Now that Astrology is implemented...

[Deified]

actually i quite like this, despite having been opposed to many of the other updates.

 

the only worry I have at the moment is the availability/how to use the stones, but i'm sure it will all be explained in the end

Edited September 1, 2007 by Deified

[luciferx]

actually i quite like this, despite having been opposed to many of the other updates.

 

the only worry I have at the moment is the availability/how to use the stones, but i'm sure it will all be explained in the end

 

Perfect example of a yes-man and Yes-man your going to have to pay for those stones

[Deified]

If you knew who I was, or knew ANYTHING at all about my history of disagreements with ent over updates which resulted in punishment you would know that I am not a yes-man.

[Mango]

If you knew who I was, or knew ANYTHING at all about my history of disagreements with ent over updates which resulted in punishment you would know that I am not a yes-man.

 

You learned from those punishments I guess?

 

Just kidding.

 

P.S. I agree with Liquid and LuciferX about the stars .

Edited September 1, 2007 by Manderijn

[Mugwump]

Give it some time and a healthy chance!

Mugs is still a low level character, but I have been playing EL for a while and all of these in-game systems have worked out for the better. Cooldown being the best example after the great ban/purge of idiots who spammed channels with "munny plx" and "how do I eat." I've learned to think my way through EL and it's made me an aware gamer and hopefully a positive player with some tiny amount of contribution.

 

When I tried Astrology on the test server, I started a new character (lost the old one, or his password ) who had some positive stars at the start. I dropped a few deer at A/D 3/3 on the Tutorial Quest. The next day they pwned me in one shot. Rats too!

 

We have to use our Gamestyle Edumacation to work around the good and bad now, sometimes your planets are aligned above your dining table, sometimes they gather over your outhouse. In many ways this is reflective of Real Life .... um, now that I think about it....

 

The point is to use what you got when you got it!

When you hot, you hot!

When you not, you not!

 

Just stay and play.....

[Euric]

the point of el for me was independence. i always wanted to be strong. so got a bit strong, now it doesnt feel the same, cant train anything if my stats are not solid.i just give up altogether. log in then just log out no point. i guess its time for a long break........

[Ateh]

Whats all this about being a yes man? what are you going to do about it luciferx ? Stop playing ?

 

I cant believe you have called anything in this game a crap idea

 

If youve got so many amazing ideas why dont you start your own game called Luciferx's Brain Fart Pk Shit Fest

 

Sorry for swearing

 

Anyway

 

I have a question about the fail part of the system.

 

As i understand it, some parts of the system are good when theyre negative in number and bad when theyre positive in number. Does this go for the fail rate as well ?

 

As in if ive got a fail rate of 5 is that good or bad ?

[CelticLady]

Failure and Magic don't do anything yet. From what I've been told, once it is working, a negative failure number is good.

 

EDIT: Please correct me if my above statement is wrong.

Edited September 2, 2007 by CelticLady

[Llywar]

I'm still a bit torn on this update. I think it is a great idea because it makes the game a little less deterministic: No longer does the person with the better stats always end up on top at all times. Everybody has good and bad days, and even Kasparov loses the occasional game.

 

However, I'm a bit concerned about one aspect of the system - the predictability. I've been gathering data with the goal of reverse-engineering the system. I've already done some preliminary curve fits and once I have data for a few more days I'll probably have enough to predict stats out quite a ways (the technique is inherently error-prone though and will need occasional feedback to recalibrate it for drift).

 

From a personal challenge standpoint I like it - I'm into math. I'm not sure I like it from a gameplay standpoint though. Why make people pull out spreadsheets to figure out what their stats are that day? Why give people a huge advantage just because they've taken the time to work out the equations and keep it to themselves (I'm guessing Entropy doesn't want the algorithm publicized and might change it if it gets out). Maintaining a spreadsheet doesn't really add any game enjoyment for me, and I don't really want to create a stats-prediction service for hire in-game (although that is an obvious source of potential revenue).

 

I think I'd actually prefer it if the numbers were kept completely secret, and stones might just give you a hint ("you feel like you might get lucky harvesting today", etc). The stones might even be wrong some percentage of the time. The equation parameters for the stat modifiers would be tweaked on occasion to prevent reverse-engineering. The random factor would basically just add a little variety to gameplay so that some days you end up being better as a figher/mixer/harvester/whatever than others.

