Level Packs

[Utopian]

I am not against level packs. The requirement to purchase them has to be to own a char of at least the level you want to boost to.

Why should that be a requirement?

[Rigister]

AOC has an intresting system.

When you reach top lvl you get one, AND ONLY ONE, boost to an alt to half of the total lvls in the game and a pack with some basic green items.

Selling is not the way to go... But creating a system where the player can boost one single alt to lets say... lvl 110/15/35 would make it atleast intresting...

But as i said... ONE TIME ONLY... doesnt matter if you get 10 220's on one account, you will only get one boost per account.

This encourage players to try different professions

[Ilaliya]

Hey guys, just wanted to weigh in here.

We are currently discussing an option of allowing players to increase the current level of a character to a set amount. This is not something a character would be able to do right after character creation - they would have to level a bit first. Nor is this something a character would be able to do all the way up to 220. Then there would be several mid-points, so it would take several different items for a character to span the gap from the minimum level this could happen, to the maximum.

The reason is this is on the table is twofold. One is that we have strong feedback that building twinks is a major source of enjoyment for many players. The fun part of twinking is of course, the twinking itself... and the skill involved here is planning the character, and chasing down all the necessary items. This in itself can take a substantial amount of effort and time, and it is where the "fun" of the endeavour resides. The fun part of twinking is not getting the character all the way up to the desired level from level 1. So there is a compelling argument not to make players re-level all their twinks from scratch, especially because for those player on their third account (for example) where they've already seen and done the content countless times.

The second reason for considering this offering is that for a game like AO, unless specifically making a twink, I think we really want to encourage players to get to the end game (where the majority of new content is naturally focused). Due to AO's mechanics, it's pretty unreasonable to expect a character on his path to 220 to "compete" in content (either trying to find a group, or in PvP) with a veteran-crafted twink at that same level.

Please keep in mind that all of the above goes with the caveat is that nothing is set in stone, and we are exploring our options here. In a way, we have multiple parallel games going on at the same time - free players vs subscribers, and twinked characters vs characters that are trying to actually level. In a larger sense, one of things we are looking to do is get all the players in the same game, in a way that doesn't detract from any individual's play experience.

[Xirayne]

I think we really want to encourage players to get to the end game (where the majority of new content is naturally focused). Due to AO's mechanics, it's pretty unreasonable to expect a character on his path to 220 to "compete" in content (either trying to find a group, or in PvP) with a veteran-crafted twink at that same level.

I pretty strongly disagree with this design mentality and I hope whatever changes you decide on allow for and encourage a healthy population throughout all level and equipment ranges so that everyone is able to participate and compete without the requirement of being a twink.

If you make leveling, twinking, and acquiring gear easier then the ratio of twinks to non twinks gets thrown off to the favor of the lazy vets, which severely punishes the newer players. This means that a new player who, for example, would like to have some pvp fun, would have more gear and quests/content to complete before being able to really participate in an effective manner due to all the twinks who would easily ~4-shot them. Instead of just being able to play, they are forced to grind until they are up to par.
Twinking *is* fun, but not when you *have* to do it.

When many of us joined in the early days of the froob offer, it was entirely possible to get teams and enjoy oneself in pvm and pvp, even in the most atrocious setups and gear. The time dedicated to grinding was to gain an edge, not out of necessity to be able to compete.

This is why there are so many people who are upset that pande and the newer(LoX) raids have all become instanced. If not for raid locks and lack of population to make teams, one could easily grind all the endgame phatz in a day or two. There is no long term goals or encouragement to participate or even a reason to continue playing after. It's just a time consuming and frustrating grind for gear that you need that everyone already has that you prolly wont have anything to do with except make it easier to farm for your alts/friends.

I know this response is a little extreme, but these kinda little things can really tip the scale and cause a massive and devastating landslide to a game population, and I hope you keep that in mind.

[Lazy]

lazy vets

sup

[Juggernat]

The second reason for considering this offering is that for a game like AO, unless specifically making a twink, I think we really want to encourage players to get to the end game (where the majority of new content is naturally focused).

Then stop making only tl7 content.

