[for serious] Why isn't base XP gain increased? [nst plx]

[Divide]

Knowing that reducing leveling time for chars has the potential to attract players, what keeps the base xp gain from being increased?

You could clearly still have double (or more) xp events as desired, just because the base xp gain is increased doesn't mean that 2xp isn't 2xp. It's still twice as fast, it's still going to have the same draw.

The arguing point here is:

For those who actually play this game consistently, the act of leveling a character is a formality. You probably know exactly what setup/items you plan on running when you are creating the character -- you just need to get there. Why delay that process?

For those who used to play this game and are thinking of coming back, leveling is a deterrant. They don't want to deal with the monotony of slowly leveling 4 chars up just to have a complete account when they used to have one back in NC1/2/Pre-Titan.

For those who have never played this game, the grind is shortened. I think everyone here can share a story or two of a new player they helped with tips, cash, time that didn't convert to a permanent fixture. Getting these players hooked is what everyone wants. Hooking takes place when excitement, goals, and an intangible draw collide. Excitement is the act of progression. Goals are capping a character/seeing the game. And that intangible draw is your brain working against your better judgement/rl to make you sit your ass back in your char, and keep leveling because your progress is significant enough that you view your goals as attainable.



Thoughts/comments? Biting my tongue a bit on some jeers for at least two people out there who hate everything except when things suck.

[2ply]

I fully support this as I'm one of those people who really wants to come back and start PvPing again but I just don't have the time or motivation to grind up to woc(it's my understanding that you need to do the woc to be really competitive,) getting to cap isn't too bad(still more than most MMOs imo,) but I still feel the grind is too much.

what this game needs is more people, most people I've tried to get into NC say the same thing, they love the gameplay and atmosphere and they really want to start doing OP fights but the grind is just too much. I've had about 20 people say this to me as well, this isn't just 2 or 3 people. it's the second biggest complaint I hear about NC because let's face it, the best part of NC for most people is getting to cap, getting fitted with weapons and OP fighting.

[Dropout]

Eventhough the grind in NC isnt too bad compared to a lot of others MMO's, its WAY more boring than most others MMO's..

However a huge problem with increased XP (like the double XP "events"), is the money income. By the time you cap, you wont be able to afford shit = more grinding (unless you have friends who can help out / capped alts).

[Divide]

However a huge problem with increased XP (like the double XP "events"), is the money income. By the time you cap, you wont be able to afford shit = more grinding (unless you have friends who can help out / capped alts).

This problem may actually solve itself when players are killing mobs with the highest reward of NC, and best item drops.

[Drachenpaladin]

This problem may actually solve itself when players are killing mobs with the highest reward of NC, and best item drops.

Sure, but with what gear. The mid-level economy would break away cuz you see chars level faster then they can afford appropriate gear for their level - unless they keep grinding low or mid-level mobs that fit their gear.
Common problem you can see on WoW-freeshards. Ofc you can just conveniently buy gold to support the freeshard.

[Divide]

The mid-level economy would break away

By mid-level economy, do you mean player/npc interactions or player/player (eg: res/cst)?

To be plainly honest, the mid-level economy can go blow a goat. Mid-level economy is there to support mid-level characters. The reason to push xp up is to reduce the number of people in the mid(and low)-level lurch. I find it difficult to believe that people would be as willing to interrupt their leveling to get an updated weapon/spell if their xp gain remained viable.


/edit:
It should be pretty safe to assume only new players would be struggling to keep their wallets lined. It should also be pretty safe to assume that new players will continue to receive support in form of cash handouts as they always have. Returning players are in that same boat. As much as I love a new player, I love a returning even more.

[Drachenpaladin]

By mid-level economy, do you mean player/npc interactions or player/player (eg: res/cst)?

To be plainly honest, the mid-level economy can go blow a goat. Mid-level economy is there to support mid-level characters. The reason to push xp up is to reduce the number of people in the mid(and low)-level lurch. I find it difficult to believe that people would be as willing to interrupt their leveling to get an updated weapon/spell if their xp gain remained viable.


/edit:
It should be pretty safe to assume only new players would be struggling to keep their wallets lined. It should also be pretty safe to assume that new players will continue to receive support in form of cash handouts as they always have. Returning players are in that same boat. As much as I love a new player, I love a returning even more.

... the idea of noobs living permanently from handouts seems not the least bit wrong, no?
Cuz otherwise they would have huge problems of getting their shit on their own. Its isn't even viable to play without recycle already as noob. Only raising the XP rates wouldn't be enough, cash rewards would have to be raised too, devaluing credits even more.

At any rate, won't we just shut off Titan and make Sparta the new Main server? Would solve so much problems


No pesky leveling in an RPG... only thing schizophrenic is that more and more FPS adopt a level progress system... I must be getting old. And that in a community where the average age is like what? 35?...

[Galactus]

I don't understand why people wouldn't be for this... If not a boost in world XP, how about boosting the XP that rats and aggis etc so the lower levels are less of a pain. Most players have leveled so many toons it's stupid. Why make the starting levels such a pain? the new players have no idea what to do.. sending them into a sewer to kill rats for a week isn't a great way to boost player base.

Also you should fix the abandon cellar in industrial sectors, Back in nc1 and start of nc2 there was a Cellar right near the GR in industrial sector 2 or something, that had all the MB bunker mobs. that was a great mid level place.

