Perception is reality

My hat is off to Ann GM for acknowledging that even Delta Tao is human, and makes mistakes.

Helpful GM wrote on the newsgroup:

The complaint is that green noid "to-hit" (whether balance or defense) went way up in v185. The folks who were on the cusp make it sound like it went WAY up.

And, I personally experienced this on my test. I went from almost passing, to getting my ass kicked. Conny had the same problem too. Other friends of ours observed that in the noid cave itself, Green noids were much stronger. But, Joe finally stepped in, and told us the real story:

I just checked, and Green Arachnoids did not change in v183 or v185.

And I never did the "remove overswinging" trick on them -- they still
have zero Dethus training. They are, as they always have been,
extremely easy to hit after they swing.

In other words, I think these folks are hallucinating or got unlucky.

Someone made this comment in the newsgroup

And as far as green noids go, it sure seems like they got more atkus this past update. GWs too. I have seen more than a few green noids tearing up 4th circle fighters that should be able to brick them.

Joe responded curtly with

Wraiths and Noids haven't changed. My hunch is that somebody got unlucky with luck hits and started a rumor.

After the next Clan Lord update, green noids went back to what they were before the update. Of course, a lot of players in the newsgroup chimed in that people who were complaining were just unlucky whiners too. Remember, it's easy to dismiss the stupid players, after all, what do they know?

Conny and I were convinced that some GM dicked with the green noids, forgetting entirely that it was on the test, and when it was discovered, it got set back. In typical Delta Tao fashion, though, they'd never admit they did it, that they screwed up, and they'd just tell the players they are imagining things.

But, for once, Ann GM made an effort to acknowledge that Delta Tao might just slip up once in awhile. She wrote

Green Arachnoids got more coins in v177, and had other stats changed in v183 by someone who didn't realize they were on the fighter test. They were made harder in some ways and easier in others. They've now changed back to how they were in v181.

Nobody lied on purpose. It's a big world, and harder than you'd expect to keep track of every interrelated detail. Not remembering something changed, not looking at the right information to see it, is a mistake, but there was no deception intended by anyone who responded here before.

If you squint really, really hard, it almost says "we're sorry." At least it's a start in the right direction. I appreciate the candor, since they didn't have to fess up. This is a new thing for Delta Tao, admitting that "mistakes were made." It's a good thing.

But, maybe, just maybe, someone at Delta Tao will realize that endless dicking with existing creatures often has subtle and unforeseen consequences, to use Helpful GMs favorite expression. Maybe the GMs who are trying to make Clan Lord a better game should stop the endless and pointless number twiddling of things which aren't broken, and get to work on actually extending the game with new content and new choices for players. I know that's a lot harder to do, but what other choices are there? Constantly making everything stronger to keep up with advancing players?

After a creature has been in the lands for a period of 2 months, which allows for plenty of adjustment, don't change it again. If players get stronger, and can finally master that creature, that's what's supposed to happen. Perhaps the GM that "forgot" green noids are in the fighter test has also forgotten that players are supposed to get stronger over time.

Stop diddling with old stuff, get busy on new stuff. Diddling with old stuff is nothing but trouble, rarely improves anything, and shows disrespect for players who invest hours upon hours trying to adapt and understand the Clan Lord world as they experience it. When the rules of the world suddenly change, it's a total slap in the face for the player base, and often totally devalues the time they've sunk into the game.
posted 12:44 AM | link |