Age System Consideration

[Exodus]

As I read more posts, I think I have a different way of looking at it.

UO Freeshards are a risky business. One day things are fine and the next, you've dropped fifty places on the top 100 and wonder what happened. A shard needs new players to join and for those players to stay. This creates more votes, retains a top spot, and the community will flourish. Here are the benefits I see to the age system.

New players feel they are given an incentive to start here instead of X shard. Age system starts you out stronger and more capable of getting into interesting content right away.

The rejuvenation potions, being obtainable, create another form of currency that could replace organics. The decaying bonus system ensures there will always be a market for rejuvenation potions. New players can farm them for gold/tokens/organics/pets/whatever knowing that there will always be a market for the items with players who have played a while.

The argument that I don't get is about avoiding the negative consequences. None of us will see a negative bonus until a real life year after the system goes in. Until then, you will be at least as strong as you are now statwise. This also creates a buffer to allow enough of the potions to get into the economy that nobody will have to suffer a doom and gloom situation.

So I see benefits to garnering new players, benefits to the economy, and very little detriment that may come to players in the summer of 2014 if they don't participate in any of the new item economy in the meantime (while benefiting from it for the next 12 months)

[Nia Atei]

I'm old enough in real life - I'm not particularly interested in aging in game. I'm also not much of a fighter. That being said - if the potions aren't any harder to come by than organics, I don't think it will cause me a major hardship if the system is implemented. Even I can handle trolls and ettins. I've never attempted a champ, though.

A few questions for clarification. If someone never uses the potions, can they die of old age, or does aging stop when the bonus vanishes? The aging will never effect my current stats, right? I won't become so weak or mentally addled that I can't play the game effectively? It IS only a bonus we are talking about? If this is the case, I don't care enough to complain - but I am also a player that hasn't bothered to max any skill or stat. I think with jewelry, my highest skill is only about 113.

I've never been terribly interested in becoming an "uber" fighter. And frankly, the more complicated a game gets, the less I want to play it. I play for relaxation, and to give my brain a break after work. Also, I wasn't drawn to WP for the customs. Many shards with custom objects and systems do them badly. What attracted me initially is that it is a PVE shard where I don't have to be worried about being "ganked" by "reds". What impressed me enough to call it home are the friendly, helpful players and staff. Without those factors, I wouldn't be here, and an aging system wouldn't influence me to join or stay.

However, I have played on shards where it was possible to milk my cows, get eggs from my chickens, and plant my own harvestable fruits and vegetables. That was awesome, and I'd love to be able to do those things here.

[GhostRiderGrey]

Just gonna jump in here to clarify some misconceptions:

The age system has never been tied to collecting organics. It has zero to do with organics. Not sure where this idea came from.

The age system will not cause you to die. Not sure where this idea came from either.

There will be at least two ways to get the rejuvenation potions, and at least one of those ways will not involve fighting anything. Crafters need not be worried about this.

Worry has also been expressed about how the bonuses will effect you if you do nothing and just let your character age. Lets look at that.

At age 18, you get bonuses of +7 STR, +13 DEX and + 5 INT

At age 42, your bonuses are +10 STR, +0 DEX and +12 INT <-- 1 full year on the shard

At age 43, your bonuses are +9 STR, -1 DEX and +12 INT <--- First age a bonus goes below zero

At age 66, your bonuses are +0 STR, -5 DEX and +7 INT <--- 2 full years on the shard, having never eaten a Rejuvenation Potion

At age 90, your bonuses are -3 STR, -8 DEX and +1 INT <--- 3 full years on the shard, having never eaten a Rejuvenation Potion

At age 114, your bonuses are -5 STR, -9 DEX and -1 INT <--- 4 full years on the shard, having never eaten a Rejuvenation Potion

So here we can see that 4 earth years from now, if you did absolutely nothing regarding the age system, the worst you would see was -5 STR, -9 DEX and -1 INT.

As I mentioned in the opening post,

They [the rejuvenation potions] would be available in a relatively easy manner to acquire.

Those who have been here a while should know, I am not a "tricky" owner. Neither I nor staff try to trick players. WP does not and has not functioned like that.

Hope this clears up some things and sheds light on the stat bonuses.

GhostRiderGrey

[KawKawKaw]

Thanks for the clarification Ghost. Pushes me from the agnostic column (don't really have a clear opinion) to not hoping the shard goes this route at all.

I have max stats (via donation reward) and while I wouldn't mind a few extra bonuses being the 'right age' I certainly wouldn't entertain the desire for any possible reduction in my numbers. I have the ability and tendency to do that with a great deal of flair, I do not need an age system helping me with that in any way.

At best this is a distraction and perhaps nothing more than a nuance.

Exodus, I don't buy the idea that there is any significant value to new players having a jump 'stat' start. This shard has a wonderful quick start setup and I do not see having extra stats off the get to that much of a benefit. There are skills to train up and items to secure and those stats will grow just fine without a starting stat bump from an age system.

