Please Fix The Xp Leveling Is The Worst!

[Ligatorswe]

I agree that something has to be done.

* The amount of XP to go from first level to second has to be halved.
* There has to be rewards for playing PVP and port battles and for WINNING game. Sinking ships I care less of.
* There has to be different maps. Now all fights are on the same map. Without islands or anything. 
* And trading has to give some XP. The same for ENTERING new harbours. That would make people move around the map to new areas.

If that is done, leveing would be easier.

[Ligatorswe]

I know that there is much more coming. Storms. Fights in different environments. I know that because I have played for a while. So I am mad enough to do the quite repetetive missions. :-) But new people might react that the map is the same for all fights. And might react that missions are quite similar to each other.

I will not abandon the game. I trust in the game-labs. But I one has to think the way a total noob thinks, and not the way I think that has played since the alpha started.

The game has to make a promise that the ROAD to end content (big guns) is fun and challenging.

 

 

everybody seems to be intent on grinding instead of enjoying the game. Would it not be boring to have everything in 6months?

Edited January 24, 2016 by Ligatorswe

[akd]

Missions are the dullest possible thing you can do in the game. Missions are the most efficient way to progress. This is the core problem, not loss, etc. We have loss-free PvP battles right now, but people grind missions instead and if you forego efficiency for fun and enter a loss-free PvP battle, you are often rewarded with a very poor quality fight (rammed in first few minutes, etc.).

Likewise, I showed up to an undefended port battle and didn't fire a shot. I got a pile of materials and a fine module. Again high rewards for the dullest gameplay.

We have sought out and found excellent, nail-biting fights on the OW, but were definitely not rewarded for the investment in time.

[jodgi]

...We have loss-free PvP battles right now...

What are those?

[Nathaniel]

everybody seems to be intent on grinding instead of enjoying the game. Would it not be boring to have everything in 6months?

That may be true, but it's still no excuse for the most boring way of getting XP also being the hands-down fastest.

 

If i remember correctly the devs always said missions are only there to have a way of finding an enemy when there aren't any open world ships to be found. Why then do they still give so much bonus XP and incentivise solo play?

Edited January 24, 2016 by Nathaniel

[Elbows]

I have to agree that the grind is...boring.  I'd also disagree highly with people insisting everyone does PVP to get actual experience.  It's a game, and if it's anything like 95% of competitive games with people - people suck.  I have limited time to game, and would rather spend it co-oping with some buddies just having fun.

 

The main issue here is that within a few hours you understand the basics of the game - you can even earn plenty of money, but the XP just creeps along, missions/random attacks etc.  Capturing and being able to buy better/larger ships but without any crew to sail them is a bit annoying.  I'd much rather see a "crew competence" mechanic instead of crew size.

 

In addition, as I posted in another thread, there simply need to be far more additional XP earning mechanics: diplomatic missions, courier missions, trade missions, exploration missions (or simple 3-5 XP for each Port you visit, actually encouraging people to travel).  As it stands now there is little incentive at all in PVE to go more than a few islands from your home port.  Nothing really encouraging.  No long-range missions, no trade missions, no point in sinking further away from your port/outpost.

 

I've been following the game for a long time, thoroughly intrigued...but the content is really really shallow.  At this point it doesn't have the depth to really draw me to play every day.  There is a heapload of potential, but it's sitting pretty flat right now.

[akd]

What are those?

 

My last three small battles were pure free cutter / yacht affairs, recalling to me all the bad aspects of early Sea Trials battles.

[Eggzie]

they should make pvp get 1,5x  (not small or large battles)  but open world pvp

 

and port battle x2

 

for promote pvp

I love this idea. OS play needs to be promoted as much as possible.

[Petrov]

My last three small battles were pure free cutter / yacht affairs, recalling to me all the bad aspects of early Sea Trials battles.

But once you are in any other ship other then free cutter, you loose it right?

 

Yes, I've been in a few small PVP battles and it's early sea trials all over again....no teamplay, no chat, just pure grind XP to the next ship.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Petrov

[Petrov]

..

 

In addition, as I posted in another thread, there simply need to be far more additional XP earning mechanics: diplomatic missions, courier missions, trade missions, exploration missions (or simple 3-5 XP for each Port you visit, actually encouraging people to travel).  As it stands now there is little incentive at all in PVE to go more than a few islands from your home port.  Nothing really encouraging.  No long-range missions, no trade missions, no point in sinking further away from your port/outpost.

 

I've been following the game for a long time, thoroughly intrigued...but the content is really really shallow.  At this point it doesn't have the depth to really draw me to play every day.  There is a heapload of potential, but it's sitting pretty flat right now.

