Well, i hope, that the Dusk footwear comes as bonus and not as something, that blocks you from getting something else/good out of the lockbox - the loottable for lockboxes is bad enough allready.
How about a real improvement for ALL lockboxes?
And i do hope, that the Dusk footwear can either be traded in for Trade Bars, or that we can sell it over the AH.
I also hope, that there're other ways to get that Dusk armor, then just going through the ZEN shop...
Last but not least, i'm still hoping to see the news, that rAD is added to ALL daily quests, since that would bring at least some life back to NWO.
— Dusk bodywear can purchased in the Tarmalune Trade Bar store. (you NEED to open lockboxes) — Dusk headwear can purchased in the Tarmalune Trade Bar store. (you NEED to open lockboxes) — Dusk armwear can be purchased as part of the Grazilaxx companion bundle in the Zen Market. (you NEED to BUY it from Zen Store) Remember the black ice armwear?? this is the same buy cost you $$ beside beeing f**d.. — Dusk footwear can be found in lockboxes. (you NEED to open lockboxes)
in any case, BIS PVE gear from lockboxes?? are we at Las Vegas or on NeverWinter??
@darlo4ragnar Dusk Armor is NOT BiS PvE gear. It's level 135, which is the same as Elven Armor. Elemental Elven, Dragonflight, and Elemental Dragonflight are all 137+. The new module also adds Drowcraft armor, which is level 135, upgradable to level 140 and that's all purchasable from a vendor.
From the looks of it, Dusk armor will NOT be upgradable.
So you're not getting BiS armor out of lockboxes. All of it will be earned via Underdark content. Personally, I'd take the time to understand the module a little bit more, as well as watch what happens as it gets tested on preview before making such wild and wildly false claims again.
Quite a loaded question there. Things changed, there's no more leadership ad armies to be profitable. To assume some other reason for no longer running leadership ad armies and promoting them is just weird.
Personally, I ran almost 30 characters each day doing leadership. The change has not negatively impacted my enjoyably of the game. On the contrary, it's allowed me to once again get back to having time to actually play my characters again instead of spending so much time working leadership.
It's not a loaded question, it's a direct one since it's addressing a 180.
You have said you don't have time to spend ingame to afford things, and that leadership AD gave you greater enjoyment ingame:
Leadership took maybe a minute or two per character, so it wasn't detracting from anyone's time in actually playing the characters. People aren't making more AD in the new system, they are making the same AD they always could with a character. Anyone including you could have made that same AD in the old system with your toons if you actually played them back then.
A "180" from almost EIGHT MONTHS ago, where a lot has changed both in game and out. See my reply above, for holding me to an opinion from nearly a year ago is quite absurd. As well, it was more like 15 minutes per character for me, as I didn't just sit and click professions then switch. I took time to do little things, like invoking, mail, grabbing dailies from various zones, chatting, and other organization things while on each character. Then add me needing to take care of real life issues inbetween... it could sometimes take me an hour or two just to get through all my characters
LOL nothing about the game and enjoyment of the game has changed for the better in the last year. Certainly nothing that removed the need for leadership.
Well I suppose that's not 100% true. I don't log in much at all anymore so I guess I don't really need AD.
Quite a loaded question there. Things changed, there's no more leadership ad armies to be profitable. To assume some other reason for no longer running leadership ad armies and promoting them is just weird.
Personally, I ran almost 30 characters each day doing leadership. The change has not negatively impacted my enjoyably of the game. On the contrary, it's allowed me to once again get back to having time to actually play my characters again instead of spending so much time working leadership.
It's not a loaded question, it's a direct one since it's addressing a 180.
You have said you don't have time to spend ingame to afford things, and that leadership AD gave you greater enjoyment ingame:
Leadership took maybe a minute or two per character, so it wasn't detracting from anyone's time in actually playing the characters. People aren't making more AD in the new system, they are making the same AD they always could with a character. Anyone including you could have made that same AD in the old system with your toons if you actually played them back then.
