opinions requested on this one.

[Cpt_Starfox]

Skynar... *choke* *gulp*

"I give plenty friend, you of all should know that."

Yes... I'm saying... please continue... and while I might disagree with you on some things, you do have useful "how to play" knowledge that you can share... and you obviously, (as you've stated) already share any wealth that you have... Khayman, you and I are poor together I guess! lol

"you all back on equal ground with the little people"

There is not supose to be equal ground in anything on this shard. Even in the events, various template types do better than other template types such as stealthers in a PB event or crafters in a craft and conquer. It is how it is meant to be. Encourages and promots variety and creative thinking. If there were no "ladder to climb up" or "top level" to attain unto... what would we be doing? Twiddling our thumbs?

Might I please also beg you to edit your post... no need to get into personal attacks and/or get near "flame strike" status.  Please man...

[Abbadon]

This is true, roc does give stuff away. Hes given me runic gear and already offered to socket for the charge of val only (which is pretty much like giving away a VS).

This thread is getting way out of hand. Skynar I find that in almost all the posts you have said nothing but negative things (regardless of whether or not your complaints are valid is irrelevant. This is a family shard and everyone should respect each other. You don't have to like Roc but you should show some respect). Apparently you do not even play anymore, so why should it matter to you whether or not the wealthier people monopolize? (if that is even true). Also, you refer to "little people." Most of the "wealthy" and "overpowered" people don't refer to them as "little." Wealth does not show superiority over others and the fact that you yourself refer to them as "little" conveys to me that you look down on the new players.

I think you are just someone with problems and is trying to start some unnecessary forum drama. There are plenty of other forums you can whine and moan in (there are even ones where people will take your bait!) but please don't do it here.

If a GM sees this please lock it, there is just no point to this thread anymore

[Antorrias]

There comes a time in every mans life when he steps back, looks around and says, "Wow!  Are those cookies!?" 

[Crimson]

Well before this thread gets locked, I'd like to step in and give my 2gp on the subjects being discussed here. First I'd like to say that even though some may regard me as a power gamer, I can assure you that I am not. Its funny sometimes when people see me die in game and think "Oh no!, Crimson died, that's unusual". Well the only reason I don't die often is because I'm not afraid of running away when things are too tough for me, not because I lost my concentration on killing something. The reason why I do die is because I didn't run away fast enough hehe.

If anyone were to take a good look at my armor you will see that I have a few items socketed, finally, but nothing is augmented yet. I also don't wear any runic armor, its mostly spined armor with a few special items I quested for or got as an arti. Most of that armor I have I received as a gift and its mostly luck armor and it doesn't have much else as far as stats. I have been playing on the shard for over 3 years now and have done perfectly fine without sockets or augments and less than perfect armor.

I'm a druid/tamer/mage and rely on my pet a lot when fighting. I do have probably the most, or next to the most powerful pet, in game. But the hardest thing I can probably take on with it is the Imp Slaver. It can't stand against the Ice fiend lord or Dr. Deth and quite a lot of mobs in Fel are very hard for me to solo with it. I don't spend a lot of time on any of these mobs or any type of powerful mob in game to get my gold. So you are all probably wondering where I do get my gold and how I got to be so rich. And yes I am among one of those who have over 10mil in the bank, but I'm cheap and don't like to spend my money often either hehe.

Well knowing where to hunt and what to hunt is the key and hunting isn't always where I get my gold either. I'm also a treasure hunter, I know where most of the best treasure chests are to loot and it would surprise some that not all these chests are in extremely dangerous spots either.(a WW shouldn't have any problems in most of these areas, and yes before my glacial that was one of my main pets)  I've also gained money selling things on the auction, its amazing how much something is worth to someone that you've had sitting in your home for 2 years that you barely glance at. That is how Karina made her millions lol.

And speaking of Karina, if you don't know her already she is my RL partner, and when she did play more often she too had made a name for herself on this shard as an uber rich player. She has 2 characters which are what some would say are high end characters. One is a druid/tamer/fighter and the other is mostly a fighter. Her characters are the complete opposite of mine. Both her characters are mostly or fully socketed/augmented and she has been on the shard slightly longer than I have. Her druid is also a treasure hunter and that is where she initially gained her gold to work up to where she is now.

