Feedback Squish the game!

[Darfler]

I can't be the only one that feels this way, but stats and DMG numbers need to be squished.

The runaway DMG inflation that needs to be curbed back down to make abilities feel like they mean something. Seeing things like 14B and 900m pop up on the screen is ridiculous, not to mention the infinitely cluttered appearance of it.

Ability bloat has also gotten way out of hand. There's too many skills and spells to manage without macroing your rotation to one or two buttons and that's ends up getting rid of most player agency other than don't stand in fire.

I really want to play the current live game, but it's too out of control To be enjoyable.

With that said, I can't wait for the new TLE in June lol.

 

[Evilary]

I have wondered if they could do something like resolve as a new stat but with it, arrange for the numbers to drop or reset. New stat "Awesome" added. Monsters will not be able to be damaged unless you have this "Awesome" stat. Using the below for an example, Helm of Awesome could have low stats again but the new stat would allow them to reset new content without having to change all of the older content to match.

You could have the "Awesome" stat be equal in stats to the highest gear from the last expansion so you wouldn't have to have a set for older content and a set for newer content. Basically you can murder older content as long as you have the "Awesome" stat and the new content be balanced around the stat.

Helm of Awesome
Int: 5
Def: 5
Pot: 1
Awe: 1

 

[Evilary]

I don't think they have the manpower or the time to do a stat squish for the entire game so the previous post is one of the only ways I could see them ever lowering the stat numbers. And to be honest, I have no idea if the above post is even possible.

 

[Cusashorn]

They actually addressed this in the recent AMA: They pretty much can't because it would severely flat-out *break* the content of specific expansions.

Every expansion has progressively better gear than the last, but there are certain points in the game's history, namely at Planes of Prophecy, where a stat squish would make the intended experience so egregiously broken that nobody would be able to kill anything to actually progress.

 

[Chikkin]

it's really odd how all these posts about problems of old, live servers are made by people who are playing or plan to play current and/or future TLE servers. Maybe this is exactly the server for you, Daybreak makes money on those servers, they keep making them. So go play them and please stop trying to change how old school servers work, there are people who play there and enjoy it as is.

I don't want nothing squished

 

[Evilary]

it's really odd how all these posts about problems of old, live servers are made by people who are playing or plan to play current and/or future TLE servers. Maybe this is exactly the server for you, Daybreak makes money on those servers, they keep making them. So go play them and please stop trying to change how old school servers work, there are people who play there and enjoy it as is.

I don't want nothing squished

Personally, I would quit the game if they did a major squish that broke everything. When they did the level squish in WoW and took half the levels away, that's when I left and never looked back. I was trying to offer a diplomatic solution that could be a compromise and got frowny faced. Ahh well, I guess you lose some and then lose some more...

 

[vlada]

/frowns

 

[Darfler]

well here's hoping with the origin server being completely separate from the live servers they can rectify the mistakes along the way

 

[Darfler]

I don't think they have the manpower or the time to do a stat squish for the entire game so the previous post is one of the only ways I could see them ever lowering the stat numbers. And to be honest, I have no idea if the above post is even possible.

Yea, bliz did it but they have 900+ ppl working so they have the resources to throw at a problem like this. Also, i wouldnt want the levels to squish, just the damage, stats and ability bloat.

 

[Cusashorn]

well here's hoping with the origin server being completely separate from the live servers they can rectify the mistakes along the way

The origin server isn't going to progress beyond that very specific point in 2006 when class progression and sub-combines were removed, but the overland zones weren't yet turned into solo content. It'll be interesting to see how stale it gets if they don't plan on releasing expansions for it down the line, because they would have to then change everything into solo content and close it down at the Destiny of Velious expansion just like every other TLE.

 

[Bakual]

I have wondered if they could do something like resolve as a new stat but with it, arrange for the numbers to drop or reset. New stat "Awesome" added. Monsters will not be able to be damaged unless you have this "Awesome" stat. Using the below for an example, Helm of Awesome could have low stats again but the new stat would allow them to reset new content without having to change all of the older content to match.

You could have the "Awesome" stat be equal in stats to the highest gear from the last expansion so you wouldn't have to have a set for older content and a set for newer content. Basically you can murder older content as long as you have the "Awesome" stat and the new content be balanced around the stat.

Helm of Awesome
Int: 5
Def: 5
Pot: 1
Awe: 1

Technically, that is more or less what Resolve does, you can't damage a mob without having that new "awesome" ability with enough value.

