Hello everyone,

I have been playing DR since the first of June ....and hit 100 in September ..... I have been through most of the upgrades since this game went public........I have become a strident voice for the PVE portion of the game, and will continue to be one......what follows are my thoughts on where we are now and what I in my own opinion, think needs to happen as this game I enjoy develops. There are no flames here.....if I say something that offends you....I am sorry......that is not my intention.

When I started there were no difficulty sliders, no pvp, quests were far fewer, dungeons were very cookie cutter at times. There weren't as many people playing either.......mostly the beta testers, and a few others.
The forums were for the most part good place to learn about builds, and the best ways to farm for exp.
Things have changes. mostly for the better. We now have new dungeons, difficulty sliders more loot, better loot and easier availability of rainbows....All good things.

We still need more content.... I heard last night someone giving the thoughts that we need another dungeon before the gulag and that is probably correct....one more stepping stone before you hit the high 90's where the game boggs down. We are rapidly reaching the point that a new max level needs to be set, and new content for the 100's that are out there.

I would like to see HDOL revisited as well...the new monsters added to it, and more challenges. HDOL is interesting . Early on during my playing time it was THE place to go for good loot, many people grouped to run HDOL, to get the rainbows that weren't available anywhere else. Now you hardly ever hear of people running it for extended periods of time, high end loot is easier to get other places. I also would like to see a special Sally and Sam there.......something entirely appropriate for the HDOL. Give us a reason again to run there.

Many people think I hate PVP and while there is a bit of truth to that, my main reason to feel negative about this part of our game stems from what it cost PVE. Three upgrades in a row were almost entirely devoted to pvp. to its balance and playability. PVE suffered during that time, as content was not the main focus. yes, skills were added, but an honest look at those skills will show that their main focus was for PVP and not for playability in the PVE worlds. I think of the players we lost who just wanted to play PVE, but were ignored for those upgrades. I read the pvp discussions daily, and I am not here to slamm it at all. There are players that enjoy this part of the game, I am not one of them. I will disagree with anyone that says.. 1. that pvp is the only option when you hit 100......2. that pvp will save this game......3. that is more time and energy is spent on pvp it will draw and keep more people. I have yet to see any evidence of these things happening.
I also know and understand that this is a favorite game play area of Stephens, and as such my opposition to it falls on deaf ears............that is ok.

I also see that guilds are coming, again Stephen has said this is going to become a reality. there has been talk of guilds since I started playing.......if people want to have someone else tell them how to play, and when then that is what they enjoy in regards to game play. My only concern with guilds or pvp is that they receive nothing that cannot be gained by solo running of the dungeons. Once a precedent is set that if you belong to a guild or are a pvp player and you can get something not available to the average player you start to destroy the unique and special aspects of this game. I have enjoyed watching the new guilds sharing loot and feeling full of themselves...........it has been fun to watch, and I am curious as to see where it goes.but like PVP ,. I will not join a guild. It isn't important to my gaming experience.

Now as to what I would like to see going forward. First off i would like to see quests mandatory to reach a certain level. Right now you can ignore some of the developers best work, by ignoring the quests. I would like to see an automatic system in place that prevents you from advancing from level 25, 50, and 75 if you have not finished the quests that are part of those levels. There has been talk about how to get people to do this is various threads before, this is my idea. I understand that a few quests might have to be redone a bit to allow for easier accessibility , but it is a way to 1. slow down the fast progression of levels that is now occurring, and 2. it will allow people to enjoy the game more. Now i know and understand that there will be people that hate this idea...that their only reason to play is to get to level 100 as fast as possible. That is fine, I am not saying any of my ideas are perfect in their present incarnation, but it is an idea that hasn't been talked about that I can remember.

I read all the time about people wanting to be hybrids, and actually I think we are getting there slowly now. I would like to see more loot that allows for this hybridization. Loot that caters to each of the skill sets that we have in place now, but even more specialized. I think this is coming, I just would like to see it continue. I twould take a complaint away from those that get frustrated now because they cant play that ..... ( fill in the blank) that they have always played in every game. With that said I agree with Stephen, in the fact that whatever skills you have you should be able to run the dungeons solo..so no healers or any other specialty that is dependant on another.

