Official Dark Legends Feedback Thread - Energy Mechanic (increased drop rates coming)

[Justg]

Hey folks,

We realize that the Energy mechanic is controversial, but it is designed to do many things, and is core to this game.

Part of the design is to pace the game, and part of it is to bring you back to towne to socialize between tearing humans to shreds.

That being said, we know you'd like more, so tomorrow morning we will be increasing the drop rate of energy 5X in the 3D dungeons.

We'd like to continue the energy discussion here, and thank you for keeping it constructive.

- g

PS: We'd also love your feedback on what else to do in towne while you recharge: http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?54868-Vampire-District-feedback).

[rkp71]

While it sounds like an improvement and taking steps in the right direction, these buffs self apply and just come at the wrong time often enough. I had one energy drop for me, it droped at the same time I leveled, so I had max energy and it was worthless. Same with other buffs if your out of energy they just get wasted. All buffed up with no place to go. I don't think this little bit will quell the storm that's brewing over energy.

[Swimmingstar]

Woot!


Also, have you considered the time you need to wait for some quests to finish? Why do I have to wait 3 hours to complete action and get reward and advance?

[StompArtist]

How about if there was mini games in town (I am partial to a casino but could be something else) where you can gamble gold for a chance at winning energy? Perhaps an Igor could hook you up to his lightning rod to inject more life into you but if you loose he zaps you instead :P

[Lowlyspy]

Nice-ish, i'm not quite sure how often that would be considering i have gotten 2 energy drops since i started playing (a 1 energy drop, then a 2 energy drop a little while later). It's a good idea but i don't think people will calm their voices until something more is done, this seems more like a band-aid than anything.

[Dartagnian]

What about maybe making energy pots that arent tradable for later use but cap the amount you can save, like 10 or 15 points, or even just 5. You could make it so that anenergy drop would always go to the bar automagically, but if the bar is full thats when youd get the item, bound to that character.

Would that preserve the dynamic?

[Swimmingstar]

Wait does that mean it's 100% to drop energy in some places, because some places you can drop energy 20%+ of the time.


Otherwise I think this will be a great update and I'm looking forward to it.

[Cjon]

I do no agree with the exact method of 'fixing' this, but I completely agree with the idea. If you're continuously doing combat quests, you should be able to do them, more-or-less, until you no longer feel like doing them. I feel like a random chance to get free energy is not a good answer, simply because its not consistent. One person could get +3 energy every time, whereas someone else could get +0 energy every time. If you want to stick with the random, perhaps you will get +1, +2, or +3 energy at the end of each combat quest. Make it something like 65% for +1, 30% for +2, and 5% for +3. That way, if you want to play the game (clicking twice and watching a 2 sec cutscene is not playing), you can play the game.

I would have to say, that I prefer the energy system to stay, but to make it more accessible. I like the idea that you can still progress without have to really focus any attention to the game, which is an excellent concept for a mobile game. Not many people can take 30min out of every 2 hours, but who doesn't have a minute or two every 2 hours?

EDIT: Another possibility would perhaps to make it so combat quests cost no energy, but give half as much exp.

[Elyseon]

Maybe increase players energy max as they level?

[Shellkaz]

its not the energy mechanic itself that I have a problem with, its the extraordinary amount of time needed to complete some of the cutscenes along with the high energy cost, and slow regen rate. I'm not a PVP player and I never will be, so suggesting that I go try PVP is a non starter. What I did today was start a 3 hour cut scene, logged out and went back to PL. So essentially what happened was . . .I didn't fight any battles, I didn't burn any blood packs and more importantly from a financial perspective I didn't have to purchase any blood packs, nor did I spend plat to speed up a timer since I was out of energy, both of which I would have done had the energy been available,

Other than the above, issues, you guys have created an awesome game. Like I've said before, you have created games that are enjoyed by people from many countries and by many age groups. I have some suggestions on things to do in town but that will have to wait until tomorrow,

[octavos]

i would like to collect, and use my energy when im able to...kind of like collecting batteries and use them later...sometimes friends need help and special friends who deserve it...i want to go out and help them :p

[hawkingcrazy]

The energy thing I understand to increase a social communication between players. Will there ever be an increase to the amount of energy you can have. Even if its an increase of 1 every other lvl or something. Awesome game tho thx for the time put in it.

