Last updated: 2005-12-07 19:05:15

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Likely you can buff just about anyone, but that your buff will be scaled in efficacy relative to the level of your target. We want you to be able to help people, but at the same time curb egregious power leveling.

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Last updated: 2005-12-07 19:05:15

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We like the concept in general, but it would definitely have to implemented correctly and restricted such that it's not just power levelling in disguise, etc.

So it's on the list, but not at the top, meaning maybe by launch, or maybe implemented after launch.

We are considering a mentor system if we can design one that isn't exploitable, nor ruins the game too much for the noob who is being mentored. But in general, I think it's an idea worth exploring. – 28 October 2005

The brainstorming on it goes something like this: you sidekick/mentor a lower level player. He can then borrow some items to make him more effective, but the items still belong to you (we need to get this in anyway, I want people to be able to loan items). He then maybe gets other temporary buffs to keep him alive.

The pros: you can help a noob out.

The cons: you can show the noob stuff he hasn't earned the right to see. – 28 October 2005

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Last updated: 2005-12-07 19:05:15

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The general idea is that there are some people who have close friends they want to group with but also have different amounts of time they can commit to playing an MMOG. The Fellowship system is for these people to whom staying together is so important that they will sacrifice some of their own experience to give to these close friends so they *can* stay relatively together in terms of level. Bottom line for me is that as long as someone is earning the exp, I don't mind it shared in a controlled manner (e.g. mindful of potential exploits) and such that there's no 'free lunch'.

That said, I realize it's a controversial subject. We'll mess with it in beta and if it's something that just doesn't pan out, we'll pull it (though I have high hopes for it). -

Yes, a group of friends would form a persistent social construct called a Fellowship. Then, say there were 3 in the Fellowship, but only 2 were logged on, a percentage of the exp earned by the 2 would go to the third such that his level was kept at or near his 2 friends. There's no free lunch, because the people online earning exp end up having to earn the exp for themselves and the offline person.

We plan on experimenting with this system (and other ideas involving offline advancement) in beta.

See also:
Article about Death/Fellowship System from Silky Venom – August 2005

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Last updated: 2006-01-14 10:03:35

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Anyone can use any item -- there are no hard caps. There are soft caps, or, more specifically what we call 'item scaling' that scales, say, an level 40 item, down in power if wielded by a level 10 player.

The goal is to avoid twinked lower level players being gods and just thrashing through content with impunity. We also plan on scaling buffs and such so that you can sill, as a high level player, buff a low level player, but the bonus the lower level player would recieve it not the same as a higher level player -- again, it's scaled to the lower level player is not suddenly god-like.

And then there is the Veteran Bonus System- January 09, 2006


Where twinking is bad: when people are equipped with items they didn't earn, diminishing the sense of accomplishment of others who did earn similar treasure, and cheapening the game experience for those who are twinked.

Where twinking is good: a player has played to high levels and wants to start another character but (and rightfully so) would like some advantage in advancing this second character due to the time he's already committed to the game, and therefore equips his new character with some sweet, higher level items. Replayability = good.

There are all sorts of ways to try to address these issues: hard level limits, soft level limits, trivial loot code, one character per server, etc. We lean towards soft level limits (you can wear the items, but you're not nearly as powerful as a higher level person wielding the same items), and some sort of trivial loot code to minimize farming in areas where the target audience is significantly lower level than the farmers.

But there's no easy solution. We have some pretty nifty ideas though that we want to try out, above and beyond what is alluded to above. More on that later, but rest assured we are aware of the issue, and both the positives and negatives, and will attempt to address and accommodate both.

We think twinking can be an issue, especially if some noob gets outfitted with uber lewt because he's somebody's brother or girl friend. But we also know that replayability is key to these games, and feel that you should be able to equip your second or third character with some of the items you earned at higher levels with your first character. It's a nice reward, and it makes playing the 2nd or 3rd character a little easier and a little more rewarding in the sense that you feel you've earned this bonus. So we'll be using soft level limits, not hard (e.g. you can equip anything, regardless of your level, but you'll not receive the same bonuses you would if you equipped that item with a high level character). You'll have a slight advantage, to encourage replayability, but not a broke-ass advantage, which cheapens the game.

I think this is important to keep in mind as we work on TLC but also on vertical interdependence in general. We want players of different levels to need each other to a certain degree, just as different classes and spheres need each other.-27 October 2005

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