I am not sure how this post will be received.......I ask everyone to be nice, and discuss the content, and keep flaming to a minimum. I will answer any questions etc, to the best of my ability...I would think that often I come across the forums as an old curmudgeon......sorry about that , but I care a lot about this game and its PVE game play.....now you know.

Thanks Ghad

Uh, yeah, I don't want to seem rude, and certainly don't want to flame but...

Your post is very long, and in the first half of it you're just expressing how much you dislike PvP because of the attention it gets from the developers...then you go on about the cons of guilds, making them look like weak-minded cretins who are being bossed around by some guildmaster...I don't like guilds myself, but it's a well-known fact people join them for a better and more entertaining game experience.

About HDoL. It's a good dungeon, by EXP as well as loot. But if it lost it spark, it doesn't mean the developers should put in quests and new monsters to "resurrect". And with new dungeons and features coming, how do you expect this one to stay the best forever?!

Yes...the quest thing? Not allowing people to advance through levels if they don't complete certain quests? DR is a casual game, some play it for the fun of raiding dungeons SOLELY! By this, you're not "letting" people enjoy the game more, you're forcing them to do something, and that is not a good thing. Excuse me to say so, but implementing this feature would be idiotic, since quests can be very tedious and repetitve and give no EXP rewards, but cash and KCs which is easily farmed.


As, for hybrids, you've read my topic "Class Benefits", I think I explained to you pretty clearly hybrids have been nerfed badly. Plus they're all very custom, so making armor and weapons for them isn't all that easy.

I disagree with raising the max lvl cap. If you're bored when you reach lvl 100 go PvP (not you Ghad), start a new character or just leave the game, this will just make things harder for us who haven't reached level 100 yet and intend to PvP when we do.

Sorry, Ghad, I'm just gonna have to disagree completely on this one.

Erm "ghad" i am sorry to say this, i know this has nothing to do with the pots but..you stated that you have no pvp loss's, however i can clearly recall beating you 1-0 in a pvp match and then you quit. (That counts as a loss ) Oh yes and don't start saying, you must have me mistaken by someone else, i can remember very clearly beating you. So dont go around telling people that stuff, you are a sore loser, please dont reply to me or send me messages.

Hi Lorica,
\
Disagreeing is ok.lol this is put out here for discussion..
thanks for the input as for PVP , I tried to explian my issues with it . maybe I didnt do a great job of it...but I tried.

For guilds......I have yet to have anyone give me positive reasons for a guild that I can understand....maybe this will help in that regard.

Good points on the quest thing.. I am looking for a way to get people more involved with them......all discussion along these lines is good I think. While I dont think I am being idiotic with these suggestionss ...if you think so... shruggs.......it is a suggestion at least.

I have read your discussions on hybrds and again the more discssion we have the better the end result will be.I am sure no one has the best idea about them yet....guess we will haverto keep working in it.

I know the cap will be raised.... That is already a given.how and when is the only question..I think it is part of the growth in the game...... as for those of you who want to hit 100 and go pvp .well power to you.. but I am only really concerend about PVE and how things affect that portion of the game.......I know that isnt your focus....but it is mine
Gahd

Laughs,
I have never fought a pvp match.........and I think I have only been on the pvp world maybe twice.........Now I know ther is a gallahad who is not me that was around for a while............but I wouldnt know how to even doa pvp match.so You are mistaken.......I think PVP is a waste of time.....and have better ways to waste that time then doing PVP so i dont know who you fought or why it wasnt me....
Butnbelive what you will......I think there wqould eba way to prove this........but I am not sure how? Any ideas?

Hey, Ghad

A bit of clarifying coming up

Maybe you, as a level 100 (full epics I assume, no more concern with leveling) has no use for guilds...but that is logical...you're also popular, no need for more meeting new friends...guilds offer more fun when leveling, contrary to the same soloing grind, you do this with friends, and you have a better chance to find an item you want with someone who is willing to share.

I never said you were idiotic, I said the idea was...but the developers will figure something out

Plus, I didn't know about the cap raise. Thanks for letting me in on that one!