A "180" from almost EIGHT MONTHS ago, where a lot has changed both in game and out. See my reply above, for holding me to an opinion from nearly a year ago is quite absurd. As well, it was more like 15 minutes per character for me, as I didn't just sit and click professions then switch. I took time to do little things, like invoking, mail, grabbing dailies from various zones, chatting, and other organization things while on each character. Then add me needing to take care of real life issues inbetween... it could sometimes take me an hour or two just to get through all my characters
LOL nothing about the game and enjoyment of the game has changed for the better in the last year. Certainly nothing that removed the need for leadership. [...]
Quoted for truth.
IMHO the game has entered a downward spiral...
...by creating a situation where the player is urged to spend money - or either be doomed to meaninglessness, or to grind excessive amounts of playing time (instead of an entertaining and thrilling gaming experience that will entice the player to deliberately do so).
So players face the choice to either (a) spend RL cash to progress, or (b) resign and plod on slowly, or (c) resign and leave. The steeper the cliff, the higher the probability for non-(a) decisions becomes.
Now let's add some econoThink into the mixture: The 80/20-rule (aka Pareto principle).
Then it becomes fairly obvious that since Mod 6 the 20% generating 80% of turnover are the target group. By further application of the Pareto rule, these can be serviced with 20% of the effort, too.
@ironzerg79 have you seen the dusk geas bonus?? is so good that no matter the ils it has (or the BI infusion or not, that most of the people doesent do in any case), stats are really well divided (for GFs 3 pcs have crit, only the pvp sets has the same while all the other pve gear available has 1/2 pc with crit and the rest is all recovery) and the 2k self healing+5kHP+power+4kspeed(on SH map) when teamed up for the new HE on your SH is "freaking awesome"..
Looking at the set bonus of the Drowcraft armor, and reading the first reviews of the epic Demogorgon fight, it seems fairly obvious that Drowcraft armor will be mandatory if you want to fight epic Demogorgon.
So while Dusk armor is nice too, most likely the majority of the players will go for Drowcraft since they certainly want to get the goodies from epic Demogorgon.
Unfortunately Cryptic has no idea how to make money so they make huge mistakes with misguided changes trying to push players into spending and then blame bots. This has gotten tiresome and unfortunately has caused most players to go into spending lock down or leave the game entirely. Perhaps the ones in charge of these recent changes will get run off and trust will be gradually restored and new life may come to the game, but usually bad leaders get a pat on the back and good employees get fired instead. I just watch from the sidelines, train wrecks are safer that way but still morbidly fascinating.
Dude. QFT. I had NO problem opening my wallet $100 at a time regularly in earlier days. Not anymore. Not spending a dime until I see some changes. Keep pumping out silly mounts, bigger bags, and other fluff companion stuff instead of fixing the issues in the game already.
I have not been playing very long....but when I did start I remember channels for particular maps having 40+ channels all the time, no matter the time of day. Playing the same times as I used to I do see a dramatic decrease in many of the so called end game zones to having 4 or 5 channels. For the channels to drop that much from what it used to be is dramatic and says something about the future. Many with lots of time and money invested are still holding on in hopes of a turn around. Once they realize that there is no turn for the good (hopefully there is) they will be gone as well. Many great games have come to this same end in the same manner...bad corporate decisions and the un-willingness to listen to the fan base and then to introduce the greedy schemes to drain what they can while there is still some life left. It just sad to see!
Before the leadership change, any time I was in PE, the chat channel went by so fast, you couldn't even read it. Now, not only can you read it, but answer someone as well. It is that slow. It went from an Indie car racing around the track at full speed to driving in a 10 mph school zone.
You can see it in the AH too, certain items (enchantments, loot from lockboxes...) are selling slower, even with the prices adjusted several times per day.
Looking at the set bonus of the Drowcraft armor, and reading the first reviews of the epic Demogorgon fight, it seems fairly obvious that Drowcraft armor will be mandatory if you want to fight epic Demogorgon.
So while Dusk armor is nice too, most likely the majority of the players will go for Drowcraft since they certainly want to get the goodies from epic Demogorgon.
