cataclysm when I talk about this, the game had gotten to the point where so many expansions were added that the increased xp and the added ways to getting faster xp had trivialized so much of the game, messed so much up, the world was already getting too large and empty and it had gotten old enough that they just had to come in and majorly rework everything all at once.
And I know that's a large part of why so many people left. Not only did they not do it well, the change was too much too fast(probably part of it not being done well). That happened pretty quick too, from the start of WoW until Cataclysm.
I'm explaining myself on this because some people I've talked to are very against server restarts and I got a feeling this is a widely held notion with MMORPGs.
I know the game is set up already for a form of reset with sieges, but that doesn't solve many issues and it would be much more fitting if it just served as a mechanism to encourage short term "resets" so that a complete reset could be very far in-between, I'd imagine like 1 year resets. I'd also imagine a large portion of servers will not engage in sieges and if any do happen they'll be from small groups of people against the majority of the server who have teamed up.
It just depends on how the game is tuned. I can't imagine achievements would reset, transmog collections would reset, freehold skins would reset, flying mounts die anyways, and mounts collections surely aren't going to be a life long struggle like in other games and have combat skills so aren't conducive to a reset(I think mounts should not be items, should stay in the world and be limited as far as possession quantity since they have combat skills and it would be much better gameplay that way, but that's a different story).
If server resets are a thing they also make a player think about time invested in something and how they want to build up. I think there should be more than ample time for a casual player to realy dig in, the reset should be on the side of casual players.
It's a better alternative than just piling on expansions because what happens is the world gets bloated, or too large, quickly, and requires more players, which the network foundation can't support. It raises the level cap which eventually means they have to trivialize many aspects of how leveling was originally designed, if you start an alt or you're a new player.
It's ashes and more of a sandbox, but it's supposedly also has themepark aspects so what I just said will happen if the game isn't redesigned in some ways.
I mean if it's done right it can work, but it's just a cascade of problems that happen very quickly. With server restarts(for games that accommodate them like AoC) you can still add content, but you can also do things in "seasons" like Path of Exile does, where with each ladder reset new things are added and if they work really well they stay, if they don't they're gone the next season.
This allows them to rework/add to the game gradually. You know I think of WoW Cataclysm when I talk about this, the game had gotten to the point where so many expansions were added that the increased xp and the added ways to getting faster xp had trivialized so much of the game, messed so much up, the world was already getting too large and empty and it had gotten old enough that they just had to come in and majorly rework everything all at once.
And I know that's a large part of why so many people left. Not only did they not do it well, the change was too much too fast(probably part of it not being done well). That happened pretty quick too, from the start of WoW until Cataclysm.
I'm explaining myself on this because some people I've talked to are very against server restarts and I got a feeling this is a widely held notion with MMORPGs.
I know the game is set up already for a form of reset with sieges, but that doesn't solve many issues and it would be much more fitting if it just served as a mechanism to encourage short term "resets" so that a complete reset could be very far in-between, I'd imagine like 1 year resets. I'd also imagine a large portion of servers will not engage in sieges and if any do happen they'll be from small groups of people against the majority of the server who have teamed up.
It just depends on how the game is tuned. I can't imagine achievements would reset, transmog collections would reset, freehold skins would reset, flying mounts die anyways, and mounts collections surely aren't going to be a life long struggle like in other games and have combat skills so aren't conducive to a reset(I think mounts should not be items, should stay in the world and be limited as far as possession quantity since they have combat skills and it would be much better gameplay that way, but that's a different story).
If server resets are a thing they also make a player think about time invested in something and how they want to build up. I think there should be more than ample time for a casual player to realy dig in, the reset should be on the side of casual players.
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Also I am one of those lets hope for no server resets ever people.
Though I agree with you, @Akaime, Intrepid’s plan (thus far as displayed in the Wiki) is the opposite … level caps will increase with new content.
After having wrote that, talking to a friend and giving it some more thought, if they do something to encourage sieges so that they actually happen, such as making node upkeep materials based on the amount of citizens it has, as well as making some city defenses degradable, then they can very well do without server resets.
My only concern is that knowing the MMO player base, there will be an indefinite prevention of sieges by the majority of players banding together. I know MMO players, they are, for the most part, against pvp. Not because it's not their cup of tea but because it's difficult(well also somewhat griefing and misunderstanding of what griefing is, especially in a pvp game). Most video gamers 9 times out of 10 choose the easier option given the choice, which is understandable and totally sane lol.