Hey Lorica,


Good points and I did misread the idiotic comment...lol no harm done.. as for the 100 level stuff yes I am now a 100 and can group if I choose...but I did most of the 100 levels solo... I never felt the need for a guild..so I dont understand the need for those that do........This post was about getting discussions started and we have lol thanks

Are you two thick? He asked not to turn it into a flinging poo fight, and youve already started. THESE are the "eggshells" that I was talking about Lorica in that other post last week that you failed to understand the meaning of. Now you and Denizen have scattered a whole other basket.

You're being a hypocrite Lorica, since in your posts about ChillBill looking different you were irate about some of us talking about that kids statements and putting him "down". You said that a suggestion is a suggestion and it should be discussed appropriately no matter what the personal feeling. Ghad made a post, albeit long, said there was no offense to be taken - as it is OBVIOUSLY impossible not to disagree with some people, and wanted his ideas discussed. That is what a forum is FOR. Get off your box and discuss it, or don't contribute negatively - it doesn't help the situation or get new ideas through. Do either of you think that the devs LIKE reading this crap and that they're going to sort through all the arguing to find usefull ideas?. No.

You've been here a month (maybe) and already have people rubbed the wrong way consistently. Ghad has been here a long time compared to either of you, and his opinion is valid. I've been playing since end of last August also, and registered here on the forums in December after reading for months. If, as you say, you've been on forums a long time also when you first came back - then who were you and why did you change your name and come back as this alt? Maybe you two should respect the fact he's been here a long time and has never really said anything as substantial as this post - and use it as a constructive thing rather than just defending your own feelings and perceptions.

As for his PvP past Denizen, wth does it matter? If he has ONE loss, or none for that matter, it doesnt change his opinion of the things that have happened to/in the game for pvp and the feeling that some people get from pvp and the people that play it. I agree with him - as everyone knows - and I don't play pvp because of the "pvp community". I DO like a number of people that do Pvp, and they're my friends, but my experiences in pvp were sour, so I choose not to on purpose. Ghad was just bringing up his OPINION and perception of things that have happened to pvp over the updates - and they're not entirely incorrect no matter what opinion you hold of pvp. The game has received lots of pvp attention for what some of us feel is a small community, and we've voiced as such. People disagree with those of us that feel that way (mostly pvpers obviously) but we've agreed to disagree on the situation and I'm sure I will revisit pvp when the time comes (probably when I get to lvl 100).

So, thank you both for throwing mud on the forums to continue the long stint of "the forums being full of crap-mongers and nay-sayers that need to make themselves feel better". You say what you want about MY post and how "it's the same thing, nyah nyah, we're a bunch of children who like to argue" but I'm done with this crap everyday. It makes me want to throw up all the arguing.

MAYBE all the "old-timers" and original lvl 100's and forum-goers aren't here anymore NOT because of content, loot, etc. But because of the newest bunch of donkeys, trolls, and children that have blessed the forum and the game with their presence.

So, I guess to summarize : TRY to get along and contribute to be contructive and make the game BETTER for everyone - or shut up and keep your crap to yourselves if all its going to do is put others down and whine.

As promised.. I'm here to put my 2 coins worth in. Being fairly new to the game there are many points I don't feel qualified to address so will stick to the ones I can.

Quests --- Now I'm a quester, don't get me wrong I love them. But I disagree with quests being required to lvl. Not everyone enjoys them and I'd be pretty annoyed if I'd worked my tail off bashing monsters for hours, only to find I needed to stop and do a quest before I could lvl.

Now if you want to increase interest in quests, give better rewards. Gold and KCs just aren't enough incentive as folks get higher in lvl. Requiring a quest to be completed before a dungeon could be entered, or that special armour couldn't be worn without a quest is something, I feel, that would get more people doing quests. We had the snowman dungeon that required a quest which was a good start.. that's the type of thing I mean.

Guilds (I understand these will be called Posses) -- I'm not much of a Guild/posse/clan person. I like to play when I like and where I like so I'm not much for groups that require lvls of participation. I DO like playing with groups of like minded people. I'm in a "clan" in another game that is all adult players and it's a lot of fun. From what I've read, the "posse" will be more of an extended group interface, then a function tha requires rules to be adheared to. (RULES? In DR??? NOOOOO)

Anyway... my 2 coins worth.

