The Flying Mount Problem - A Simple Solution

The biggest issue with flying mounts is how it's an unfair mechanic for the person that has one, unless everyone has them. and if everyone has them, the game is just bad (for reason that I'm sure Steven is aware of). But giving it to a few elite people means they have too many unfair advantages (especially in combat).

My solution is to make flying mounts extremely unlikely to be used in circumstances that are unfair. What circumstances are these? They mostly deal with PVP.

How would I do this? I'd make flying mounts have a growth stage, that requires lots of resources. So say an egg, that requires 7 days IRL time to hatch, and requires lots of resources to grow. Then, if your flying mount ever dies from combat, or whatever, you have to regrow it from scratch.

This does NOT have to be the exact solution, but the idea is, if your flying mount dies, it's a huge headache, so mayors, people who have them, etc. think long and hard before taking flying mounts into combat scenarios.

You can still use it for pvp if you want.. but at what cost? Lots of problems fixed.

Now, having a flying mount is still as awesome as ever, they feel even more precious because they're "Fragile", in the sense that you really don't want them to die. This brings on a whole other argument of how this is a great "risk vs reward" kind of gameplay.

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Imnotkio

L take

GrappLr

Imnotkio wrote: »

L take

care to elaborate?

CROW3

Given the current rarity, and that they can be killed in pvp, is this really a problem that requires a solution?

Solmyr

This is already the plan, more or less. From the Wiki:

Utilizing a royal mount during an event, such as a siege or war, will incur an upfront cost. If the mount dies during that event there will be a cooldown period before the mount can be used. The cost to use the mount must also be paid again.

And for the time-limited variants that drop from certain bosses:

These mounts will have a life-span likely between 15 to 30 days (online and offline time) after which the mounts will pass away.

Royal mounts are dropped as eggs that can be cultivated through the Animal husbandry profession for artisans with a high enough stable upgrade on their freehold. The eggs themselves also have a lifetime.
Royal mount eggs are able to be sold to other players.
Royal mounts are not breedable.

Texas

I would restrict the flying mounts to sanctioned pvp. I originally wanted to get rid of them altogether, but after the war stream...I do see that they have a use for someone trying to manage an event across multiple fields of battle.

Liniker

so.. unfair advantage, really thats the problem? afaik everyone has an equal chance of getting one.... just win an election and become a mayor or start recruiting and win a castle siege so you can have one...

whats next we want to remove or nerf artifact gear because its unfair that just a handful of people will get it? how about we remove legendary world bosses since only one guild will be able to claim the reward from killing it? its unfair for smaller guilds... freeholds? we might also want to nerf those

Ludullu

Nah, there's only like 20 of them for 50k accounts. That's nothing. Let those people have their fun for a month.

Voxtrium

I think its alright for a few people to have an unfair advantage - I mean the entire design of BiS gear in this game will be giving less than 10% of the server population a gear advantage and I have no problem with that. Having players be equal in power is not a design I feel is needed. Additionally there are mechanics for the flying mounts to limit them anyway like someone stated above.

Solvryn

Just shoot them out of the sky and make sure there's no parachute from the mount itself, so people die from fall damage.

arkileo

I don't see the current plan as particularly problematic, but we'll see in A2.

tautau

If a player earns a flying mount, I don't see how you can call that Unfair.

If you have a great set of armor and a good weapon, would that be unfair?
If you own a good horse, is that unfair?
If you grind your way to level 50, is that unfair?
~ All of these give you advantages...earned advantages.

I disagree with the OP when s/he considers a flying mount unfair.

Undead Canuck

What flying mount problem?

You may want to check out the Wiki. You should know that all of them are time limited and there is a lot of work involved to getting one. Not to mention that if you have one, you are now a huge target.

https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Royal_mounts

Aszkalon

GrappLr wrote: »

The biggest issue with flying mounts is how it's an unfair mechanic for the person that has one, unless everyone has them.

Nope.
Not really.
Absolutely debatable. " IF " i want to be fair, that is.

Mayors and Kings should be a "bit" overpowered compared to anyone else. They are some Big Shots after all. This way, you can make some People's Characters a BIT MORE the Main Characters of for Example a great Battle,
without the need to somehow make their Class overpowered (lol) or some Artifact or whatever.

And Yes,
i write this here completely with the Acceptance that i will most likely never be among them. But i know that such a Mechanic is Fun, when some Players can have Advantages over Others in limited Amounts/Contents of the Game.

