Changes to Merchant Recharging Services

[shad0ws0ngs]

We've got some changes for Merchant recharging services that we're going to debut at Ebon Gate this year. Essentially, we are introducing degradation of magic items that are recharged via merchant services. Each time a magic item is recharged by a merchant, its effective maximum number of charges will deplete by 5, to a minimum of 0. The cost of the service has also increased by 250%. At a future date (when we actually need it) there will be a service that can alleviate the degradation and increase its effective maximum number of charges by an amount, to a maximum of 40. This only applies to magic resistant (non rechargeable) magic items.

Rechargeable magic items are not subject to degradation via merchant recharging services and do not carry the increased cost.

An item that is recharged repeatedly and drawn down until it can no longer be recharged would get a total of 180 charges (40 + 35 + 30 + 25 + 20 + 15 + 10 +5) over its lifetime.

___
ASGM

This message was originally posted in Events, Quests, and SimuCoins, Ebon Gate Festival. To discuss the above, follow the link below.

http://forums.play.net/forums/19/218/2394/view/10955


Can't say I like the sound of this.

[Taernath]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/2161902c25629d4409fd6d11e98475ca/tumblr_n4s7atisqH1snl9u6o1_500.gif

[Tgo01]

Can't say I like the sound of this.

I can.

On an unrelated note. (http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?89384-Silvers-for-sale-here)

[shad0ws0ngs]

I've been waffling on doing the same for a while now. Stuff like this change is helping make a decision though.

[Tgo01]

I've been waffling on doing the same for a while now. Stuff like this change is helping make a decision though.

I didn't mean to imply I'm quitting the game, I was implying you should buy my silvers.

[Wyrom]

I responded to this on the officials. I believe there were some misunderstandings.

[shad0ws0ngs]

I didn't mean to imply I'm quitting the game, I was implying you should buy my silvers.

Oh no! I meant I was waffling on selling my own silvers! Buy my silvers so you have more silvers for your sale.

[Tgo01]

Oh no! I meant I was waffling on selling my own silvers! Buy my silvers so you have more silvers for your sale.

No you buy my silvers!!!

[Tgo01]

I responded to this on the officials. I believe there were some misunderstandings.

You're here to clear things up here so we don't scare anyone off. I can't go all the way to the officials to find out what misunderstandings were cleared up :(

[Geijon Khyree]

I responded to this on the officials. I believe there were some misunderstandings.

It was this.


Hey everyone, I think this recharge change is being communicated in a way it's being misunderstood. Prior to this change, if an item was flagged to not be recharged, it meant a GM merchant shouldn't have recharged it (as well as a wizard). For a long time, this is why specific spell circles weren't allowed to be recharged or you never saw those merchants recharge them or sell items with those spells. For example, spells like heroism weren't allowed so merchants denied the mangled steel spoons.

Now some merchants may have recharged some of these items in the past, or we've been allowing some spells to be recharged that previously weren't mage rechargeable. Some GMs may have gained specific approvals for them. Some GMs may have not known something was not suppose to be recharged and did it anyway for whatever reason. But now, almost any magic item can be recharged. Those that had things that weren't allowed are pretty much allowed. This also means we can start offering more varieties of spell items again and more merchants can recharge going forward. There are still spells that won't have many recharge options or will require more approval (spells level 20 or higher for example), but this actually opens recharging up to people who wouldn't have been able to use this service anymore.

This "degradation" isn't something that ruins your item or anything like that. You can also get your items "max" bumped back up at times. We're debuting this system here, so anything being recharged won't actually degrade. The majority of items we recharge at these merchants typically aren't affected. It's targeted to items that weren't allowed (or shouldn't have been allowed). And now magic items go to 40 to start with, instead of 10 or 20 which was the case for some magic items. Now a light blues (101) item that was flagged as non-rechargeable will start to degrade per merchant rechargeable session, where prior to this change we'd have recharged light blues whether it was rechargeable or not because it was an approved spell. So some items previously not an issue to recharge will receive degradation only in the respect that it was set up not to be recharged from the get go. In mundane spells, we did it anyway because it was an easy-to-come-by spell. But building items going forward we will be a bit more careful about using that flag when building items.

