noaani wrote: » Something in find interesting in relation to all the talk in this thread about gear progression is the fact that gear progression in Ashes is non-permanent. We may well find that when we get to the level cap, rather than just blowing a whole lot of resources on having the best items crafted for every slot, it may be wiser to craft slightly lesser items, reserving some of the materials for repairs and replacements. Or probably more likely what will happen is people will build a top end set for when they need it, but due to how expensive it is to maintain (and replace), people will also build a secondary set for every day/non-challenging use. Basically, the mechanic of gear destruction (and potentially gear loss via corruption) means that there will likely never be a point where any player doesn't have one eye on their characters gear needs. Basically, gear progression in Ashes will not have an end.
wolfwood82 wrote: » noaani wrote: » Something in find interesting in relation to all the talk in this thread about gear progression is the fact that gear progression in Ashes is non-permanent. We may well find that when we get to the level cap, rather than just blowing a whole lot of resources on having the best items crafted for every slot, it may be wiser to craft slightly lesser items, reserving some of the materials for repairs and replacements. Or probably more likely what will happen is people will build a top end set for when they need it, but due to how expensive it is to maintain (and replace), people will also build a secondary set for every day/non-challenging use. Basically, the mechanic of gear destruction (and potentially gear loss via corruption) means that there will likely never be a point where any player doesn't have one eye on their characters gear needs. Basically, gear progression in Ashes will not have an end. There'd be no point in seeking out gear of any kind if you don't get some kind of return from it. Meaning any particular piece of armor or weapon you buy, that item should earn you at least as much as it costs before it degrades beyond repair ability (after factoring in repair costs). This is something the development team has to balance out, and the in game economy has to take into account as well.
noaani wrote: » wolfwood82 wrote: » noaani wrote: » Something in find interesting in relation to all the talk in this thread about gear progression is the fact that gear progression in Ashes is non-permanent. We may well find that when we get to the level cap, rather than just blowing a whole lot of resources on having the best items crafted for every slot, it may be wiser to craft slightly lesser items, reserving some of the materials for repairs and replacements. Or probably more likely what will happen is people will build a top end set for when they need it, but due to how expensive it is to maintain (and replace), people will also build a secondary set for every day/non-challenging use. Basically, the mechanic of gear destruction (and potentially gear loss via corruption) means that there will likely never be a point where any player doesn't have one eye on their characters gear needs. Basically, gear progression in Ashes will not have an end. There'd be no point in seeking out gear of any kind if you don't get some kind of return from it. Meaning any particular piece of armor or weapon you buy, that item should earn you at least as much as it costs before it degrades beyond repair ability (after factoring in repair costs). This is something the development team has to balance out, and the in game economy has to take into account as well. Assuming Intrepid set gear to degrade on death, how much of a return you get on a piece of gear is largely up to you and how hard you try to push harder content.
wanderingmist wrote: » noaani wrote: » wolfwood82 wrote: » noaani wrote: » Something in find interesting in relation to all the talk in this thread about gear progression is the fact that gear progression in Ashes is non-permanent. We may well find that when we get to the level cap, rather than just blowing a whole lot of resources on having the best items crafted for every slot, it may be wiser to craft slightly lesser items, reserving some of the materials for repairs and replacements. Or probably more likely what will happen is people will build a top end set for when they need it, but due to how expensive it is to maintain (and replace), people will also build a secondary set for every day/non-challenging use. Basically, the mechanic of gear destruction (and potentially gear loss via corruption) means that there will likely never be a point where any player doesn't have one eye on their characters gear needs. Basically, gear progression in Ashes will not have an end. There'd be no point in seeking out gear of any kind if you don't get some kind of return from it. Meaning any particular piece of armor or weapon you buy, that item should earn you at least as much as it costs before it degrades beyond repair ability (after factoring in repair costs). This is something the development team has to balance out, and the in game economy has to take into account as well. Assuming Intrepid set gear to degrade on death, how much of a return you get on a piece of gear is largely up to you and how hard you try to push harder content. That is pretty standard for most mmorpgs. The balancing comes in how much it will cost to repair gear. As this is one of the major gold sinks in an mmo, it's important to get this right to maintain a healthy economy. We would also have to consider if repairing gear would only cost gold, or resources as well.
