Exp ruining rp save us!

[Louvaine]

I still don't get why it's so important for you guys to deny ease of level. Let other people enjoy having level 30. You all certainly find it fun. Before you say you don't, or that it's fun to level, I dare you to to remove your XP and prove to me how fun it is.

[Green Monster]

Just now my level 26 main character was in a group with a level 30 and a level 19. The level 19 was getting complete garbage xp. 8 per kill in Ogrann's ruins. And he was only ONE level off from being in range with the level 30. Just one.

If you MUST have xp penalties for lower level characters being in party with higher level characters (and I don't think you should, but if you really feel you must), then shouldn't it be on some kind of sliding scale? The hard line of 10 levels seems silly. If the level 19 had had a few more xp to start with he'd have been getting the same xp as I was.

Maybe an xp reduction 5% per level beyond ten difference? Or some other formula that would result in there being some significant difference between someone 11 levels lower versus someone 20 levels lower?

[DaloLorn]

I still don't get why it's so important for you guys to deny ease of level. Let other people enjoy having level 30. You all certainly find it fun. Before you say you don't, or that it's fun to level, I dare you to to remove your XP and prove to me how fun it is.

Doooo I get the option of saying I've only hit 30 twice in my ~4.5 years on BG (oddly, both of them drow ), have all but retired one of the characters involved, and have recently started yet another character?

It's not the level itself that matters, a lot of the time. Sometimes it does, as a narrative milestone (e.g. dragon disciple progression feels like it ought to be relatively rapid, and it's always nice to get a level to learn a class feature you've been ICly studying for a while), or as a starting point (sometimes a multiclassed character only finishes getting their basic skillset as late as level 10, before which they're profoundly strange to play). Sometimes it's mechanically significant, if your progression is very uneven (like Gurzhuk being an indomitable murder machine in the early levels and in the epics, but being an absolute nightmare to solo through the teens), but this can be tolerable if there's someone else to play with.

Most often, if level matters, it matters in the same way described in Rose's initial complaint: It's challenging to find ways to constructively interact with characters not close to your own level. This is particularly painful with guilds, since constructive interactions (even if they only benefit the new recruits!) are a cornerstone of building a guild's esprit de corps; there's only so many times you can hold meaningful meetings, RP training the new guys, etc., before it gets stale for everyone involved. There's a reason Selmiyeritar's numbers peaked when Lin was in her teens: She was closest to the average level of the UD at that time, opening up lots of avenues for mutual interest in other characters, and that level was low enough that characters were likely to still be malleable enough to join guilds instead of just doing their own thing.

[Steve]

I still don't get why it's so important for you guys to deny ease of level. Let other people enjoy having level 30. You all certainly find it fun. Before you say you don't, or that it's fun to level, I dare you to to remove your XP and prove to me how fun it is.

If getting to level 30 was made even faster, about 85% of the Servers maps would become useless.

There is however an argument to be made of “why not start every new PC at 25-25 lvl, and convert all maps to epic CR maps.”

And just focus on more or less chat role-play at 30.

Or, and likely better for all, cap levels down to 13 +/-, and adjust all maps appropriately. It would be a boon for DMs, and for PC role-play, since nine of us can really do rp justice to our demi-god power level Characters.

[Deragnost]

Yes but I want the flashy spells!

nine of us

Name those nine people! I want to know!

[Steve]

Yes but I want the flashy spells!

nine of us

Name those nine people! I want to know!

Limit to Level 18 then...and watch everyone play Spirit Shamans, Favored Souls and Warlocks (uhm...maybe everyone already is?!)

As for the "9 of us..." uhm, what?!?! I can't even name 9 people on BGTSCC!!!!

[JustAnotherGuy]

I still don't get why it's so important for you guys to deny ease of level. Let other people enjoy having level 30. You all certainly find it fun. Before you say you don't, or that it's fun to level, I dare you to to remove your XP and prove to me how fun it is.

There's a difference between ease of leveling, and quickness of leveling. The track of "I'm going to grind monsters all day" is not an easy way to level. However, it's likely the quickest. Sitting and RPing (especially while fishing) is the easiest way of leveling (in my opinion) and actually rivals the XP gained by grinding from my experience.

If I had my "druthers", I'd like it to take somewhere between 6-8 months to level to 30. I do believe this is an unpopular opinion, and I recognize that it is only my preference.

As far as proving it's fun (or can be) to me, I'll point out that I obviously leveled my druid to 30 once. But besides that, I've RCRd him to 20 about 3 times now, to have to level through the epic levels again. I may be doing that once again here shortly (but maybe not. I can't recall if I still have a 100% RCR token). I've also played about 2 alts in the last few years here, neither of which has hit 30.

