Server start up gear progression problem

So phase 3 started today and the same problems that occurred to testers on the PTR the prior week also came to fruition today. It's a combination of two things the fact that mob drops were drastically tuned down, and that novice crafting is still to expensive to craft within the time people take to level to 10. Also with nodes taking a day at least to get to the stage a market exists no trade hub is available for the PvE players to buy gear using the glint they obtained from the artisan players. This is mostly only a server starting problem but does affect any players starting experience when joining a server at later dates for they will run into a similar lack of progression only with access to the earlier players hand me downs on the markets.

To me the problems stem from Intrepid not having a solid early progression path planned out. The end game of AOC is pretty well defined as a rotating war between settlements and players for different reasons and arduous quest to claim certain resources and craft the highest grade gear. The early game seems to be overly influenced by how Intrepid wants the systems to end up and not be doing the job of showing the minute little bits of fun that drag you into the long lasting game loops. The first 10 levels of a game like this are the tutorial and for players who know the game well it won't last that long, I've seen level 10's and it's not even been 12 hours since phase 3 started.

Making the feeling of progressing none existent in all three aspects of the current game loops, quests, mobs, and artisans, shows to me that there needs to be a review on how Intrepid want's to introduce players to the game. Because if the first 10 levels don't feel rewarding and garner interest you will lose players.

This post isn't really trying to come up with a solution but more a communication to the team about problems that were communicated but left unanswered.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Ludullu

I wanted to just write a response here, but decided to create a whole separate topic as a point of feedback on this.

https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/68201/the-ever-beloved-ftue

I agree that the starting process should be more streamlined. I'd prefer if it was just waaaay slower than what it is right now, but I know that the majority of people absolutely hate early grind (even if it's the proper representation of what's to come at higher lvls). So I went with a more hand-holding approach to it all, while keeping the crafting preference of gear acquisition.

daveywavey

lamina5432 wrote: »

crafting is still to expensive to craft

It's still fricking ridiculous, isn't it. I dunno who's deciding the Recipe values, but I'd like for them to stop making decisions! Hahaha

I mean, assuming the recipe on the Codex is correct for this, check out the Forsaken Daggers at L10: Forsaken Daggers

Takes 152 Copper Ingots for this one item of Daggers

Copper Ingots take 1 Copper Fragment and 2 Copper
So, each Copper Ingot takes 3 Copper to make

So, this one Daggers alone needs 450+ Copper.

WTF is this shit, I mean seriously...

Ludullu

daveywavey wrote: »

It's still fricking ridiculous, isn't it. I dunno who's deciding the Recipe values, but I'd like for them to stop making decisions! Hahaha

That's what you get w/o a Principal Econ Designer, that they've been looking for FOR YEARS now.

Volgaris

lamina5432 wrote: »

So phase 3 started today and the same problems that occurred to testers on the PTR the prior week also came to fruition today. It's a combination of two things the fact that mob drops were drastically tuned down, and that novice crafting is still to expensive to craft within the time people take to level to 10. Also with nodes taking a day at least to get to the stage a market exists no trade hub is available for the PvE players to buy gear using the glint they obtained from the artisan players. This is mostly only a server starting problem but does affect any players starting experience when joining a server at later dates for they will run into a similar lack of progression only with access to the earlier players hand me downs on the markets.

To me the problems stem from Intrepid not having a solid early progression path planned out. The end game of AOC is pretty well defined as a rotating war between settlements and players for different reasons and arduous quest to claim certain resources and craft the highest grade gear. The early game seems to be overly influenced by how Intrepid wants the systems to end up and not be doing the job of showing the minute little bits of fun that drag you into the long lasting game loops. The first 10 levels of a game like this are the tutorial and for players who know the game well it won't last that long, I've seen level 10's and it's not even been 12 hours since phase 3 started.

Making the feeling of progressing none existent in all three aspects of the current game loops, quests, mobs, and artisans, shows to me that there needs to be a review on how Intrepid want's to introduce players to the game. Because if the first 10 levels don't feel rewarding and garner interest you will lose players.

This post isn't really trying to come up with a solution but more a communication to the team about problems that were communicated but left unanswered.

Part of the balance issues I was level 5 in 5 minutes. The leveling happens so fast, so by the time you hit the need for the gear you'll need to start grinding crafting. Obvious if you organize with your guild you can start funneling mats to a single person for each craft needed. So slow down the leveling progress, lower the exp rewards from the quests and speed up the exp gain from the crafts (maybe).

Also part of the problem is gear is tiered out in 10 level blocks. So you'll power through 1-10 or 11-20 then hit a gear wall where you need to replace everything to keep pace. Staggering out level requirements for gear will encourage people to level crafting as they level not waiting for each 10 level step. So gear at 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, ect. Something along those lines. If the balance can be struck above than this might not be needed.

Either way there will always be a gear block at some point requiring players to focus on gathering/crafting. This will last until guilds as firmly established and there's plenty of low level gear to funnel to new players and alts. Node progression is a natural block that is intended to focus players are node progression and designed to make us care about them.

Just my opinions. So far it doesn't seem too bad to me though.

Child Item