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CDP Topic: Game Content Accessibility

nitocris83nitocris83 Member, Cryptic Developer, Administrator Posts: 4,495 Cryptic Developer
For the first CDP topic, we would like to hear your thoughts on the accessibility of Neverwinter for the different types of players. For this discussion, we are focusing on the difficulty and ease of content and how this relates to hardcore vs. casual players, veterans vs. beginners, etc.

Feedback Format

Feedback Overview (short description of the proposed feedback)
Feedback Goal (what this feedback would target and accomplish)
Feedback Functionality (how would your feedback work in relation to the current design of Neverwinter)
Risks & Concerns (what problems can you foresee with implementing your feedback that you would like input on from members of this subforum)

Topic Discussion End Date: December 26, 2019

Reminders
  • We will not disclose information regarding unreleased or in-development content. This includes specific business-related metrics, dates or timelines, or licensing agreements.
  • Game development is the primary focus of the team - developer presence on these subforums cannot realistically be as frequent as the community would like. This does not mean the team is not invested in this initiative; it is taken very seriously. Thread summaries and actions plans developed once a topic has concluded its run are extremely valuable in maintaining the development team aware of the focused feedback, discussions, and community sentiment.
  • These subforums are meant to be a collaborative discussion where we all learn from each other, share perspectives, and come to the table with ideas for the improvement of Neverwinter. This does not mean that we will take action on every proposal or that positive comments from the development team are to be construed as promises.
  • Keep comments and discussions on topic and follow the CDP Conduct and Expectations.
Post edited by nitocris83 on
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Comments

  • wilbur626wilbur626 Member Posts: 1,019 Arc User
    The first thing I thought of when I saw @cwhitesidedev#9752 joining the team, was that I hoped he would bring ideas from CDI into the dev team. Great news!
    Elite Whaleboy
  • rickcase276rickcase276 Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 1,404 Arc User
    edited December 2019
    Feedback Overview

    I propose to make a more dynamic based dungeons, that scale to the number of players (up to say 6) that are there when you enter it.

    Feedback Goal

    To make the game more accessible to all different types of players, those that like to solo things and those that prefer larger parties.

    Feedback Functionality

    The queue for the dungeon would allow any number of characters to enter the dungeon (up to a set number). But the monster difficulty would be dependent on the number of players that queued for it. It would have to be only for private queues, as public would probably try to group people together.

    Concerns/Possible Issues

    The biggest issue would be with disconnects and people leaving the dungeon in the middle. That and there could be a possibility of it reading the number of characters entering wrong and give a harder version than desired.
  • cwhitesidedev#9752 cwhitesidedev Member, Cryptic Developer Posts: 253 Cryptic Developer
    Great start and looking forward to some great conversation and collaboratively working on the game together.
  • gonzakotwigonzakotwi Member Posts: 267 Arc User
    Feedback Overview
    Recycling of k-team mode

    Feedback Goal
    To give a challenging experience to mid-endgame players. There is a huge variance between low geared and endgame players in the matter of content difficulty (such happened at last event hell pit)

    Feedback Functionality
    Implement an additional coffer or a quest for completing a dungeon in k-team (hardcore + reduced ilvl) as we did on mod 15 (could be the same mechanic of 1 weekly quest with a varying dungeon). This way, endgame players would have something challenging to do and it's an easy thing to do as it is already implemented (just with a modification on the rewards)

    Risks & Concerns
    Rewards of this mode shouldn't be equipment or needed ítems because low geared players won't complete it. In my opinion proper rewards would be enchanting stones, mark of potency, pres wards, etc. (not bound). With bad rewards ppl just wont do it, it happened already with the gallant gear
  • niszdog#4897 niszdog Member Posts: 23 Arc User
    Feedback Overview
    Difficulty modifiers using already implemented systems for queued and open world content.

    Feedback Goal:
    Maximize the content available to players, no matter the stage of end game progression; allowing for progression and challenge simultaneously.

    Feedback Functionality
    There are many systems that could be used to accomplish this goal (Normal vs Master Queue Options, Cards in Barovia Hunts, Tales Embellishments, Counter Stats, Expedition Runes).

    Risks & Concerns
    This concept would greatly benefit from the community/devs coming up with additional ideas to modify gameplay.
  • cilginordekcilginordek Member Posts: 459 Arc User

    you have to give people something to strive for and a viable path for them to get there. but if you just hand it to them they are going to be bored and go away.

    I never said anything should be handed to anyone. If companions make 10% of your stats, people can still strive for maximising that 10%.
    People can also still strive for increasing the stats on their character.

    investment in comps has been very high

    Devs can simply offer an exchange like when they did with the enchantment overhaul. Then no one will be losing any investment they've made.
  • nitocris83nitocris83 Member, Cryptic Developer, Administrator Posts: 4,495 Cryptic Developer
    Hey folks! A reminder to please keep on topic - if your feedback is not related to the current topic, it will be removed. There will be opportunities for many different topics to make it into subsequent future CDP runs.
  • lordaeoloslordaeolos Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 167 Arc User
    Feedback Overview
    There a is a huge gulf between what I perceive as three distinct groups of players. To mitigate this I suggest “step ladder” difficulty of skirmishes, dungeons and trials along with appropriate rewards to make a clear path of both item and skill progression.