Demogorgon fight is a mess right now, and is basically a copy&past of Tiamat (on test server it has even the very same "we must banish tiamat from this world" yell at the beginning), geas score is SO important that there will be "dedicated channels" of 4k ils playing for victory and the rest of PUGs palying to be slautered over and over again hoping in one good luck every 20 fights..
the fact is even if you win at the very last second you will score very bad and therefore the prize will be low tier, so basically all the gear must be purchased via campain coins for the majority of playerbase outside those 4kils parties.
at this condition i strongly suggest to middle/low geared ppl to do:
1-skirmishes insead of Demogorgon, they are easier and you can score better and get the same prizes of Demogorgon (aka the 3 books needed to advance in the campain), ther PAY you raw ADs too.
2-forget the new arty weapons set, is useless (no at-wills bonus on MH) and has a bonus directly targetted for Demogorgon (RPs waisted at all in my opinion)
3-thake the new mount with tarmalune if you can (should be your FIRST target in game for the whole module), keep the SH/elven set and save tarmalune on the way to get the Dusk set in order to pump up the dmgs of the mount.
4-try to do HE in group (minimum 5 pll best 10) to acces the possibility to get the higher rank of the new rings, YES they have NO stats and only ONE stone slot, BUT have bonuses that are equivalent of more than a R12 stone, so for middle/low geared are really good (ex:"every 30 sec get XXXpower for 4 sec", "every 30 sec become immune for XX sec", "every time you hit a foe get XX power/crit/rec for xx sec, can stak 10 times" and so on).
little tricks on the way, new HEs in IWD DO count for the daily quest of IWD campain too, they dont have raw black ice but are generally easier and will attract more ppl, so if you are still in the middle of that campain you can get a win win.
All probably good information for those that are actually going to play the content.
But, most players have either already left and are most likely not coming back, coming back long enough to get re-frustrated and reminded why they left the first time around (all the bugs ares still there after YRS.) and re-quit, or they are like the vastly more players, in bunker mode.
Bunker mode players are slow rolling on any content, they do 1 or 2 quests/skirm/dungeons/pvp at most and then log off, setting professions/invoking etc., they are waiting for fixes, ANY fixes at all. They are waiting for AD generation and pricing restructuring if ever. They are waiting for their class they like to become playable. They are waiting for lots and lots of reasons, but meanwhile they play a minimal amount, skill setting etc. logging off and actually playing some other game they are starting to like better than treading water here.
Got to tell you, that's how I got lured from other MMOs in the past, those games entered a "tread water" phase of their life span and I started looking elsewhere. At some point, I decided to go over to that MMO (taking my $). I'm finding myself playing 2 other MMO more and more than this one currently, and one of them I'm actually enjoying it rather than feeling like this one having become a chore.
0
romotheoneMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 729Arc User
@mattsacre knows exactly what he is talking about. +1 dude
I have two answers, which are basically the same thing:
* Not playing the game themselves and actually experiencing what is going on/not following up the game closely enough. That something like the excessive botting in the game comes like a surprise to them is a very bad sign that they have very bad control of what is actually going on in the game. This function is usually handled by GMs.. which we do not have. Just following the boards should give them lots of hints, but board inputs does not seem to be acted much upon.
* Not being aggressive enough about fixing bugs and problems. One thing is that bugs will annoy people and make them leave in their own right, but when problems in game are left to fester over a long time people get used to that being the normal state and are very hurt when those problems eventually are fixed. (Example: Lostmauth set, class balancing, LS AD farming) Better act quickly on such things.
So basically it seems they have failed on both understanding the game and what is going on in it, and on fixing problems fast before they create wider problems.
* Punishing all players for C's own lack of oversight (Botters, exploits).
* Overpriced and overly aggressive monetization, with excessive P2W
* Complete turnarounds in the game's structures leading to plenty of defunct rubble-piles (e.g. Crafting, esp. BiS weapons) which weren't cleaned up or rebuilt, but left to grow mouldy...
* Absence of core storylines in Modules, giving 100% more new grinding only each time. I mean, like, really? RepetiGrind with little redcap dudes in Mod 1, NEW!!!! repetiGrind with undead dudes in Mod 2, EVEN NEWER repetiGrind with shaggy furry dudes in Mod 3 with a NEW SHINY form of repetiGrind which is made so much cooler by calling it HEROIC, and for Mod 4 the repetiGrind is with lizardy dudes... ...etc.
