Petition regarding all future items added to the game

[aramsunat]

Genele said in a Game Suggestions topic (the one about plznerfdb3):

Just for the record: I highly disagree with previous direction that content should be updated to become more easy after a while, so this will not happen. It might become easier from the fact that your stats improve from later content...

I feel I should step up in this case.

Please do NOT add MOAR. No need for Improved Alien Combat Directive Controller, no need for Infused Enchanced Robust Backpack no need for infused DB3 stuff. No need for Viral Combined SSC Bastion stuff. No need for another lolpistol either.

Please stop!

It is the easiest way of itemization: Take an item that is equally needed by everyone, by being more powerful than anything previously came on that spot. In the next content infuse it, so it becomes more powerful.

This is a wrong direction according to pretty much everyone I talked to ingame. This is simply not the spirit of AO. Even developers recognized countless times that they are themselves engaged by the ability of players to make so many different setups and twinks.

The current state of lvl 220 is mostly: farm like crazy to get totally game-over items that can be r-clicked. People LIKE the challenge of hardcore twinking even in 220. The only thing remained a challenge is the ql 300 EOE and alpha brain on trox characters. Anyway this thread is not a suggestion to make QLs open ended. This is not a suggestion thread. More like it involves pitchforks.

Do NOT add new items with more and more and more and more stats but instead offer variability in setups.

Make trade-off items. Items those usability is questioned by many. Enable more versatile setups! One glove should not fit all!

Here's an example: The critscope has many crits, but nerfs your inits. Trade-off! Might be useful for some. useless for others.

Discuss, or just write signed if you agree.
Bring up FC's attention.

I'm not a Che Guevara, but this is a very wrong direction imo.

[Seoin]

Word

[Cratertina]

Yes, also crit items should be much improved, since now crit setups are dead.

New items should give you more specialization, not like gauntlet and DB3, that give you absoluteley everything at almost no drawback. I really liked old school alappa pads, where you were forced to choose.

Db3 is so hard it doesnt really destroy anything, but general one item gives all should be greatly avoided.

[Ekarona]

It's too late. Generaly we already have items which are too good...

[lainbr]

Yes, also crit items should be much improved, since now crit setups are dead.

New items should give you more specialization, not like gauntlet and DB3, that give you absoluteley everything at almost no drawback. I really liked old school alappa pads, where you were forced to choose.

Db3 is so hard it doesnt really destroy anything, but general one item gives all should be greatly avoided.

^^ Gauntlet left pad is completely useless to most professions, back as well. DB3 is also useless to some professions, and they ever nerfed the only item worth getting.

Besides that. Yeah, I agree, those improved stuff all round the world isnt so right. And its ever worse when only a small ammount of professions can get a real advantage from then.

[Sromp]

Bump for OP.

[drainbamage]

I mostly disagree. While the overly generic one-size-fits-all items are definitely stupid, without adding harder content and better items (and possibly a higher level cap if the new expansion FC has hinted at ever happens) the endgame WILL stagnate. As it largely has.

[Otansaanpas]

i didnt quite get if you ment about improving gear, or over inflating them with stats to make them usable/wanted by everyone.

im strongly against the latter, but stuff needs to improve in order to make people want them.
i don't need full auto on my melee setup, so don't stack every armor with it!

also please add professions locks! i might even pick MPs and keppurs out of lft if they wont compete with my loot.

lastly stats are so overflown that individual armor pieces doesnt make much difference at all.
the whole combat system, itemization or IP allocation, needs to change to make new upgrades meaningfull.

[aramsunat]

I mostly disagree. While the overly generic one-size-fits-all items are definitely stupid, without adding harder content and better items (and possibly a higher level cap if the new expansion FC has hinted at ever happens) the endgame WILL stagnate. As it largely has.

There are a number of examples that say the contrary. EOE is only useful for a limited number of professions, and even within those professions its necessity is uncertain. Engi comes to mind. For some engi setups it is a must have, for others it is useless.
There is a triple tradeoff here. If you have EOE, you have to trade the higher AS implant and the nanoskills from the alpha symbs for skills that dont come in an eye slot. Its a good design. Very hard to twink as well.

Items do not need to be nobrainers to be sought after by people. And if adding stats is unavoidable, you can always go 1 point better than the preceding item, maximalists will farm that anyway.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

I still want an infused aura magnifier.

MA's got hardly anything fun except kuma tonfa lately.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

In general I agree. but this isn't anythign new: it's called "powercreep" and it occurs in all MMO's. Over time, to entice new players and keep old ones coming back, all equipment, buffs and stuff get bigger and better because otherwise there's nothing to play for.

