Spot the difference,

[Dragoth]

The issue that i raised in this topic is not about me wanting bigger exp, i plainly dont care about it, what i DO care about, however, is being ripped off for something i shouldnt be. If you want to make necro class less powerful or get less exp, then fine - reduce the damage undeads do, or make destruction cost more mana or do less damage, but i object to my prime ability giving me less experience when used correctly. It's like giving mage prime's frostbolt a 25% exp penalty every time a mage kills something with it, that is just wrong.

And yes, I do think you care too much about exp, mainly because you say stuff like this " Our energies are being spent on issues which are much more important than improving the solo exp of the necromancer class". And i know for a fact, that this exp concern of yours, is the only thing that keeps bogging down all attempts to make necromancer class complete, with a proper pet advancement system.

Where are the changes to the necromancer pets that were complained about, even a year ago ?

I will say this again, I dont care if i get less exp than anybody else, i dont care that Wimpy could never match Cizin's exp rate at the same level and i dont care that my 3x40 thief is able to get 50% more exp per hour than my 4x40 avatar Necro. As long as the exp i'm getting is leading me somewhere, which it does not, Read: no prime skill ( in this case pets ) upgrades for the next 160 levels. Yes, the game can be fun because it's challenging and because there are still a few nice people around, but if all this challenge brings me no rewards, then what is the point of it all.

[Dragoth]

And, i do play the game when i get some spare time, and i check mud updates and read the forum regularly, but some of the issues have been unresolved for what feels like decades and it makes me wonder.

And would you please stop making me look like the bad guy, which immortal have I ever driven away with my suggestions ? I know i could not possibly drive anyone away, as I have never criticized anyone's work and i have warm and loving relationships with almost all of Immortal staff, except Juggleblood ( but that guy is a jerk )

[Toxis]

Atlantis would have been 325 rooms if I had finished mobs and eq, but that area is CURSED! CURSED, I tell you!

[Insomniac]

Thank you very much for checking out of the gem bug. As I was typing this post, I popped my first ever gem from a pet kill so that clears that up

In terms of the 90% estimate, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. The bug isn't one that makes my life hugely difficult so I can live with it.

Since you mention a large number of issues that were raised (I agree with all of those and totally support fixing them as a priority), may I bring up another which I think needs looking at?

I think that elite EQ which can be purchased for drachma could do with a revamp...right now we have about 10-15% of available items ever purchased. What's more, the vast majority of items currently available were created/designed without taking into account recent changes in the game or in fact the fact that we're in S4 rather than S3.

As an example, there are a large number of items that provide +Undead control, yet even a prime necromancer can cap UC with ingame EQ only, most of which is easy to obtain. At my levels, I can actually exceed my UC cap with ingame EQ only.

Very, very few current drachma items make use of the fact that we now have maxstats available.

A large number of current elite items are simply not worth it:
Boots of Arcane Lore (440 drachma): 0.4 ac 35 hp (10 hp more than ingame easy forge)
Boots of the Forest Walker (425 drachma): 1 mregen 5 mana (5 mana more than ingame pop)
Black Belt of the Dying Sun (300 drachma): 0.3 dex con (pure junk of an item)
Ring of Radiance (150 drachma): 2mregen 15 mana (2 mana over ingame forge)

These are just a few examples.

In addition, there are a large number of items that, on the face of it, seem pretty decent but nobody ever buys them (because of the 10% of items that are REALLY worth it).

My suggestion would be to assign an immort (I know Tox is interested in this) to draft a list, with player input, of new drachma eq and pricing. Then initiate a transition period of a week or so whereby existing drachma EQ could be traded in for its full price and new eq purchased as normal. At the end of that period you phase out the old eq and reinstate the discount on trading elite eq back into weaver.




If you're interested about my experience as a necromancer in terms of soloing exp, here is a very brief summary (just ignore if not interested):

level 1-25: nothing special
level 25-40: very good solo exp (get juju + good pets)
level 40-2X40: unreal solo exp (big juju + awesome pets)
3X40-4X40: soloing not really worth it (see logic below)
4X40-6X40: soloing totally ineffective (see logic below)

This is provided PURELY for information purposes...you can believe/not believe me and indeed ignore me.

The reason for this progression of exp is obvious: until about tri-40, the best way of making exp is to kill fat mobs that don't hurt much and miss a lot. Necro is by far and away the best class for this because you have lots of pets that chop down fat exp mobs like bottle-nosed dolphins (1mil), then moving on to shadowkeep (1.5-2mil), drowsy spiders (3mil) and various mobs in dark dreams.

After tri-40, the only real way to make exp is to do damage faaaast. What's more, ideally you want to do this damage without using mana. This is why thieves/monks excel at this point in terms of soloing exp - they can grip/stab without using mana and since most of the damage is done before the fight even begins they don't take a lot of punishment.

As a necro, my damage is done over many rounds and since mobs hit so hard on lyme, I simply take too much damage (i.e. too high mana cost to heal) to make it worthwhile.

[*juggleblood*]

Dragoth I'm a jerk for pointing out the obvious that necro's don't need a huge experience increase?

You keep saying it's not about the XP. But that's exactly what you're talking about.

[*Splork*]

Re: Dragoth quote
"And i know for a fact, that this exp concern of yours, is the only thing that keeps bogging down all attempts to make necromancer class complete, with a proper pet advancement system."

This quote is utter nonsense, to be quite honest with you. Several Immortals, including Chobbs, have/had planned on looking into and redoing the necromancer pets. However, due to the response they have gotten from player, absolutely not me, they simply quit because its not worth their efforts. I've done everything from request emails from Wimpy, ask other Immortals to look into the matter, and staying out of the way of anybody who wants to deal with the issue. The reality is, not ONE Immortal believes this class needs help in regards to experience, so it is not high on anybody's todo list. We do realize a better progression of pets is ideal though. But again there will be nerfs, to go along with enhancements. Ive most recently asked and spoken to Akasha about this very issue. I notified everybody online regarding this nearly 10 days ago.

Blaming me for standing in the way of anything in S4 shows how very little the playerbase, or certain players, know what goes on up here. Speak with active Immortals and find out for yourselves how often I interject, or put an end to an idea or suggestion. When I say our efforts, currently, are in more important areas of the mud. Thats the truth, or how we all feel. I don't stop somebody from working on something to help me with anything. I do as I please, Isabo and Breeze do as they wish, and the list moves downwards. We pick projects which interest us and we feel a need for and work on them. As Ive said 100 times, this issue in particular, honestly has to do with how the players will react towards the Immortal and the changes in general. There will be hours of complaints on the crier, gossip, channels, etc etc. The Immortal who finally does mess with this will be bashed, personally attacked, complained about, etc. Believe what you wish, but anyone in our email lists or wiz channels knows this is exactly why this project has not been attacked yet.


Re: Insomniac
Tox spoke to me a few days regarding elite eq. This is another project we realize needs to be done and totally revamped/added to. He said he plans on sending a writeup with new ideas and suggestions.

Im done responding, Ive spoken my peace!

Splork

[*Neptune*]

Alas, when even the stars have spewed all that they can spew, there shall for
never be rest for the wicked, and no peace for those who sprout wings to
escape the burning crusts. The lava flows shall shout at the sky with smoke,
and the endless skies shall rebel with a blocking of the sun. On the other
hand, I'm reminded of something I heard along the way, "When you are doing
something right, nobody will know that you've done anything at all." Take that
as you may as I believe you will.

[Insomniac]

OK, Splork. Thanks for listening. Will liaise with Tox with ideas.