Razenth:

We would only be able to spend that essence if we actually have the weight to get it. Which we don't. So if you want to throw in a cap and extra powers, you better hope they also put in the (increasing weight based on essence level) idea too.

I'm agreeing with Ixion here, though I understand it's supposed to be implemented along with the other features. By itself, it's pretty counterproductive.

Nope! That's the beauty of it. You get to keep buying things, just anything above your weight goes 'inactive' (instead of the current ephemeral / supernumerary system). You can only have up to your weight active at once, but you can keep buying other things and switch around.

It is intended as a part of an overhaul, definitely. It is not supposed to stand on its own.

Xenthos:

Oh, come on. Just spend that essence on the other things that are going to be implemented. You don't actually lose anything (since you get the things you'd have had to bash up that essence for anyways).

That's just a bit of an over-reaction.

Tell that to the people saving up in case they get VA.

Xenthos:

Nope! That's the beauty of it. You get to keep buying things, just anything above your weight goes 'inactive' (instead of the current ephemeral / supernumerary system). You can only have up to your weight active at once, but you can keep buying other things and switch around.

It is intended as a part of an overhaul, definitely. It is not supposed to stand on its own.

And what happens when you've bought everything and reach the cap?

Tell that to the people saving up in case they get VA.





And what happens when you've bought everything and reach the cap?

1) Saving up for Vernal Ascendant is kind of rough at this point because it's going to be immediately cut to 33% upon being raised (I still don't know why).
2) There's the decay idea when you are at the cap, which gives you something to do if you really want. Alternatively you take in stride some of the other ideas here and make powers that can only be temporary and last an in-game year, giving players the choice to buy them to spend excess essence.
Having the cap will encourage the players who reach it to actually spend rather than continue to stockpile, as there won't be a point to stockpiling.

Well naturally I hope there is going to be more powers to spend essence on, and more weight to buy with. That plus death, may bring those over the cap under it eventually.

I certainly don't want Ixion or anyone else with a lot of essence to feel punished. But I don't think the admin are liking the direction we are going in with so much essence, and a future attempt to clamp down on players gaining enough essence to get to these huge levels may make it harder for those of us just starting out. I'd rather we find a way to have everyone share a small amount of pain, than any small group take a lot of it.

Question. Why not combine some of the powers to keep up the "uniqueness"? For example if you take so and so combat power, you cannot take that combat power. Or you have choices that open up to a different set? It wouldn't necessarily be that one set of powers is more powerful than the other set, but the presentation is different.

As for flavor skills, commune / city specific powers were mentioned before, want to bring that up again.

Maybe demigod powers that could be used for those with families as well? Sorry, not in the ideas department too much right now...

Random idea I heard from someone: Buy vernal demigod with 100(or whatever big number) million essence. You get 50 more weight, access to only 1 ascendant power at a time. If you org-hop you can just re-buy it.

Idea combined with above idea: As per normal, one is limited by weights but incorporate a powers flexing mechanic instead of supernumerary/ephemeral, 1 flex per day limit like with skills.

Problems?

Being able to get Vernal Demigod without being ascended and then descended would be amazing, but I really can't see it being approved or implemented. :|

Xenthos:

Oh, come on. Just spend that essence on the other things that are going to be implemented. You don't actually lose anything (since you get the things you'd have had to bash up that essence for anyways).

That's just a bit of an over-reaction.

We are only only going to get new things if we actually suggest them...

Just saying.

Edit: Just so I don't have to double post, I like the idea of being able to buy vernal. Unfortunately I have a feeling The Powers That Be won't so much.

That's actually a pretty interesting concept.

I'd probably suggest it cost more on the 150m lines, just because it's at least twice as good as a second tradeskill, but beyond that... it gives something for a lot of people to work towards. Over a very, very, very long time.

Yeah probably, but if people are clamoring for more weight and access to some measure of ascendant powers, what's the difference aside from the 'vernal' part of it which has history ties to being from a nexus. :/

Ixion:

Idea I heard from someone: Buy vernal demigod with 100(or whatever big number) million essence. You get 50 more weight, access to only 1 ascendant power at a time. If you org-hop you can just re-buy it.

I'm not really sure I like this idea, but don't have a strong enough dislike to really work it.

My thoughts:

1. No changing current costs for existing skills. This will only serve to piss people off and produce far more fallout than is worthwhile.

