/level - game killer?

[pinguish]

Okay i'm stealing myself to be flamed here. but as a new guy to DAOC i think it should be mentioned.

since the /level command finding groups has been nigh on impossible for those of us who don't have a level 50 char (and are below 20).
BG0 is like a morgue (though i hear bg1 is very busy).
the level command is not going to fill 'unpopular' servers i still can't see the logic..its a short term fix..to get more peopel playign you need more players..
all the level command has done is make it harder for the new guys. (although getting some great camp bonuses lately )
where we used to get 'veterans' grouping and offering advise they all making thier wizzy 20 (and now 30) level chars and us new guys are left floundering.
net result as a % of the new peopel more decide its a naff game cus there is no social atmosphere below say level 15.
the BG's are described as 'places to hone you skills ready for RvR.
this itself is now a nightmare..BG0 is a waste of time (in nearly 4 hours i still haven't seen anyone from a different realm). and bg1 is full of well experienced players with buffbots and tweaks and specs not restricted by having to build a char to get to 20...they are designed in many cases FOR the BG's.
i notice a lot of people complain of lack of 3rd UK server (to be honest it doesn't overly worry me- YET). from what i see it will NEVER happen..the new changes are not newbie friendly at all.
IF GOA REALLY want to get people on the underpopulated servers they should allow the newbie the chance to jump to say level 10/15 there (make it a welcome screen on REG of disc SELL that SERVER/REALM Combi to the new guy!)..(come on what do you learn up till level 5 apart from the basics of the game mechanics anway).characters start to come alive at 10/15, for some people without the game players 'veterans' support its a killer period and won't attract new players at all. Apologies for repeating myself so much and hope this post makes sense?

 

[-Lonewolf-]

Can't really read it all but have to agree to be honest


But it does help population imbalances the /level 30 thing bit dubious about the /level 20 thing tho

 

[chretien]

Agree with a lot of what you say and said it myself when /level was first mentioned. It will be hard for new players to learn about the game and they will be soloing/kill tasking most of the way to 20.
Giving brand new players /level 10 or 15 though isn't the answer. Imagine if you've never played the game before and you get a level 15 caster spell list or minstrel to get your head around. One of the biggest problems I always thought (especailly for casters was that the learning curve was very steep.

 

[Flimgoblin]

/level relieves the first 20 levels of alts of impatient 50s who generally go "we can do harder stuff" and get their entire group killed a lot not that I'd ever do that.

of course you lose out on the advice from the more experienced ones - but that's what /advice is for.

I'd say the lack of people to group with between 30 and 40 seemed a bit worse before /level - definitely seems to be more around at that level at the moment....

1-20 you'll be able to group with fellow newbies, which I for one think would be a far better experience heck that's what I did on 1-20

Course there were a lot more around then.

After all that waffling I'd say that the problem is probably more lack of new blood rather than just /level.

 

[old.Trine Aquavit]

I agree that it's not a newbie friendly feature, but I don't think it was intended to be. It was put in there as a veteran-friendly feature so that those who had levelled a character to 50 wouldn't have to go through the early levels.

But I do sympathise. It's not much fun when you can't get a group. I just hope the PC Zone freebie brings in a few new players to help you out.

 

[Solarius]

The /level command probably works fine for the US servers, it's not about attracting new blood, it's more for redistribution of an existing playerbase, and when there are ~13 normal servers to choose from, it's an ideal solution.

Here, with just 2 servers, it's a nightmare. Nice for the players who already have a level 50, great for testing a new character or spec at an appreciable level, but not much more.

However, one addition in the game that is very 'newbie' friendly is the realm guilds. It would be better though if instead of forming 3 guilds for each of the newbie starting areas, they should have just had one guild for all newbies. Puts you in touch, sometimes instantly, with players of similar level and experience. Just a shame so many people simply leave it straight away!

 

[old.job]

Well I was never going to bother leveling to 50, just couldn't be arsed to do it, but the /lvl command has seen me thrashing my Chanter at the finns, not so I can get out and RVR, but so I can have endless BG characters.

This may be the last leveling I ever do.

 

[pinguish]

Originally posted by old.Trine Aquavit

But I do sympathise. It's not much fun when you can't get a group. I just hope the PC Zone freebie brings in a few new players to help you out.

thats an intersting point actually..does anyone know how this will work? as i understand its on a seperate server (so will everyone be a newbie). Can those of us who OWN the game play on that server during this intro period or is it restricted to just those readers of PCZone.