[Apollyon]

There is a big thing you are missing with the energy issue. Friends :). If you are going to emulate this type of system in the game, you need to allow us to get our friends to help us. Every single one of those "energy" games, does it to help you make friends and form community. Now maybe you planned this as part of the guild mechanic and wanted to watch us squirm the first weekend and see who would really remain loyal. If so I say bravo to my fellow sadists lol. If not, well...here ya go.
I still say the worst part is not energy by a long shot, but the rediculous wait times for plot quests or cutaways.

Please do no reply with how having no energy "forces" you to go to town to socialize. There is a huge difference between community and everyone having a shared issue to bit...complain, about.

[Skeletonlord]

I like the energy mechanic, but we do need a pool of blood or a fountain of blood where we can heal up with energy. 25 energy capacity is quite low, we could increase that a bit further.

[Justg]

Increasing the energy pool as you level is a cool idea, as is some type of (unfortunate) wandering humans in the street where you can refill health.

We're definitely listening to you guys, please keep up the constructive feedback!

- g

[Corpser]

i dont like the ridiculously long waiting period but i dont mind the energy it should just get increased as we level that way we will have enough to do all those 8 energy quests

[StompArtist]

Increasing the energy pool as you level is a cool idea, as is some type of (unfortunate) wandering humans in the street where you can refill health.

We're definitely listening to you guys, please keep up the constructive feedback!

- g

Another idea would be to have a passive skill that makes the energy refill a bit faster. The catch would be that choosing that skill would sacrifice another of the combat skill so people would have to choose wisely.

[octavos]

I think as ppl level up they see that energy is very important in this game...my alts are close to level with each other, my alts do tons of missions where as my main does missions that involve tons of combat. It would be nice to choose a path so-to-speak a "perk"

(The Waiter/Time Path) = like if you love leveling fast and not doing combat then you get bit more energy to compensate for missions

(The Warriors Path) = strictly a combat person where energy would cost less and less XP but more chances at loot and actually fighting

[Dartagnian]

I seriously like the random infortunate human thing!!!! That would give folks reason to hang out in sanctuary and maje some healthy competition!

[octavos]

I seriously like the random infortunate human thing!!!! That would give folks reason to hang out in sanctuary and maje some healthy competition!

i can see it now..... a guy running around like a "droid event" screaming at the top of his lungs.....the game is called "take a swing"...take a swing at the dude for free energy lol

[Dartagnian]

Lol!

I was thinkin they would pop through town at random times, scream then try to get away. I can see a lady talkin on a cell phone wandering down the street now, realize theres vamps staring at her, shriek and run. Kinda like Energy take out meals.

[Cjon]

Played five 3D missions, got a total of +4 energy. Not really enough to make any sort of a different.

[FluffNStuff]

Increasing the energy pool as you level is a cool idea, as is some type of (unfortunate) wandering humans in the street where you can refill health.

We're definitely listening to you guys, please keep up the constructive feedback!

- g

For the click missions, the experience should be:
Experience = Energy * (Time Factor + Level Factor)

So far, the level factor seems to be increasing at a good rate, but the time factor seems way to low. There should be a much higher bonus for the ~long~ missions. I have not gotten to the super long missions, so perhaps those have a much higher Time Factor.

[Cjon]

Just played another five 3D missions, got a total of +1 energy. So far can't even noticed the drop rate has been increased.

[Ripper McGee]

Just got 5 energy in a single mission, although I may have been lucky. Even then, that would get me through one more cutscene in my current campaign. So, it helps, but not much. I'd much rather see tweaks to the system to lower the cost, per mission, and provide a mechanic for quicker regeneration.

[ninjaduck]

Ive just done 5 random map runs, no energy dropped. :"(

[Growwle]

After playing for a couple days, I enjoy the game even more. This game is clearly designed for adults with busy lives, who do not have time to stare at a mobile device 24/7. Just the fact that you can queue up missions that will be completed by the next time you log in is great.

[FluffNStuff]

So I had a few free minutes today and I figured I would log in and spend some energy. I put most of it into long term investments but with my last 4 energy I figured I would quickly run a dungeon. The problem is that I kept getting energy drops, so I ended up having to run the mission five times, and that made me late for my meeting.
Please fix this.

