Downtime RegenerationFollow

I voted for a bit over-powering. I need to try it out more though, in various situations, to make an informed decision on it.

Cheers...it's Friday:)

A bit overpowering...A longer wait (even a minute compared to the "30 seconds" would possibly work) would help keep it from being too out of hand...

Why is it overpowering? They have to keep up with WOW or the game will end up being like the realm. It stops the dreaded downtime that causes EQ to seem like a grind instead of a fun experience.


Vack

No offense. But if you where a business and you wanted to capture the most amount of customers. WOW has 6 million. EQ has what now? From a pure business stand point it only makes sense, and if it can lure old players back that is a good thing. If you can make 10 times the profit by implementing change that the majority of people want you do it as a business.

It is great that they put out expansions. One of the best things about EQ but the consistent money maker is the monthly dues. The expansions are just one way to suck out of every person as much money as possible.

I for one am glad that EQ has always been on the cutting edge of making their game better from a customer service point of view. Ive played this game since day 1. I don't think that the horrible xp penalty you used to get from death was a good thing. I remember cheering the moment I got my first rez spell for 50%. I was estatic.

It makes EQ fun to play again. It became a grind and now it allows casters to DPS and makes it alot more fun for all the classes. Something that makes the game more fun is definatly a plus. And it absoultely does not trivilize any of the content it just makes downtime alot less. Just like before 35th level you used to have your spellbook open and stare at that. This is just another example of them implementing changes that make the game more fun.

I voted 'a bit overpowering'. That does not mean it is bad, but it will change the way you operate solo and in a group. This change is WAY more dramatic than when they changed to allow you to bind wound from 50% to 70%. Or when they changed the resting HP regen to increase when you are continually sitting. Those were tweaks, this is major.

This will enable you to fight some tougher mobs and push the envelope a bit. Often times (solo) you tend to fight lesser xp mobs just so you do not have to wait around to regen. Now you don't have to do that.

Overall I like it, but it is a big change.



Edited, Sep 22nd 2006 at 11:12am EDT by Dothammer

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Sure, smart business move by SOE, perhaps. I don't play the game because I think SOE is a good business, frankly I don't care. I started playing the game because it was a challenge, more than any game I had played up to that point.

The challenge is what I enjoyed. This includes smart mana usage by strategizing the most efficient way to kill a mob, xp grind and even apply buffs. Doing it better is fun for me.

I voted overpowering, of course. Playing with this system for two days has solidified my stance on this. My cleric has been nuking more than ever, my shaman doesn't canni hardly at all and I have even noticed I can heal or buff once or twice during a battle and only the "30 second timer" is activated, not the crossed swords. I can pull much faster and kill significantly faster. Coupled with the new aa xp system I am gaining aa xp multiple times faster than before. Most of my toons are above level 51 but below level 65.

I am not complaining about the changed xp system, it may create more mid-high level groups from casual players and I look forward to soloing more with some of my characters.

Another thing to note: most melee, defensive and spell-casting skills have been increased a significant amount. On my melee characters, I have noticed greater accuracy and avoidance. The consequences (results) of this are apparent. The same content that kept me on my toes even just a little, has honestly become somewhat boring.

As others have stated, the factor of downtime was an undesireable issue which seemed to precipitate intelligent choices. They certainly are making this game available and appealing to the masses.

The way it looks to me, SOE wants to trivialize content back to a point. That will give players another reason to buy their most recent and upcoming expansions. Sony is a business, first and singularly. I certainly don't frown upon new content and Sony has every preogative to change the product they own. Doesn't mean I like some of the changes.

My post may elicit aggresive responces from certain people that feel it necessary to make insulting statements or tell me to go play another game, blah, blah, blah. I've seen it a hundred times. Contrary opinions are appreciated. But, if it makes you feel better...

Flame Away!

For me personally, as a druid with a family guild background, OOC mana regeneration is a godsend. I solo quite a bit due to the short, late-night play sessions that RL allows me. I used to solo with a book on my desk. Kite an orc logger, read a page or two while medding, kite another orc. Mana management in this context consisted of accumulating AAs and gear to maximize mana regeneration.

Now I solo to my heart's content with OOC med breaks just long enough to let the dog in or out. When I want to read, I read; and when I want to play EQ, I play EQ. I like that.

When I group, I have rarely been successful as main healer in challenging content, due--I believe--partly to the limitations of my spell book and gear, partly to the gear and AA limitations of the family guild and pickup group tanks that I have played with, and perhaps to my deficient mana management skills. To be fair though, my healing mana management choice is to: 1) cast my 5500 HP incomplete heal at 90% and pray the tank is still standing when it lands, or 2) spam chlorotrope and run through my 6000 mana pool in two fights (or one bad pull).

While it is true that I could have devoted more time to the game over the past few years to develop the new social network required to obtain better spells and gear, or abandoned my family guilds sooner, that would not have increased my enjoyment of EQ.

Thanks to OOC mana regen, I can now main heal somewhat more challenging content than before. Good for me? Sure is. It's also better for the four or five other people in my group. And it will improve the experience of every LFG player out there if groups get built faster around any available healer, be he cleric, druid or shaman.

To the developers, I offer thanks.

To shamen and necromancers, I offer sympathy and hope that the developers will grant you some compensation for sharing your wealth of mana with the rest of us.

To those whose enjoyment of the game is lessened by the trivialization of mana management, I hope that you will find new challenges.

I love it. Since I solo alot it cuts my downtime out bigtime.

I really like the concept, but I think it is a bit overpowering. Getting KEI/SA/Steeloak used to really define my play style, but now an Elixir is good enough to stay above 60% mana all the time. I think less down time is great, but frankly, I need SOME time to go get a fresh beer between mobs - at least occassionally . . .

Great idea, but possibly a bit overpowered. If hp/mana/endurance were regained at half to 3/4 the current ooc rate, it would seem a bit more challenging. Just getting back a 12k endurance pool in a few seconds seems a bit fast, a slight tone-down may be in order.

Doesnt trivilise anything. The only thing the enhanced regeneration effects is downtime BETWEEN fights. It wont help you kill a raid mob that you couldnt kill before. It will help people get stuff done in a shorter time.

What is this going to eliminate?
LOOONNNGGG CR's where it takes 20+ mins to rebuff a raid or group.
Having to sit for 8 mins after soloing a mob(which even chain killing wont get you 1/4 of the exp of a group).

What is it going to give to players?
More exp (not because of more power, but because of less sitting around with your thumb up your but waiting on mana).
Less downtime.
More killing time.

For those of you that say it is overpowering, tell me how this is going to get you more loot, more flags, or where it trivilizes any encounter.

I voted for well balanced. Because if you in a normal exp group that I'm used to that is constant near unending pulls. And so therefore the new out of combat recovery would not help you at all. Also it will shorten med breaks. And as far as manageing you're mana, that was a problem not a key part of the game. Who wants a wizard or any caster for DPS when they have to watch how much mana they're using? Get a monk &/or rogue, no mana really good dps nothing to slow them down. I would say this could even it up for them casters. And on the otherside if you can't seem to get a group after work at 2am it's great that you could to solo something and with minimized downtime not have it feel like a waste of time.

it's the difference between mostly using ch and an occasional light, and being able to light/remedy/desperate constantly.