A way to, perhaps, fix AE for good!

So we have a conundrum. Story-tellers don't like it that farmers are clogging the AE list with farms, the devs don't like exploits, (And i don't think ANYONE likes the fact that there's 1,000s of pages of broken, unplayable arcs) but any attempt to gut rewards would have a negative impact on the story-tellers (Sorry, but I'm not playing Citzen Kane: the story arc if its not gonna give me rewards for my time). I think I have an idea that, while not hurting rewards for running a story-arc or two, would make AE unsuitable for farming or exploits.

Introducing: AEXP!

When you first enter an AE mission, you are given X* bubbles worth of AEXP (See below), shaded in a greenish aqua color, much like PatrolXP or XPDebt. As you play through, these bubbles are diminished, much like XPDebt/PatrolXP. So long as they persist, you gain the normal amount of experience, inf, prestige, and/or tickets. However, once you run out of AEXP, you're barred from gaining any more rewards or drops of any type (except inspirations) within AE until you attain more AEXP. AEXP is shared across missions, so you could go into one arc, use up half your AEXP, then play another arc and use up the rest. AEXP would not refill upon entering a new mission arc. How do you get more? See below...


Earning AEXP

AEXP would regenerate every 12 hours, OR, it could be bought with Tickets (250 per bubble, 1115 for half a level, 2175 for a whole level's worth). You may only buy 20 bubbles/2 level's worth every 12 hours. (Note that these numbers are meant to offset the number of tickets gained even in farms, so buying them is seriously not worth it, but that's the point. If someone just wants influence and XP and doesn't care about tickets, then that's their prerogative)

If you leave the AE building, all your AEXP is wiped out and you won't be able to get it back until you either buy more, or 12 hours has passed from the time you first got it.

The amount of AEXP you are granted every 12 hours is determined by your level:

1-15: 3 levels worth (or 30 bubbles)
16-20: 25 bubbles
21-25: 20 bubbles
26-30: 15 bubbles
31+: 10 bubbles

(These numbers were chosen instead of 1 flat rate because a level 49 has to defeat a LOT more enemies to fill up a level bar than a level 1. Restricting low level characters to only 1 level would dampen their playing time and make playing longer arcs not worth it, but allowing high level characters to defeat thousands of foes with no penalty would be counter intuitive to this proposal)

Also, granted AEXP does not stack with itself. So if you're level 40, run a mission, use half your AEXP and wait 12 hours, you're only given back 5 bubbles. You can buy up to 20 more bubbles/2 levels with tickets, but that's the only way to increase your maximum allowance.


Other thoughts

Because of this, many past restrictions on enemy creation and group composition could be relaxed. In fact, it might be necessary to do so, as people could create low-XP yielding foes and just farm them for tickets (Though I'd hope tickets gained were tied into how much XP a critter could give).

This, in addition to suggestions other people have had (randomized front page, a simple like/dislike rating feature, purging the list and starting over) would help make AE an attractive feature for people looking to run a new story arc and not get slammed with 1000s of pages of abandoned farms and broken exploit missions. Story arc authors would pretty much have the place to themselves, though a few inventive farmers might find a way to squeeze this system for everything it's worth and still be able to collect plenty of tickets. Certainly, exploiters would definitely get the shaft, as there'd be no point in maximizing XP gain if all that means is you wouldn't be able to use AE after 5 minutes.

Thoughts?

I have always supported dev based governors for things like this. Player "solutions" usually end up not being solutions as much as nerfs to "other" people's playstyles or overly punitive and heavy handed etc.....So no thanks the devs have this area covered.

I am not for "any" player ideas that change the dev set governors. I am for a better more robust search function and have been since the day AE hit the COX world.

So we have a conundrum. Story-gamers don't like it that XP farmers are clogging up PI chat with spam for farm teams, that Trial farmers are clogging up RWZ with spam for trial teams, (And I don't think ANYONE likes the fact that anyone can get a decent Council farm from the police radio/newspaper) but any attempt to gut rewards would have a negative impact on the RP-teams (Sorry, but I'm not playing Ubelmann the Unknown if its not gonna give me rewards for my time). I think I have an idea that, while not hurting rewards for running a story-arc or two, would make Unai Keman missions unsuitable for farming or exploits.


Introducing: CappedXP!

When you first enter a mission, you are given X* bubbles worth of CappedXP (See below), shaded in a sickly yellow color, much like PatrolXP or XPDebt. As you play through, these bubbles are diminished, much like XPDebt/PatrolXP. So long as they persist, you gain the normal amount of experience, inf, prestige, and/or salvage/recipe drops. However, once you run out of CappedXP, you're barred from gaining any more rewards or drops of any type (except inspirations) within missions until you attain more CappedXP. CappedXP is shared across missions, so you could go into one arc, use up half your CappedXP, then play another arc and use up the rest. CappedXP would not refill upon entering a new mission arc. How do you get more? See below...


