Recent patch - weapon leveling

[Tigerstorm]

First i'll start by saying this is a great shard, best there is. That small revert was nothing compared to what I had on some other shards. New fixes are great, but there's one that surprised me...

*Now unable to gain XP by finishing a beast with magic*

I've been a mage since i'm here, then became tamer cause I needed to follow the "trend". I always liked to cast and stay far but with that change, i'll have to redo my char. Will have to get dex up (didn't care I was mage..), will have to get some HCI/DCI and invest in more scrolls then I thought, faster then I thought.. (swords/tact/anat/archery and whatnot..) Was there a bug/exploit with the system as it was ? I wanted to be a bit different, guess now i'll just go to be like most people... Get a spell channel bow, another level deed and level it...

BUT, as much as this seems to be a whine, it IS a free shard, it HAS great staff, so it's just really maybe a week work to "adapt".

Just wanted to know if someone shared my opinion...

[Bubba Ho Tep]

I think I know what was the goal with this change: to avoid that druids in champl levelled their weapons really quick...
If that was it, it's kinda fair - though unecessary. A champ is a good way to level your weapon, but it's far from the best.
And I do agree with Tigerstorm that it was nice to be able to vary a little...
So, as a sugestion, if I got the goal right, why not stop only druid spells from getting xp to a weapon?

And if not, here's a new sugestion: allow spellbooks to be levelled (some changes would have to be done, since 500 points would be exagerated to get FCR, SDI, ManaReg, LMC and LRC), and be levelled through killing creatures with spells.

But that was just me getting the value of my thoughts even lower, since no one offered me a penny for them...
But, in clear words, I do agrre with Tigerstorm that this was too much of a drastic change that limits even more variety in the shard.

P.S.: I also think bracelets of binding should keep on working in some restrict places, like Fel. It's uselles if not for that, and it's not an easy thing to use. It takes 10 charges and requires you to have that previsouly sorted with your friend, allowing for emergency rescues. It isn't like this is an riches-making tool in those cases; it's just an utility that can prevent some pain.
Limit it just to places like Gauntlet or Peerless bosses, and that will be sufficient.

[fingers]

I just tested my 50% fireball weapon. 0 experience when the fireball does the last hit, wich happens half the time:-(

[BlaZe]

I just tested my 50% fireball weapon. 0 experience when the fireball does the last hit, wich happens half the time:-(

Ah crap, there goes the days of quickly leveling this halbred. I'm glad it at least got to level 50 before the switch. Probably safe to assume it does it with the other spell Hits as well..


Did you happen to check the 'Area Damage' effects for experience?

[fingers]

Looks like area effect counts, but its hard to say as i have alot of reflectphysical, so im not sure i got the experience points from killing the monster with area or with reflect (or both)

[Akira]

i guess the effects of this last patches are at plain sight, even tough im a druid and did love the fact that my weps leveled with my volc eruption on champs or other places i think its quite fair it no longer works that way, specialy for meelee and players who dont donate, wich in my eyes have exactly the same rights donation players do because this is a free shard right? well it seems it doesnt work quite that way since heavy donators have the chance to make custom items for example, and make unbelievable upgrades to thei're gameplay, anyway thats not my point on this discussion since i also agree that our awsome staff should be rewarded for their work and i also plan to use as many ED as i can :p
back to the current issue, about that patches there is something that concerns me, i mean its really good that the chances of exploiting the game are being fixed, but, just maybe, players ought to have a say in what is an exploit or not, since we have a council and abig number of players right now mby its time they get some use? this aledged dynamics beetween players is not so active, specialy since some council members dont even login anylonger.
i think this kind of discussion is important since leveling weapons with magic might rly not be an exploit, or using a bracelet of binding to get into doom gauntlet or other "paid" spots ? is that an exploint? and i know i gotta a critic feeling going on right now, but i really do love playing here, i just found it odd that all this energy and people are being spent here when it could be spent to create new higher spawn rates on some creatures like in bushido dojo, (to help this lvl wep issue) fixing the evasion spell or the weapons special attacks, what i mean is mainly "there are more important stuff to fix, and there are enough people around with knowledge and will to help to fix it" .
come serve the harrower he has cookies.

[Cestre]

create new higher spawn rates on some creatures like in bushido dojo, (to help this lvl wep issue)

This I wholeheartedly agree with! As a new player here, I can't really comment on the rest of your post, as I have no experience with those game aspects yet, but Bushido dojo is the best place to train my low-gen breeding babies as it isn't too dangerous, and I figure this is similar reasoning for the leveling weapon reason. If there's even one other person there the spawn is too light to get much done, and makes me sad panda.

Otherwise, I agree with whatever the admins do, as it is their shard to do things with, and since (thus far) they've done a great job creating a fun and challenging environment, I can trust that it will continue in the future .

[Akira]

yes they have indeed done that, i was just suggesting that the players would get themselfs more involved with the game issues.

[fingers]

I can't donate atm, but yet i have spent:

500 Ed's: layer change on my weapon
500 Ed's: 6th follower slot
400 Ed's: large bag of holding
200 Ed's: Druid spell book
300 Ed's: 3X spell chan deed

So I guess it is possible to have the same stuff than other people even if you are unable to donate. Will the staff treat you as well if you donate or not? I beleive everyone is treated extremely well by very dedicated staff members, but they will even go this extra mile for thoses donating. That is my opinion and everyone is entitled to theirs.

I have been playing actively since december 2008. What is frustrating, for the players like me who have been active for less then six months, is to see things that have been used for years (leveling wepons with spells) no longer available, while many veteran players will have in their chest full of level 100 weapons, mostly leveled with druid spells. Or again, seeing that for a while, many vets have bought their arty 70 armor for 200 Ed's, and that they are no more available for new players.

