I feel the need to comment on the current XP and dungeon spawn system, as I have realised that
this is of concern not only for me but for many players I have interacted with.
To put it bluntly, many players, me included, experience zero satisfaction when it comes to the current xp and spawn
system implemented on the server. Here is what I know about the current xp and spawn system:
Roleplay xp has been severely lowered to the point that 4 hours of nearly non-stop roleplay and constant typing nets
you a resting message and consequently an xp gain of around “hardly any or no challenge”. From what I have heard
and also experienced myself, during roleplaying the xp gains come much more seldom than in the past and it seems
that the amount of xp was lowered as well.
Combat xp has been cut down severely. I heard that there were changes implemented several updates ago that
decreased the amount of xp gained from any foe, be it hardcore enemies such as darkling sword masters in fane
forest or the normal regular decrepit skeleton.
The spawn system was apparently changed so that a decent or even maxed spawn can only be encountered right
after a reset of the server. After that, the spawn system allows the dungeons to respawn, however at a very slow rate.
Naturally, after a reset, players all rush as fast as they can to all the dungeons and clear them, leaving the unlucky ones
that were not online at the time of the reset with low spawn, no fun experiences. Something I can only confirm.
The dungeons, no matter which one, from alhoon cave to vampire crypt over lich tower, scrag cave, spider cave,
tunnels to dvergeheim, monastery, they all were low on spawn and no challenge or fun whatsoever. Apart from the
very few, very lucky ones or the ones that somehow manage to stay online permanently, nobody has encountered
bosses such as Elketh or the Alhoon in several weeks.
The aforementioned three changes together result in an overall satisfaction for many players
that can only be described as complete and utter frustration.
The decreased xp gain and spawn system, I guess, were implemented in the hopes that players do not farm the
dungeons so often and advance rapidly. It seems it was also thought that if the dungeons are low in spawn and
offer hardly any challenge, it would encourage more roleplaying than dungeon crawling. That however presented
another problem: if players started to roleplay more, they would gain xp rapidly through that, so in an attempt to
equalise and balance the xp gains, roleplay xp was cut down as well.
However, from what I have observed, these changes only add to worsening the overall experience and not improving it.
Because the overall xp gains from combat and roleplay are so low and the dungeons do not yield any good spawn,
players do not sit back in resignation and start to roleplay more, but hit any and every dungeon they can think of in
an attempt to gain ANY xp whatsoever, even if it is ridiculously low. Consequently, the spawn never has time to grow,
resulting in pitiful challenges that are no fun whatsoever, adding to the frustration and no fun experience for everyone
when they enter a dungeon. I have heard from numerous players that recently they have started grinding excessively
due to the overall low xp gains.
The changes do not encourage less grinding.
On the contrary, players start to grind MORE.
On the matter of low xp from roleplay, people have been bringing forth the argument that we should roleplay for
roleplay’s sake. In other words, we should not mind low xp from roleplay and the slow progression of the characters.
I am sorry, but the thought of having to spend one and a half years for a character to become strong enough to
actually go places such as perfidus and blaustein is already bad enough. One and a half years was the period it used
to be. With the new xp changes, the waiting period will increase drastically. To have to grind (yes, grind because of
the reasons stated above) for two and a half years to three until the character has progressed far enough to go to
perfidus, blaustein, bluetspur and other highly dangerous but memorable places is just way too harsh.
And the argument that players do not HAVE to go there is downright ludicrous. Then why have these places at all.
Old players and DMs have encouraged in old posts to go to these places, explore and such. The matter of the fact
however is that most characters below a certain level will hardly be able to enjoy said places as they will be dying
constantly. To reach a sufficient level and to explore together with others was one of my own drives and I had
planned grudgingly and reluctantly that it would take probably already one year until I was strong enough to see all
these marvellous places. Now however, two years is even a highly optimistic estimation! It is just too damn long a time.
Coupled with the current spawn system it is a too damn long a time filled with no fun grinding.
