The War - a suggestion for players level 20-50

Minerios

Dalayan Adventurer
Hello all,

I debated to post here on in the War thread, but figured the S&R forum was better.

On the forums, there have been some suggestions as to how to get lower level players to participate in the defense or liberation of a zone, but nothing came of it. In game, high level players are becoming blasé with the war, but new, lower level players always show a good deal of enthusiasm, until they learn they can't really do anything worthwhile for the War effort.

So, being so brilliant and stuff, I figured I might as well suggest that something be done.

Here's how I'd work in something for the lower level players to do. It's not much, but better than nothing. Note: all numbers in what follows are ball park figures.

The Cauldron is attacked. A group of artificers (Gnomes, probably) spawn in the next zone to be attacked (Goblinskull), close to the Cauldron zone line. (Should Goblinskull be attacked, the artificers would then despawn from there and respawn in Greater Fay, and so on and so forth.) These artificers urge players over level 50 to get ready for the fight, but they have something else in store for players level 20-50. When hailed by a player of that level, they hand him a LORE, NO DROP, NO RENT "toolbox" with 10 charges. The lower level player can sneak on the battlefield (hopefully, the high level players are keeping the Kaezulians busy) and right-click the toolbox. The effect has a casting time of 30 seconds (basically, to make it harder to do a relatively risk free hit and run) and will spawn a "booby trap" next to the caster. The recast time on this effect is another 30 seconds, to avoid spamming. This booby trap can be attacked only by the caster. The caster must hit it several times to set it off (to prevent people with death fatigue from using them); if the caster does not destroy it within about 2 minutes, the booby trap despawns. That would allow people to have about two booby traps each waiting to be destroyed at any given time.

Now, booby traps could have various effects (I'd suggest either making them random but the same for a given toolbox, or have the toolbox be tradeable to the artificers until you get the one you want). They could be AoE damage, AoE buff, AoE stun, AoE healing... Anything AoE, really. I figured 500ish damage or 500ish healing would be a good amount. Nothing that would turn the tide of the battle, but if 10 or so lowbies start setting off traps around the battlefield, it could be very useful. Obviously, things would have to be tinkered with so that lowbies wouldn't be guaranteed to die upon the first explosion they trigger. Perhaps a pretty good (but not perfect) chance of not being added to the mob's hate list would do it?

Personnally, I think it would be a whole lot of fun for the low levels among us. It would not be as efficient as a high level joining in, and it shouldn't be; and it'd be quite dangerous, and it should be; but still, that would be fun and at least marginally useful.

Now, some drawbacks I've considered:

-I have no clue how hard it'd be to code, or if it can be coded at all.
-There could be a risk of exploit if people were to go to the artificers but use the toolbox in other zones. A 500 damage AoE against level 20 mobs would hurt. Perhaps it'd be possible to make the item work only in zones tagged "at war", if such a tag exists?
-People could also cycle through their alts should their main bite the dust. But given how hard it is to get people to mount a defense when a city is not immediately at stake, I figure it wouldn't be so bad. :p
-It could be a nightmare to balance.


Soooo... What are you thinking? Feasible? Desirable?
 
I'm all for this (and not just because he's a Guildmate- though that does make him considerably sexy!)

Personally, another 20 levels until I'm in War/raiding shape. I've been pineing to join in since the War started, and a few times committed suicide by going to the warzone just so I could watch. I would LOVE to have something to do other than die! Even if its just tossing booby-trapped Gnomes at the Lizards :dance:
 
At 60 I find myself useless on the war efforts. Everything's fine and dandy until the giant skelles come, instantly target me (lv 60), and decimate.
 
Aye level Aggro is a issue with 55+ toons helping in wars. Thier fine on normal raids but once something big spawns it goes right for them :(

Of course I also would love to know why EVERY SINGLE STUPID KAZEL CAN ROOT!!! AND AUTO ROOTS ON DEATH
Or at least it seemed it... I know all Scouts can Root, and ROOT A LOT. Was Extremely frustrating bashing a scout it only to be hit with a root that seems to last for 2 minutes :(


I like the idea of the Booby Traps.

To limit the items use in other zones, make them Lore, No Drop, No Rent. So you can't save them up or anything. I am sure it would be easy to code them as well to pop on zone/log. Since No Rent items were orginal that way just flaging these traps as old No Rent code should be easy. (I think).

As to Traps: Traps could look like some model already in the zone files (prehaps a Fire Pet for the AoE damage and a Water pet for the AoE Heal. They would spawns, do thier AoE and Despawn.

Heal Trap: It Spawns Friendly NPC that casts a AoE heal, then despawns.

Damage Trap: Like Healing Trap, but causes a AoE Damage



Having them spawn a NPC to do the AoE should help keep the lower level toons off the aggro lists.

As to another side quest that would be fun for lower levels to do whiel the war raged.
Have the camp have a NPC looking for players to gather supplies.
The Player is giving a No Drop no Rent map that you click on for directions to a NPC. Find this NPC hail him and your given a item (Crate of Weapons or something). He thing give syou a new map, that leads you to another NPC whichs gives you another item (Crate of Armor) and weapons. Plus a new map.. which then leads you to a NPC that spawns near were invading zone line. Hailing him and giving him the 2 items spawns 4 Upper 40s Friendly NPC guards that spawn and attack Kazel troops.

Could put a limit to only have the quest active one at a time so people couldn't spam the War with these guards.
 
I might be wrong on this, but isn't there a refugee camp (including some quests for low level toons during wars) in Erimal?
 
Nwaij said:
I might be wrong on this, but isn't there a refugee camp (including some quests for low level toons during wars) in Erimal?

Thier is... but far as I know its only about bringing spoils of war. So your low level would still have to be part of the war to get said spoils.

I could be wrong... I found out about those NPC before last weeks war I was in, and unfortunely forgot to loot some of the kazel weapons and see what you get for a reward.
 
Kirin Folken said:
erimal weapon reward turnin ... blahblah blah.... other stuff

I brought the NPC about 8 weapons. I got...like 7 gold and "xp"

but the quest was TRIVIAL at 65 so i didn't get any xp :(

PS: If the xp is substantial then thats a huge reward for a lowbie to not only come, but also look forward to the next war.
 
The one odd part about this quest is that it requires lower levels to enter a war zone and... well Ninja loot bodys as the higher levels kill things.

I know higher level won't give a dam about the weapons (since its no xp to them and the cash reward basicly isn't worth thier time). But this might cause a issue with named mobs and lowbies looting everything..... might end up with a bad mix ready to turn into Named Loot Ninja Looting.

I suppose lower levels could jsut say out of the fight until its won, then swoop in like a bunch of vulchers (sp?) and pick the bodys clean.... not exzactly heroic sounding.
 
Kirin Folken said:
I suppose lower levels could jsut say out of the fight until its won, then swoop in like a bunch of vulchers (sp?) and pick the bodys clean.... not exzactly heroic sounding.
Maybe not, but this is exactly what happened in nearly every battle in history
 
iaeolan said:
Maybe not, but this is exactly what happened in nearly every battle in history

True, thats what happened in real history and I suppose to a extend even a fantasy history should follow suit.

But players generaly want to be something speical when they play a escapism style game like SoD.

Of course if we wanted to go for full realism players should be able to align themselves with Kazel forces. But that just screws up so much else in the game if players could do that.
 
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