This idea started simple, when I noticed that a simple LA NPC requires more organization than some HA NPCs.
Take Pei-Ruz, you need a team that satisfies stringent requirements level-wise, then the team must perform almost flawlessly in order to avoid wiping (MPA for igaras, moving to stone, chaining Warcry, having exactly 4 tanks who stack bleed). Should you fail to meet any of the above, you lose: igaras kill you, launcher damage kills you and locks some people's clients, lack of consistent bleed means you never beat Pei's regen.
In contrast, because the heavy NPCs are free-for-all, they become actually less punishing to kill. You just throw more firepower at them, and you're set. Moreover, most of them heavily favor magic masters. I could simply make an assist macro and press ONE button continuously for these kills.
So, my proposal to make the heavy bosses more challenging:
- Moved to their own mini-maps. No fancy decorations necessary, just a place that can be themed and customized a bit. You enter these "dungeons" using a vortex at their former residence, or by using some other device (Dante's box?).
- Heavily dependent on mobs that need to be killed. Similar to how Pei spawns raguses and igaras, each heavy boss could spawn his own region-themed minions. Aen could throw varinx and ocyx, Sirgio could throw torbaks and cuttlers, and so on. Randomize spawn points to make things less predictable.
- Add some NPCs that fight back. It's a complete shame that Sirgio's guards can be taunted in groups, and killed with relative ease. Why not have some mage NPCs that bomb people with random spells, or use afflictions?
- Actually, mass debuffs could be pretty interesting. Simultaneously release blinding aggros (torbak) and NPCs that try to madden/stun/fear the players, with the effect that the group can easily lose half its fighting power suddenly. Time 1-2 NPC launchers to attack 20 seconds after, and chaos ensues.
- Increase the role of tanks. Introduce mobs or NPCs that can dish out an insane amount of damage and with good attack speed, that would wreck large groups of players if not presented with a meatshield. Practically mini-bosses.
- Make the actual NPC boss easily killable after. If the group has managed to react quickly to everything that was thrown at them, they deserve the kill. Plus, no part of the fight should take too long.
- [completely optional] Maybe random drops from the stuff attacking you? A 15% chance to loot 50 q500 sap crystals, or some catalyzers. If you bend to loot, you might fail to deliver that critical heal necessary for your team's survival.
- [completely optional] Certain points of the mini-map should be goo-infused, doing low but constant damage over time. If you choose to limit yourself to non-goo spots, you're more tightly packed for the mob attacks, launcher damage, etc.
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Every part of the above can be explained using lore terms:
- Aen is growing old and she's replaced by her daughter, who is much fiercer (hence the sudden change)
- The new marauder generation is much more adept at controlling man and beast, thriving off the experiments of their predecessors. (hence the new mechanics)
- They are also becoming more bold, encroaching previously barren lands and claiming them as their own (hence their own dungeon).
Certain parts of this could be impossible or difficult to implement. However, if a sufficiently large portion of the proposal is actually feasible, then the idea should be considered.
Sure, this would take a LOT of effort to implement, so my first question is : can such a scenario be experimentally built using Ryzom Forge? Are there sufficient tools and privileges on the test servers, to attempt a first-draft design without requiring Winch Gate manpower?
All opinions / questions / concerns are welcome.
Take Pei-Ruz, you need a team that satisfies stringent requirements level-wise, then the team must perform almost flawlessly in order to avoid wiping (MPA for igaras, moving to stone, chaining Warcry, having exactly 4 tanks who stack bleed). Should you fail to meet any of the above, you lose: igaras kill you, launcher damage kills you and locks some people's clients, lack of consistent bleed means you never beat Pei's regen.
In contrast, because the heavy NPCs are free-for-all, they become actually less punishing to kill. You just throw more firepower at them, and you're set. Moreover, most of them heavily favor magic masters. I could simply make an assist macro and press ONE button continuously for these kills.
So, my proposal to make the heavy bosses more challenging:
- Moved to their own mini-maps. No fancy decorations necessary, just a place that can be themed and customized a bit. You enter these "dungeons" using a vortex at their former residence, or by using some other device (Dante's box?).
- Heavily dependent on mobs that need to be killed. Similar to how Pei spawns raguses and igaras, each heavy boss could spawn his own region-themed minions. Aen could throw varinx and ocyx, Sirgio could throw torbaks and cuttlers, and so on. Randomize spawn points to make things less predictable.
- Add some NPCs that fight back. It's a complete shame that Sirgio's guards can be taunted in groups, and killed with relative ease. Why not have some mage NPCs that bomb people with random spells, or use afflictions?
- Actually, mass debuffs could be pretty interesting. Simultaneously release blinding aggros (torbak) and NPCs that try to madden/stun/fear the players, with the effect that the group can easily lose half its fighting power suddenly. Time 1-2 NPC launchers to attack 20 seconds after, and chaos ensues.
- Increase the role of tanks. Introduce mobs or NPCs that can dish out an insane amount of damage and with good attack speed, that would wreck large groups of players if not presented with a meatshield. Practically mini-bosses.
- Make the actual NPC boss easily killable after. If the group has managed to react quickly to everything that was thrown at them, they deserve the kill. Plus, no part of the fight should take too long.
- [completely optional] Maybe random drops from the stuff attacking you? A 15% chance to loot 50 q500 sap crystals, or some catalyzers. If you bend to loot, you might fail to deliver that critical heal necessary for your team's survival.
- [completely optional] Certain points of the mini-map should be goo-infused, doing low but constant damage over time. If you choose to limit yourself to non-goo spots, you're more tightly packed for the mob attacks, launcher damage, etc.
-------
Every part of the above can be explained using lore terms:
- Aen is growing old and she's replaced by her daughter, who is much fiercer (hence the sudden change)
- The new marauder generation is much more adept at controlling man and beast, thriving off the experiments of their predecessors. (hence the new mechanics)
- They are also becoming more bold, encroaching previously barren lands and claiming them as their own (hence their own dungeon).
Certain parts of this could be impossible or difficult to implement. However, if a sufficiently large portion of the proposal is actually feasible, then the idea should be considered.
Sure, this would take a LOT of effort to implement, so my first question is : can such a scenario be experimentally built using Ryzom Forge? Are there sufficient tools and privileges on the test servers, to attempt a first-draft design without requiring Winch Gate manpower?
All opinions / questions / concerns are welcome.
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