* Complete failure in terms of QC. Combined with even more failure in terms of accepting the feedback of that bit of no-cost QC they do have, player-driven Preview runs, reporting bugs all at the expense of your own spare time - and all to no effect at all...
* Complete disregard for PvP over long stretches - with suddenly making it a requirement for PvE SH progress, when it's been all but dead and grossly wrecked.
... sums up to hundreds of disillusioned players leaving for greener pastures. BTW many of there were the highly motivated and well spending.
Much of it could be summed up in "Lack of grand design and vision". Whole game's history is like each of the campaigns: Tons of only very loosely connected, halfheartedly realized chunks of this and tht and some more of these... ...with each chunk not being continued and falling to shambles (Apart from the repetiGrind theme and the artiGear, ofc), before then all of a sudden it's getting some work put into, a huge spin, and an even huger disappointment for the player, because the spin promised "to be continued"...
Lag wouldn't kill them, they are in the building or near it that the servers are, they would effect be like doing a LAN (not really, but they would have zero node latency to contend with. they also could live stream it and "play", but they could also create a character and insert it with BIS etc. so it looks like easy breezy.
Comments
How about a real improvement for ALL lockboxes?
And i do hope, that the Dusk footwear can either be traded in for Trade Bars, or that we can sell it over the AH.
I also hope, that there're other ways to get that Dusk armor, then just going through the ZEN shop...
Last but not least, i'm still hoping to see the news, that rAD is added to ALL daily quests, since that would bring at least some life back to NWO.
From the looks of it, Dusk armor will NOT be upgradable.
So you're not getting BiS armor out of lockboxes. All of it will be earned via Underdark content. Personally, I'd take the time to understand the module a little bit more, as well as watch what happens as it gets tested on preview before making such wild and wildly false claims again.
Vegas you get comps for playing and losing your money.....
Well I suppose that's not 100% true. I don't log in much at all anymore so I guess I don't really need AD.
IMHO the game has entered a downward spiral...
...by creating a situation where the player is urged to spend money - or either be doomed to meaninglessness, or to grind excessive amounts of playing time (instead of an entertaining and thrilling gaming experience that will entice the player to deliberately do so).
So players face the choice to either (a) spend RL cash to progress, or (b) resign and plod on slowly, or (c) resign and leave. The steeper the cliff, the higher the probability for non-(a) decisions becomes.
Now let's add some econoThink into the mixture: The 80/20-rule (aka Pareto principle).
Then it becomes fairly obvious that since Mod 6 the 20% generating 80% of turnover are the target group. By further application of the Pareto rule, these can be serviced with 20% of the effort, too.
...just many of the sidelined 80% fall for the sunk investments/costs fallacy and/or the escalation of commitment - and keep on playing this game, throwing good money after bad...
So while Dusk armor is nice too, most likely the majority of the players will go for Drowcraft since they certainly want to get the goodies from epic Demogorgon.
A sort of mod 3-esque hub and a few themed zones.
Re-edition of 3 of the old dungeons with revamped enemy stats amd boss mechanics, super hard with decent rewards.
A boon campaign which didn't add stats so much as interesting, but not pvp busting, abilities, though the new rings seem to be along that line.
Either a SHpvp fix with incentives to play beyond just getting gear, or another dom map.
IMO... lots
I think it is getting much better
Urlord
the fact is even if you win at the very last second you will score very bad and therefore the prize will be low tier, so basically all the gear must be purchased via campain coins for the majority of playerbase outside those 4kils parties.
at this condition i strongly suggest to middle/low geared ppl to do:
1-skirmishes insead of Demogorgon, they are easier and you can score better and get the same prizes of Demogorgon (aka the 3 books needed to advance in the campain), ther PAY you raw ADs too.
2-forget the new arty weapons set, is useless (no at-wills bonus on MH) and has a bonus directly targetted for Demogorgon (RPs waisted at all in my opinion)
3-thake the new mount with tarmalune if you can (should be your FIRST target in game for the whole module), keep the SH/elven set and save tarmalune on the way to get the Dusk set in order to pump up the dmgs of the mount.