Wow Teclis,

thanks for your support......the thing that disturbs me is the unfounded accusation aobut the PVP stuff...how do I defend myself against a blatant lie? I hope there is a way to prove him wrong but I for one dont know how...last time I was on the pvp worlds was when I founf the Rb sam and visited there to share that info with the pvpr's. shruggs.I guess people will belive what they want to.

I am trying to keep this thread civil for everyone though...I know my ideas, experiences and feelings wont be well recived by everyone....so I am trying not to flame any flames.

Ghad

BAM BAM! HEADSHOT!

Quote:

---

MAYBE all the "old-timers" and original lvl 100's and forum-goers aren't here anymore NOT because of content, loot, etc. But because of the newest bunch of donkeys, trolls, and children that have blessed the forum and the game with their presence.

---

Definitely, I sure like to explain it.. but I feel it wouldnt make anything more positive..

Hi morganaise,

Yes you did warn me you were going to visit and thanks. Quests are difficult to find a reason to do.ew cant get experience for them.according to Stephen if they are given experience then it upsets the whole exp formula that is in place now. and I understand .when the highest exp total you can get for killing any one singel boss is 75 points how do you go aobut giving exp for a quest? 5 points or ten.I can hear the complaints now.lol

Very true. That's why I feel the best way to encourage quests is to have a reward that unlocks a new dungeon, or that let's you use a new armour. People want to get something from doing them. I enjoy them for the entertainment value, but so many are only concerned with getting exp or gold.. not for enjoying content.

Darn shame... DR is packed with great stuff if you take the time to look for it.

Hola Everyone Alright ill through my two cents in here. Trying to be as Constructive as possible.

In regards to PvP vs PvE, I know that PvP is an important part of every MMO. Some people jsut enjoy Beating on other people. Personaly I am more with Gahad on this one I am not a big fan I'll do it dont get me wrong sometimes I just want a break from the grind and feel like facing an opponent that has a real inteligence. Since no matter how good we make games People are always smarter then the AI. I am deffinetly for Rippers and Necros post though and make two seperate PVP systems one hardcore one more FPS style because I for one just want to goof off there occasionaly not work a whole set of gear for it and then do it constantly. I would not want the PvP improvements to hinder true improvements to the PvE game though lvl 100's need something to do other then PvP something to keep them around if thats enormous amounts of Alternate Xp things or what i dont know since im not there yet hard to say.

Mandadory quests kinda mixed about this I would put this as more of like someone said Opens dungeons or uber gear. set one every 25 lvls like mini epics that have a long quest chain I would love to see a Flaming wepon of Insurmountable plunder or something like that only available through a quest. Although halting someones lvling because they dont quest seems a little harsh.

Maybe instead of focussing more gear on hybrids. I would love to see a new class. like an assassin or a druidish type. (just an idea)

Well I hope this stayed constructive and non flamey

Thanks DW,

Good points, I think PVP made gret strides when tehy got the ability to do pve on the pvp world.........the number now in PVP are better than any other time in teh game. I guess my concern is that we still need more content , and more content before we spend much time on anything that isnt PVE content..........lol...are you tired of me beating that drum yet? grins

I like the three class's keeps things simple and uncl;uttered.......their might not be a good answer laughs but we can try to find one

/not serious:

What are all of you people with your "2 cents" going to do when the penny is phased out?

/serious:

To be honest, what I like about rpg's in general (which I use to include MMO's) is watching my/the characters develop from weak, ineffective novices into surgically precise powerhouses. "The faster the better" is true for my purposes, so taking time out to collect a bunch of papers/ gum drops/ etc. etc. is counter-productive. The quests add nothing to storyline, because the storyline in this game is(as intended) minimal.

Therefore, I [with apologies to my English professors for redundancy, but emphasis requires it], personally, see no point in quests that require repeated trips to be completed.

For those who say, "you are missing out by not doing quests," the same could be said of those who choose not to pvp. It's a difference of values, not of fact.

May I ask just what, exactly, your problem is? Who do you think you are? I've been here for a month you say, very good, how you seem to know better tham me for how long I've been on the forums. Then you start off by telling me to respect the fact Ghad has been here longer than most of us. Please consider the fact I met Ghad in-game first .

