Since we've gotten into a lot of back and forth about a very few number of ideas, I'm going to try and succinctly state what the arguments for and against a pwipe thus far have been.
Everyone seems to be in agreement with this statement:
Pwipe requires a lot of change to be justified.
Some things that have been stated as justifications warranting a pwipe include:- xp rates unified
- crafter guild implemented
- enchanter/tinker guild changed/removed
- buffer return
The implication here is that if the way players interact with the system in terms of experience gain is significantly altered there should be a reset of players in order to establish a baseline for all players to begin experience gain again. By this reasoning, a baseline is only important once it has been established that there is an accepted system of advancement from baseline to any given point.
The arguments against a pwipe include that those who play enough to advance in an untimely fashion will advance faster than others anyway, returning Darke to the unhappy-but-familiar state of equilibrium it currently inhabits. This reasoning begs the question "What is an acceptable rate of ascent?" The administration needs player input on this topic to make any reasonable estimate, as it is the players who spend the most time playing the game.
To all of those who are against a pwipe currently: Would you be amicable to a pwipe AFTER a new rate of xp advancement has been established AND tested AND implemented along with any other major changes, just so they can be experienced for a while? Or is there something intrisically flawed about resetting the playing field period?
If there is something that leaves a bad taste in your mouth about the word pwipe alone, regardless of circumstances, what is that something? Is it that time and effort will be lost, or that players who have leveled in obsolete systems are so few that they make no difference to the playerbase on the whole, or that drastic change isn't what's needed if we have a steady influx of newness? Or something else entirely?
This topic is extremely helpful to us as we work toward making Darke a better place - thank you all for keeping the fires burning.
