'Rebalanced' server

[Laretes]

Alternative title for this thread 'Back to the roots' or 'Oldschool' or 'Low magic' server. None of these words really fit.

This suggestion is based on my opinion that the amount and level of magic items in DDO is absolutely overdone.
Don't bother to read further if you already disagree. As stated, this is my opinion.

I am swinging a +5 weapon at what - lvl8? At level 12 I can wield an arsenal of weapons and wear armor and jewelry that a whole group in a normal P+P DDO campaign would not see. 'Oh JUST flaming burst? Nah, that's garbage...' The result: Monsters have to have more and more 'overkill' abilities in order to keep up with the players.

This is likely been suggested before, but I didn't bother to search the forums much. Idea: Create a server with rebalanced items and monsters. Make finding a +2 longsword with acid damage something special. A vorpal should be the absolute exemption from the loot rule. Yes this would require a lot of fine-tuning, but maybe we could have a lowbie quest where a huge troll is a really serious adversary and not a joke? Then we wouldn't need Epic Undead Construct Ghost Vampire Dragons at lvl20...

Discuss away.

[xTethx]

Cannot and will not be done with Turbine at the helm of this game. No point in discussing.

[blitzschlag]

Cannot and will not be done with Turbine at the helm of this game. No point in discussing.

yes, the problem is that turbine would have to come up with cool and good designed content again. its easier to throw hp at mobs and let em get clobbered down in minutelong fights.

on the other hand, everyone is his own master. you don't want the shiny stuff? get some like minded friends/ppl going and set up a guild that just uses plain stuff. no elemental stuff, just plain weapons/armors. no stat enhancers/spell damage enhancers. i'm sure you can best all up to and including gianthold. surely a lot of fun (like in the old days).

[Diarden]

I actually really enjoyed playing DDO in beta and at release. Thernal Ruins was one of the highest level area's, and there were "Rumors" of folks finding a Vorpal or a +1 tome. Tempest spine was the only raid, and my cleric was the only person with Breastplate of the Giants that I knew of.

A low magic server would be awesome, but the balance between melee and casters would be in jeopardy. They would have to retool spells so that casters aren't as powerful, and that would turn a lot of people off. It just won't be done.

[nerdychaz]

the problem is that we players keep getting more magic items, so they scale the mobs higher, so then we get better weapons, then they scale the mobs. It won't end until you are picking up a vorpal rapier in Korthos, lol.

What really needs to happen IMO is that Pawn shops should "Eat" half of the magic items that show up. Then suddenly the magic items will start disappearing.

Another part of the problem is crafting. As characters begin to craft their own items, it becomes easier to make the perfect equipment set, on one item...

What is the answer? IMHO we need more content.

[boldarblood]

While good in theory, won't happen.

The issue lies in resources. It would be like designing a new game. The coding would be changed, which would create new bugs, taking away resources from the game. It would be bad decision from a money and resources point of view. Content would again come out at such a slow pace, even more so than before. As now you have 2 seperate games to create and upkeep.

And nerdychaz, the pawn shops clearing would do nothing at all. 99.9% if not more items in the pawn shop are fodder. Would be absolutely worthless fix. I rarely even bothered checking them.

[Memnir]

Not worth their time to adjust everything that would need to be adjusted for that single server and the few who would play there.

[Uska]

While its a nice idea and I would play on such a server its just not feasible not enough paying people would play there to make it worth the large effort it would take to set it up but +1 anyways for the idea.

[Uska]

I actually really enjoyed playing DDO in beta and at release. Thernal Ruins was one of the highest level area's, and there were "Rumors" of folks finding a Vorpal or a +1 tome. Tempest spine was the only raid, and my cleric was the only person with Breastplate of the Giants that I knew of.

A low magic server would be awesome, but the balance between melee and casters would be in jeopardy. They would have to retool spells so that casters aren't as powerful, and that would turn a lot of people off. It just won't be done.