[Snakespeare]

lol @ Fluff^^^

For the average user who logs on for an hour or two of play, I don't think energy is an issue. The people who are on for several hours to grind and do nothing else, however, are having their pace slowed down. Because it has become standard in the other two STS games to grind and do nothing else till cap, then farm, people are having their expectations unfulfilled. But maybe it's not a bad thing. Maybe people should slow down and let the regular players catch up.

And if this pace of the game is too slow for people, they can just play another game. People don't appreciate the scenery when they speed through it. What's the point of having a milieu if only to rush through the story? That's like reading the last page of a book and then telling everyone you already know how it ends so you didn't have to read it.

In those other games STS made money selling elixirs for the grinders and making the xp high enough to inspire their purchase. Even that didn't slow them down. Level cap in a day, where is the new content, etc. In this one STS makes money selling costumes and other bonuses.

I got three energy drops last night, and one was a green. It glowed slightly greenish and green letters appeared saying it was worth 3 energy. Well, the dungeon cost three energy to enter, so how cool was that!? The other two were 1 point each. I wonder if there are energy pinks.

Faster energy drops will make it so the players who want to grind for hours will be able to go further, but I'd hate to see the drops defeat the whole purpose of the energy system.

p.s. the milieu is not my style, but I'm having fun anyway because it's so different and I like to learn new things.

[ninjaduck]

People are saying they are getting "too much" energy from drops. I have done 15 full runs now (yes, 45 energy) with NO drops..

[Bebsi]

I got like over 20 a few times running dungeons, so I kept like playing over an hour.
But today the drop rate is back to normal, like 1-4 at max ;(((((

The energy system is not what I expected to have in sts new game but I'm pretty sure we find a tactical solution very soon xD

[Tvis]

My second time running a dungeon today, I received a 3-energy bonus. Much appreciated! Have been getting a very balanced amount of energy drops and have gotten to play the dungeons more! Thanks for the update and job well done!

[Growwle]

People are saying they are getting "too much" energy from drops. I have done 15 full runs now (yes, 45 energy) with NO drops..

I seem to get more energy from story missions, than dungeon runs.

[imtakingover]

I love energy mechanics, please keep it! Its a good strategy to play on a go. Id hate to be forced in an endless grinding once more. This game is my dream come true :D

[Bebsi]

Well, sooner or later we run out of energy, so you guys thought it would be good to use the time to socialize in the bar.
As a proposal... Why don't you guys let us buy 'energy drinks' for gold and plat like we could buy elixier in PL.
Maybe 1000gold or 1 plat for 3 energy xD

[RaijinSama]

I love this game. I like the energy idea, it made ur this legends game totally different from others. When I first saw this game early march. I was thinking 'another legend game....hmm is it goin to be the same gameplay as PL & SL but with different type of fantasy?'. Before the release, every1 was so eager to play DL. Everyday u got ppl spamming WHEN WHEN WHEN. Now it's release, where is every1?

I love the energy idea, pls don't change it. It made this game different to any other rpg game...but...yes that's right..BUT. Both PL & SL u can grind and grind without penalty, in DL it got remove. I thought "rpg" means lvling to a cap lvl, farming and role playing (a storyline). U can't grind on DL without penalty. It cost 3 energy to play a mission game that only last for 2-3mins and to get 3 energy back u have to wait 15mins. The funny thing is u get 20xp per mission and if u repeat the same mission, it cost same 3 energy but only get 10xp. It's great that they increase the drop rate of energy in missions but u still can't grind. If they reduce the energy cost to 2 after u did the mission 1st time. I think it's very close to grinding, it won't be endless but at least u get a few rounds of it and a chance to pick up more energy while grinding. If unlucky, then we get the choice of buying energy with plats.

Look I love this game. If they fix the energy problem and reduce the cost if plats prices on items then u get more ppl playing and in the long run spacetime will earn the More money then they were before when items were expensive. Atm it's too pricey for me.

Sorry about the super long post. It just disappointing to c awesome game like this goin downhill.

