​[Suggestion] Better Skill Book Development System and PVP Rewards

[Seraphiel]

Apparently, WEBZEN prefers to implement a new idea if it 1) produces RNG results for continuous profitability, and 2) can be an item purchased from the Cash Shop. We made several suggestions to improve the current Skill Book system, and we haven't seen any change except that they hold dimensional bosses events more frequently than before.

Dimensional event has a low chance of giving out desired skill books, and it requires from players to consume a lot of resources especially Artisan Crystals which has other important uses i.e. crafting. So, I suggest to add an item called Skill Book Enhancer (SBE for short) as an alternative option to get desired books in exchange for real money for those who want to get it faster. Although I'm not supporting Pay-2-Win features of this game, I'd like this item to be also obtainable in PVE as well as PVP.

Skill Book Enhancer (SBE) will function in a similar way to equipment enhancers. To get this SBE, you'll either need to buy it from the cash shop from Platinum Chest, or destroy skill books to get Skill Book Fragments (SKF) that when combined in a certain amount, you get SBE. The amount of SKFs resulted from destroying skill books differs according skill book grade destroyed in the process. To get one SBE, you'll need to combine 100 fragments of skill book. Below is the suggested amount of fragments you get from destroying each skill book grade:

Common: 5 SBFs
Magic: 10 SBFs
Rare: 15 SBFs
Perfect: 30 SBFs

Success rate depends on the grade of skill books a player is attempting to enhance. Suggested enhancement rates for each grade are as follow:

Common to Magic = 90% success chance
Magic to Rare = 35% success chance
Rare to Perfect = 7% success chance

This way, I believe satisfaction level of players will be much higher even with RNG being applied to it. To make it profitable for WEBZEN. They need to hold dimensional events less frequently so that players either grind to get SBE or buy it from the cash shop. I suggest to remove/move some items from Platinum chest such as the All-seeing-Eye, costume parts including shadow gears and remodellings or keep them in a different chest e.g. Cosmetics Chest to increase the rate of getting useful items from Platinum Chest.

As for PVP, you can exchange Honor Coins for Skill Book Fragments e.g. 100 Honor Coin = 1 SBFs. This will encourage many players to be more active in PVP as I believe the lack of incentives is one of the reasons that diminish players sense of enjoyment in PVP.

I mentioned Multiple Skill Book Shelf system many times before. But this time, I'd suggest it as a part of the next class development quest e.g. at level 80. Having multiple skill books shelf activated will make classes more overpowered than what they were before. This will also allow players to use all different kind of action modifying skill books. To add more features to it, there should be extra effects for obtaining high number of stars. If a player acquires 87 or more stars (total of 3 sets activated), he can get even extra effects. If a player achieves max number of stars (108), he can get an ultimate,unique form of Multiple Skill Book Effect!

So, how can WEBZEN benefit from this feature? I believe many players will buy cosmos stones as achieving 108 will be the most difficult part. Because each book will have to be of Perfect grade and with max number of stars (6 stars in each book). This will be as apart of end game content at least until a fourth skill book set is added.

Extra suggestions:

Traces of Nightmare (Account bound) needs to be obtainable from PVP shop in exchange for Honor Coins.

Magic Primers should be also obtainable from rare mobs if my previous suggestion on making rare mobs drop event like chest containing different items. Each chest is given out for each participating player when it is killed. The amount of Magic Primers (account bound) is random and can get higher at higher level dungeons. Maximum magic primers you can get from the chest at the current level is 50 but at a very low rate. With this suggestion, I believe C9 will be considered less Pay-2-Win.

[Rehaz]

Having multiple skill books shelf activated will make classes more overpowered than what they were before. This will also allow players to use all different kind of action modifying skill books.

So you're basically saying that one could have up to 3 books of the same skill activated at the same time? GG intrusion system, because guardians weren't already overpowered.

[Seraphiel]

So you're basically saying that one could have up to 3 books of the same skill activated at the same time? GG intrusion system, because guardians weren't already overpowered.

