NPCs challenge ratings - Resources distribution


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    Hi everybody, plz excuse me if this has already been asked!
    I was wandering if NPCs/mobs will be assigned to different geographical zones according to their challenge rating, something like in WoW (more or less).

    Personally I don't like such a choice very much: sure, it can help with the game progression of casual players and make the learning curve less steep, but it can also be a problem for the game longevity, in my opinion.
    If we look at the overmentioned WoW, at max level there is almost no need, nor any point in returning to the starting zones anymore. One could go to Elwynn Forest (specifically Stormwind) to use the bank, the auction house or to meet with friends, but that's pretty much all there is to do (except for some rare quest). Since the NPCs are so weak, they cannot give any meaningful reward to the player, nor provide any challenge.
    I think it would be more interesting to explore a world where weak and strong monsters coexist; it'd also be more challenging and fun: you could go exploring the woods near the starting point, but if you wander too far, or if you have the bad luck to take the wrong path, you could encounter a dangerous wyvern instead of a timid deer, for example.

    I think this reasoning could also apply to the rarity/distribution of reasources: if we keep WoW as an example, low level resources are usually found in low level zones, and the other way around. At max level there is no need to return to the starting areas to collect resources anymore (since stronger recipes often don't require low level materials/reagents), and it would not be challenging in any way. And once again this kills entire zones of the game world.
    I also feel that the placement of resources (especially the rarest ones) should be somewhat random, not allocated to geographically fixed spawning nodes (this could discourage the use of tracking add-ons or the creation of wiki-pages with the precise locations of specific plants, minerals etc).
    Sorry for the lenght of the post! 🙂


  • Wiki Editor

    I would imagine most mobs would be assigned to biomes with closest "zones" to the starting area having the weakest mobs and as you venture further out, you'd come across stronger mobs. I also would think you'd find something like deer, rabbits, and other common animals regardless of difficulty of a given area.

    How challenging an NPC/mob is would likely be expressed as how many hit points, how armored (dmg mitigation) they are, and how much power (how many attacks they can potentially make) they have. The exact mechanics of these I don't know so just used some generic terms.

    Resources are also likely biome specific so trees and rocks are probably found in most of them. I do recall mention of some resources being not only planet-specific, but region-specific on the planet.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    we don't have levels, so that's pretty impossible. However, you'll usually see slow moving mobs closer to spawn point and faster moving mobs further away. This is just something I've noticed playing games for 20+ years.

    mobs will drop resources so you may have to venture somewhere to get that one ingredient you need.


  • Wiki Editor

    Levels are only one way to express challenge. Mobs can have varying degrees of toughness, life, evasion, accuracy; abilities like poison, bleed, stun; and cooperative abilities so they might call for help, travel in packs, etc.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    @kellewic said in NPCs challenge ratings - Resources distribution:

    Levels are only one way to express challenge. Mobs can have varying degrees of toughness, life, evasion, accuracy; abilities like poison, bleed, stun; and cooperative abilities so they might call for help, travel in packs, etc.

    Yeah, in fact I'm non talking about "levels", I'm talking about global difficulty, something like challenge rating.
    My point is, if you create world zones where you can leisurely stroll around because mobs are too weak (and don't give any meaningful reward) and if in said zones you could just find common/low value/low utility resources, no one would go there after "powering-up" -> just like it happens in conventional MMORPGs.

    Here in Fractured, it seems that the very concept of classic leveling is being challenged, and maybe the usual distribution of NPCs according to varying degrees of difficulty (to match players' progression) and of resources according to their "rarity" and usefulness can be too.

    Sry if I'm not making myself clear, english is not my first language, as you can see 🙂


  • Wiki Editor

    @SunLion sorry, I should have tagged @jetah in that last response (was in a hurry)

    I get what you're saying and I bet your English is far better than my any other language 🙂

    My guess is how challenging a mob is will be based on things like how many hit points it has, how evasive it is, how armored (tough), etc. For example, a goblin is likely not as challenging as say a troll or ogre. But goblins may come in multiples so they could be as challenging.

    One game I've been playing because the mechanics interest me is Project Gorgon (graphics and UI aren't pretty at all, but the mechanics I like). The mobs don't have levels but have hit points, armor, power, and maybe some special thing like "Can't be knocked back". The first three zones in the game are for levels 1-30 (player skills have levels, but players don't) and so has a variety of mob ratings.

    Resources in that game are somewhat progressive but higher level recipes often need lower level resources so there is still demand if you're a crafter for those resources. Money is also limited since vendors have limited funds and they don't just buy anything (some vendors do). You can raise your "faction" with the vendors so their money pool gets bigger, but it's still finite.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    @kellewic
    I suspect the NPC's will start with 1 ability then scale up to 8. Raid bosses might have access to more. HP, armor and resist/immunity will scale too. That's generally how it works in MMOs.


  • TF#12 - PEOPLE'S HERALD

    @kellewic said in NPCs challenge ratings - Resources distribution:

    One game I've been playing because the mechanics interest me is Project Gorgon

    I'll give it a try! Thanks a lot 🙂


  • TF#4 - EMISSARY

    I think everything and anything is biome specific. So even starting zones have some replayability to venture off and re-explore. Kinda like Don't Starve?


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