Another argument brought forth in favour of the new xp system is that players would advance too quickly and challenge
MPCs such as Vincent after having been on the server only a short time. Vincent, if I recall correctly, is a level 17 character.
Even under the old xp system it would have taken average players one to one and a half years to even come close to his level.
One to one and a half years is by no means a short time. And for argument’s sake, let’s assume a hardcore player really does
manage to advance his character to level 17 in 10 months instead 1 1/2 years (which is impossible, even under the old xp system).
What exactly would be the difference? Whether he can challenge an MPC in ten months or 18 will that have any significant
impact on how he will react towards the MPC?
I have heard from several different players that lately, they have been bored. I must say, I have been too.
And that is a word extremely dangerous, even more than frustration. The boredom comes from low xp gains and
zero challenges from dungeons.
And yes, before this argument comes up again: I have been doing herbalism and alchemy, advanced my own plot
and tried to get into player driven plots by other players.
Of course, the low spawn in dungeons is exacerbated by the way of play by the players themselves, but as stated
above: if the overall xp gain is so low, there is hardly any other way to gain xp a bit faster.
The amount of xp earned should at least reflect somewhat the effort players put into the time they spend in PotM.
Right now from my and many other’s perspective, that is not the case at all. If players are deprived of xp gains that
correspond to the massive roleplaying or adventuring they have been doing, frustration and boredom are bound to arise.
The xp cap alone is more than enough already to make sure that players can not advance too quickly.
Why even lower the amount of xp gained when there is a cap that regulates how quickly the character gets the xp?
And lastly this is what it is ultimately about: fun. Not excessive managing of how fast or slow players should advance
their characters. If many players that usually have a lot of fun doing roleplay are saying that they have been bored
and highly frustrated lately, then in my opinion this is something that should be looked into and not just be dismissed
as the whining of level-hungry players.
And regarding fun and roleplay one more thing: the refusal by some DMs to reset or respawn a dungeon when a
huge group of 8 to 10 players has gathered and going out together to find some excitement is not very helpful.
The argument I was told was that apparently it would defeat the purpose of the currently implemented spawn system.
So a ten player group, going from one empty dungeon to the next, the players getting more and more frustrated and
bored, players of the group breaking off to find some low level spawn in another dungeon as it does not make sense to
hit that pitiful spawn with a ten player army – that is improving the overall experience for everyone inside PotM?
I have stated this before and will say it here again: a very strong spawn inside a dungeon will entice teamwork,
allow players that do not know each other to bond and therefore ultimately encourage more roleplay than anything else.
The closest roleplay partners I have, I got to know and started serious roleplay with them after having braved dungeons
and general adventuring. This is just normal basic human behaviour. With whom do you usually bond quicker: with people
you go to a pub, socialise, talk and drink together or with the stranger in front of the pub you just met by happenstance?
The same rules apply here in a roleplaying game with going out for adventure or dungeons instead of the pub.
Our 8 to 10 player group was a perfect example of that: while we were walking from one empty dungeon to the next,
occasionally slaying some low, no challenge spawn, the conversations, jokes, quips, basically overall roleplay dwindled more
and more while boredom and frustration (and huge feeling of guilt at my part to have brought this big group together and
now having no excitement to show whatsoever) steadily increased. The last 20 minutes or so we almost walked in silence.
Then night came and we encountered a somewhat small but moderate dangerous group of foes. First, you could downright
feel how the players almost were letting out a sigh of relief at the notion that there is something to do after just walking
from one empty place to another. Second, as soon as the enemies were vanquished, suddenly the mood became better
and conversations about backgrounds started, roleplaying ensued together with the jokes, the quips, the laughing.
Ultimately I am arguing that low spawn system, coupled with extremely low xp gains from combat and roleplaying is in the end
detrimental and not improving overall satisfaction and play in PotM. Most importantly however, it is no fun at all but incites
frustration and boredom inside a large part of PotMs playerbase.
I will stop now. The post has already reached an ungodly length anyways.
