Hello,
Based on your feedbacks and after many hours of intense work, we're here to announce a new release that is getting us to the next level!
We've finished the rework of all the spots & and mobs from spots from game!
It will be live on Saturday (02.02.2019) at around 20:00 - a server restart will be required and while reconnect is possible it is not guaranteed!
Main objectives of rework:
- Raise the competition for better spots while making sure everyone have a place to level up - with or without fighting for better spots.
- Raise the overall balance between all the maps to make sure the progress is made in the greatest way from lowest maps to highest maps.
- Raise the newbie's and even pro's awareness of all the spots from the game.
- Make all maps feel nice designed, without different or broken spots structures, without too close spots that can be abused, etc.
Spots rework:
- Some spots have been added, some spots have been moved and some spots have been removed.
- All the spots from game have been manually reworked.
- Now every map is progressive, this means that the more you move into the map the better the mobs/combinations of mobs will be.
- Now each spot is following a strict pattern of spawn coordonates:
1. For low maps (Devias1-4, Dungeon1-3, Atlans1-2, LostTower1-7) the 7 mobs spots are spawning in 6x6 coords and the 8 mobs spots are spawning in 8x8 coords.
2. For medium maps (Atlans3,Tarkan1-2,Aida1-2,Kanturu1-3) the 7 mobs spots are spawning in 7x7 coords and the 8 mobs spots are spawning in 9x9 coords.
Exception: Icarus that have only 5 mobs per spot and mobs are spawning on 6x6 coords.
3. For high maps (Karutan1-2,Crywolf,Relics) the 7 mobs spots are spawning in 8x8 coords and the 8 mobs spots are spawning in 10x10 coords.
- Now the number of 8 mobs spots is reduced overall and it is between 20% and 35% of spots.
- Now the 8 mobs spots can't be found at the start of the maps (you need to move and look for them).
- Now mobs can't run from spots for more than 2 coordonates on their own (only if lured by players they can move more).
- Now almost all mobs from game are included in spots (on almost all maps).
- Now the distance between spots is minimum of 12 coords (on restricted areas) and minimum 15 coords on non-restricted areas.
- Now I'm pretty sure there is no more broken spots, but if you find anything let me know, probably I passed it by mistake.
- Now all the spots are showing on MINIMAP (TAB)!
- Now you can keep the cursor on the spot marked from minimap and it will show you the mobs type from that spot.
- Overall exp for level 1-400 have been increased on each level stage (with 5-25%).
- Overall exp for ML have been increased on each level stage (with 4-10%).
- Added a new quality of life feature:
You can write /maps from now on and you'll see the current amount of players from most important leveling maps (in order to decide where to go and try to find a party - more populated maps - or where to go to find a spot with your party - lower populated maps -).
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Maps changes:
- Now you can get ML exp from mobs over level 95 (default GMO).
- Now non-pvp maps (Aida,Karutan1,Crywolf,Kalima7) are having 80% global exp instead of 75%.
- Now Kalima5 is a normal map not non-pvp anymore.
- Now Swamp is Battle Map while Relics is normal map.
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Battle Maps changes:
- Swamp, Vulcanus, Raklion - 7 mobs on all spots spawning on 8x8 coords, +8% global exp compared to normal maps.
- Atlans - 7 & 8 mobs on spots, + 5% global exp compared to normal maps.
- Removed the Gladiator's Glory buff (vulcanus bonus exp) from game to make sure everything is balanced (while level of vulcanus mobs have been raised).
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Mobs Rework:
- All the mobs from SPOTS (not events/quests,etc.) have been manually reworked, one by one.
That means all the mobs are more balanced and feel more smooth/progressive than before.
- Some mobs have also seen a cut in exp (their level) while others have received a buff.
- Difference between swamp mobs and the rest of maps isn't that big anymore but still noticeable.
- Now normally any similar mobs (in terms of level/exp) are sharing pretty similar attributes (dmg,def,hp,etc.).
- Some mobs are stronger now while others are weaker than before (in terms of attributes).
Now all maps can be played at full potential and in a balanced way!
I hope you'll enjoy this big rework as we had put a lot of soul and time into it!
Hello,
Well done! Mu Oldsquad is the best I've played in years, but I have a couple of concerns. These may be caused by my ignorance since I have only been playing for about two weeks, but I think they are legit remarks.
Medals, etc.
