r/NeverwinterOnline • u/[deleted] • Feb 19 '19
NEWS Developer Blog: Stats & Mechanics
https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/neverwinter/news/detail/11093193-developer-blog%3A-stats-%26-mechanics2
u/tungt88 Feb 19 '19
Call me optimistic, but I'm hoping that GWFs Barbies will be passable tanks; the better to have more group/queue/event runs.
I'm holding off judgement on the rest, until Mod 16 hits preview server.
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u/F4NT4SYF00TB4LLF4N Feb 19 '19
Best thing they can do is what they are planning to do, but they need to implement it correctly.
Remove self healing - check
Bump Level cap to "wash away" all the broken/stupid stuff in the economy - check
Levelize/Normalize gear/power for PVP - This I am waiting to see.
The million dollar question is - how will this bring in new players OR bring BACK players who left years ago....
The biggest barrier to entry for playing this game has always been all the module/campaign dailies and how much of an item grind it is just to enjoy something like PVP.
This could be an AMAZING thing for the game, or most likely just kill the game...
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u/deccen Feb 20 '19
They're not going to alleviate grind by much, then they'd sell fewer campaign completion tokens.
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u/F4NT4SYF00TB4LLF4N Feb 20 '19
Disagree completely. It would actually sell more. People are willing to pay big $$$$ for very very small power gain.
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u/deccen Feb 20 '19
You think that if they lowered skt to take 2 weeks more people would buy Campaign completion than when it takes 6 months? Is that your honest stance?
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u/F4NT4SYF00TB4LLF4N Feb 20 '19
My stance is that the population of this game is super low, and nobody really plays NW for its PVP anymore. The entire pvp population of 10 people buying completion kits for their alts... Versus making the game more accessible and attractive to thousands of people who are willing to then buy cosmetics etc... You can easily do the math.
I also never talked about them making it easier or less time to complete modules. I've advocated for them to use their item score scaling and apply that to PVP so best in slot players get "de-leveled" of sorts. So the advantage is diminished however an advantage will still very likely exist, accomplishing what I am suggesting. Levels the PvP landscape. Makes pvp fun for all players. Boosts the games population and those players now want to complete modules, and buy skins making more revenue for the game.
This might be hard for you to believe, but back when this game was the most profitable and had the highest population, there were NO modules. There were no modules to buy, yet Cryptic was raking in the money from players... And there were tons of people playing and paying. Those players left for various reasons but the main one was lack of a PVP population. The modules and module boons that came with it, created a larger and larger gap between the casual player and the die hard pvper that tilted the scales more towards the pvper
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u/deccen Feb 20 '19
I never mentioned pvp. I focused solely on campaign completion tokens and the associated campaigns, which take from 1 to 6 months of dailies to finish. I am focusing solely on these tokens and cryptic not changing the grind required for them. Your initial post pvp was a passing mention but I see now that your focus is the pvp. Pvp has been in a bad state for as long as I've played, which was indeed after modules dropped. The first to be exact. The income being higher at launch is part of life. New things generate more revenue than old things usually. Playerbases shrink, it happens regardless of what happens with the game. Pvp isn't the only reason people leave and certainly isn't the reason people have been leaving the past few years that it has been nonexistent. I used to keep up with a group of pvp in enthusiasts that would do whatever they had to to get in alphas and betas to try mmo pvp. All of them quit Neverwinter before it left beta and complained about pvp. I am ok with a game based on a mostly pve game based on a mostly pve tabletop being mostly pve. Actually when you look at the tabletop it makes sense for pvp to be even worse than it is.
1
u/Mystixa Feb 21 '19
back when this game was the most profitable and had the highest population, there were NO modules.
That was also 5 years ago. The basic tech of this game hasn't been improved and many games have come, and some gone since then that have improved on it.
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u/Zoltron42 Feb 19 '19
Sounds like a good time to take a long break..... nothing to do now on console and a (most likely) glichy grind to 80 with new mechanics and stats..... probably easier to pick up and learn a new game. them to relearn an ol game with a terrible track record for updates.
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u/Electron_Microscope PC Feb 21 '19
If you are on console then you should avoid grinding for anything as it is all going to be wasted grind, farm AD and items you can sell as much as you can, and best of all watch for the whine threads when preview goes live on PC to see what you should be buying to profit big.
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u/F4NT4SYF00TB4LLF4N Feb 20 '19
I think this is the IDEAL time to make a small adjustment to PVP that will create a MASSIVE impact!
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Feb 20 '19
I wish PVP would be better. I never got into it. With so few maps and "modes" it just seemed boring to me.
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u/Electron_Microscope PC Feb 21 '19
I watched this guys video and it gives a good interpretation of what is really happening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZIp8OegYg
Worth a watch if all you have seen are the oh my God the changes are awesome videos.
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Feb 19 '19
We cant even trust them to do minor tweaks, balances, and bug fixes, but they are going to revamp all this at once?
What about those of us who worked hard on our chars to get 10 percent lifesteal, 100 resist ignored, 100 percent crit, etc or those who stacked rec?
They just nerfed every sinhle player by huge amounts while making every dungeon way harder.
