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Post by maarius81 on Dec 29, 2017 16:06:16 GMT -5
quick update on playing without visible player-health on the Shaman
I've configured the soundclues via the addon Weakauras on 50% and 35% player health and it works flawlessly. I finally take my eyes off the player healthbar and look for the mob animations, which is quite helpful when silencing casters or watching out for enemy special attacks.
I'm glad this issue is solved, playing without UI needs a bit getting used to, but you'll notice much more details of the world, mobs and their animations.
If one absolutely needs a visual clue, Weakauras has those as well. A small red dot (or whatever you choose) on your character when you drop below 50% health is quite helpful as well.
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Post by maarius81 on Dec 30, 2017 6:11:33 GMT -5
next I'm trying to find out if it's a good thing to allow blue items. -) still easymode: At lv.31 my shaman's experience (even though I died a few times, but this was me being stupid mostly) feels too easy. I wear blue stuff from the "1-from-8-rule". -) easy choice: The "1-from-8-rule" should have the player to stand before a difficult choice. Having a blue amongst the greens equals an easy choice. -) blue BoE mobdrops could still be allowed. -) I don't know if later at higher levels the difficulty will rise considerably, considering the game rewards you with neckpieces, rings and trinkets then and probably is balanced around that stuff.
possible change: -) only green quest rewards are allowed
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Post by Brynazul on Dec 30, 2017 19:53:18 GMT -5
Maybe have two 1-from rules, one for green and one for blue+? Giving the blue 1-from rule more restrictions.
If you're killing rare mobs to get a life, to spend a life, to equip an item, you're more likely to come across blue BoE items. I know you can also collect 8 health potions in a zone to gain a life, but I don't recall ever accumulating 8 health potions in a zone just by questing and killing mobs. Do you find a lot?
I think not allowing blue quest items undermines completing a zone's quest line, as the rewards are often blue items.
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Post by maarius81 on Dec 30, 2017 20:54:17 GMT -5
Interesting...
so -) 1 from 8 green questitems -) 1 from 8 blue questitems
I'm not sure about that. The choice would probably still be easy since your latest blue would be the best.
You're right though that rares will start dropping blue items sooner or later. This may become a problem. From current testing rare mobs aren't too dangerous except I just died and wear all white gear. I agree with you that quest-lines shouldn't become obsolete and you should be rewarded doing them including the final quest of the chain.
possible change: Maybe just allow only one blue item on you at any time. Want to equip a new one, destroy the old first. You may have an empty slot then, so choose wisely. Edit (forgot the most important part): blues are excluded from the 1-from-8 rule and can be equipped the moment you get them.
About the health potions... -) you gain an extra life -) you gain an extra life slot It's like you gain a health container in one of the Zelda/Metroid games. It's an empty slot though. You have to kill rare mobs to fill the slot. Killing a certain type of mobs (humanoids mostly) has an increased chance for those to drop. It depends on the zone, I've found that some zones have more drops of those than others. You don't have to go for it in each zone though, just take notes how many you got in each zone... you may want to come back later to farm more slots.
About the difficulty... At the moment I'm really torn, I want it to be a more difficult challenge but even though I had to start over with gearing a few times, I always got good enough stuff soon to make it easy again. I just hope it gets harder in later zones, otherwise I may get rid of crafting. It's the one thing in the challenge that gets you gear relatively fast which trivializes content.
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Post by maarius81 on Dec 31, 2017 6:08:52 GMT -5
edit for the possible change: -) blues are excluded from the 1-from-8-rule -) 1-from-8 only for greens -) you can equip a blue (questitem, BoE) the moment you get it -) you can only wear 1 blue at a time
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Post by maarius81 on Jan 1, 2018 18:51:04 GMT -5
I tested enough low level experience for the challenge, now on to a higher level character. Level 68 Fury Warrior in Borean Tundra.
It's a copy of one of my live characters who wears 10 pieces of level appropriate gear. To simulate the Soulsearcher Challenge I switch half of those items with grey/white gear. I'm curious how this turns out. I'm testing this with the possible changes from the last posts. I don't craft here, since it's quite far behind.
Edit: balance seems cool, definitely on the more challenging side... between Ironman and normal green gear only. Self healing classes are advised.
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Post by maarius81 on Jan 2, 2018 7:16:55 GMT -5
update Fury Warrior Northrend level 68
It's quite challenging, I survive 3 mobs barely when I use all my cooldowns. The impact of not being allowed to wear rings, trinkets and the necklace is noticeable. I like it so far.
Losing all my green & blue gear at death will be a nightmare. It's a good thing that crafting can help you here, it would be nearly impossible if it wasn't. I tested the character with Ironman gear before I started questing and it's really not a good pacing, surviving each mob with about 5-10% health. And this is with using all my selfheal capabilities.
I can't test crafted gear on the PTR since it is way behind at the moment, but I think chances of surviving will be much higher.
First aid and cooking definitely have a purpose now.
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Post by maarius81 on Jan 6, 2018 6:39:01 GMT -5
I thought of another change which would make the challenge easier to understand and harder to make mistakes
copy from another post:
possible change:
1 from 8 rule --> Outdated Challenge Rule:
-) you collect all the green questitems in your bag
-) when you've completed a zone -->
-) --> you choose what you want to equip...
