why now?

[Kura]

now ive tried doing a search on this for an answer with no luck but anyway my question is...

why are the characters being wiped \"soon\"? by the sounds of devs answers to other questions concerning the wipe of the game that I\'ve read, the official release ( meaning it not being just a tech demo anymore ),sounds no where in the near future.

I\'m in no way try to rush the developers to make the game get done faster. but IMO, I think the wipe should be done much closer to the official release, that way it would get rid of any more possible exploits/cheats and stuff like that that could be discovered even after the many fixed bugs from updates before and after this planned wipe... you can never be too careful i think

the cheating at this early of a stage doesnt mean much really if you think about it. but whatever, i just wondering why its being done now, i dont expect the date for it to change. it just sounds like a safer bet to prevent any more necessary wipes for a hopefully very long time

[Karyuu]

First off, there is no date for the wipe. Second, \"now\" and \"soon\" are not the same thing. Third, since the \"official release\" (using your definition) is a very long way away, why would the bugs and exploits be allowed to continue if they can be fixed with a wipe to allow the beginning of more fair play? Realizing that the game is in pre-alpha stage, not even beta, it will be years until it\'s no longer a tech demo. Are you suggesting that no wipes occur until Planeshift can be considered a full game? That\'s absolutely ridiculous. If you search through the threads that talk about the wipe, you will understand the reasons behind it. For example:

Originally posted by DaveG:
The server wipe will be to fix \"exploits, cheaters, and bugged accounts\". They won\'t do this until the causes of the \"exploits, cheaters, and bugged accounts\" are fixed first. (character creation glitches, dark red potions, disappearing/spawning items, trade glitches, autorun glitches, etc, etc, etc)

Cheating is, and always will be, a big issue. Why it should be allowed to continue (if its even possible at this stage), along with bugs that often make parts of the game inaccessible, is beyond me.

*edited to add* Also it is entirely plausible that more than one wipe will occur. In fact, it\'s almost guaranteed as Planeshift progresses. That is part of the testing process - often starting over. Wipes can be essential, and holding them off completely until the game is somehow almost completely stable doesn\'t work.

[Kura]

look i didnt mean \"now\" as in week, if you would actually bother reading the message at the first load screen it would read, \" ...be aware that all acounts will be wiped soon to get rid of bugged accounts, exploits, and cheaters!\"

\"soon\" could be 6 months away from now for all i care.
but as you say, and as i believe to be true,\" it will be years until it\'s no longer a tech demo.\" starting over is indeed good and necessary for the development of any game but this one is free for anyone and killing 1000s of rats just getting to do it over and over until the full game just doesnt seem fair to alot of people.

but oh well its going to happen and for the better. it will give people chances to expierement with different races and classes to prepare for the full thing anyway so im not too bummed about it

[Kiirani]

Originally posted by Kura
look i didnt mean \"now\" as in week, if you would actually bother reading the message at the first load screen it would read, \" ...be aware that all acounts will be wiped soon to get rid of bugged accounts, exploits, and cheaters!\"

\"soon\" could be 6 months away from now for all i care.
but as you say, and as i believe to be true,\" it will be years until it\'s no longer a tech demo.\" starting over is indeed good and necessary for the development of any game but this one is free for anyone and killing 1000s of rats just getting to do it over and over until the full game just doesnt seem fair to alot of people.

but oh well its going to happen and for the better. it will give people chances to expierement with different races and classes to prepare for the full thing anyway so im not too bummed about it

Yeah, but what happens if they do the wipe later, after you\'ve killed a milion rats? That would hurt more.

\"Soon\"  could be tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or it could be a few thousand years away

[Karyuu]

Originally posted by Kura
but oh well its going to happen and for the better. it will give people chances to expierement with different races and classes to prepare for the full thing anyway so im not too bummed about it

Good to hear. So there\'s no need to make a big deal out of this thing. We\'re here mainly for testing purposes, and loss is part of it. If someone\'s disappointed about losing items or stats, they should participate in roleplay and form relationships with people that will never be affected by any wipe.

[Gellule]

Kura, if you role play, you will survive any wipe. No doubt about that.

If are still worried, here is something that may cheer you up.

For the next pre-alpha release (or maybe sooner, who knows?), new features will be available: Multi-glyph magics, top-notch economy, etc... Do you realy believe that the devs are going to wait a few weeks for a small group of people to reach the level that will allow them to test those new features? I don\'t think so.

