Can we get landscape difficulty NPC on live servers for VIP users?

[Winzhi]

Leveing is incredible boring on live servers where you can pull 15 mobs and aoe them or one shot single mobs.

Adding landscape difficulty NPC we have on legendary servers would make leveling a bit more interesting.

[Thurinuor]

Please no. This is a feature that makes Legendary Servers special. This system is terrible for the live worlds because everyone has his own difficulty, it's another system that does not work well will devlings, etc. Please let it be a special system for legendary worlds. Expecially it's impossible to get the deeds if you are already max level. For more difficulty we have the new delving system and instances, raids with several tiers.

[Strider5548]

Leveing is incredible boring on live servers where you can pull 15 mobs and aoe them or one shot single mobs.

Adding landscape difficulty NPC we have on legendary servers would make leveling a bit more interesting.

I have no issue with this being on live servers, but if it happens SSG I think you need to make the legendary servers F2P. Literally every game system is worse on legendary servers than live. We don't get PvMP, there's zero consideration towards class balance, zero consideration towards itemization, scaling is completely off across all level caps making content too easy, there is no effort put into phasing content (i.e. releasing raids over time, making it so you can't just use marks/medallions to get the top end raid gear on day 1, etc.), and about 100 other things.

Aside from a server-wide tortoise stone, the difficulty sliders are the one and only thing that makes legendary servers different.

[Strider5548]

it's another system that does not work well will devlings

This is another thing, if difficulty sliders came to live servers there would be a huge uproar from players trying to do delvings. Nobody cares right now because it's just the small # of legendary server players who are on deadly+ difficulty that don't get to enjoy delvings, but if the broader game population had the option to go on deadly, there would be tons of complaints flowing in about how delvings are absolute torture to play while engaging in the landscape difficulty system.

[TesalionLortus]

You're out of loop. Adding them to regular servers is something they're in the process of doing.

Tif difficulty sliders came to live servers there would be a huge uproar from players trying to do delvings. Nobody cares right now because it's just the small # of legendary server players who are on deadly+ difficulty that don't get to enjoy delvings, but if the broader game population had the option to go on deadly, there would be tons of complaints flowing in about how delvings are absolute torture to play while engaging in the landscape difficulty system.

Not if, they're coming, it's like one of the most assured, 100% confirmed things we got from the devs recently and I often find like it's the one many people just outright missed.

No problem at all... switch back to normal difficulty, go and do the delvings. Mostly just delvings? Then stay on normal for a time. However, would have been more ideal and that's my greatest wish if they could only make it happen... that they somehow integrate the difficulty sliders (=quest bestowal?) with the settings, a pop up window or something. Because from what I understand it's a chore with NPC bestowers that you gotta constantly travel to and switch. Not very modern, and easy to miss/misunderstand for newcomers, and you definitely want that to be straightforward, well streamlined and easy to use.

@Cordovan Any word whether we can count on something like it? Landscape difficulty options/its quest bestower accessed remotely from any place, from the settings/UI/item maybe? Somehow?

[istvana]

If landscape difficulty is added to the old servers - please eliminate the periodic area attacks that currently go with any deadly option. Since day one they have been the least popular (that means widely hated) part of the system on the legendary servers. Just make characters weaker or mobs stronger.

Even more important - please leave all legendary servers - current or future - VIP only. That is one of the major draws. Quite a few subscribers left the game after it went free play and a significant number have come back to the legendary servers over the years saying that one of the main draws was that they wouldn't have free play.

[Cordovan]

You're out of loop. Adding them to regular servers is something they're in the process of doing.




Not if, they're coming, it's like one of the most assured, 100% confirmed things we got from the devs recently and I often find like it's the one many people just outright missed.

No problem at all... switch back to normal difficulty, go and do the delvings. Mostly just delvings? Then stay on normal for a time. However, would have been more ideal and that's my greatest wish if they could only make it happen... that they somehow integrate the difficulty sliders (=quest bestowal?) with the settings, a pop up window or something. Because from what I understand it's a chore with NPC bestowers that you gotta constantly travel to and switch. Not very modern, and easy to miss/misunderstand for newcomers, and you definitely want that to be straightforward, well streamlined and easy to use.

