RDA 'revamp'

[Josh D]

I have to agree with dobber on the last point. You have to have a lot of people that are willing to search for them to find them often enough. Sometimes we complete all 3 of them, sometimes we only compete for the faction base and other guilds get the other 2.

About the first person laying claim to the RDA - I think that is an interesting concept. I don't know if it is applicable in the game without a lot of new code being written, but it would surely encourage others to look for them as they don't have to worry about being beaten out once they find them.

 

[dobber]

Long ago I typed up this lengthy message and sent it to staff suggesting a second "lesser" RDA rotation on a different timer that could be handled by lesser developed players in small groups. Think a treasure chest instead of a portal with waves of spawn outside. Could be an orc version, lich version, daemon version, etc. Here's a quick and dirty example: first wave ten orc lords, mine overseers, etc. Second wave 6 orc bombers/mages. Third wave two orc brutes. Last wave orc leader. Key drops upon boss death to unlock chest. Very slim chance for mage/dexer relic on boss death.

Would some of these get found and smoked by established players? Sure. I wouldn't pass one up if I found it.

Would they provide a different and interesting experience that could help break up the monotony of the forest and give a chance for smaller groups and newer players to get some nice stuff? Sure.

MotM does serve a purpose of allowing newer players a chance at nice drops but it's just not a very interesting experience. At least I don't think so. These random spawns would be a fun find with an objective.

RDAs have been handled very poorly IMO. There were times when the system functioned well and lived up to their name but when they became portals and the gems were introduced they were utterly ruined. Stumbling upon a random encounter makes the world feel more alive and interesting and is something that just does not happen with the current system. The current system is inorganic as fuck. Tracking and finishing RDAs is a very clinical experience and the thrill of finding and finishing one in ten minutes with a group of 8+ tamers is minimal at best.

It's not a terrible thing to have a system that requires coordination, organization, and larger numbers to not only find but finish. With recent changes that's obviously the direction staff wants to take things. But may I suggest that we get a random element introduced back in the game that gives the smaller guys a chance? It's needed now more than ever @Adam @Shane @eppy @JoeB

And may I just add that it's unwise to make changes to deliberately try to force PvP in every PvM situation. Putting RDAs in hotspots was a mistake. Increasing tracking range was a mistake. The faction RDA has been a total botch from start to finish. Let's please try to not think of PvP when we come up with PvM ideas and try to create a fun and random challenge that's truly PvM based. And if PvP happens it happens...don't get me wrong I'm fine with that I'm not asking for Trammel...but we don't need to go out of our way to force action when coming up with a system and means of finding and finishing new and interesting PvM content.

Look at how much that mentality fucked RDAs up. Just create some content and let it stand on it's own pls. There need to be options for the little guys too because there is a huge gap in PvM content right now.

Maybe you don't like this specific idea but don't tell me there's not a void that needs filled on this server.

It is your opinion that it was a mistake. Before the gem, it was still fairly easy for an organized guild to claim all the RDAs through trackers. The gem has just made it easier to track. Now, everyone has the timers all the time after every server reset, not just one group. This change has made some people stuck in their old ways to lose out and whine and others to adapt and thrive. I think it is because this has become one of the main topics of discussion that people are complaining. Back before the gem, one guild had something like 95% of all the RDAs and no one complained.

 

[Sketeg]

I happened to have run RDAs before the gem and you couldn't be more wrong about 95% of RDAs being run by one guild. I was a part of two very different un-allied guilds, and they were each doing between 1-3 a day, with about 75% of them being completed without another guild noticing. If it's true now that all RDAs are on a timer, that is sad news for non-zerg guilds.

 

[Bromista]

It is your opinion that it was a mistake. Before the gem, it was still fairly easy for an organized guild to claim all the RDAs through trackers. The gem has just made it easier to track. Now, everyone has the timers all the time after every server reset, not just one group. This change has made some people stuck in their old ways to lose out and whine and others to adapt and thrive. I think it is because this has become one of the main topics of discussion that people are complaining. Back before the gem, one guild had something like 95% of all the RDAs and no one complained.

There are things about the gem that are good. Being able to see which RDAs are up and that they are up at all is a good thing IMO. But that's greatly overshadowed by the fact that with the gem came a plethora of changes that can be called nothing but a botch.

Before the gem RDAs were not controlled 95% by one guild, not even close but there was a bit of an issue with that time period: exploits. Aside form the exploitable RDAs the ones that were fair game were found by a variety of different guilds. During the golden age (when the exploits were fixed but before the gem, hotspots, invalid locations out the ass) things were as fair and competitive as could realistically be. A lot of guilds had their hand in the pie.

Things are definitely not the worst they have been. Things are decent right now but improvements could obviously still be made. Very hard to argue with.

 

[dobber]

There is nothing botch about the changes. They have created an additional and much needed endgame high-risk/high-reward, PVM/PVP aspect to this game that is not as trammy as crystal farming, MotM farming, and sometimes even doing champ spawns. A lot of guilds can still have their hands in the pie. There is no barrier to getting pie besides paying for a gem of portals and organization. Instead of whining for someone to give you a slice of pie, go bake one yourself or take some from someone else.

