Announcement of Allegiance Changes by Ibn at Turbine

[Andiglo]

I've seen a lot of players (on VN mostly), that are very upset about the fee increase, saying things like 'all they want to do is make money'.

Of COURSE they want to make money, it's a company, not a goverment program for welfare.

I suppose if they raise their fees, and people quit, they will lower them to bring them back. If they raise their fees and few quit, then it's a price most are willing to pay.

[Thewho]

im not upset about the fees increase
im just upset when they dont want spend it the right way and make more contets into the game not just nerfing around for slow down the end of the game , this is an old story.

[Nakamuro Zataki]

The dollar is so low compared to other currencies currently that I think it is cheaper to play after the raise than it was a few years ago.

[Thewho]

its balance on others games so this is not the point, when u like a game u spend thats it, i still pay for ac2 and im not play at all just in case i want to make a jump in.

[Andiglo]

I agree, but...

Turbine has spent a lot of money trying to make MORE content for the really high level players. For example, Turbine created VOD and other uber quests and hunting areas and creatures, for mostly 126+ players. Imagine the amount of content that would have been created if they didn't have to spend so much time to keep xp chain whores (like me), interested.

I'd be out of the game, if all I could kill is low level stuff on OP.

So in a way, by slowing down xp chain's, they can focus more on putting good content for everybody else. I'm not sure how this will work on the current servers vs the new one (which I will try).

[Ncatyl]

In my observations I have seen the following:

Folks that cap quicker, quit quicker. There are rare exceptions, but as a general rule, this holds.

This isn't as good now as it would've been in the early days, but it'll still be good for the game on the whole. Keeping people around longer to realize their goals and forging tighter relationships between patrons and vassals.

I know a lot of folks won't like it. No change is 100% acceptable to everyone...well, exccept one that got rid of lag.

[Oof]

My guess is it won't affect the XP numbers posted significantly. It will dramatically change the structure of XP chains because a single, long, thin line of patrons and vassals like we have now simply won't work like it has in the past. The bottom line is that no one really knows how this will affect either the way the game is played or the player base itself, not until after the changes are understood more completely.

A quick look at the changes they talked about makes the benefit of having an active vassal WAY more obvious. Will their changes get rid of XP chains? I doubt it very much. More likely, chains will still continue, possibly even much like they are (we don't know yet). Currently, XP put into the chain mostly bleeds out after 9 or 10 levels, so practically all of the XP seen in an XP chain is from the several vassals below you and not from vassals 30 positions away. The changes being implemented reduce that effective range to one vassal, with some minor XP flowing up from two positions away. The XP coming from immediately below you, though, more than doubles.

We'll just have to wait and see before we know for sure.

Personally, I think it may be a great thing for the game they are doing. The very best times I've had in AC haven't been when hunting for XP for the chain; they have been running around with vassals killing things, building friendships, questing, etc. We'll still get all of the XP we need, it will just be through a much more inportant vassal/patron relationship.

[Andiglo]

Imaging having 2 vassels earning 20 mil per hour EACH.

You get 75 percent (could go higher), you get 30 mil per hour each. Then you join the fellow and YOU get 50 mil per hour.

Hunt in the olthoi dungeon for 3 hours and get 150 mil daily.

I say the chain stays as IS, but the quota is managed VERY VERY strictly. If you drop, you're out. I see this could happen.

[Culticon]

SWG is startin to look good now

[Olorin]

Cult... Jack Able(Elba and Gila on SWG) and I (I'm Olo'rin also on SWG) would love to have ya. Look for us on the Kauri server.

Great clan...It reminds me of LD, You might know the clan the have clans on AC, SWG, Horizons.. They are the Knights Who Say NI. Great group, social and like I said they remind me of LD. Web Site and all.

Olo'rin

[DL]

ac2 is looking decent now... and since they'll cost the same i may seriously look into converting.

It's easy to reach Hero status in AC2 and be up there at the top along with all the rest....not like here in AC1.....imagine a brand new playing starting on an old server where 85% of the population chained their way to over 126. It's not like in AC2 where you could attain those higher levels in a relatively short time frame. How many YEARS in AC1 would it take a player to reach lv 200 without xp chains? I don't even want to imagaine the answer to that question.


BTW Compadre...I dabble around on AC2 and really like it despite the fact I hated it at beta and refused to buy the game at release date 1 year ago. I see much improvement since beta and though there's still much needed to be done...the game has potential if some focus can be given to it....guess it's wait and see situation if the devs will give it some attention.

