Population Assessment

[stormlord]

Here're some things I got from looking at the class distribution chart listed by other poster(s)...

The chart is located here:
http://i52.tinypic.com/2dlll6e.jpg

Classes that lose population share on the march to max level:
(ordered according to highest losses to lowest)
Paladin (-80%)
Shadowknight (-75%)
Bard (-50%)
Ranger (-50%)
Druid (-37%)
Warrior (-33%)
Necromancer (-10%)

Classes that gain population share on the march to max level:
(ordered according to highest gains to lowest)
Enchanter (+266%)
Cleric (+216%)
Magician (+160%)
Rogue (+140%)
Monk (+120%)

Classes that do not gain or lose population share:
Shaman
Wizard

Basically, this tells you which classes translate well to level 60 and those that do not.

All in all, paladins and shadowknights and rangers and bards have it hard or a lot of people like to think they could play em but end up changing their minds. I'm surprised SK's have so much trouble. I wouldn't think they would.

Since I played a ranger on live for so long, it makes me scratch my head. I've always liked the hybrids. I also had a paladin on live that I got to 65/etc. I loved the healing/rez/off-tanking abilities. Different from ranger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obfci1CIqq8

Do you want to brave a hybrid? Or will you get blown away like Neil Young?

I never complained about the hybrid exp penalty, but I can see where people are coming from. I've always heard that whatever it's that makes hybrids diverse and fun to play, also makes them powerful. But this whole idea can be turned on its head. Diversity doesn't HAVE to make a class too powerful. That would be design oversight. In games, jack-of-all-trades tend to have equally spread, toned down abilities. When you add up all of their abilities, it's equal to any class out there. On paper, they're no more powerful than anybody else. Why is there a need for any other kind of balancing mechanism; like an exp penalty? I think something was overlooked. If the experience penalty for hybrids is removed on this server and assuming that the hybrids are exactly as they were on live, then one must ask: why did they implement the exp penalty in the first place? What if removing the penalty makes them too powerful? My mind tells me that's horrible game design, but what if they did balance them via an exp penalty?