Reasoning behind letting high lvls have access to starter island

[lileth]

I am curious to know why the devs decided to give high lvls access to the starter island.

I can understand high lvls wanting to farm, but it's a hassle for noob toons.

And for the record, I personally don't think high levels should be farming in low lvl areas but that is just my opinion.

[Khaylara]

The reason is helping newbies and maybe finishing quests you haven't finished when you started the game. The only reason for me to (very rarely) go there is to help people de-gonflate their heads. Farming low level areas and disrupting newbies is generally frowned upon. This game doesn't have area restrictions though, you can go to Rahu as a low level character or you can go to Anagoge as a high level character.

[lileth]

Thanks for the response, I wish high levels would stay off of the island for farming purposes and stop running over the lil toons while they try to do the quest line.

[sudostahp]

Thanks for the response, I wish high levels would stay off of the island for farming purposes and stop running over the lil toons while they try to do the quest line.

I can't imagine why anyone over lvl 20 would find it worthwhile to farm the island for anything. Outside of the Halloween event, there's nothing special there. Who are these high levels, and what are they farming?

[lileth]

He was running around too quick for me to get his name exactly, but it something like Kirby*** I know he was higher lvl because he wasn't in starter gear and its gear that is purchased or crafted. I kept running into him between the dungeon and where you do the SEWN quest, like he was circling the area. No clue why he would be killing the mobs in that area???? But it's a pain to get run over by a high level killing the mobs you need as a starter toon. I logged off my toon and figured I'd wait until he got bored.

[Lendari]

There's a lot of content on that island including a permanent appearance altering curse that can only be removed on the island. If you race through it, you can also miss out on a few skill unlocks and some other interesting content. I think it's fine as a general principle to allow access to all levels.

[Crissa]

What is there to 'farm' on the newbie island?

There's lots of things on the island you might want to go back for;
- left over favor
- left over storage
- 'big head' curse
- meeting a friend
- roleplaying
- lore
- finishing quests
- testing new quests
- leveling 0-20 with a new skill
- experiencing updated lore

Has there been any griefing?


I logged off my toon and figured I'd wait until he got bored.
...Did you try talking?

[lileth]

What is there to 'farm' on the newbie island?

There's lots of things on the island you might want to go back for;
- left over favor
- left over storage
- 'big head' curse
- meeting a friend
- roleplaying
- lore
- finishing quests
- testing new quests
- leveling 0-20 with a new skill
- experiencing updated lore

Has there been any griefing?


...Did you try talking?

Thank you for the responses, including other posters.

Re this response:

Yes he ignored me. He ran over and killed the mob I was killing. So I moved a distance away and then again he runs over and is killing mobs I am killing. I log off and go to brunch with my spouse. When I logged back on I saw a couple more high levels, not in yellow or red and white armor like is usual for the starter island and they had those nifty crafted helms with the flutes (spelling) on top.

Those are not the actions of someone doing any of the items you mentioned. :(

If this is a common practice given our low pops now, I really wish the devs would reconsider pre-release.

[lileth]

Upon research it appears that people farm dirt, femurs and a few other items from the island. I guess because they can fly through the mobs and pre the last batch of new players it would've been mostly dead on the starter island.

Sad indeed.

[ShieldBreaker]

One possible solution if this is the problem is to make the return trip cost increase exponentially based on the level of the players highest skill, So higher level players lose all incentive to go farming there. It would then become cheaper to buy items then farm for yourself. Using the unstuck feature repeatedly should lead to banning. And if new content is added to Starter area then a weekend event where the Council has removed the travel ban to starter island is lifted and the price goes down accordingly, if the devs want feedback on new content.

[Tsugumori]

One possible solution if this is the problem is to make the return trip cost increase exponentially based on the level of the players highest skill, So higher level players lose all incentive to go farming there. It would then become cheaper to buy items then farm for yourself. Using the unstuck feature repeatedly should lead to banning. And if new content is added to Starter area then a weekend event where the Council has removed the travel ban to starter island is lifted and the price goes down accordingly, if the devs want feedback on new content.