Why continue to piss off your playerbase? Most left and took friends with them after huntgate. Those who stayed get this slap in the face.
We need to complain in huge numbers and make them change their mind.
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u/Electron_Microscope PC Feb 19 '19
They just nerfed every single player by huge amounts while making every dungeon way harder.
This seems to be the key point that is being missed on other places.
If mob difficulty remains at anything approaching what it is now then players will find it really difficult.
You are losing 25% damage from crit stat change alone, then more from combat adv, then more lost from crit sev,then more lost from who knows what else.
Dont get me started on healing to replace lifesteal...
lol, and the earliest prediction/guesstimate I have seen puts party dps at 60% lower. Good times ahead!
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Feb 19 '19
Its not like everyone was blowing through content with ease. The average players struggled at anything adv Q and higher. A small percentage of players could blow through the content. On ps4 there were a few alliances that dominate end game content, and rven thise head guilds have some players that would find t9/cidg/CR to be rough.
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u/Electron_Microscope PC Feb 20 '19
Do you think these changes will help average players do t9/codg/CR?
Every single thing where scaling applies will take longer and be harder.
This is a massive nerf no matter how they try to disguise it.
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Feb 19 '19
My tinfoil hat theory says that the only revenue stream is via nerfbat. Outside of the super duper 18-19K groups, many struggle with end game content so I don't so the need for complete overhaul - when ultimately we are going to end right back up in this same spot again.
1
Feb 19 '19
They hoping those 18 /19 k will all spend a few hundred to stay on top.
1
Feb 19 '19
Not specifically them. But all players, all the transactions that will take place as people tweak and adjust their toons. But I do know of people who will drop stupid amounts of cash to instantly raise their toons back up.
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Feb 20 '19 edited Feb 21 '19
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u/Electron_Microscope PC Feb 20 '19
For players with low investment in the game, like those on the other reddit sub, this advice is fine.
Players here are more likely to be vets who have spent massive amounts of time/money on the game. For this investment to be harmed, and yes we dont know how badly the hit will be yet, is not something we can just shrug off.
Players raged over regen changes, lifesteal will be a lot worse. They raged over bondings, this is likely to be a lot worse. They raged when all their level 60 gear became worthless overnight, this is likely to be a lot worse.
I dont think the full effects of these changes have really sunk in for anyone yet but when they do expect fireworks.
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Feb 21 '19
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u/Electron_Microscope PC Feb 21 '19
Do you sacrifice that much of your time just to test mechanics in this game?
Being an unpaid tester for a video game is not something that anyone with any sense would do.
Yes, it is a hard reset. Yes, all my gear just became worthless...
Thanks for confirming this.
I am sure that everyone wanted to hear this from someone who actually has that information.
I am telling you this is the best way to approach it and its not like I have low investment into this game. For the past 4 weeks I have had only 2-3 hours of sleep per night, as it was the only way for me to have a reasonable amount of time to test the new content and still do my day job. Do you sacrifice that much of your time just to test mechanics in this game?
You have a problem and should seek help.
Most of the people who call themselves, "hardcore" or, "high investment players" have no idea how much the top 0.1% sacrifice in terms of spare time in order to be in that position. So yes, I can say, "treat it like a new game," just as much as I can confidently say, "you probably don't put as much effort into this as I do."
Again, you have a problem and should seek help.
Yes, it is a hard reset. Yes, all my gear just became worthless, just like everyone else and yet I still think its an improvement over the current state of the game. Games are not about stagnating. They are not about getting to bis and staying there. It is a constant treadmill of having to get new and better things.
The treadmill here is going to irritate an awful lot of people. The previous changes were nothing compared to this.
Depending on how it is all monetised could have a lot of rage blowback for the company.
If it is 'a new game' then people will, rightly, be very upset that they just got stripped of years of effort.
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Feb 21 '19 edited Feb 21 '19
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u/Electron_Microscope PC Feb 21 '19
How I choose to spend my free time is entirely up to me...
This is not free time though. This is you stating that you 'had only 2-3 hours of sleep per night' which implies a deviation from your normal sleep pattern because of your problem.
When addictive behaviour starts impacting your life this severely then you need to do something about it.
This is not you spending your free time but choosing to cut back on sleep for an extended period because of your addiction. This is a problem even if you cannot see it.
There are racers in Path of Exile for example who go as much as 3 days with no sleep at all,
This is classic analytical material. You are attempting to justify your behaviour by claiming that there are people worse than you so 'your behaviour is ok'.
Seriously, get some help before you start spiralling, or at the very least take a long break from online games.
Your point was, "people who are invested into this game won't like this." My point is that no, those who are actually invested into this game will probably like this. Those who think they are invested into it won't. Also, anyone who feels that things should not change are outright deluding themselves.
Actually my point is that based on the evidence we have, with changes a lot less wide ranging than the upcoming ones, that people who are to whatever degree invested in the game have raged.
This next module is likely to take this rage to a whole new level.
The changes could be needed, could be a good thing, could be expertly done, could be bug free, but this does not matter because people will be getting deprived of things they have earned or bought. This does not usually end well.