Hopefully that clears up some confusion. This really isn't a nerf. I'm sure this post might confuse some people more. It's late, I been working for 16 hours, hangry, and tired. But let me repeat, this is only things recharged via merchants. It has nothing to do with wizard recharges. If you get something recharged only once a year at EG, those items will last 8 years still before they couldn't be recharged.


Wyrom, PM

[Velfi]

So from that the degradation only applies to items that previously couldn't officially be recharged at a merchant anyway, yes?

[Alashir]

I feel like there should be an announcement for making enhancements logistically easier and less annoying. Anything improving quality of life with them. IMO this game does not need another layer of tedium to wade through

[Wyrom]

So from that the degradation only applies to items that previously couldn't officially be recharged at a merchant anyway, yes?

Yes. But in some cases, I realize people were still getting them recharged. I use the mangled steel spoons as an example because I know they are a known one. Those shouldn't have been recharged. The ones we offered at Duskruin via bloodscrip were only 5 charges. When and if we had that approved, we'd have only done 5 charges to recharge them again. But under this new system, we can put them at 40 charges.

And really, how often is anyone visiting a recharge merchant in a year? Were you getting 40 charges at them? Because we didn't always put things to 40 per session. I do feel like the original post by Tamuz may have come off more doom and gloom than we wanted it to.

[shad0ws0ngs]

Well, the follow up explanation makes it sound much less bad than originally. For a game with such a static old curmudgeon-y playerbase as we are, who as we are all growing older, naturally fear change like previous old people generations, I feel like maybe a "how to break changes to players" class might be good for GMs.

Like instead of announcing a change and just having that hanging there maybe a post that is formatted like:

1. Here is what it has been like
2. Here is what the issue with it was
3. Here is how we are changing it
4. Here is why this is something you should like
5. Await the much rejoicing.

[Velfi]

Yes. But in some cases, I realize people were still getting them recharged. I use the mangled steel spoons as an example because I know they are a known one. Those shouldn't have been recharged. The ones we offered at Duskruin via bloodscrip were only 5 charges. When and if we had that approved, we'd have only done 5 charges to recharge them again. But under this new system, we can put them at 40 charges.

And really, how often is anyone visiting a recharge merchant in a year? Were you getting 40 charges at them? Because we didn't always put things to 40 per session. I do feel like the original post by Tamuz may have come off more doom and gloom than we wanted it to.

It was a little unclear at first but your clarification makes sense and seems reasonable, to me at least.

[shad0ws0ngs]

And really, how often is anyone visiting a recharge merchant in a year? Were you getting 40 charges at them? Because we didn't always put things to 40 per session. I do feel like the original post by Tamuz may have come off more doom and gloom than we wanted it to.

Every single one offered, if I'd used my crumbly call familiar necklace even once prior to it. I swear, if you guys would just offer a service to make imbeds noncrumbly, it would be so freaking nice.

[Velfi]

Every single one offered, if I'd used my crumbly call familiar necklace even once prior to it. I swear, if you guys would just offer a service to make imbeds noncrumbly, it would be so freaking nice.

Or a service to convert imbeds to MR maybe?

[Wyrom]

Every single one offered, if I'd used my crumbly call familiar necklace even once prior to it. I swear, if you guys would just offer a service to make imbeds noncrumbly, it would be so freaking nice.

That's the good upside of item attrition. When things aren't infinite, services like this can likely get offered.

It sucks that it comes off as a nerf (though I stick to my guns that this isn't a nerf as it's being presented), but this widens what we can do with magic items. And more merchants can come around now.

[Tgo01]

Sounds like a good change to me. Silver sinks are always good.

Unless this stuff is like, rechargeable via SimuCoins only. Then BOO!

[Wyrom]

Sounds like a good change to me. Silver sinks are always good.

Unless this stuff is like, rechargeable via SimuCoins only. Then BOO!

It's not something we've hooked SimuCoins into.

[Destrier]

I keep hearing these changes are not a big deal.

What is next? How many, not a 'big deals' are there going to be?

I mean hell, if item attrition is good and everyone likes it. Let me make some suggestions.

[Tgo01]

I mean hell, if item attrition is good and everyone likes it. Let me make some suggestions.

Weapon breakage?

[macgyver]

I think our characters should grow old and die of natural causes permanently. Hands for aye?

[Wyrom]

I think our characters should grow old and die of natural causes permanently. Hands for aye?

I set your character up to have a stroke on next log in. Good luck!!