Second wipe

[zanzibar]

Here\'s the real question.... what are we competing against eachother for?

[Verrliit]

A few observations:

1.  The Devs have been doing this for years now.  It is safe to assume that in all this time, they have learned something about the way people behave in the world they have created.

2.  A game where every player stays at about the same level,  is doomed to be a boring flop, and it is necessary for the world to contain those who are insanely strong, and those who are wimps.

3.  Those who did not work, and those for whom trickery did not succeed, complain about those that did work.

They played in the same world that the RP players did, and had the same chance.  If the way they play does not work as well, let them learn a better way.

Despite the failure of those who complain, to create for themselves an unfair advantage, nothing unfair occurred here.

4.  Referring to (2.) above, many RP characters, including guild leaders, require greater skills and stats to be in character.  Those players and supporting members, have worked extremely hard, with little sleep, so that they could continue their interrupted stories, and regain the positions of respected strength that they had before the Wipe.

5.  So arduous and daunting was that effort, that many of those who have played the longest have told me they would not attempt it a second time, and faced with another full wipe, even the best and most dedicated might leave forever.

These storytellers are the people who transform what is basically a mere chat room with graphics, into a world.  They are it\'s beating heart and it\'s soul.

They deserve to keep, as much as possible, the fruits of their labor, their creativity and their community.


Sincerely,


The Dark Lady
Verrliit

[Cha0s]

I disagree. Are you saying that those that made 10k, even 20k from the bugged rats should keep all their trias and trained stats? That\'s just ridiculous. Making 20k in an hour or less is definitely an exploit and ruins game balance. The devs want to test the normal balance of the game; exploits upset this balance. After the wipe, there will hopefully be no more exploits and then the game can proceed normally.

[zanzibar]

Originally posted by Verrliit 3.  Those who did not work, and those for whom trickery did not succeed, complain about those that did work.

They played in the same world that the RP players did, and had the same chance.  If the way they play does not work as well, let them learn a better way.

Despite the failure of those who complain, to create for themselves an unfair advantage, nothing unfair occurred here.

There are those of us who \"work\", do not \"cheat\", and are still targeted for kill stealing / kill blocking.  Unfair, ill-spiritted actions have indeed occurred.

Originally posted by Verrliit 4.  Referring to (2.) above, many RP characters, including guild leaders, require greater skills and stats to be in character.  Those players and supporting members, have worked extremely hard, with little sleep, so that they could continue their interrupted stories, and regain the positions of respected strength that they had before the Wipe.

A leader should not be respected based on strength alone, if at all.

You can make the argument that being stronger means that you can get more money for your guild, but it\'s obvious to me that when you spend 150,000 tria maxing out your stats that helping out your guild might not be your highest priority.

[zanzibar]

Originally posted by Cha0s
I disagree. Are you saying that those that made 10k, even 20k from the bugged rats should keep all their trias and trained stats? That\'s just ridiculous. Making 20k in an hour or less is definitely an exploit and ruins game balance. The devs want to test the normal balance of the game; exploits upset this balance. After the wipe, there will hopefully be no more exploits and then the game can proceed normally.

Now that I have two nice axes, I can made 50k in an hour off of gladiators.  Is that an exploit?

[Verrliit]

Originally posted by Cha0s
I disagree. Are you saying that those that made 10k, even 20k from the bugged rats should keep all their trias and trained stats? That\'s just ridiculous. Making 20k in an hour or less is definitely an exploit and ruins game balance.

The announcement of the Devs\' plans for the wipe, states very clearly that characters will not be wiped again, and trained stats will be kept.  As for balance, the Devs deliberately did this the way they saw fit, and I am too grateful for what they have given me to complain, even if I were not able to see, and did not agree as I do, with the wisdom of their actions.

The devs want to test the normal balance of the game; exploits upset this balance. After the wipe, there will hopefully be no more exploits and then the game can proceed normally.

No, they stated clearly that they are adjusting the balance of the game, including the new progression system, and the new loot.

Why on earth would you imagine that they do not see the balance that must be struck between the players as well?

Do you imagine that play would be allowed to continue for two entire days, with no monster allowed to fight back, if it did not serve the Devs\' intention to balance the game? If this were an \"exploit\"  the server would have been shut down.

No, 20k from the rats was only a tiny fraction of the entirely intentional adjustments they have made.

And when it costs half a million Tria to get to level 50 in sword, there must be some way to make the income.

The current balance and distribution of income versus cost and the distribution of progression and wealth amongst the players is as the Devs intend it to be.  And if there is any adjustment that it should please them to be made, you may be certain that they will make it.

Balance of the game also requires that some do much better than others.  The unlucky, the foolish, the uninformed, those without friends to help them, must be surpassed by those who have these true advantages.

