Death Mechanic Changes – Feedback Thread

[Denidil Taureran]

items should drop on corpse


you're alienating core audience (and most of my guild) - knock it off

you could just leave it alone - why are you tinkering with it at all? fix bugs, no reason to be messing with this

[Elrar]

Hey folks,

I cannot stress this enough that this is not a complete and final mechanic. This is here on test to be tested for what it is.

It is likely that these mechanics will be changed and/or modified.

[Rithrin]

Let's see. I like dropping corpses, I don't like losing XP (And I think XP debt is worse). But my personal preferences aside, I think this is a good idea. While it is true that corpse runs is one of those core "things" that linked the game to its roots, or its original vision I suppose. The problem is that Vanguard, unlike Everquest for instance, is so gear dependant that if you've dropped your corpse deep into a dungeon then you've got absolutely no way to get it back barring hitching a ride with a separate group. That kind of defeats the purpose.

In EQ, what was so great about corpse runs is that it was very possible in most cases to get it back... rogues with high skill sneaking around and dragging your corpse back, casters with their invisibility retrieving them, bards to locate lost ones, and necros to summon them directly to you with a spell. I don't think I had ever dropped a corpse in that game and said "Well damn, its gone for good". If there weren't altars in VG, 90% of my corpses would be unretrievable even with guild help.

DAoC used a system like what VG is implementing. You died, you kept your gear, you lost some experience, and you dropped a tombstone. If you prayed at your tombstone you got a majority of the lost XP back, if you just left it you had full XP loss. It works much like a corpse run (You are heavily motivated to run back to where you died) but didn't punish you for having real life interference such as not having the time to go retrieve it. This worked as well because, much like VG, there are virtually no corpse retrieval abilities and it was still a penalty.

So to make it short, good move. Just make sure there is a lot of incentive to go back and retrieve that essence.

[Denidil Taureran]

if you tell us why you're making these changes we may be able to help make suggestions that would get less negative reaction from people. Many of my guildies think you're "wowifying" the game (IE making it very easy), while much of the time i want to beat them over the head because their assertion is assinine (bitching about XP tweeking normally, and teleporters) this here IS a range to the risk vs reward structure.

[Eloy]

[del]

After thinking about those changes a second time.. It may even make the game more challenging!

But what will you do with the whole souldbound system? It's obsolete then...

*dream on*

What about adding some penalty at the same time?

Players already could souldbind their gear... so why not just remove the summon possibility at all. Leaving corpses.. and to clean the place allowing that everyone may loot the corpse after 70 days... all gold items and gear which is not souldbound.. probably destroy some random amount every day..

Be creative ... well ... I stop dreaming and give in.

*dream off*

I fell there is no way to influence anything already ...

- Eloy (aka Hans)

[Vilaseth]

Originally Posted by Denidil Taureran

you could just leave it alone - why are you tinkering with it at all? fix bugs, no reason to be messing with this

My sentiments exactly

[FEDS-91]

Originally Posted by Mudman41

I saw no reason to change the death system. Just lowers the risk. Thought you had a good balance as it was. Not a hardcore player either.

Mudman

Well said. Much agreed. Please do not change this. Although I'm guessing its already beyond my hopes and is in full swing of being implemented which sucks.

I'm really trying to keep my hopes up but every time there is something like this that moves further and further away from differentiating this game from the other games out there. I'm sure it won't stop with this. If this keeps up, my choice of splitting time between this and the SWGemu (when its released) won't be much of a choice anymore.

So to boil it down, I dislike this change and am very disappointed if it indeed does go live.

Will it cause me to quit? No, at least not yet. But be aware that this constant changing of things that really don't need much change does add up and why people like me, could end up disgruntled at a certain point. I'm not yet, but just feels like things are adding up and going the wrong direction.

[geckzilla]

I don't care, just.. you know... test it real real real good. You know what happens when you change a major game mechanic. Major bugs! Come on test server people, report every bug on it ten times and maybe they'll get fixed before they make it on live.

[Babaji]

If this change goes through (which it shouldn't, the penalty is fine where it is) then you need to remove the ability for people to release to the altar again on the pvp server, it should've never been added in the first place. Not only do we have to worry about the naked caster rush already but now your making it so every class can bind rush equally well in pvp.

you could just leave it alone - why are you tinkering with it at all? fix bugs, no reason to be messing with this

sums it up best. There is way way to much broken/unpopulated stuff in the game as it is to be worrying about something that isnt broken as it is.

[Nemis]

I actually registered on this site in order to reply to this....

I am by no means a "hard core" player. I currently have two characters that are 20 or under in both adventuring and crafting spheres (real low in diplomacy -- for now).

In my opinion, if you don't have to go back to the spot of your death for something relatively important, then there's really not a lot of reason to go back. XP can always be regained, but equipment cannot. Some of the most memorable experiences I have had in MMORPGs (and I've been around a while), are things like helping my patron recover his corpse in Asheron's Call in an incredibly BAD spot out in the wilderness, and EQ when I tried to run through Kithicor Forest at dusk, or my buddy dropping to his death from the trees in the Elf City in EQ, and he had to run all the way from freeport because he forgot to bind.... These are things both me and my (non hard core) friends remember with great fondness. Hell, we talked about them at the water cooler! We are not hard-core, but there needs to be risk, else it's not that much fun.

I think the current risk/reward for death is balanced perfectly. (at least for levels 20 or lower). If it is not balanced at higher levels then maybe you could 'tweak' them, but I feel it might be a step in the wrong direction if you take away most of the death penalty you now have in place (XP loss + possible equipment loss). After all, if you want to lose both the experience and some money, you can summon your remains from the altar. I think this change is perhaps a bit unwise.

To summarize, I think the change should not go Live.

Best regards,
Nemis