4-try to do HE in group (minimum 5 pll best 10) to acces the possibility to get the higher rank of the new rings, YES they have NO stats and only ONE stone slot, BUT have bonuses that are equivalent of more than a R12 stone, so for middle/low geared are really good (ex:"every 30 sec get XXXpower for 4 sec", "every 30 sec become immune for XX sec", "every time you hit a foe get XX power/crit/rec for xx sec, can stak 10 times" and so on).
little tricks on the way, new HEs in IWD DO count for the daily quest of IWD campain too, they dont have raw black ice but are generally easier and will attract more ppl, so if you are still in the middle of that campain you can get a win win.
All probably good information for those that are actually going to play the content.
But, most players have either already left and are most likely not coming back, coming back long enough to get re-frustrated and reminded why they left the first time around (all the bugs ares still there after YRS.) and re-quit, or they are like the vastly more players, in bunker mode.
Bunker mode players are slow rolling on any content, they do 1 or 2 quests/skirm/dungeons/pvp at most and then log off, setting professions/invoking etc., they are waiting for fixes, ANY fixes at all. They are waiting for AD generation and pricing restructuring if ever. They are waiting for their class they like to become playable. They are waiting for lots and lots of reasons, but meanwhile they play a minimal amount, skill setting etc. logging off and actually playing some other game they are starting to like better than treading water here.
Got to tell you, that's how I got lured from other MMOs in the past, those games entered a "tread water" phase of their life span and I started looking elsewhere. At some point, I decided to go over to that MMO (taking my $). I'm finding myself playing 2 other MMO more and more than this one currently, and one of them I'm actually enjoying it rather than feeling like this one having become a chore.
I have two answers, which are basically the same thing:
* Not playing the game themselves and actually experiencing what is going on/not following up the game closely enough. That something like the excessive botting in the game comes like a surprise to them is a very bad sign that they have very bad control of what is actually going on in the game. This function is usually handled by GMs.. which we do not have. Just following the boards should give them lots of hints, but board inputs does not seem to be acted much upon.
* Not being aggressive enough about fixing bugs and problems. One thing is that bugs will annoy people and make them leave in their own right, but when problems in game are left to fester over a long time people get used to that being the normal state and are very hurt when those problems eventually are fixed. (Example: Lostmauth set, class balancing, LS AD farming) Better act quickly on such things.
So basically it seems they have failed on both understanding the game and what is going on in it, and on fixing problems fast before they create wider problems.
* Punishing all players for C's own lack of oversight (Botters, exploits).
* Overpriced and overly aggressive monetization, with excessive P2W
* Complete turnarounds in the game's structures leading to plenty of defunct rubble-piles (e.g. Crafting, esp. BiS weapons) which weren't cleaned up or rebuilt, but left to grow mouldy...
* Absence of core storylines in Modules, giving 100% more new grinding only each time. I mean, like, really? RepetiGrind with little redcap dudes in Mod 1, NEW!!!! repetiGrind with undead dudes in Mod 2, EVEN NEWER repetiGrind with shaggy furry dudes in Mod 3 with a NEW SHINY form of repetiGrind which is made so much cooler by calling it HEROIC, and for Mod 4 the repetiGrind is with lizardy dudes... ...etc.
* Complete failure in terms of QC. Combined with even more failure in terms of accepting the feedback of that bit of no-cost QC they do have, player-driven Preview runs, reporting bugs all at the expense of your own spare time - and all to no effect at all...
* Complete disregard for PvP over long stretches - with suddenly making it a requirement for PvE SH progress, when it's been all but dead and grossly wrecked.
... sums up to hundreds of disillusioned players leaving for greener pastures. BTW many of there were the highly motivated and well spending.
Much of it could be summed up in "Lack of grand design and vision". Whole game's history is like each of the campaigns: Tons of only very loosely connected, halfheartedly realized chunks of this and tht and some more of these... ...with each chunk not being continued and falling to shambles (Apart from the repetiGrind theme and the artiGear, ofc), before then all of a sudden it's getting some work put into, a huge spin, and an even huger disappointment for the player, because the spin promised "to be continued"...
Also, this comes to mind:
I'd like to see them do eLOL with characters at 1600 ilvl, or how they'd comment on how the lag kills them all.