Comments from the Devs

[Corrderio]

What I dont like is how the guildleves completely replaced the exp parties. I went with few people post the sp patch to fight raptors in Coerthas, it was fairly good exp (about 15-20k) per hour but that dint sit well with others. 90% of people rather sit and wait for the leve reset to get easier exp and avoid penalty during the leve from fatigue than just go out and exp. I hate how limited this makes the game feel.

They're idiots? That's all I can think of.

I don't mind EXP PTs, but the issue is nobody seems to use the recruit system.

[Hyan]

What I dont like is how the guildleves completely replaced the exp parties.

While it should not ever come down to that (doing nothing and waiting for the reset), this^ is what really should happen. As Kaylia pointed out to me a while ago, the developers need to be able to control us at least for some part for the content to be balanced and well designed. If you give the players freedom to do whatever they want, you really can't a) control what they end up doing and b) design and balance the content well.

Take FFXI for example. Before ToAU the devs didnt really try to make us EXP in one way or the other- the only aspect they had control over was the party set-up, six people and almost pre-determined roles. In the end we fought the same mobs over and over again for 75 levels because that's what we thought was the most efficient (crabs, crawlers, bats, crawlers, crabs). The devs were left to try to guess what we might do at any given time, and they obviously didn't succeed before saying fuck it and releasing colibris and mamool ja's with camps that screamed "come exp here".

Now it's the same situation, except they're trying to balance between leves and normal exping this time. They try to "balance" both, yet shit just doesn't work even after 6 months. Now they seem to be moving towards the choice that lets them determine what we do and when very easily- guildleves. That way they can design and balance the system better. Otherwise we'd just pick our next doblyns to grind on forever, and the devs would have to guess what our next target might be. Sure, we have our freedom- but are we better off for it?

[Sephiroth]

Including with the 36 hour cool-down? As I don't want my main method of levelling up to be so limited in terms of opportunity.

People seem to forget that these limits exist for a reason. They allow you to get something done quickly and then go do something else. If they halved the cool-down to 18 hours you can bet your right butt cheek that they would have to half the SP gained per leve for balancing issues.

I suppose they could have two different types of leves. A set for people like yourself who want to spend more time doing leves and gain SP at a slower rate, and a set for people like me who just want to get them done and go do something else. But don't let people choose from both sets.

[Toth]

Leves wouldn't be bad for level opportunities if they:

a. each offered some kind of consistent SP. The vast majority are complete crapshoots (some give 5k +, others barely 1k)

b. offered additional SP PER completion, and scaling SP at that (i.e. lvl 40 leve gives SP more than a lvl 30)

c. offered better SP for soloing them. As it stands now, you need to leve link just to get decent SP and with the server populations so low, that is a challenge in and of itself.

[Dooom]

People seem to forget that these limits exist for a reason. They allow you to get something done quickly and then go do something else.

The basis of my question was assuming that Leves were to be the main method of progressing in the game. Given the current state of the game, what would you suggest someone else does? If you're doing the "main thing" quickly (leves) and then spending the bulk of your time on "other", then that strikes me as, well, off.

[Hyan]

The number of April 19th threads in the official forums is pretty hilarious. I'm not against more info though!

If you're doing the "main thing" quickly (leves) and then spending the bulk of your time on "other", then that strikes me as, well, off.

Due to leve-sharing you really don't have a "limit" as to how many leves you can do. Only the number of people you can share with is limiting your progress. On a server with a healthy population, this should be no issue. However, as mentioned, leve-linking should not result in more SP than leve-sharing in most situations. Yet, currently it seems to do just that.

[Corrderio]

I do hope SE keeps their mouth shut until the 20th myself. I'd kill to see people like BelgianRofl, gifthorse, and all the other tards that spam "this game sucks" without giving any constructive criticism ragequit and never come back.

[Hyan]

Lol, my thoughts exactly. Otherwise they can just saveface.