Well either this or a skill restriction.

No skills above level 15 or something so that higher levelled players can't use their advantage.

[ShieldBreaker]

Well either this or a skill restriction.

No skills above level 15 or something so that higher levelled players can't use their advantage.

I don't think a skill restriction would work
1) some new players would probably get hit with it. They get a skill up to level 16 and a little icon would pop up and say you can't have skills above this, to make matters even more confusing any ability they unlock from that point would stop working and they would manual have to adjust they action bars to lower level skills even though fairly new to the game.
2) Skill restriction not enough to slow down a high level player, they still have their overpowered gear and all the advantages of higher endurance bonuses and things like meditation and hoplology, and don't forget the access to high level foods. Even restricting them to using the level 1 basic attack as the only attack they have and non-magical gear would only slow them down slightly. They might have to hit 2-5 times but nothing on the island is going to stand a chance of killing them. You would have to limit so many things to cripple a high level enough, that is a lot of extra coding.

Idea: need disguise
To throw up one roadblock to returning to the island, maybe require that the player use starter island appropriate gear that becomes locked like when in combat all the time while on the island. Entering by the boat sets the lock in place. Getting on the boat does the check that you look the part. This mean that farmers would need to keep a set of gear or keep buying gear to return to the island and would go a little way to reducing their power. Also they wouldn't stick out to new players so much and might reduce negative feelings to some degree felt about the unfairness of high levels being there in the first place.

[alleryn]

Wouldn't any restriction to anagoge just push people to farm the easy skeletons outside/in the crypt (if it's for dirt/femurs)? I feel like a more comprehensive solution to high level people farming low level mobs might be needed.

[Khaylara]

The right thing to do for high levels - don't farm in low level areas when newbies are there, it's basically griefing. Not just on Anagoge but also crypt, sewers and other places. Higher levels ca get femurs and dirt somewhere else or simply buy those mats.

[ShieldBreaker]

I agree, it only shifts the issue to other areas and cutting off friendly/helpful high level players who would go there to help or meet up with new people isn't for the best either. I wonder if the low level areas of the other races (orc, dwarf, fae) when added will have similar resources as current low level areas so why would you want to go back when you can stay put.

Any thoughts on what a solution to the wider problem would look like? I can't think of one or what it would look like. Only thing I can kind of think of is something where the NPC barter system is such that something common in the current area can be traded for something commonly used like femurs or strange dirt. So in Eltibule
Field mushrooms could be traded for a batch of parasol mushrooms, and matted hair for a femur. Or cheap meat of the right level for the area. Rejecting out of hand anything where being at a higher level just means no loot, mostly because where are you going to get the lower level skins from then.

[alleryn]

One solution i could think of is to make some of those mats drop in larger quanties on high level mobs. (So if a level 70 mob drops a femur it drops 7 of them, or something like that). This seems to already be the case with grass i think. I'm not sure if any other drops work similarly at present.

That wouldn't help with something like parasol mushrooms, though (unless there are high level mobs that drop parasols -- i don't really know).

[Hoxard]

There's already no reason to go back and farm the skeletons on Anagoge. There are dozens of places that have more skeletons in higher concentration with faster respawn and better loot. Rahu, Kur Tower, Gazluk, Dark Chapel, Crypt. The only excuse to ever be farming skeletons on Anagoge is if you cannot access any of the superior locations.
Not only is it scummy, but it's just straight up the worst spot in terms of efficiency as well.

[rastaah]

I will be farming favor there until whenever I am done, no matter my level, thing is I don't do it much, it is a side job so to speak so if I go back for that it is only once every week or two. Perhaps you either ran into someone like me or sadly, could be someone just being rude and in that case they should kill a couple things and move on and let you have it, that is what I try to do . (except mushrooms, those I go for lol)

[Ells0430]

I like the idea of raising the quantity on higher level mobs. I think most higher levels go back to starter island to help someone new to the game. It would be too bad if that was discouraged.