Earning CappedXP

CappedXP would regenerate every 12 hours, OR, it could be bought with rare recipe drops (1 rare recipe per bubble, luck of the gambler +Recharge for two bubbles, and purple recipes for a whole level). You may only buy 20 bubbles/2 level's worth every 12 hours. (Note that these numbers are meant to offset the number of drops gained even in farms, so buying them is seriously not worth it, but that's the point. If someone just wants influence and XP and doesn't care about recipes, then that's their prerogative)

If you log out of the game or join a Task Force (where you gain XP normally at all times), all your CappedXP is wiped out and you won't be able to get it back until you either buy more, or 12 hours has passed from the time you first got it.

The amount of CappedXP you are granted every 12 hours is determined by your level:

1-15: 3 levels worth (or 30 bubbles)
16-20: 25 bubbles
21-25: 20 bubbles
26-30: 15 bubbles
31+: 10 bubbles

(These numbers were chosen instead of 1 flat rate because a level 49 has to defeat a LOT more enemies to fill up a level bar than a level 1. Restricting low level characters to only 1 level would dampen their playing time and make playing longer arcs not worth it, but allowing high level characters to defeat thousands of foes with no penalty would be counter intuitive to this proposal)

Also, granted CappedXP does not stack with itself. So if you're level 40, run a mission, use half your CappedXP and wait 12 hours, you're only given back 5 bubbles. You can buy up to 20 more bubbles/2 levels with tickets, but that's the only way to increase your maximum allowance.

Other Thoughts

This doesn't stop people from forming and farming Incarnate trials to a ridiculous degree, so I'd expect the developers to implement a similar system there limiting the amount of incarnate XP earnable in a single day to force players to spend at least a week to unlock each new incarnate power slot.

This should, however, help people form Story Teams and give everyone time to stop and read all of the mission text for every mission: briefing, clues, NPC chat text, and so on. There's literally nothing that can go wrong with this system.

Thoughts?

Sounds like the farmers don't like this idea.

Which means i REALLY want the devs to impalement this! Get out of AE and stay out!

All I really got from this thread was people wanting to ruin other peoples fun for no other reason than /em controlfreak.


/unsigned on every single idea on this thread.

There's a reason none of you are MMORPG developers.

Ignore this if you please as you have shown ignorance of the facts is bliss.

Farming and power leveling any content in the game is not an exploit. The devs are the ones that decide what an exploit is and how much of a governor is needed for rewards.

Your time would be better spent playing the game the way you want and not worrying about how others are playing it, since the fact is you have no "control" over that.

I am sick and tired of people getting more badges than me. They should limit the ability to get more than one badge a day. Other people getting badges faster than me hampers the way I like(others) to play.

Its pretty clear at this point that Steele is just trolling.

What should have been done in hindsight is either the players denote a key word or the Devs should have implemented a way to denote a MA as a farm and punish anyone who does not followed the MA rules.

Player wise as a whole we should have made it where every title in a Story Arch started with the capital letters of SA- ( followed by a title ) and every Farm mission should have been FM - ( followed by a title ) this way you want stories or farms you can sort by SA or FM.

Or make a separate tab for farms and stories. Farms are dealt with as they normally are and are rated based on their criteria and story missions are based on theirs. No mixing of the two together.

Without a doubt as was already mentioned players will just figure something else out. Even if you got rid of all AE farms players would just go back to PI farms and RWZ farms. All your doing is moving the supposed problem from one place to another.

Allow for farms and make it where players can look or post up a farm ( or any MA mission ) without spamming repeatedly and it will go a long way to making everyone happy on both sides.

Now once that is in place, punish anyone severely who breaks the rules. You spam selling or looking for farm and your account is banned from talking in broadcast / local for a week. Get caught twice and your banned for a month. The same goes for those spamming their regular story arcs.

logic =/= opinion-based conjecture

Can you dismantle my logic step-by-step? Seriously, I'd like to know where it's flawed.

IF: Devs make nerfs because of Farms = True

THEN: No farms = No Nerfs.

Which part of that isn't true? What evidence do you have to support this?

You so far haven't argued that the devs have made the nerfs because of other reasons. You also haven't persuaded me that the absence of farmers would prevent further nerfs. You haven't attempted to argue that farmers would still farm in AE even if it mathmatically wasn't worth doing so. So WHERE, exactly, does your objection lie? Do you think maybe the only reason you don't like my idea is because it would inconvenience you and that you don't have a logical leg to stand on in defense of your practices?

In other words, maybe my logic is sound, but you are incapable of seeing that because it would mean that you're wrong. And of course you won't consider that prospect, you're only human, after all.

Really don't like the idea, also don't like all the negativity that comes up whenever someone mentions AE.

My solution would be fairly simple to detail, but require real work to implement:

1) Non-VIPs have their arcs unpublished when their subscription lapses, or when the future re-occurence of the license in the store expires.
2) New Ratings system. "Like". No dislike option.
3) Divide Story Arcs into different tabs. "Canon", "Non-Canon", "Social". Canon and Non-Canon story arcs would be the only ones that could be rated, *period*. Social arcs are those that people make for themselves or their friends/SG-mates to play involving their own characters and their friends' characters in custom situations. It would also be the place for people to put Farms. Social Arcs would only be available to characters that have a relation to the publishing character. Characters on that character's friend list, in the same SG/Coalition, etc.

There's more, but that's the gist of it. Each suggestion is something that others have talked about at some point or another, I don't know if they've all been brought together before.