noaani wrote: » wanderingmist wrote: » noaani wrote: » wolfwood82 wrote: » noaani wrote: » Something in find interesting in relation to all the talk in this thread about gear progression is the fact that gear progression in Ashes is non-permanent. We may well find that when we get to the level cap, rather than just blowing a whole lot of resources on having the best items crafted for every slot, it may be wiser to craft slightly lesser items, reserving some of the materials for repairs and replacements. Or probably more likely what will happen is people will build a top end set for when they need it, but due to how expensive it is to maintain (and replace), people will also build a secondary set for every day/non-challenging use. Basically, the mechanic of gear destruction (and potentially gear loss via corruption) means that there will likely never be a point where any player doesn't have one eye on their characters gear needs. Basically, gear progression in Ashes will not have an end. There'd be no point in seeking out gear of any kind if you don't get some kind of return from it. Meaning any particular piece of armor or weapon you buy, that item should earn you at least as much as it costs before it degrades beyond repair ability (after factoring in repair costs). This is something the development team has to balance out, and the in game economy has to take into account as well. Assuming Intrepid set gear to degrade on death, how much of a return you get on a piece of gear is largely up to you and how hard you try to push harder content. That is pretty standard for most mmorpgs. The balancing comes in how much it will cost to repair gear. As this is one of the major gold sinks in an mmo, it's important to get this right to maintain a healthy economy. We would also have to consider if repairing gear would only cost gold, or resources as well. Not saying I think there is a better way, or I would do it differently, which is why I said I assume. It is fairly standard for gear to be damaged on death, but it would make sense to consider alternate ways for gear to be damaged in a game where items can be destroyed outright rather than just damaged. Since each time gear is damaged it is closer to being destroyed and in need of outright replacing, if death is the only time gear can be damaged, then players will be far more wary of getting in to situations where multiple deaths are possible - such as taking on truly challenging content, or grouping with people they are unsure about. This is all obviously totally dependent on where the balance lies, but my on hope for Ashes is that it is a game that encourages people to get together, and it offers truly hard PvE content. While not impossible to pull off, these both seem to me to be harder to get in to the game if that game also has gear destroyed when players die. I don't think the repair of items will be as big a cost as the replacement of items in Ashes. The function is still the same (gold/item sink), but from a player perspective it is much more interesting to have to replace items than simply repair what you already have - but only if it is balanced right.
mcstackerson wrote: » Didn't you just contradict yourself a little? You say that in your experience, people have fun when they attempt things they are scared of, like a thing that could punish them but your solution is to remove the punishment. If you aren't punished for failing then what is there to fear? I think it's good to have content that has higher stakes. Yes, you are more hesitant to go with a random person which i think is a good thing. If you want to complete the content, you are encouraged to meet people and get a group you can trust. Keep in mind there is going to be plenty of solo content too so it's not like wow where you have to do group content to progress. There are other things you can do.
mcstackerson wrote: » Didn't you just contradict yourself a little? You say that in your experience, people have fun when they attempt things they are scared of, like a thing that could punish them but your solution is to remove the punishment. If you aren't punished for failing then what is there to fear?
wanderingmist wrote: » I have absolutely no problem with someone who is not interested in min-maxing their character or being the best in combat. I DO however have a problem with people who expect to beat the harder content just because they put a lot of time into the game without actually putting in any effort. You know, it's funny. I often saw people in LoL complaining about their ranking, saying stuff like "I've been playing for years and I'm still not in Diamond league" as if just playing the game is enough. It's not. Yes you are in the environment to improve but unless you actually make an effort to, you won't improve. These types of players want things given to them without putting any effort in first. The problem with mmorpgs is that when it comes to PvE, if your character's stats are high enough you CAN just beat any content without putting in any effort, which to me feels completely wrong.
