Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

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Durvayas
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Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Durvayas » Wed Jun 26, 2019 11:56 pm

So the crux of the matter is this: Ever since the writ system went in, usage of the lasso system has bottomed out entirely. It used to be you couldn't go anywhere without tripping over someone with a creature in tow. People would party up specifically to go out and lasso creatures. Not so anymore.

The writ system was implemented, and now It's been over a month since I saw someone use a lasso. Quite simply, the lasso system was great when adventure exp had value; It was scarce, you could only get it via -adventure mode, or lassos.

But when writs happened, everyone got swamped by more adventure exp than they will ever be able to use. Its effortless, through daily writ completion, to rack up a hundred thousand adventure exp or more. An immediate 20 exp now through killing things is more valuable to the average player than adding yet more adventure exp to the collection they have that isn't going to deplete for a hundred hours or more. Its also more valuable than the gold you'd get through the lasso system because you'll just amass a fortune from writs, and the frustration of a capture getting killed makes outright killing them more appealing.

I'm mildly saddened by the almost complete sidelining of the system as an attractive avenue of partying up, and think the system needs some kind of boost to make it more widely used again.

/discuss.
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The Greater Good
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by The Greater Good » Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:03 am

Having leveled a character through writs just before and just after the change to writ adventure XP? Give it a month or two, people will start wanting lasso stuff again. I never stopped, personally.
Monte Cook wrote:The idea here is that the game just gives the rules, and players figure out the ins and outs for themselves -- players are rewarded for achieving mastery of the rules and making good choices rather than poor ones.

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Mr_Rieper
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Mr_Rieper » Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:16 am

You think it needs a buff? It's already fantastic, especially for amoral characters. If people don't care enough to use it, then allow them to do as they please.

This isn't an MMO. We're not trying to peddle some themepark experience onto players, like it's a personal slight against the devs if players aren't using every feature all the time.

As Greater Good said, if adventuring XP becomes scarce again, people will start using it again. Even if only a handful of people are using it, it's okay. There's no need to panic. It doesn't affect you in the slightest if other people aren't using lassos.

The writ system changed the landscape of the server to the point where I'm not even sure it's an improvement. Sure, it's easier to level and a good place for newbies to start. But the indirect effect is that the settlements are completely empty. The entirety of the newer characters are out grinding constantly, it affects most aspects of the lower levels. If you're pre-epics, everything revolves around it. We certainly do not need to entrench the feature creep and power bloating. Why incentivise a system that has nothing but benefits and boost it even further?
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Cerk Evermoore » Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:56 am

Still a great way to make gold.

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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Sea Shanties » Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:29 am

Mr_Rieper wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:16 am
The writ system changed the landscape of the server to the point where I'm not even sure it's an improvement. Sure, it's easier to level and a good place for newbies to start. But the indirect effect is that the settlements are completely empty. The entirety of the newer characters are out grinding constantly, it affects most aspects of the lower levels. If you're pre-epics, everything revolves around it. We certainly do not need to entrench the feature creep and power bloating. Why incentivise a system that has nothing but benefits and boost it even further?
The vast majority of new characters are not new players. I'm not saying this is 100% the case and perhaps writs do have an influence but this is also a very old game and the appeal of taking your sweet time at low level has faded for most of us. People on their 20th character tend to want to get to their comfort zone ASAP and in my opinion it's better to just let them.

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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Nevrus » Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:03 am

I, for one, do not even know what creatures count for this, except for minotaurs in Skal... Which can't be lassoed because they're large creatures!

If the turn-in NPC's had a sign near them with a list of wanted creatures I'd find it an interesting bit of gameplay to go do. Right now it's so information deprived that I wouldn't want to put the effort in to figure out what creatures to bring back.
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The Greater Good
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by The Greater Good » Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:05 am

If you try to turn in a lasso'd creature without having one lasso'd, it'll tell you what they're paying a bonus for at the time.
Monte Cook wrote:The idea here is that the game just gives the rules, and players figure out the ins and outs for themselves -- players are rewarded for achieving mastery of the rules and making good choices rather than poor ones.