Intrusion System is another issue that needs to be solved separately. My suggestion serves PVE part where you deal with mobs rather than other players.

Sincerely,
Archangel Seraphiel

[Rehaz]

Intrusion System is another issue that needs to be solved separately.

Unfortunately, your suggestion is quite ambitious but creates imbalances that you did not consider on the bigger picture.

My suggestion serves PVE part where you deal with mobs rather than other players.

Did no one tell you that intrusion is PvE exclusive and is inseparable from it before you took the time to post your brilliant suggestion that only has a positive financial return to Webzen and a negative impact on the community that is rapidly decreasing?

So, how can WEBZEN benefit from this feature? I believe many players will buy cosmos stones as achieving 108 will be the most difficult part. Because each book will have to be of Perfect grade and with max number of stars (6 stars in each book). This will be as apart of end game content at least until a fourth skill book set is added.

You do realize that people already spend a lot of time and money to obtain cosmos just for the 20*/25*/29* marks? If financial return was the objective, Webzen could have gone ahead and added book set bonuses anywhere from 30* all the way up to 36*; don't you think that saves time and energy on Webzen's side?


Please "keep your mind in your head" before attempting to post any more suggestions.

[Seraphiel]

Thank you for your input, Rehaz.

There is something that you don't know about intrusion system. Intrusion system is actually a combination of PvP and PvE. In short, it is PvPvE.

A solution that I can suggest to balance intrusion is to add penalty to skill book effects just like defense penalty. And this should be managed separately for each class for more accurate correction of balance issues in intrusion.

Also, WEBZEN doesn't release all cash making features all at once. If you are a regular cash shopper, you'll know how items from platinum chests and gold coffers are added. These are just very few examples of how WEBZEN makes money.That's why the above mentioned suggestion is somehow based from business side. But it is also more rewarding for the community even if it takes a lot of time and effort to get the result achieved yet not as frustrating as the current system.

Finally, my suggestions are not free from flaws and I admit it. But, I'd actually love to see your feedback provides solutions to the current issues rather than plain criticism.

[Rehaz]

Thank you for your input, Rehaz.There is something that you don't know about intrusion system. Intrusion system is actually a combination of PvP and PvE. In short, it is PvPvE.

Oh wow .. uhm .. where do I start..


Maybe I haven't been intruding since 2012? ...



Perhaps I haven't been the most dedicated intruder ever since? ...



Or is it that I've not been and still am not the most iconic figure of C9 Intrusion? ...



?

I'd actually love to see your feedback provides solutions to the current issues rather than plain criticism.

There will only be issues if your overly ambitious suggestion is taken into consideration in any shape or form; I'm solving your problems in advance before whatever is left of the community finds something better to do than farm 12 more books for every character; that is if they already had at least one complete book set on any of them.

At this point I really want to let you go but before that I want you to know that I won't give up on you; we all make mistakes and I am positive that my feedback put you on the correct mindset that I'm sure you'll have the next time you attempt to make a suggestion; You're not hopeless so don't disappoint me .

Thank you for your input, Rehaz.

*sigh* ok maybe you are. ~King Rehaz

[Codee]

I don't want to ruin any good suggestion or just criticize but I very much disagree with the thought that intrusion mode is PvPvE. This so called "Intrusion PvP" is nothing more and nothing less than PvP on PvE ground. C9 is a game where the combat system is not based on target(s), but on whatever the "projectiles" of the skills hit in their way, and this means you cannot find at least a decent solution for skills to work differently and in a sepparate way depending on what the player is fighting (in this case mobs/bosses or players).

I would rather not have any changes to how skillbooks and skillbook set effects work just for the sake of "Intrusion PvP". I don't want to imagine what impact that will have on pure PvE. Just leave PvE as it is, and if you really want to improve it with some damage outpot balance among the classes then do so, but don't go as much into thinking about such overly complex thing as balance over intrusion PvP when Both pure PvE and PvP are far from being balanced themselves.