I found a vorpal back in those days and the people in the group were all excited for me and I only was going to have to wait 2 lvls to use it I then promptly accidently sold it to a bartender while selling junk and was told by a gm sorry nothing we can do...was vorpal I had seen and it was a long long time before I saw another. I looted it in the giant caves by the way. was fun back thken.

[Cratecrusher]

This suggestion is based on my opinion that the amount and level of magic items in DDO is absolutely overdone.

/agree, but 1) Eberron is a high-magic D&D settings and 2) Less magic would not be that great in a MMO.

=> Maybe you should look for a good old pen and paper D&D table

[chester99]

the first year of release this game was as you described. it was fantastically difficult, finding even a weapon with flaming on it was very difficult. I was a capped 10 before I had a holy weapon. it rocked. I pulled a +3 holy club of backstab 1 somewhere in the summer of 2006... it was my best weapon for a long time.

the difficulty is, unless there's a reason to play, people won't play. as much as people complain about greensteel, it is the most successful mechanic this game has created. people run the shroud hundreds of times to create a handful of items.... I have serious doubts they would run threnal for simlar chances at a +2 acid sword.

your point is not without merrit.... I'd consider a canith-like server with a low-magic feel.

[TheDjinnFor]

as much as people complain about greensteel, it is the most successful mechanic this game has created.

That's the most depressing statement I've ever heard about DDO, bar none.

I would modify it to be "the most successful mechanic this game has sustained since the mechanic was introduced", though, since I could list quite a few things Turbine killed over the years that were better than GS weapons. Although it doesn't have quite as well a ring to it.

[Schwarzie]

Most DnD World are High Magic. But High or Low Magic only keep track about WHAT items are there at all.

Rare Magic and common Magic are different things. As i understand OPs intentions he wishes a more rare magic server, and i wholly understand that. an Armsrace betwen DM and player... well both sides loose in the end.

Right now we get boring content in the endgame with less and less option to play it since it gets more extreme. Most Raidloot you can find would be considered Epic in PnP.

But well this isnt PnP, and such changes would mean a high involvement of time and Ressources by Turbine, therefore it is extremely unlikely that this will happen

[EazyWeazy]

Where's Parvo when you need him? Bueller...Bueller...?

[Dutch01]

Alternative title for this thread 'Back to the roots' or 'Oldschool' or 'Low magic' server. None of these words really fit.

This suggestion is based on my opinion that the amount and level of magic items in DDO is absolutely overdone.
Don't bother to read further if you already disagree. As stated, this is my opinion.

I am swinging a +5 weapon at what - lvl8? At level 12 I can wield an arsenal of weapons and wear armor and jewelry that a whole group in a normal P+P DDO campaign would not see. 'Oh JUST flaming burst? Nah, that's garbage...' The result: Monsters have to have more and more 'overkill' abilities in order to keep up with the players.

This is likely been suggested before, but I didn't bother to search the forums much. Idea: Create a server with rebalanced items and monsters. Make finding a +2 longsword with acid damage something special. A vorpal should be the absolute exemption from the loot rule. Yes this would require a lot of fine-tuning, but maybe we could have a lowbie quest where a huge troll is a really serious adversary and not a joke? Then we wouldn't need Epic Undead Construct Ghost Vampire Dragons at lvl20...

Discuss away.

The only problem really being is that the setting for DDO (which as we all know DDO is absed at least loosely on D&D) is in Eberron and Eberron in PnP is a magic heavy setting. That also plays into the viability and cohesiveness in turning it into a fast paced real time MMO instead of turn based.

[DoctorWhofan]

Where's Parvo when you need him? Bueller...Bueller...?

<<<channeling Parvo>>>

You should Permadeath...Cuz that is how we roll anyways...





(we love you Parvo!)

[Horrorscope]

As alluded to, if they never made better stuff. The game would have died and if it didn't people would be screaming for it now. The loot has to get higher it's the hook to keep people for years. Simply put, you missed it.