Ragnarok Online II

Improvements in the current War of Emperium system

MrGugo - sir Guild Leader hugo.villagran@alumnos.usm.cl (Warpportal Email) 11/11/2012

Introduction
In most MMORPG games battles exist between guilds for castles, these battles stand out for being epic, competitive, cooperative, strategic and above all fun. Castle wars bring many benefits to the game experience, such as: Gives meaning to creating a guild, not just PVE but PVP Allowing for closer ties between guilds (International alliances). Giving meaning to completing a dungeon (have better equipment to fight with). Uniting the entire server for one goal. Etc.

However, over time we have seen that in Ragnarok II this does not happen in. Many active guilds in War of Emperium (WoE) have been retiring from the game, and the number of active people has decreased considerably making the game becomes boring and pointless. This document will show how the current WoE system in place is problematic to most guilds which have been in the most part the main cause for the loss of many players from the server. This document will also present possible solutions to the issue, which come directly from players of the guilds who participated in WoE, and those who have never participated in it. The Mission of this document is to express that as a guild we are concerned by the system of WoE which does not benefit the game in any way. For this reason we have taken the decision to try to help in its improvement.

Objectives
Demonstrate the current WoE system. Explain the WoE system failures. Provide possible solutions to the WoE system.

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Development
Current WoE system
General Overview
The WoE map possesses a wide territory which the attackers guilds must travel to reach the interior of the Castle and thus try to break the Golden emperium.

Attacking guilds could increase their chance of survival by taking the Base of Advancement, (As long as it is not taken by an ally of the defending guild). On the other hand, the Guild in charge of defending the castle has two bases inside which only he has access to at the start of the war, on having captured these bases, they receive an explosive combination of skill (no critical damage received, defense increased by+1000, etc), do not forget they also possess the Prontera castle buff (+1000 of HP and 15% movement increase). We should also add that there are three doors that protect the invasion of offensive guilds, each with 20 million of life.

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Bases buff and alliance system

As mentioned above, the WoE map has three bases or fortifications :

Base of Protection (no critical damage received, you can do 5k of damage on an enemy). Base of Strength (Defense +1000, and a reduction of the enemys HP by 25 %). Base of Advancement.

Protection and Strength can be captured by the defending guild at the beginning of the battle, and the last one (Advancement) can be captured by both the attacking guilds or by the defending guild. If a guild captures Base of Advancement, this will provide an increase of HP by a 200% and an active buff that does 4~5k of damage to the opponent. These buffs are only received by the guild who took that particular base. The alliances in this game do not exist officially, every guild can attack who they want with or without its assent.

Distances and times

An important feature reviewed in this report of the WoE map is that it is quite broad, the first goal as an offensive guild or defender is to reach the main door either to break it down or to defend it. The defending guild needs to protect it because if it is broken down they would be in a very vulnerable situation if this vast territory is seized by the offensive guilds. On the other hand, the attacking guild must destroy it as soon as possible before the defending guild's buffs from the interior bases allow for a greater disadvantage of the situation. That is why I took the time it takes to arrive at the gate both for the owners of the Prontera Castle and for the attacking guilds. The time for an offensive guild is 1 minute y 15 seconds. The time for the defending guild is 1 minute.

Note: The most efficient route to reach the gate, and also the speed was the same for both cases (Remember that the defending guild has an extra 15% movement increase). Below are some screenshots taken at the beginning and end of each run specifically indicating on the map the route chosen to reach the gate.

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Guild Attacker/Offensive Route

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Guild Defender Route

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Flaws in the WoE system

Alliances and Buffs
There are no alliances in WoE. The guild that wants to take the castle can be attacked both by the defending guild as well as the other guilds. Trying to coordinate attacks towards the defending guild through a "pseudo-alliance" is very complicated and frustrating; by mistake someone may end up killing a "pseudo- ally" which most of the time leads to internal disputes between guilds. We have seen on many occasions that the defending guild has allies among the attackers, this allows you to take control of the entire map of WoE amplifying to the disadvantage of the attacking guilds by the lack of an alliances system. On the other hand, if you create pseudo- alliance between guilds the buffs from the bases are not shared. That is to say when the defending guild has the two buffs of the Interior bases only the guild that possess Base of Advancement can survive that explosive combo of 25% reduction of HP and 5k fix damage. Only the guild with the Base of Advancement will be able to survive the crossbows combination shots, or the catapult shots, etc.

The Gate Doors HP

It is tedious to observe how in every WoE the entire hour is spent trying to destroy the first gates door, 20 million of life is TOO much considering all the advantages that the defending guild possesses. As a personal experience, at our best, having two large allied guilds (IcE + Galajuan + sir) we could only lower 10 millions, to the gates life halting us from getting the Base of Advancement, going only directly to the gate. If we do the last thing, this potentially gives time to the defending guild to position themselves at the door potentially increases the percentage of losing the battle. Given that the door currently possess 20 million of HP it is necessary to immediately go and demolish it because the defender guild arrives to it faster (as previously mentioned) than the attacker. However, it is very difficult to try to eliminate the enemies crossbows that destroy your protection stone statue (seeking to avoid damage to your battering ram or other weapons siege). Enemy facilities are located in height altitude where the vast majority of the attacking players have no range. In addition, attempting to install the other sieges close is almost impossible with the constant spam of shooting by the guild ruling the Prontera Castle. Nowadays the whole WoE passes trying to knock down the first gates door, but once the defending guild acquires the buffs it is almost impossible to break it.

