PATCH Patch Notes April 28, 2019

[Yu the Sorceress]

. It often only takes 1 blue to fight back and make a difference. If all the blues started running hybrid builds and actually fighting back they could start killing reds together and having that much more fun in the game. Repentance should be next on the chopping block to make killing reds more rewarding and playing them more intense.

This is so correct. A lot of times just fighting back will make them run away, most reds go EX EB and if you don't die they just panic and run away. Of course, there are good ones who will rick roll a group of blues no problem, but the vast majority are bad. The issue is no one even attempts to fight back and just flees and forget to use skills or have 0 resist and die to 3 spells.

The repentance thing is interesting. I once spent a day killing and res killing people at an idoc that dropped because we wanted to place, but the location was bugged. But we just stayed and kept killing people because it was fun. After about 170 counts I repented and I was back blue on Monday. The total cost was like 18K or something, I don't remember exactly, but it wasn't anything serious.

I don't really know the solution to reds and repenting. The issue is that the timeout sucks, but anyone smart knows how to get around it. You put all your reds on the same account and you don't res them until you are done for the day. That way the account wide issue isn't a big deal. So you get 5 reds on one account and PK nonstop until all 5 die. Then before you are done for the day you res up all 5. Pay the fees and get the account time out and go to bed. Wake up and repeat.

Then repent when you feel you have too many counts on one character on all 5 characters and take a 3 day PKing break. Which isn't a big deal either. The main thing is you can still fight the entire time. You can still PVP and do factions and CCC ETC. You just can't attack blues.

I don't know if anyone has came up with a real solution to reds that is balanced and fair. The best way is just social justice by people teaming up, forming alliances and sending out alerts. I tried this but the issue is that reds can just gate hop out. For example, darkmire level 3. I was in an alliance that said PK darkmire lvl 3 at the spiders. I instantly recall home, hit the runebook for darkmire and run to level three. I get there and the PK is already gone through the red gate. I then timed the duration to run to darkmire level three. It is 2 minutes and 30 seconds or something, I don't remember the exact time, but it was long enough that a solo PK can attack people and then gate hop before I could even respond.

= (

This is also the same way in Nursero and other large dungeons like Inferno, there is no way you can respond to a PK and get there before they get out. I honestly think aggressive actions in dungeons should prompt like a 6 minute minimum timer before you can jump through a gate. This way the PK can still hide randomly in the dungeon and wait out their timer to jump, or run out of the dungeon; while also giving players time to form up and come kill the PK if they have detect hidden and tracking.

 

[Kulle]

whlp, guess I must donate to this shard.. amazing work guys.

 

[Luthius]

Ill talk more about it in Discord, but I think moving Tracking to a 5 second cooldown could definitely be a good compromise. But I definitely think with Tracking players shouldn’t have a 100% chance to detect pks across an entire dungeon level (which is the case with 100-120 tile distance).

Currently with 120 Tracking you’d get 60 tiles in dungeons which is about 4 screens, and with a proposed 5 second Tracking skill cooldown you’d probably get a heads up when pks get 2-3 screens away, which I think is still exceptionally useful

 

[Downs]

Now can we discuss the home changes where you can't gate or recall into houses you aren't friended to @Luthius ?

Houses are already mega secure, why was this a change that happened?

 

[AreYouKidden]

Now can we discuss the home changes where you can't gate or recall into houses you aren't friended to @Luthius ?

Houses are already mega secure, why was this a change that happened?

My guess is because once someone marks a rune to your place you can never make it secure again...

 

[Luthius]

Yeah, thats the main reason. Im mostly likely going to change the handling on the mechanic so that only applies if the house is marked as Private though.
Folks have made mention that it caused some issues with running vendor houses and similar issues.

 

[konni]

I honestly don't know how people died with tracking how it was before. I guess many people didn't as the discord consensus was if you don't want to be PKed take tracking. That was the number one suggestion in discord PVM channel since the inception of the shard.

Well, if you are a new player, Tracking GM and five players enters your screen before you even can do anything overworld, then you can easily die. I see your perspective and I've read some of your forum posts. You forget that there aren't hardcore players only in here. And that it's still a game of numbers. So telling others (and new) players "how can you even die" is imho kinda arrogant.

 

[Downs]

Yeah, thats the main reason. Im mostly likely going to change the handling on the mechanic so that only applies if the house is marked as Private though.
Folks have made mention that it caused some issues with running vendor houses and similar issues.

Ugh, if someone compromises their courtyard it should be on them imo. But okay, expensive houses with courtyards that can't be marked by non-owners or friends is whatever I guess...