And I read a lot of his posts, and am quite familiar with his disliking of PvP (no idea why though). He made quite a long post, yes, but it seems you only half-read it. He made suggestions level 100 players like him, who started playing the game early, will like. Just look at it; more quests (since he did them all I guess), renew HDoL, a dungeon that was a hit in his time and oppsition to implementing guilds, since, as I said, he has no true use for them anymore.

Just how did I make myself look like a hypocrite? Yes, maybe the "Chill Bill" thing a bit, but rarely have any of you stopped to consider his suggestions, instead you went on 3 pages or so babbling something about his bad attitude and such. But he did have a good clue. You yourself said you weren't good at judging tones in someone's sentences. Forgive me for not putting a ton of wink smileys and all that other emoticon trash to make myself clear. I kid around with Ghad sometimes (in-game) telling him to go test his mettle in PvP. You'll have to admit, he wasn't very objective there, but he also admitted to not hearing the developers agree with him, due to Stephen's alleged liking of PvP (something I neither know nor care about).

Constructive feedback isn't just nonsensicle piling of suggestions on other suggestions, it can also be clarification of some things.

No, I won't tell you who I was and whether this is my alt. Yes, I have been here longer than you.

About Ghad's alleged loss in PvP. I'm quite sure it didn't happen, he told me he went there a few times to notify people about finding RB Sam or some such, never to participate in matches.

And thank you for showing your real face, "Purveyor of Random Thoughts", now I see your mood is as random as your posts. I don't know what came over you, but I don't intend to argue.

To make it short; if you dislike me so, feel free to fu*k off.

I don't think that mandatory quests would achieve much, though I enjoy them immensely and would not have played DR for long without them. You can force people to do the quests, but not to read the funny descriptions and to enjoy the mood of them.In my experience there a two ways to play a game: leisurely, taking your time, exploring everything and not caring who is faster or better than you or ambitious, wanting to achieve the highest level in short time which makes playing much like work. That can give satisfaction too. I think everybody has to decide for himself which of both ways is what he wants. You can play DR both ways now and it should stay that way imo. An heretic thougt: is it not quite normal that any game becomes boring after some months or years?

Thanks mess_ion_ic,

I am not a fan of multiple trips to complete quests either..as you run the quests in this game, the newer ones are usualluy one shot quests, and that should be what is required. Yes there are quests that you can run ad nauseum, but the ones that are part of our story line are the ones I am talking aobut..... They are filled while running the dungeon, they pay fairly well, they don't require you to do anything more than kill the monsters that you already kill, the only thing you have to do is remember to trun them in ina timely manner.

Thanks Keriala,

Yes I would think things get boring eventually, although this game works hard not to be. As for me I am not bored in the game but I do know there are those that are.

The problem this game has had since I have been here is people reaching 100 to fast and then leaving. Anything that reasonably slows down progression, especially in a way taht isnt real obvious allows for a longer polaying xperience which I think is a good thing for this game.

I partially agree on a quests requirement. I think that the early quests go toward making better players who understand the mechanics of the game.

As has been suggested before - more specifically designed quests could take that a step further.

I think by incorporating grouping, difficulty adjustments and item quality filter adjustments as part of the quest(s), you could actually educate a bit. Maybe make it so that to get level 10, you have to have completed a small number of certain quests that will prepare you for the real dungeon running. Experienced players leveling up a new toon will not be inconvenienced much because they already know their way around the game and its interface.

Since most people don't really want to RTFM and prefer learning by doing, I think requiring some more guided tasks (at least at early levels) would decrease frustration and elementary questions in the forum. Most notably, where the vendors and trainers are and "how do I get to the next town?" questions are ones I see daily ingame.

This is the part that doesn't fit in with DR. It is a casual dungeon crawler, and quests are tedious, repetitive and offer gold and KC rewards only . Restraining someone from advancing in levels before completing certain quests is kinda inappropriate since leveling is achieved by grinding only. Gold can be farmed easily. KCs can be gained from finding relics, doing some (optional) quests occassionally and through successful combat in PvP. Things in DR are usually picked up on the way, or simply by pressing F1. But this idea might work if we get EXP or item rewards from quests, and yes, maybe it would nicely introduce a newcomer to the game.