----------------------------

Also i do understand for those with level 50 chars how appreciated the /level command is..why would anyone want to sit those boring levels more than once if they don't have to?
just a shame that they totally forgot about the new guys out there and the impact such a command would have on them.

Personally i had been really looking forward to getting to BG0 and kicking ass (read getting my ass handed to me on a plate?). but since /level i am not looking forward at all...bg0 is a disaster area and bg1 is filled with experienced players no doubt well buffed up. those who can't afford/and or haven't played long enough to have such luxuries (buffbots)are just canon fodder. The battle grounds are no longer what they are advertised as ie: a place to learn and hoen your skills for RvR.

 

[Solarius]

As far as i know...

It's on a seperate server, yes. The server is called Lothian, and will be open for 2 months, from 16th October.
I'm pretty sure that current players would be allowed onto the server, most likely from a seperate login server, but I would imagine the character database would be wiped at the end of the two months (presumably so they can repeat the exersize in either France or Germany, before returning to UK - I hope it's a continual thing at any rate, would be better than a single advertising campaign).

I've no idea how players would access the server, hopefully a download would be available from the DAoC Europe website. Otherwise it'll probably be a program on the PCZone coverdisk.

 

[Flimgoblin]

bg1 isn't filled with buffbots and stealthers.. ok it is, but if you take a group there or group up with the other non-stealthers from your realms (heck even the odd grouping stealther) then you'll enjoy it

it's nothing like so-called "real" RvR but if you can get in on a BG keeptake it's damned good experience (not in the bubbles kind, the RL kind)

it's a shame that bg0 is dead now

 

[The Kingpin]

I hate Thidranki with /level...

Well, i did on Guin, not sure about Europe since i left a month ago..

ZeRgZeRgZeRg, am sure there was about 40 albs, 8 mids 2 hibbs most of the time, it was bloody boring..

And it did not help they were all elitest bastards, oh sorry, i've gimped my Necro as i made him a Briton



Anyways, am not a fan of the /level system, 1-20 were the most fun levels from 1-50 imo.

Stupid newbie wipe outs 4tehwin!

 

[longshot]

I think the /level command is crap. The idea is OK, but the implementation sucks.

Why is it that someone with 10 lvl 49 characters can't benefit from the /level command and who came up with these magical numbers - 20 & 30?

Why not have the ability to /level up to (highest character level in account / 2) - 5? That would give someone with a lvl 40 character the ability to make a lvl 15 alt. That would be a nice start if you find out that your lvl 40 zerker sucks and you want to start over as a savage (hint hint Mythic).

Or an XP multiplier to all your XP of... 1+(highest character level in account/100) - i.e. if you have a lvl 50 character, you get x1.5 times the XP (Okay, that might be a bit much, but you get the point). Dunno how well this would work, but it seems to me that it would bring back some life to levels below 20 and prevent the trainers from becoming BG1 vending machines.

 

[Coim-]

BG0 is crap anyway. Level to thid, a lot better. You have guild emblems, better abilities, spells, styles etc.

 

[Coim-]

Originally posted by longshot
who came up with these magical numbers - 20 & 30?

I assume because of BG1 and BG3.

 

[stelfa]

/level definitely killed bg0 and shortly after it was introduced too, clever. :great:

Used to be a lot of fun there, especially for those of us who dont like crafting and want to do something a bit more exciting after 15 levels of exping. :sleeping:

Before /level capped to 125 with my Healer, Thane and Shadowblade in bg0. Got to do keeptakes, first experience of using rams, duelled albs and hibs, was a good training ground.

After /level came in my hunter went there and didnt see an enemy for a week, even went with full guild group to try and have some fun and we had nothing to fight. Graveyards have more life in them.

And now Thid, full of blue con /level characters played by people who havent got a clue what to do with them coz they made em the day before, groups who dont need healers because someone always says 'I'll go make one' and level 20 shamans parked at mpk with names like 'temporarybuffbot'. :wall:

 

[Dallas]

BB's are killing Bg's IMHO, many is the time my inf made b4 the lvl 20 command comes up against another stealther, I get in a perfect kill combo only to find that my opponent ends up killing me, whilst only suffering a third damage themselves when they should really be dead!!!

 

[old.job]

If people want buffbots , that's their right, personally it's off the scale for geekness for me.

Heres an idea Mythic, if your char is buffed by another character owned by you then it should have a flashing BB sign above it's head.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Originally posted by Coim-
BG0 is crap anyway. Level to thid, a lot better. You have guild emblems, better abilities, spells, styles etc.

