The premise behind this server type is simple, to attract hardcore PVE players to NWO, rather then to just cater to casual players. How it would work is simple, once every so often a, "Hardcore Server" would be announced that players can join, whereby there is no zen store, no 110% mounts and no zax, so players have to get everything through game play. On the server you would have no access to your characters on live and would have to start fresh and play through the game, with all of its mods. The aim would be to be the first player, or players, (if you did this in a 5 man party) to get the achievements for completing all the level 60 PVE dungeon content, from CT through to Elol. If you die at ANY point during the process, your character would be deleted and you would have to start over. After this was achieved by someone, the server would remain available for players until the first 50 players had managed to achieve the same thing. The people who won, would then be compensated by receiving prizes that were determined by the position they ranked and if they participated but didn't feature, they could receive a black opal as compensation. As an idea, maybe if PWE created new legendary pieces of gear which are only available to the winners of such a league, with it being a claimable BoE item available on 1 of their characters. Specifically BoE, such that they could then auction it off and then the 10 odd copies of it become available to anyone who can afford them. As an aside though, PWE could then have copies of these items in lockboxes which are slightly inferior, to give players additional reasons to buy lockboxes. Finally, upon the ending of that particular hardcore league, your character would be copied across to the live server with all its possessions and it would then be deleted from the hardcore server, such that when another hardcore server started, it would once again be a level playing field.
Pros:
Would attract hardcore PVE players, by giving them a niche of their own.
Would create grindable gear for players, which is at least equal to, if not better then artifact gear. However, players would need to be skilled in order to acquire this gear so it would not be given out like cookies.
Would give old players that nostalgic epic dread vault feel, rather then the current one.
Would introduce new items to the economy in a creative manner.
Would add additional ways for players to acquire good gear free, without compromising old gear
Cons:
Would not directly contribute to PWE.
Would make certain non hardcore players upset.
So you want them to make a hardcore shard just to appease a single subset of gamers, in the hopes it will make money indirectly. Yea, good luck with that.
Its not like Wildstar hasn't already proved that appeasing the hardcore only, is a poor way to make money.
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
edited March 2015
No, I am proposing something similar to PoE's leagues.
everything that split server population is not a good idea.
i would like to see an hardcore area tho with incredible hard stuffs which give incredible drops. This was my hope for mod 6
The premise behind this server type is simple, to attract hardcore PVE players to NWO, rather then to just cater to casual players. How it would work is simple, once every so often a, "Hardcore Server" would be announced that players can join, whereby there is no zen store, no 110% mounts and no zax, so players have to get everything through game play. On the server you would have no access to your characters on live and would have to start fresh and play through the game, with all of its mods. The aim would be to be the first player, or players, (if you did this in a 5 man party) to get the achievements for completing all the level 60 PVE dungeon content, from CT through to Elol. If you die at ANY point during the process, your character would be deleted and you would have to start over. After this was achieved by someone, the server would remain available for players until the first 50 players had managed to achieve the same thing. The people who won, would then be compensated by receiving prizes that were determined by the position they ranked and if they participated but didn't feature, they could receive a black opal as compensation. As an idea, maybe if PWE created new legendary pieces of gear which are only available to the winners of such a league, with it being a claimable BoE item available on 1 of their characters. Specifically BoE, such that they could then auction it off and then the 10 odd copies of it become available to anyone who can afford them. As an aside though, PWE could then have copies of these items in lockboxes which are slightly inferior, to give players additional reasons to buy lockboxes. Finally, upon the ending of that particular hardcore league, your character would be copied across to the live server with all its possessions and it would then be deleted from the hardcore server, such that when another hardcore server started, it would once again be a level playing field.
Pros:
Would attract hardcore PVE players, by giving them a niche of their own.
Would create grindable gear for players, which is at least equal to, if not better then artifact gear. However, players would need to be skilled in order to acquire this gear so it would not be given out like cookies.
Would give old players that nostalgic epic dread vault feel, rather then the current one.
Would introduce new items to the economy in a creative manner.