[Cjon]

I have started to notice the increased drop rate, I seem to get a least one drop out of three missions. And what I've noticed is that if you have full energy, and only spend it on 3D missions, you can generally do it long enough to satisfy your hunger for DL. But the problem comes when you have to spend your energy on non-combat missions. Then you have to spend your 125min worth of energy on ~5 clicks that takes about 30sec. It doesn't quite satisfy you like a nice 1-1.5 hour of 3D missions, in fact, it just leaves you wanting more, or at least something. To have to spend that much energy on something where you don't even get to play leaves you with an empty feeling inside.

What I suggest is to lower the cost of non-combat missions, and also lower the rewards by an equal amount. If it costed 8 energy, and rewarded 30 exp; then make it cost 4 energy, and reward 15 exp. The other rewards can be changed too. Make +2 energy a rare reward, +1 energy an uncommon reward, and remove +3 energy from the available rewards (I'm not going to talk about the other rewards, since none of them come close to the usefulness of +energy).

I feel like a change like this wouldn't have much of an impact on the game, and it would make it so that the players can actually play the game.

Just a thought.

[MonolithEffect]

The only reason why they put the Energy and the Timer in the game is to slow progression because of the lack of content. The further you progress in the game, the longer the cooldown, thus, encouraging players to play completed missions, and preventing those who are close to completing all of the levels from finishing.

[RaijinSama]

Ive been grinding everyday alot now with this new 5x energy drop rate increase. Thank you very much Justg and team for putting this into the game. Now its farmable, but of cos its not endless, it does goes down but at least u get around 10 rounds of farming from it. Thanks again. Keep up the good work

[Cjon]

Ive been grinding everyday alot now with this new 5x energy drop rate increase. Thank you very much Justg and team for putting this into the game. Now its farmable, but of cos its not endless, it does goes down but at least u get around 10 rounds of farming from it. Thanks again. Keep up the good work

Definitely true. Yesterday I started grinding with 5 energy, and ended up playing for a good 45-60min before my energy ran out. Today I got 9 energy just from one mission.

[Maynard]

The increased drop rates have helped. Thank you.

[Gluttony]

The long timers impede your progress and they are always toward the end to add insult to injury. It would be much better if you could have access to all of the missions as soon as you enter a new campaign instead of only seeing up to 4 at a time; that way you could get the long timers going first thing instead of having to slowly unlock each short section. In the Outskirts, for instance, you have to spend 26 energy plus a 5 min wait in order unlock the next four missions. The second block (3 missions only), requires 16 energy and a 2h 30m wait. Block 3 needs 22 energy and 9h. Finally, you get to block four and realize that there is a mission that requires a day to finish.

I just don't really enjoy the way that it's set up currently. I understand that the idea is to make the game play as a natural progression of things, examine items and find clues in order to move on to the next task sort of Scooby-Doo in nature (jinkies) but having to watch a timer tick down before moving on to the next set of task is tedious. Didn't PL get away from the locked levels in the campaigns for a reason, why bring it back now?

[RaijinSama]

Definitely true. Yesterday I started grinding with 5 energy, and ended up playing for a good 45-60min before my energy ran out. Today I got 9 energy just from one mission.

9 energy. ur just dam lucky. the most i got out of it is 4 energy

[RaijinSama]

The long timers impede your progress and they are always toward the end to add insult to injury. It would be much better if you could have access to all of the missions as soon as you enter a new campaign instead of only seeing up to 4 at a time; that way you could get the long timers going first thing instead of having to slowly unlock each short section. In the Outskirts, for instance, you have to spend 26 energy plus a 5 min wait in order unlock the next four missions. The second block (3 missions only), requires 16 energy and a 2h 30m wait. Block 3 needs 22 energy and 9h. Finally, you get to block four and realize that there is a mission that requires a day to finish.

I just don't really enjoy the way that it's set up currently. I understand that the idea is to make the game play as a natural progression of things, examine items and find clues in order to move on to the next task sort of Scooby-Doo in nature (jinkies) but having to watch a timer tick down before moving on to the next set of task is tedious. Didn't PL get away from the locked levels in the campaigns for a reason, why bring it back now?

I can understand ur point but u got PL and SL a similar game. DL is totally different, i like it. This way u have to grind for items and money or else u cant progress any further cos ur too weak in items and also in lvl. You end up getting stuck in 1 map and u probably end up getting frustrated and piss cos u couldnt progress and keep on dying. Then u probably end up quitting the game cos of unbalance then u probably complaint to the forum about all this.