Ooooh! Emblems! Ooooooh! Kuppa kuppa shiny!

 

[Esoteric]

Levelling to 50 can be hard and the level command makes it more interesting for those with one to start a new char who otherwise would not have been arsed.

A good move imo finally some ingame benefit to having a level 50 please stop whining if you want the /level command then put some time into levelling to 50 if not then roll as many level 1's as you like.

Oh and it ain't hard to stop the level command at level 19 so you can go to bg's 0, there is a choice in all of this.

 

[uglymug]

Originally posted by Flimgoblin
it's nothing like so-called "real" RvR

oh i dunno ... buffbots sitting at the tk's .. albs zerging most of the day (and when they're gone mids/hibs take their place) .. stealther zerg at the bridges .. tk camping ..

think milegates instead of bridges and you got a fair idea of 'proper' rvr ... emain style that is

 

[old.Tohtori]

What i really hate about the level command is that when i go to my trainer, popup the trainlist and some monkey comes along and suddenly the screen is filled with a 15 second technodiscoflare and my comp takes his hat and goes to buy some coffee in the meanwhile. The lag of an ongoing leveleffect is phenomanamble.

 

[pinguish]

Originally posted by Esoteric


A good move imo finally some ingame benefit to having a level 50 please stop whining if you want the /level command then put some time into levelling to 50 if not then roll as many level 1's as you like.

You really haven't read the posts have you?

 

[froler-mid]

tbh, screw teh newbies

 

[darzil]

Hmm. I understand the problems of not getting groups. It's the reason I had to kill task and solo to 20.

Of course, that was last december, so it wasn't due to the level command.

Darzil

 

[Vim]

Originally posted by Flimgoblin
bg1 isn't filled with buffbots and stealthers.. ok it is, but if you take a group there or group up with the other non-stealthers from your realms (heck even the odd grouping stealther) then you'll enjoy it

it's nothing like so-called "real" RvR but if you can get in on a BG keeptake it's damned good experience (not in the bubbles kind, the RL kind)

it's a shame that bg0 is dead now

We had a thidranki fixed @ Pryd/Mid. Was great fun

 

[pinguish]

Originally posted by darzil
Hmm. I understand the problems of not getting groups. It's the reason I had to kill task and solo to 20.

Of course, that was last december, so it wasn't due to the level command.

Darzil

ahh thats cus no-one likes you

 

[darzil]

No, that's why they don't group with me now. They didn't know me then. Unless of course you're saying no one groups with people they don't know ?

Darzil

 

[dukat_lionheart]

Originally posted by old.Tohtori
technodiscoflare

 

[bluegeezer]

as someone completely new to the game i guess i have a good perspective on this subject

firstly i was introduced to daoc by a m8 of mine about week, week and a half ago roughly he helped me through the initial stages like talking to a trainer and general movement etc

but after that its just experience and making mistakes and learning from them... imo i think being solo at that level is a good thing as you can make mistakes at that level and not have to worry about letting a group down or what not...

anyway the biggest thing was the abbreviations trying to learn them all slowly getting there


anyway i wouldnt say the /level command is a bad thing... you say it removes the veterans and so cant help you build on the game but i would say it removes the pressure of trying to keep up with a veteran grouping with you and this way you know most of the ppl you group with will be in the same situation as you!!!


the one thing i would add is that the /advice command should be plastered more!! i know it already has sections in the help menu etc but it really is THE best command a newbie could know and should be reminded of it for say the first 10 logins perhaps?



anyway i didnt even know bg0 existed tbh i just leveled to 24 (where i am now) and got thrown in the deepend at bg1!!!! yes it was hard and the first few deaths were easy kills for the enemy (actually my first battle i won!!! root bolt bolt dd \o/) but i learned with the only penalty being the hole in my pocket but i wouldnt have changed it cos tbh im gettting rather good at it now!!! at least i think so


anyway i think the /level command means more n00bs with more n00bs that way we can learn together with little pressure....



just my opinion

 

[dukat_lionheart]

tbh i find that the first 5 lvls are what puts my off starting a new alt, way too long, theres nothing much to learn after the first time you play, so imo it should be a tad faster, it can take me 2 hours with a rogue

5 - 15 are also a tad tedious, but you do learn a hell of a lot.

other than the first 5 lvls being slo i think mythic have done a good job.

bah, i'll have a 50 soon tho me main is 42.5