-) ...and sell the rest
in short:
You quest through a zone in gear from the previous zone
You are still allowed to equip any green BoE drop when you loot it. I think that blue items are too powerful though... they might get a new purpose:
-) blue BoE / questitem = Joker
-) you are allowed to equip 1 green quest item in your inventory NOW (a quest item from the current zone)
The other rules still stand. You are only allowed to equip gear you can see on your character (no rings, amulets, necklace)
This is all for Patch 7.3.5, it would be still too easy for live.
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Post by maarius81 on Jan 8, 2018 10:12:10 GMT -5
update on the "Outdated Challenge Rule" testrun / possible changes:
It doesn't feel too challenging yet (My Paladin Dwarf is only level 22 and has leveled Dun Morogh - Loch Modan - a few quests in the Wetlands) but that's normal considering the low level and quests haven't dropped rings/trinkets/necklaces yet.
I noticed something nice though: -) Just before I enter the next zone, I put on all (for the moment no limitations) of the questgear I got in the previous zone. I haven't had the "clownlook" yet, pieces go well together. -) BoE drops, which I equipped the moment I got them, didn't look different so far. This might have been luck though.
I realize that you are quite powerful when you enter the next zone, since you have the best questgear on you for the moment... but since you can't equip any new quest pieces until you leave the zone, it becomes harder gradually with each levelup.
Some things I have to think about: -) How will this look like in expansion content after level 60. Will it feel challenging enough? (I think it will, considering 5 slots stay empty) -) How do mobs scale? Do they scale based on my itemlevel?? (which would be bad) -) Do I limit the pieces of questitem I'm allowed to equip? (e.g. only equip 5 pieces and destroy the rest) -) Will I add a random effect (dice roll) to integrate that limitation, or will I go with specific numbers? -) I like the rule for blue items: Joker --> equip 1 piece from your bag now, but... -) ... I'm not too sure what to do with BoE drops. Equip them instantly? Roll dice to see if they are broken, may be stored or equipped instantly?
I also did start crafting in this run. Mining and Weaponsmith. After I finished Loch Modan I flew back to Ironforge and crafted tons of gear, I couldn't catch up with my current questgear though. Crafting really needs dedication in this game, lol.
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Post by Brynazul on Jan 8, 2018 14:11:39 GMT -5
For quest items, the maximum you could equip at once would be 8 (8 possible seen on character slots), but maybe limit it to a max of 5 or 3, so that there would still need to be a trade-off when choosing gear.
For the BoEs, you could roll to see if you can equip immediately, or if not immediately, then it gets grouped into the quest items at the end of the zone. For BoEs you can't use, you could still use those as Jokers, but limit the use of Jokers to 1 or 2 a zone.
And yes, professions definitely need overhauled! Hopefully that will be something they take a look at after they've got the level scaling all sorted.
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Post by maarius81 on Jan 8, 2018 14:45:51 GMT -5
For quest items, the maximum you could equip at once would be 8 (8 possible seen on character slots), but maybe limit it to a max of 5 or 3, so that there would still need to be a trade-off when choosing gear. For the BoEs, you could roll to see if you can equip immediately, or if not immediately, then it gets grouped into the quest items at the end of the zone. ...or 9 if you don't use 2handers. I agree, it would be a tougher choice if you had to choose which items you keep and which you delete. The last time I stood before that choice the choice was easy though, since I had about 9 items and some were clearly better than the others. Mostly those which I got at a later point in time. What if I'd only allow one specific item level only once (or twice)? I would have a much harder choice now, since some items are of the same itemlevel. example: your items... ilvl 100 A ilvl 99 B ilvl 101 C ilvl 100 D ilvl 103 E ilvl 100 F A or D or F Maybe I could come up with a better idea. I like your first BoE idea.
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Post by Margothon Lord of the Elements on Jan 8, 2018 15:36:48 GMT -5
When you have finished with all the rules, will you be sending Phone book sized manuals through the post?
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Post by maarius81 on Jan 9, 2018 10:46:27 GMT -5
When you have finished with all the rules, will you be sending Phone book sized manuals through the post? Well I'm actually trying to make it simpler, at the moment it's not that complicated if you've tried it. there is a lot of iteration going on though, hence the plenty communication. Some things don't turn out to be fun when testing happens, so I try to change those. I'm always open for suggestions
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Post by maarius81 on Feb 16, 2018 9:20:24 GMT -5
update
I tested the 1-from-8 rule and some others which all felt still too easy. It should be a challenge after all, not just a breeze through with some extra rules.
Considering this I though about how to limit gear without going full ironman, so I ended up with rolling a dice for my gear. I tested this from level 1 to 63 so far: I roll a D20 -) 1-15... delete the Questitem -) 16-17... store the item until you enter the next zone -) 18-20... you are allowed to equip it
I have been testing this on a Rogue. So far the balance is really fine. Pulling two enemies gets me into trouble, but Rogues have many tools to make sure I only have to fight one at a time. I have no idea how this challenge would look like with other classes.
Looking at other players questing next to me and breezing through the mobs with absolutely no effort makes me wonder how they can enjoy leveling like that. I need that aspect of danger but I also love the thrill of getting new gear.
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I have another character (Dwarf Paladin) who runs this challenge with another twist: Ironman white/grey gear with the exception of items I can't see on the character: I'm allowed to equip rings, trinkets and a necklace of green/blue quality. He's only level 21 but it's already more fun that ironman or normal questing to me. I'm a jewelcrafter which helps getting those green rings, trinkets, necklace a bit, especially in the beginning.
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