As you can see, I'm pretty active on this server and most of the changes of this last patch, i felt they were directly concerning me. As I mentionned on an other post, I have completed the mage quest 9 times and i am sure no player has fought monsterous grizzle more often than me in the last few months (recall in bedlam changes).

When I started doing the quest (after being denied the possibility of buying an arti 70 the same day they decided that they were no longer available for 200 Ed's), I spent weeks in the peerless dungeons without seeing one player doing the quest. I made friends with Electra with who I completed the quest several times after sharing my strategies. Later I amde friends with Karma and Calan Caitin, and showed them the way around, and they both completed the quest a few times since then. I had a bracelet of binding to go help Calan, Karma and Electra when ever they needed (bracelet of binding change).

While fighting Ice wyrm, I got my nobles killed several times. I actually garbaged 2 packs of 5 nobles killing Ice wyrm. FYI, the thing firebreath an all 75 Resist pet for 2700 when full healt. So that is a clean loss of 3-5 millions in pets. But yeah, while fighting ice wyrm, i found out that 1/5 dead nobles had an ointment on its corps. I probably made 50 ointments total bringing my two pack of nobles at 20/20/20/20/20. I was obviously exploiting by letting my nobles die in case they drop an ointment. (ointments on pets corps change)

There is one change that actually should make me happy. After gathering 2000 Elven notes, I got myself an ultimate quiver. I could not insure it neither put a bless deed on it. Obviously I bought, for one mil, the bless deed, to know that it wouldnt work. I reported this fact on theses boards and got told by Colibri that it would be possible to bless it at next server restart. I paged him a few time the days after, to ask if the server has been restarted yet, but it wasnt. Then one day, i was waiting for monsterous grizzle to spawn when my youngest daughter arrived from school crying. I hide and weant to take care of her. When I came back, someone had killed Monsterous grizzle and his area effect killed me. My corps had decayed and amongst the things that I lost was the quiver... I was hoping that knowing the fact that I tried to bless it and was unable to do it due to a glitch on the server, I could had have a replacement on, but instead, I got a "no cant do".

I can be wrong, but I feel that admins had a look at my UO healt and said: that guy has to do something illigal. And then they followed me, hiding, taking notes. I propose that this patch be called the Polar Bear patch.

I am not even going in to the fact that I got jailed being told: "im not telling you what you did, you have 3 days to figure it out", or the fact that I have been denied the possibility of renting a well placed shop for the reason that: "players would not know where else to sell their jewels", or the fact that 6 months ago, I said that the game would gain alot by adding bushido evasion/honor, and many weapons special moves; and no effort have been done in that matter. But, hey, you can't loot ointments from your dead nobles anymore, a small step for man, a giant step for humanity!!!!!

I do my best to be helpfull and friendly to everyone on this shard, and I even avoid the pvp dungeon after realizing that I have been to "hyped" against players there. But I am really starting to think that the admins don't like me

Too bad for them, I DO love them!!!!!!!

Edit: I did alot of champ spawns, weilding my Polar Bear's Claw, A titan hammer in wich I invested 600 Ed's, wich is now at level 90. I was not the only one to hold a weapon with the leveling deed on it while spawning, and that, for years, but it tends to confirm my theory of: "Let's see what that guy does to have that much UO wealth and let's shut it down".

[A Black Death]

i strongly feel that this recent "patch" was not a target or targeting anyone, your or i or any of the other players , but my sympothy because i also feal as though i was targeted, i know contradiction isnt it hehe guess what im trying to say is everyone is going to suffer not just you or i or anyone 1 person its a global effect like the ozone hole cuasing global warming

[Bubba Ho Tep]

Well, I guess at least this non xp from spells cated by the weapon hit gotta be faced as a bug. I don't know how hard it will be to fix it, but it does make life a lot unfairly harder for some weapons - like Blaze's or Polar's...

[Sorgon]

Well I for one hope that the no xp when killing with a spell changes. I will assume that when the weapon procs a lightning bolt or fire ball or aoe or whatever and you dont get weapon xp for it would make weapon leveling next to impossible without donating for a staff member to raise it for you, or as a side not you could level it up and not use the points in any weapon spell hit until its maxed out. Either way I think the levelable weapon deed will become obsolite.

I truly hope this gets fixed for the sake of the playerbase that doesnt have an above level 50 weapon.

[Bubba Ho Tep]

Either way I think the levelable weapon deed will become obsolite.

Though I do want it to change, I got say that quite on the contrary, this just made levelable weapons that much a better item. A levelled weapon has become something to truly look for, something that will require work, but will give you a different edge.


P.S.: How long before the Chroma-calls-us-whines-and-Colibri-censors-him episode on this post?

[A Black Death]

leveled weapons are now going to be unobtainable becuase whoever has them wont sell due to the sheer fact as sorgon put it it will be "next to imposible w/o ..." i find this very true that mele kill ev erything will take 5 years to get a weapon fully leveled so yeah worth something but no-one will sell them now so good luck

[+Colibri]

I wasn't aware that the "hit fireball" and such actions no longer help with gaining the exp, this is not how it was intended and will be fixed. Technically this fix will also permit gaining exp if you kill while you cast. So the idea is that let's say at least 50% of the damage needs to be done by the weapon directly.

As for leveling things by holding a weapon in your hands and casting spells, that shouldn't be possible. I was aware of the possibility of such leveling, but didn't see it as much of a problem, however recently i've seen this has been utilized too much so i've took the time to fix it.

There are plans to make melee a bit more interesting. I will probably also increase the gain of exp, now that it's not possible to do so using spells.