[Dragone]

There should be a skill restrictions when u get to island, basically you can't attack if any skills active are above a certain level, forcing you to use skills that are low level and put you almost at par with new characters on island.

[cratoh]

Just make mobs grey out, so they don't drop any loot to out levelled players. Make higher levels farm in the zones they are levelled to.

[cratoh]

If there aren't enough mobs, add more area and more mobs.

[rastaah]

What about completing favour? Honestly that is part of the fun of the game . So I would not want to be locked out of going back and doing my favour.

I have never cleared an entire area out from under a newb, people just need to have manners :) (and I'm still a newb just meaning level wise)

One of the main features of this game is being able to work on favour at your leisure and go back and do it. I would not want to be prevented from going back and doing it.

Like I said hopefully people can get manners and not make it ugly for everyone else.

[Crissa]

Well, certainly report anyone who doesn't respond's name using the bug feature. Griefing is a forever issue.

Secondly, if you were fighting the mobs, didn't you get the loot?

Thirdly... Well, why do femurs and dirt drop from those mobs? You can't use farming until you're off the island.


Just make mobs grey out, so they don't drop any loot to out levelled players. Make higher levels farm in the zones they are levelled to.No. That can screw over players who are leveling and have equipment damage, someone who moved through content too slow, or someone whose skills are mismatched levels. Nothing worse than getting locked out of a quest chain because you went over a level cap.


There should be a skill restrictions when u get to island, basically you can't attack if any skills active are above a certain level, forcing you to use skills that are low level and put you almost at par with new characters on island.That's kind of a good idea; but right now that'll have to wait for the UI changes. Right now we have to change our user bars just to use mismatched skills, so it could be an extension of that. Gear would also have to be leveled down, though crafted/gold gear would still be better.

[cratoh]

I don't see what greying out loot for over levelled characters has to do with hurting people with broken gear, that's a very rare occurrence and not fixed by farming the shit out of low level no challenge content. Also, pretty simple fix for quests, just make quest items always drop, just not loot.

[Crissa]

I don't see...Yes, I know that.

The thread has mentioned several things which lowbie loot is useful for. Unfinished favor, quest lines, lore, equipment, leveling new weapon or skill.

Even trading with lowbies is another.

Making a world in which high level players can and do and should interact with low level players seems to me a positive in an open world concept.

[cratoh]

Making a world in which high level players can and do and should interact with low level players seems to me a positive in an open world concept.

Better that they interact by trading than steaming through dungeons generally making new players feel like quitting because, well - high level players steaming through dungeons.

[rastaah]

Yes, I know that.

The thread has mentioned several things which lowbie loot is useful for. Unfinished favor, quest lines, lore, equipment, leveling new weapon or skill.

Even trading with lowbies is another.

Making a world in which high level players can and do and should interact with low level players seems to me a positive in an open world concept.

Agree :)!!!!

[Eachna]

One possible solution if this is the problem is to make the return trip cost increase exponentially based on the level of the players highest skill, So higher level players lose all incentive to go farming there.

I'd like to see the price lowered for very low-level characters.

I did what I thought was all the content on the starter island and then found out I'd missed Psychology. The 300 councils to go back was actually very pricey for me and I had to sell everything I owned to get back.

[Eachna]

Thirdly... Well, why do femurs and dirt drop from those mobs? You can't use farming until you're off the island.

Isn't the dirt used in the Pick Me Up potion?

I can't think of a use for femurs on the island.

[Dunaden]

Isn't the dirt used in the Pick Me Up potion?

I can't think of a use for femurs on the island.

Strange dirt is used for the pick me up potion and the basic spore bomb recipes.

Femurs are used in a quest from and raising favor with Lawara.

[Eachna]

Strange dirt is used for the pick me up potion and the basic spore bomb recipes.

Femurs are used in a quest from and raising favor with Lawara.

Well then there you go :D. The reasons for having both on the island. Thanks Dunaden.