Exp changes on Test

[Yueh]

Is anyone playing with the exp changes on test per chance? Enquiring minds wanna know what they changed and how they are going to accomplish it. Seems the only way to both adjust the curve and not change people's level, they will have to actually modify the raw number of experience points each post 50 character has. I find it hard to believe that is going to happen.

[Bartok]

Um, what did they actually do to eliminate the pre-50 hell levels? I never did hear if anyone looked into it, and I never had the time to try to figure it out. I'd assume they'd do something similar for the post-50 hell levels, but then again I don't think anyone can figure out what Verant's thinking all the time. ;)

[high_jeeves]

Search the forums, there were a number of long discussions last time they did this. They will adjust your raw number so that you have the same xx/330 through the same level as before.

--Jeeves

[Yueh]

Very good point, and this thread pretty much hashes it out ad infinitum. Hadn't thought to search for hell level :)

http://seq.sourceforge.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=675

[S_B_R]

I'd say the best part about this change is when it comes to XP loss from death in post-hell-levels, i.e. 55 and 60.

[Yueh]

I did a little number crunching with the links provided in the other thread. Looks like all they did with the 30-50 exp change was do a third order curve fit on the exp curve.

I threw together a 3rd order fit of the 50-60 curve and looked at the deltas. If you assume that they fit the data all the way THROUGH 60 such that 60 gets harder allong with 59 getting easier, a couple interesting spots appear. One obvious one is for people who just dinged 60. They loose a whopping 12million exp points to fit the new curve. That's almost everyone in the AA grind. Time to start power leveling yourself through 60 just in case they add levels above 60. The sweet spots are, probably obviously, people who just dinged 59 gain 5mil and people who just dinged 54 gain 3mil. If you just dinged 52 though, you loose 3mil :(

Needless to say, this is all making assumptions that they fit the curve the same way this time and that they manipulate the curve all the way through 60 and not just up to it. And that the endpoints are what I assumed and... yada yada yada

At the very least it was a good math refresher :D

The Data: (EXP change is the adjustment you would receive if you just reached the END of the level in the first column)

Level Total_Cum_EXP EXP_for_Level EXP_change

50 160163370 13654459 2,663,370
51 175833252 15669882 -3,245,598
52 199659216 23825963 -2,816,304
53 231012925 31353709 3,231,116
54 269266044 38253118 2,604
55 313790236 44524192 -658,513
56 363957165 50166929 432,047
57 419138496 55181330 2,454,246
58 478705891 59567395 4,583,731
59 542031015 63325123 -12,492,285
60 608485532 66454516 5,845,532

Edit: Apparently tabs are bad :)

[high_jeeves]

And, none of it really matters, since the raw XP value is only useful when related to the points at which the level is gained/lost... the raw number changes, but the net effect isnt major. (It may be to small percentage of people, but overall, it helps more than it hurts).

--Jeeves

[Yueh]

Not really true, if you lose raw exp points, you have to generate that many more kills to get through 60 than the other guy. And, assuming my numbers are even close, you will lose the equivalent of a yellow bubble of 59 if you just dinged 60 when the change happens. That's somewhat significant! Course, like I said. It's all just a math exercise until someone gives us some hard numbers from test.

[high_jeeves]

Its all a matter of perspective, some people will take a "raw" exp loss, but the overall impact on the game will be good. And the people that KNOW they took a raw XP loss will be < 1%. Its just like when they remove overpowered items from the game (manastone for example), sure it sucks for some people, but is good for the game as a whole.. those people just have to take one for the team :)

Unfortunately, there is no way for them to refit the curve with doing one of three things:

1) Moving most people closer to 60 (and those people know it, because their level/xp bar changes)
2) Moving most people farther from 60 (and those people know it, because their level/xp bar changes)
3) Moving some people closer, and some farther away (and nobody knows the difference without using ShowEQ).

I think they picked the best option.

--Jeeves

[Yueh]

Absolutely true, but that won't stop anyone who's been sitting just into 60 from going 100% normal exp for a week before the change hits ;) Or, for that matter, those of us sitting just into 54 from slacking off for a week :) It may only be a percent but hey, it's a percent :) I still wonder at how much people will pay for 50 extra hitpoints in a given slot! It's all relative.

[RSB]

I agree with high_jeeves in a way. Its a good thing over all I just don't like it when they lie and say no one is adversely affected by the change.

[Mr Guy]

Well RSB, in theory no one is really harmed much at all.

Random number (in millions) example:

Exp needed to get to a level:
Old:
50: 5
51: 10
52: 15
53: 20
54: 30

Hell level occurs because you need 30m to get to 54, which is twice as much more as the previous level, making 53 a "hell" level.

Adjusted:

50: 5
51:11
52: 17
53: 23
54: 30

By evening it out, all levels get a little worse, but there is no sudden jump. Now no one will really "pay" the full penalty. While there was a 2m shift, it's balance between the people shifting up and down.
IE You are 50% into 51. Old numbers you have 12.5m now you have 15m.

Practically: If it took 100 kills to get through 51 solo before, you had made 50. Now it takes 120 and you've made 60 worth of them. You have to make an additional 5 kills to make up the difference.

Yes, you have more work to do, but it's not worth getting outraged about. In my random numbered example, people who just dinged into a hell level still have farthest to go, but it's not as far as they would have had to go before.