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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Emotionaloverload » Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:25 am

I have found that the reason that lassoing has slowed was because more and more characters with creatures headed for the slaver were being stopped/pvped by goodly characters.

That said, I think it would help if the "on sale' slave options (when he is paying more for a certain type) were narrowed down a little to focus on popular spawn types instead of obscure ones.


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Gonagul
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Gonagul » Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:47 pm

Whoa, never knew about this-- do you turn them into the same npc's that collect heads? Or rather, is there at least some indicator like a wanted poster nearby? I'll have to poke around for this, it sounds fun!

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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Durvayas » Thu Jun 27, 2019 9:30 pm

Gonagul wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:47 pm
Whoa, never knew about this-- do you turn them into the same npc's that collect heads? Or rather, is there at least some indicator like a wanted poster nearby? I'll have to poke around for this, it sounds fun!
If you are in the UD, head to the slave pits under the west wheel. You'll find the auction house. Talk to the gentleman behind the counter.

And get yourself a lasso.
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Mythic » Thu Jun 27, 2019 9:41 pm

As somebody who has only started recently using this system, It's great. I think the rewards are fine, It turned a writ that gave 3000 Gold into a 4300 reward just for handing in the writ and a lasso'd creature.

If there was an "Improved" Lasso, that could be used for Giant creatures (Giants, Ogres) But not Dragons, and makes it easier to catch creatures, Like if they were at Badly Wounded vs Near Death. It might see more use?

I've had issues with summoned creatures staying away while I'm trying to Lasso. And problems myself by accidentally killing what I wanted to bring to near death to lasso.

Not sure what could be done to fix it, But I'll say the rewards are great. The adventure XP is aight' I guess. but giving the Xp you would get from killing it too would be nice. and could encourage more use of it.
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Beard Master Flex » Fri Jun 28, 2019 4:29 am

A bit of a higher threshold for capture would be nice I think.. I know I gave up on the system once my character got too powerful as the difference between Near Death and Death was too narrow a margin to reliably trigger. Upping it to Badly Wounded seems like it would be fine?

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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Invader_Nym » Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:46 am

I noticed a while back some of the more useful lasso points disappeared. The lasso point leading to the overpass near the Outpost in the underdark went away, and it was one of the coolest and most useful lasso spots in the game, in my opinion. Right now it seems to me the lasso system is sweet for racking up adventure xp, but not a whole lot else.

edit: oh, we're talking about the lasso as it relates to creature capture. Oh well, my point still stands and is I think sufficiently relevant. In regards to the op, the lassoing in the UD was awesome thematically and yeah, I haven't seen it in forever.

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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Sea Shanties » Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:16 pm

Beard Master Flex wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2019 4:29 am
A bit of a higher threshold for capture would be nice I think.. I know I gave up on the system once my character got too powerful as the difference between Near Death and Death was too narrow a margin to reliably trigger. Upping it to Badly Wounded seems like it would be fine?

*Flexes Barbarian Muscles.*
Or be able to use PVP subdual rules on monsters?

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Mythic
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by Mythic » Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:27 pm

Something like marking an enemy w/the lasso so when they get to a point or would Die, they get captured?
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Re: Lasso System Falling Into Disuse; Needs Improvement

Post by MissEvelyn » Sat Jun 29, 2019 12:05 am

I for one wish the Lasso system didn't feel so archaic and clunky.

I'd rather that we could simply activate the lasso by typing in -lasso (and naturally having the lasso in our inventory) and a check was automatically rolled when the creature hit Near Death or even just a single digit hit points. If the check succeeds, the creature is automatically captured and a message shows up that our character managed to capture it. If it fails, I guess the creature simply dies.

But having an automated system would play out so much smoother.


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