Aett_Thorn

If you want, with my next new character, I will level him up to 22 without going to the market or selling any invention salvage that I get. I will still sell smart, though, as that is a tool that new players will have. And then I can report back on how well I did, and see if I was able to fully slot the character with SOs (or I'd say 90% slot the character out is still pretty decent). If I can do that, will you still suggest that it can't be done?

A brand new player is likely going to need to respec at some point anyways. Saving the respec for a level where they need to buy new enhancements anyways is just being frugal, since it makes the most for the respec. Let's say that a brand new player needs a respec, and they run the trial right at level 24. With a full team, they may be level 25 when they get out. Thus, all they really need to do is wait two levels before performing the respec.

Now, if they are a more knowledgeable free player, who will plan out their build ahead of time, then they likely won't need many respecs to get their build right anyways, so using the respec in this way will just help them afford stuff they were going to do anyways.

So really, I don't view this as them burning a respec, just making better use of it.

Or you could always send me a tell in the game (when I'm there), and I can invite your alts in for you.

1) The definition of hardcore gamer changes from person to person. Very few people tend to think of themselves as hardcore gamers. Most people have definitions of "casual," "average," and "hardcore" gamer that goes something like this:

A casual gamer is someone that plays less than I do.

An average gamer is someone who plays about as much as I do.

A hardcore gamer is someone that plays more than I do.


As such, there's really no way to tell what anyone means with this phrase, which makes it useless.

2) What he was actually saying, if you had read it, was that at one point he was new to this game, and MMOs in general, as are some new players now. And AT THAT TIME, it was harder to do what you're suggesting is harder now, and we could STILL DO IT, which kind of invalidates your point.

Now THAT I can definitely get behind. For new players who see that contacts sell enhancements, they're not going to know that they're getting MASSIVELY ripped off.

There are other ways to increase influence gain to help with the purchase of enhancements other than debt or XP-locking. They've been discussed in the other thread several times. But you really can play the game, and with a few smart decisions, can afford a full set of SOs at level 22. Using respecs at key levels after that can make buying the next set of SOs very cheap. For instance, if you respec at level 27/28, you can sell the level 25 SOs back at full price, and combined with the influence you've earned from level 22-27/28 will get you a full set of new enhancements (and likely you'll have some left over). Then by the time you hit 32, you should have more than enough to buy level 35 SOs.

At many levels, even-level SOs and DOs are still better than same-level basic IOs. But perhaps I should have phrased it as, "the best enhancements they can get at their level," since they can't make use of IOs as free players.

Well then you're going to have to define what is "too much difficulty." I know that I never felt that it was all that hard to afford SOs at level 22 and 27 if you took even rudimentary steps to make sure you were in a good place, and that was back before the market was even around. The XP smoothing may have affected this a bit, which is why small reductions may be in order. But if a new player expects to be able to buy everything they want with absolutely no effort on their part, why should the game allow that?

SOs are not all that expensive if you plan ahead. And new players shouldn't just be handed everything just because they're new and we think it will drive them away if they don't get SOs for free. I know that I never felt like quitting because of SO costs...and it actually made me feel more like I earned it once I could get the influence to buy the enhancements I needed.

The game needs to tread a fine line between making it too difficult and too hard to buy enhancements for free players. Make it too difficult, and they quit. Make it too easy, and they get bored, and then quit as well. Making it so that influence is basically meaningless since they can afford anything they want from level 1 up makes it too easy, and likely won't keep them anymore than if you made the prices sky-high for anyone but VIPs to afford.

I think that this thread and the player questions one along the same line don't give new, free players enough credit for being willing to work for stuff and expecting that they might have to put some effort in if they want better stuff. Even in this game, which really has been about a "gear chase" for quite some time now, just in different ways than other games. You've had people chasing SOs, then Hami-Os, and now Invention sets. Working for those things isn't a penalty.

Frozen Fists is fine in terms of damage, it just needs some animation tweaks as well. It currently does the same damage as a lot of other Tier 1 powers, it just animates 0.5 - 0.3 seconds slower than it should for that damage scale.

GIS needs some significant help.


Frost is fine as it is, as long as you learn how to use it well. It does more damage than some similar cones, and less than some others. For instance, it does more than Jacob's Ladder, but less than Shadow Maul (which gets bonus damage). It does only slightly less than Breath of Fire, but has a much greater arc to it.

This is basically my own plan as well. If I ever win one of those $200-300 million lotteries, my first task is to build a defendable castle, complete with renewable energy sources and it's own, internal well system for water near a larger water source and enough arable land to support about 20 people. Train some as farmers, some as fighters, and then hope for the best.

A Donor card, postcard eacch time you're eligible, and a phone call every day until you donate again, despite asking them not to. I'll give you my blood when I'm good and ready, damnit! I'm starting to wonder if the Red Cross really is run by vampires.

Also, and not many people are probably aware of this, but they usually also do further screening to determine if your blood can be given to very young children. Carl would likely have been fine, but if it was an infant, there might have been some problems there.

SS+CJ gives you some additional height, and there are plenty of obstacles out there that having CJ will allow you to get over that you couldn't before.

Also, I love Flight+CJ, as it gives you more air control, and you can leave CJ on, where you'd need to toggle between Hover and Fly.