 

That gets rid of the advantage of creating spreadsheets, and consequently gets rid of the work of creating them in the first place. I already feel like I spend a little too much time calculating emu/ingredient ratios before making mining trips. A little less precision in-game might be a good thing.

 

(Another suggestion would be to get rid of reporting exact emu levels - just give things approximate weights and then vary people's carrying capacities over time - maybe on the return trip from the mine you might be able to carry a little more than on the outward journey, or vice-versa. The goal wouldn't be to carry every last possible piece of ore.)

 

I have a minor in math and have no trouble at all working out exactly how many boars I can summon taking into account starting mana, free emu, need for SRs and their weight, effect of arena/cloak, expected fail rate, etc. But, that isn't really a medevil-fantasy game to me - I can't picture Llywar the elf calculating exactly how many snake skins can be rammed into a backpack 50 x 100 x 40 cm in size, with the weight of boots and a necklace taken into account. It is a bit out-of-character, even if my ability to work the numbers gives me a minor advantage over those who just wing it. It just doesn't feel like a fantasy game - more like pre-calculating fuel load on a flight simulator or something like that...

[Entropy]

It just seems that to have the opt out perk is kind of admitting that it has a detrimental effect, when in fact....

 

1. Players work hard for their stats (not just fighters) and they deserve to play on the char with the stats the earned....

 

2. players play to have fun. in most cases (it is never all cases since we are all different) this is not welcomed and is ruining the fun of the game.

 

3. The perk to remove it is also a "you might get screwed." You can't win.. because if they see every1 take it

 

A. they might do something to make it give someone a severe advantage in a particular sckill one day since there is a 500$ fee to remove it a money player will happily pay

 

B. Even if greed is not the motivator out of spite it might be done too...

 

This should have never been impleented Just like the Darkness BUT there are Many yes men in the game and they wont leave or shut their mouths unfortunatelya nd it gives devs the wrong idea of what ppl like...

 

I would imageine someone worked very hard on this stupid idea and i assume thats the logic used when in any bad update they NEVER remove something bad they just make a undo/crappy fix like night vision goggles lol..

 

This makes the game less fun not more for atleast 9 out of 10 players u can deny deny deny all u want but maybe your just the 1 in 10 that lieks it or maybe ur just a yes man too

 

Anyone else agrees with Luci's point?

[Lexi]

Just with #1

 

#edit; "1. Players work hard for their stats (not just fighters) and they deserve to play on the char with the stats the earned.... " I thought this at first, but once I gave the system a chance, I have grown to love it. ('cept the degrade part! )

#end of edit

 

But all in all, I really love it. If people don't want it, they can take the perk, we havn't even gotten to the point of using the stones yet...

 

Lets get to the point of the stones before jumping ahead. Heck we don't know if we can make them, and if so, what skill, and ingresdiants involved

 

It seems a few of us are predicting something that could or couldn't be true.

 

I would like to give it a chance before anything

 

#edit (again sorry);

I would liek to add, I have been fighting more since the update, I seem to enjoy it as I progress, I find if I break too much, I just go back to mixing.

 

This is where another point comes in. and I would hate to bring it up since I am a mixer, but this doesn't really effect mixers 'cept in making rare items. I think some how it should, and I guess if failing will interfere with mixing, then we really don't need to think about this further. Like I said above, we don't know half of the system outcome yet.

Edited September 2, 2007 by Lexi

[Guest ohmygod]

Im sort of half and half with this astro thing.

 

My big worry is it could work out that when im asleep/work/cant play my stats are good but when awake/home/can play i have crappy stats. I have not done the research about this possibility and will leave to others to work out, i just want to play game when i get free time.

 

Also I like to get regular update of my #da stats when i play so i can make decision what to do eg. keep harvesting yeti with crappy #da stats or go try my luck with better #da stats in pk or @ dragon/giants.

 

I r poor fighter who wants to save for hydro + nex stones and cant afford to too many more expenses like 200gc fortune cookies, so think a quest option to "learn to read your star sign stats yourself would be a better option imo.

[Lexi]

Oh, I never thought of a quest, that could be interesting.

 

Ohmygod is right about being offline during good times, that could be a problem also. So far, I seem to have okay stats. Or maybe I just work around them.

[ShYne]

What was the point of implenting it in the first place? (just wondering)

[Enly]

Er.... to make the game more interesting and fun ? and add something else for us to factor in to our daily EL lives? just like everything else that's added...