Would add additional ways for players to acquire good gear free, without compromising old gear
Cons:
Would not directly contribute to PWE.
Would make certain non hardcore players upset.
better yet why not scaleable dungoens enter and chose lv 1 2 3, (1 = -5% of your stats) (2 = -10% of your stats) (3=-15% of your stats) just a example
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
everything that split server population is not a good idea.
i would like to see an hardcore area tho with incredible hard stuffs which give incredible drops. This was my hope for mod 6
It isn't splitting the playerbase, as each hardcore server, as mentioned, would be temporary between resets and everything you gain from it is the filtered down into live. The main focus is still the live server, however, it provides players with bonusses for playing competitively.
The population base isn't exactly blooming as it is right now due to mod's 4&5. Dividing the servers up even further isn't what they need at this point.
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
You don't need a separate server to do this. If this is the type of challenge you're looking for, find some friends and go for it.
Yes, I could. However, if there was actually incentives to do things like this it would make the game a whole lot more interesting and it would have a positive impact on the game as a whole. In this game, there is a PVP ladder but no PVE ladder and I think it was time this was rectified.
better yet why not scaleable dungoens enter and chose lv 1 2 3, (1 = -5% of your stats) (2 = -10% of your stats) (3=-15% of your stats) just a example
Player-chosen scalable difficulty gets my vote. Previous Cryptic MMOs had this function already, both in CoH and CO. (Dunno about STO) -- why it was left out is beyond me.
Player chosen settings that increase:
(1) average mob level
(2) mob DR/HP/attack frequency (notice not 'damage', but frequency)
(3) mob 'special' abilities, such as stealth detection, CC resistance, resistance to certain damage types
(4) mob 'special' such as CCs, buffs to their own, debuffs to players
(5) boss mob 'special' abilities, such as "Enrage after X minutes into the fight" or "spawn minions"
(6) and of course, significantly greater XP rewards, loots, chances to drop MULTIPLE high-grade refinement stones..
Even without the significant loot, if the scalable difficulty can be maxed up to "insane" levels that'd alone would give high-end PvErs something to do, and give them some pride and recognition as real "PvErs" as opposed to "PvPrs". Currently, every PvE content is so easy that PvE-dedicated players don't really get much (or deserve...) recognition.
But really tough PvE challenges that need as much coordination as in a premade-level PvP game? Heck, where can I get more of those?
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psyb3rtr011Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 340Arc User
edited March 2015
The only problem I see with this, is the Dreaded Lag Death.
Unfortunately, in a Table Top game, this is not a factor, and thus characters die from actual combat and not something completely beyond their control.
Besides, DM's have a habit of "Fudging" in favor of the PC's, that the players do not often see, for both keeping the story going, and more importantly, to prevent TPK's, which tend to drive players away from a campaign.
That said, I could see a Hardcore server that does the following:
1) No Zen Store.
2) Much slower advancement.
3) Death Penalty is more drastic with regards penalties. (Think -50% on all stats....), and requires longer rests before continuing to game. (Yep, you would have to play another character if yours died, or gasp, go to the normal server. :-D)
4) Means to compensate for severe Death Penalty:
a) Every level you advance, you get a "Life Insurance Policy" from your Deity, where you are transported back to a Shrine/Temple.
b) Additional Life Insurance Policies can be purchased when you use one, for a leveled fee. :-)
c) You can rest in a Inn, for 15 plus minutes (Scales to level), and pay a fee (Much smaller than the Life Insurance Policy above) to be restored to full.
I think that a kind ov covert way to get this achievement - gettin through all content without dying - would have a lot better chances.
Simply give players the info on startup that they can opt for this, make separate grouping for it (i.e. in Queue window, a tickable "hardcore only"), and give the _option_ to relegate the char on death. Let it run within the normal context, but give HC players a different nametag colour, visible only to other HC players, e.g., and IMHO the ZEN store should be open to HC players, too (maybe with some items blocked), as basically this is what pays for this game.
Lastly, on death give the option to relegate the char to normal status, thus voiding that HC score, but not the investments.
