The Forum

[quote="ADEPT"]After watching Matty's video yesterday and agreeing with pretty much everything he said, i wanted to make a mega thread with how i think Soma can be saved. Sorry in advance it's gonna be a long one, so grab a brew or come back to it on your lunchbreak Myself, i have just had a kid - i can no longer pump the hours in to Soma like i used to, and i currently struggle to log on because i just feel there's nothing to do at endgame, PVP is currently toxic as heck ... and the upgrade system / lack of end game PVE on mobs just has no consistency to it. [b]Issues / current situation[/b] - We have both casual players and hardcore players on the server or previously quit that would potentially return - No reward for PVP kills which i believe makes the PVP toxic and purely for street cred - No end game content at all, no reason to log on when capped as you can't gain anything by getting a PVP kill and you have a small chance of any loot from bosses. Currently i believe people are grinding spiders and vafers for fragments (which was my idea and put in by Dan a while ago so i am glad it's the one thing PVE'rs have currently - Upgrade system is too relentless, it's too risky to try and upgrade Val weapons without making backups due to the time it takes to get the val weapons and upgrades - Time required to gain anything worthwhile doesn't work with the time available to 90% of the community With the above said, the below improvements can be done with minimal GM work (no coding by finito required to add the below) and i fully believe it will make the game rewarding for the casuals that may only have an hour per day, but also still viable for the hardcore players to be happy too. [b]Leveling process[/b] - As Matty stated, we need CON rates to be massively reduced so new players are not stuck in time for too long, make it a 6 hour thing by speeding up CON rates / same for healing - Copy and paste any map in the game (no new mapwork required) and delete all mob spawns on it, use the Pinned discord leveling guide to add spawns to the map for mages and melee and make it so PK is turned off. - Due to no PVP in this map, keep the leveling rates 3x as they are in the normal maps, but half the drop rates. This means i can level a new character in the PVP world and get 3x drops as it is today, but if i am getting hassled i can simply TP and go to the safe map and still level just as fast, but my 1k barr drop is now 500, and my average of 3 rubies per hunt is now 1.5 (this will mean nobody can just grief new players or players of the opposite guild alliance) [b]Upgrade process[/b] With the current upgrade items in game, you have a +1 tablet and a +2 tablet, i would say at this stage make all +1 tablets (RDT / delight tablet etc) 80% fixed at the anvil, this means that new players / low geared players can get a much higher chance of a juicy +8 item but only half the potency of the greater newer tablets. Also make all +2 tablets upgrade at 50% regardless of item level at the anvil +1 tablets will then be used to make +8 items for newer players but are also still needed for fragments to make double tabs. [b]PVP changes to make it rewarding[/b] Back in the day before this server was alive, a server was created where PK kills on the same faction (Human killing a human or devil killing a devil via PK) would also give POS just like RVR kills do currently - MAKE THIS HAPPEN. This means that you will gain and lose POS for getting PK kills, safe maps exist also so there is a get out for anyone that doesn't want to be a part of this - but PVP games need a reward for getting kills, you need to log on and see progress, this is the way you do it on a game like Soma. [b]Level 135 end game map[/b] Add a map to the game, again copy and paste any map you wish - and have a gatekeeper only spawn you in if you are level 135. - Map has different types of mob spawns that all give 1 pos per kill, for example Vafers / Spiders / Edler mags etc - PVP is enabled here - and your gaining 1 pos per mob kill (This is a simple EVT change in the server to make this happen) and you all of a sudden have a POS economy with a risk added to it that you could get killed - Juice up the drops on this map slightly to make it feel worth the risk, a long with the POS per kill , you would see end game content as you are constantly farming POS to use in the POS shop a long with your fragments / delight tabs / barru and everything else that shines in the lands of soma. [b]POS shop[/b] Now that we have a way of gaining POS from PVE and PVP we need to make it worth something, just like in the castle you have Val weps, i would like to see a shop added where you can trade POS for items (Think of the daily mark vendor) - 1000 pos can be handed in for 50 valor. With the above i can PVE or PVP - whatever content i fancy for that day, i can be gaining POS and returning it in at the shop for Valor to attempt my next Val wep roll, or down if i get PK'd but thats the risk i have chosen. [b] GM rewards[/b] Donation shop for item's like double exp potions didn't work as it could be refunded and bought in large quantities, however i would like to say if the above changes were made i think the GM's incentive would be that they could be proud that they have revived soma with a much higher usercount than we have today, but also i think they should think a bout a little QOL shop that would generate them a little income. [b]1 time buys from the shop could include:[/b] - £10 for Hearthstone to Bottom of Conti (TP but doesn't have charges and lasts forever - has a 30 minute cooldown) - £10 for Hearthstone to D3 - £10 for a Hearthstone to VOD portal - £25 bundle pack to get all 3 Things like the above are QOL products that have no special advantages but i am sure that most people would purchase these types of things, and generate decent revenue to maintain the server, especially if we can get the UC booming. [b]Other QOL changes[/b] - Just like on Dsoma, i think its time that Hsoma had a special repair as standard at the blacksmith, no modern games that i play have items lose durability on repair, it's outdated and just a pain in the arse for new players. Instead reward high skilled crafters with bigger bonuses on the High end armour / weapon crafts for attack / defence and durability - Barr auction house, this was a great idea on Matty's video and i think that if i had a +4 sword i no longer need, can just bang it on for 500k and anyone that wants it can grab it. Would still advertise it on the forum with no need for the "when you online?" - Reduce pot delay to help the balance of the high DPS on the new weapons This is so much content, without too much work needed to be done from the GM's (just a little time needs to be put aside to add this to the game) however i believe it would bring back many players and also give the current player base something new to strive towards, the game just doesn't end at 135 like it does today. It could be released behind some hyped expansion, just like we had for Nega / Trials of Valour etc - without any need for new skins / new maps etc, it would be getting Soma to a much better space. Yes we still need balancing. Yes we need a community that can police the cheaters - but with more at risk i am sure we would see less botters and cheaters as a perma ban would mean they have to start from scratch! I am sure that most of you will have additions to the list, so pop then on here and i can edit this post and keep it all in once place, or if you have though of issues with my suggestions but ways to fix it again let me know. Thoughts? [/quote]

