Before we think about how to improve on ToS equipment enhancement system, I will like to share 2 topics which I think is important. Although they aren’t directly connected to the enhancement system itself but decisions made with them does affect how the equipment enhancement system come to be for ToS. It will help us understand why the game developers chose to introduce such systems to the game.
Balance of the game
The first topic touches on a game design aspect, the balance of the game. Here I’m not talking about balance as in PVE/PVP or how easy/hard to get a piece of equipment based on the amount of time and effort put in. It is more on the balance of economy in the game.
In the real world, items (or things) have a decay period. Most items are perishable in a sense, either through use or decay given a certain amount of time. For example knives in real life have a life span usage of months to maybe 8-10 years, depending on its usage and the number of times it visited the whetstone. People replace items every so now and then.
However, in the virtual world items don’t really disappear (unless they are specifically coded with a time limit, like event freebies for ToS). Items which are created will always be there. With the same example, a knife created in the game will never “decay”. Players can keep using it for as long as they want and trade it in markets.
This is where the problem comes in, without some way or another to remove items from the game, what will happen? Markets will be flooded with all the items that players don’t want and wish to trade off. With a forever increasing supply (since players farm) and a decreasing demand (limited by community size + usage of item, players only need 1 sword for example and wouldn’t buy another one when they have a good one equipped), the market soon will collapse.
Thus, developers need to find a way to give a lifespan to equipments (either remove them from the game or keep them contained with their owners).
Attracting the 2 types of players
This is a more touchy subject, so I’ll keep it short here. Generally for a game to survive in our world, especially one that is marketed as a Freemium game, it needs to contain elements that attract 2 kinds of fishes (players), the school of fishes (which most of us fall into) and the whales (the big spenders).
A game is a service provided by a company. The company has to answer to its investors as well as generate enough income to pay to its employees and subcontractors. Without enough revenue there wouldn’t be updates and the game service will cease.
Sadly, the income from most of us (mid and low spenders for freemium games) don’t actually provide enough for the game company. Whales do, and in most cases their spending constitutes to 70% of the games revenue. Big spenders don’t just open their wallets and pay for whatever gacha or DLC the game throws at them. The game has to fulfill some criterias before they are willing to “invest” into it.
Whales generally spend to elevate their status (in fame and power) above their peers, and thus the game needs to have ways and means for such spenders to be able to use their “real world riches” to elevate their digital avatar in order to attract such players.
With these 2 covered, it becomes relatively easy to understand why IMC made the equipment enchancement system as such, why there is a potential system in place and the reason why the Diamond Anvil exists. There was even an iteration of the game where every trade decreases the item potential by 1.
For our equipment enhancement suggestions and changes to be considered, besides fulfilling the balance of high enhanced equipment in pve/pvp environments, we have to consider the above 2 topics too.
Removing potential and capping the anvil enhancements to max +16 or +21 will solve the game balancing issues (since there is a cap it is easier to balance skills) but it doesn’t resolve the issue of it being tradable in markets nor does it attract whales to invest. Hmm…
(Need to think on what suggestion to give >< )