This way as well the HC fanclub as PWE would probably profit. I frankly don't see any investments from PWE/Cryptic into something where they won't sell stuff, just to appease some few people that want the big thrill of dodging permadeath...
...also keep in mind the less than 100% reliability of the NW servers, and imagine all that QQ that would arise from that...
Comments
Its not like Wildstar hasn't already proved that appeasing the hardcore only, is a poor way to make money.
i would like to see an hardcore area tho with incredible hard stuffs which give incredible drops. This was my hope for mod 6
better yet why not scaleable dungoens enter and chose lv 1 2 3, (1 = -5% of your stats) (2 = -10% of your stats) (3=-15% of your stats) just a example
It isn't splitting the playerbase, as each hardcore server, as mentioned, would be temporary between resets and everything you gain from it is the filtered down into live. The main focus is still the live server, however, it provides players with bonusses for playing competitively.
Yes, I could. However, if there was actually incentives to do things like this it would make the game a whole lot more interesting and it would have a positive impact on the game as a whole. In this game, there is a PVP ladder but no PVE ladder and I think it was time this was rectified.
Player-chosen scalable difficulty gets my vote. Previous Cryptic MMOs had this function already, both in CoH and CO. (Dunno about STO) -- why it was left out is beyond me.
Player chosen settings that increase:
(1) average mob level
(2) mob DR/HP/attack frequency (notice not 'damage', but frequency)
(3) mob 'special' abilities, such as stealth detection, CC resistance, resistance to certain damage types
(4) mob 'special' such as CCs, buffs to their own, debuffs to players
(5) boss mob 'special' abilities, such as "Enrage after X minutes into the fight" or "spawn minions"
(6) and of course, significantly greater XP rewards, loots, chances to drop MULTIPLE high-grade refinement stones..
Even without the significant loot, if the scalable difficulty can be maxed up to "insane" levels that'd alone would give high-end PvErs something to do, and give them some pride and recognition as real "PvErs" as opposed to "PvPrs". Currently, every PvE content is so easy that PvE-dedicated players don't really get much (or deserve...) recognition.
But really tough PvE challenges that need as much coordination as in a premade-level PvP game? Heck, where can I get more of those?
Unfortunately, in a Table Top game, this is not a factor, and thus characters die from actual combat and not something completely beyond their control.
Besides, DM's have a habit of "Fudging" in favor of the PC's, that the players do not often see, for both keeping the story going, and more importantly, to prevent TPK's, which tend to drive players away from a campaign.
That said, I could see a Hardcore server that does the following:
1) No Zen Store.
2) Much slower advancement.
3) Death Penalty is more drastic with regards penalties. (Think -50% on all stats....), and requires longer rests before continuing to game. (Yep, you would have to play another character if yours died, or gasp, go to the normal server. :-D)
4) Means to compensate for severe Death Penalty:
a) Every level you advance, you get a "Life Insurance Policy" from your Deity, where you are transported back to a Shrine/Temple.
b) Additional Life Insurance Policies can be purchased when you use one, for a leveled fee. :-)
c) You can rest in a Inn, for 15 plus minutes (Scales to level), and pay a fee (Much smaller than the Life Insurance Policy above) to be restored to full.
I can think of other things, but this is a start.
AKA Cyber Troll and Euben Hadd
Simply give players the info on startup that they can opt for this, make separate grouping for it (i.e. in Queue window, a tickable "hardcore only"), and give the _option_ to relegate the char on death. Let it run within the normal context, but give HC players a different nametag colour, visible only to other HC players, e.g., and IMHO the ZEN store should be open to HC players, too (maybe with some items blocked), as basically this is what pays for this game.
Lastly, on death give the option to relegate the char to normal status, thus voiding that HC score, but not the investments.
This way as well the HC fanclub as PWE would probably profit. I frankly don't see any investments from PWE/Cryptic into something where they won't sell stuff, just to appease some few people that want the big thrill of dodging permadeath...
...also keep in mind the less than 100% reliability of the NW servers, and imagine all that QQ that would arise from that...