a simple poll

[Rushmore]

Originally Posted by TheLieka [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

People don't quit because of the grind. People quit because they aren't having fun. If your only reason for playing is to get to level x and get item y, then you will quit after you get it anyway, and your opinion cannot be seriously considered.

whats your opinion on YT? the people want it! what have you say!

[mitic]

daxum, so you say easy exp is bad... why have we been able to box and get lvl 50 within a week playing casualy on your server 3 years ago ?

iam not sayin that i want it as easy as vztz was but iam rly amazed about daxums writings in here

[TheLieka]

I learned a lot of things over the years. I just shared one of them with you.

[mitic]

thinkin about it, hotzones might be the best idea.

hotzones helps new players to stick together/to group and also helps to find pvp!

i could see following zones as hotzones

faydwer:
crushbone
unrest
mistmore

antonica east:
oasis
najena

antonica south:
lower guk

antonica central:
runyeye

antonica west & north:
blackburrow

kunark:
that low lvl dungeon at field of bone

odus:
lol whut?

[Awwalike]

I tell ya h'whut

[TheLieka]

Well, if you're getting into specifics, here are my two cents. It's list time!

There are a few things you have to keep in mind before choosing Hot Zones.

1. Do not make newbie zones "hot zones".
2. Make sure people can't farm inintended high level NPCs from hot zones (either by buffing the NPCs or lowering the NPCs' levels).
3. Hot Zones should not be common. Going to a Hot Zone should be exciting, not a time that you plan to zone in and take a smoke break.
4. Hot Zones are great at bringing players to content that they would not typically experience. I do not believe that giving players a cookie for experiencing content that they would have experienced anyway is a good idea.
5. Finally, the worst thing that a staff can do is increase drop rates in Hot Zones.
   Yes, a Hot Zone should attract players, but monkeying with the loot tables in order to attract players is a bad idea. Stick with the Hot Zone xp bonus, and leave it at that.

Now for the actual zones that I would pick:

1. Beholder's Maze (Antonica)
   8 - 25
   
2. Kerra Island (Odus)
   15 - 35
   
3. Kaesora (Kunark)
   30 - 45
   
4. Kedge Keep (Faydwer)
   35 - 50
   
   either:
5. Howling Stones (Kunark)
   50+
   or
6. The Hole (Odus) <-- My preference, but I understand why promoting the new Kunark content would be preferable.
   40+

[Rushmore]

Originally Posted by TheLieka [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Well, if you're getting into specifics, here are my two cents. It's list time!

There are a few things you have to keep in mind before choosing Hot Zones.

1. Do not make newbie zones "hot zones".
2. Make sure people can't farm inintended high level NPCs from hot zones (either by buffing the NPCs or lowering the NPCs' levels).
3. Hot Zones should not be common. Going to a Hot Zone should be exciting, not a time that you plan to zone in and take a smoke break.
4. Hot Zones are great at bringing players to content that they would not typically experience. I do not believe that giving players a cookie for experiencing content that they would have experienced anyway is a good idea.
5. Finally, the worst thing that a staff can do is increase drop rates in Hot Zones.
   Yes, a Hot Zone should attract players, but monkeying with the loot tables in order to attract players is a bad idea. Stick with the Hot Zone xp bonus, and leave it at that.

Now for the actual zones that I would pick:

1. Beholder's Maze (Antonica)
   8 - 25
   
2. Kerra Island (Odus)
   15 - 35
   
3. Kaesora (Kunark)
   30 - 45
   
4. Kedge Keep (Faydwer)
   35 - 50
   
   either:
5. Howling Stones (Kunark)
   50+
   or
6. The Hole (Odus) <-- My preference, but I understand why promoting the new Kunark content would be preferable.
   40+

agreed to everything u ever said till you picked hot zones.

[TheLieka]

You're not the first one. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] So far, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that thinks its a good idea to give people an incentive to go to underutilized content.

but dude... it's been years since I've ganked a group in Kedge. You don't know joy until you have killed with dispel. And I held that joy until dispelling levitate in mass pvp fights over Klandi... oh mama.

[Renk]

I tend to think keeping the current boosted exp is the best baseline, for both fun and population, because the "reducing lifetime of the available content" argument isn't as applicable here due to PvP already slowing down PvE consumption, and PvP itself isn't typical PvE content that gets linearly consumed.

Also, hotzones seem to be the best additional option for boosting activity (be it pve grouping and/or pvp), and doesn't clash with some people's feelings as harshly as the YT/LB things do.

The biggest thing about hotzones I would say is, while some people mentioned not wanting too many at a time as to not spread people out too much, for each level bracket (low/mid/high or whatever) there should be 2 at the same time. One in kunark and one in the old world, or such, for some of the excessive travel reasons previous posters mentioned in some cases.

And if they are rotating (possibly among specific zones for each bracket like people mentioned, not too many giant outdoor zones like karanas), then some days they would be a place you want/usually level in, other days they might be that more unused kerra/kedge type that might bring new people to experience them (or not, that's ok too). I think that variety would be good initially to see how it goes. Some give, some take, one wouldn't necessarily expect or want to be in a hotzone every single day.

Maybe a 50% hotzone boost is too high if we keep the current bonus, but something in the 20-50% range I suppose (additive I would also guess, not multiplicative). And if there was one in a lvl50+ zone maybe it should be less of a mod than lower level zones or such. Just throwing some things out there.

[SamwiseBanned]

why make it the less populated zones, everyone knows unrest is the place to be for lowbie pvp, no reason not to make it a hotzone. tbh hotzones arent needed, how about just keep xp bonus. people are gonna level where they are going to level regardless of hotzones. if you make it some zone noone wants to go to people wont come, maybe a power leveler but i would go to unrest whether its a hotzone or not.