Levels, item quality and recipes

[Kalarro]

I love rpgs.

 

Why do I start with that? To show that I in no way dislike, levels, perks and gates. Actually, I love them in most games. But I do think, they arent working well in this game.

 

I love survival games, but my most liked and played genre is RPGs. Yes, with xp, levels needed to unlock stuff and all that we got now in 7d2d. I love those games. So no, Im not saying I dislike it here. But it doesnt quite work.

 

In an usual RPG, you are fighting most of the time, and getting xp. So ofc, its fine that all progression is tied with that xp and level. And Im not only talking about wanting to get more xp by building/gathering (which I want). Im also talking about other progression stuff we have indirectly lost bc of the new level system.

 

When starting a new game, you had several types of progression in previous versions.

- You needed to get xp, like now, to spend on the old skill system.

- You needed to go out and explore to find recipes and unlock things. This was VERY important.

- You needed to use different skills to be better at them

- You needed to find/craft better and better quality items

 

Now all this has been reduced to xp and levels. I dont know if they thought it was overcomplicated and wanted to simplify it, but while it looks fine in theory (really, I see the new system and like it), while playing I think we lost too many things instead.

 

If you would have told me, before playing the game, if I prefer to unlock things by leveling and perks, or by finding random recipes, me with my rpg mentallity would have totally said by leveling and perks. More choice, less randomness, sounds good. But the I play it and I disagree, it wasnt a good idea.

Finding a crackabook was awesome. It was like finding a treasure, even before entering. I went out and explored buildings searching for recipes. That was awesome. If I cleared a town, I needed to find a new one soon bc I still missed recipes.

 

Same with the item quality. Mods are a good addition, but not in spite of the other things. Why not both? In my last game I had every type of fire weapon except the magnum at day 8. And that was it. Even if it werent so soon as day 8, once you have them thats it. Sure, you come with the mod argument argument, and mods is a fine addition. But why did we have to lose the other thing to get mods? Finding better quality items, like finding recipes was something very important for this game. I NEEDED to explore. Sure, now I can too, Im not saying it's useless. But it is MORE useless, and more importantly, less fun, than it was before.

 

TLDR:

1. Even as a player who loves RPG games and level based progression, I think the new level+perk system makes the game more boring.

2. We got some good things in a17. But those things replaced others, instead of beeing an addition (recipes, item quality). This makes the game worse. Why can't we have both?

[Limdood]

I hated item quality. It was a constant search for a 314 rifle instead of my 289 one. It makes brown quality items worthwhile again, and solves the confusion of why this hunting rifle deals double the damage of the other one. I hated repairing my top quality gear only to have it drop by 1-5 quality levels. I love having no item degradation for repairing, so OCD-ly repairing my gear to keep it in top shape no longer counterintuitively ruins it, it just uses up resources a bit faster.

 

The mods aren't varied enough yet to be a true replacement for item quality, RNG loot, AND recipes, but they've only just been added, and they're pretty close. The only problems with them are lack of variety, lack of true choice (most items have a "clear" best mod loadout, rather than preferential choices), and the lateness in the game that they get truly introduced (you don't really regularly start getting access to mods until level 40-60 where you've advanced far enough in trader quests, are getting better loot, and can start crafting mod schematics).

 

Lastly, bookstores are still amazing in A17e. Instead of crafting schematics, they now are the best access to mod schematics (essentially mod "rare parts") so your level 40-60 character can start putting loads of mods together.

[PoppaTot]

I hated item quality. It was a constant search for a 314 rifle instead of my 289 one. It makes brown quality items worthwhile again, and solves the confusion of why this hunting rifle deals double the damage of the other one. I hated repairing my top quality gear only to have it drop by 1-5 quality levels. I love having no item degradation for repairing, so OCD-ly repairing my gear to keep it in top shape no longer counterintuitively ruins it, it just uses up resources a bit faster.

 

The mods aren't varied enough yet to be a true replacement for item quality, RNG loot, AND recipes, but they've only just been added, and they're pretty close. The only problems with them are lack of variety, lack of true choice (most items have a "clear" best mod loadout, rather than preferential choices), and the lateness in the game that they get truly introduced (you don't really regularly start getting access to mods until level 40-60 where you've advanced far enough in trader quests, are getting better loot, and can start crafting mod schematics).

 

Lastly, bookstores are still amazing in A17e. Instead of crafting schematics, they now are the best access to mod schematics (essentially mod "rare parts") so your level 40-60 character can start putting loads of mods together.

 

Mods have been "meh" to me. They are fine, but definitely not needed. I have 4-5 playthroughs to level 100+ and honestly, haven't cared if I got mods or not. I will say that the dyes and the tool mods are nice though.

[Kalarro]

It was a constant search for a 314 rifle instead of my 289 one.

 

So you were searching for something. Id say that is much more fun than staying home or grinding xp.

[PoppaTot]

So you were searching for something. Id say that is much more fun than staying home or grinding xp.

 

I see what you did there, well played sir (ma'am?)