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Coming up next, we will observe routine of the guilds in WoE nowadays.

Defender Guild install siege weapons at the door

Give time to the defender guild to settle at the door

Destruction of siege weapons trying to knock down the door

Attacking Guild try to take Base of Advancement

A screenshot of our best attempt to knock down the door, we are one of the Guilds who has attended more WoEs since the "WoE Test Season" therefore we have considerable experience in the war.

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Siege weapons and small guilds

According to the current the WoE panorama, a catapult can kill someone with a single shot, and players cannot protect themselves with anything from the attack of a crossbow (8k of damage). There comes a time when everything is so saturated with siege weapons that the unstoppable spamming of these makes it impossible to cover the map toward a safe point, transforming the WoE in somewhat tedious and dull. The incorporation of the small guilds to WoE map seen absurd, What can a level 25 player do against players that are full set?, and What can a small guild without experience do against a large guilds with experience? (remember that the alliances here do not exist, are only pseudoalliances). With what money would a small guild finance sieges weapons for every WoE they want to participate in?

The defending guild camping at the entrance, and small guilds players are unable to participate

The current WoE is dead

Due to the current system hardly anyone participates in WoE, and many guilds already have surrendered because of the existing disadvantages for the attackers. Spending an hour without destroying the first gates door is frustrating for all. Normally there are only three guilds, two attackers and a defender, but one of the attackers supports the defender guild. Given that the other big guilds on the server do not participate in WoE, they are just doing raids, but will happen when they are fully equipped form the raids? Because Ragnarok II does not have

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

any more to offer its players (With a good system of WoE it would be another goal to keep the guilds on the server), most of them leave the game all together.

Conclusion
Possible solutions to improve the WoE system
Changes that can be made to greatly improve WoE, by taking everything previously explained as a base, and adding the different views from the large and small guilds of the server, are:

Alliances and Buffs

a) Create a system of alliances just for attacking guilds in which you can share the buffs obtained on the bases (they could share only the passive buff). b) Eliminate the current raids system in WoE, and replace it with automatically a guild when entering WoE it functions as a raid. This way buffs could be shared with the entire guild not limited to a specific twenty person raid. c) To allow the interior bases to be only destructible after the first gates door has fallen down. d) Nerf the passive buffs of the bases. (+1000 of defense, +200% of HP and no critical damage received). e) Award for all the attacking guilds when the castle changes owner. Triumphs: Union between guilds, more strategies, more participation, more competitiveness, and especially more life to the server.

HP of the doors
a) REDUCE doors HP by 50 - 75%. b) Eliminate the first gates door but to maintain the HP of the following ones. c) Remove both doors and if a guild breaks the Golden Emperium restarts the WoE, and
those who took the castle defend it now, and this continued to happen until the time runs out.

d) Lower the life of the first gates door by half each time the Advancement Emperium is destroyed. Note: In the case of the doors being elimination it is suggested that barricades are incorporated within the sieges weapons. Triumphs: more dynamic, more fluidity, more energetic, more strategy to the defending guild (there is no science in just camping on the first gates door and spamming siege weapons).

Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Siege weapons and small guilds

a) Nerf the damage that made the siege weapons to the players, maintaining the damage done to the structures. b) Reduce the cost of the siege weapons so more guilds can participate in the WoEs without impairment of losing the battle and also money. c) To put a limit to then number of siege weapons one guild can use in WoE. Triumphs: greater participation, more PvP, more skill on the part of the players.

Annex
Opinions of other guilds from the server
AESMA: IcE guild leader

Devonier: Exodus Collision member

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Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Leiru: Galajuan guild leader

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Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

XxStrikexX: ArtofWar guild leader

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Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo

Zazamoukh: Exilio guild council

Message To [Zazamoukh]: you there? Message From [Zazamoukh]: yes Message To [Zazamoukh]: I am collecting opinions about the current WoE system to send them Message To [Zazamoukh]: To the CM/GM Message To [Zazamoukh]: What is your opinion about the current WoE? Does your guild participate? Message To [Zazamoukh]: What changes would you make to integrate other guilds Message From [Zazamoukh]: no, we do not participate Message From [Zazamoukh]: that the other guild do not have any GM or CM Message From [Zazamoukh]: and that the bugs get fixed Message To [Zazamoukh]: and for WoE specifically? Message From [Zazamoukh]: No more canyons and catapults C: Message From [Zazamoukh]: the rest is entertaining Message To [Zazamoukh]: thank you for your response (: Message From [Zazamoukh]: k, np

While these are some opinions of people from different guilds on the server, we have talked with a lot more players and all point to the same general idea. The WoE system should be improved urgently, and is expected to be done as soon as possible

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Hugo Patricio Villagrn Godoy | sir Guild Leader | IGN: MrGugo