Shattered Kingdoms

Idea one any XP negative percentage you get from being familiar is given to others in the group who dont as a positive. This makes grouping even better than before because if someone knows the area then you will level even quick. Also speeds up now we are similar status we can go adventure at the same place together.

Idea two when ever you lose XP via E drain reincarnation raised dead etc. all area familiarity goes down by that notch of XP. This is to stop at higher levels running out of suitable leveling places. Because their just arnt a lot of them and half of them people want to use early.

Idea three remove area familiarity to some areas like ToM. The GM leveling areas.

With a lightie character, just smacking things with weapons, I went 1 to 6 in the newbie area. 6 to18 in an area after that. 18 to 28 in another area after that, and 28 to 35 in a fourth and still gaining exp there pretty well. I've slowed my levelling immensely since then on my own, not because the game makes it harder but because I got tired. That is all going well past get out and explore.

I would imagine that a darkie would have the similiar advantage

Though, with a grey aura, 2-3 levels is all I can get out of an area before I have to get out and explore. And it means it. Go from having to kill 8-10 per tick to around 18-20 or more to gain the same tick. Greys have it harder to level, from my perspective. For those who disagree and know the game forwards, backwards, side to side, up and down, that is all well and good for you, but that does not help anyone who is starting the game and don't understand it. This is a deterent. Greys need help, and the slight reduction to the exp penalty would go a long way to helping.

The whole point of the familiarity system is stupid to begin with. It was put in to give people an incentive to go out and explore new areas so they wouldn't have to be bored grinding on the same NPC for hours and hours. If you're bored grinding on the same NPCs then go out and explore, why the hell do you need any other incentive to do that? However if you don't mind killing the same thing for twenty levels why should you be forced to leave?

I would just like to confess that the system has successfully pushed me to look for new places, and surprisingly enough, I have discovered a few more low-mid level areas. In a sense, the system has achieved its goal.

"The grind", however, from mid-high levels was absolutely gruesome. Lack of high-level areas, and/or grandmaster level NPCs in mid level areas which we have already exhausted the familiarity with. Now that was painful.


I have had that exact experience as well. Instead of more grouping, as it turned out, there was actually less. Players, especially veteran players, learned to juggle areas quite nicely, and the ones who used whatever areas they could find, ended up suffering in the long run.

As the others have already suggested, and suggested before, certain 'cooldown' time for familiarity would definitely help, and appreciated.

So here my thing is since I guess I was "flaming" All I'm saying is that lets drop the stupid [REDACTED] construction arguement cause that really had nothing to with what I was actually speaking of. And that is a whole lot of newbs don't know where the hell to go and I'm saying this as an experienced new myself and a person who watches newbs I know in RL play this game. The general arguement is get out and explore. Kind of hard when a tiger ganks you in the middle of the road. Look, there's just too many NPCs that jump on the chance to attack low level chars trying to get out and explore new areas. So like make subtle in game hints or a map detailing where some good training areas might be. Or hell just make the NPCs who are like 20 levels higher not attack the lowly innitiate walking around looking for a place to train cause of the familiarity system. Oh, and sorry for "flaming or whatever" I was only saying you ain't got to be rude. In the end though it should just swing one way or the other. It should either be easy to level or hard. Not hard for newbs and really simple for veteran players who know where all the areas are because of other players they played went there. Witch I would argue just promotes the use of OOC knowledge. You tell me why anyone living in Uxmal would know a blessed thing about Forth Tethos or the blasted chancel is beyond me. But hey, we gotta use OOC information to get to places so we can train better.

And you rarely fully explore/exploit an area now before moving on.

Morea for example - why attack the nastier stuff in there after you have wasted the area fighting lurkers and worms?

Because going to non-optimum spots used to give slow levelling. So slow that you were effectively wasting your time trying to get experience. Now, if you go to a non-optimum spot, you get the new-area bonus for a while. These places are now reasonable options for a level or two.

Yes, the system slows down people who knew the best spots, and who had the patience to stay there for a dozen levels. But, like it or not, slowing down the maximum levelling rate was also requested. It's a feature, not a bug.



Then stay in the same place. As originally described, the worst penalty is around -20%, while the best bonus is +10%. A net 33% slowdown is surely aggravating, but it does not result in spontaneous combustion.

Better yet, ICly ask a high-level player of your class for exploration tactics and training suggestions. SK is not supposed to be an easy MUD. (We are working on more in-game hints and maps, though.)

I'm in favor of reforming the system, but I've no interest in effectively abolishing it. Reducing the already modest penalty gets uncomfortably close to that. Why have a penalty at all if it doesn't affect behavior?

Then the builders need to put in more areas that give worthwhile experience. The players shouldn't be penalized because of a lack of imagination or skill on the part of the immstaff.

I've come to realize that you really NEED to have high cha characters for levelling - for pushing the most out of the areas in the least amount of time. And heaven forbid you have a low cha character - then you have area penalties AND your own cha penalty to exp gained.

I agree that something needs to be done about the familiarity system and see some merit in all three of Bux's options.

/derail/

I also think that the broader incentive scheme for getting people to form groups in the game needs to be tweaked.

Having dabbled with a warrior class a while back and now playing a priest, I notice that warrior classes absolutely depend on healing classes for the last 5-8 levels to hit GM, whereas priests (as well as necros, sorcerors, and probably warlocks as well) are far better off training alone than going to, for example, to the TOM with a group.

This, along with the points that Lorias made about the area familiarity system creating wacky situations where "I'm saving the Chancel for later" prevents people from interacting as much.

Some half-baked ideas for solutions:

1) Increase the multiplier for combat spells cast while in groups (to bring more of all caster classes into groups for levelling rather than them preferring to level alone)

2) Dramatically increase the xp granted to healing spells cast in groups compared to the xp granted for casting them when alone (to bring more healers into the group mentality as well as push them toward healing rather than casting combat spells when in groups)

3) Piggyback on the mentor system to allow GMs. to slowly (1/3 the rate you get them for mentoring or so?) accumulate attributes for helping groups out (haven't figured out the mechanics of what you would tie this to just yet)

4) Area familiarity doesn't progress on you while you're in a group (or some twist thereon)

I know these solutions are likely to end up maintaining the divide between ease of levelling between caster classes and warrior classes at high levels, but I think that's an acceptable exchange for getting people to form groups more often and helping warriors to level. Getting the last couple as a warrior class right now REALLY sucks.

Discuss?

/derail/

Cheers,
Jhorleb