Curse

Steps Ascending · Feb 07, 2007, 01:42 AM // 01:42

The way I understood ANet's plan, the faction grind is there to replace Lvl up while keeping a player without an expansion not to be at a dissadvantage. The problem is, about both faction and NightFall, I'm hearing people complain about grinding to advance.Then again I don't remember noticing during Faction's era so that may be just a passing comment. By the way is it me or I see a number of PvEvsPvP threads)

Faction'S system was that faction was first to advance and then to trade.
NF's system is to grind sunspear to advance and lightbringer to empower. (then again coming from tyria I acheived SS rank 6 when the game asked for it, unless i'm stupid enough to mistake rank 6 and 8.

So my guess, being a fan of lvl-ing up, would be to stop this and change so that teh grinding replace fully lvl up-ing. The griding would not stop you from advancing but make you stronger. I think LB ranks make you more resistant and more damaging versus Abadon.

Writing this I feel like some threads proposing crazy idea but... Your toughts?

Malice Black · Feb 07, 2007, 01:47 AM // 01:47

I'm all for this but I feel we won't get a lot of support from the people that bought Factions/NF before Chapter 1.

Phaern Majes · Feb 07, 2007, 01:48 AM // 01:48

Why? The baddies are all scaled to reflect on the lvl 20 system. I don't see the point of adding grind to the game thats what WoW is for. They want to offer something new, and did. Personally I like it how it is, grinding for lightbringer and sunspear is a personal choice. Lightbringer does help, but isn't necessary, and faction does technically make you more powerful as you can turn it to a priest for unlocking skills, which then you can either buy or give to your heroes. Dunno just don't see the point....

EDIT: I think I may have misunderstood you. In fact I'm sure of it but too disinclined to edit my post further...

Tide to Go · Feb 07, 2007, 01:50 AM // 01:50

I love the idea of a better lvl cap but there are some problems for anet though....

1. a whole new are added to each game....well 4-???? because its a new storyline.... would cause more dev. time needed

2. changing all the skils......again!!!!!!!

but if they can do those things, im with it...

if this is what you are saying...plz correct me if im wrong.

Juicey Shake · Feb 07, 2007, 02:10 AM // 02:10

if you are suggesting level cap boost [which is what I read the post as] - well, first and foremost, it's not going to happen.

[that's a period at the end, there]

but seriously, there's no use to a higher level cap when the game is focused around pvp, and as tide to go said, if the level cap is raised, -every- enemy and skill would have to be rebalanced.

and you know how anet is when it comes to balancing!

BogusDude · Feb 07, 2007, 02:13 AM // 02:13

Must admit i preferred the prophecy way of gaining skills via quests and not reaching level 20 until the desert if following the storyline correctly. Put into perspective for factions and nf, reach level 20 at HZH and Kodash would be more satisfying to the casual gamer, established players will always find shortcuts to level faster for new chars.

drakun01 · Feb 07, 2007, 02:13 AM // 02:13

anet and rebalancing [shudders in fear]

Maybe he is saying that he wants more stuff like prophicies? If so, I'm all for that.

Count to Potato · Feb 07, 2007, 02:19 AM // 02:19

Same as troll farming, proly wont get it back move on make oyur characters in factions if u want to lvl up fast

Malice Black · Feb 07, 2007, 02:27 AM // 02:27

This is about changing the system back to Chapter 1 style leveling not raising the level cap...

LifeInfusion · Feb 07, 2007, 02:28 AM // 02:28

rofl? lvl 20 cap. nothing more.

They have repeatedly said they won't raise it.

Morganas · Feb 07, 2007, 02:33 AM // 02:33

I really don't think ANet can do this, no matter how much people like it. People often bring their older characters into each new campaign, rather than role new ones.

If it's balanced around leveling, you'll miss tons of content when you start straight at the point you're meant to be 20, or you'll be overleveled for it (maybe this isn't a problem?). Starting a factions or NF char in prophecies has both problems, not only do you miss out on at least 1/4 of the game, but you STILL start out in a part of the game far beneath your level.

I think the nightfall system was ideal for starting new character on a semi-even playing field with old ones, through the title levelup system, but they made it far too grindy. They should do something like this again, but there should be no grind involved in leveling it, i.e. quests only, hopefully fun ones, and they should give real advantages as the title levels, but only in the chapter it pertains to, so it feels more like leveling system (i.e. add one unique skill for each class that scales in effectiveness with the title, that can only be used in that chapter, like the sunspear res sig only more powerful and not a res skill.)