    Feedback Goal
    Rework Queued content that supplies rewards and mechanics training to continue to progress players.
    Group definitions:
    -Group #1 new and casual players without a solid support network, they tend to lack experience or resources to run harder content. The majority of these players have played less than a year.
    -Group #2 are players with either resources or the skills needed to run end game content, but not both. This group can play nearly all content easily, and represents the majority of the player community
    -Group #3 are players at the top of the game with vast resources, and the skills needed to smash any game content. This group represents probably less than 1% of the players in game but is also composed of some of the most vocal perceived “community leaders”

    Feedback Functionality:
    Let’s say that the easiest content is rank 1 in both gear requirements and mechanics. The hardest is 10. As the game stands right now the ToMM would be the 10, whereas the next hardest is closer to a 2 or 3. This is creating a pretty large skill and resource gap in the player community.
    A rank 1 dungeon should have rewards and mechanics that trains me for a rank 2, and so on.. step laddering people up the chain until they can play the hardest content.
    Let’s say for example that LoMM should be a rank 5 on the ladder. That means it should have mechanics included in the previous tiers, and add 1-2 new mechanics, that would then be used in the next tier… as well as drop items that actually make your character stronger… without some of those rewards it should be nearly impossible to climb the ladder

    Risks & Concerns:
    Risk #1 Is to ensure that the lower tier dungeons also have rewards that will attract all levels of players to want to do this content.
    Risk #2 is player over power: To mitigate this, I suggest putting a stat cap on items lower down the ladder.. for example rank 1 could have a power cap at 50,000 for example.. so even if your power is above 50,000 with scaling.. you would get your power cut down to 50k… this would also make it easier to keep those lower ladder runs more challenging and balanced.
    "Lord Willow"
    Guild Leader: Mistaken Identity (formerly Midnight Express)
    My Twitch Stream
    See my Youtube Channel for guides and more


    "Don't ever become a pessimist... a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events."
  • sobi#1980 sobi Member Posts: 401 Arc User
    edited December 2019
    I feel like my previous comment didn't have the correct structure and wasn't a proposal to correcting this game in relation to the aforementioned topic.

    Feedback Overview
    Implementing difficulty Tiers within each dungeon i.e. common to mythic, for every dungeon in Neverwinter. To open the maximum tier, each subsequent lower tier must be completed. Higher tiers rewards with higher quality items. The faster a dungeon is completed, the higher the chance for better rewards. Therefore a benchmark timing needs to be implemented for each tier.



    Feedback Goal:

    1) Maximises the usage of all content for all types of audience i.e. hardcore players to casual players. 2) Gates less prepared players into a tier, reflecting their capabilities. 3) Allows for progression and the sense of challenge as you climb tiers, the former rewarded with items to provide a sense of achievement. 4) More friends gathering for a challenge and a timer that can always be hoped to surpassed, hence increasing competition.

    Feedback Functionality
    Not much is required as the game recycles through content that is already available. No need to come up with an appropriate way to measure skill and therefore gate content as the players will be gating themselves if they are unable to complete and thus removes any blame on the developers. The difficulty of each tier should increase critter health and damage but if desired, new mechanics can be implemented for higher tiers for the same dungeon.


    Risks & Concerns

    Players unable to complete a dungeon may blame it on their team mates so expect PUG to become more common as a side effect. Players carried to higher tiers would struggle to complete the higher tier, but they will always have lower tier options available when they are unable to find someone to carry them. It may segregate the more casual and beginners because the rich or more geared players are getting rewarded with even more gear and thus making rich richer.
  • mark1971jmsmark1971jms Member, NW M9 Playtest Posts: 23 Arc User
    Feedback Overview
    Reworking Masterworks (MW)

    Feedback Goal
    Make MW a functional part of the game again.

    Feedback Functionality
    1) Provide the ability to make additional items that augment or replace the current equipment similarly to the original MW items did. This could be done by providing new MW levels or additional MW recipes that are earned like the Chult recipes.

    2) This would provide incentive for players to continue to make AD to purchase the items as they would likely be BIS.

    3) Show those that had previously made the investment of time/money/AD into MW feel like what they did was worth something and not a waste of resources. The current professions can make items as good as or better than the original MW could.

    Risks & Concerns
    How to properly align this into the current professions system so that it doesn't create gaps but a smother progression that gets harder to achieve too quickly (like MW 5 to MW 6 is a 10x effort/expense). This might not be for all players, but if done right, the results would get attention from those that are looking to keep BIS equipment like it did previously.
This discussion has been closed.