Currently I have a multitude of requests that are already underway to HQ regarding partying. I don't want to promise this, but it is something we are working towards. All that does happen will likely be implemented in stages, rather than an all at once.
1. Improved AI is on the dev platter for 2011. It will make all new areas much spicier. Once it works for new content retrofitting onto older content is easy.
Excellent. The monsters right now are boring, at all levels. This should allow them to make stuff both fun and challenging.
2. Improved party share exp. We are asking for a server side setting for it to tune it from 0-100% per extra person. 50% bonus per person past 2 would mean that a 12 person party would have each person still getting 50% of monster normal solo value. We would not have 50% as our "base" but instead have it as a reserve for a special event. 10% is way too low I think, likely 20-25% bonus would be appropriate, as that would surpass an 'everyone taps" party.
25% is likely fine, I'd agree - especially paired with the "elite" stuff you're mentioning.
3. Share only happens to characters that are within the distance range (think the range of the quest journals).
Good. Reward partying, penalize leeching. I would suggest making share range *slightly* longer than it is for the benefit of tanker types (a double pull can have one off screen of the other). Removing the full map share, however, is a very good move, as it allows you to reward real parties without also rewarding leechers.
4. Here is the big if, and it needs ALOT of thought before handing off to dev team. Each class (basic 6 classes + expanded classes) gets an aura buff that is learned via quest. That aura only works while in distance range of the character, but its buff is unique ahd actually powers up the party in addition to normal buffs. This is so a 12 person diverse party is more powerful than 3 priest and 9 killer party due to the stacking of those buffs. I don't know what the buffs are right now, but less desirable classes should have better buffs to give them their ticket into the parties more.
I love this idea. Not only is it a great way to get more people working together, but it can be something unique to RO that makes our partying system stand out.
5. party GUI/recruitment thing. We already put in to get it all prettified, and to have the 'person offering to join a party' other settings like what type of party is a good addition, I didn't think of that due to I know how MVPing is such a trust thing that usually you wouldn't recruit for it, but certainly it is a viable request.
I actually have both organized and joined pick-up MVP groups. It's risky, but for every one player that ninja loots, you meet 3 you can play with in the future, and it's not hard to keep a guild blacklist to avoid getting screwed by the same people.
Leveling dynamics are different in Renewal, it is very hard to express how it feels different, and to many more aggravating. But here it goes. The really old school people who leveled up fighting smokies and raydrics in the 2003-2004 era likely will feel this leveling type is crazy fast, because time spent is lower than it was before for those level ranges. But those that are used to having the biggest challenges open to them to tap into the levling super highway like Kasas and Biolabs are not happy as they can't do the crazy rewarding leveling. Trading their past time/equipment and knowledge to make their exp exponentially better. This is sort of intended, but I do believe there should be a greater reward for Risk, but not in the way of giving x monster more xp/drops when you fight it with a lowbie. (tank it and that char is leveling up 3 times faster or something).
Speaking as someone who's been playing since beta, I disagree with this assessment of old school players. The feeling I always had with early RO is that they simply hadn't finished the game yet. Most MMOs start with a level cap of 50 or 60, then raise it slowly towards their intended max as they get content for it. RO decided not to lock it, and allow 99 from day 1, even though the content stopped initially at 50, and was slowly climbing. At the time the useless company took over that stopped advancing the game in favor of pointless culture towns that no one uses, we were up to about level 70 content-wise. When real devs finally got the game again, they were forced to deal with a system where the most hardcore were miles ahead of everyone else. Bio was basically triage to keep normal players in the game.
What I think would scratch that challenge itch better would be making the "normal" monster version that is as it is now, then a new dungeon content that has an upgraded version of that monster that is "elite" better challenge and reward, higher drop % higher exp. Likely those dungeons would be premium content for dirt cheap, and incluced with Premium subscription. Longer term goal is to do quests in those instances that reward things like quantity goods like stems or something in a stack, or to earn the specified card for that monster rather than relying only on luck to get the rares. This last is a whole update plan, and wouldn't be here in 2010 but is a content update worthy of RO and our players.
This would definitely be a good way to handle this. The other problem with old RO is that past 90, solo exp sucked. With this system, every player can choose to solo or party whenever they'd like, and be assured that there's content for both, at all levels.
If any of you have ideas for what would be interesting aura buffs for base classes please let me know in the thread.
Swordsman - Aura of Endurance: Every 5th hit ignores hit recovery, as though Endure were active
Thief - Distortion Field: +3 p.dodge
Merchant - Supply Line: All monsters gain a significant chance to drop recovery items, and recovery items heal 20% more than normal
Archer - Windwall: Ranged attacks by the party get +1 range (including spells), ranged attacks against the party have a 5% chance to fail, and do 10% less damage when they do hit.
Acolyte - Aura of Regeneration: Every 10 seconds, everyone in the party recovers 2% of their max HP
Mage - Leyline Channeling: Everyone gains 10 SP every 10 seconds, and magic damage against the party is reduced by 10%.
TK - Wisdom of the Ancestors: +3% exp gain, and monsters get health bars, with a small symbol showing their element
Slinger - Desperate Reserve: +20% damage when your HP bar is red
Ninja - Chi Focus: +10% ATK, +10% MATK (This class needs some serious love.
)Snovie - Every 90 seconds, a buff is cast on the entire party, chosen at random from well... just about everything in the game. Sometimes you'll get something useless like Bless when your priest is already running that, but sometimes you'll get a buff the party can't cast, and very rarely (maybe 1% of the time), it'll roll a boss-only buff, like the triple flee one, or even Power Up.
Edited by Mwrip, 05 November 2010 - 10:44 AM.