GrappLr wrote: »

and if everyone has them, the game is just bad (for reason that I'm sure Steven is aware of). But giving it to a few elite people means they have too many unfair advantages (especially in combat).

It is not like they have their Dragon-breath spitting/breathing Dragon everywhere in the Open World at every time now, or do they ?

Funnily, not even that would be this unfair if i think about it. In fact, it would have a nice Effect.

-> It would " FORCE " - People, to band together. Especially if some Mayor or King loves to abuse his might. Enough of these Days where People run around with their Nose high up, because they never need to team up with others like in Instances or Raid Instances.

Yes,
get comfy with the Thought of being safer in the very Open World,
with Friends or at least Allies around you.

GrappLr wrote: »

My solution is to make flying mounts extremely unlikely to be used in circumstances that are unfair. What circumstances are these? They mostly deal with PVP.

Or just do what i just recommended. Search Allies. Maybe even practise to set up Ambushes for Opponents that can suddenly attack You from above.

GrappLr wrote: »

How would I do this? I'd make flying mounts have a growth stage, that requires lots of resources. So say an egg, that requires 7 days IRL time to hatch, and requires lots of resources to grow. Then, if your flying mount ever dies from combat, or whatever, you have to regrow it from scratch.

Ohhh. This is a nice Detail as well.

Nothing against that as well. As long as it doesn't strip Kings and Mayors from their Mount all the Time when they are not in a Siege against their Node or Castle - or not in a Battle between two Nodes somewhere.

GrappLr wrote: »

This does NOT have to be the exact solution, but the idea is, if your flying mount dies, it's a huge headache, so mayors, people who have them, etc. think long and hard before taking flying mounts into combat scenarios.

Oh believe me. They will.

Hit and Run Tactics are not rally that hard to plan and execute.

GrappLr wrote: »

You can still use it for pvp if you want.. but at what cost? Lots of problems fixed.

Problems that are not even really there when we just think about it.

Everyone will know about the Risk versus Reward Situation of Verra, right ? I liked to participate in this Topic but i feel there were never any real Problems to begin with. (o_Ô)

Dimitraeos

GrappLr wrote: »

The biggest issue with flying mounts is how it's an unfair mechanic for the person that has one, unless everyone has them. and if everyone has them, the game is just bad (for reason that I'm sure Steven is aware of). But giving it to a few elite people means they have too many unfair advantages (especially in combat).

I mean its an extremely high end reward for a very difficult to achieve in-game position, is it not? How is that unfair? On top of the fact that they will be limited and we have no idea how much impact they will have in wars. Personally I think like they should have the impact of a siege weapon because thats basically what they are.

Heartbeat

Weren't flying mounts originally just going to be very hard to achieve? Did something change at any point or am I misunderstanding something, it sounds like some comments in this thread are implying that they will be artificially limited in number and only a few select people will be able to get them.

As far of them being a problem, no, if they are artificially limited, yes.

bloodprophet

They are supposed to be super limited. Like 20 total at a time per server.

Aszkalon

bloodprophet wrote: »

They are supposed to be super limited. Like 20 total at a time per server.

Maybe more, when we take the Possibility into Account that "appointed Officers" of a Defense Force in a Node Siege,
could maybe/probably get a "smaller" Dragon, or Wyvern, or Griphon or whatever,

they could however only use for the Node Siege Battles. Like : tinier, not so much Health and hence easier to kill : and also not as much AoE-Attacks and/or Abilities to pressure Enemy Troops.

This kinda sank down to the Bottom of Quietness. People talked about this Possibility in the Past however, as far as my Memory doesn't deceive me.

Also -> whoever gets a flying Mount should in any Case make Videos of something like the floating Islands or so, where it is either literally or mostly impossible to reach without having a flying Mount.

Texas

The excuses in this thread read like, "They suck, but the suck will be pretty rare."

Just get rid of the suck altogether.

RazThemun

The biggest issue with flying mounrs is that it allows one to cover so much terrain so quickly while also skipping so much of the in world content. I can see having like a glider so you can jump off a cliff for a quick escape or so you don't have to go back down the mountain that took you 30 minutes to climb.
The more you add in regards to mounts and flying the smaller the world seems.

George_Black

I am happy with mounts being only for certain leaders.
If you want one try to get elected or build a guild. Seems 100% "fair".

Yes, flying mounts ruin good mmos. Most mmos that have they widely accessible arent good to begin with.
Flying mounts/glides take out all the adventure and adversity of the game.

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