Overall I see more negatives than positives. Is it gonna make me bail? not a chance. Would it make me stay? again not a chance. But I do think that it actually would inhibited new people sticking around more than keeping them engaged. It would be interesting to know the percentage of folks here today that are X OSI players. I'd guess that they are the majority by a good margin. If that is true they are looking to re-experience their old glory days and while having new and different content adds to that experience, the age system doesn't sound to me like a draw at all. Being able to get going quickly (as you can today) is.

Ghost, its your shard my friend, I support you regardless of your decision, but in my opinion you and your staff would be better served focusing your efforts elsewhere.

Warmest Love and adoration,
Kaw...

[Forgepriest]

Hi ....

Illuvata ... the potions is not linked to Organics ..... i use Organics as an exemple .....

Serena ... If you read my first post ... you will see that this is one of the reasons i am agains't off ....

Kaw .... i like your words ..... i feel the same way ..... And i will add what Nia say .... there are a lots of ohter custom things that i wuold like too ... as the "L" shap for stairs, Cow Milk, Eggs, another things that made this game so good .... than this ....

Anyway .... i couldn't agree more with you ....



Good day to you all!

Ps: Ghost ... in my first post i use organics as an exemple and create the question about age death ..... but it was a dout .... i don't say it is be like this ... anyway sorry .....

Forgepriest

[Nia Atei]

Oh, I understood that the aging system has nothing to do with organics. I was only saying that if the rejuvenation potions were looted off of spawn, it wouldn't be too bad if they are found on easier mobs like trolls and ettins - the way that organics are. I'm wimpy and I don't do hard mobs, lol.

However, I agree with Kaw. I don't really want any chance of losing stats. If it were just a bonus, fine. I don't care about not having a bonus. But I don't want to lose what I have. Especially because dex is already my lowest stat!

I also agree that this system would be a totally unnecessary complication of the game - which I keep returning to as an ESCAPE from the current complicated games out there today. As a relatively new player to WP (who stinks at fighting), I found starting here to be very quick and painless. Skills and stats are quickly and easily raised, staff and players are helpful, and it is very easy and lucrative to farm organics. I don't really see any benefit to the aging system.

So, like Kaw said, Ghost, I'm not thrilled by the idea - but it is up to you. It isn't something I'd leave over, but I can't imagine anyone being excited enough over an aging system to actually join a server to try it out.

[Exodus]

I can see that the consensus is that the system is not desired. I have done some research on the development of the age code and it does allow for some really interesting ideas. For example, its been used to introduce a hair/beard growing and color changing system based on your account age... thats kinda cool. Some places have used it with other bonuses that add slightly to your stats over a long period of time, like a vet bonus. Others have taken it to extreme levels and introduced family trees and genetically reproducing from two players (heh..). Anyways, maybe in it's current state the playerbase has reservations, but it could be some interesting code that opens up options for the future. Maybe everyone can compromise.

[davish]

I kind of like the ageing idea but I don't like it either. The reason I like it is that it could change the colour of hair and facial hair growth and some other stuff like that. The reasons that I am against it are pretty much summed up by the other people. An idea is that you actually put the ageing process in there, but make it an optional thing for players. If player's like the idea they can choose to take the ageing process and if they don't they don't have to. And if a player who doesn't want the ageing process changes their mind they can start the ageing process if they want to.

Thanks for reading

Davish

[Bree Darkmane]

I would have to say I do not like this age system idea.

I am not a fighter as many of you know. I am not a fulltime player either. I play a crafter who loves to mine, chop trees, pick cotton and grow plants. I can kill sheep, cows, ettins and trolls, but not much else, and certainly nothing with magic. I am happy with the simple life I have on WP, don't make it worse by adding age.

I have a real life, I go to college (which isn't easy at 61) and I am trying to take care of my elderly parents. I play UO to escape from real life, to enjoy myself and do what I love to do, without a lot of grief or hassles. I DO NOT want to have to worry about how old I am each time I log on, or how difficult or expensive it may be to obtain the potion necessary to keep me young. I just want to play.

Just leave my character alone and let me play as I am doing. That is the one thing I really really love about WP. I don't have to conform to someone elses idea of gameplay.

Thank you.

Bree Darkmane

[keglevich]

Where my character is at the moment, without changing my gear, is comfortable. I can certainly get better stats but don't really see the need. I use my steel to kill just about everything I need to so 150 Taming skill (with jewelry) and 120 in other fighting skills sees me through well enough. Like some other players I don't fully utilise my potential and have maxed out these skills from just playing the game. At the moment I am getting a few trade skills to max and doing some quests to keep me occupied. One of these days I will have all skills maxed but frankly, I get more enjoyment from chatting to friends and joining in on group activities. I have been known to just sit and chat to someone for like hours at a time and not be concerned that I should be raising skills or killing stuff just to hoard resources I may never use. If you look through my house you will not see arties scattered all over the place unless they were gifts or just inexpensive off a vendor. I don't hoard things any more. So after my ramblings I will say that the age system will not change what i do in the least unless my steel starts to show signs of old age and loses his performance allowing me to get killed LOL.(and yes I know the age thing is for players not pets). I try not to fence sit but it's such a trivial thing that does not concern my play style that I just neither like it or hate it.