I had thought about this as well. We all know and remember the newbies that refuse to read anything, and get to townson as a level three without any knowledge of the game.....I would certainly endorese a low level mandatory set of quests to teach them the game.....it would save me typing all the answers...

In regards to the mandatory quests you are right , there is nothing there that needs to be done that cant be gotten any other way.....but then again they also dont really require much outside of turning quests in for much of the game. I agree the early quests are more of a pain .and need to be revamped......Quests should be able to be done in a straight progression running the dungeon. The new Embercore quests are like that...there is no need to back track at any time to fullfill the quest requirements. If all levels of quests could be that linear I think a requirement that maybe the base quests being mandatory then makes sense.

Just for discussion what type of Exp would you give for a quest? Rememering that 75 points is the highest single exp award in the game

I would just give a nominal amount, say 25 points, since you are also getting XP along the way.

(BTW, Ghad is now a "Genius Arch Ice Wizard")

That is because Ghad has been fighting abby lately.I cahnged gear to my ren and blue

Nunja,

IF it was for mandatory quests tehn yes a 25 exp would be aobut right. These are one shot quests anyway.. I think it is a comporimise....aobut the same as killing one hero or champion

I have supported the idea of at least mandatory "noob" quests for a while (I think I made a topic regarding it a ways back here...) and I still think its an excellent idea and I'm glad that Nunja has brought it back up here. There are still tons of noobs that ask all the normal questions in town, sometimes at lvl 3 when they should still be in Dew Valley, and there should be no reason (my opinion) that new players shouldn't in some way be (for lack of better wording) "forced" to learn HOW to navigate and play before they actually try to get further into the game. You can't play baseball until you learn all the rules right? Same thing sorta IMO. Going along those lines, mandatory quests to achieve character milestones would be exciting and excellent, but I envision them as something that people would WANT to aspire to achieving. Maybe that noob set in dew valley and you couldn't enter town until you complete your "training" (and maybe it would only be required of the first character on a given account, that way you didn't have to do it with all three alts on your account since you already learned how to play with the first...). And then maybe the dungeons could be broken up into "sets" where you would have to complete a specific quest when you get to level 25 to be able to access the next "set" of dungeons, and then maybe at 50, 75.... So that way they're not preventing you from moving your characters along, but like our older favorite video games, you had to complete a certain "milestone" before you could try and commmit character suicide before you were truly "ready", lol. Just my ideas...

I've always liked the idea of SOME mandatory quests in all the games I've played, and I currently like the idea on the boards about adding "puzzles" or multi-piece quests to the game to stimulate those of us who sometimes really want to get "into the game" and have to work through something to achieve an excellent reward or a personally (and I stress personally - I would never want "badges", accomplishments or any others title to be a bragging device in game) uplifting title or something.

As for guilds/posses, I'm personally looking forward to them as I feel that it will more likely PREVENT the current problem people have with "getting along" with people of different gaming/personal attitude. I'm looking forward to the time that I know when I get online that the only people I've chosen to affiliate with are the people I get along with well 95% of the time, and that I'm always going to have an enjoyable gaming session playing with. I'll also know that items I give away and help that I offer/receive will always be taken thankfully and for good purpose. Even with posses/guilds, I'd still be able to NOT be in one if I so choose (as Ghad doesn't want to be in one, and that's fine) but it gives all of us the option to do either or and all be content with our decision of how to affiliate with our online peers.

I have a good outlook on DR, as I've always had, and I'm excited looking forward to the next set of updates. It seems like the game is going to change more drastically over the next few updates, and I guess we're really going to find out how it pans out for all of us - especially the "older" players.

The newest sets of suggestions here on the forums seem to be making people very interested in actually improving the game and making it more "involved" so that people want to put a lot of time and effort into playing - and THAT will bring players that really care about being a part of the community and contributing to the game as successful characters in my opinion, so even if we disagree a little on the specifics, the overall result will be excellent.

I also like the idea of required quests for the newbies. Perhaps inflated rewards can be offered for those quests so that new players don't get discouraged by early restrictions. Plus, if the rewards are really substantial, they'll be more enthusiastic about doing the quests (and, consequently, learning the basics).

