Greetings Adventurers,
With the recent series of patches, many players having been sharing their concerns and feedback, especially the request for more information as to why changes were made. Based on the feedback we have been seeing we reached out the the Developers for some additional information which we would like to share with you at this time.
- True Dye can now be listed on the Auction House
- This was done to let more players have access to the dye system and give players who purchase dye a way to remove the dye they do not want. While not part of our original intention, we are aware of P2W concerns using this mechanic. We will closely monitor the trends of these items and look for methods to support a healthy system.
- GvG can only be declared on guilds that have declared GvG previously or participated in Node/Siege War.
- Our intention behind this change was to offer minimum protection for PVE focused, casual guilds in GvG situations. Since there have been a number of requests asking for any type of protection for PVE focused small guilds, we have been considering various methods to address those needs. When it comes to GvG, our biggest concern is providing equal opportunity to as many guilds as possible and making GvG content more approachable for everyone.
- Sorceress Class Changes
- We have fixed the issue where Dark Flame causes more damage during cooldown. After testing the sustained damage of sorceress skills, we have found the following issues.
1. Dark Flame causes far more damage than initially intended.
2. Dark Flame deals 100% critical hit damage during cooldown which is contrary to what its Skill Description claims.We can confirm that issues with accuracy rate and cooldown damage of Dark Flame have been properly adjusted and tested. We are constantly working on balancing each class so that every player can be happy.
- We have fixed the issue where Dark Flame causes more damage during cooldown. After testing the sustained damage of sorceress skills, we have found the following issues.
- Additional Changes
- Cron Stones have been added
- Imperial Trade has been added
- Ultimate Reform Stones.
- Equipment Forges have been removed.
- These contents were planned to be applied with Valencia Part I patch which was initially scheduled on June 1st but delayed due to unavoidable circumstances.
Several contents that improved user convenience but not directly related to Valencia Part were applied with June 17th patch. Since there were many changes in a short amount of time, some were not listed on the patch note without the least intention of doing so.
- These contents were planned to be applied with Valencia Part I patch which was initially scheduled on June 1st but delayed due to unavoidable circumstances.
- On the Gear2Win Controversy
- There are a number of topics pertaining the debates around MMORPG, some of which are Gear2Win vs. Control2Win, and Pay2Win vs. Time2Win. To comment on Gear2Win, playing a game itself might not turn out to be fruitful at all if hard-earned gears are not as effective as they seemed to be.
If a player has better equipment, it is likely that the player has invested a lot of time in the game, presumably mastering game controls along the way. Considering such cases, the Gear2Win controversy seems inevitable, but it is not just about gears.
The important thing in the Gear2Win thing is how to keep the equilibrium. Even with high level and excellent gears, some players might not be fluent in control. In making a combat between this player and another player with lesser gear and level but better control fair enough, many factors can play various roles.
Fine-tuning each factor is a matter of balancing, and each player may feel and experience different things about balancing; for some, the game may seem Gear2Win, for others, it may not.
Finding the perfect equilibrium is always a difficult task, but we are trying our best to make it happen.
- There are a number of topics pertaining the debates around MMORPG, some of which are Gear2Win vs. Control2Win, and Pay2Win vs. Time2Win. To comment on Gear2Win, playing a game itself might not turn out to be fruitful at all if hard-earned gears are not as effective as they seemed to be.
- On Costume Items and Pay2Win
- There has been a debate that the costume item effects (EXP +10%, Amity +10%, Death Penalty Reduction 10%, Stamina +100, Durability Consumption -10%, Luck +1, etc.) count as a Pay2Win aspect.
Of course, everyone thinks differently, and it is not wrong to say the game is Pay2Win because of a single stat benefit, but it is our understanding that the community as a whole has come to an agreement that these stats on the costume items do not make big enough a difference to count as Pay2Win.
Pay2Win is not about simply getting additional stats; we think what’s important is how much those stats affect the gameplay.
In our opinion, having stat boosts that give players a little convenience, not a game-changing power, is not enough grounds for branding a game as Pay2Win.
- There has been a debate that the costume item effects (EXP +10%, Amity +10%, Death Penalty Reduction 10%, Stamina +100, Durability Consumption -10%, Luck +1, etc.) count as a Pay2Win aspect.
- Additional Message from Developers at Pearl Abyss
- Although there have been continuous contents updates since the release of Black Desert Online EU/NA, the June 17th patch was especially huge one that applies variety of development outcomes and results (from January to May 2016) at once.
Since the amount of changes were humongous, some detailed content changes (UI, text, quest) could’ve been undocumented which is far from our intention. Preventing miscommunication and 100% bug fixing is always difficult task. Especially so for game like Black Desert, which contains and deals a loads of information.
Even though the unavoidable time gap has been existed while localizing and tailoring the game (like June 17th update), our team is willing to apply the latest development outcomes in a shorter-term. It may not be perfect, but we are constantly trying to improve it as much as possible.
- Although there have been continuous contents updates since the release of Black Desert Online EU/NA, the June 17th patch was especially huge one that applies variety of development outcomes and results (from January to May 2016) at once.
- Development Direction
- An MMORPG, by default, requires a lot of time on player’s end. It is Time2Win by definition. Which also means that existing players always have some sort of advantage in MMORPG over new players. That does not mean that we are not hoping new players enjoy enough of Black Desert, which is why there has been recent adjustments of monster balance and growth EXP. We understand, depending on situations, that existing players may stand against some changes that seem to benefit new players more. However, we believe that the constant influx of new players will enrich Black Desert and all the players in the long run.
We know these are just a few of the questions being asked, but this is where we have started. What we would like to ask each of you to do is to keep asking these types of questions and providing us with your feedback. We will be monitoring >this thread< while we work on the next series of questions, so please try to keep your posts constructive as well as on topic.
Thank you for your patience and we look forward to conveying your next batch of questions soon.
