View Full Forums : Character Growth


Panamah
07-18-2003, 11:40 AM
Character growth defined here is your levels, your AA's and your gear.

Premises:

Pre 50 character growth is pretty much done via grouping. You can do some limited raiding of Hate/Fear/Naggy and Vox, but most people spend the vast majority of their time grouping or soloing.

Post-50 character growth begins shifting to raiding. If you want to improve you're character's stuff you have to raid.

Post-60 it becomes almost impossible to upgrade your character's stuff unless you raid.

Some people can't raid frequently due to their real lives requiring them not much contiguous time in EQ.

Some people don't enjoy raiding.

In EverQuest should the only means of character growth (equipment specifically) be via:

Accretion
07-18-2003, 11:58 AM
A very interesting issue. However, I would expect nearly everyone would agree that SOME level of character progression should be available via every path. It seems to me that the DEGREE to which this was possible was the main subject of debate, not necessarily whether or not it was possible.

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Panamah
07-18-2003, 12:38 PM
Should level 60+ characters have the following as character growth paths:

Panamah
07-18-2003, 12:42 PM
Oh that's weird, part of my post disappeared. I must've done something stupid.

I meant to say, that I should've said (heh):

In EverQuest should the only means of character growth at very high levels (equipment specifically) be via:

... poll

Reidwen
07-18-2003, 01:04 PM
I'd ask a more specific question.

Which post 60 progression paths do we need more of?

I would think we need more of all of them, just a question of how much of each style of progression needs inserted.

Panamah
07-18-2003, 06:21 PM
Wish we could have more than 5 options in a poll.

Ok, lets think of something to follow up with since this is kind of interesting.

Panamah
07-18-2003, 08:30 PM
Well, there's at least 3 people that don't agree. :)

Ok, next poll is about what limits should be on such a character development path.

Panamah
07-20-2003, 07:22 AM
Surprise! There's 7 people that don't want a growth path for non-raiders. Hmmm... Whoville is becoming Grinchville.

Oryane
09-14-2003, 08:01 AM
Definately all of the above for the simple fact that I have obtained a bit of my items from doing everything in the game that you possibly can to get items.

corlathist
10-15-2003, 12:25 PM
One problem isn't that you can't proceed via single group stuff.
you can. It would be far better to say its harder to do.

In today day and age of droppable gear, + AAs. I'd be willing to bet that many "raid" mobs of previous generations are now
1 groupable without being uber. Its called mudflation.
Doz is 1 Groupable, Rumblecrush 1 Groupable, WW Dragons 1 Groupable. So progression is possible, years later sure but possible.

Add in the farmable mobs. The quality of loot from 1 groupable mobs are quite a bit better. Sword of Bloodsworn stands out in my mind.

Add in mud deflation. Go back before POP. And CT earrings would be 70k. now bloodmetal is better and 15k. CT earrings once the exclusive domain of the rich, are now common place.

Add in Uber Loots for sale now a days. Sure you have to farm the cash. But AOW pants, mithril, white dragonscale helm (and boots) etc are coming up for sale more and more as top guilds replace this stuff.

Add in farmable mobs. The Minis in BOT. and quality of loot is better for a single group than ever.

Add in 2 group mobs. The Tower Minis in BOT and you get loots approaching that of the top people in game. Great Staff of Frozen Winds for example stands up very well, to the elemental planes. Definately better than anything 2 groupable (or even 1) did to the gear available in Luclin.

Once you get elemental access, 1 groupable stuff grows by leaps and bounds. The Belt in POF is doable with 3 people, and yet only slightly worse than the raid belt from VZ. However, you do have to raid to get there. Perhaps some long long ass single groupable quest to the planes would be approiate.

I would honestly propose, the difference between
Time and Non-Guilded Farmer is smaller than the difference between
VT and Non-Guilded Farmer was at Luclin

((i specifically used non-guilded farmer other than casual because time is time is time. It does take time to increase your power base in EQ. Sorry Casuals but thats life and capitialism at its basics.))

best example is AOW legs. I'd say that Time/Elemental legs > AOW legs by a smaller margin than AOW Legs > anything else in Velious era.

Also keep in mind that spell power groups by a fixed amount outside of focuses. So that everyone has gained a fixed amount of base power, there by shrinking the gap.

B_Delacroix
10-27-2003, 11:03 AM
In a dream world you could advance your character either through raiding or through one group or even one person endeavors.

In my opinion, the quality of the items should not be different no matter which path you take so long as the difficulty is the same.

This does not mean that I think people who want to just play with their five friends should have SolRo's stick of mob bashing. BUT they should be able to, through encounters as difficult for a group of six to do to obtain a similar quality item.

So, those who like to go with 72 person armies can do so and win nice things.

Those who only want to play with six people can do so and win nice things that are similar.

I want to emphasize again that I don't think the one group thing should be made easy. It should be just as hard for the one group to do as the other encounter made for 72 people to do is.

This seems to be the premise that starts uber vs casual. I do not think someone should get something for nothing. I also do not think there should be only one way to get anywhere.