[quote="OPENTHEDOOR"]Asking GM’s who have maybe spent a combined ~10 hours on soma in the last 12 months to make any serious and game changing/reviving patches. Matty and you have spent longer making these than they have game time in ~ 3 months. The only way soma really improves from what there is now 1) GM’s accept they need help / taken as far as it can go 2) a go fund me or something like that to “buy” a day or two days or a week of dev time for Finito / isylver / someone to do a patch[/quote]

[quote="MIKELOWREY"]All great ideas and mostly easy to implement.[/quote]

[quote="ADEPT"][quote="OPENTHEDOOR"]Asking GM’s who have maybe spent a combined ~10 hours on soma in the last 12 months to make any serious and game changing/reviving patches. Matty and you have spent longer making these than they have game time in ~ 3 months. The only way soma really improves from what there is now 1) GM’s accept they need help / taken as far as it can go 2) a go fund me or something like that to “buy” a day or two days or a week of dev time for Finito / isylver / someone to do a patch[/quote] I don't dispute any of that OTD, i agree that the GMs have not been very active and thats worrying for the longevity of the server, but thats not what this post is really about. This post is more intended for "if Dan and Fin find the time to spend a few hours on a new expansion or a go fund me is sorted" then what are the best and most needed changes for time required to implement. Cheers Mr Lowrey <3 hope you are doing good mate![/quote]

[quote="MATTY"]Nothing changes until something changes unfortunately [/quote]

[quote="LUP2SCUS"]pointless moaning about the mechanics of the game and op this and op that... they can't be taken away or rebalanced.. its all gone too far biggest problem here is player cheating: fast con yes fast healing or int to 100 without gaining any xp yes faster crafting with loads more mats for sale and no cap of 450 whatever it is... yes then server rewind, back to slow rates, for levelling.. everyone has to do their own crafting and upgrading and all upgraded items are character/soulbound to the person that made them.. only items tradeable are none upgraded stuff max lev 100 maybe with shak weps or lev 120 with nega weps.... and then gm's see if they wana take things further oh and open the donation store with scrolls/tp's etc as described above Sounds like an easy fix, guaranteed uc increase and a new start [/quote]

[quote="MIKELOWREY"]Lupi I think it’s pretty safe to say you’re literally the only person who wants to make the game more grindy.[/quote]

[quote="3D"]The most egregious stuff - the time taken to progress items and the unwillingness to try upgrading because replacements are too hard to get - could be fixed in hardly any time with simple database changes. No need for ghost (although personally I agree that ghost is the best solution), no need for added grind to 250 craft skill with a fix that doesn't come close to solving the actual problem. Have the stuff drop ingame from regular mobs, like Soma always did. A simple, quick fix that solves one of the biggest issues driving people away. Bosses have guaranteed drops, regular mobs have a small chance of good drops. It's really simple and worked for years. It's obviously a 'design' choice at this stage though, given the amount of work put in elsewhere since it became the main problem driving players away. Agree with most of your points. As said though, anything taking serious time/effort likely will never happen now.[/quote]

[quote="LUP2SCUS"][quote="MIKELOWREY"]Lupi I think it’s pretty safe to say you’re literally the only person who wants to make the game more grindy.[/quote] a new start to the game ..yes, it would probably involve some grind.. even you would know that? maybe [/quote]

[quote="RAVENSOUL"]Just to add to what you’ve said 3D about guaranteed drops, personally they should have always been like that. Each category in the drop files.... Tabs - one should always drop Gems - one should always drop Weapons - one should always drop Armour - one piece should always drop ( all armours should be unisex) Accessories - one should always drop Upgrades - one should always drop Etc etc if I’ve forgotten any other categories. You shouldn’t have to pray rng is going to play nice, it should be guaranteed from bosses, time invested versus reward it’s the basic principle of gaming.[/quote]

[quote="GULAG"]This is spot on and should be easy for gms to add. Level 135 end game map: ^ love this critical to make sure immune pots do not work on this map. High risk high reward [/quote]

[quote="MET"]Don't agree with the duping of maps for safe/no safe zones. Immunity pots exist, use them. This is already a small enough community, no need for it to be split further. [/quote]