Changes with the February Update: Developer Updates

Also. They release all AA till Underfoot at the same time they start selling level 85s. Well that is a good way to put the power leveling money in their pockets instead of the pockets of random PLer003. They max the AA bonus out to put money in their pockets instead of the pockets of random TAseller0078. So why nerf swrming? YES! It does lag the servers, along with raids and some of the spell effects from mobs they put in the game. But why nerf it NOW? Because they don't want competition for their pre-made characters. If we have a way to PL them on our own we wont spend any money. At least admit that is what you are doing and don't try to act like, oh so suddenly you realized their was an issue that has to be looked at exactly now. Admit it.

Will this change still allow the ability to proc of ripostes?

just how bad did you slow down decap ability I guess would be my question

3 Thoughts to end my comments.
1. Someone asked "if not just a money grab" - why not give the 4k free AA to Silver accounts too?
Easy. Silver accounts have always had a 1000 AA cap. You can't grant them 4000 AA without ruining the value of that cap.
2. At the Devs:
Granting 4000 AA is not even close to the previous grants of UI issues like Extended Target Window etc. The current policy of "nothing for those who already did it" - needs to be seriously reviewed for a grant this huge. (Not to mention all the peeps who paid real cash for pots to get those AA!)
I don't have a good suggestion what to do - but it needs to be "significant, yet not game changing")
3. Ranger HS procs on on our 2 most commonly used melee range spells. (as it should!).
Like the other 2 chain classes - if we can't kill it - then a hate reduction solution needs to be found - lest we steal aggro from the MT and get flattened.

-Rat

This seems to only help new toonsthat dont want to grind out those additiona AAs. What about all the players out there, ready to go gold, that are now thinking "well, i spent years on and off grinding thousands of AAs, now they are auto granted and I'm still level 85 with the same AAs after the change. That sucks."


What killed the idea of players choosing what to spend their AAs on? Or were there any discussions to consider toons that already had these pre existing AAs? What is the point now of grinding lower level AAs, if at any moment one could click a button and get them all for free? What is the point of the bonus xp AA mechanism now? Does this make old content completely dead now?

I will be cancelling all 6 of my accounts because of this, you have lost the spirit of what made eq.

There seems to be a disconnect here. Although the modified changes are a step in the right direction, they still seem designed to inhibit what the vast majority feel are integral components to the game. It is with this in mind that I make these suggestions...


The proposed changes to SK's, and other mass killing abilities should be scaled down where experience mobs are concerned - I don't think anyone has a real problem with this aspect, but this should be limited to mobs that are non trivial.

The Headshot, Decapitate, and Assassinate abilities should not be destroyed in a attempt limit class potential. This change affects too many players over too broad of a spectrum and will only result in huge dissatisfaction from the base. Instead I would limit these abilities to none experience mobs as most I know use them as a means of earning plat anyway. You could even leave them intact, for the most part, and instead focus on limiting their effectiveness in grouping situations thereby negating the power leveling aspects. A simple rewrite of ratio of damage done to a mob for experience to be granted could inhibit power leveling further.

As to the AA debacle, I understand the need to lighten the load on newer players and feel it must be done. Without continued support of newer player the whole ship eventually sinks anyway - So it must be done. It seems irrelevant from my perspective how you choose to reward new players as long as the skill factor of high level play remains intact - After all, you can't grant skill, and that will still be the line by which all players define themselves!


Thank you for the opportunity to give input on these topics!!!

Piestro, please refer to post #328 of this thread. Multiple other concerns have been addressed, but mine has been ignored for 15 pages. I'd like some kind of feedback on this.

Assassinate / Decap / Headshot: Leave these as they are, make no changes, other than possibly disallowing them to proc with riposte disc running. Make a NEW AA that picks up at the level these drop off at, and make THAT this new thing that you're trying to do with these skills. Leave the rogues some kind of bone here. =\

EDIT: Also, please specifically exclude Salvage on the AA granting.

better not auto grant me aa's I don't want!!!!!!!!!
I as a druid sometimes agro kite still. I have not bought any hate lowering aas. I need hate lots of it on raid my job it to die before clrs and enchanters (druids suck I admit it but that's what I am.) I need to build more hate to give real healers a chance to live while the next tank steps up. If I nuke a lot and use my caster merc I can argo kite or use a rog merc. if I need to lower hate I can jump in the bushes but until I do I want to be able to stay at a hate around 25 so if tank dies in a group the mezzer can live to do his job or the clr gets a few extra secs to rez and have tank hit taunt. druids can always be rezzed if the clr lives or if a mob is messed off a merc can rez me later.

so what game should I play now ?

agree.

Also - what happens with these auto granted AAs when a gold member who has activated then goes to Silver? Kind of gimping us if we cannot use, as we would be able to normally with AAs owned.

Dire charm should work on level 99 mobs too!

Relegating yourself to " speed bump that dies before the cleric " is seriously downplaying what a druid can do.

/sigh

Not really. Depending on the proc rate it could be like the wizard big ars nuke AA. Procing once ever two or so mobs for 400k damage isnt really OP.

They aren't doing this to limit class potential. They are doing this because the swarm kiting is having an effect on their servers due to the path finding algorithm they are using. It would be a good question to ask if they would have made these class changes had the servers not been effected by the techniques used.

Heres another idea to make money !

CREATE A NEW CLASS THATS ONLY FOR GOLD MEMBERS !
I bet you you'd make more money that way

You keep all the AAs you got when you paid $15. So yeah, pay once and get all the AAs, then go back to silver. Customer loyalty, down da drain.

I never pull with Bow anyhow due to summoning mobs, if i am group tanking i pull with agro spell, if group dps i pull with ranger dispell.