Although she was able to take on a lot more things in game than I was she didn't attribute much of it to her sockets at all. She explained to me that although sockets help enhance your character they don't make you as powerful as some may think. She attributes a lot of her skill against killing the high end mobs, outside of Fel, to her skill in evasion. She believes that it isn't sockets and augments that are too powerful, its the evasion skill that is too powerful. In Fel you cannot use evasion and so its much harder to take on things there, even with her enhancements. Another skill she believes should be tweaked is the healing skill, she can bandage herself every 2.3 seconds automatically, which gives fighters with this skill an advantage to healing a lot quicker than someone who uses spells or druid trees.

She won't go to Fel, but not because of this restriction. She enjoys the challenge of fighting without her overpowered evasion skill, but HATES the fact that you cannot travel easily throughout Fel. She thinks Fel and Trammel should be set up more like how OSI has it where you can travel in Trammel easily like we do now and then separately travel the same way in Fel with only 1 way to travel back and forth to each facet. But that is a discussion for another time.

Both Karina and I have worked very hard to get to where we are now and making our millions in gold didn't happen overnight or in one week or in one month. It took Karina about a year or so to get to her status with all her sockets and augments and her hard earned gold. For me, well I have the gold and I think I have enough augments now to enhance my character, but I still don't have all my items socketed. A few reason for this is: I don't have enough valorite yet or the time to go mining for it, I want get some different armor pieces than what I have now (not sure what I want yet), I'm indecisive, and I don't have a lot of time to play, oh and I like to horde my gold rather than spend it.

Now even though I haven't gotten to use the benefits of sockets and augments I would disagree with their removal. It takes time and patience to benefit from these things and the players that I know have worked hard to reap the benefits of these implements. I do think that warrior vs tamer balance is still a little off, with warriors benefiting over druids. Maybe evasion and healing should be examined to determine whether or not they are a little too powerful. I know druid trees were determined to be overpowered and were adjusted then its only fair that some warrior skills should be looked into.

I also think that maybe adding some permanent tamables (they don't have to be glitzy either) kinda like the old colored dragons we had (like the black or blue dragons) which are a little more powerful than the every day White Wyrm but not nearly as powerful as a Glacial. And by permanent I mean they wouldn't be just a "special of the month spawn", they would be around all the time. I could see spawn rates longer than a WW spawn, but not as rare as a Glacial. (yes they would probably be farmed a lot in the beginning, but once the hype over them being a new tamable in the lands, like a WW, there won't be as many players after them and even less old school players trying to tame them) And taming skill to tame such creatures should be set high, because if your serious about taming then your skill should match. And they don't have to be in the form of a dragon either, there are a ton of tamables out there that you can model new creatures out of. I remember back when bake kitsunes were much more powerful than they are now and for a reason, unknown by me, they were changed.

Again I'm getting a little off topic I appologize, and by the looks of it I've written a book hehe. To sum it up, I don't want to see sockets or augments removed, for one day I too hope to be able to benefit from them, even if only by a little bit. 

[Abbadon]

Heh, Crimson does have a point here, I see quite a lot of the "high end" players without full socket (Crimson, Link, Eduges to name a few). A lot of it has to do with player skill - for example Link tanks Abraxius better than I do and he's got half my sockets and half my hp 

Adding permanent tamables might be a great idea rather than strengthening current special tamables. There are things like greater dragons in OSI that are stronger than WW yet they arent in Sylvan, so I don't see why there shouldn't be a permanent spawn thats stronger than a WW.

And it is also true evasion is somewhat OP on this server. Grab about 200 dex and you can pretty much solo anything with 120 parry/110 bush. HOWEVER, this is only in the early stages. Most of the time I find that the places I CAN use evasion in, I usually don't need to (with the exception of a few mobs like Dr. Deth, Ice Fiend lord etc.). I believe in this way, evasion has been balanced.

[Cpt_Starfox]

A thought occurred to me on the way home, and so I figured I'd share it.

If a great number of our players are indeed socketing up and are able to "reach the top" and defeat the current spawn of bosses... now is not really the time to be nerfing our players! Instead now would be the probably about the absolute best time to create more monsters who could be placed at a higher level of the ladder... and/or add a bit more to old bosses.