[TUSAMI]

Well time for a change of scenery and this makes it easier to try a new game for me.I'm not sure when I'll quit ,but definately looking toward SWG as a prospect to fill the void. I'm noy happy to hear about the price increase and of course the company need's to make their money back that they spent buying it all from MS. It was only a matter of time before they were to mess with the game in changing anything to everything in it. I love playing AC, but this put's it into a new perspective, that I'm not sure if I wan't to continue.

[Compadre]

ya the beta was rough.

[Laseirna]

I'm not upset about either the fee increase or the changes to the XP system. I have 1 account so $3/month USD increase is the cost of a few cups of coffee. I know it might be harder for those with multiple accounts or younger players whose parents are not happy with the $10/month fee already. However, I have no doubt costs have been rising for Turbine yet in 4 years this is the first increase. Damn good deal imho and I think we're going to see more benefit in that increase than not. I wish in my business I could afford to not raise fees for that long.

I'm not upset about the changes to the chain xp either. I love the casual chain and it has been really fun having one of my toons in it and getting that benefit but as Oof has pointed out, it waits to be seen what the effect of the change will be.

I am looking forward to the changes before I make up my mind that the game has gone to hell in a handbasket. Things might get a bit rough before they get it right but they're trying and that's all I ask for.

[Trekman]

I think AC1 is the only game below 10$ - all others are 12.95 or even 15, although some offer discounts when using 3-, or 6-month-subscriptions...

I do not fully agree with Thewho about "killing the game". But I surely do agree with him about players who are new now, but already *know* the old system and wanted to join it.
They *must* feel cheated and demotivated and will probably leave (I do not know or even estimate the number of those players though).

I do not know yet what to think about the new system. Of course its easy for me and all the other levels ~200+ or even 126+ to welcome a new system and talk about "making AC1 worth playing again" - we already *have* our high levels.

I do not think there is any current MMRPG where you can level as fast with as little work as in current AC1 (AC2 needs lots of group hunting to level).
Therefore really new players not knowing the old system yet will probably have no problem with the new system. They could not care less how older players levelled. The fact that they themselves are new and the other players have been playing (much) longer is reason enough to see high levels as a newbie.

Ok with the new system you can probably powerlevel one character much faster if you have the appropriate vassals. It takes more individual planning than in a chain though....

We all know that what AC1 lacks in graphics it adds in content. But that is not enough to attract *new* players, especially since Turbine has "opponent titles" in their portfolio with AC2 and upcoming titles.
A better graphics engine is one thing, but as Turbine already said there are technical limitations in the core server-, and client-engines that prevent graphics of today's online game standards or even AC2.

So if "AC1 is here to stay for a long time" on one hand and we can assume the player base will be more or less the stable "old" one, why such a drastic change *on all servers* ?

They talk about opening a new server ? For what ? We have under 1000 players in US primetime, Euro primetime even less. What would a new server accomplish ? The only reason to make a new server is to make it different from all others, like Darktide.
So why not make a new server with the *new* allegiance system - so everyone liking the system can start there - but leave the old servers alone ?
There are already level "200+" characters, they will not go away, so content will have to adjust anyway, which includes the new server if a patch always is similar on all servers.

I wonder how the new system will influence the eBay/blackmarket prices for level 200 characters. I bet it will raise them drastically.
And I wonder what this new system will mean for the macro problem. The need for quota will be gone, but the need to level self or a patron will remain.....

Important questions about our chains :
Do we trust Turbine that this change will really happen in February ?
In the light of the new system coming in a few weeks - do we enforce the current quota rules until the bitter end ?

And how will we deal with the chains (which are a major part of our overall clan hierarchy) after the change when many people will want to get "personal patrons/vassals" again all at once ?

Or do we just keep the current structure but rephrase the definition of "quota" (like taking the 93.75% out of the formula and keep only the "raw" 6/12 mil. per week) ?

Edit :
I do not think the new system forges direct vassals/patrons together better than the current.
The chains show that XP are not the main reason for such relationships.
If someone wants XP, he will organize rerolls of his and friends' accounts under him, but not a stranger newbie whom he wants to help.
On the contrary - in the new system he needs 4 or more direct XP machines as vassals, but in the "old" chain he needs only one slot for the chain vassal, leaving the other 11 for "personal vassals" - in the new system only 8 or even less.
If someone does not care about the XP but for his "personal vassals" he does not join a chain now anyway....and chains will remain, they just will look differently. Like each one having 4 chain vassals instead of one....so what real benefit does the new system have ?