Discuss

[Bloody]

Quote:On kRO on July 28th Gravity set up a new test server for their Ragnarok Renewal Project. The Renewal is a full scale re-balancing of Ragnarok. The plan is to make RO more accessible to users, and more in line with modern day MMORPG's. In addition, the new mechanics are intended so that they can easily add and improve on current game content (such as 3rd jobs) without destroying game balance.

The following is a list of currently known changes.

Increased Weighting of Level Difference
- Players are rewarded for fighting monsters within their level range.
- If a player is over 3 levels above a monster, the experience of that monster decreases by 50%, and then an additional 10% for each additional level.
- If the monster is higher level than the player (up to 10 levels), the exp value is increased by 5% per level difference. - However, if the monster is over 10 levels above the player, the player will be unable to properly damage that monster.

Physical Attack Power
- Calculation of physical damage has changed.
- The status windows shows your attack power as comprising of a status portion and a weapon portion.
- Strength no longer appears to exponentially improve attack power.
- The weapon portion of the attack consists of a higher % of the damage than before.

Physical Defense
- Calculation of physical defense has changed.
- The status window shows defense as consisting of status defense + armor defense.
- Armor defense appears to do more in reducing damage.
- Defense in general appears to be reduction type defense now. The exact formula is not known.
- Level difference also appears to affect damage taken from attacks.
- Status Defense comprises mostly of VIT, with STR and AGI also providing bonus defense.

Magic Attack Power
- Calculation of magic attack has changed.
- The status window no longer displays a range of damage. Instead, it shows a status portion and a weapon portion.
- Magic damage now takes the attack power of your weapon in consideration. The attack power of all equipment usable by magic using classes has been adjusted accordingly.
- Magic attack seems more equipment reliant than it was in the past.
- The formula for equipment matk is matk = int + dex/5 + level/4 + luk/3 + int/2.

Magic Defense
- Calculation of magic defense has changed.
- Like physical defense, consists of status mdef + armor mdef.
- Magic defense appears to be geared more towards subtraction type, and also affected by level.
- Status MDef is comprised primarially of INT, with VIT and DEX providing some additional benefit.

Attack speed
- Attack speed has changed considerably.
- For the most part, the game has been balanced to be slower paced than before. Players will probably attack about half as fast.
- Attack speed is influenced by class, type of weapon, and the players agility, and to a lesser extent dexterity.
- Equipping a shield appears to lower your attack speed.

Hit/Dodge Rate
- The formula for Hit/Flee have changed.
- The ratio to hit and dodge a monster are now different. It is now easier to hit or dodge, but it is harder to achieve a perfect hit or dodge rate.
- Hit and flee are affected by the same stats as before, with the addition of a small bonus from luck.

Cast Time
- Cast time appears to have changed considerably.
- At present, it does not appear as though stats affect your casting speed.
- Casting time of skills appears to be fixed, and can be reduced by a set amount with gears and supportive skills.
- The cast time of most skills have been adjusted to be balanced based on the new casting rules.

Luck
- Luck now affects more things than it did before.
- Every 3 luck improves your atk/matk/hit by 1. Every 5 luck improves flee by 1. Crit is increased by 0.3% per 1 luck.

Monster Stats & Spawn
- All existing monsters have been changed to be appropriate to the new balance changes.
- Generally monster HP has been reduced considerably across the board to compensate for slower attacks and rate of damage. On average, monsters are seeing about a 60% drop in HP.
- The attack power of monsters and their skills are changed to be more in line with the current defense formula, and generally monsters also attack slower.
- Most monsters have had their level increased or adjusted to be appropriate for players of their level range.
- Some areas have been changed to be efficient leveling areas for certain level ranges. For example, Upper Clocktower has monsters within the level 80-90 range.
- Almost all spawns across the game world have been adjusted in some way.

Skill Changes
- Some skills have been re-balanced.
- Heal appears to heal for a range instead of a set number. Like MATK, the attack of the weapon you have equipped affects the amount you heal for. Most priest weapons have been adjusted to take this into account.
- Other examples are not yet known.

Experience Table
- The experience required to level up has changed.
- For the most part, leveling is easier than it is now, and less drastic at high levels.

Status Effects
- Most status effects have changed.
- The probability and durration of status effects have all changed.

Equipment
- Many items appear to have been rebalanced.
- Some options have had their stats changed, and some have new options.

Source


I know this is probably a year or more far, but what does everyone think about these changes?

From a personal view, I don't like this at all. If I wanted a new MMORPG, I'd start another MMORPG. I still play RO despite the crappy graphics and effects compared to other fancy MMORPGs because I love RO for what it is. These changes will completely change the game.

What will happen to people with existing builds? What will happen to all the carded weapons and gears? When stats change, and other stats increase damage, gears are bond to change. So... Suck it up and make new armors and weapons? And the new exp distribution? Yeah I can see how this will destroy bots on official servers, but on small servers it'll screw people from different timezones that can't get parties in high level dungeons.

I am about to go sleep and I have other reasons why I have a real bad feeling about these changes, but feel free to discuss these changes for now.


To GMs: This is not a whine topic. Not a suggestion either. I want to see what other fellow RO players think of the changes ahead.

