Patch Coming This Week and Changes to Mount Fang Boss Gauntlet

[Samhayne]

We are planning to update Pocket Legends the week of Jan 9 - 13. Among other things, this update will include:

• Turn off the 2011 Winter Festival (announcement here)
• Add a player requested 1v1 PvP Map (discussion thread here)
• A round of bug fixes
• A new zone added similar to the Mount Fang "Vampire Feast" Boss Gauntlet, but with full loot drop.

I want to elaborate on the addition of a new Boss Gauntlet area to Mount Fang. There has always been some confusion with the Boss Gauntlet areas. Players generally expect the bosses drop all of their loot, however they don't in the current Boss Gauntlets. These gauntlets were intended as quick ways for players to hone their skills for the boss. If you want a chance at the full loot, you need to fight in through the full zone to get to the boss and take them down there. The reality is that the current Boss Gauntlets are very rarely played.

After the patch, the a new Boss Gauntlet will be added to Mount Fang that will be upgraded to give the full loot tables to the bosses. To maintain the rarity of the ep1c lewtz it will use the Premium Access System that was used by the Winter Festival. This gives players an option when farming for loot. They can play for free, as they always have, and do runs of the current zones, fighting in to the boss and taking them down for their loot. Or, you can pay Platinum to access the upgraded Boss Gauntlet and farm there.

In the future, we intend to offer this type of content for all level ranges, from Forest Haven's Boss Gauntlet on up. We will not remove any currently existing Boss Gauntlets, but will instead add new ones for Premium Access.

Spacetime Studios philosophy with premium options is just that – they are optional. All players can play Pocket Legends from level 1 to the elite level cap without paying any real world money. We appreciate and value all of our players, however they choose to play. As always, thank you for your support.

[wvhills]

Sam, could I make a suggestion? Please consider leaving victory lap free to play without changing the drop tables. A lot of people use this map to complete the cyber quests. Also, Bayou Boss Brawl is still played alot and I personally would like to see it remain free as people do still farm there a lot.

Edit: Especially, for us older players. The lower levels weren't free when I started playing. I had to pay for them and they (the boss maps) were included in the purchase price. I don't really care about the others expect for Boss Brawl and VL. I feel you would be taking away something I have already paid for.

[JaytB]

Looking forward to that 1 vs 1 map

[Samhayne]

Sam, could I make a suggestion? Please consider leaving victory lap free to play without changing the drop tables. A lot of people use this map to complete the cyber quests. Also, Bayou Boss Brawl is still played alot and I personally would like to see it remain free as people do still farm there a lot.

Edit: Especially, for us older players. The lower levels weren't free when I started playing. I had to pay for them and they (the boss maps) were included in the purchase price. I don't really care about the others expect for Boss Brawl and VL. I feel you would be taking away something I have already paid for.

Good point, Robert. We can probably create an alternate area for those level ranges to use for Premium access.

[LwMark]

All i can say is lol
...
And u alredy fixd 1h set

[wvhills]

Good point, Robert. We can probably create an alternate area for those level ranges to use for Premium access.

Thanks sam!

[Relytekal]

Sam, could I make a suggestion? Please consider leaving victory lap free to play without changing the drop tables. A lot of people use this map to complete the cyber quests. Also, Bayou Boss Brawl is still played alot and I personally would like to see it remain free as people do still farm there a lot.

Edit: Especially, for us older players. The lower levels weren't free when I started playing. I had to pay for them and they (the boss maps) were included in the purchase price. I don't really care about the others expect for Boss Brawl and VL. I feel you would be taking away something I have already paid for.

Completely agree. If I was forced to be nickle and dimed for levels I already paid for I would file a charge back with my credit card company for the several hundred dollars worth of plat. I paid for something don't even think about trying to charge me for it again. I am getting upset just thinking about it. This whole idea of plat to play a round is crazy. Charge by the month if you want too. I love this game but I will be damned if I am going to be nickle and dimed every time I want to play.

EDIT: I didn't pay for "alternate areas" I paid for the real maps. WTF?!?!?!?!

[Skeletonlord]

Good going! Will this be a patch or just a content update?

[FluffNStuff]

Will this be a 'per use' fee or a one time fee or a subscription option?

[FluffNStuff]

Wait, what, this can't be right???? Are you doing this to just Vampire Fest, or to the other boss levels? Like I actually PAID for Swamps, and you are now saying I have to pay each time I want to enter the boss brawl???????????????

[CrimsonTider]

I am fine with this being implemented with the Mt. Fang Boss Gauntlet. One reason why noone goes there (like with the Nuri's Boss Gauntlet), is because bosses no longer require real "strategy". They have basically become a "survive and advance" style with no way to strategically control them like the previous campaigns. Not much practice needed to spam pots/heal/rev/skills until the bosses are dead.

Also, what is the issue with the 1h Orlok set. I know mine has the red smoke the other Fang sets have. Is there an issue with the actual bonus?

Thanks for the info Sam.

[Hankomachos]

This game feels more like a "I can do anything I want for plat" everyday.

Believe me, I'm no MMO buff, but what's the point in legendary items, if you can pretty much get them as a guarantee by paying plat.

The cs will more than likely be flooded with mount fang pinks, thus lowering the rarity and ultimately, the value of items.

I get you have to run a business, but this, IMO, is pushing it.

My solution?
Get rid of the gauntlets all together.
Problem solved.

[ninjaduck]

This game feels more like a "I can do anything I want for plat" everyday.

Believe me, I'm no MMO buff, but what's the point in legendary items, if you can pretty much get them as a guarantee by paying plat.

The cs will more than likely be flooded with mount fang pinks, thus lowering the rarity and ultimately, the value of items.



I get you have to run a business, but this, IMO, is pushing it.