This.  Missions need to be more then just go kill this other AI.  Exploration, courier etc.  Make people have to travel the map and risk being caught in PVP.  Risk vs reward should be properly balanced.  For the first few missions, yes make them close to port and easy, but after that, it needs more.

[z4ys]

Rank progress fits to crafing progress so in my opnion everything is fine

[VehoNex]

I think the grind rush right now is people trying to get out of their starting ships. I haven't seen too many in game who like running around in their cutter/yacht. I know I myself am not trying to get the biggest and baddest ship in the game but I want to be able to at least mount more than 12 guns. Trying to get to rank 5 just to have enough crew to sail something worthwhile is a long long grind.

[JookySeaCaptain]

I agree. My friends and I were all desperate to get out of the cutter. Not because the cutter is a bad ship, but because we wanted to try something different, or at least feel like we were progressing. Not only does it take a relatively long time to get to Rank 2, but there are serious problems once you do.

 

First is even finding a better ship. The stock of ships at ports appears to be random, and it rotates. Most of what is offered is garbage Fir models that you don't want as a new player. Sure this might change as player crafting ramps up, but it is a problem now.

 

Second, the Pickle and Privateer don't really feel like significant upgrades. You have the same number of cannons, similar speed, etc. Heck, my Privateer that I bought was significantly WEAKER in terms of hitpoints/ armor than my Basic Cutter. I still sailed it anyway just to be in a different ship. 

 

Third, and most significant, is the cost associated with upgrading to a new ship. No, I don't mean the gold cost to buy it, but the gold cost of Repair Kits. 0 Gold repair kits are a HUGE incentive to just keep using the Cutter. All of my friends were appalled by the cost of repair kits when we started trying to use Pickles and Privateers. 750 gold / repair kit is a major economic penalty for upgrading.

 

Right now it just doesn't make sense to sail anything BUT the Basic Cutter until at least rank 3 when you can get a Snow/ Brig/ Mercury. By the time you get to that point, you have spent several hours frustrated by being stuck in the starter ship and feeling like you just aren't getting anywhere. Sure it was an o.k. way to spend my time while I was snowed in by the biggest winter storm since 1996, but I have life too. 

[Ligatorswe]

I just participated in a port battle and was surprised. The amount of XP was minimal that I gained from it. The amount of gold low.

Has to be adjusted.

[dudebro]

The grind desperately needs adjusted xp incentives for using the non-rate ships other then the free cutter yacth really must be implemented.

[Hellvor]

Just a note to all, killing crew members does give you more XP than damage. My group took on a constitution and we capped it. I killed roughly 265 crew and got 300+ XP. Others in my group got 200+ XP as well. + the nice constitution as well

[jodgi]

I just participated in a port battle and was surprised. The amount of XP was minimal that I gained from it. The amount of gold low.

Has to be adjusted.

Isn't "winning the war" enough? You may be right, tho. 

 

The grind desperately needs adjusted xp incentives for using the non-rate ships other then the free cutter yacth really must be implemented.

If you're still free-cuttering at second Lt. and up you're losing out on xp and gold. But, yea, it's not effective to use the Pickle, Privateer or even the Brig. We should be careful with what we ask, though, or they might make the lynx the starter ship to avoid starter ship "exploit". Then the new guys would suffer. How bad is it that we're able to start off the grind in a quite capable little crate and not having to worry too much about repairs?

[Siegfried]

Free cutter makes all fore and aft ship obsolete. Cutter is free and unlimited free repair kit and has 800 armor and the pickle is 30k gold, 700gold each repair kit and only 900 armor... and less manoubreable... with the same number of cannons. And only 15 crew members more.

[Azzak]

Agreed, make the first ships very cheap, their repair kits nearly free. They don't bring much to the original cutter and it would bring diversity.

[JookySeaCaptain]

I think the repair kits are the biggest issue at the moment for getting people into the Pickle and Privateer. Make their repair kits much much cheaper, or even free, and people will start using them. Even if they aren't that much better stat wise than the free Cutter, I feel like folks will want to sail them for variety's sake alone, as long as they aren't being unduly financially penalized for it.

[Voltaire1512]

I think the problem here is that in other MMO the first levels are gained pretty fast. But unlike LotRO for example NA has not a level cap of 100 (at least I think so). So even the first level has to be gained the hard way. Maybe it would be a bit less mind-numbing, if there were other efficient XP sources than doing combat, especially in missions.

 

Plus I reject the notion, that PvP should provide more XP than PvE. No matter what kind of player one is, everyone has spent 40 bucks for the game. So I don`t see why there should be premium content.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Voltaire1512