2. Instead of creating a new system or making it more complicated than it already is, simply use the existing framework with more restrictions. I think Estarra can achieve what she wants by introducing new powers that can be ephemeral only. From there, you can also adjust how long the ephemeral power lasts. They don't all have to be the same duration.

You want to walk unhindered by weather? Okay, but it will only last a month and cost you 5 million each time you want to re-activate it (this is only an example with numbers I pulled out of thin air). Similarly, you could allow a power to only last for a set number of uses, then you need to repurchase it.

I just feel like it would be a lot simpler than allowing more weight, but having it scale to essence, or other stuff like that.

You could also make it take 150,000,000 personal essence and 50,000 Nexus power, so it has to be approved first by the organization (but 50,000 power is doable, just over a similarly large scale).

That way you keep the tie to the org.

Hasn't Estarra given a straight up "no" to giving Demigods access to Ascendant powers, though? The issue I'm seeing isn't the flavour of it, but that there's been opposition to going down this path mechanically at all.

2. Instead of creating a new system or making it more complicated than it already is, simply use the existing framework with more restrictions. I think Estarra can achieve what she wants by introducing new powers that can be ephemeral only. From there, you can also adjust how long the ephemeral power lasts. They don't all have to be the same duration.



I would never (ever ever) use such a system. The problem with that is that you can blow the essence on it, and not end up using it, then really need that essence or power some later time, and not have it. Let's not have large time investments be throw-away-able.

EDIT: And the opposition to giving any current ascendant powers to demis isn't mechanical, it's flavour.

Xenthos:

You could also make it take 150,000,000 personal essence and 50,000 Nexus power, so it has to be approved first by the organization (but 50,000 power is doable, just over a similarly large scale).

That way you keep the tie to the org.

We just rolled that around too to keep the RP side of it intact heh, but would that be a common ground that solves the larger complaints around? Who knows..

Enyalida:

EDIT: And the opposition to giving any current ascendant powers to demis isn't mechanical, it's flavour.

Per this post in the original Demigod thread:

The admin have expressed the intent that they're not opening up Ascendant powers to everyone, sorry.

Granted, this may have changed at some point and I missed it.

Can't hurt to get a yes or no on it!

Yah, but that's not a mechanical problem, not some issue with how the code works that mechanically bars the possibility of giving ascendant powers to demigods, it's a matter of theme/flavor, that they don't want anyone but Ascendants to have those powers, the speschulsnowflake thing.

Enyalida:

Yah, but that's not a mechanical problem, not some issue with how the code works that mechanically bars the possibility of giving ascendant powers to demigods, it's a matter of theme/flavor, that they don't want anyone but Ascendants to have those powers, the speschulsnowflake thing.

You misinterpreted what I meant by the problem being mechanical. I wasn't saying that there's some mechanical code-based reason that Demigods cannot be given Ascendant powers, but rather that the Ascendant power mechanic itself was turned down (as opposed to something to the effect of, "Well, we could do this, but we don't have any good way for it to make sense in terms of flavour/lore.") So we're essentially saying the same thing, just using the term "mechanic(s|al)" in slightly different contexts.

Xenthos:

1) Saving up for Vernal Ascendant is kind of rough at this point because it's going to be immediately cut to 33% upon being raised (I still don't know why).
2) There's the decay idea when you are at the cap, which gives you something to do if you really want. Alternatively you take in stride some of the other ideas here and make powers that can only be temporary and last an in-game year, giving players the choice to buy them to spend excess essence.
Having the cap will encourage the players who reach it to actually spend rather than continue to stockpile, as there won't be a point to stockpiling.

I know of at least one person who is stocking up essence in case they get VA, so it's there.

Temporary powers or decay seem like a cop out. In a game such as Lusternia, any form of maitenance is nothing but tiring. Considering both of those together, you get the following situation: those that can bash all day and upkeep the temp powers and those that can't. Right now, the people bashing all day and stocking essence aren't hurting me at all. The only advantage they really have is that they can die a few hundred more times than me.

If you introduce a cap, you create a situation where people will be regularly taking temporary powers which result in a further difference between demis and nondemis and even low-essence demis and high-essence demids. (That's what you want, I know. I think it's worse than what we have.) The playing field is even now once you reach demi and get your powers. Let's not throw that a way just because some people like to bash bash bash all the time.