The problem with "resetting" stats like INT with a new expansion is: You would need a second set of equipment for all content prior to that stat squish. Or the new "awesome" stat would have to have an scaling effect on all other stats in previous expansions zones.
Likely a nightmare to code

I think it would actually already help if they just abbreviated the numbers in all places. Instead of showing the spell damage as 6.635.128.193.959 in the spell description where you need to count the dots, just write it as 6,635 trillion.

 

[Darfler]

Technically, that is more or less what Resolve does, you can't damage a mob without having that new "awesome" ability with enough value.

The problem with "resetting" stats like INT with a new expansion is: You would need a second set of equipment for all content prior to that stat squish. Or the new "awesome" stat would have to have an scaling effect on all other stats in previous expansions zones.
Likely a nightmare to code

I think it would actually already help if they just abbreviated the numbers in all places. Instead of showing the spell damage as 6.635.128.193.959 in the spell description where you need to count the dots, just write it as 6,635 trillion.

or just 66,350 total.

 

[Bakual]

or just 66,350 total.

You would have to adjust all mobs across the game to do that. Or you would need hours to kill a trash mob in previous expansion zones.
That's why this will not happen. Even if it would make sense. It's just to much work and to much things that can and will break.

 

[Randalph]

If we ever want healing mechanics that work and function again a stat squish is needed. Its obviously the developers cannot control the out of control stat inflation. The mismatch between health pools, incoming damage and outgoing healing is so messed up that casting any heals will 0.1% -> 100% some one instantly.

Healing on TLE vs Live is two completely different games and TLE is by far the superior healing experience where even healers without broad ward coverage can solo heal 99.99% of the content. You can literally see when a tank or group buster is being cast and can plan for it. On live the constant surge damage and random ramp ups with no real in game indication is bad game design and its another example of a band aid with no real solution in sight.

 

[Mesander]

This entire subject is exactly the reason the TLE servers are successful and will remain as such for a long time. I don't have any details but I know it's been discussed a few times. I really feel like the other comments here about the work involved are correct. It's a daunting task that appears to be beyond the scope of a reasonable project. It'll probably never happen - otherwise it would've been done already.

 

[Darfler]

@darkpaw any kind of statement in regards to stat squish?

 

[Chikkin]

@darkpaw any kind of statement in regards to stat squish?

they already answered in Ask me anything the answers thread in Announcements.

Q: Are there any plans or discussions involving a game wide stat/number squish? Is it just too much work for the team you have now or is it something that may possibly happen in the future?
Caith: There has been much discussion, but there are no plans for a game wide stat reduction for a variety of reasons. One of the primary reasons it is unlikely to happen is how content is designed in the game. EverQuest 2 was designed in a way that gives developers a lot of freedom in how they implement content, which allows them to make the content more flexible and unique. The downside of this is that developers can implement things in innumerable ways, and any rebalance of that content would be a manual process. So in short, a stat reduction would require hand tuning of almost every encounter in the game.

 

[Llopod]

they already answered in Ask me anything the answers thread in Announcements.

Q: Are there any plans or discussions involving a game wide stat/number squish? Is it just too much work for the team you have now or is it something that may possibly happen in the future?
Caith: There has been much discussion, but there are no plans for a game wide stat reduction for a variety of reasons. One of the primary reasons it is unlikely to happen is how content is designed in the game. EverQuest 2 was designed in a way that gives developers a lot of freedom in how they implement content, which allows them to make the content more flexible and unique. The downside of this is that developers can implement things in innumerable ways, and any rebalance of that content would be a manual process. So in short, a stat reduction would require hand tuning of almost every encounter in the game.

sounds like lazy. am i the only one okay with no having xpacs for a year or 2 while they slowly redo content n fix the game?

 

[Sedient]

sounds like lazy. am i the only one okay with no having xpacs for a year or 2 while they slowly redo content n fix the game?

Yes I'm ok with it. No it probably won't happen. The fall-off in revenue would probably be a death nail. They would essentially need to take a year of revenue as an investment into the game. At the end, they would have the same player base (even if there was a minor bump) Probably better to take those same dollars and put into a new game that would attract significantly more attention.

 

[Melkior]

sounds like lazy. am i the only one okay with no having xpacs for a year or 2 while they slowly redo content n fix the game?

Not lazy, just a different prioritization of the resources available to them. For better or for worse, this game gets the majority of its cash infusion off of microtransactions to upgrade mounts, gear, spells, etc. No new content would mean that revenue would vanish. The players that make those transactions would as well.