New Update 7/29/2014: New Pit Fight Matchups, New Level Requirments For Skills & More

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adoede

Avengelyn & Jerimy - Sorry to hear about your troubles with your previous style of play. I never had the patience to do that myself...

I hope you guys can come around to moving towards the end-game in blood gods because, to me, that is the best part of this game. Regardless if you get there slowly or quickly, blood gods is where Pit of War really comes into its own with all the build/gear/tactical strategies that come into play. The only difference between getting there slowly or quickly will be your glads overall record in the arena...which you'll see quickly becomes nearly meaningless in the blood gods season. You're so hopelessly outmatched in gear when you first get to blood gods that your sparkling 80%+ win/loss quickly becomes an overall 40% win/loss percentage. Maybe you buck the trend and your glads are competitive from the get-go. Still, the only ranking that matters in blood gods is your current season rank relative to your peers.

Blood gods can be great fun if you can figure out tactics and triggers that work and build your gear/strategies accordingly (we've lost a few managers who never could adapt their strategies from the regular game to the hyper-competitive environment of blood gods.)

Best of luck to ya and hope to see you in blood gods soon :cool:

Adoede,

Thanks for the post.

Yes i am looking forward to competing at the high end now that i have HoL's, but i'm trying to do it in such a way that i dont get brutalized like you suggested =)

Yea i was mad bout the change, but I refocused and am already scheming again. I don't think my time in the game will be ending anytime soon unless Nate boots me for breaking his systems =)

For certain i am fired up bout the new classes that are in development, that should be good fun for all.

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts on the issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avengelyn

Yes i am looking forward to competing at the high end now that i have HoL's, but i'm trying to do it in such a way that i dont get brutalized like you suggested =)

YAY :D Look forward to seeing you on the sands :)

If your guys have complete builds, you'll fair better than most gladiators that get newly promoted. It will become a case of earning gear and tweeking strats. Gear isnt wont be as much of an issue now that you get awarded with a heap of BGPs upon promotion and can get some new goodies the moment you bump up :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avengelyn

For certain i am fired up bout the new classes that are in development, that should be good fun for all.

Everyone will be seeking a way to break the new classes at the start, so you wont be alone there :P

Take care JerimyA5, I hope you find another game to play soon. I and the Great Realm will welcome your return if you ever choose to do so.

Good luck outside the Pit!

-Nate-

What exactly is an exploit or a loophole? This reminds me of a trial about obscenity awhile back and the judge said he can not define obscenity but he knows it when he sees it. Perhaps some examples of what is and is not cheating/loopholes/exploits, etc would be useful. Choosing to use two blades vs 2H weapon is not an exploit, or choosing to stack agility or strength, it is an obvious part of the design of the game. Discovering an extremely powerful combination of skills would not be an exploit in and of itself, it may however be decided it is too unbalanced and be addressed. Choosing to have all rage gladiators on your team is not an exploit, creating a clever fight strategy with the triggers is not an exploit unless it somehow took advantage of a bug. Sandbagging a gladiator for the express purpose of having a large skill advantage is an exploit. Purposefully having one of your own gladiators throw a fight to another gladiator with the intent of manipulating the rankings in the Blood Games is an exploit. Knowing that a certain area of the game that should cost gold or trophies but a bug is preventing it from doing so and you take advantage of that is an exploit. Figuring out how to take advantage of a bug is an exploit. Grabbing skills just to gain achievements with the plan to then unlearn those skills but keep the achievements would be an exploit. Just because everyone else could have done it doesn't mean it is ok. If someone locks the door to their house but leaves a window open does that mean it is ok to climb inside and steal things just because anyone could do it? I think most people would say it is not ok. If someone is truly playing around and trying things out in the name of gamesmanship and finding flaws and loopholes, that person would also immediately report anything suspicious when discovered. There is no concrete definition here, which is why it is best to ask if you are unsure.

