Please make Dungeon Alert optional

[Jeromio]

Why not make Dungeon Alert optional, with an incentive for the players to switch it on?

Give the person opening the quest the possibility to switch off DA at the same time as quest difficulty is choosen. For wilderness areas, just have a single on/off option for the first person entering the area.

Give some reward to people having it on (e.g. a bit of increased XP or similar) and/or punish players switching it off (e.g. reduced XP or loot level). Maybe even give the players another option for choosing the punishment. :)

My guess is that with this possibility, most people would have it switched on, leading to the effect Turbine strives for.

It would reduce server processing in general (which is the main target for DA).
Zergers could keep on zerging.
For quests where DA is badly implemented, it would give the the possibility to ensure easier play.
People running solo (e.g. late joiners) to quests in wilderness areas could avoid some problems getting to the quest location.

[TreknaQudane]

In no way does your suggestion show any way to reduce server processing

Zerging in and of it self caused a large portion of DDO's server side lag because of how mob AI handles pathfinding, Allowing players to "opt out" of the system that is designed to restrict how large those crowds get before the player's odds of survival decrease isn't going to help the problem.

[Jeromio]

Yes, you're correct. My idea would increase server processing, but I believe it would be marginal. The main purpose of the idea was to solve some of the "problems" many have with DA while not get into the zerge fest situation we had before mod 9/EU.

We have numerous of threads suggesting to remove DA completely and to adjust certain quests and other problems, so clearly many players consider this to be a problem. It seems like Turbine will not back down (understandably... with heavily increased server burden). So, I would hope that this idea would be a compromise making everyone happy.

[Pyromaniac]

I'd prefer to have DA off something that's a store bought option.

[Kyrn]

Turn off DA in casual. (and reducing the number of mobs so DA doesn't happen to begin with, so no conquest either)

Really, tired of hearing DA comments. They know the issues, they are tweaking it.

[DragonDrago77]

As you said, most people would turn it off which defeats the purpose of making it optional.

[KillEveryone]

I would just like to see it fixed.

I can live with it but not when I do quests that it is an automatic red for entering a room or if I'm on the other side of an explorer zone with someone else on the opposite causing a rucus and I get red DA.

The way I play, it doesn't really affect me personally but there are times when it does when it really shouldn't.

[DragonDrago77]

I would just like to see it fixed.

I can live with it but not when I do quests that it is an automatic red for entering a room or if I'm on the other side of an explorer zone with someone else on the opposite causing a rucus and I get red DA.

The way I play, it doesn't really affect me personally but there are times when it does when it really shouldn't.

I agree.

There are times where it is my fault. I'm zerging through a dungeon just to get completion.

There are times where it is not my fault. Someone decides it would be fun to run through the Vale.

The way I see it, DA should be removed from the wilderness areas. And at best, DA should be kept(or removed :D) from dungeons. That's just my input, though.
I see no reason why people can't split up in wilderness areas, honestly. Maybe it would be too easy to farm XP?

[Cylinwolf]

Zergers could keep on zerging.

If DA successfully stopped you from zerging you're doing something wrong anyways.


For quests where DA is badly implemented, it would give the the possibility to ensure easier play.

Or they could fix the problems with those quests by making nonactive NPCs (and friendly NPCs. Did'ya know Coyle counts towards your DA count?) not add to the count, or in cases of quests like Coal Chamber they'd need to spike the limit before you start hitting DA if the quest is to be more forgiving if someone falls.

[Jeromio]

If DA successfully stopped you from zerging you're doing something wrong anyways.

He, he.... I almost knew someone would come up with that. :D I agree, usually you can work around it, but not always, and it can still be truly annoying. There are places when even hard core zergers struggle when playing at level due to DA, e.g. Tear on elite and the one with all dread zombies (struggle to remember the name) in house J.

Or they could fix the problems with those quests by making nonactive NPCs (and friendly NPCs. Did'ya know Coyle counts towards your DA count?) not add to the count, or in cases of quests like Coal Chamber they'd need to spike the limit before you start hitting DA if the quest is to be more forgiving if someone falls.

Yep, agree! Still, it's gone almost 8 months since DA was introduced live and Turbine doesn't seem to want to do anything about it.


In red...

[Cyr]

In no way does your suggestion show any way to reduce server processing

Zerging in and of it self caused a large portion of DDO's server side lag because of how mob AI handles pathfinding, Allowing players to "opt out" of the system that is designed to restrict how large those crowds get before the player's odds of survival decrease isn't going to help the problem.

Fine, I propose a modification of the OP's suggestion.

Upon logging on for the day you select if you want DA on or off. If more people want DA on then off then it is on. If more want it off then it is off. When it changes over it only changes for new dungeon entries (not people already in a dungeon so no sudden DA issues).

If more people really want DA then it should be fine. If more decide that the game is worse because of it then the developers really know that something is seriously wrong with it and have more incentives to cause the root problems of lag or make it less annoying.

[Jeromio]

Fine, I propose a modification of the OP's suggestion.

Upon logging on for the day you select if you want DA on or off. If more people want DA on then off then it is on. If more want it off then it is off. When it changes over it only changes for new dungeon entries (not people already in a dungeon so no sudden DA issues).

If more people really want DA then it should be fine. If more decide that the game is worse because of it then the developers really know that something is seriously wrong with it and have more incentives to cause the root problems of lag or make it less annoying.

I'm not sure Turbine would consider doing something like that. They want to have DA to reduce the stress on the servers and will not remove it... ever... period. With the current population, if 20-25% where having a zerge fest without DA, the servers would probably be walking on their knees. :)

With my suggested change it would most probably only be a little tiny bit more server stress.

[Cyr]

I'm not sure Turbine would consider doing something like that. They want to have DA to reduce the stress on the servers and will not remove it... ever... period. With the current population, if 20-25% where having a zerge fest without DA, the servers would probably be walking on their knees. :)

With my suggested change it would most probably only be a little tiny bit more server stress.

Actually your suggestion would result in everyone who likes to zerg turning it off regardless of other's desires. My suggestion at least gives weight to those who think it is a good thing. If it's only 20-25% of the player base then it would never be turned off.

Either way it's a moot point. Turbine has made it clear that they have no intention of turning it off.