Rock to Stone XP - A critical look from a Root Cause Analysis perspective

[james]

Hi @DonBab

Thanks for the thread and trying to analyse the system.

@DonBab

Some players are abusing an exploit and gaining levels faster than intended.

This isn’t capturing the core issue precisely enough. We’ve not done a good job at explaining the issue - and when I re-read my attempted clarification I realised that even that wasn’t clear enough. So let me try again.

My original attempt:

@james

The aim was to restrict:

QuimbyBoundless:

You guys they should remove this?

The aim of XP is that all players can efficiently gain it at a consistent rate. But with the current configuration of XP on Rock -> Stone players can get an alt and take them up 40+ levels spending almost zero time playing with that alt. You shouldn’t be able to give XP to an alt like this.

Attempt number 2.

There are 2 exploits:

1. Players can collect rock, setup a crafting farm with Alt-1 - then Alt-2 does all the crafting. This means that Alt-2 can jump up many levels for minimal play time.

We have no problem with players collecting crafting XP when they have harvest materials. At the same time we have no issues with players sharing resources between their friends and alts. But I do think it’s an exploit to get a new alt to Level 50 in under 5 hours of play time. The exploit is that the alt-2 is levelling too fast.

2. Teaching Pies are supposed to boost XP for 30 minutes of activity. Queuing up 10 hours of crafting, taking a teaching pie, signing out for 12 hours, then returning means that the Teaching Pie is boosting XP for 10/12 hours - not 30 minutes.

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Additionally - these are exploits in the systems implemented by the game. The issue is with the game and it’s systems. The issue isn’t with players. Obviously players take advantage of weakness in any system they’re playing against. Players dodge shots from creatures. They heal themselves. They search for efficient mechanism to progress. This is all part of the game.

But these 2 exploits are beyond the design and balance of the systems. They’re not intended strategies and they’re exploiting weaknesses in the system. And I think they should be fixed.

Now as I said in my original response:

@james

All activities should reward XP. Ideally we would give XP for all craft actions and all actions in general.

If someone can come up with an alternative fix we’d happily implement an alternative.

Any cunning ideas that allow us to limit the 11m+ XP gain whilst allowing XP for all actions??

I would be delighted to find a solution where XP is rewarded for all activity including crafting wood and stone. But is resistant to the above exploits.

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Finally - any suggestion that this is solely about getting players to buy more Cubits is incorrect.