 

[Bromista]

Not only is there plenty of that style content, there is also plenty of room for encounters in RDAs without making a bunch of bad changes to promote it.

Something tells me you are inexperienced with RDAs.

 

[dobber]

What bad changes?

Plenty only lasts so long with a growing shard.

 

[Bromista]

To get to the root of the problems with RDAs we can go back pre-gem and look at the faction gate taking one RDA out of three in the rotation.

Look at the history of the faction gate. At first any faction could jump the gate. Then after a long time functioning like that it became only the faction that owns the sigil could enter the gate but who cares with multi-client, right? That changed nothing.

I've been protesting the way the gate works from day one. The faction idea would function much better on its own, a standalone gate not tied to the portals that goes to a faction specific zone for its own battle each round.

Maybe I was unclear, or maybe you focused on the wrong part of what I said. Here's the gist of it: the portal gem is what it is, I wish it were never added but it's here and the changes that came with it (hot spots, invalid spawn zones, etc) have been reverted so the only glaring flaw that is left is the faction gate. Still...the fact that things were ever at any point aimed in the direction of forcing PvP was a mistake and unnecessary. The very mentality of the changes was a step in the wrong direction. If you want that you have it with dungeon bosses, champ spawns, static MotM spawns. RDAs should have been left to be just that. Random.

And even though this is still one of the better eras of RDAs, there are issues with smaller groups being 100% pushed out and a lack of this sort of content for them. Adding content for those players/groups instead of tweaking RDAs to cater to them is the best solution at this point IMO.

 

[dobber]

Well, if your only tripe is with the faction RDA, then I wouldn't disagree with you. But, you made it seem like gem of portals was the issue. I think this is more of an issue with factions than with gem of portals.

 

[Bromista]

It was more the mentality of the other issues that came with.

I did highlight the tracking range. It's something I wish you didn't have to spend gold to obtain. Drop rate increase was a poor idea as well. But above all it was a lack of randomization/locations being put in hotspots around the time the gem was introduced. As well as the already established mentality behind the faction gate/forced PvP...so I wasn't super clear about that if I made it sound like it was all about the gem. Which I kinda did, I will admit.

Some good came with the gem so take the good with the bad I reckon.

 

[ProdigyOsi]

For perspective, my group did all three RDAs that spawned this morning with a total of three members (myself and two others). We tracked found and completed all three, one after another. So I'm sorry, but you're argument about not being able to get into them is just invalid.

You aren't putting in the effort that we are.

Buy a gem and put some time and effort into timing them and creating trackers and a tracking system. Get out there and find them (best if non-prime time hours) and don't get discouraged if you get raided or don't find any.

Will a small guild end up getting a smaller piece of the pie ? yes. but you will get yours, if you go out and get it.

 

[Bromista]

With only two people we were in two RDAs but only actually found one last round, one being the faction gate cannot count that one of course. The other was in a hotspot. No surprise there.

You chose the most absolute extreme example. Sunday night/Monday morning off-peak.

Getting your foot in the door of portals is incredibly difficult for anyone not part of an established group. Your established group having a good round during off-peak hours with only a few people does nothing to invalidate that fact.

Truly.

 

[ProdigyOsi]

It is difficult.

It was difficult for us 4 months ago when were a blip on the radar too. We chose to grow our ranks to make it easier but you don't have to follow suit.

It's still difficult when we're short members now (such as corner cases like this morning) but we're still out there....

I am impressed every time we find @Bromista alone or with one or two buddies in one when we're all out tracking. Don't let my call for effort diminish that, being a small fish in a big pond is always going to be difficult.

 

[Bromista]

Would you guys quit killing us then? We are not your enemy! That would impress me. We're out there hustling and it saddens me to see a group that was once friendly kill us just because you can. I get that you're high on having numbers but pick your battles.

I know everyone else got bigger as we got smaller. It is my wish that no one feel like they must follow suit to have a chance to experience some quality content. Granted, we have done just that and will be able to compete again (we will be stepping on each others toes again before long, when that time comes let us not forget who the real enemies are please) but zerging should not be the standard.

It's not that there's no place for that style if gameplay, their sure is. But that's not where RDAs came from and the system that was originally in place was utterly violated and became what it is today. Were it a new system I wouldn't mind the way things are so much.

No turning back now so I'd like to see the void that was created be filled again.

 

[girana]

Would you guys quit killing us then? .

no

 

[Bromista]

no

Relevant players only, please and thank you.

 

[Steele'Dish]

Today i snuck into an rda (spawned by my house) and seen the amount of effort it took to complete it. There were more pets in there than players( roughly 10-12 dragons/mares). Im not knocking tamers because that skill is a pain to level as well as grinding to level the pet so kudos to yous that have done it. What if there was an RDA gate that didnt allow pets through? It would be interesting to see the mass of meta dexxers/mages complete it.

 

[ProdigyOsi]

RDAs drop pet relics. They are literally made for tamers to do.

by contrast, Arch Demon, Fafinr and the Hythloth boss are 100% pet free all the time and 'drop' dexer relics.

 

[girana]

Hythloth boss are 100% pet free

ok

 

[De Medici]

What is that gem and where can u buy it?