As a result of the recent high level observations, I've been making minor changes and cleanup to the player experience. One of the things I looked at was int/wis requirements on spells.
The reason for looking at int/wis was mostly newbie based; new players have limited practices available, and have to decide where to spend them on which stats. If you train stats based on the minimum-cost method, you'll find that stats are naturally separated by two, for example int 18 and wis 16, or int 18 and wis 14.
Under the old int/wis system, the values were hand picked and mostly but not completely followed an algorithm for this that left the int/wis requirements separated by 3. This left new players with a subtle but weird choice to make: should my secondary casting stat be my second highest stat, or third? 3 is between 2 and 4, so keeping the costs even was inefficient.
With the new system, the separation is always 4, so that's never an issue. Also, all the values are calculated, with (currently) no exceptions, and all the spells are consistent. Plus, I got to delete a lot of lines of code.
Unfortunately, there are some complaints, and this seems to be where it always breaks down. No matter how small a change you make, someone gets upset, or pissed off, or threatens to leave. Most of the new players will never even know that there was a change, or the ones that do will adjust their characters within a few days at most. The real complaints come from the highbies.
One such player confronted me while I was in the middle of writing this post. In this particular instance, the change has moved the 'sanctuary' spell from 17/20 int/wis to 18/22, which honestly is a bigger change than I expected (the high mana cost of the spell is bumping up the requirements from what would otherwise be 17/21.) This player is a high level thief/warrior, and doesn't have the natural int/wis to cast sanc now, though they barely had it to begin with. After months of arduous effort, the total 105+ in question finally managed to get a 20 natural wisdom, just as the spell requirement changed from 20 to 22.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. Part of me wants to say 'WTF, a total 105+ with a 20 wisdom?', and other parts of me think other things. But an additional point was raised that brings up yet another design related question:
Why bother to have thief and warrior classes if it's effectively mandatory to have caster classes to do anything interesting?
I'm not sure how I feel about this one either. The game has always been multiclass. I expect people to make full use of whatever skills and spells are available in each class, and to use those spells and skills to compensate for weaknesses in other classes. To have a level 20 cleric incapable of casting sanctuary or other cleric spells simply isn't something I would have expected; after all, sanc is an EXTREMELY powerful spell used by virtually everyone virtually all the time. The game is practically built around it.
In short, I don't know that it's legitimate to have a warrior-only character and expect it to be able to stand on its own and compete with multiclass characters of similar level (or total levels.) The game just isn't designed that way. That type of operation is generally reserved for single class games.
Still, the player is pissed and will likely continue to be so. I have a shitty set of choices to decide from. Compromise a subtle change that I know in the long run is what should be done? Make an exception for particular spells? Make an exception for bitching players? Ignore it?
I'll let you, the readers decide. And then probably ignore the result.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
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11 comments:
As a player, my character has encountered problems with this change. However, I readily admit that I should have higher intelligence/wisdom for my total levels, and as such, lose the right to complain. I chose to use the practices I could have increased my stats with on other skills, more suited to my play style. In retrospect, the stats would have helped me just as much, but that's why we've got choice, and the ability to train practices. I do not think you should make exceptions for bitchy players. If they managed to train up to 20, they can make it to 22 as well. Such is life. Also, if you're a thief. Shoplift sanc potions :).
I have also encountered problems. I can no longer cast ball lightning which now requires 28 intelligence. i only have 21 intelligence, and normally wear full int gear. in order to gain the two extra intelligence points needed, i will have to either get another 11 levels (3 pracs a level) or run 31 practices straight. Either of these two feats is basically out of the question, especially if i'm just trying to get back 1 spell. Now my most powerful offensive spell is icebolt, and as a ppker this simply does not cut it.
I suggest you make an exception for "bitching players", as you refer to them as, and grandfather in any spells that they may have lost.
I can't cast sanc anymore either.
"someone who got screwed" - how exactly are you getting only 3 practices per level? Are you type 0?
yes, i am type 0.
The change is horrible all around. Nuff said.
People are whiners. You know what? Wear int/wis gear if you want to cast things. I've got a full regen set for a reason. Far less spell failure in caster gear anyways. It's not like it takes more than a second to type my solo gear to regen gear alias.
Well, my Thief Warrior just got screwed out of a few spells. I'm not sure if I can afford identify anymore :P
Simply put, this is all about choice. Making a change to only mute the bitching crowd, (or "grandfather") them in), is utterly pointtless; not to mention an act of favoritism. The purpose of practices, gold, levels, fame, and experience is to be earned. So the road is a little more crooked. Makes the reward that much sweeter.
Allen Sale is the Executive Producer of Astral Audio Productions; location of an interactive podcasting experience. He is also Magnus on Alter Aeon.
This change also frags carefully constructed save sets, which no longer allow you to cast offensive spells due to increased int / wis requirements.
When Allen Sales has actually earned more than 80 total levels, the fame to get there, the gold to purchase / run eq and the experience to get the levels / pracs required to have the spells / skills that have been affected, he might not be so hasty to dismiss grandfathering all the things people DID earn but lose to these changes.
I can see being upset by this. You spend a lot of time optimizing your character, and then the rules change underneath you.
I don't know if there is an ideal solution.
You could consider implementing changes like this over a longer period of time, giving people enough warning that it's coming so they know what to save up the experience and practices for. i.e., in the interim casting the spell provides some warning.
Or maybe you could give monetary compensation for the loss, or some other compensation (sanc wands with some reasonable number of charges?).
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