In a basic way... it is the players "responsibility" to figure out the best, most efficient, easiest ways to defeat the spawn that is put against them. It seems to me that a number of us have done this very thing... and are still doing it. We ought not to me "nerfed" for doing what we are meant to do... the ball is actually back in the GM's court so to speak. They throw us monsters, we defeat them... they make more and send em out... we defeat... etc... it's just how it works. Granted the GMs don't have to (and likely do not have the time to) make a new mob the moment the current "hardest" (a relative term here) is defeated... I don't wanna over work our staff... but thing is... I'm betting they'd likely love to do that very thing - make mean monsters to torment us with lol  I know they are busy and probably do not get to do this as often as they like... making a good spawn isn't easy. You can't just plop some monster down and throw a ton of strength on it or give it extra mean fire breath and expect it to be the end all of fun bosses. Sure... doing that might make it mean... but, It takes creative thinking... studying and observing of current fighting tactics... to make a truly fun and difficult spawn.  It isn't easy. Our staff have done a great job thus far with this and I'm betting they are up to the task  

Again, I understand it isn't easy to do and that there are great many other things staff are responsible for... especially right now with the holidays and quest and new quest spawn etc... You staff have done a wonderful job btw! But as a piece of food for thought... and as my opinion... IF many players are truly "reaching the top," it's not the time to nerf or re-balance... it is the time when the creative thinking and spawning skill of our staff can shine forth (or lurk forth hehe) in the form of a new horde nightmarishly hard spawn!

Now, I have heard tales of a new holiday spawn or something that is pretty mean hehe... I've yet to come across it yet hehe... but who knows... it could be the next top level! I dunno yet, but I'm looking forward to finding out! Like I said, I dunno about it yet, but if it is or not or whatever, thanks for yet another cool holiday spawn and keep up the good work!

(BTW, one thing... that might fit better in the wish list area maybe... but while I'm posting here figured might as well say something... I think it'd be cool if the Demenist lord spawned those tentacles of the harrower again hehe - them things be MEAN... and strangely, I'd like to face em again lol)

Another thought.... Should I kick myself for practically asking for death? Hmmm.... Naw... The mobs can do it for me later...

[Cpt_Starfox]

PS
About pets, I could be wrong not being a pro tamer like some... but I think that there are one or two "permanent" spawns that might be considered meaner than a WW... granted I'm thinking the spawn times on some of them are plenty longer than a WW... but anyway... also, about pets... (again I'm no pro on this but...) I'm thinking that even tho a WW might be generally the meanest of the regular tamables, it might not be strong against everything that is "at it's level." To use pets correctly and skillfully, you need to know how the enemy fights, what type of damage does it do? What kind of defences does it have? Does it heal a lot?  If you know these things and you know your pets very well, you will soon learn that a WW might be the strongest, but it might not be the best for all situations. Sometimes a "lesser" pet might be best or a combination of "lesser" pets... and ya might pick up some bard skills to help your pets hehe. I've heard "Disco" is in style lol. Again, I am no pro... but I'm thinking that is generally good tamer advice

[Skynar]

roc yes those pms consisted of me asking you once nicely  to stop getting in the middle of my conversations with gms because it was none of your business. Then you stating you will do no such thing because its your right and then your progressivly harrasing me after i repeatedly and more  bluntly and rudely as i went asking you to stop and stay out of my business  and to not EVER help me and your refused stating you will help me whenever you want just to intigate it further.  Dont play angel here because you aint  even tho you have most snowed with your "generous gifts". NOW shall i paste em here for everyone to see.   and i never said you didnt give stuff away.  I said you overcharged for other things

Also Ooc or oCC whatever it is  does drive teh price up insanely because yjay have the money to waste and very few if any can compete with it.   Its true its a fact  its the way it is.

Now feel free to lock it.  Or will we let roc have the last word as usual

[Vecchio]

skynar i wish u would quit whining u sound like a little girl come on i have seen u out bid people in auction for stuff its not are fault u dont wanna go hunt and make gold or get ur stuff socketed if u wanna be weak thats fine with me just quite dawging my friends on here and if u dont like what rocks sells his stuff for well i got news for u get ur own runic kits ur own ash and make stuff and sell it at what u want its not that freaking hard to get vs saved up i just ask quit whining and quite dawging my friends

ox

and if u dont like my post sry just getting tired of hearing bs on here

[Rocks Silivan]

roc yes those pms consisted of me asking you once nicely  to stop getting in the middle of my conversations with gms because it was none of your business. Then you stating you will do no such thing because its your right and then your progressivly harrasing me after i repeatedly and more  bluntly and rudely as i went asking you to stop and stay out of my business  and to not EVER help me and your refused stating you will help me whenever you want just to intigate it further.  Dont play angel here because you aint  even tho you have most snowed with your "generous gifts". NOW shall i paste em here for everyone to see.   and i never said you didnt give stuff away.  I said you overcharged for other things

Also Ooc or oCC whatever it is  does drive teh price up insanely because yjay have the money to waste and very few if any can compete with it.   Its true its a fact  its the way it is.