Since I got my start on console rpg's, I saw a lot of puzzles and mini-games. I usually enjoyed them (even though some could get frustrating at times) and they were beneficial. They often led to nice rewards, they offered a repose from grinding, and they added diversity to a pretty unchanging type of gameplay.

As a reward for completing the Newb Quest mabye they can get a lvl 5 set of armor they should be able to do all the quests by that lvl. you could make the armor blue so it would really be bennifical for the noobs and since armor especialy at that lvl only lasts for a couple lvls if that you wouldnt really have a bunch of noobs runing around in the same gear all the time. better then seeing a whole bunch of noobs running around half nekid since they havent bothered to get any gear.

good points I hate naked newbies

I remember a thread where we discussed having NPC Drill Seargents ( OR the DR version ) at least that put the newbiees through their basic pages lol I would enjoy that

Yeah, I THINK that thread was in my topic of "Noob Quests" like I was talking about in my response. I'll find and link the topic below for reference. I'm glad we've revisited this idea - would make me quite warm and fuzzy on the inside (to match the outside)

added 10 min later...
WOW, I made this topic way back, lol. Didn't read all of it over again, but this is what I was talking about then..
Noob orientation quests improved topic from me a ways back...

Although not about Dew Valley (I was talking about having to do all the "quests" in town before being able to enter Algernon in this particular case) the idea is the same, and could also be used in conjunction with Dew Valley quests.



Edited by Teclis (03/23/08 10:48 PM)

Yes that could have been it.lol I am relying on my memory.
Either way I also think the Algernon quests need to be revamped..it is no wonder no one wants to do them after having to back track so much on those first quests.

Hey Ghad,

I know that you and I are very different and have very different views (You being a seasoned player, and I being a fairly new player, plus the co-leader of the guilds that you tend to not see the point of), however I do agree with alot of what you said in your first post.

On Content:

From what I have seen so far, the dungeons have all been fairly unique, not TOO cookie-cutter like you mentioned they were in the beta. Although I am not a 100 myself, I would like to see some new content for the maximum level players, probably instead of a level increase (increasing the maximum level, especially like they did in WoW, really makes it discouraging for the lower leveled players who now have an X more number of levels to gain)

On Guilds:

(Having been a guild leader in many different MMO's including World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies, Guild Wars, and one of two pioneers of DR Guilds, this is the area of discussion that I have the most opinions in)

While I really don't like the name of of "Posse" (I guess that is what they're going with, and the first thing that comes to mind when I think of that are those groups of snobs that belittle others and remain in their own social corner), I do believe that player associations should be added to the game.

As for benefits for these guilds, I would like to see:

- Guild Bank of some sort
- Obviously a Guild chat (perhaps /gu)
- Guild Ranks would be an added perk

Most of all however (and this goes in there with content I suppose), I would like to see perhaps some larger and more indepth dungeons that are designed to be very challenging (let's say, one step down from WoW raiding) that anyone could try, but that it would take a well organized group (guild coordination is what I'm aiming at here) to complete. It could be a pretty large dungeon, and the guild could save it's progress in there with yet another "waypoint" marker for the Guild (the guild leaders could set this). Yes, HDOL insane with a guild group of level ~20's was challenging and fun, but we just finally downed the Shadow Queen and now we're out of options.

And if you didn't want to be in a "Guild", you would still be able to run it with a group of your good friends and be alright so long as you were really in tune with eachother.

In addition, as a guild leader AND website developer, it would be a GOD-SEND if the developers would add a raw XML output from guild banks, so that guild leader's wouldn't have to manually input all their guild bank items. ( Reference)

I'm not sure what else for now. I guess the only other thing would be a small tag or abbreviation underneath a player's regular title to signify their guild.

Hi Theck,

Thanks for the post lol it was very good......here is my problem with one small portion of the post. I feel there should be NO special consideration given for guilds at all especially when it comes to perks aka Bank space. I feel that everyone should be held to the same standard and when guilds or pvp are given any special consideration then people are forced to join such entities to stay on a level playing field. I have a severe pproblems with that.

The joy of Dr is that you are not forced to do anything you dont want to do, whether that is run solo or with a group. You have the same chances to achieve everything in this game with the same perks as the person right next to you . If the posses are awarded special anythings then where is the fairness for those that A. dsont have the time nor incination to be in a guild, or B. Just enjoy the solo play.

