Ask SOE

[Gninja]

Ask SOE #36

Sassee: With the announcement of Desert of Flames, the upcoming expansion pack, and the inclusion of Player vs. Player content contained in it, can you tell us a little more about PvP and the concepts behind making spells and combat arts PvP specific so that PvE balance is unaffected?

Scott Hartsman: One thing that we’ve learned from working on games in the past is that in a world where creatures and players have abilities and stats that operate on different scales, you can’t expect to launch a PvP game with the standard PvE ability set as-is and expect it to be fun.

We started internally playtesting the existing PvE ability set in PvP in months past, and that statement definitely held true.

When you have a world that contains creatures meant for groups, character abilities need to primarily be tuned to be fun in the PvE game. Obviously players tend to have fewer HP and taken individually do less damage than creatures.

One not-so-great answer is to change specific PvE abilities just so they make sense in the PvP game. Obviously, that’s not a good idea, because you then have PvP tuning affecting the PvE game, by (usually negatively) affecting player PvE power.

One of our takes on solving this problem involves making sure that we have the ability to set overrides for individual spells. For instance, a spell that is a 100 HP DD in PvE, may turn into something as different as a 10HP DD and a minor DoT, and a 1 second stun when used in PvP.

Obviously, that’s not the kind of scaling we’re going for, but it’s an example of the ability we have to set PvE abilities to do much saner things in PvP.



Sassee: Can you tell us anything more about the different kids of PvP that will be offered?

Scott Hartsman: Before Desert of Flames launches, we plan on having PvP dueling out on the live servers. (It’s on Test currently.)

At the moment, we’re focused on general PvP balancing and Arena Champions.

Once Arena Champions are out there, we’ll be able to do some more talking about what we’ll be offering for PvP-ruleset servers after Desert of Flames.



Sassee: While we are on the topic of PvP, it seems that duels are being added soon in the form of a live update. Can you elaborate on the death penalty issue with regards to dueling?

Scott Hartsman: For right now, we’re planning on going with penalty-free dueling in Arenas, but anywhere else, the standard death penalty will apply to the loser.

It’s definitely a bit more realistic than throwaway/timekiller dueling. If you want to duel to 20% with your friend, you can duel to 20% with your friend. But if your friend goes too far, you’re going to pay the price.

When there’s real risk, things are a lot more exciting.



Sassee: The first Adventure pack, The Bloodline Chronicles, focused on some of the Dark Elf lore. The announcement of Splitpaw Saga, the next adventure pack, raised a few questions for some players. One is whether or not there is any race you are concentrating on for history, lore, and new items, spells and recipes?

Scott Hartsman: Absolutely. The Splitpaw Saga tells the tale of the Splitpaw tribe of Gnolls, as seen through the eyes of the player fighting through some new dungeons, in a series of story-driven adventures.

These Gnolls, trapped for centuries in the collapsed ruins of their long-time home, split into different factions, with some of them even becoming cannibalistic.

The details are a little vague in the world at this point, but rumor has it that some of them have broken free from their prison, and some of the more vicious types have allegedly begun kidnapping overlanders. For what purpose, no one knows.

Of course, these tales always expand in the telling. It could all just be wild rumor and speculation.



Sassee: Can you elaborate more on the topic of instances scaling down to group levels in Splitpaw Saga?

Scott Hartsman: This is an interesting experiment for us, based on a similar theory to what worked out very well in EQ: Lost Dungeons of Norrath.

Many of the new areas in The Splitpaw Saga will be dungeon instances that let people from levels 20 through 50 enjoy the new tale.

These will be private instances that spawn creatures appropriate for the level of those who are going in to play. It should be an enjoyable challenge for many more people than an adventure pack that doesn’t make use of this level scaling.

We’re looking forward to seeing what people think.

[Gninja]

New ASK SOE:

Sassee: Part of the changes coming to spells and combat arts is to adjust how much damage the various classes do in relation to each other. Can you tell us how the different subclasses will rank in relative damage potential?

Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: Without giving the precise DPS numbers we intend each class to have, I can list how the classes will relate to one another in damage output. There are basically five groupings that classes fall into, from highest amount of damage output to the lowest.

First group:

* Wizard/Warlock
* Assassin/Ranger


Second group:

* Conjurer/Necromancer (using damage pet)
* Brigand/Swashbuckler


Third group:

* Coercer/Illusionist, Conjurer/Necromancer (using tank pet)
* Troubador/Dirge
* Bruiser/Monk


Fourth group:

* Berserker/Shadowknight
* Paladin/Guardian


Fifth group:

* Fury/Warden
* Defiler/Mystic
* Inquisitor/Templar


Keep in mind that these aren't absolutes. A Guardian who concentrates on damage output and upgrades his or her offensive abilities could surpass a Berserker who focuses on defensive capabilities. These are simply the general guidelines we're following where, all things being equal, the classes will be organized.

The thing with class balance, though, is that all things are *never* equal. So much of the damage output of a class depends on how that class is played that it simply isn't possible for anyone to guarantee that a given class will always perform at a certain level under every circumstance. However, the above list should at least give players an idea of the direction our numbers will be taking.


Sassee: You've mentioned that part of the combat revamp is that spells and arts will no longer grow in potency as your character levels, but will instead be improved by upgrading their quality. What about spells and arts that currently grow throughout a character's life, such as conjurer and necromancer pets?

Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: Though there may be some exceptions, spells that grow infinitely in the current system will typically be replaced by new spell lines that allow the abilities to be upgraded periodically. In the case of summoners, their pets will grow a certain number of levels before they stop growing, after which they'll be replaced by a new version of that pet.


Sassee: At the recent FanFaire you mentioned the idea of "reverse writs," where guild members could bring in items from drops to earn status instead of following the writs system. Can you tell us more how this is going to work and when we will be seeing it?

Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: We like the idea of letting guild members earn status through the activities they'd normally do. In this case, what we referred to as "reverse writs" would be items that drop from creatures that players hunt. Examining these items will reveal that they are wanted by various factions in the city. By bringing them in, you'll earn status for yourself and your guild.

These items can likely be traded to other players, so those who aren't guilded can sell them to other players who are interested in increasing their guild status.

An interesting notion was brought up at the recent community summit, where it was suggested that the NPCs looking for these items would call out to players who have them. This is a great idea, and we'll look into how complex it would be to implement such a concept.


Sassee: At Fan Faire it was also mentioned that mobs would start dropping coin soon. Previously, the decision was to not have this system implemented. Can you comment on the basis behind this change?

Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: This is part of our overall plan to enhance the quality of dropped loot. Creatures that make sense to do so (most humanoid-type NPCs) will drop coin. In addition, we will be introducing new types of loot items that can be used in tradeskills or sold for cash. You'll be seeing this initially in the new zones introduced with the Splitpaw Saga, and it will soon be making its way into the rest of the live game.

In addition, we'll be adding new types of useful loot. Items can drop that give a single charge of a buff or utility spell, for instance. We want adventuring to provide a nice variety of fun and useful items that have value.


Sassee: A lot of players feel that some sort of AA (alternate advancement) in EQII for the end game would prove beneficial after reaching the level cap and help with giving players more character. Do you think that anything of that sort might be added to the game in the future?

Steve "Moorgard" Danuser: Introducing a type of alternative advancement path is definitely something we're talking about for the future. We're discussing different ideas for how one might work, and we would want it to be tied into the lore of the game rather than just a system tacked on for the sake of having it.

The thing many players like about the AA system in EQ is that it gives you the opportunity to make choices and advance certain aspects of your character at your own pace. That's certainly a cool concept, and we want to bring additional forms of character diversity to the game going forward.