[Louvaine]

It doesn't sound like you are saying grinding is fun. It sounds like you're saying it's merely doable, but not something you enjoy doing. Why do we ask new players to do something we don't want to do?

[JustAnotherGuy]

It doesn't sound like you are saying grinding is fun. It sounds like you're saying it's merely doable, but not something you enjoy doing. Why do we ask new players to do something we don't want to do?

Grinding is mind-numbingly "unfun", in my opinion. Yet that is the way people seem to want to do it. Personally, I find leveling enjoyable. But not grinding. In my opinion, if new players realize there is an option that is superior to grinding, they wouldn't do it.

[Louvaine]

Fishing requires survival. What other options are there? Role-play XP? Questing? Herbalism? I would rather players do what brings them joy, then see them come up with ways to get XP.

Sadly, level of a character does affect their potential role-play. There is simply no way to role-play casting 6th level spells without having access to them. Same goes for PrC and other abilities, like wildshape. Yes, you can role-play learning those abilities and grind in the background to actually get them. Yes, you can role-play a drunkard monk without actually having the PrC Drunken Master.

Wouldn't it be more fun if we could just focus on role-playing without having to worry about MMO aspect of grind, whatever means it achieved? Wouldn't it be more fun to have a reason

You know what, who cares. It's not like they'll make it easier to get to 30 and I'm drifting away from the topic. To back up the OP - yes, I do agree that group size shouldn't affect XP gain. The lag and crashes are penalty enough forced by NWN2.

[Coreska]

Anything that can get groups together more often is good in my opinion, but not if it'd lead to a daily cap or something.

[DaloLorn]

If I had my "druthers", I'd like it to take somewhere between 6-8 months to level to 30. I do believe this is an unpopular opinion, and I recognize that it is only my preference.

Not at all. I've heard figures like that a lot among staff, though I don't remember the exact names and don't want to put words in mouths. (Influential veterans, at any rate!) I've tended to agree with it myself, though I'm perhaps a bit more permissive; willing to haggle it down to 4 months.

Mind you, this isn't a universally held opinion even among staff members (Metaquad being one of its more vocal opponents in recent times), and I don't know how common it is among other players because I don't often end up having these kinds of conversations with them.

It doesn't sound like you are saying grinding is fun. It sounds like you're saying it's merely doable, but not something you enjoy doing. Why do we ask new players to do something we don't want to do?

Because every time we consider anti-grinding measures, we either can't agree on what they should be, or are unable to translate such an agreement into an action plan that we are capable of executing? One of those two is usually the reason for obviously broken things staying obviously broken around these parts.

[RoseMiriel]

You claim to be focused on role-play, yet the post is about mechanical XP gained from PvE. Tsk, tsk.

I'm wholeheartedly for removing silly barriers like those. If level 30 wants to help level 1 level up, so be it. If people want to group in small armies to take down the content, so be it.

Don’t presume to know me please thanks! I was 30 when I made this post and I rcr for rp reasons all the time making me go through the lvls again!

“I was outside a party traveling with low lvls when they were about to die I could barely help cause my healing only effects those in party. “

Why did they die rp wise when I could have and would have healed them, being outside of a party for a ooc mechanic is anti rp i only want them to have exp so I can better assist them and they won’t Ooc turn me away cause I’ll eat stupid exp! This was why I finally made the post not that it’s the only time something like this has happened.

Group levels I believe shouldn't matter, while areas still should - so to avoid the power-grinding and all.

This is my main idea yes, For the grinders I don’t care what others do !=^^=

I still don't get why it's so important for you guys to deny ease of level. Let other people enjoy having level 30. You all certainly find it fun. Before you say you don't, or that it's fun to level, I dare you to to remove your XP and prove to me how fun it is.

I think the path to lvl 30 is the most exciting!=^^= I level faster then most with or without grinding cause I never shut up!=^^=

[DM Honk]

My 50 cents on the matter:

Incentivize people to XP in groups, both fostering RP interactions and less grind with the following:

• INCREASE xp in a group.
• Relax the lvl difference rules, increase the level difference allowed before an XP penalty.
• Make it so only the higher level is affected by the level difference, still giving XP to the lowbie.

On a separate note I would also consider an increase in XP given by RP ticks for those who play non dungeoneering characters, perhaps making it a solid 50 per tick regardless.

[whatsittoya]

My 50 cents on the matter:

Incentivize people to XP in groups, both fostering RP interactions and less grind with the following:

• INCREASE xp in a group.
• Relax the lvl difference rules, increase the level difference allowed before an XP penalty.
• Make it so only the higher level is affected by the level difference, still giving XP to the lowbie.

On a separate note I would also consider an increase in XP given by RP ticks for those who play non dungeoneering characters, perhaps making it a solid 50 per tick regardless.

I turn down groups pretty much every time I play because the level difference penalty is so punitive.