Path of Nerfs

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korppi1 wrote:

As Chris also said: once they're Mapping, we have their souls.

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I'm obviously not a top streamer or a meta-game player. I'm just a long-time supporter and someone who has an uncanny, unfortunate memory for pointless things. One of those pointless things, at least at the time, is a conversation I had with Chris in July, 2012. I'm going to paraphrase it for you now, just to show that while you might be able to justify this XP change as the result of GGG listening to streamers, it's actually just them trying/struggling to get back to their original vision. This was in person, so I don't have a written transcript. Sorry. Here's the gist:


Me: Why are there no significant jumps in power when you get a level after 90? These are very difficult thresholds to cross. Shouldn't there be an equal reward for the effort?

Chris: By that point, it's more a case of players can do it if they want to. This is not going to be something many players will do. And if we put significant power bursts after 90, then players are going to see 90+ as necessary rather than just something extra to try for.


You can easily find other examples of this sentiment if you care to dig. This is what Chris and the GGGang believed and wanted during PoE's closed beta. There's a reason content has only really gone up to mid 80s -- and there's a reason the achievement for getting level 90 even in Softcore is called 'Diminishing Returns'.

Whether or not simply increasing the xp to get from 95-100 is the answer is almost a different argument. I think it'll take a lot more than that to even vaguely come close to the original vision of 100 being K-2, that one mountain that even Everest climbers only dream about. And the hardest change would probably be some sort of hard-rewiring in players' brains that 100 is something they can expect to get. Should expect to get.

Nevermind that the vast, vast, VAST majority of builds are doing their thing by the mid 80s. Everything after that is just...what? Arbitrary grind. You get nothing for it. Nothing. So why do players feel they MUST have it? Is it because streamers and no-lifers seem to get it so easily? Do we see marathon runners on TV winning Olympic medals and figure if we go jogging every day we'll get that too?

And what would you do with that medal anyway? Pull it out at parties to break the ice? Look at it on the wall wistfully? Unless you *fucking suffered for years* to get that medal, it represents nothing. You could just go down to a local trophy shop and buy one.

So what if 99.99999999999999999999999999% of players will never get 100? Because you have a life, kids, a wife, a job, hobbies, regular bathing habits, and so on? You'll never have an Olympic medal either, even though I bet quite a few of you like to do some sort of sports. Does this somehow stop you from enjoying playing those sports? Do you think, fuck, what's the point in playing this sport if I'll never have the world's top accolades in it? Do you really? Play because you like it. Play because it makes you feel good. Play because your life sucks and work sucks and traffic sucks and the world sucks. All fine reasons to play. Play because you want to be the world's best? I don't think we call it 'play' when you start thinking like that.

So if this change will keep you from supporting, know that you're actively trying to boycott GGG's attempt to realise a long-held belief and hope regarding those last few character levels. Half-hearted or ill-conceived as the attempt may be, this has been a LONG time coming.

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KATAPLEXIA wrote:

All of these responses - 'RIP this', 'RIP that', 'Mark Rosewater etc.', 'No balnce = nerf everything' ..... all of you people need to have patience. This is not the patchnotes, just an explanation as to some of the 'nerfs'. Wait for the notes, the buffs, the new landscape of 3.1.0 and things will level out. There will always be some things that stick out, but it's a big game - vastly difficult to balance and maintain a vision for. Less hate and more trust.

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nskLantash wrote:

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KATAPLEXIA wrote:

All of these responses - 'RIP this', 'RIP that', 'Mark Rosewater etc.', 'No balnce = nerf everything' ..... all of you people need to have patience. This is not the patchnotes, just an explanation as to some of the 'nerfs'. Wait for the notes, the buffs, the new landscape of 3.1.0 and things will level out. There will always be some things that stick out, but it's a big game - vastly difficult to balance and maintain a vision for. Less hate and more trust.

Are you expecting the internet to NOT over-react? Seriously? :D

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ExCinisCineris wrote:

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nskLantash wrote:

bloodseeker's prices will be significantly higher in the next league.

It may still be getting nerfed. We will find out tomorrow I guess.