SE won't do that, though. The patch needs to hit the game by the 22nd and they will surely hype it beforehand. Sigh.

One thread got locked just now, nice.

[Cichy]

I'm expecting some minor post by them tommorow

[Aratharn]

I'm expecting some minor post by them tommorow

Probably more on the upcoming seasonal this-time-bell-less event.

[Gulkeeva]

Instead of bells there will be chimes...!

[Sephiroth]

The number of April 19th threads in the official forums is pretty hilarious. I'm not against more info though!



Due to leve-sharing you really don't have a "limit" as to how many leves you can do. Only the number of people you can share with is limiting your progress. On a server with a healthy population, this should be no issue. However, as mentioned, leve-linking should not result in more SP than leve-sharing in most situations. Yet, currently it seems to do just that.

Problem is you can already get about 450k SP in a week just off leves as it is. That's like 1/3 the SP to 50. I don't think it would be wise to increase that potential even more otherwise SE may as well just hand everyone maxed jobs.

The max SP rate is fine and it's easily viable to hit 50 within 3 weeks just progressing with leves. What needs to change is SP for soloing leves. Problem then is if you make it decent people won't have an incentive to party. Someone mentioned leve linking shouldn't give much more SP than leve sharing. It used to be this way and everyone soloed their leves.

I don't know what the best way forward is but I'm sure we can all agree that there needs to be incentive to party and you shouldn't be able to max jobs crazy fast. People want surplus gone, people want more SP from leves, people want SP chains from grinding etc. If all that was implemented you'd do 1-50 within a week.

[plue]

Just a question regarding leveling, but how do people level these days? I came back and so far all I've done was solo random mobs for SP, which seems faster comparing to when I left, but I don't know if ~200 SP per mob is the norm these days.

[Corrderio]

~200 Sounds pretty good

[plue]

Alright thanks, I'll just keep soloing along then. A bit of a shame that partying isn't as widely used.

[Groovebox]

Just a question regarding leveling, but how do people level these days? I came back and so far all I've done was solo random mobs for SP, which seems faster comparing to when I left, but I don't know if ~200 SP per mob is the norm these days.

Linking leves with groups. Either join an active linkshell or hope that people in your level range shout in Ul'Duh during leve reset. Another option is to do behests every hour on the hour, it's really good SP until 40+.

[Cureslime]

A way to level that isn't a total pile of boring shit would be nice. Since JPs don't invite NAs you can't ever get a party anymore and you're stuck playing one of the worst single player RPGs ever made or just not progressing at all. No part of that seems ok to me.

[Hiroishime]

my server always have people that wants to grind, the only problem is no one wants to make party, no one wants to organize a party, no one wants to use their anima, everyone just wants shit handed to them.. also ppl doesnt know how to use BR.

[Hyan]

Problem is you can already get about 450k SP in a week just off leves as it is. That's like 1/3 the SP to 50. I don't think it would be wise to increase that potential even more otherwise SE may as well just hand everyone maxed jobs.

Well, yeah, every adjustment should probably work around the current SP gain rate. That means leve-linking has to get nerfed and leve-sharing to be left as-is.

Someone mentioned leve linking shouldn't give much more SP than leve sharing. It used to be this way and everyone soloed their leves.

I don't know how that makes any sense. Leve-sharing should always be better than soloing leves. Is this the community being moronic?

I think two things need to happen: A) Groups must need members, and B) People must feel like they need groups. Regardless of whether the people have leves on them or not, that shouldn't be a requirement.

Afaik now it's more like "if you can leve-link you can join us, otherwise gtfo." And ofc by leve-linking everyone runs out of leves in no time.

[Elcura]

I think he means that if there's no incentive to leve linking (more SP), then there's no incentive to party for leves when you could get the same SP solo as you could in a group.

And not everyone is a douche bag that requires a link to join a party, at least on Palamecia. Sure we take the piss out of the leeches, but it's not like we deny anyone who can't put in.