[Divide]

I'm not over here saying you need to tithe 10% to new players. Nor would I trek down the path of 'this is going to make people lazy' as that argument is ridiculous. Create something compelling and motivation is organic.

New players already have a hard time getting shit on their own. They don't know what to get or where their resources are. Many can't even figure out the UI because it's so different than what they are used to.

I used to wonder why people didn't just play on the test server. The reason is there is no hook there. You don't care if you die or drop something, you don't get excited over new shit. That dynamic doesn't change with increased XP. The point you think you are making just demonstrates your lack of critical thought.

This game isn't an FPS. It's not Counter-Strike. Making that association is a poor way to represent both games.

[Galactus]

Eventhough the grind in NC isnt too bad compared to a lot of others MMO's, its WAY more boring than most others MMO's..

However a huge problem with increased XP (like the double XP "events"), is the money income. By the time you cap, you wont be able to afford shit = more grinding (unless you have friends who can help out / capped alts).

Once there capped there is level 3 imps, and non rares that they can use to hunt for techs or even fight with.

[Doc Holliday]

The "Hook" is a difficult one to bait. Your looking at a myriad of different scenarios for player needs that all need to be catered for. A returning "veteran" vs a brand new player is one and then it diversifies from there.

Increasing xp gain is a good idea in some ways as, at the end of the day, the end game for this game is all about the pvp. spin any other way you want but this is still a pvp game at heart. i know a few old warhorses will argue this but 9 out of 10 players i have talked to personally who returned said yeah i just wanna get my char levelled so i can op fight. I realise this one persons opinion (mine) and not a credible source backed up by fact but im guessing everyones had a similar conversation with someone returning to nc. (just looking back over the thread i realise 2ply made the same point so thats two of us. too lazy to quote)

The noobie experience revamp for tg was a good start on this. more stuff like that where people can get a bit of a hand levelling up was a great move. it needs to be done across the board or we get a million tg runners and no one else. Another idea which was raised was make the store bought weapons a little better. I know of a player who played the game not knowing store boughts were so bad that he was using a tl3 grenade launcher till about str 25......

I think the way to get more people in and hooked is to enhance some of the drop rates on certain items. Bring back the old plasma pistol that dropped on aggressors and the like. you could sell them for a fortune as a low level char. Remove the smuggler at point red and bring him in to the city some place (Tech angels in pepper park or even Tech haven itself) and make the implants artifact quality. Increase quality of store bought weapons also but dont give them a chance of slots. it bridges the gap between store bought and player built.

Please before anyone argues with this please consider the following scenario. you ask for a constructor. 2 speak up. 1 is 200+ and the other is a noob levelling up and is say 80 something. You will naturally go to the one who is better so this eliminates the "Middle economy argument". If your levelling a trader you can do it a number of ways (some more boring than others but dont tell me its purely from doing jobs for people as this game was never designed that way).

This leads me on to another point. Increasing XP gains from processes. the F7 window. You poke someone else. you get xp. You recycle items for someone or yourself. you get more xp. You repair items for someone or your own gear you get more xp than current. This would encourage player interaction and be helping that levelling grind while doing something useful. I realise you would have people potentially abusing it by grinding the shit out of every piece of junk they loot and tossing away the ammo medikits etc but if its not hurting anyone or breaking the economy how bad is it really? Even more so as long as its scaled right (recycling) and there is perhaps a cap introduced given a certain value of junk or some other parameter then it could work no?

On the subject of the level 3 imps top level drop weapons i think that can only be solved by the balancing to make those weapons viable so that a player has a chance in pvp vs a capped char with rare weapons. that and the player economy not trying to exploit anyone and everyone over the prices of weapons and/or techs. ($1.2m for a pain easer part set.... )

These ideas above are all tweaks to the xp gain without breaking the economy. Of course the entire pve experience needs work on it IMO. It was so much better in nc1 because of the variety of places to go. I realise it was also much much easier but a balance between how it was and how it is now with more avenues to explore to go levelling would definitely help the levelling experience.

That and opening up the world to make it more accessible for new players to go and explore. http://forum.neocron-game.com/showth...-this-again%29 That is a seperate topic of course and was discussed in this thread so feel free to add to it as you will

[Cursed Shadow]

I agree with pretty much everything that Doc Holliday states above.

If everyone is going to get so shirty about "if we raise base exp then we can't afford shit" here's a simple solution, raise cash gain by the same multiplier. There we go, problem solved, thanks folks.

If anyone responds to this with anything about 'killing monsters will make me rich if you change this' abuse I will laugh at you whilst throwing TL150 research cubes in your face.

[William Antrim]

I'd like to ask what you all do with your 0 slot guns. Me personally I sell them for less than 100k or even give them away.

I bet you guys have plenty laying around or vend them.

These would be perfectly viable for the capped new players under divides scheme.

I support the idea. Earlier the hook gets them the better the game is.

[Powerpunsh]

I dont support this! I further more would like to see a more balanced PVE! You cant solve problems by just sayin "Ye double xp and fine". If PVE would be that frustrating leveling as e.g. a pistol/rifl and know "for fucks sake, dat drohners are 10 times faster" you wouldnt be upset.
Furthermore i would support a makeshift to set PVE damage on all weapons equal so all classes can level or farm on the same speed. In addition lower AoE damage down to 33% so it only would make sense on over 3 targets.

[Drachenpaladin]

Well, mid level economy was a misleading choice but it was the only thing i could come up 2am... whatever. Do what you want, you all know so much, idgaf anymore.