Top Mud Sites Forum - View Single Post - Threshold RPG: Major Changes for Casting Classes

Threshold · 08-05-2006, 12:03 PM

The above changes don't actually make the casting classes more powerful - it just reduces their downtime. The component system was put in place in order to give people an in-game reason to congregate in specific locations and encourage interaction. The "fast conjure" rooms (places where conjuring components is x2, x3, or x4 faster) become more heavily populated than they otherwise would be, which creates more opportunities for interaction and role play.

The theory is: get enough people in the same place at the same time, and something interesting will tend to happen. :)

The quickconjure ability is not random. It conjures X amount of a set of the 12 most commonly used/needed components. The X is 1 to 4 depending on your skill. It is on a very long timer (12 RL hours), so this is meant to be used for emergencies - like logging in during an invasion or some other surprise event.

Again, since component conjuring is mainly an aspect of downtime, it doesn't have any effect on PvP.

Overall the system has achieved its main goal of generating quality interaction between players (especially since non-casters will even go to these fast conjure locations to hang out since they know they tend to be populated). The problem with the system was that at higher levels, the amount of time needed to fill up your component pouch got too onerous.

When the system was designed many years ago, there were very few players even level 15 or higher. Most were around level 10 or lower. Since the first few levels of spells do not even require components, it wasn't a big deal for casters. But as the years went by, and lvl 20+ players became more common, it started to become clear that the system was imposing too much downtime on casters. Since higher level spells also use more components, the system scaled up quite poorly.

We tried a number of small tweaks here and there over the years, including the ability to find raw components as loot that you could add to your pouch, crystals that could increase your conjure speed, etc. But what we really needed was a more significant redesign to solve the problem with its scalability at high levels. I think we have done that now, but only time will tell. :)

08-05-2006, 12:03 PM	#4
Threshold Legend Join Date: Apr 2002 Home MUD: Threshold RPG Posts: 1,260	The above changes don't actually make the casting classes more powerful - it just reduces their downtime. The component system was put in place in order to give people an in-game reason to congregate in specific locations and encourage interaction. The "fast conjure" rooms (places where conjuring components is x2, x3, or x4 faster) become more heavily populated than they otherwise would be, which creates more opportunities for interaction and role play. The theory is: get enough people in the same place at the same time, and something interesting will tend to happen. :) The quickconjure ability is not random. It conjures X amount of a set of the 12 most commonly used/needed components. The X is 1 to 4 depending on your skill. It is on a very long timer (12 RL hours), so this is meant to be used for emergencies - like logging in during an invasion or some other surprise event. Again, since component conjuring is mainly an aspect of downtime, it doesn't have any effect on PvP. Overall the system has achieved its main goal of generating quality interaction between players (especially since non-casters will even go to these fast conjure locations to hang out since they know they tend to be populated). The problem with the system was that at higher levels, the amount of time needed to fill up your component pouch got too onerous. When the system was designed many years ago, there were very few players even level 15 or higher. Most were around level 10 or lower. Since the first few levels of spells do not even require components, it wasn't a big deal for casters. But as the years went by, and lvl 20+ players became more common, it started to become clear that the system was imposing too much downtime on casters. Since higher level spells also use more components, the system scaled up quite poorly. We tried a number of small tweaks here and there over the years, including the ability to find raw components as loot that you could add to your pouch, crystals that could increase your conjure speed, etc. But what we really needed was a more significant redesign to solve the problem with its scalability at high levels. I think we have done that now, but only time will tell. :)