Total Character Wipe

Hey All,

I read the August 13th post that no full character wipe will happen as "payment" for alpha testing. Isn't this extremely unfair to new comers? I hadn't even heard about this game until recently. I've been taking notes of various npcs, quests & rewards, locations for mobs, etc(before someone says wiki, the wiki is wrong or missing info entirely in several places) to get a good start and fully expecting to wipe, only to realize people are going to retain *most of their skills*. Getting rid of their money and gear won't add real balance, as high level players will easily just farm back what they need(nobody needs millions of councils, just a solid set of gear). I realize that if I continue to play now, by release time I can catch up in skills if I focus on a few things. However I still find this unfair to even newer players, and I also like the idea of competing/building with others from a blank slate with the game fully completed(ish, no launch is perfect).

A lot of games don't wipe their *final wave* of *beta testing*, but alpha? Isn't there a better alternative here? One of the benefits of being a tester is having vast amounts of knowledge over other players for a solid edge anyways.

TLDR; Full Character Wipe should happen at launch or near to launch.

There are several things to consider.

1. If you want testers that stay long enough to test the end game, you need to reward them in some way. Currently, PG is so good that playing it is in itself a reward, but a full wipe would kill that.

2. It's a blessing for new players because they have established guilds and veteran players to provide guidance and come their help, should they be cursed for instance.

3. If you like competition when starting blank, that's a valid reason to play but PG can't please every style. Maybe there is another game around that is more for you then.

4. If the game is really successful, they might start new servers, and you wish will be fulfilled.

Regarding the wiki, it's a moving target, hence imperfect. Please fill the blanks. :)

In what way do you see it as being "unfair" to newcomers?

Would you feel that way if you stepped into PG 2 years after release, and needed to "catch up" as you put it? You are still a newcomer and other players have more then you do at that point.

Is it how quickly Player A (alpha tester) can reach Point X in the game before a new player can? Does this really affect the experience of a new player? The new player would have no clue at this point that Player A even existed. I really do not envisage players going for "world firsts" in this game.

Is it how quickly someone can accumulate wealth and the ability to craft as a result, upon game release? How does this affect the way a new player plays or experiences the game? This is only beneficial to the new player who can get assistance and maybe gear and coin from the seasoned and skilled up players.

What will be so out of balance, as you put it? The economy? The player vendors and the community will dictate economy, and this will always be fluctuating according to the demand and supply of items on any given day. Very very rarely is an in game economy governed by a handful of well organised players.

PG has been around in the testing phase for over 2 years as far as i know. I would like to think that constantly having our skills and items changed and deleted etc due to development stages gives credence to some form of gratitude from the developers. The no skills (some) reset is just that. As the developers put it, testing a game is hard work, putting up with bugs, constant changes, broken skills and mechanics etc. All of us who play the game in its current ever-changing state do so with a passion to make PG a success. Some of us even provide financial assistance to make it happen.

There is nothing to compete about in this game from a player to player perspective. I would argue that this game is about community and helping each other out, not concerning ourselves over who has more of something, or who can piss the farthest. If it is PVP, then FYI PVP is and always will play second fiddle to PVE in PG. So PVP is not a real reason. I know this paragraph can be argued and many have different opinions about this subject.

If you are worried that a player who has been playing since day one of pre-alpha has better gear or other items then you then you are going to be disappointed to know that someone will always have something better then you in an MMO. This is regardless of when you started the game.

FYI the wiki is a living document, you could say it is also in alpha stage, juts like the game. Only so much can be put on the wiki that will remain current until the next patch etc. Over time with the development of the game, the wiki will go through many edits and structure changes. Use the wiki at your own discretion. There is a disclaimer and caveats of its use on the front page for a reason.

I hope you enjoy PG as much as I and many others do. I personally think we are lucky to be involved in the development of the game as testers.

The concerns and opinions you have expressed are valid, as is anyone else's opinion about other game related matters on these forums. I do however think it is hardly game breaking or progression breaking for new players. That is my opinion on the subject.

Cheers
Ants

A lot of games don't wipe their *final wave* of *beta testing*, but alpha?

This is the key point and i think part of the misunderstanding, and maybe a mistake from the devs. I dont feel and i dont think we are in alpha, it's more like a long beta and sometimes i play it like a finished game. The devs say alpha to lower the pressure from players or mmo websites. That said, players who dont know the game will just take the option to wait after "alpha" when they could just hop on now and have fun with us, removing their potential gap at release.

"PG has been around in the testing phase for over 2 years as far as i know."

Small correction, more like 5 years going on 6 I believe.:) First time I checked it and it was playable was 2012 I think. I effectively started playing in 2014 and some of the players that I see often were around then and obviously more advanced than me. Some of them actually helped me get started, I got lots of useful tips and advice.
Even if we were to get a full wipe (which would be wiping years of playing for some of us) anyone with some game experience would progress much, much faster than a real newbie. I'd rather use my game knowledge to help new players than to focus on remaking my characters.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Khaylara

"PG has been around in the testing phase for over 2 years as far as i know."

Small correction, more like 5 years going on 6 I believe.:) First time I checked it and it was playable was 2012 I think. I effectively started playing in 2014 and some of the players that I see often were around then and obviously more advanced than me. Some of them actually helped me get started, I got lots of useful tips and advice.
Even if we were to get a full wipe (which would be wiping years of playing for some of us) anyone with some game experience would progress much, much faster than a real newbie. I'd rather use my game knowledge to help new players than to focus on remaking my characters.

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Thanks for clarifying. I thought I was wrong when i typed that.

Trolls, the least you can do is search the forums for similar posts *before* starting another terrible thread regarding the same tired thing that's brought up each month.

Its really not unfair considering the amount of sweat blood and tears that go into a character's development. This isn't like other MMO's. There isn't some end game content you need to rush too so youre not at a disadvantage unless your goal is to play through the game as quickly as possible or reach 'the end' first. This isn't a race. I've been playing 2 years and i'd say i'm middle of the pack as far as accomplishments and progression but I wouldn't want those two years erased.

Considering PG is not competitive thanks mostly to its PvE-only factor, i fully don't care about a wipe.

Me, myself and i, we will anyway start a new toon from zero, beside the huge bonus of knowledge about the game by itself.

I'd be curious to know who will start from zero, or why not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tchey

I'd be curious to know who will start from zero, or why not.

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I don't know anyone who would start from zero when the rest of the population doesn't. As for why not, my toon has acquired a lot of skill points through grinding (Poetry 40 for instance). I wouldn't redo this grinding, unless it's done with different content.

Think of it as enjoying a journey rather than enjoying reaching the destination. When I'm at the end, redoing the same journey from the beginning isn't terribly attractive. I rather see new landscape.