EddardStark
Explorer
After Wacky's comments that the EXP is up for debate, I would like to start the very important discussion: How should this server's EXP table be changed? Hopefully these are all good options, please vote for the one which you think fits best with your vision for this server. If all of these are drastically different from your opinion feel free to vote other and specify.
I want to preface by saying, my intention is to be as unbiased as I can by putting forward Pros and Cons of each option and I truly want the best for this server to be successful in having a large playerbase, good player retention, and most importantly rewarding gameplay. There will be 5 different options and other please specify option.
Please also see Code's thread: Experience in Perspective for a useful visual graph on how a slightly different EXP curve would look like and other discussion on the matter. Also whatever the rate is specified take that as meaning 'rate less than the exp table', e.g 1.3x exp= '1.3x exp less than the exp table'.
OPTION 1 1x EXP
PROS:
PROS:
PROS:
PROS:
OPTION 5 Regressive EXP
PROS
Please outline a different EXP option and outline your reasons and thoughts as to why.
To summarise, I myself think that OPTION 4, Progressive Exp would be the preferred option. I think it strikes a good balance of rewarding gameplay and player retention as more people will stay when they see 'more levels more exp'. I myself do not see much common sense in making yet another 1x server which has proven to have many flaws and little player retention. I truly believe that RevivalStory can be something great if the EXP is adjusted so please cast a vote and also feel free to comment and contribute to this discussion!
I want to preface by saying, my intention is to be as unbiased as I can by putting forward Pros and Cons of each option and I truly want the best for this server to be successful in having a large playerbase, good player retention, and most importantly rewarding gameplay. There will be 5 different options and other please specify option.
Please also see Code's thread: Experience in Perspective for a useful visual graph on how a slightly different EXP curve would look like and other discussion on the matter. Also whatever the rate is specified take that as meaning 'rate less than the exp table', e.g 1.3x exp= '1.3x exp less than the exp table'.
OPTION 1 1x EXP
PROS:
- Maintain the nostalgic experience i.e How GMS was intended to be played.
- MG/TOV were already known as 1x and at many times had a solid playerbase.
- The 10x quest EXP could make a lot of sense for early levels with 1x.
- I think the biggest con to this is that there is already Phoenix server which is a 1x server with all the same content. Perhaps players have reasons to play RevivalStory over Phoenix, but I myself do not understand the logical reason as to why there should be two 1x servers. Should future players not have the option of choosing between 2 different options and also to provide a point of difference between RevivalStory and Phoenix?
- 1x is far too difficult for the majority of players. We need the learn from the lessons MG/TOV taught us and this is data OSM considered before making its server. From statistical data from TOV/MG out of 14,290 accounts created, only 12% made it past Lv. 30. I do not have the data on how many made it to Lv. 70, but I am fairly certain this number is less than 200. So from the data a very very small minority of the population across the 1 year life of a private server made it to Lv. 70 on a 1x server.
- There is very little player retention since by Lv. 90 you are grinding for about 6-7% per hour (even less for other classes such as Bandit w/ no meso explosion and Bowman) and the sheer amount of play time required to level is too difficult for most players.
- Zakum pretty much impossible.
PROS:
- A somewhat conservative balance which acknowledges the difficulty of a pure 1x server while still keeping the difficulty GMS was known for.
- Higher levels only receive a small amount of bonus (after lvl 90) compared to rest of population.
- Would probably not let players outlevel content too quickly.
- Long periods of levels with not much EXP change between them (level 50-90 at 1.5x is a very very long period of gameplay).
- The later levels after Lvl 90. will still be very very difficult.
PROS:
- An option which has not been properly tried before and would provide a real sense of difference for this server. Before you say MapleLegends, take into account that I mean a 2x Third Job server so you will never have access to all the broken 4th job skills such as Magician ultimates.
- Zakum would be achievable (Zakum has never been killed on a 3rd job server).
- Allows higher levelled players (Lv. 80+) more motivation to grind as there is still the incentive to gain levels but the game is not extremely difficult until about Lv. 110+.
- Biggest con to this is outlevelling early game content far too quickly. Only a bit of solo training you would take your character to Lv. 35 and miss KPQ, and LPQ would also make Lv. 35-50 game far too easy.
- Arguably a far step away from 1x/preserving the Old School experience.
PROS:
- Easy to understand and 'more exp for more levels' would motivate continued gameplay and player retention.
- Allows players to enjoy the early content e.g KPQ, LPQ since you don't outlevel them too quickly.
- Helps ease the pain of Level 60-80 which is a difficult stretch for pretty much all classes as you've maxed all of your 2nd job skills and won't see another significant damage boost until late Lv. 70.
- Makes Zakum achievable (maybe).
- A point of difference amongst what other private servers have tried.
- Arguably this favours the high level players quite a lot as they do not feel the natural difficulty of the EXP curve. Some may see this as only catering towards the top players.
- Possible for a large divide amongst new and older players due to more levels for more exp.
- For some even though the EXP rises to 1.3x at Level 30 the game may still be too difficult for the lower level players.
OPTION 5 Regressive EXP
PROS
- Would alleviate the concern of many players not reaching Lv. 30
- Overall players would get to Lv. 50/60 probably much easier than the Progressive EXP model as it starts at 2x which is fairly easy and only after Lv 60 you'd see the true effects of the EXP curve decrease.
- Keeps the later stages of gameplay still difficult and GMS like (Lv. 80 onwards).
- This has already been done before by OSM and many thought it was a flawed model.
- Many many players did not like this aspect of OSM as when they got to Lv. 50 they would see their bonus EXP steadily decrease into 0 and this would demotivate them significantly.
- Zakum would be unattainable as the EXP curve after Lv. 100 is simply too difficult.
- Although players would be very motivated in the short term, I see many many players losing motivation after Lv. 60.
Please outline a different EXP option and outline your reasons and thoughts as to why.
To summarise, I myself think that OPTION 4, Progressive Exp would be the preferred option. I think it strikes a good balance of rewarding gameplay and player retention as more people will stay when they see 'more levels more exp'. I myself do not see much common sense in making yet another 1x server which has proven to have many flaws and little player retention. I truly believe that RevivalStory can be something great if the EXP is adjusted so please cast a vote and also feel free to comment and contribute to this discussion!