[Général_Argos]

I 100% agree with Bloody on this.

My tought: this will come before 3-1 and 3-2, because how the hell could a level 150 character be balanced with current game mechanics?

[exwing]

i'm in full agreement with Bloody on this one.

[GM-Ayu]

Get this into all readers' head in case Bloody's post didn't make it clear:

heRO and most private servers won't have these changes any time soon


The fact that we haven't seen the monster's specific changes, to me, seems that it's too early to judge if this is good or bad. We know that they get a general hp decrease swipe all across the board, but what about other specifics? The exp penalty depending on level seems harsh but monsters also get new level ratings to scale accordingly as well. These fine details are needed before we can properly judge what happens to it.

All maps are changed with what monsters spawn in them and so on. New leveling spots will be discovered once people got the data on what monsters spawn on each map. People are lost right now, because we're still at the step of discovering these data right now.


People probably said the same thing about well trans came out (and some people still saying the same thing.) EDP Sinx, Asura Strike and some of these things have long been debated, and STILL being debated rather if they are balance or not. Sometimes a fresh wipe and burning everything to the ground may be the cure to these long time plagued problem.

Things DO look very bad right now but I'm not pessimistic over it because these are not the final changes, nor are these all of the changes.


@Krimlin: they can't balance lv 150 with current game mechanic and that's why you end up with game mechanic changes now.

[Général_Argos]

PANIC BUTTON READY!

GM-Ayu Wrote:@Krimlin: they can't balance lv 150 with current game mechanic, and that's why you end up with game mechanic changes now.

Thats what I said u_u

[GM-Pandora]

I'm also reluctant to these changes. We don't wanna play another MMO, this will not attract any new players, if anything it will make existing players leave, unless it's really good, time and testing will tell. This is still far away for heRO, if ever.

If anyone cares for more opinions there is an ongoing topic about this in RMS:
http://www.ratemyserver.net/forum/index....810.0.html

There's one of eAthena as well. And this lengthy one on iRO wiki:
http://forums.irowiki.org/showthread.php...post220590

[Bloody]

I am hating this mainly because the game is changing WAY too much. Is it bad for the changes 3-1/3-2 classes will bring? No. Is it bad for us private servers players? Yes. Things will be way too buggy. And don't say they won't, eAthena always misses something that breaks the game. Remember our Earth Quake tests? Spiritual Ring not giving proper stats? Rogue combo not working right? And the list goes on and on and on.

If the smaller changes turn out so buggy, can you imagine how broken such a major change will be?

Also with new stats affecting certain variables in builds, you need new builds, new equips..etc. So all your old builds are useless now. All you gained and learned for the past 5 years will become pretty much (or at least 50% of it) pointless. Ayu, I am sure like many hardcore gamers spent a GOOD chunk of time READING guides, faqs, browsing websites to understand and learn the mechanics of the current RO. What if someone came to you and told you: Well all that time you spent was pointless and you learned nothing about a game you love playing. Does that anger you? Because after accumlating 4-5 years RO experience, I feel enraged to be forced to start over and learn the mechanics of the game from the start.

And the exp balance thing? That's just absurd. What if you are skilled enough to kill strong monsters. What if someone is helping you level? So the new RO will be a :

Class ABC levels at XYZ from 10 to 20
Class DEF levels at UVW from 20 to 30
Class GHI levels at RST from 30 to 40

Is that it? Because it really sounds rather boring and stupid.

Now, go to http://www.gamefaqs.com and go to Ragnarok. Check out the number of guides & faqs available there. All their work will become pointless and holds no value to anyone. Since most of them will hold nothing but false information.

[shigoobee]

actualy i welcome some of the changes might be nice. But what i don't like is the game pace being alot slower the it is and the xp for level difference. I love a fast pace game thats why most of my characters are agi build. The luk stat doing more is also welcomed since almost noby uses luk that often

[Avalon_Fates]

Hmm I agree with bloody alot of these changes seem, a bit unnecessary why change a already good system this much, It seems everything is alot more gear reliant which is both good and bad I guess. It seems Dex no longer effects Cast time, waaaaait what. This either means the cast time of the spells will be altered to allow for wizards to still be playable.

It seems the are both stressing partying more..but by doing it by making soloing harder.

Also I agree, what happens to all those builds that people spent months working on, only for the rebuild to make them invalid..i'm sure Gravity isnt so idiotic they would make there lives harder by upsetting there own customers...you know like sony did.

Although the fact that we can get to lvl150 might balance everything out now..even tho stats appear weaker our stats can reach much higher so it might balance out...maybe.

And what about Ninjas, Slingers, SG and SL. they stop at 99?? Poor classes are gonna rot...Lucky we wont get this for a year or so...or unlucky..not sure. I would love the new classes, new places to explore new adventures to be had..but I also hate that Rag has to make so many big changes..

Indeed it appears the episode 13...is going to cause huge changes in the Ragnar?k world and community, all we can do is have faith they know what they are doing at least somewhat and that it will turn out ok...or at least not so bad that we all quit.

P.S Thank you bloody for posting this thread. /no1

[thecursed]

it sounds interesting to me, im not against it or with it, i just think it will be fun to see what happens with this idea in the future.