Soulshots in Aion

[Otium]

Originally Posted by Lennalf

I don't want to rent my power, I want to own it.

You pretty much said everything here. SS are nothing but a lame excuse to take money away from players since in the end, the difference will be none. If everyone uses SS, everyone will deal better damage. You mentioned some good money sinks and there are way more. I really hope NCsoft reads this topic, or at least Ayase...

[Ecronyte]

Originally Posted by Pancak3s

90% of those millions of players are chinese farmers!!!



looooooooooooooooooool!!!! more soulshot plz!!! me buy rice!!!

sad, little true, very funny.

Anyway. I think everyone has pretty much covered it.

We absolutely need money sinks. It would just be nice to see them implemented more subtly, or in such a way that they added to gameplay, or at very least made sense. Soulshots are ammo for your sword (or whatever weapon you use). It takes something that could be simple and straight forward, and makes it a hassle.

I would be much happier with a long cooldown, or something to that effect. So it isn't just a "stock up, and have them turned on all the time" thing. You would have to decide when to use them and when not to. Would at least make them a bit more interesting, and less of a given.

[Midgarsormr]

12 pages. Damn, you guys are impressive.

[Vosgy]

damn 12 pages well I won't read them all just say if it's something thats hard to get and make one person over all much better then another in PvP in what is going to be a PvPvE game (or RvR) this could really be a bad thing.

[Ayase]

Originally Posted by Otium

You pretty much said everything here. SS are nothing but a lame excuse to take money away from players since in the end, the difference will be none. If everyone uses SS, everyone will deal better damage. You mentioned some good money sinks and there are way more. I really hope NCsoft reads this topic, or at least Ayase...

Hey, who do you think I work for?

Aion does not have Soulshots as you may remember from Lineage II, but there is something with a similar effect - 'Power Shards'. I would just like to make it clear that they are not the same thing. I haven't experienced the game enough yet to see how this particular mechanic will eventually pan out, but I know that it's being balanced and tested in Korean beta right now.

A Power Shard is a consumable that gives a passive, static attack boost that does not grow linearly with your ordinary attack output as you level up. In other words, you are probably not going to see it affect combat as much as Soulshots did in Lineage II, and even less so on higher levels. It grants a smaller bonus that can easily be compensated by other things, such as foodstuff. The purpose is pretty much to give players more options in how they choose to play. Subject to Change (TM).

[BahamutKaiser]

Just as long as somebody doesn't try to pawn us rare consumables it is fine with me. Anyway, unless your buying them from a vendor, it's not a gold sink, when you buy it from another player, it is just a gold exchange.

[Gravity]

Originally Posted by Ayase

Hey, who do you think I work for?

Aion does not have Soulshots as you may remember from Lineage II, but there is something with a similar effect - 'Soulstones'. I would just like to make it clear that they are not the same thing. I haven't experienced the game enough yet to see how this particular mechanic will eventually pan out, but I know that it's being balanced and tested in Korean beta right now.

A Soulstone is a consumable that gives a passive, static attack boost that does not grow linearly with your ordinary attack output as you level up. In other words, you are probably not going to see it affect combat as much as Soulshots did in Lineage II, and even less so on higher levels. It grants a smaller bonus that can easily be compensated by other things, such as foodstuff. The purpose is pretty much to give players more options in how they choose to play. Subject to Change (TM).

I'm glad to see the damage given doesn't increase with levels, that's a very good thing. I don't hate them as much now. :x

[Haubix]

So the whole discussion is for nuts?
Then close plx

[Otium]

So, basically the damage boost is so low that we can consider this soulstones as a small help for the early times of our character? If this is what you meant, then it reallly means that the increasement of damage won't be noticeable on higher levels.

Good news... if I got it right.

[Gravity]

Originally Posted by Otium

So, basically the damage boost is so low that we can consider this soulstones as a small helps for the early times of our character? If this is what you meant, then it reallly means that the increasement of damage won't be noticeable on higher levels.

Good news... if I got it right.

Yea it is, but it also means Soulstones are /not/ a money sink, which doesn't really bother me.

[Endrance]

If they're really only a bit useful at lower lvls, make them only be usable at lower lvls plz. I don't want to keep buying such minor boost at higher levels. Stuff like that is annoying to perfectionists like me.
Also, I don't see how this opens more options of playstyles at all. And since it's no money sink... it seems to be the most unnecessary thing that's supposed to be implemented so far. Most of our suggestion cycle ideas seem more useful, seriously.
And how could it be compensated by food? Does that mean you can only use food or soulstones and not both at once?
Not judging anything, but like Ayase described it, this just seems to be a useless and potential annoying thing to me.

[Ayase]

Originally Posted by Endrance

If they're really only a bit useful at lower lvls, make them only be usable at lower lvls plz. I don't want to keep buying such minor boost at higher levels. Stuff like that is annoying to perfectionists like me.
Also, I don't see how this opens more options of playstyles at all. And since it's no money sink... it seems to be the most unnecessary thing that's supposed to be implemented so far. Most of our suggestion cycle ideas seem more useful, seriously.
And how could it be compensated by food? Does that mean you can only use food or soulstones and not both at once?
Not judging anything, but like Ayase described it, this just seems to be a useless and potential annoying thing to me.

Yes, you can use various foods and Power Shards at the same time, or just one of them, or neither. As a perfectionist, that should give you plenty to play around with!

[Celestin]

Allowing soul shots at a lower level, but not higher levels is a slippery slope. People will always complain about how they had them at lower levels and would like to continue to use them at higher levels. They will complain it breaks immersion or something because it doesn't make sense and so on and so forth. Better to be rid of them from the beginning.

Originally Posted by Endrance

If they're really only a bit useful at lower lvls, make them only be usable at lower lvls plz. I don't want to keep buying such minor boost at higher levels. Stuff like that is annoying to perfectionists like me.

Forgot to quote.

[Endrance]

Originally Posted by Ayase

Yes, you can use various foods and soulstones at the same time, or just one of them, or neither. As a perfectionist, that should give you plenty to play around with!

If you consider continuous and repetitive farming/buying, wasting your inventory spaces for a super-minor advantage fun as a perfectionist in competitive play... I guess you got the idea of being a perfectionist wrong.

But, do you know something about how long the soulstone buff is up? And how long the cooldown is so far? Or how many inventory spaces it takes to have enough of them with you for say... one hour of combat?

Originally Posted by Celestin

Allowing soul shots at a lower level, but not higher levels is a slippery slope. People will always complain about how they had them at lower levels and would like to continue to use them at higher levels. They will complain it breaks immersion or something because it doesn't make sense and so on and so forth. Better to be rid of them from the beginning.

I'm all for getting rid of them forever also, but since it seems like they're going to be implemented anyway, I at least don't want to have to carry them around with me forever. But yea, I know that won't work, I'm just kinda frustrated about that one. lol

[DSFARGEG]

As far as i remember soulshots were never a money sink for me in L2. Even on retail.
If you had a crafter dworf you could make your own, and sell some as well, and make some moniez by the same time.
In fact, if you don't have a dworf alt to craft your own SS/SPS and gear, it makes the whole thing a lot harder...