When we went from Molecular Blue to Crystal Blue, many of the players received a tribute to their dedication to the game (I wasn\'t one of the lucky one, I gave all my crystal away before the transition, lol). The crystals they collected was turned into trias and another mysterious gift. That\'s for the story. Now, beside dedication reward, there\'s another way to understand this \"gift\". It allowed some of the player to test some of the newly available advanced features (like magic) much sooner. I don\'t know if this was intentional. Yet, the end result is the same.

Now, think about the coming wipe? Do you realy think it is going to make a difference? Do you think it is going to ruin your game life? I don\'t...

I\'m happy, I play, and I wait for the wipe and the new release with happiness.

[DaveG]

Originally posted by Kura
killing 1000s of rats just getting to do it over and over until the full game just doesnt seem fair to alot of people.

The need to kill rats like an idiot (aka the fact that money is over emphasized) is a well know flaw.  The devs aren\'t going to wipe without fixing this, at least in some part.

Originally posted by Gellule
For the next pre-alpha release (or maybe sooner, who knows?), new features will be available

Yes, that\'s another good reason for a wipe.  Many things will be changed in the future, and eventually a wipe will be needed to accommodate them.  At that point we won\'t care about the wipe, because we\'ll be happy with all the new stuff replacing it.  

[Drey]

as far as i see it the wipe will be fun, i might even be seen stabbing stuff instead of just standing around.

*is still waiting for this to get closed*

[Kura]

umm im guessing everyone is meaning there will be a huge update immediately after the wipe then? if there is im afraid to say i didnt know about it... but heck yeah im lookin forward to it and bring on the wipe if so lol

[Kura]

im looking forward to the next update mainly because im expecting a few more options (enemies) for noobies to attack. a better economy as far as obtaining money buying items goes and other things you guys mentioned, im a big magic fan too so i cant wait for that either .

and yes, gellule, ive played many rpgs both online and off and sometimes i wasnt able to even beat a game (offline) until i had started over. but mainly i want the game updated,and everyone has their own opinions i suppose :tup:.

[Ciarra]

I have never played an RPG in my life. I have toyed with the idea. But to start a new life in a world of people who have been playing for years is not attractive..(like Everquest). I knew nothing Monday and here is Thursday. I know 1000% more.

I am thrilled to have discovered this game in its test stages. I know that when the wipe occurs I will have much knowledge to begin and have an advantage for the next update.
Bring it on.

[Easton]

Originally posted by Ciarra
I have never played an RPG in my life. I have toyed with the idea. But to start a new life in a world of people who have been playing for years is not attractive..(like Everquest). I knew nothing Monday and here is Thursday. I know 1000% more.

I am thrilled to have discovered this game in its test stages. I know that when the wipe occurs I will have much knowledge to begin and have an advantage for the next update.
Bring it on.

a very good, rational, healthy way of thinking

[Leeloo]

I think the reason the message says \"will be wiped soon\" is to remind people that it will happen. Not so much when (it said \"soon\" months ago).

I used to play a different game, and at some point a wipe was necessary to correct some flaws (everyone had the best gear and lots of money). People did not expect a wipe - well, the owner of the game had promised that no more wipes would happen - and when it became obvious that a wipe was necessary, 80% of the players threatened to leave, because they had spent months levelling up their chars. In the end they had to come up with a compromise, erasing items and money, but letting people keep their levels, while making it much harder for people starting over to reach the same levels (otherwise the same problem would have happened again a month later). Not a good solution.

On the other hand, I would believe that the \"wipe soon\" message keeps the powergamers away, which is a good thing, as they aren\'t wanted here anyway.

[noXide]

Originally posted by Leeloo
On the other hand, I would believe that the \"wipe soon\" message keeps the powergamers away, which is a good thing, as they aren\'t wanted here anyway.

\"Power Gamers\" care to express on that a little more...

An i think it is unfair to be stating what sort of a gamer is and is not aloud to play in planeshift.

Sorry but very un-cool an not nice

[Karsier]

Originally posted by Leeloo
On the other hand, I would believe that the \"wipe soon\" message keeps the powergamers away, which is a good thing, as they aren\'t wanted here anyway.

WHAT? I agree with you on the MOTD, it has been there for a long time, BUT, I agree with noXide. dude, thats just wrong to say.. really... err... I don\'t know what to say... lol (forgot).. but still, thats just.. wrong and not true