Make the world a library

[Ann]

I remember back when I used to clan a lot every day, and usually spent most of the time in town center. I actually made less experience than if I just stayed in the library all day.

I've been considering making the whole world like a free library: if you got less experience while you were playing than you would have gotten in the free library, then you get enough to make up the difference when you log off.



Would that discourage people from hunting for experience? Hm, maybe you even get a little bonus based on how much you have earned, to keep encouraging people to play.



Thoughts?



Ann

[Nightbird]

I remember back when I used to clan a lot every day, and usually spent most of the time in town center. I actually made less experience than if I just stayed in the library all day.

I've been considering making the whole world like a free library:

<snip>



Would that discourage people from hunting for experience? Hm, maybe you even get a little bonus based on how much you have earned, to keep encouraging people to play.



Thoughts?



Ann

OK, so lemme make sure.... Exile A) Townie/mystic/healer/whathaveyou gets free lib exp just sitting in town.



and Exile B) Hunting fighter/healer/mystic/whathaveyou gets fighting/shared experience PLUS the "world free lib" exp?



that could be the "bonus" you mentioned.



also, would the library still give exp?

[Ann]

OK, so lemme make sure.... Exile A) Townie/mystic/healer/whathaveyou gets free lib exp just sitting in town.



and Exile B) Hunting fighter/healer/mystic/whathaveyou gets fighting/shared experience PLUS the "world free lib" exp?

Well, maybe exile B gets "world free lib" exp plus some portion of his earned experience. I know it seems like that would make the earned experience less valuable, but compared to just bumping him up to free-lib experience and ignoring anything he's earned it's at least something.



People who earned more than free-library experience (or rather, more than they would have gotten using the library-plus-bonus formula) would simply keep that.



Hm, do we need some discount for coins earned? In general, the design principle is that you can make good money or good experience in a given hunting area, but not generally both. If the experience were guaranteed, I could see coin-whoring in areas well below your level becoming even more popular, which would be a shame.

also, would the library still give exp?

Yes.



Ann

[Soulmaster]

I think this would be a good direction to take ClanLord in. As is, the system is somewhat wishy-washy, you need to rankwhore while you play to be at the top of the game, but if you play and don't rankwhore, the library characters will over-take you, with some exceptions.



I think exp. 75% (just a rough estimate, I think lower than 75 would be probably be too low) as fast as the free library outside the library would be going more towards balancing the game as far as rankwhores and people who hardly, if ever hunt. This opens up a whole lot of new options as far as how exp. is distributed, but that could get dangerous, and really tough to balance.



Also, this puts an emphasis on community in ClanLord, I'd say it might be smart to up the experience of certain skills in certain areas, like 125, or even 150% of free library experience in places such as the fighter training hall, or things like pathfinding and bodrus in the hunters pub (a rough for instance). Of course, this could be abused, and might lead to the need for a complete overhaul of the system. (which may be a good thing)



I hope that's understandable.

[Hrothgar]

I likes

[Ann]

I'd say it might be smart to up the experience of certain skills in certain areas, like 125, or even 150% of free library experience in places such as the fighter training hall, or things like pathfinding and bodrus in the hunters pub (a rough for instance).

I'm not sure I follow. You mean if I'm curently training pathfinding and standing in the hypothetical hunter's pub, I get extra experience? What's the argument for that? I could see it encouraging people to spread out and gather in smaller, like-minded groups, but for now the town population is small enough that it seems better to encourage all the hanger-outers to hang out together.



Ann

[Nightbird]

Well, maybe exile B gets "world free lib" exp plus some portion of his earned experience.

wait wait wait. you mean a hunter would get another bonus on top of earned exp and "world lib exp"



OR



we'd LOSE exp?

[Brune]

Hmm I changed my vote from "good idea" to "lukewarm."



As far as promoting coinwhoring, I sorta doubt it. Although receiving "lib experience" while coin whoring does contradict the idea that one must choose exp vs coins.



I DO think it "makes sense" IC to gain experience simply by being in the lands. It's not much experience, but heck, you learn things from just hanging out.



Also, it might promote non-rank whoring behavior...RP, character interaction, community debates.



I suppose if it's easy to do, it sounds good. But the experience is so low that it might not be an issue.

[salinger]

I really do think something should be done about the way lib. exp. works. It is very true that if I clan, then I end up losing exp. In fact, I sometimes would get more exp. by staying off-line then by getting on and going hunting with a party.



Also, a while back, I tried to role-play a Sylvan character who lived out in the woods. Impossable. I would let him sleep in the meadow (because traveling back to the town lib. every day was not good IC behavior). It seemed reasonable to assume that a character living out in the woods doing nothing but hunting all the time would become a better hunter. Heh, the character was SO far behind that I just deleted him and gave up on the idea altogether.



I'm not sure what the best way to solve this problem is. I've thought about the possibility of getting no ranks while off-line; what would be the problems with this?

Also, making the entire world a lib. where you gain ranks no matter where you /sleep. What would be the problems with this?



I welcome people to point out things I'm overlooking.

[Sutai]

As a usual town-sitter, I like the idea. Maybe just in town center. Encourage people to gather in a specific location. They can get 75% of free library experience just by hanging around. But it would never beat actual hunting. And if it was just in town center, it wouldn't encourage coin-chasers to do their thing and get experience for it as well.



Heck, I'd go as far as to say 100-150% library experience for hanging out in town center. That would definitely encourage people to play rather than to study in the library.



I know in the past I felt like I was losing out just for playing, and this might be a good step in the right direction.

[Liolel]

This is a wonderful idea. I'm at the point in the game where I don't get much if any experience from areas I can solo and its sometimes hard for me to get groups, so being able to sit around town without feeling like I was wasting my experience I could be getting from the library would be great. Maybe a capped trainer could increase the rate you gain it.



Learnus says: Hail Liolel, I can teach you to learn from the world around you more quickly.

[Nightbird]

I'm not sure what the best way to solve this problem is. I've thought about the possibility of getting no ranks while off-line; what would be the problems with this?

No exp while offline would hurt the people who dont have much time to play, but still enjoy playing and enjoy seeing progress in their character(s)





taking away something so beneficial to the game, and its perpertuity is BAD.



Taking away good stuff = bad

Adding more good stuff = good

[Xel]

Heck, I'd go as far as to say 100-150% library experience for hanging out in town center. That would definitely encourage people to play rather than to study in the library.

And then you'll have everyones favorite lib characters idle macro-sleeping in the middle of town for exp all the time, and instead of an active town, we get a town full of sleeping people! Yay!



-Xel

[Hidden]

I absolutely LOVE this idea.



I'd say 75% would be good for most areas, with an unannounced 90% in places you want people to gather (like town square, for example, or maybe the pub if you feel like being a bit more subtle).

[Sutai]

Well, if the town becomes full of sleeping macro-ers, I'm sure they can be dealt with rather easily. I think it would be worth it for the amount of legit players that would feel more inclined to hang out there.