My solution?
Get rid of the gauntlets all together.
Problem solved.

So true


Off topic: thanks alot for the help you and matt gave today, much appreciated

[FluffNStuff]

If this is Pay per use, and it people use it, it will flood the game with Gauntlet pinks, removing the incentive (read: addiction) of farming bosses the regular way. Please, Please, Please reconsider this idea. PLEASE!!!!

[StompArtist]

This game feels more like a "I can do anything I want for plat" everyday.

Believe me, I'm no MMO buff, but what's the point in legendary items, if you can pretty much get them as a guarantee by paying plat.

The cs will more than likely be flooded with mount fang pinks, thus lowering the rarity and ultimately, the value of items.

I get you have to run a business, but this, IMO, is pushing it.

My solution?
Get rid of the gauntlets all together.
Problem solved.

I believe that the solution needs to involve extra revenue. Getting rid of the gauntlet is the same has leaving them as-is.

[Draopwnzall]

If this is Pay per use, and it people use it, it will flood the game with Gauntlet pinks, removing the incentive (read: addiction) of farming bosses the regular way. Please, Please, Please reconsider this idea. PLEASE!!!!

But I can farm a set! :O

[Samhayne]

This game feels more like a "I can do anything I want for plat" everyday.

Believe me, I'm no MMO buff, but what's the point in legendary items, if you can pretty much get them as a guarantee by paying plat.

The cs will more than likely be flooded with mount fang pinks, thus lowering the rarity and ultimately, the value of items.

I get you have to run a business, but this, IMO, is pushing it.

Hey Hank, thanks for taking the time to voice your opinion and keeping it constructive. I'd like to throw out the alternate viewpoint that a player who doesn't want to purchase Platinum can get everything if they have enough time to farm it. That, like much else in life, is the dividing line. Do you want to spend your time getting it, or do you want to pay to speed up the time investment? To reiterate, this premium option is optional. You can play for free, as you always have, and do runs of the current zones, fighting in to the boss and taking them down for their loot.

[cjackyo]

So first I would like to say I love pl. I don't rage on forums and im not about to start. Just want to add my two cents. Back when lvl cap was 50 how many of these areas were already purchased will plat? Im just saying alot of us vets have already paid for this lower level and have fought and earned our way to access them. I agree that sts is a company and ur trying to make money to continue to bring us a great and awesome game. Please do again I love pl and the community. Just seems a lil unfair to have to pay for something we all ready paid for. Please don't flame or get carried away with this post just my option. And last thank you Sam and sts for all your hard work and for a great game.
Also Sam or flip let's do some pvp. Yeah im calling ya out lol.......just don't kill us to much lol have a great day!!!

[Snakespeare]

Players generally expect the bosses drop all of their loot, however they don't in the Boss Gauntlets. These gauntlets were intended as quick ways for players to hone their skills for the boss. If you want a chance at the full loot, you need to fight in through the full zone to get to the boss and take them down there.

If only this were completely true...

Sam, I like this change. Personally I don't like Boss Gauntlets anyway. They make it so the gear becomes trash. Up until the FH revamp, they all DID drop the same loot as their counterparts in the level maps. I recall Cinco saying in chat that he never wanted to make the Bayou Boss Brawl but the players were so vocal that he did, in the end, and still regretted it. Even worse, they responded to whining about Swamps being difficult by first making an easier campaign that had the same loot as the Swamps (with different names), and then by nerfing the Swamps. At that time STS was in learning mode and they were crowd-sourcing by letting the people who post on the boards partly guide their decisions. If they were more hard-nosed, trusted their own judgement, like they are now, these greed zones would never have been made. And now the program is just so huge that map sections have to be recycled in order to create new zones. So I agree that the best way to reduce the excessive pink farming (so excessive that all but one set of pinks is desired and every other drop is called garbage) is to put a price on these zones.

But I would be happier to see them tossed out to make room for the kind of content the designers envision... the kind we see in SL where, incidentally, there are no boss gauntlets.

[FluffNStuff]

Hey Hank, thanks for taking the time to voice your opinion and keeping it constructive. I'd like to throw out the alternate viewpoint that a player who doesn't want to purchase Platinum can get everything if they have enough time to farm it. That, like much else in life, is the dividing line. Do you want to spend your time getting it, or do you want to pay to speed up the time investment? To reiterate, this premium option is optional. You can play for free, as you always have, and do runs of the current zones, fighting in to the boss and taking them down for their loot.

While technically true that others getting something easier does not diminish what someone gets, that theory is dangerously ignoring the primal reason people play these games, which is addiction. Addiction in this sense is not a bad things, and is a very real part of human nature. Addiction requires two things, a chance at a 'victory' (a high) and also a greater chance at a 'loss' (low). In this case, killing a boss and getting a pink is a high, and not getting a pink is a low. The lows are what drives the highs, as can be seen by the failure of the all pink Shadow Caves. Every roll became a victory, with no chance at a loss, so there were no lows to drive the highs, and people got annoyed.
Currently in Mt. Fang, there is an excellent balance of highs and lows, but by adding this plat option, you are throwing off the balance for everyone involved by increasing the victories for some, which reduces the over all highs for all players. While 'sell price' and gold are just numbers on a screen, by playing, we have bought into and have contributed to the idea that those numbers have value. All Mt. Fang players want to get a Sanguine Long Bow drop because it has a ~value~ of 3 million gold, and currently are doing runs after runs in order to get that. Why? There is no real reason for it, but our minds put a high value on it, so we become addicted to the idea of having it drop. When the CS starts filling up with the bows, and they become common and drop in 'imaginary' value, that will reduce the highs of farming. Once those highs become diminished, players will slowly stop playing. They might not even know why they stopped playing, they will just feel like the game is not what it used to be, and find reasons to stop, reasons previously blocked by their minds.