[Coltona]

Or to help pace the game, make the 3d maps cost no energy, but increase the amount of energy it costs to do the cut scenes to unlock more maps. This would mean only being able to do a few that cost energy and then being able to farm previous maps waiting for your timers to run out, essentially pacing the game to a slower standard, and allowing us to level more efficiently, keeping players in the game. If this were the case I would have no problems with the high plat prices, lol I enjoy playing so much I'd gladly spend money for vanities, weapons, bloodpacks, or whatever else there is.

[Gluttony]

I can understand ur point but u got PL and SL a similar game. DL is totally different, i like it. This way u have to grind for items and money or else u cant progress any further cos ur too weak in items and also in lvl. You end up getting stuck in 1 map and u probably end up getting frustrated and piss cos u couldnt progress and keep on dying. Then u probably end up quitting the game cos of unbalance then u probably complaint to the forum about all this.

Depends on your definition of grind, a player could actually level all the way to cap without having to enter a dungeon at all. Sure they would have to spend plat to bypass the dungeon type missions but other than that, they can start the timers and just sit back and watch the exp roll in. Also, the enemies scale with the player, so a L3 will face easier enemies than a L12 no matter the map.


Or to help pace the game, make the 3d maps cost no energy, but increase the amount of energy it costs to do the cut scenes to unlock more maps. This would mean only being able to do a few that cost energy and then being able to farm previous maps waiting for your timers to run out, essentially pacing the game to a slower standard, and allowing us to level more efficiently, keeping players in the game. If this were the case I would have no problems with the high plat prices, lol I enjoy playing so much I'd gladly spend money for vanities, weapons, bloodpacks, or whatever else there is.

They increased the amount of energy that drops, the 3D maps only cost 3 energy to enter and I have played for hours starting with only 10 energy and still didn't run out in the end. I know that may not be the case for everyone, but the change certainly did help the playability imo.

[wvhills]

Hey folks,

We realize that the Energy mechanic is controversial, but it is designed to do many things, and is core to this game.

Part of the design is to pace the game, and part of it is to bring you back to towne to socialize between tearing humans to shreds.

That being said, we know you'd like more, so tomorrow morning we will be increasing the drop rate of energy 5X in the 3D dungeons.

We'd like to continue the energy discussion here, and thank you for keeping it constructive.

- g

PS: We'd also love your feedback on what else to do in towne while you recharge: http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?54868-Vampire-District-feedback).

If the purpose of the energy mechanic is to pace the game and to bring players back to town to social and is core to the game why is more energy available for plat?

[Ripper McGee]

Generally speaking, I'm not having as many issues with Energy anymore. Yes, I still blow through it quickly, but I've adjusted my play style to farm combat missions, pvp and then advance when mission timers are up. I'm having so much fun now (especially with pvp), I've bought plat.

[Cjon]

Generally speaking, I'm not having as many issues with Energy anymore. Yes, I still blow through it quickly, but I've adjusted my play style to farm combat missions, pvp and then advance when mission timers are up. I'm having so much fun now (especially with pvp), I've bought plat.

Completely agree. It takes a bit of adjustment, but I have no significant issues with the energy mechanic. I feel like they did an amazing job on the energy mechanic.

[Beanmachine]

I feel ripped off...When I am in a dungeon with bad lag, I cannot leave because then I lose my energy. When my ping is below 100, as soon as I step into combat, it lags. and guess what? I DIE AND MISS THE BOSS:( Racking up deaths and losing possible pink drops:/

[Growwle]

I feel ripped off...When I am in a dungeon with bad lag, I cannot leave because then I lose my energy. When my ping is below 100, as soon as I step into combat, it lags. and guess what? I DIE AND MISS THE BOSS:( Racking up deaths and losing possible pink drops:/


Don't worry, the drop rate for pinks is abysmally low. Getting upset about losing a chance for a pink drop is like getting upset that you did not win the lottery, or that Bill Gates did not come to your door and hand you a million dollar check, just because.

[RaijinSama]

I feel ripped off...When I am in a dungeon with bad lag, I cannot leave because then I lose my energy. When my ping is below 100, as soon as I step into combat, it lags. and guess what? I DIE AND MISS THE BOSS:( Racking up deaths and losing possible pink drops:/

iam pretty sure they looking into about drop outs and energy wastage. maybe next patch will help us on that. they did awesome job on helping us with energy very quickly so, very soon they will fix the drop out problem.

