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Bring FL MoD to Regulith

Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 4:18 pm
by KregorRanger
Echoing some sentiment of Irongron on a previous post, I would suggest bringing the MoD of the FL server to the regular server: i.e., that only PvP deaths count toward your MoD, not PvE or other deaths.

(This is not a recommendation that it be mandatory, to clarify. It should still be player choice on Regulith, I think.)

Unconditional ticking of the 10 lives can lead to the same mentality as a harsher death penalty can — leveling becomes a mindless grind of the easiest XP to risk ratio areas, rather than broadening horizons and true adventuring. And when the time does come for PvP, many MoD PCs are likely to the point from their leveling that a couple of PvP losses, regardless of their epic-ness, will bring final doom.

Worse, a death on that last life to a stupid loss, such as a glitch, lag, PvE loss, or even just getting link dead and dying of thirst, can bring a totally anticlimactic end to a character that had an otherwise meaningful story. I can think of at least two MoD final deaths of PCs I've interacted with that could have come to a much more meaningful close, had the MoD only been to PvP losses.

True deaths would have more meaning, not with a harsher penalty, but knowing that when that final death hits, it will be something meaningful.

Re: Bring FL MoD to Regulith

Posted: Sun May 10, 2015 9:25 am
by Mithreas
I have no intention of messing with this right now.

I will observe, however, that the MoD on Regulith, being an option, is absolutely not intended to be something that everyone wants to do. The change you suggest would likely mean that 80% or more of PCs chose to take it, because they are rarely involved in PvP. That would shift the risk/reward balance of the MoD notably.

I think I have chosen not to take the MoD on exactly one PC I have rolled up since they were introduced. I don't think any of my PCs have had more than 3 deaths on the Mark, including the one that used to go out on parties with JJ, Artos and co, where we'd do things like take on the Manor of Mourne with a party of level 10s. It does mean, however, that I put some thought into escape strategies for my characters, so that I can get out of nasty situations.

The net is that I don't think there is a problem with the current MoD implementation, so I'm not planning to expend effort on it in the near term.