Time to retire TOs?

(And possibly DOs?)

No, this has nothing to do with the invention system. But between the Death From Below raids, Gms showing up, etc - I seem to see my tray filling with a LOT of low-level SOs.

Now, they're decent cash - but what's someone going to think when they use SOs from (say) level 6-9 from the trial, then find they can only go and *buy* TOs (at what, a quarter the strength is it) or DOs (half strength) to replace them? We shouldn't hit a point where we have no choice butto stop *down* in power as we level up because we have no direct replacements for the enhancements, after all. That's rather counterintuitive (if not disappointing or frustrating.)

Of course, that also leads (somewhat) to a problem with common IOs and low level sets - as they'd also be lower level than the SOs, and I don't think the "Doesn't expire" would be enough of an offset (comparing a level 10-15 common to an SO) to make them worth while.

The plus side for doing this, as well, would be an INF sink... SOs are more expensive (yes, sell for more, too,) so what *would* be going for inventions, etc. can be burned on SOs.

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I feel like the answer should be yes, but then again I've level through the sub-22 levels SO QUICKLY with my last 12 characters or so, I don't even bother to slot anything until then. So I can't personally find any use for the stupid things, but I don't know if true newbs still do.

I haven't done the new Sewer Trial yet, and had no idea until this post that low level SO's actually drop from it. If the Devs are going to let us get SO drops in the low levels, might as well take the next logical step and just make them the standard for the entire game instead of level 22 on up. It would have the advantage of simplifying the system and making the lower levels less tedious for certain specs.

I've wanted a simpler enhancement system for years, so, signed.

While we're at it, can we remove the origin requirement from SOs as well, so any origin character can use any SO enhancement?

As far as I've been able to tell, Death From Below is the only place you can get SO's pre-22. Of course, you run the trial 7-10 times (depending on team sizes) and you're nearly level 22 anyway.

Death From Below is the new powerlevel - the official answer to old-fashioned sewer teams and AE farms. You can't judge ordinary content alongside it.

It also serves an important purpose for the free and premium players who don't have inventions and therefore don't receive salvage: it gives them a source of income before and in addition to tip missions. Otherwise, it's tough to depend on looted enhancements when they hardly drop any more.

Faultline store I believe sells "some" SOs pre level 22. Of course, you have to do Penelope's arc to unlock the store.

And what drives me nuts, and has since day 1, is all the different names. I usually go mutant just because the names are easy. And I don't think I have EVER used TOs.

I think that having two levels of enhancements would be fine. Currently the TO's really don't provide much benefit, since they're weak and there are few slots at these levels. But they're useful as an introduction to enhancements because they aren't limited by origin. DO's are a strange hybrid, since it doesn't make that much sense that two origins will share an enhancement. I think it would be good to drop DO's and upgrade TO's to provide half as much as SO's. In any case, I think the trial shouldn't drop SO's if these aren't otherwise available.

That said, this is just the solution that's closest to what's available now. I think it would be better to make the dropped inventions similar to basic IO's. The idea of having enhancements change effectiveness relative to the character's level is bizarre. You character ends up becoming weaker as the level grows up, then suddenly stronger as you reach 5 level higher and can buy new enhancements. How IO's work is a lot more reasonable, as they provide the same benefit, and higher level ones provide more benefit.

It's possible to create a hybrid system, such as single original IO style enhancements, just change SO's to work like IO's in terms of what they provide, but still have them origin dependent.

I introduced my ex to the game, and when we played together she would go buy TOs every 2 or 3 levels. I tried to explain to her how the enhancements effectiveness worked, I tried to explain about the existence of DOs and SOs and how much better they were, and I tried pointing out how fast we were leveling up, that she was wasting inf. But she just kept stocking up on TOs.

Then when she found a DO store somewhere around level 15, she complained she couldn't afford them. /facepalm

Then again, this is the same woman I had to speak with for over an hour (not exaggerating) on the phone walking her through the process of crafting a jetpack temp power.

It's the unnecessarily exotic names that get me. Having to keep right-clicking on everything in stores to find out which SO or DO I am actually looking at is quite frustrating. I think it would help if each one had a subtitle, e.g:

Mercurial Theorem (Recharge Speed)

And yes, I have that one memorized, but like Sherlock Holmes there is only so much room in my brain to put stuff, and learning new things pushes old things out... which is my excuse for forgetting birthdays, anniversaries etc

Part of me wants to wave my cane and tell you all to get off my lawn after reminiscing how I use to walk to school in the snow, up hill, both ways.

The other part of me says a simpler, less confusing, less run around to the various stores to sell for the best price gaming standard is a bit old, considering all the other streamlining they have added in with Issue 21.

But the Freemies will still need something to slot, something to spend their Inf on and the staggered TO/DO/SO along with merging, ++ to -- scaling will keep them busy between missions since they won't have the traditional dropped loot in terms of armor and weapons that fantasy MMOs have. And since Freemies won't get recipe and salvage drops, you got to give them a reason to stop grinding every third mission to sell.

However removing the origin aspect does subtract a bit from the flavor of the game as each store catering to an origin with their Acc DO/SO named differently from one another. What would be next to go? Origin specific contacts? Origin specific threats and critters, which drops origin specific enhancements? Tech Vs Magic salvage drops? Let us try to hold onto at least some of the unique flavor for this genre of MMO and not simply slap basic enhancements in a generic white box with a barcode.

I don't think anything needs to be removed. What needs to happen is for all enhancement stores to buy all enhancements at the same value, and for those buy-only vendors in the Shadow Shard and Croatoa to stop buying at a tenfold ripoff. Once all stores buy for the same amount, there will be no runaround. This is already true for stores in the Rikti War Zone and Cimerora, there's no reason it can't be true for all stores.

What also needs to happen is enhancement names cleanup. Leave their graphics as they are, but call them something like Mutation: Damage Increase or Science: Stun/Disorient/Something Duration Increase. Oh, and speaking of "something," take the time to standardise enhancement aspect names. I don't know under what logic "entangle" equals "slow," but please pick one name and stick to it.

I don't really see need for more to happen with enhancements.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

Treaties to the contrary or not.

/agree with Bill.

Remove Dual Origin, make TO's as effective as DOs and continue them to DO levels.

That way you have enhancements that anyone can use that do decent-ish numbers until SO level. And then you specialise in your origin-specific stuff, in fluff/story regards.

Makes sense to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

The entire old-school enhancement system should be shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave outside Terlingua. IOs make it unnecessary.

I'm approaching four years of playing this game and I still use TOs when leveling a low level character. The amount of swinging (or shooting) and missing I end up doing at levels 6-11 without them just drives me bonkers. And with the markets I'm swimming in inf anyway, so there's no need to save for DOs and SOs. The only thing I would change would be the labeling on DOs and SOs.