Go inspect random players in inferno and see how badly they are equiped, now you think to make it even easier for them not to learn the game to do content they won't get invited to as the are gimped.

Bought levels will kill this game, as all that will be left are the CC paying players who won't know how to do the content as the vets will have left.

Stop trying to kill the game but save it

[Aeliniyah]

The second reason for considering this offering is that for a game like AO, unless specifically making a twink, I think we really want to encourage players to get to the end game (where the majority of new content is naturally focused). Due to AO's mechanics, it's pretty unreasonable to expect a character on his path to 220 to "compete" in content (either trying to find a group, or in PvP) with a veteran-crafted twink at that same level.

Somebody wake me up please, i think i'm having a bad nightmare!

You guys really don't realize that it is already impossible to find teams to do the regular leveling content in this game outside of inferno missions? And even inf missions are a damn hard to get unless you dual log a puller.

Everything you do to make people able to skip content, is just one more killing blow to the game. Instead you should fix the issues that makes people want to skip content.

The ability to buy levels might be understandable if there was a healthy population to begin with. But with low population like this, it would actually force people to either pay for their levels or quit playing, because the already low pool of players to do the leveling content, would be even smaller.

The suggestion forums are filled with excellent ideas about how to revive the leveling and make the journey to 220 matter again, intead of feeling like an annoying grind that has to be skipped.

I personally enjoy doing varied things in AO. And one of those things is doing stuff with random people off lft. But during the last 2-3 years it has been close to impossible to find a random team for anything, and if you get one, it will be so damn gimped that it makes you cry. And reason for that is the "need" for people to skip content and skip equipping their characters until they are 220. Thats just wrong in so many levels I don't have the words to describe it (or i do, but i'd have to write it in finnish).

Stop fixing the symptoms already, and start fixing the underlying problems. Pretty please!

[JustinSane4]

I think the approach makes sense. A vet planning his latest tower twink wasn't going to join a leveling team with new players and froobs anyway. He's got other ways to level and doesn't see much fun in the process. With this system, he gains, FC gains, and no one loses much.

[Shareida]

Why should that be a requirement?

Understanding of game mechanics, leveling areas and equipment for starters.

Then stop making only tl7 content.

THAT however I strongly agree on. The lower levels need more content.


And to all the doomsday people. Guild wars is still going strong. They do have a max-level char creation in place, as soon as you managed to get one up.
No one should be expected to bulldoze trough the same content over and over again, if they do not wish to.

[Traderjill]

Understanding of game mechanics, leveling areas and equipment for starters.



THAT however I strongly agree on. The lower levels need more content.


And to all the doomsday people. Guild wars is still going strong. They do have a max-level char creation in place, as soon as you managed to get one up.
No one should be expected to bulldoze trough the same content over and over again, if they do not wish to.

It has been a very long time since I've played Guild Wars.. but when I played, I thought that the pre-leveled chars could only be used for pvp and had their own pvp gear and such.. seperate from toons leveled the 'normal' way. Have they adjusted that over the years?

[Hardcore]

People are seriously overexagerrating, it's not like EVERYBODY will suddenly start buying this, because you can imagine it will be pretty darn expensive. I'd guess at least 50 bucks for a lvl 150 character.

How many people would pay 50 bucks for a 150 character? Not many, because you can get that lvl in just a few days without not too much work. However, those who is very lazy and cannot go through that hassle, I don't see a problem with this at all.

Would encourage more players to not p-lvl if you had some more variety while lvling and make more fun content with new shiny armor.

[omegahealer]

It has been a very long time since I've played Guild Wars.. but when I played, I thought that the pre-leveled chars could only be used for pvp and had their own pvp gear and such.. seperate from toons leveled the 'normal' way. Have they adjusted that over the years?

nah, still pvp only since last time i fired the game up (which was a month ago)...
if you want to pve, you gotta start from scratch as usual.

[Raggy]

-Snip-

All of this.

-snip-

And this.


Might I suggest actually trying to play a character from 1 - 220 before you make these choices? Because it's pretty blatant that nobody in FunCom has a clue, outside of profits and quarterly turnover, about the current state of the game.

