Why all the changes?

[jclay65]

I have played on this server for about 10 years. I have learned almost everything I know about RPG gaming here. I was fortunate enough to run across some very helpful people that took the time to teach me the basics. My RP skills at the time was 0, I am a poor speller and typiest and I am pretty weak on the story telling front. I have enjoyed playing on this server and have meet many fine people from all around the world. This is where I come to take the edge of RL.

Here I am 10 years later. My RP skills haven't improved that much, I'm just not the creative type. I have enjoyed learning the mechanics and tactics when soloing and in groups. There have been many changes over the time I have been here, some good some not so good, but I always did my best to roll with punches and adapt. I hope to be around for a while longer. I almost gave up after the BG remake, it is now much harder to navigate around the city and the changes to master alchemist made it nearly imposable to make elixirs. It just seems to me most of the changes are to punish the non RP players, those that mainly RP could care less. I hope I haven't offended anyone and thanks for taking the time to read this post.

Damn...... looks like it's closer to 15 years. How time flies!

[DaloLorn]

I'd guess it's a demographic shift.

Back when I first joined the PW in 2019, it advertised itself as a "medium-RP server". The DM team had only recently, IIRC, abolished bio rewards and the last PRC application requirements, and while there was a vague understanding that you should be in character at all times, there wasn't a lot of effort going into checking for more than a token adherence to the setting. This suited me just fine, because I was too ignorant of the setting not to be put off by a more heavy-handed approach.

In my experience, a lot of the players that started showing up in the years after - whether new or returning - have been more interested in the RP side than the gameplay, with most exceptions disappearing in short order. This has likely not been helped by the fact that the gameplay has remained stale and obsolete: As new games and PWs deliver superior gameplay experiences in the same domains as BG, the only real reason to stay invested in BG is RPing and telling your characters' stories. Case in point, I've only played on one other PW - NWN:EE's Prisoners of the Mist - and I've never been shy about considering its gameplay to be head and shoulders above BG. That was years ago, and yet in many ways I imagine it would hold true if I returned to it today. (I won't, because I still hold an array of deep grudges with their administration, and because I've already learned the hard way that trying to play two PWs is just a slower form of emigrating to the second.)

As the general population pivots to a more RP-intensive playstyle, it's natural for staff groups to reflect this: They are drawn from the playerbase, after all. There is an amplifying effect at work, too: If staff is disproportionately RP-heavy, then they'll disproportionately favor RP-centric changes, thus attracting more RPers while possibly alienating non-RPers (as your own post demonstrates). The results speak for themselves:

• Bio rewards are back in a big way.
• RP - but especially religious RP - is more tightly scrutinized for adherence to lore.
• Various regions, particularly Baldur's Gate itself, are constantly being redesigned to be more faithful to lore (albeit with respect to the PW's own storied history).
• Gameplay all over the server is being transformed - too sluggishly for my liking, but transformed nonetheless - to be more faithful to 3.5e Forgotten Realms.
• We no longer call BG a medium-RP server. Now it's just "RP server".

[blazerules]

Pretty much what Dalo said. Most people that stay are roleplayers so the focus will always be on roleplay first which is honestly a good thing. It's something that has the most longevity and depth compared to the decrepit NWN2 mechanics.

Though for master alchemist that was rebalanced because its a class that honestly should never have been added. Less of an RP thing and more of a balance nightmare of how overpowered elixers were/are.

[Lockonnow]

blazerules it's perfectly okay to have an opinion Dont overreact about the Master Alchemist you people that play like gods are dead and the magical relice is dead to are only people that stand on one camp fire for RP is not really a RP player you could just play a chat game where you can dating a lots of people and find friends.

[YourMoveHolyMan]

There are only two things players hate:

-the way things are

and

-change

[DaloLorn]

Master Alchemist, in particular, wasn't rebalanced. That revamp died before it could reach the live servers.

[Lockonnow]

well something was change that you need to get XP to brew so that stop the milke the Master Alchemist so it work the changing.

[jclay65]

I have seen many players come and go, some never return. Even though my play style is not always welcomed here, I still enjoy my time playing on this wonderful server you have created. I guess my main concern is that if/when you change something and player X doesn't like the change, they leave and never return, is it worth it?

[blazerules]

I guess my main concern is that if/when you change something and player X doesn't like the change, they leave and never return, is it worth it?

I'd say it depends? Realistically speaking pretty much any and all changes result in at least 1 person not liking them.

In a sense it ends up with decision paralysis and stagnation of the server which in and of itself slowly leads to player bleed too. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. You never know how small or big a change will make someone leave you just have to hope with some common sense that it moves the server in a good direction.

Which so far? I would say there have been bad changes but generally we are going in a very good direction.

If it wasn't for the already small player base I'd say yes worth it, but with a small enough player base it hurts more.