We obviously can't list everything out and I don't think it is too much to ask for everyone to use common sense. I understand many of you are very competitive and I've designed PoW in such a way to allow for a lot of creative builds and strategies, without needing to manipulate the meta game to extreme degrees. Be creative, but please don't exploit the game. When in doubt ask. It is really that simple. Often you may find that it is fine to do whatever it is you are doing or thinking of doing. My goal is to give you just enough rope so you can't hang yourself but maybe you can stand on the chair and almost tie it around your neck. :) Which is also why in the past I have not been ruthless when lines are crossed and in return for over three years the vast majority of players have not taken things to extremes.

I invite everyone to re-read (or read for the first time the Terms & Services for the game) and please pay close attention to section 6c xix. It states that: no player will engage in cheating or any other activity deemed by Outcast Games to be in conflict with the spirit or intent of the Service. Everyone agreed to follow the T&C when signing up to play the game.

The issue of sandbagging has always been frowned upon as many other players have mentioned, I simply didn't have the time or resources to address it properly. A small dev team or indie is not able to address things as swiftly as large companies can. Large companies also won't give you the time of day to address your grievances or bother responding to your emails and forum posts unless you count automated responses. As players we have to choose what is more important to us. Jimmy's Pit Fights will likely continue to see changes as I dial it in to be more in line with what I had in mind for it to be like when first creating it.

If the only way someone can have fun playing Pit of War is to try and exploit the game in a negative manner then I would rather they choose another game to exploit. And when I say exploit I am referring to using questionable methods like some of the ones mentioned above. There are no hard feelings surrounding this either and I'm not passing judgment on them or their preferred way of playing games. If that is how a player derives their enjoyment from a game it is simply not compatible with my philosophy and vision for PoW and I'm certain the community at large agrees. I often have players email me about exploits because they want me to know about them and correct them so it doesn't adversely affect the game they love to play. Those players are always rewarded for their actions in helping me. Some of you will remember Caine, that guy was almost like my one man army volunteer play tester in the early days as he discovered issues as he played the game. When he would find one he would report it instead of using it to gain an advantage. I don't expect anyone to go to the lengths he did, but I do expect players to not knowingly and willingly exploit the game. I will not hesitate to protect the integrity of the game and keep the experience as fun as possible for as many people as possible. I owe it to the community to do so.

Having said that, be creative and discover new builds, fight strategies and gear combinations. Regarding meta game strategies, most are totally ok, some are not. Ask if you are unsure. I usually respond to messages in less than 24 hours. Have fun, enjoy the game and be a good citizen of the Great Realm. If and when a balance pass happens or a change occurs, please don't take is personally, it is always for the good of the game and never a personal attack. I'm certain the overwhelming majority of players over the years will say I've always done right by them.

So as to be clear I will say this again. If you are currently doing anything or planning on doing something you *think* might not be ok or you are just not sure, ask me first if you want to be on the safe side. If you do not and it is later found out and deemed to be an exploit, you may be subjected to consequences, including but not limited to: A warning. The loss of any and all content, progress and benefits acquired under dubious circumstances. A suspension from the game or in some cases, a permanent ban from Pit of War depending on the severity. For over three years this has never happened, not even close. We have an awesome community and players and I have faith we can keep it that way. :) You're all a great group of players, let's put this behind us now and look to the future and fun!

If your gladiators were affected in the recent update and you feel they are now outclassed, I will be happy to modify them manually so that their ranking and skill points are that of a gladiator of their level. You can then begin to build from there. If you prefer to keep what you have and are happy that is completely fine, I'm confident they will continue to do well. If you would like to take me up on this offer, send me a PM.

All further discussion should be via PM if you would like to talk further or have any questions.

Now that all that unpleasant stuff is taken care of, go forth and stain the sands red with the blood of your enemies and continue helping to make this already great community even better! And as always...

Good luck in the Pit!

-Nate-