Balance Level Gaining from L/E Item Grinding

[Numba1Gunner]

Right now it seems the levels gained trying to grind for L/E items increase a characters strength more than the items themselves. I think this needs to be a serious consideration when implementing this type of grind inducing item, otherwise anyone who wants the benefit of a new items, ends up being way too-strong to make the game challenging.

I can think of a few ways to counter act this mass over-leveling from item farming.

1. Increase drop rates
2. Decrease exp gain from monsters that drop L/E items over all
3. Institute a diminishing Exp gain from the same type of monster depending on how many you have killed
4. Institute an EXP cap for each type of monster, so after killing X gargoyle trainer's you no longer get experience from them.

I just think that if these items are going to be included they should be attainable without breaking the game experience.

[phydeaux]

You forgot having a kill cap for a guaranteed drop, I.e. the drop is one in 10,000, make it so that at monster 10,000, you get the item, period. Personally, I'd set it to between 1.5-2 times the drop rate percentage, but same idea.

[der_Hosenwyrm]

I don't see any reason to discourage grinding generally, and if someone chooses to grind somewhere they have a chance of obtaining a nice drop, then what would be the problem with that?

If they don't want to have an overpowered character, then nobody is forcing them to grind in the first place. But if they choose to grind for a legendary item, then why shouldn't they get the benefit of some XP for their efforts?

Consider the possibility that Player X gets lucky and scores a RoLS on her first visit to the gargoyle cave, while Player Y takes weeks of grinding to get it. Without the 'consolation prize' of the XP, Player Y might rightly be a little annoyed by the situation.

[Numba1Gunner]

I'm not suggesting this directly as a way to discourage grinding.

I know personally I want to grind grind grind for the RoLS just because I want to have them, but in my experience by the time I have one (not to mention 2) I will have leveled too much to make the game challenging.

I would love to be able to pick up the items, not without effort, but without removing the challenge from the game. I want to see what it's like to actually play the game with a RoLS, or a RoL, I don't care much to see what its like to play 1-hit KO with those items, that doesn't seem fun. Besides from bragging rights while we wait for the next beta version, or wait for the full game, becoming level 100+ in a game this length really serves no point. As it stands all quests can be completed by level 28/30.

[Mino]

I think grinding is a part of any RPG, so I have no problem with my character getting stronger while I was trying to get the L&E items. In fact, I'm even grinding now just to get more skill points.

Which is the main reason I don't want to see a drop in XP gain from grinding. I want to get the level ups so I can get the skill points, and I didn't invest some of those points into Quick Learner just to have the benefit taken away.

Here's a suggestion for anyone who wants the L&E items but doesn't want to become too powerful:
Don't use the level up. Just keep grinding until you get your L or E item you're hunting for. Then, after you get it, make sure you save your game, and then let yourself get killed. You'll be able to give up a lot of the XP you got but didn't want, but you'll still have the item you were after.

I'm ok with my character becoming really strong though, so I won't be doing that, but it does work. After getting the Shadow of the slayer from that Kazul quest, I didn't want to try to find my way back out of the dark maze, so after saving my game, I drank some poison and let the imps and spawns kill me, and woke up in the bed in Prim, still holding the weapon.

[nyktos]

mino +1

really good stuff here...
AT: AT - Andor's Trail: Advanced Tactics

using suicide to trim XP and for movement as well?!
reminds me of the days of the Level One Challenge!

[Mino]

I also got the idea from MadP's "level 5 challenge" thread. Since he didn't level up past 5, anytime he died, he'd lose a lot of XP.

------------

There's also this method: save your game before you start, kill 'em all, then reload if you didn't get it. Its still grinding, but you don't level up.

http://andorstrail.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1373

[Pyrizzle]

mino +1

really good stuff here...
AT: AT - Andor's Trail: Advanced Tactics

using suicide to trim XP and for movement as well?!
reminds me of the days of the Level One Challenge!

Level 1 FTW!

I agree, great post mino +1

[Keyser]

Or the tried and true method of having monsters stop giving XP once you're X levels above them. Sorry if it's been said before, skimmed the thread

[slash030]

Or the tried and true method of having monsters stop giving XP once you're X levels above them. Sorry if it's been said before, skimmed the thread

Welcome to the boards keyser

Yes this was mentioned in the first post but thanks for repeating it as i would like to address this idea

I think this is a good idea in theory, but imho i also beleive capping experience completly would draw players away from the game during the wait for updates. for example personally i would not be playing at this point as i have all the unique drops and have probably killed every creature past its reasonable expectation. By allowing players to continue to build thier characters during waits for updates allows for some continued gameplay even if it isnt new content. By keeping players a freely involved in continued growth of their character and therefore also gameplay i beleive would be more effective in keeping players from setting down the game and forgetting about it.

Perhaps reduced xp could be implimented (maybe 25% reduction after the first 100 kills) a slowing of growth while hunting for thoes ledgendary items withought disableing players completly.