GOOD JOB AWESOME GAME

[blogforty]

Maybe increase players energy max as they level?

I agree as you level your energy cap would raise a few points

[Zil]

I can understand ur point but u got PL and SL a similar game. DL is totally different, i like it. This way u have to grind for items and money or else u cant progress any further cos ur too weak in items and also in lvl. You end up getting stuck in 1 map and u probably end up getting frustrated and piss cos u couldnt progress and keep on dying. Then u probably end up quitting the game cos of unbalance then u probably complaint to the forum about all this.

That kind of ignorance is why micromanagement in video games even exists. While there are incredible amounts to be said, even casual games can be played specifically one way for hours if chosen to be.

While my contemplations for an adequate refinement of dark legends system is not yet complete, the energy MECHANIC itself is not a problem. However, its implementation hinders the general satisfaction of the game and a true solution is needed in the future.

[DerSchuetze]

after not really beeing convinced at first im starting to really enjoy it. The missions usually drop energie and some other ones do too so i still have the chance to play a lil longer if i want to, and if i dont i can just let them do their work for 2 hours and come back when i have time again.

[Slant]

energy mechanic is the best idea evar. only thing is it should make you wanna wait

[n00b13st]

I have absolutely no problem with the energy system in general, energy recharge wait times nor the longer non-combat (what I call passive missions or passives) waits. I think STS has done a great job there, I love the way DL plays in these regards. My main, Nyx is 20, will hit the cap in no more than a week or two and only has 3 more areas to finish - what's so terribly slow and painful about that?

I'm glad it's not like PL and SL where kids and people who don't work full time can obsessively play 24 hours a day and be the 'elite' because they have absolutely no life (quoting from South Park again.)

There is strategy to how you use the passives (what everyone else calls 'cutscenes') versus the combat missions - that was missing in PL/SL, those games are just about spamming 24x365 and I haven't played them since DL came out (and didn't play much in the few months before because I was losing interest.)

I noticed the increased drop rate but thought I was just getting lucky, good job on that STS. (Seems like pink drop rate has decreased lately though, too bad.)

If I were going to suggest anything about energy I'd say let us keep the energy from drops when we're maxed. It could be in the form of your energy total temporarily increasing beyond 25 or non-tradable, non-stashable (but not counting against inventory slots) energy pots you can use as needed.) Many people have complained about getting an energy drop when they are full, being able to not lose the drop is the only place I think the energy system could use a change. My guild co-leader made a suggestion I think is great also - any energy beyond your max that you have when you log out is lost, you have to use it in your current session.

For the long passives - maybe there could be an elite optional mission for the 1 day waits where you could potentially avoid the wait, if you can beat the elite mission?

:vD: (And I want a vampire banana! :banana:)

For some background - I've had a great time playing many games where similar energy systems were in place, like Castle Age on Facebook. That system has consumable energy and stamina that are used for all sorts of missions. I started playing that game less because it became less interesting - not because of the energy system but because it is all static graphics, no action/animation and no compelling storyline. Plus it goes on for hundreds of levels - my character there is something like level 300 - and just gets boring playing a homogenous, actionless game that goes on forever.

For DL I could see it going on to several hundred levels so long as story line and character development go with it - the action, graphics, storyline, powers, etc. make all the difference.

[Blaquehaaart]

Energy is not really a problem. The worst case scenerio is that you wait 15 minutes between runs.

You can run a 25/25 meter 8 times back to back...well 9 time really considering it would take at least 10 minutes to run that which would recover the additional points to run it the extra time.

The energy mechanic is fine. DL wasn't intended for the hardcore gamer. There are other games for that.

[csb]

I don't have any problems with the energy system. For one thing, it forces people to take a break from gaming. You can't blame DL if you didn't get something done, because you can do your stuff (homework, bills, etc) while waiting for energy.

I do like the long timers. It took me about a month to get from level 1 to 21 and unlock all the campaigns. Without the timers and with unlimited energy, I would be done it in a couple of days.

The other alternative is to give tiny amounts of experience, and expect you to grind 24/7. Do you really want that?