AMA with Phelan -Answers Part II -Discussion-

  • Thread: AMA with Phelan -Answers Part II


    [...]The zone crashes are also a big annoyance, for you as well as the Sysadmins that have to get up at night.

    More specific: Usually the Zones don't crash but some of the Scripts. The best (an easiest to reproduce) example is the Naga Bridge Event thingy in Savage Lands. The one with the worst impact is Bloody Battlefield in Chrysalia. Xaviera is basically the only zone with regular crashes (and even that is really rare).

    There are several types of script issues:

    -> seemingly random crashes (XMas Bank Robbery)

    -> scripts which work less and less (Bloody Battlefield)

    -> don't start at all (Chaos Vortex: Evil)

    -> reproduceable crashes (Naga Bridge)

    -> "fixable" scripts (Red Riding Hood Event/XMas Bank Robbery)


    Script issues which are reproducable should be the ones which are easiest to fix, because we can exactly point out the issue. Sadly most scripts won't work that way. Also we rely on RW to fix all the stuff.

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    Are there any plans to make the normal-mode for instances useful again? Today you can't run anything if you don't have 10-12 people because if you have less, then nobody wants to run normal-mode instead of hard-mode even if they know that they won't get enough people for hard-mode during the next hours. The reason for this is: - 95% of the stats that drop in normal-mode are crap and nobody wants to run for hours to get 1 good stat in the end that he has to share with 5 other people - Hard-mode gear is much more powerful than normal-mode gear so even people who know that they will never be able to run hard-mode refuse to run normal-mode and prefer to buy hard-mode gear in auction house - With every new zone there is usually only 1 useful piece of accessory that you can buy for ancient mementos and once you got that piece, all you can buy for mementos is mats for crafting or guild which makes mementos pretty obsolete nowadays compared to the times where you had a chance to get good stats on memento items

    Is this question more about the difficulty of the inis or more about the drop rates? But useful instance content for all item levels are important. We will be looking into the normal mode.

    Both. But main issue are the drop rates (or rather the lack therof) of "good" stats. (It's not that easy to define which stats are good ones...)

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    Will you be reviewing things in the game so you can make relevant updates? eg. Looking at the blue quest gear items and ensuring still workable/relevant and providing updated Experience Points/Talent Points for quests or providing more or longer potions free for new people questing because getting to cap in a few days is not achievable to all. Updating festival event items and titles. Changing up events for new ones or new mini games. Providing access to more rare recipes ingame to enable people to be more self sufficient.

    That is an easy one: Yes.

    Here is quite a gap between equipment in the same levelrange (in special until level 50).

    Frost Island (Coast of Opportunity/Xaviera) vs. Candara (Howling Mountains-Aotulia Volcano).


    As for missing items/recipies: Add them in that thread: [Collection]Missing/Unobtainable Items Ingame . I'll try to add them internally to the itemlist.


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    Will next content be reasonably tested and only released, and only released when it’s fit to be played – and not shut down 2h later?

    RoM really is special when it comes to behavior in a testing environment and in real life ☹ It is not that we release untested content (well.. the SW is best tested under real conditions, that is why we have a.. shall we say long beta phase), it is that once the servers are open weird stuff happens.

    I like that one... Most of the issues mentioned related to scripts never appear in a test environment simply because we don't have enough load on those scripts.

    Bugs -> mostly script issues. see above.

    Balancing -> RoM is a mess when it comes to balancing. We need some ways to add additional difficulty but don't remove access to good equipment for most of the server.

    Du bist mit einer Entscheidung von mir nicht zufrieden? Kontaktiere meinen Superior SaitoHajime

  • RE: Normal Mode


    Like Grimthar said, it's the lack of "good" drops.


    Pretty much all of the gear & stats are not worthwhile. eg, there are some instances where you get better stats from easy mode.


    This should tie into the game balance you brought up earlier. Players, no matter what game, like to feel that there is some kind of progression.


    In RoM, instances are Easy->Hard. Normal mode doesn't exist because it has 0 value to the players.


    We've pointed out various ways to make Normal mode worthwhile, but here's a quick list:


    1. Make the gear something you would wear. Possibly a "weaker" version of the HM gear & requires all of the pieces for a set bonus.

    2. Make stat drops better. Even if you make the 1st 1-2 bosses drop easy mode stats, the 3rd+ boss should drop real stats: stam/patk, dex/patk, int/matk, etc... not wis/def or str/magic def

    3. Final boss should always have a chance to drop 1 random HM piece and/or 1 orange stat


    The idea is to run easy mode to get geared up/statted for Normal mode & Normal mode for HM, right?

  • No, hardmode gear should be for hardmode, and also i disagree with orange stats. Just by putting the good stats into normal mode already makes it worthwhile to run. Was like this for years up until ac. Personally i think like this it's already fine.

