Official: Enhancive Changes

[bunnymustdie]

(This message is also available as a Google Document at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...TxxoMSt7xgHTBA )

DISCLAIMER: This is just a design proposal. Any or all changes referenced in this post can and are likely to change as the mechanics are implemented and tested. Do not make any drastic decisions (such as training choices or purchases at events) for your characters based upon what is listed in this proposal. You will not be compensated or refunded for any adjustments made to this design after the fact.

We are considering simplifying enhancive items to convert Stat Bonus boosts to be Stat Base instead, and Skill Bonus boosts to be Skill Ranks instead.

Thus, an item with these enhancements:
It provides a boost of 2 to Strength Bonus.
It provides a boost of 3 to Two-Handed Weapons Bonus.

Will be converted to have these enhancements:
It provides a boost of 4 to Strength.
It provides a boost of 3 to Two-Handed Weapons Ranks.

Our goal is to condense the system and make it easier to understand, reducing confusion. These changes would retroactively apply to all existing enhancive items as well as newly created items going forward.

The development team is interested in comments, concerns, and other feedback you may have regarding this change. Here’s a few things we’ve already noted, and how we plan to address them:

RECHARGING COSTS:

This change will affect the cost per charge of enhancive items that currently provide boosts to Stat Bonuses. In the majority of cases this change will be negligible; in many cases the converted items will cost less per charge than they do now. In some relatively extreme examples, the cost may increase. A hypothetical 20 Strength Base enhancive currently costs about 11% more per charge than an equivalent 10 Strength Bonus enhancive.

Skill Ranks will be adjusted to use the same costs Skill Bonuses previously did, resulting in a reduction of those recharge costs by around 90%.

ADVENTURER’S GUILD BADGES:

Enhancive costs also factor into how strong of enhancives can be applied to your Adventurer’s Guild Badge. Since our proposed changes may make these items slightly more expensive in some cases, it’s possible (though very unlikely) you may be unable to enhance an adventurer’s guild to match the enhancements it currently has.

Your existing adventurer guild badges will continue to function, even if they are stronger than the new math says they are supposed to be.

FUSION ARMOR

Fusion armor currently limits you to one orb per type, but it has previously been possible to combine e.g. both a Strength Bonus orb and a Strength Base orb together.

To allow these setups to continue to be possible, fusion armor will be changed to allow a limit of two orbs of the same type in the cases of stats and skills.

Existing fusion orbs will also be converted to the new system. To avoid making them hard to tell apart, their appearance will not be changing. If you are remembering which orb is Strength Bonus and which is Dexterity Base by their color, you will continue to be able to do so.

Original here: http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Combat,%20Magic,%20and%20Character%20Mechanics/Developer's%20Corner/thread/1939777?get_newest=true

[Tgo01]

Sounds good. Do it!

[gilchristr]

Do it, do it n-owe!

[SonoftheNorth]

Existing fusion orbs will also be converted to the new system.

Wait wut

[Realk]

Wait wut

as if fusion didnt wasnt already 5 ft under, it's buried now.

[gilchristr]

"Existing fusion orbs will also be converted to the new system."

Amigous. It could mean all t3 fusion orbs will become t2s. But it could also mean that the +5 strength bonus t3 fusion orb will be converted to "the new system", i.e. become a +10 strength stat t3 fusion orb.

Its pretty much like every mercchant sign ever. It requires follow up questions, and then they are like "read the sign" when the same follow up question is asked a dozen times

PS - in terms of how amigous and badly thought out the comments are, consider the comment is under the heading FUSION ARMOR. Wait what about fusion weapons??? That is why we have the term "Armaments"... so for starters the comment should be under the heading FUSION ARMAMENTS, which includes both armor and weapons. Why would the comments apply to fusion armor only? Really they should read the message a few times before they publish it, which clearly they don't do.

The comment "converted to the new system" could mean anything, and i'd be surprised if it meant t3 -> t2 conversion (although I agree it reads that way...) I would just let it play out with several people getting blue in the face on the officials - it will get clarified.

[khorpulent]

Ahh, I knew there was a nerf in here somewhere:

Enhancive costs also factor into how strong of enhancives can be applied to your Adventurer’s Guild Badge. Since our proposed changes may make these items slightly more expensive in some cases, it’s possible (though very unlikely) you may be unable to enhance an adventurer’s guild to match the enhancements it currently has.

Right now you can max it out with +10 to skill bonuses, but it won't allow anywhere near that in ranks. My current badge setup would definitely be impossible:

It provides a boost of 10 to Stamina Recovery.
It provides a boost of 10 to Mental Lore - Telepathy Bonus.
It provides a boost of 10 to Ranged Weapons Bonus.


When I made it, I originally tried to add transformation lore ranks, but I could only get like +4 ranks with a max upgraded badge. Bet you can't get anywhere near a badge like this once it's all ranks.

[Skeletor]

Ahh, I knew there was a nerf in here somewhere:

Enhancive costs also factor into how strong of enhancives can be applied to your Adventurer’s Guild Badge. Since our proposed changes may make these items slightly more expensive in some cases, it’s possible (though very unlikely) you may be unable to enhance an adventurer’s guild to match the enhancements it currently has.

Right now you can max it out with +10 to skill bonuses, but it won't allow anywhere near that in ranks. My current badge setup would definitely be impossible:

It provides a boost of 10 to Stamina Recovery.
It provides a boost of 10 to Mental Lore - Telepathy Bonus.
It provides a boost of 10 to Ranged Weapons Bonus.


When I made it, I originally tried to add transformation lore ranks, but I could only get like +4 ranks with a max upgraded badge. Bet you can't get anywhere near a badge like this once it's all ranks.

What about stats and bonuses? has that changed?

[rolfard]

NEVERMIND, I just read this in the googledoc
***Skill Ranks will be adjusted to use the same costs Skill Bonuses previously did, resulting in a reduction of those recharge costs by around 90%.***

x-posted this in officials
I went to the TEST realm and checked out a couple things and realized that while STATS are nearly the same going from bonus to base, a +5 bonus AURA/WIS/DEX badge may not be made using the +10 model. If the costs to stat base was made equal to the equivalent stat bonus, that could be solved.

Then I started looking at my square. Then things got bad. You can make a +10 MOC/CMan/Dodge bonus badge. Using the rank system, none of those can go above 5 and forget about combining them. This <<below>> is going out of style and may be the 'best' badge I can give my wizard who has 0 ranks of all of these skills. I just hesitate to see what the recharge cost will be when it's all ranks based...

It provides a boost of 10 to Combat Maneuvers Bonus.
It provides a boost of 10 to Multi Opponent Combat Bonus.
It provides a boost of 10 to Dodging Bonus.
This enhancive item has restrictions whose type are unclear to you.
The badge seems to be out of charges.
It will persist after its last enhancive charge has been expended.
It is a small item, under a pound.

>order 5
Edrelsk takes your badge and peers at it through a large green crystal lens. He hands it back, saying, "I can charge this up a bit. It'll cost 52800 of your bounty points, though."

[khorpulent]

Yep, it's a great big badge nerf. Oh, I mean "simplification".