Those who have stories to tell, invested a great deal of time and effort in them, before the Wipe.  I have seen them brought to tears by the difficulties that face them afterward.

There are only a handful of players that could possibly be considered not to deserve what they have achieved, and the structure of PS is resilient enough to withstand their actions.

I met a player yesterday who had slept less than four hours a night during an entire week.

Is it fair that his heroic effort, and that of hundreds of others, should be Wiped to appease the petty jealousy of those who have achieved less?

The Devs gave their word that they would not.

I trust they will keep to that.


The Dark Lady
Verrliit

[Xordan]

Characters probably will be wiped again. We certainally didn\'t think (for some reason) that people would exploit any combat bugs they found to get weapons which they would sell and spend on lots of training so that they didn\'t lose anything when we did wipe the items. Also, the training costs for stats are wrong, so lots of people have been able to train up to current maximum in a matter of weeks. I will want to look at char creation options as well. They don\'t seem too great atm. There are also other issues that need attention.

[zanzibar]

If it costs half a million to get level 50 in sword, then maybe you aren\'t supposed to get level 50 in sword. :-D


Power levelling doesn\'t give you a story to tell.  Being able to kill everyone else doesn\'t give you leadership qualities.

[Neryam]

Before you do the wipe and the big update, it would be reealy nice if some new skills were introduced so we could play with those after the wipe instead of being all bitter and training up again.  

[Verrliit]

Xordan, not to be rude, and I hope you do not take offense, but I feel you did not pay attention to me.

Those who leveled to a max stat in a matter of weeks, did so  by playing for 60 to 100 hours a week.  NOT simply exploiting  a bug in targeting that is triggered half the time, whenever there is a group attack anyway.

Many can vouch for my nearly constant presence on the server, as well that of most of the more creative and dedicated RP players.  We worked to stay ahead of the rest, at the edge of our endurance, because our established characters and storylines required us to do so, in order to continue.  

In all the time since the wipe, I have dueled perhaps five times, and I have challenged no one.

The high level I have worked so hard to achieve is an indespensable basis upon which The Dark Lady Verrliit, Poet and Seer, Vessel for the Living Darkness, Warlord of the TBoA and Consort to the Great Ganinos, exists.

My story cannot continue unless I am deadly.  

I maxed several skills and several attribs prior to the wipe, in my first four weeks.  It was my first experience with an online game.

All but a few of those around me, simply did not work as hard.  Then or now.

For they are not desperate, as I am, to continue the story of their heart\'s desire.

I come here to dream out loud, with others who feel the same.  This is not just a game, it has become instead, a part of my life that I have always wanted, but could never live any other way....

This is the essence of RP in PS.  If the characters are completely wiped again, even though we were promised that they would not be, then the players cannot help but feel betrayed, their efforts discarded as worthless, and the magic that exists here between the players, may well be destroyed entirely.



Sincerely,


The Dark Lady
verrliit

[zanzibar]

Powerlevelling does not constitute character developement.  Period.

[oobilytoob]

This is coming from a person, who often tries to dual people, and tries to flaunt his strength:P. In a way i agree with you Shal, but it does set a kind of authority and puts them in a characters appropriate stature and view from others if needed.

[dying_inside]

hehe. second wipe eh ? dosnrt mean much. i havnt got back into the game, mac version is all bugged up etc so i cant get in. i have to wait until  new build comes out hehe.  oh well.  but yeah a complete wipe will be cool. i dont mind. its only gonna happen anyway, and this is beta so it really dosnt matter all that much.

[Verrliit]

Then tell me O fountains of selfish obtuseness, failure and blind misunderstanding, you whose souls are bereft of all Story, Poetry and Vision:

How else may I ensure that when, as has always been, some fool who wishes to test his strength, should challenge Verrliit, the Vessel of Darkness, that the Darkness shall eat him?

It is a requirement, a prerequisite for me to exist as Verrliit.  My story flows from this being an assumed fact.

Since the Wipe, I have labored to the limits of my endurance, and only now do I even begin to reach that point where I can be myself again.  If I am not an opponent that is truly dangerous, I cease to be Verrliit, and my story cannot be told.

It is the background, the canvas upon which I paint, a mere setting for the truly difficult task of telling my story.



From Nothingness, by force of Will,
for Beauty, Love, Dark Power\'s thrill,

with Logic twisted, odd and Fell,
a Monstrous thought I shall foretell,

That shakes the Fabric of the World,
while Heroes to their Deaths are hurled.

For I Dream Truth, and Futures Bend,
to chart a course that is Legend.




The Dark Lady
Verrliit

[zanzibar]

Originally posted by oobilytoob
This is coming from a person, who often tries to dual people, and tries to flaunt his strength:P. In a way i agree with you Shal, but it does set a kind of authority and puts them in a characters appropriate stature and view from others if needed.

I flaunt nothing.  I just enjoy killing people.