 

I don't know why the developers decided to add it, but I'd say to make relations between players different, rather than all having the same advantages/disadvantages because we all get the same #day, we now have a variety of different bonuses at different times that are constantly changing and allowing fighting, harvesting, mixing, etc to be more versatile for everyone. In short, in my humble opinion, it just makes the game more exciting, even if our astrology stats piss us off at times

 

-edit-

I really like the idea for a quest that would allow you to read your astrology stats at will. Maybe something hard enough that not everyone would do it, and there would still be a market for stones that would give you the info. If it was a cheap easy quest then it would ruin the whole point of creating a stone to read the stats. But a difficult (perhaps even c2 based) quest would be cool.

 

On the other hand I'm sure that as the astrology system grows older more and people will be able to figure out exactly how it works and will be able to figure what their stats are in their head (or on paper perhaps), thus creating little need to do either a quest, or buy stones, when you could just do the math and figure out what your stats are. As of yet I've heard of no one that has figured out the astrology system, thought I wouldn't doubt someone has. And I'm sure as friends tell friends that information will spread and become fairly well known. So perhaps the quest would be pointless, though in that case both quest and stone would be pointless... maybe they can both be pointless together

 

And, by pointless I don't really mean pointless. I more mean another way to do something, but not the easiest and cheapest route.

Edited September 2, 2007 by Enly

[ShYne]

I requested a developers response not a players, there is already enough player opinions

Edited September 2, 2007 by XitragupteN

[Zamirah]

Why don't you see that it has been there all the time, just more invisible.

 

Some days are monsters stronger - or I'm weaker.

Sometimes do a lot of armor break, then for weeks nothing breaks.

Sometimes are drops bad, at other times do you have luck.

Sometimes do you get many harv events, sometimes few.

Sometimes do you get 2-3 enriched essences within short time and then no more for months.

Sometimes do you HS for every door you try, at other times can you get to dragon/hydro 2-3 times without any HS.

 

But as long as you don't know when it happen do you call it luck or bad luck and live with it.

Now that you can see when some of it happen do it make players leave the game.

 

A part of this game is to have luck, some people have, other not.

(I use to have)

[Lexi]

Splendid point, Zamirah!

[korrode]

Anyone else agrees with Luci's point?

You already know i do. Edited September 2, 2007 by Korrode

[Enly]

I requested a developers response not a players, there is already enough player opinions

Actually, you made a general post to which any person had a right to reply, the proper thing to say would be something more along the lines of 'I more was hoping for a developer response' rather than claiming you requested a developer answer already, as you didn't really. You just asked a general question, to which anyone could voice their opinion .

 

If you prefer you can pretend my post wasn't in response to yours. You just happened to give me a chance to voice my personal opinion on the astrology system.

 

Why don't you see that it has been there all the time, just more invisible.

you make a good point Zamirah, I'd hadn't thought of that. Though, I do believe that the astrology system will be affecting us slightly more than luck did in the past. But in a way its still luck, on which sign you have, and when you can log on and play.

Edited September 2, 2007 by Enly

[ShYne]

well now you know.

[Entropy]

well now you know.

 

In the spirit of "omg the EL mods are nazis who ban people", I feel very tempted to ban you. Why? Two reasons:

1. It has been explained already why (partially on my blog, and on the forums here).

2. You act like an arrogant fuck. Yes, I do act like an arrogant fuck sometimes as well, but at least I made the game you play.

 

Anyone else agrees with Luci's point?

You already know i do.

 

Ok, excellent.

I need a few more people that agree with him (luci), and I am all set

So, who else agrees with them?

[ShYne]

lol thats just me and ty for your opinion. But Luci does bring up some good points. But I don't agree with all

Edited September 2, 2007 by XitragupteN

[Entropy]

3. The perk to remove it is also a "you might get screwed." You can't win.. because if they see every1 take it

A. they might do something to make it give someone a severe advantage in a particular sckill one day since there is a 500$ fee to remove it a money player will happily pay

B. Even if greed is not the motivator out of spite it might be done too...

 

The astrology won't suffer any significant changes than it is today, with the exception of the stones and implementing the last two modifiers that are not implemented now. Maybe a few adjustments here and there, but nothing really big.

If I am to implement that perk, however, it won't be for greed. It will be totally out of spite, a bitching fine, as I said. As a matter of fact, I will donate 70% of all the money made for removing the perk to Doctors without Borders. I would donate 100%, but I need to pay taxes for the money + PayPal fees.

[ShYne]

are you serious?