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BatMUD Forums > General > Re: Recent tunes
Hello Wizards,
First, I want to express my appreciation for the continuous effort that
goes into maintaining and balancing a game as complex and long-lived as
BatMUD. It's a task I'm sure is incredibly challenging.
I'm writing today to share a player's perspective on what seems to be a
developing pattern in recent guild tunes, specifically for those at the higher
end of the player base. Observing the changes made to Nergal, Priest, and the
recent Mage adjustments, the direction appears to be a consistent down-tuning
of guilds that have been mastered by long-term players.
The core of my concern is the effect this has on the feeling of progression
and investment. In a game like BatMUD, a character represents a significant
investment of time?sometimes spanning decades. The power and capability gained
from years of reputation grinding is the primary reward for that dedication.
When tunes are implemented that make characters feel weaker than they were in
the past, it can inadvertently devalue that investment and erase years of
effort.
This leads me to respectfully ask if the administration might be open to
exploring other avenues for game balance. Could the desired challenges for
high-end players be created by enhancing the world itself? For example, by
introducing more powerful NPCs, new mechanics in endgame zones, or other
environmental challenges that require the full power of these well-developed
characters, rather than reducing the power they worked so hard to achieve.
Again, my intent is not to argue with any specific change, but to offer
feedback on the cumulative effect this trend has on veteran player morale.
Thank you for considering this perspective and for your dedication to the
game.
Sincerely,
Deathseeker
First, I want to express my appreciation for the continuous effort that
goes into maintaining and balancing a game as complex and long-lived as
BatMUD. It's a task I'm sure is incredibly challenging.
I'm writing today to share a player's perspective on what seems to be a
developing pattern in recent guild tunes, specifically for those at the higher
end of the player base. Observing the changes made to Nergal, Priest, and the
recent Mage adjustments, the direction appears to be a consistent down-tuning
of guilds that have been mastered by long-term players.
The core of my concern is the effect this has on the feeling of progression
and investment. In a game like BatMUD, a character represents a significant
investment of time?sometimes spanning decades. The power and capability gained
from years of reputation grinding is the primary reward for that dedication.
When tunes are implemented that make characters feel weaker than they were in
the past, it can inadvertently devalue that investment and erase years of
effort.
This leads me to respectfully ask if the administration might be open to
exploring other avenues for game balance. Could the desired challenges for
high-end players be created by enhancing the world itself? For example, by
introducing more powerful NPCs, new mechanics in endgame zones, or other
environmental challenges that require the full power of these well-developed
characters, rather than reducing the power they worked so hard to achieve.
Again, my intent is not to argue with any specific change, but to offer
feedback on the cumulative effect this trend has on veteran player morale.
Thank you for considering this perspective and for your dedication to the
game.
Sincerely,
Deathseeker
Rating:
-2
Votes:
8
As the post was written in a polite and constructive tone, I shall
endeavour to be equally constructive in my response.
This overlooks the buffs made to other guilds (and yes, there are
many more that still need tuning and work). A game where every guild
deals exactly the same damage would be terribly boring, but there still
needs to be a coherent logic behind the potential of different guilds.
That feeling is completely understandable and human. The flipside is
that the game must remain accessible to newer players and to those who
cannot devote years of playtime to grinding. Sometimes this is already
accounted for in guild design (e.g., reputation grinds that become
progressively harder), and sometimes we need to rebalance abilities.
These rebalances are not aimed at specific players; they're comparative
across guilds and abilities (e.g., How much damage should an x-round
spell that costs y SP do? How does it compare to similar spells in
other guilds? What additional factors should be considered?).
These options aren't mutually exclusive - we intend to do both. That said,
developing new content generally takes significantly more effort than
rebalancing existing abilities, and ideally new content should appeal to
more than just the top 1% of players (damn, I'm starting to sound like
Bernie Sanders).
Thank you for your constructive feedback.
++ Gore
endeavour to be equally constructive in my response.
Quote:
Observing the changes made to Nergal, Priest, and the recent Mage
adjustments, the direction appears to be a consistent down-tuning
of guilds that have been mastered by long-term players.
adjustments, the direction appears to be a consistent down-tuning
of guilds that have been mastered by long-term players.
many more that still need tuning and work). A game where every guild
deals exactly the same damage would be terribly boring, but there still
needs to be a coherent logic behind the potential of different guilds.
Quote:
The power and capability gained from years of reputation grinding
is the primary reward for that dedication. When tunes are implemented
that make characters feel weaker than they were in the past, it can
inadvertently devalue that investment and erase years of effort.
is the primary reward for that dedication. When tunes are implemented
that make characters feel weaker than they were in the past, it can
inadvertently devalue that investment and erase years of effort.
that the game must remain accessible to newer players and to those who
cannot devote years of playtime to grinding. Sometimes this is already
accounted for in guild design (e.g., reputation grinds that become
progressively harder), and sometimes we need to rebalance abilities.
These rebalances are not aimed at specific players; they're comparative
across guilds and abilities (e.g., How much damage should an x-round
spell that costs y SP do? How does it compare to similar spells in
other guilds? What additional factors should be considered?).
Quote:
For example, by introducing more powerful NPCs, new mechanics in
endgame zones, or other environmental challenges that require the
full power of these well-developed characters, rather than reducing
the power they worked so hard to achieve.
endgame zones, or other environmental challenges that require the
full power of these well-developed characters, rather than reducing
the power they worked so hard to achieve.
developing new content generally takes significantly more effort than
rebalancing existing abilities, and ideally new content should appeal to
more than just the top 1% of players (damn, I'm starting to sound like
Bernie Sanders).
Quote:
Thank you for considering this perspective and for your dedication to
the game.
the game.
++ Gore
Rating:
4
Votes:
4
Gore
A r c h w i z a r d
22y, 154d, 22h, 3m, 27s old
Level:
600 [Wizard] © 1990-2025 Balanced Alternative Techniques ry. All rights reserved. BatMUD™ is a registered trademark of Balanced Alternative Techniques ry.
The individual comments are the property of their posters, and may not reflect the views or opinions of the administration.