@Cordovan Any word whether we can count on something like it? Landscape difficulty options/its quest bestower accessed remotely from any place, from the settings/UI/item maybe? Somehow?

We are definitely not in the process of adding the Legendary World landscape difficulty to the regular game worlds, sorry if conversations on the subject led to that conclusion. As such I couldn't state anything about "counting on something like it". We could someday make a change like this, but it is not something we are currently actively considering or working on.

[TesalionLortus]

If landscape difficulty is added to the old servers - please either eliminate the periodic area attacks that currently go with any deadly option. Since day one they have been the least popular (that means widely hated) part of the system on the legendary servers. Just make characters weaker or mobs stronger.

Oh YES, THIS.

If I may offer other alternative to the beam of Sauron to make it more challenging but no beam, then perhaps aggro range increase to allow for that kind of experience, but then as suggested here nerf the aggro in red zones because it's a ridiculous hindrance now. Sounds to me like a great compromise, if someone actually enjoys increased aggro.

[TesalionLortus]

We are definitely not in the process of adding the Legendary World landscape difficulty to the regular game worlds, sorry if conversations on the subject led to that conclusion.

Ehhhhh *jaw drop*
You sure Cord? I explicitly remember Sev stating you're doing it - and not once - but that it won't be ready for Before the Shadow because there were a few more problems to work out. Literally how he put it.

[TesalionLortus]

32:10 ->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_8bBCjh5pw

Well, so maybe I just put it a bit too strongly, as "in the process" usually meaning you're already deep into it and "will release next month!" or something like that, which may not be the exact Sev's meaning here and neither did I meant that, to be honest. But they are coming at some point right? And in some way it was already looked into, at the very least. Based on what he said here.

[Thurinuor]

We are definitely not in the process of adding the Legendary World landscape difficulty to the regular game worlds, sorry if conversations on the subject led to that conclusion. As such I couldn't state anything about "counting on something like it". We could someday make a change like this, but it is not something we are currently actively considering or working on.

I am glad that this is probably off the table.

[TesalionLortus]

I am glad that this is probably off the table.

Why? It doesn't really affect anything much and normal landscape is.... super easy to begin with. Plenty of newbies who ask "how crazy easy that game is" with surprise on their mouth time and time again. Just take a look at reddit sometime. It's not even about wanting a challenge anymore, but just an immersion factor, looks silly when you can just annihilate entire camps solo with no problem at lvl 8, 20 etc and mobs drop like flies to the point that I couldn't even hear combat music in Before the Shadow because... it's over in like a few seconds 95% of time (and this pain extends to instances/epic bosses, unfortunately landscape choice doesn't effect those...)

Also, that's what I would like to know, whether it's off the table... Would be strange for Sev to act two streams in a raw like it's something that definitely needs to happen/they were seriously looking into, only for them to wave away now and say it's off the table.

[Cordovan]

32:10 ->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_8bBCjh5pw

Well, so maybe I just put it a bit too strongly, as "in the process" usually meaning you're already deep into it and "will release next month!" or something like that, which may not be the exact Sev's meaning here and neither did I meant that, to be honest. But they are coming at some point right? And in some way it was already looked into, at the very least. Based on what he said here.

Interesting, I'd forgotten about that from the Q&A! It's definitely something we have and will continue to consider.

[WeirdJedi]

I am glad that this is probably off the table.

I have never felt that they were "on the edge of their seat" in releasing the difficulty system over to live servers. When I heard Severlin talk about it in the Q&A, I felt like that they would... eventually... after they finish adding the delving system... after the legendary servers hit the level cap. Development time is different than player time. It took them 7 months to create Yondershire. There is no telling what sort of time table they have or what consequences might occur on the way.