However, we already can't loot houses here (which adds a new dynamic to securing your house properly in my opinion, but I'm not gonna win that arguement here); but if we had a random gatehop, there was a chance to steal something on someone's character.

If someone is willing to open a gate from their house, they should be prepared to have visitors. Detect hidden is a guaranteed reveal inside a house. Seems like such a hand-holding mechanic that cuts out a type of player interaction (not a welcome one for the home owner, but come on! We're thieves....)

 

[Downs]

If courtyard security is the main reason for this change, isnt a fair compromise that only owners or friends can mark a rune?

 

[AreYouKidden]

I agree Downs

 

[DUBLINITE]

People sell houses. People place houses with courtyards in areas where a previous rune was marked. Your proposal isnt going to work

Let people enjoy their house and grief on them elsewhere.

Luthius - when you adjust tracking PLZ give back the full range against hidden characters. 50 percent of normal is just silly...not just from a combat perspective but stealthers/griefers stealing/looting then hiding and cant be found.

 

[Wuffa]

Luthius - when you adjust tracking PLZ give back the full range against hidden characters. 50 percent of normal is just silly...not just from a combat perspective but stealthers/griefers stealing/looting then hiding and cant be found.

If stealthers are a big problem for you, make a small investment in detect hidden.

For just 20 detect, it will be up to 9 tiles which is almost the same as it was, but now you'll probably have a 5 second timer which makes it vastly more powerful than it was before. If you take 50 detect it's up to 15 tiles.

 

[ZtruK]

Luthius - when you adjust tracking PLZ give back the full range against hidden characters. 50 percent of normal is just silly...not just from a combat perspective but stealthers/griefers stealing/looting then hiding and cant be found.

Meh, they got to stand still for 10 seconds after they hide. Reveal rage is massive. Detect hidden has a massive range when used on self. You can toss exp pots. So many counters. I have a dexer with 100 detect just to mess with them.

 

[ZtruK]

For just 20 detect, it will be up to 9 tiles which is almost the same as it was, but now you'll probably have a 5 second timer which makes it vastly more powerful than it was before. If you take 50 detect it's up to 15 tiles.

Detect sill does a "combat" check vs hide. 20 Detect vs GM hide will hardly ever work. Really need GM detect to be useful (50/50 shot vs GM hide). Your point still stands though.

Edit: oops realized you are talking about tracking, my bad.

 

[Yu the Sorceress]

The 5 second duration is really a buff to tracking now, it is probably as good as before even with the 50% reduction. Funny how things work.

 

[Wuffa]

The 5 second duration is really a buff to tracking now, it is probably as good as before even with the 50% reduction. Funny how things work.

Ignoring the lay of the land (which is the same pre and post anyway), with 5 seconds the average tracking distance is 37.5. It used to be 75, and worked across multiple dungeon levels. Not even close to being as good.

 

[Yu the Sorceress]

The multiple dungeon level stuff was never intended I believe as that was just silly you could track people in other dungeons entirely.

The point I was trying to make is that the 5 second buff helps to bring the skill back up into the probably still too good range. But it is a nice change for people who depend entirely on the skill to avoid being killed.

I still think it needs a damage nerf, the skill just does too much. 10% pvp, 25% pvm, +10 barding, Track 50 tiles in all directions for a target warning, and track 5 tiles invisible.

Crazy. I still can't believe people whined about it being useless after the 50% reduction.

 

[Yu the Sorceress]

You know what is useless? Post like the one above this one?

 

[oroechimaru]

jerk alert (lol i stealth deleted my post yu lol)

+10 barding is near useless against high end mobs though. bard skills should boost other bard skill chance like osi.

suggestion:
a. gm music/provo/peace/disco each grant +10 barding to other barding skills (max 30 if 4x gm). this goes up +5 at 110 and another +10 at 12

b. remove music from being a cap to your barding skills past gm. instead music 101-120 adds to barding bonus

c. increase provo range.

d. have provo be a creature 1 difficulty + creature 2 difficulty / 2 instead of (highest difficulty). this encourages you to use lesser spawn on the harder spawn and not fail 5+x.

 

[Downs]

People sell houses. People place houses with courtyards in areas where a previous rune was marked. Your proposal isnt going to work

Let people enjoy their house and grief on them elsewhere.

Ups the value of a secure courtyard in my opinion. My point still stands that if someone casts gate recklessly from inside their house, not letting people hop the gate limits a type of player interaction.

Yes if it's reverted, it results in potential negative consequences if you gate from your house. But that's what the draw of this game is for many, the risk factor in everything.

You open yourself up to negative consequences in many other ways while playing this game if you do something reckless, why ALL the hand holding with housing?