  • Thread: AMA with Phelan -Answers Part II

    Quote
    Are there any plans to make the normal-mode for instances useful again? Today you can't run anything if you don't have 10-12 people because if you have less, then nobody wants to run normal-mode instead of hard-mode even if they know that they won't get enough people for hard-mode during the next hours. The reason for this is: - 95% of the stats that drop in normal-mode are crap and nobody wants to run for hours to get 1 good stat in the end that he has to share with 5 other people - Hard-mode gear is much more powerful than normal-mode gear so even people who know that they will never be able to run hard-mode refuse to run normal-mode and prefer to buy hard-mode gear in auction house - With every new zone there is usually only 1 useful piece of accessory that you can buy for ancient mementos and once you got that piece, all you can buy for mementos is mats for crafting or guild which makes mementos pretty obsolete nowadays compared to the times where you had a chance to get good stats on memento items

    Is this question more about the difficulty of the inis or more about the drop rates? But useful instance content for all item levels are important. We will be looking into the normal mode.

    The difficulty is ok in my opinion. But the rewards are useless. What people need is:

    • Gear (drop rate of high dura gear seems to be pretty low but that's ok since you want to sell golden hammers)
      • Easy mode gear is crap
      • Normal mode gear is ok
      • But hard mode gear is much more powerful than normal mode gear
      • Even crafted gear seems to be better than normal mode gear (at least many people wear crafted gear but I never saw anyone wearing normal mode gear)
    • Stats
      • You can get good stats for shells
      • You can get good stats for honor points (but these are the same as for shells so you can't combine them)
      • You can get good stats in hard mode (however even hard mode drop lot of crap stats)
      • You cannot get useful stats for energy of justice
      • You cannot get useful stats for ancient mementos
      • You cannot get useful stats in easy mode
      • You cannot get useful stats in normal mode (except for a small chance at the last boss)
    • Juwels / Slot drillers (use can buy these in the itemshop)

    As you can see, running normal mode is a waste of time (you get lot of mementos but can't buy much for them; gear is comparable to crafted gear but much harder to get and since ROM is about to max out your gear, everybody is just aiming for the best gear; stats are useless).


    Definition of useful stats: During the last years it turned out that the best way to clear an ini is to have a tank with maximum hitpoint (no need to have much attack since aggro is gained by runes/buffs/skills/food) and damage dealers with maximum attack (no hitpoints/defense needed when you can kill the boss before it casts it's deadly attacks).

    Useful stats:

    • Sta/Hp + Sta/Def for tanks
    • Str/Patk for strength based damage dealers
    • Dex/Patk for dexterity based damage dealers
    • Int/Matk for magical damage dealers
    • Wis/Sta for wisdom based healers

    All other stats are crap, even stats that combine stamina (or hitpoints or defense) with your primary attribute or attack (as explained above).

  • Definition of useful stats: During the last years it turned out that the best way to clear an ini is to have a tank with maximum hitpoint (no need to have much attack since aggro is gained by runes/buffs/skills/food) and damage dealers with maximum attack (no hitpoints/defense needed when you can kill the boss before it casts it's deadly attacks).

    Useful stats:

    Sta/Hp + Sta/Def for tanks
    Str/Patk for strength based damage dealers
    Dex/Patk for dexterity based damage dealers
    Int/Matk for magical damage dealers
    Wis/Sta for wisdom based healers

    All other stats are crap, even stats that combine stamina (or hitpoints or defense) with your primary attribute or attack (as explained above).

    Except the one with the tank i can completely agree with your whole text. (Ok you forgot the shell stats for honor-points but this is minor).

    Just the tank thing - it turned out to be the best way when the tank has also got a lot of Atk since tanking in chain-gear is also possible and the tank also becomes half a damage dealer - too much HP or Def isn´t needed at all.

    And you forgot about the Champions and the Buffgear for Mages


    Therefore add Sta/Patk, Sta/Str to the "List of useful stats"


    For the rest of Phelans ... let´s call it concoction - see DE section..


    • Even crafted gear seems to be better than normal mode gear (at least many people wear crafted gear but I never saw anyone wearing normal mode gear)

    Normal mode and crafted gear are part of same set, ppl wear crafted mostly cuase they can choose which items got better green bonus and cause they can fit them better on the rest of their sets. Plus none farm normal mode inies even if they got decent gear, maybe not armor: like best offhand dagger, best healer staff...


    So leave the best armor to hard mode but improve the appetibility for the items in normal mode with non-canonical gear.

    Ranged weap with healing bonus? Talisman with elemental bonus?

    We have so many class combo and a very restricted pool of gears.


    And yes, normal mode should drop more decent stats.

    Wiped at 0% Will's Curse - Medusa - Andriol - Vrantal - Charionys - Naos - Yawaka - Gugolar

  • the 20 slot storage chest is not available in the shop for diamonds it is for rubies only.

    http://www.rom-welten.de/database/view.php?id=201383

    this item should be available for diamonds all the time. people need storage and to have these in the shop for rubies only is not a good decision at all. this item used to be in the shop for 99 diamonds and players bought them some had close to 100 of them in their houses. and then this in turn made them buy house energy to keep all of them open.

  • Heron

    Closed the thread.