[TesalionLortus]

When I heard Severlin talk about it in the Q&A, I felt like that they would... eventually... after they finish adding the delving system... after the legendary servers hit the level cap.

Take things super slow but want to do it eventually was my initial impression but then Sev literally said "the reason why we can't bring this over right now for BtS is because we're testing things and we want to be careful not mess up BtS, so that's why not yet" which clearly screams they were already *testing* these things. That's far from *no work has been done, eventually, maybe, or maybe not, maybe in years once something else is done, the usual*. Sounded like something more grounded to me, though of course dev process takes time and we might not see it for months to come (or for longer if they changed their mind or something, but that would be baaad).

[Elmagor]

"We test it and landscape difficulty kinda working on other servers" and "it will be released in next update/month" 2 different things. Of course if SSG decide to add that, they announce that change for months before release, and test on Bullroarer.

[istvana]

I find this thread a bit disconcerting. First a statement that SSG is definitely not currently considering adding landscape difficulty. Less than an hour later after someone pointed out something in an old Q&A a statement that SSG definitely was considering it but was not actively working on it.

One almost has to conclude that answers to questions aren't based on the kind of information that an employee might have and a customer might not have - but are based on the same kind of analysis of earlier statements and streams that any of us could do. At least in this particular case.

[Elmagor]

I find this thread a bit disconcerting. First a statement that SSG is definitely not currently considering adding landscape difficulty. Less than an hour later after someone pointed out something in an old Q&A a statement that SSG definitely was considering it but was not actively working on it.

One almost has to conclude that answers to questions aren't based on the kind of information that an employee might have and a customer might not have - but are based on the same kind of analysis of earlier statements and streams that any of us could do. At least in this particular case.

It looks like they consider add that in distant future, maybe even test and find out what landscape difficulty working fine outside of legendary servers, but too busy right now with other things and don't plan to add that in near future

Don't think what landscape difficulty somehow affect delving missions/delving instances

[squirle]

Pretty much don't count on it. They always skirt the questions with a "possible". They remain staunched in their commitment to faceroll landscape. Last carrot was that we could make a poll and if a lot of interest they'd look into it.

[Mund]

Why would anyone be opposed to this feature? It allows individual players to customize the game. If you don't want higher difficulty just...don't change the difficulty? Leveling up on a legendary server with high difficulty is the most fun I've had in LOTRO for years, but I would really like to do it on a server where I have all my other characters too.

[Elmagor]

Why would anyone be opposed to this feature? It allows individual players to customize the game. If you don't want higher difficulty just...don't change the difficulty? Leveling up on a legendary server with high difficulty is the most fun I've had in LOTRO for years, but I would really like to do it on a server where I have all my other characters too.

1)People consider that this feature mess with something and bring more bugs or lags
2)Landscape difficulty still don't have any guide/clear example how HARD they can be. Many people still don't have any idea how it working

[TesalionLortus]

1)People consider that this feature mess with something and bring more bugs or lags

Well, sometimes my impression is people here are opposed to everything that's actually an upgrade/interesting feature to spice up your gameplay because they ridiculously equal it with more lag, balance disasters (prematurely imagined) or devs wasted time.
... But they'll be happy to squabble over a few trait lines the stats of which will organically change within a couple of months due to next lvl cap, as if that kind of complaining was actually more worthy of the devs time and truly beneficial for the game.

[gildhur]

We are definitely not in the process of adding the Legendary World landscape difficulty to the regular game worlds, sorry if conversations on the subject led to that conclusion. As such I couldn't state anything about "counting on something like it". We could someday make a change like this, but it is not something we are currently actively considering or working on.

Well that's disappointing. Is there a specific reason, or is it just a time and resources thing? Want to keep it a legendary server draw? Technical limitations on the standard servers? Want to add more rewards for various completion levels (please)? Not satisfied with the implementation or performance?

[Pontin_Finnberry]

Given its optional thing, I think it would be nice to have on regular severs, we already know its a thing coming or at least very much being considered, as another posted video above Severlin talked about it that they would in the future but want to test stuff first.