[aramsunat]

Because it occurs in other MMOs it doesnt mean it should occur to AO....
And how would it entice new players? What is the gain to throw out a lot of gameplay content just because the new instance has OP stuff making everything preceding obsolete?

It might have an effect on veterans either to keep them ingame or make them return. Though I am not sure about that. You dont see players returning because of DB3. Most of them I think returns for the seasonal stuff to have some fun, and of course a lot will return for the server merge. Its something new. New people to interact with. New people to kill. Organization restructuring. Tower wars. That entices people. Not +32 weapon skills on a util item.

AO devs sometimes hit the pin on the head and invent some fun encounters. Collector was pretty neat and people did/do it and the only new items it added are social items. Pretty sure many people did the instance just to get the social items.

But a few gems like NW Tower war and Tarasque are real fun, more or less attended by both pvpers and pvmers alike without having One Loot to Rule Them All

Arid rift and Neretva were also very well designed, almost flawless. Too bad it has no loot whatsoever so not many ppl there since the AXP dailies. I would have added some kind of boss in the far end with a viralbot droptable that would require more than the usual crat,doc,sold triumvirate.

Back on topic: no new MOAR stuff. Please.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

Well, I agree if you can make PVP the thing that people come back for, you'll be in business for a long time.

But, generally, it seems that the perception is that more people do PVM content than PVP.

I agree collector was an interesting application of restructuring loot tables to create a new method of aquisition etc. but when you launch a new zone/area/ whatever, people expect there to be a new shiny item associated with it.

whats the population in Nerevta, arid rift these days? probably not much. It's not like people go there because it's an awesome time

nearly 100% of the reason of doing PVM is to collect phatz or XP (not sure where buffs fall into this, but I DO raid for buffs very often). Very occasionally it's for RP, but ever so rarely. (like the desert nomad thingies)...

If new equip offers alternative setups, I'm all for it. Like gauntlet back piece, it's really only useful on a select few profs, and even then, it's situational at best.

[Ophiuchus]

The EOE example is a great one and I'd rather see items go along that route, offering more options and tradeoffs so that you can fine tune your item loadout to boost the stats you want to boost at the cost of stats you don't care much about for your particular setup.

We already have powercreep, it is invevitable. What is not inevitable, however, is massive inflation where every bit of gear you equip has more everything.

[Aimzor]

WTB a perfect-refined-upgraded-superior-infuser for my already infused-viral-Sword-stone-box-set-in-stone on my Solper.

Back to the OP, very much agree. Indeed would like to see armor so dense even notum can't get trough -> +nano cost. Or so heavy -> - Runspeed. (If ever armor would become usefull anyway :P)...

[Notcrattey]

For more alternative setups we need some functions to work better in game, such as ACes.

For example: Maybe full CC wouldn't be great because of the lack of ACes compared to another armor, and it may be more beneficial to mix.

[Lazy]

For more alternative setups we need some functions to work better in game, such as ACes.

For example: Maybe full CC wouldn't be great because of the lack of ACes compared to another armor, and it may be more beneficial to mix.

for ac's to matter the weapons need to be reworked to not have such retardedly high min dmg values relative to fairly low max dmg values (i.e. troll pistol with it's 225-225 spread is pants on head retarded)

if we had more 100-600 weapons instead of the current 250 - 400ish and armors introduced ac holes it would go a long way to both make crit setups more viable and reintroduce weapon choice in endgame setups... we would need more than one be-all-and-end-all endgame weapon for professions that can swap weapons and a toolset for changing weapon damage type for those that don't.

additionally, mobs would have to have their 200000000000000000000000000000000 ac's reduced a tad.

[algoreith]

I totally agree. Making pieces of armor with all stats kill the mecanic. And strategies.
For ac vs evades its another story. id be curious to see player base curve down after ai armor release.

[Notcrattey]

for ac's to matter the weapons need to be reworked to not have such retardedly high min dmg values relative to fairly low max dmg values (i.e. troll pistol with it's 225-225 spread is pants on head retarded)

if we had more 100-600 weapons instead of the current 250 - 400ish and armors introduced ac holes it would go a long way to both make crit setups more viable and reintroduce weapon choice in endgame setups... we would need more than one be-all-and-end-all endgame weapon for professions that can swap weapons and a toolset for changing weapon damage type for those that don't.

additionally, mobs would have to have their 200000000000000000000000000000000 ac's reduced a tad.

Or ACes could have different or additional functions.

[wonderland]

Mentioned this repeatedly for the last 3 years, never really got an answer on whether they even like the idea, or think it's straight stupid.

It would be very fun, if AC holes and weapon damage could be used more than for breaking a cocoon.