Right now, the 'decisions' being made resemble someone saying "I know how to fly this aircraft, I have seen a documentary", while all the ACTUAL pilots are screaming "DON'T PRESS THAT BUTTON".

[Tessargi]

The fun part of twinking is of course, the twinking itself....

The fun part of tl7 PVP is the tl7 pvp of course. Can I buy a 220/30/70 full equipped end game toon judging by that logic?

[Utopian]

Understanding of game mechanics, leveling areas and equipment for starters.

Fairly eliteist comment on your part - I guess you assume that leveling "the proper way" makes those things better? I would argue they don't - its all about how someone wants to play their toons and how they want to level. It really is an individual choice and since everyone is complaining now about noob/unequipped/med suit toons all over the place - then how exactly would this change anything?

[ElandorOo]

all of this.



And this.


Might i suggest actually trying to play a character from 1 - 220 before you make these choices? Because it's pretty blatant that nobody in funcom has a clue, outside of profits and quarterly turnover, about the current state of the game.

Right now, the 'decisions' being made resemble someone saying "i know how to fly this aircraft, i have seen a documentary", while all the actual pilots are screaming "don't press that button".

amen

[Cago30]

Thank you, Ilaliya, for commenting on this thread. Much like what JustinSane4 already noted and for the same reasons, I think this approach makes sense and can work.

[Bombqueen]

The second reason for considering this offering is that for a game like AO, unless specifically making a twink, I think we really want to encourage players to get to the end game (where the majority of new content is naturally focused).

This paragraph I find to be extremely worrying, particularly coming from the Game Producer.

Current MMOs are all about rush to the end game, with the in between levels seen as training wheels for the 'real' content. I always felt AO was different, with lots of content at lower levels, and lots of reasons to stick around at lower levels to do that content - not just twinks but also while levelling. I was concerned that as new stuff was added to TL7, lower levels haven't had nearly as much love but I figured it was a question of time before the focus would shift off end game for a bit and the lower TLs would get a lookin.

Is this an official admission that AO is now going to follow the same route where the only 'level' that matters is 220 and the rest is just timewasting filler that will continue to be of minimal priority?

[Ilaliya]

Is this an official admission that AO is now going to follow the same route where the only 'level' that matters is 220 and the rest is just timewasting filler that will continue to be of minimal priority?

In short, no. The fact that we consider twinking such a core feature to the game, as referenced in my previous post, means we hold the opposite position to "the only 'level' that matters is 220 and the rest is just timewasting filler". And just to be perfectly clear, that we are exploring options to allow players to increase their character to a set level is not mutually exclusive with improving content between the new player experience and endgame. Because quite frankly, I don't see how fast power-levelling (such as hecklers, which people have been doing for 8 years?) is some noble game-enhancing endeavour that we need to protect from being tainted by items sold in the shop. And even if we addressed power-levelling at hecklers, it will simply be replaced by some other place that players find. Why? Because to these specific players, their motivation may be a variety of things, but it certainly isn't to experience mid-level content. And personally, I don't see how offering such players a different (and to be honest, more intended) method of increasing their level would at all detract from the players who do want to experience the very content the power-levellers are trying to skip. I could be missing something, but that's why we are having this conversation

So my point is this. Let's say hypothetically, sometime down the road, we release a booster pack or an expansion -- some sort of cohesive content package. Let's say it contains X play-fields and Y dungeons. Would anyone really be happy if all, or even most of it was was targeted to the middle levels. No, of course not. One can imagine the threads if such a hypothetical release was anything but endgame, and also of course it has to offer some new features or gameplay that would be compelling for that segment of the player-base. Is this the same as saying that level 220 is the only thing that matters? Of course not.

[JustinSane4]

The only real potential problem I could see is if these are used by new players hoping to skip parts of the leveling process who then find themselves trying to get into inf teams while woefully under-geared (likely missing chunks of their nano toolset among other things) and lacking basic competence in playing their toons. Heck-noobs, but worse. That'd be a frustrating, discouraging place to find oneself at. Hopefully these packs would only be used by veterans who knew what they were doing.