Game developers on the other hand have a job of not just protecting players from themselves, but guiding them to something fun and exciting.
Sieges alone can provide enough freshness that updates can be very paced(mandatory for the game not to crumble like WoW in Cata) and the game do more than okay without resets, actually be better than if it had resets.
Leveling isn't necessary, but it's a core mechanic of an RPG and serves it's purpose in an expansion as such.
You could not have raised level caps in an expansion but wouldn't it be odd to have new more powerful weapons to fight new more powerful mobs who are considerably more powerful than other mobs of the same level.
In 2 expansions a player wouldn't even know what is a safe max level mob to fight, just getting 1 shot the instant they even try.
Besides, item progression does the same thing, to get more powerful items you have to get the gear before it to complete the content to get the items to make it, to some extent. You can have catchup mechanics but then again you're trivializing older content and part of your world.
And catchup mechanics only work to a certain extent until you just completely make content irrelevant.
These are mostly themepark MMO issues, but AoC is part themepark so it'll still apply to some degree.
There is an alternative here, and it's one I basically begged for, and that's if a game isn't built for resets, if it's going to be continuous, that they don't do anything to speed up leveling. Let the expansions come, let level caps increase, let new gear progression and content be added, and leave old content alone. Let it become more time consuming to get to max level because we all know this trope that seems to be as old as time, it's not the destination that matters, but the journeyyyy.
Intrepid already seems to have a pair of big jewels on them, so it's not far fetched they could make a decision like this, no free trophies remember? I mean as far as pvp goes we already have a corruption system that applies more severely the further the disparity in levels, but there is the issue of standard pvp in the case of sieges or caravans. I'm completely stumped on that one. My guess is to just say "well, that encourages you to either hire badasses to your defense, or that's a great reason to make a lot of friends" lol.
There is the odd case of having players solo world bosses though which effect the nodes and is very influential to pvp/the economy, but I hear bosses will self tune themselves to the metrics of the group fighting its last encounter with it(not sure if this is still a thing, but it'd definitely fix the issue)
I see mmorpg mostly bound to the system of "persistant world"
So any idea of season/reset or similar thing is, for me, against what a mmorpg is.
This is also another reason i really dislike wow or FFXIV. While they destroyed the social part for more casualisation, they also turned their game with two layers of seasons.
Soft reset thru each new raid tier.
Hard reset with each expansion.
Meanwhile i like to play sometime some good H&S. Those games are totally fitted for seasons, because there is an end, or a "close to end" because at one point, your stuff is strong enough for your build to easy kill any pinnacle boss, and so, no more challenge. So a reset sometime is fine to have people do a new adventure.
To your 2nd point above AOC is trying to cater to a more PVP centric field, so this may be less of an issue in AOC specifically.
To your 1st point, I would actually be worried about sieges long term as well, but because of the lack of desire. Since having a metro will provide such great benefits for trading and housing, the people within that metro are going to put effort into defending their metro, but long term most people won't want to switch metros often as it will likely be a lot of work. I do worry that a population will stagnate because it is happy. Well my true expectation is that 2 metros will become near permanent to give players consistent housing, while the others will go on a community lead rotation instead of the randomness indicated currently by IS.
On the first, "main", I think everybody will rush to reach max level, to be efficient in sieges and caravan combat. And on sea.
To slow down and enjoy the intermediate level content could be viable in PvE game but not here.
But maybe a 2nd character or a 3rd one could have some benefits. Still I do not see right now any hint on wiki that they think about such aspects.
So what's your oppinion?
no resets pls. adding fresh start servers are ok though
I agree with concerns about stagnation though; either due to entrenched PvP cliques or loss of interest. In these cases perhaps Intrepid could detect this situation and spawn some massive destruction. Let the devs all login as epic bosses and trash the entrenched locations. The ultimate environmental response to stagnation!
Offer fresh servers from time to time so new and existing players (transfer and/or alts) can have the opportunity for AoC's Day 1 experience.
Verdict - Same bugs from launch still exist and dupes still happened and new exploits. They took to long to roll out updates from test server and everything was still broken upon release.
Fresh starts are meh. But any long term mmorpg needs catch up mechanics to the core of the players. Most likely why fresh start appeals since everyone is at the same point together