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Greetings,
As many of you have noticed, there has been some changes to the rarity
of certain equipment, but there has also been a few other changes to
both equipment and skills that I think is worth mentioning in a common
board post.
This is what has changed recently:
1. SOME EQUIPMENT HAS BECOME MORE RARE
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Some of the better EQ in the game that used to be extremely common and
(too) easy to get is now more rare. So, more items now work like crystal
axes, golden tridents, and other really good EQ. Sometimes the NPC will
have it, sometimes not.
WHY?
For a long time, some of the best equipment in certain categories have
been extremely common. One example is the sturdy greaves/bracers from
Raumdor. We feel that it is a bit odd, and not very good game design,
that almost all players walk around with top-tier bracers/greaves. There
are currently several hundreds copies of these items in the game, and
that's without counting the ones in offline players inventories. This is
just one example, and there are more pieces of equipment that are just
too good to be so common.
Also, if top-tier items in a category are really common, it kind of
makes all other items in the same category more or less useless, which
also is a bit boring. I think it's better if players and guilds have
more varied equipment of different quality (instead of "many" of the
best), and it will also become more special to actually have top-tier
stuff. I also hope this change will make EQ-trades between players more
common, and increase the prices for both top-tier and second-tier items
when auctioned.
So, the AoB team has been/is going through our equipment, making good
stuff that used to be very common more rare. Is this a nerf? Well, yes,
and while I totally understand if some of you feel this is bad for you
personally, I really do think it will make the game more fun for all
players in the long run, and I hope you understand why we've made this
change.
2. SOME EQUIPMENT HAS BECOME MORE COMMON
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Some items that used to be extremely rare are now a bit more common. So,
if you've killed something many many times without getting what you were
looking for, and maybe even given up on trying, it might be a good idea
to give it another shot.
WHY?
We also understand that if things become TOO rare, it makes it pointless
to even try to go get it. EQ-hunting should be fun, and if you never get
anything it's not fun. Therefore, some of the items that used to be
extremely rare, (so rare that you would almost never get them) are now a
bit more common.
Please note that the changes to drop rates is an ongoing process, and
there may be further tweaks. We also appreciate your feedback on these
changes.
3. THE DURABILITY OF MANY WEAPONS HAS CHANGED
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For a long time, some weapon types have been more durable than others,
and that's not really fair. So, from now on, all weapon types are equal
in that regard. This means that some weapon types have become slightly
more fragile, while others are now a bit more durable. The "average
durability" of weapons remain the same, though, so what some weapon types
lost, other weapon types gained.
WHY?
Well, this one is pretty straightforward. It really made little sense
from a game balance perspective that some weapon types were more durable
than others. From now on, all weapon types have the same risk to dull and
break, which of course is more fair. Note that this change does NOT affect
specific weapons that were made to be extra-fragile or extra-durable.
These weapons will maintain their special properties. Now, since most
weapons follow the default setting for their weapon type the majority of
our weapons have been affected by this change.
4. THE COST TO TRAIN SOME SKILLS HAS CHANGED
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We have made an update to how much skills cost to train, as there has been
a pretty big imbalance in that area as well. Now similar skills will also
cost the same to train.
WHY?
This change is also very logical. Before, some skills were just more
expensive than others for no apparent reason. For example, sword was
almost twice as expensive to train compared to club. That didn't really make
sense. So, some skills have had their cost adjusted, either up or down,
so that the cost is much more balanced for skills that belong to the same
category.
Big thanks to the AoB team for making these changes. I definitely think
they will have a positive effect on the game.
Cherek, Keeper of Genesis