Now feel free to lock it.  Or will we let roc have the last word as usual

You know this post is about people's opinions on sockets not personal attacks to me. If you got nothing good to say then shut it. And what you are talking about the day you kept asking in chat if any gm's are on in public chat and what not asking them to pm you. I told you in chat nicely the staff members dont really like it when people ask in chat over and over for they have a paging system for players to use to get in contact wit them. I was told by them and our SC at meeting by staff thats how they felt and even AESA told you that day you gotta paid and gm's didnt like to be asked for in chat. Im sorry you like that your problem not mine so dont go trying to dog people for your amusement. I really dont like you trying to dog my guild too, cause some players in OOC decide to save their gold or hunt alot and build their gold up for auction shouldnt be dogged and rudely criticized cause they earned it. I dont know whats wrong wit you dude but stop these pathetic posts.

[Shakka]

Also Ooc or oCC whatever it is  does drive teh price up insanely because yjay have the money to waste and very few if any can compete with it.   Its true its a fact  its the way it is.

Get out and make you some dough....it can be done, you can do it.  Save up your dough......get some sockets.  It's alot of fun.  Go out and kill lotsa stuff.  Be pleasant, make some friends, go out hunting together.  Make more dough, save more dough.  Kill more stuff.  Save more dough.  Get more sockets.  Be a rich man before ya know it and please try not to make the poor little man case.  It doesn't work in a game setting where anyone has the ability, with some time and hard work, to be rich and powerful if they so choose.   You're only that way because you don't buck up and make yourself stronger!  Stop trying to make everyone think you can't do this or that because everyone else is overpowered, leaving you in the dust.  That's no excuse.  You can have everything everyone else has and more in this GAME, you just have to take advantage of the systems in place, put some time and effort in, which is all anyone else has done here because that's what this game is here for, that's it's purpose, can't you see?  It's all part of the fun.  Just enjoy.....it's what everyone else does.  Come join the fun and stop worrying so over everything.  Leave that junk for rl.  Don't expect things to be ruined for other players because you choose to stay at home and deco, yet still reap high benefits....that's definitely not fair.

[Queen Karina]

Just my  2 cents   sockets are just fine  remove  evasion and  make it so i a warrior cant auto bandage every 2.3 seconds   Because that is why i could solo just about anything on the shard   take away my sockets and well maybe i wont be able to solo everything i used to  but take away the 2  mentioned above and well  i would have alot more trouble  soloing   , also about tamables  there need to be more regular spawning tameables that  can compete with some of the harder mobs   , and not stuff that spawns 1 time a month   maybe  once a week or  so   

[Cpt_Starfox]

Of course taking out those two foundational things would certainly weaken players a LOT... but why bother when we are at a prime time to get new spawn!     ...and of course evasion is removed for Fel already.... which is where most of the harder stuff is anyway.

Finding better tamables are like trying to find great armor/artifacts .... it's good stuff... not suppose to spawn often or be easy to find. Kinda like Doom stealables/drops Vs regular stealables/drops...

[Myrick]

I really liked Karina's suggestions. I think maybe a set of chromatics that spawn regular but take a dedicated tamer to get would be cool. THat is white, green, black, blue, red. I'd also like to see some more mettalic Dragons out there. Copper, silver, gold, etc...

These dragons could be slightly stronger than a white wyrm and differ mainly in resists and attack but all be basically equal so tamers can have a dragon of te color they want to drag around.

The other suggestion was to cap speed on healing and remove evasion.

My comments on that are the best way to get rid of evasion is to do what Thane suggested and drop the skill cap. I would support refunds of vs or whatever (not money) to anyone that got a increased skillcap.

The other thing that can be done is there is a way to drop speed, but I believe that affects EVERYTHING on the shard if you do.

[Vecchio]

i say leave stuff the way it is and just make harder mobs to kill no reason to take away stuff players have gotten now i mean if they got that strong will don't stop them on the gm part make mobs harder where they cant be solo and that will solve the problem why punish people who earned for what they got working so hard for it and refunds i know if i gave cash to get a skill increase i wouldn't be a happy camper if they lowered the skill cap that would just be pointless then no one would want to donate if u take there stuff away what they dontaed for
just my 2 cents

ox