More on the xp development-

[Navaron]

The following changes were made to the way EXP is allocated for base captures:
* A bonus is awarded for being in a squad (this is variable and might be changed either up/down after we watch it for a while)

* The entire cumulative *capture* exp for a squad is totalled and divided among the members at the point of capture/recapture. Kill exp is unchanged from last night.

This means that you personally do not need to be in the SOI of a base at any point or for any specific time to be awarded xp. Nor do you need to be there, or have any squad member there, when the actual capture takes place.

However the underlying computation, short of the bonus value, is still the same as it was last night (time slice based). This means that capturing a base will still be higher reward if there are enemy there, and that running in at the last minute as an entire squad will do you little good.

We will monitor this closely as we do every change, to see if it is a positive or negative impact, and after we gather some data adjust accordingly.

Keep in mind that the raw capture value of bases, and the value of kills, are just data elements we change at any time, so those might be fiddled with as well.

-Twist

At its heart the goal behind the revised exp systems is to continue to give you the same amount of exp for the capture that you received before but to close some loopholes and issues that became apparent while analyzing data. We're hoping that the new system when final won't require too much of an adjustment to most players' style while closing off the other issues.
I also want to drive home the fact that this was not done arbitrarily. We're well aware of the conventional wisdom, "if it ain't broke don't fix it." However, some analysis of gameplay patterns prompted these changes. Rest assured that we won't finalize any sort of exp system until we feel that it keeps people playing and having fun. We don't stop watching data after a system is put to the test, we look at it closer.

Victor Wachter

[Hamma]

Step in the right direction I suppose.

They should do these XP changes all at once, not multipart. Then the changes look allot worse than they are.

[Navaron]

I was just thinking the same thing, or at least make it clearer that they are just testing one element of it at a time, and maybe tell us a rough idea of the grand picture.

Me and mist were talking the other day, and, every problem this dev team has had with the community is not because of an actual problem, but rather the community didn't know what was going on. Like when we were all on one server and it KEPT giving the YHLTW CTD, and everyone wigged out, well the next day, the devs put up a new server and the problem dissapearred. These guys do a lot better job developing the game than they get credit for, and a lot worse job of PR than they get credit for.

[Revelation]

I still think they should revert cap exp to the way it was pre-lattice, but leave the lattice to prevent the musical bases situation.

If the game is about war, and constant fighting, let everyone get BR20 reasonably fast. Content is what keeps people paying per month, not leveling treadmills.

[Airlift]

I still think that counting enemies killed by each squad is less exploitable than counting the enemies who remain alive and inside the SOI. My complaint is that they threw out the old system because of one exploit that could have been fixable by making each squad account for its own kills rather than getting credit for the unique kills outside the squad. Then you would get very little or no experience for following a zerg unless you were instrumental in the battle.

One concern raised by this newest change would be that it seems that rather than sharing exp between a squad, it is now divided. This will give greater cap experience to squads that do not contain support elements, because all members will be recording time slices rather than just part of the squad. Pure combat squads already get the most experience because they are credited for more kills (as a result of having more killers). Support personnel now become a detriment to their squad's experience gain, because they are taking a chunk of experience out of the pool but not putting any exp in.

I can deal with slower overall experience gains, but as someone who views levelling as a nuisance at best, and an artificial ladder at worst, I prefer less focus on the treadmill aspect of the game.

I'm fairly confident that the new system can eventually work out to be a good one, but they really need to hurry up. Playing around with the reward system after release is a great way to piss off paying customers.

[PR24]

Capturing a base and getting 500 BEP is so useless. Devide 500 by 10 you get a whole 50 BEP. 5 days before release the f*ck the game up majorly :(

[Pilgrim]

Airlift hit what I was thinking dead on.

How hard will it be to get an invite to a squad that's allready in the field and fighting now

SL: How long you been in this SOI?
PG: UMMMM.... just got here, kiled a few guys, can I be in your squad?
SL: NO, You'd drag the rest of us down because we have to divide the XP.
PG: OH... well didn't want to be in your squad anyway.

ATM there is normally one really good battle going on on a Contenent and a few small ones... I think the small ones wil start to disapear as people try to get their Mad XP and know that enemy has to be within the SOI (Isn't that what latice was for... why make a reward penalty for the attacker when the deffender wasn't smart enough to deffend?)

I think what's slowly happening is that too many rules are being placed that the player will, consciously, or sub-consciously, be thinking about when capping base. Imagine being in an SOI and seeing billy-bo-bob the wonder noob out of the SOI becuase he doesn't kow that all that matters is sitting there, hopefully with some bad guys doing the same!

Still needs some tweaking! To say the least, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

[Plato]

This mornings battle report under the new XP system:

VS base
VS near tower
VS far tower
Terrans zerg base and hack
VS start spawning from the near tower
Terran campers aware of new XP system camp the base and ignore the towers
A smaller group of Terrans including myself kill the VS and hack the near tower
VS start spawning from the far tower
Myself and other Terrans aware of the new XP system camp the base for time slices
Some Terrans in the base get bored shoot up the gen, terminals and TK eachother
A few Terrans attack the far VS tower
Terrans complete cap of the base and I get 148XP
BR10 seems so far away

Fix the XP system pls, I just want to get a reasonable amount of XP as I play and have fun. I do not want to adapt the way to play to get more XP.

[Pilgrim]

PR24

I may have read it different then you... here's hw I saw it.

10 guys in squad.

so squad bounus is let's say... 500 a head, so that starts at 5000

Now 9 guys are in the SOI for 25 minutes and get, 1500 each... that's now 13500 or 18500 total

The last guy was running ANTS or something so no XP for him.

So at the cap they take it all

18500

And divide it among the squad...
1850 xp each.

So each guy looses 150 for the support guy.

(note all numbers pulled from ass, may not reflect reality.)

PAX

[Navaron]

About thesupport groups, I'm thinking they are getting specific, dedicated attention soon.

[Jarlo]

I got 1900 xp from a hard fought cap last night. Stop whining before you even try the changes please.

Chnages went in about 9 hrs ago.

[Airlift]

STFU, we aren't whining, we're speculating on the potential issues with the system. Given the small window for them to get it right between now and release, the shit we're talking about is fairly important, don't you think?

[Jarlo]

Not you Airlift, your arguements and discussions usualy have merit and are well thought it.

It is PR24 whom I directed my comment to. He assumed the lower exp rates of the first change would just be divided among the squad. Its not 500 split 10 ways, its more like 10000 split 10 ways.

It still needs work and the devs are actively posting and reading discussions on the beta board-- I'm not worried really and I do ANT and SUnder/tank runs out of the SOI all the time.

[Airlift]

Sorry then, but it is important that we look for holes before release. Afterwards, the exp system can only be changed in very subtle ways without starting a riot.

[Hamma]

I play for fun, exp isnt that big of a deal to me :p

[Indecisive]

yeah hamma, i have started doing that too lol. Before all these changes i was so caught up in the "EQ" aspect of things, thinking "OMFG what the shit!? wheres my xp!!!111 p33r me!" (well not that much so..thats just ghey) but after these changes, i have found that it is more fun just to knife terrans with my force blade :p and if I get more weapons and vehicles for doing so? yay! But thats not the aspect of the game.

I honestly thought that they would keep the rediculously slow xp gain system as it is. That way it gives your play experience longevity, as it gives you something to look forward to longer.





-Gohan
"Kama-hamma......wait...."

[mistled]

I'll have my perfect character that I want going strong within a month of release no matter what they do to the exp, so I can't say that I'm too concerned with it at the moment.