My problem with guilds, just as it was with pvp is that those players who choose to be involved that way expect and demand special consideration, loot, or ( fill in the blank ). this is against what makes this game special, and unique.

Now I know that these thigns will happen, pvp is a prime example, but it is my self chosen role to be the squeaky wheel., making sure that PVE isnt forgotten in all of this.

I wish you well with your guilds, and such, many of your actions to date are what was done voluntarily and for purpose on world 7 before rainbows and purples were as plentiful as they are now. I do understand that people seem to need and enjoy guilds, and I have no problem with them as long as PVE doesnt suffer.

I dont think that PvE will suffer for the sake of guilds. Guild chat Guild names and all that stuff shouldnt be to hard to implement I wouldnt think. although not a programmer.

Guild bank on the other had im kinda mixed on In my Opinion if you want a Guild Bank you could A) make a Non mem/Member acct that noone plays 3 Chars with the name Gbank or what ever you know. Then give that acct info to the ofc only that way its not a free for all and most times of the day. An ofc is on. Then you would just have to Pm an Ofc to get what ever you need or want. Thus solving the Need for devs to put in a GB into game at least at this time.

Guild Dungeon>>>> I would like to see a different dungeon in game Like Hdol thats set to insnane lvl all the time as normal and gets Uber hard on Insane that would be something that A guild could do but also lvl 100's could solo and work there way up to perfecting it on Uber Insane.

and when you get to the gulag you get posse's of helpers to fight the gold farmers.....

After talking to my 20 something son, I found that "posse" also means, in current parlance, "one's group of friends".

Well I guess we are safe then.......lol

Of course, what the Devs mean is a complete mystery that we'll have to wait to see revealed.

The team agrees that content is critical. We have six designers cranking away on content for our next build.

PvP takes a very small percentage of our programming time and a tiny percentage of design time.

Here are some of the things we've been doing for build 115:

We've reworked the social window to provide more information and a new group browser. You can now browse all open groups and easily join those that match your interests.

We've added the Bling Gnome in preparation for our June retail release. The Bling Gnome will automatically pick up gold for you and can also convert spare items into gold and more rare items!

We've reworked Dew Valley to provide a better experience for new players. There are now quests that teach the basics of the game to new players.

We've added a Noob channel that all non-member players below level 15 will automatically join. These low-level players cannot talk on World or Market chat. Members and high-level players can optionally join the noob chat channel. Item linking is allowed on the Noob channel.

We've reworked the design of many dungeons to provide more predictable locations for entrances / exits.

We've fixed a ton of seams between tiles in the dungeon artwork.

We're adding quests for the remaining dungeons. I don't know the exact count, but it's a large number.

We've added new mythics.

New armor sets have been added.

We've implemented a new PvP rating and matchmaking system to help with match fairness and fun.

Several new skills have been added. I could swear I saw one of their names as "Barf-O-Rama". Crazy...

We've reduced the frequency of movie ads on death and static ads on zone change.

We've reduced the XP gain for free players by about 30%.

We've changed the chance that a dropped mythic item can be used by free players to 5% (down from 25%).

We've increased the cost of King's Coin items for free players by about 50%.

And there's even more to come! All the details will be in the coming patch notes...

Here's a sampling of some things coming in future builds:

Posse support. aka Guilds!

Item crafting. Mmmm... item customization and creation FTW!

A wishing well. I wonder what kind of crazy items it will make...

Traps and more interactive items / events in the dungeons.

More monster skills and behaviors.

Of course, more items, player skills and dungeons are always in the hopper (we still have 11 dungeons on the drawing board).

We're also working on integrating a new graphics engine. Oh, my the game is getting a major facelift!

Crazy stuff...

steve

Its strange how positive you made the non-member nerfs seem when people will almost definately be mad about it.

I am still a bit confused by that quote. "...make membership something players want and can't live without instead of something they feel like they need
." It is just the same thing...

The changes would have the for mentioned effect(s) on new, free players. There is little doubt to that. I can only imagine at how much complaining will come from current free players. I would also imagine that the advertisement reductions would not seem to "ease the pain".