Jetdoc · Feb 07, 2007, 02:44 AM // 02:44

No, what the OP is suggesting is a return to the slow-leveling system that existed in Prophecies. It was very common to see people below level 20 in Henge of Denravi (and sometimes Sanctum Cay when they didn't get run). That's more than halfway through the game.

Now, it's very odd to see a level 20 character past the starter islands in Factions and Nightfall. To compensate for that, they put in either physical gates or intangible ones (i.e. Sunspear points) to restrain your progress, to kind of force you to play some or most of the sidequests.

In Prophecies, if you skipped the sidequests you were significantly gimped when you played in later areas, as you didn't have the level to go against the baddies. So, you had an incentive to play the sidequests, instead of (sort of) being forced to do so.

The problem with this approach, however, is what The Admins Bane pointed out...since other chapter's characters come over at level 20, you really can't deprive them of over half of the new game's content (or make it insanely easy for them).

BogusDude · Feb 07, 2007, 02:54 AM // 02:54

I can't say that i've done any grinding whatsoever for sunspear points on any of my chars. Just talk to every scout in your path while questing and the points add up with little effort. I have 7 Castellans and not once gone out specifically to farm sunspear points. You can even quite easily gain levels 4 and 5 Lightbringer simply by completing quests and visiting all the shrines along the way.

Lightbringer does give advantages, more dmg given, less taken with each rank...and you want more free skills too :P

Kook~NBK~ · Feb 07, 2007, 02:58 AM // 02:58

I don't mind the sunspear points system (aside from the fact that you can't max out the title). Going out and doing side quests in Nightfall to me is part of the game and enriches the story line. I don't consider doing them as "farming." I only had to do 4 or 5 to get to sunspear general anyway - took about an hour.

I only had to go out once just to farm (kill stuff just for the SS points) up to the next rank of Sunspear rank in order to continue. I needed 16 points.

cellardweller · Feb 07, 2007, 02:59 AM // 02:59

I love the fast leveling up, in fact I'd prefer it if you just started at L20... but this is just your opinion vs mine.

One serious downside that you've failed to acknowledge is replayability. Prophesies only has 2 areas (southern shiverpeaks and fire islands) with any replayablility due to the fact that the rest was made for characters that have not yet reached L20. In contrast the large majority of cantha and kourna was designed for Level 20s.

Seeing as my characters with spend an insignificant amount of time leveling up compared to the time when they'll be l20, I'd prefer that the zones would be designed with that level in mind.

/unsigned

noir0 · Feb 07, 2007, 03:00 AM // 03:00

I'd love to see this reinstated. But i understand why it isn't with time constraints.. it's easier just to put in gates rather than make the charcaters progresivly level up slowly. Also it would put people off from re doing it and re doing it and re doing it. Reduced replayability isn't a good thing imo.

lyra_song · Feb 07, 2007, 03:02 AM // 03:02

If Anet implemented the same map system and speed of leveling up, there will a HUGE lack of content for people who bring the characters over since they will be lvl 20 already and too powerful for most of the map.

-.- · Feb 07, 2007, 03:02 AM // 03:02

Hell no, I hated Prophecies way of progressing. Way too slow.

Fender · Feb 07, 2007, 03:05 AM // 03:05

I think the NF system is a nice compromise. Foreign chars can jump right in (now... sucked grinding out SS8 @ release), and native chars take a little longer than Cantha to lvl up, but not too much. I haven't created a new char, but I heard that SS8 wasn't hard to get on a native char? I just brought over a char and she made it to 7.5-ish without any sort of effort. The grind is gone, the minor restrictions are good. Don't change it. The game is balanced for lvl 20. The faster you get there, the better.

TechnoSword · Feb 07, 2007, 03:09 AM // 03:09

I would love it if you could level up and go beyond 20, 21 etc...
BUT
Leveling up would do nothing but gain the usual skill point and a digit increase nothing more, that way you could tell who's a farmer or more experianced by how high their level is. And to prevent crazy farmers from making their number level high as crazy you could make each level up higher with each one like 1 million to get to level 25 then 2 million to level 26. etc... I would love to have my warrior be 44 my fav number