Problem #1: the items dropping from hearts and medals are way too good and abundant. For example, the first day I played on this server, I haphazardly found a Celestial Bow+11+Skill+Luck+4 just lying on the floor of Noria. If this item is worthless for someone, there is something wrong with the economy. I started as an Elf, and this immediately made every other bow I found myself useless. Only when things are scarce, they are valuable.
(Problem #2 [uncertain]: the fact that for some characters a Bronze set +11 (i.e. an energy mage maxing agi & ene) is already considered a good late game set, whereas for other characters it's worthless, is a bit too unbalanced I think. Every class should have some trouble to attain their best set.)
Solution:
Disable luck and options on items in medals. This increases the value of regular monster drops, and doesn't overpower the medal items. For example, you find Leather Gloves+7 from a medal, great! I look shiny now! But as you grind monsters, suddenly Leather Gloves+5+12+Luck drops. You don't look as shiny, but the item is way better than some cheap medal drop. This stimulates the economy
Decrease the max possible item level in medals to +8. This increases the value of luck on items. You got to do some work if you want to look super shiny.
Don't put super nice items in medals, like a Celestial Bow. This makes hunting or lurking for items way more fun, and stimulates the economy, again.
Items in shop
Problem: similar reasoning as above.
Solution: Remove the luck from the items. It's not luck if you can easily find or buy it.
Uniria, dinorant, angel, etc.
Problem Uniria: Useless for running speed because of the (nearly instant access) to small wings at level 80. Impale (such a beautiful skill) is useless as well
Solution: remove the small wings as an easy level 80 reward; there can be a much better event or box for such a cool item as wings.
Suggestions: Buff the impale skill; higher drop rate for Uniria and make them combinable to Dinorant without chaos. Or not, but then buff the Dinorant skill as well.
Problem Angel: rare, useful, but not really valuable.
Solution: should be in shop for a reasonable amount of zen. This make zen more useful, and Angels make the game look better.
Problem Imp: rare, valuable and useful, but hoarded. I have five of them now, but I'm not using them because they are too rare and they die so fast, just like Angels. Yet I don't want to sell them, nor would I want to pay jewels for them. I'm just waiting for the moment that never comes so I can use them when they die very slowly.
Solution: I'd put Imps in shop as well, for a price that could be described expensive, but not too expensive so no one wants to buy them. Doing this should increas the value of zen and the value of Imps. And now using Angels or Imps is a choice like choosing a stat build.
Drop rate
Problem: I think the drop rate of items is between OK and too high. It took me one day to collect a Great Dragon Set by just standing near parties who were killing monsters I'm still too weak for. Moreover, I got the Great Dragon Armor+1+8+Luck for free from someone who initially asked two chaos for it. I told him it wasn't worth that much, because it isn't, but it should be!
This problem is closely related to the overpowered items to be found in medals: because I easily obtained a random set of items +9, +10, +11, it was easy to survive near much too strong monsters.
Solution: decrease the drop rate, but increase the chance on luck or options. This stimulates active non-afk gameplay, because you have to be active to see your desirable items drop.
Jewels
I have never had such a hard time finding jewels, which is awesome and how it should be! But it's a double-edged sword. Because items from medals are so good and abundant, and jewels are so rare, I'm hoarding them and not using them. I'm not even going to try and make wings. I'll just buy the few items I want, and keep hoarding jewels until I can buy the item I want, without buying or leveling up any intermediate items from the market. (Nobody is buying my items as well.)
~Solution: Increase the likelihood of finding Bless by increasing the drop rate, or more recurring events specifically for Bless, and maybe a bit more Soul. The latter is the best option because it also stimulates active gameplay. [The events in this server are remarkably good; it's been years since I was motivated to participate in these events. They are challenging, fun, and necessary for jewels.]
Finding more Bless, and fewer items, will stimulate people in actually using it to level up items and buying intermediate items on the market.
It comes down to this:
early game it should be reasonably 'easy'/encouraged/fun to level up items to +7, +8, +9.
mid game it should be 'moderate'/challenging/fun to level up items to +10+11+12.
late game it should be 'difficult'/challenging/risky to level up items to +13+14+15.
Instead—what happens now I think—is that early and mid game is lost, and jewels are hoarded to save for the late game. This is boring. (Anyway, I've hosted a private server myself once, and the economy is incredibly difficult to get right, so this is just brainstorming.)
That being said, I think if finding Bless was 'moderate', Soul was 'hard', and Chaos the 'hardest', then it would make early, mid, and late game more fun while remaining a challenge.
I have more ideas and suggestions, but the somewhat broken economy is the most pressing for me right now. And it's getting late, so I'll end it here.