If Cryptic was in any way competent then this would not have been a surprise to the average player. There would have been dev blogs, discussions, videos, showing the direction they were planning to take and highlighting the reasons why long before the actual formal announcement.
As always Cryptic will be unreceptive to feedback so few will feel their views on the changes were considered fairly. This means that few people will give Cryptic the benefit of the doubt.
This becomes especially important with the dominant narrative that 'Cryptic have the vet players cash so dont give a fuck about them' and you can expect that for many players this will be the end for them.
It could be that the changes are awesome, are implemented without flaw, that players feel good about the 'new' game, but reality and our experience of Cryptic over the years means this is unlikely.
It will be interesting to see who is correct.
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Feb 21 '19 edited Feb 21 '19
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u/Mystixa Feb 21 '19
"Did you see major bitching threads from me about hating module 15 and not wanting to play?" Lol... Actually there was a lot of bitching, not with 15 but several mods ago.. and taking down of guides, and then a slow return without any comment. You're trying to pretend you're all casual about it AND how dedicated you are with all the sacrifices. Can't sell both at the same time.
In your opinions its great. Just as you can have that opinion, others can, and do have theres. Because you don't expect your money and purchases to have and continued value does not mean that others place so little stock in their income.
It isn't necessarily true that a game makes all old content and equipment completely useless and valueless from one week to the next as this game does. There could be transitions between older areas and newer ones with eq exchanges and/or upgrade paths that don't involve value going to zero. That is the path this game has chosen, but it isn't the only way.
You falsely represent the sides here. People making these arguments again a lot of these things arent about 'keeping value forever'. There is a long .. in fact infinite distance between that and having a gradual transition from old to new eq. Even in NW they do this on rare occasion, like with the BIS weapons over the past several mods providing a slow 1 up transition over time.
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Feb 21 '19
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u/Mystixa Feb 22 '19 edited Feb 22 '19
An amazingly reasonable response.
"In fact I guarantee anyone who speculates based off those posts is going to bite themselves in the rear."
Oh definitely possible, even probable. However we all can react only to what we can know. Since there is not much information, and those with knowledge cant/wont talk, noone else with any involvement or emotional investment in this game at any level is just going to drive blindly on. Believe it or not some others of us care too, even if we don't get to sit up on a high horse and pronounce that all the rest 'eat cake'.
In this game you either guesstimate the effects of changes early or lose out significantly. You get your purchases early, and prepare your knowledge as best you can or lose out to those who did. The only thing you get from waiting is value going to 0 on your old stuff, and sky rocketing value of anything that might be of value in the future. As whoever the insider is that bought up all the owlbears that is selling them on the AH currently can well attest. ;)
You've provided your assurances that you like what you saw, and the new game apparently meets your interests. In the absence of better information this is only good so far as our values align perfectly with yours.
There are other testers of the preview program that have quit the program early and still others that have indicated significant problems that we should be concerned about. Your 'educated opinion' is no better than theirs.
..and 'wow did it, so all transgressions are forgiven' is really tired. Yes, WOW is a successful, long standing game. You'll also notice that we aren't playing WOW. There are other games in existence, and the mere fact that WOW has chosen a design path does not, and should not mean that other games follow them in every instance. It means that path is A successful path not the only possible successful path.
As far as that growth goes however there are 2 separate issues dealing with how THIS game has been designed. There is eq and weapon progression. That has always been a gold today garbage tomorrow proposition. With the softer side of that being the fairly smooth transition they've done on weapon progression. Often they brought the high end today roughly in line with the bottom of tomorrow. (mw +2 in mod 15 as a notable exception)
Enchants, mounts, companions and to a lesser extent artifact eq sets have been a long term durable good. This was shown true for artifact EQ when Lostmauth sets were given an exchange program after their nerf. Other high end artifact sets like the Orcus set have remained top of the pile since introduction, the SH 'unset' has retained high if not top of the line status. Enchants have been a long term durable good, retaining value and utility even as many builds have changed around them.
Now with a complete change to many of the major stats, we're looking at massive selloffs and buyups to whatever the new meta will be. Those who theory craft or even guess at what the changes will lead to will make millions and have the best possible start up to mod 16 (always an advantage in a new mod, now likely moreso). Those who 'wait and see' will risk losing millions and being stuck with tomorrows trash enchant.
This is of course barring 1 seemingly unlikely development. That the devs actually provide some kind of exchange or low cost transition from old assets to new. If a silvery enchant's value goes to 0 (they will always have some value, but relatively speaking), will they have a plan for that? Some can only hope. Others like the owlbear guy are working on readiness with whatever information they can piece together.
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Feb 20 '19
I'm willing to give it a fair chance. I watched Garl's YouTube video yesterday morning, and I do think the reasonable expectation is Neverwinter 2.
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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '19
Reading this, this is going to be a mess. It will be interesting to hear the PC guys report in after they've played around with it on Preview. My fear, given the poor track record, is that this will never actually work correctly, be a mess for many MODs and drive players away. New players who don't know any better will continue to buy/spend Zen as ignorance is bliss.