The daily skillpoints you receive to level your character is an awesome invention.
It’s one more thing that simply misses in the game at this point and HWS does it.
I’d have a few ideas to change the system: 1) Remove the +xp/+UP options for now.
Currently we have magnitudes more UP than we need, regardless of your current level, you can always unlock everything you want. It’s probably due to the game being alpha, the unlock points are not thought through at this point. The +XP makes a tiny bit more sense but anyone choosing that just ruins the own character for a saving an hour playtime progress.
2) Remove the daily points and move it to ingame progress. Maybe pair it to play hours + RP points ? Make the steps smaller, instead make it a longterm progress.
Right now the increases are huge, it’s like +10% health for just one login. I believe after 10 points/days it’s currently finished and your char is max level, right ?
I’d love to see that system refined by removing the daily progress and using an XP like progress.
And RP points are actually nothing else than HWS-XP !
Why not just make it a continuous progress, it does not have to stop.
If someone plays a lot and every day over 3 months he’ll have a very strong character.
Every n RP points you can choose to invest RP points into a char upgrade (health, stamina, food, speed modifier, jump modifier, etc)
Instead of +150 HP it should be +5 HP or +10 HP. +0.001 speed modifier, etc.
This system would keep people addicted to the server, everything they do, every kill, every POI would help making their character better. Giving an edge.
It’s a roleplaying system just like now, but with more incencitive to play a lot.
Right now it’s kinda over after 10 days, regardless if you play a lot or just login 1 minute.
You have some good points, but when Rex made this system I think he did it with the idea in mind of getting more people into HWS Connect and helping newer players. Hince the UP/EXP. For those of us who play 200+ hours a season yeah those options seem dumb, and you’re right, it is too slow right now to truly help newer players as it was meant aside from getting them on the website and learning about all HWS can offer.
So, maybe a compromise? Keep the EXP bonus but tie it to whatever the player chooses. Want 50 health or 50 food? Also get 5000 exp.
Sure, it was the idea of getting people into connect. But also it fulfills the role of a skill-tree that’s missing currently.
That role would not change, it would still get people a lot MORE into connect (as you can level up much more often and over the whole 3 months) and the skill-tree would work the way the game deserves
And sure, if you have many small steps you can also have the option to add XP or UP instead of something else.
It would make much more sense that way too, because you’d have XP when you need it and you’d not “overshoot” the target.
I’d make it quite flexible.
Just hundreds of small gradual steps instead of 10 huge ones.
Instead of +50 health +5 health would be better.
If you progress in game and get RP you can do another +5 and another.
This would get people to permanently engage in the website, connect and target them more into ingame activity that’s supposed to be their role (leads to RP)
I’d put the upper limit a good step above the current one but make it quite hard to reach that level.
It’s mainly a matter of balancing, it’s not DAY based with my suggestion but RP (HWS-XP) based.
Best would be a combination, every hour playtime where RP are gathered counts as +1 XP for the leveling for example.
That would be not too hard to implement and automatically balance it
If you play a lot you’ll level fast.
This way would make the game much more like a role playing mmo and bring people more into the game and make their time and effort valueable.
Of course it means you can’t go to max stats in 10 days anymore, but I think that’s actually a good thing.As long as you can see progress is being made on your char.
Interesting idea, and I do agree with possibly taking away the xp ups. But the way it’s set now everyone gets to the same point in 10 days.
What your talking about would distance the vets and those able to play more away from the others. Giving them more of an advantage and making it harder for new people to catch up.
In fact it seems like that was part of why you didn’t like ocd? Now that you’ve had more time here what is you current thoughts on it?
@Shojis
I did not like the persistent OCD because it circumvents most of a wipe, the skill points would get removed with a wipe giving everyone the same startup chance again. That’s no problem.
My thoughts on the OCD did not change much, I think it’s an error to have it persistent (except for cosmetics and some specialities).
Look at the server, it went from 30 people to 177 people with the wipe, wipes bring people to life because they have something to do again.
Even if we (including me) hate the idea having to grind from zero up again, actually it’s the most fun part in a sandbox survival game.
That’s why we mix cards at each round of Poker :->
But back to the topic:
We already got an increddible inbalance in the game due to OCD and other factors of Empyrion itself, inbalance can be a good thing too (think about the success of the game LoL, it thrives from people trying to become OP during a game and is still real esports)
Those playing more are always distanced from those who are not. They have replacement ships, better ships, more resources, better guns and more of them.
This would actually help the newbies more than the vets, many vets probably idle on their wealth from early seasons while a newbie might be very active and use that as an advantage in the current season closing the gap.
And it’s not that a big game changer. Even if you have 500 HP more than the other player, how long do you survive under that turret ?
P.S.
I didn’t specify how exactly those mods should look like. That’s in the end a matter of how the admins want the game balanced and run.
My idea would mainly bring us away from “be active 10 days” to “be active from begin to end”
The last big HWS Survey showed as well that the HWS Skill Tree and the upcoming HWS Origin Skills are massively liked by the community.
And as I announced already: it’s just the beginning and a lot more is planned.
Just wanted to let you know that the XP/UP is actually used by hundreds of players.
If you search the forum some players leveled up so fast, that they even ran in shortage of UP (unlock points) and were glad they had the option with HWS Skilltree to “fix” this - no other server could do that.
More importantly, while it is not lucrative, you can spend your Skill Point in XP the first 10 days, reset your Skill Tree after 20 days and then re-level in Health for example.
Anyways, yes, my long term goal is of course to make it lucrative for players to stay 3 months and get benefits for playing as long as they can
Once I’m ready with other stuff I see how I can implement it the best way (HWS-XP etc.)
