Latest update notes: Level sync!

Vigilia

Mrs. Scudley
omfg!!!

http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11eu/detail/3600/detail.html

New Level Sync Feature to Change the Way You Party! (25/08/2008)

The FFXI development team is proud to announce the "Level Sync" system, a revolutionary new feature in the upcoming version update that will allow all players�grizzled veterans and novices alike�to adventure and gain experience together regardless of level differences!

The Concept

The development team has been listening intently to feedback from players, and working hard to address concerns such as the following:
"I can't party effectively with my friends or linkshell members because our levels are too far apart!"
"I invited one of my friends to play FFXI with me, but we can't party together because we don't have any jobs at similar levels!"
"I can't find anyone close enough to my level to party with!"

The new Level Sync system is the result of extensive discussions on how to resolve these concerns, while preserving game balance and avoiding abuse and power-leveling by RMT groups. It addresses the issues that have resulted from a steady stream of new, low-level players joining an existing game world populated by scores of high-level veterans, and is part of the ongoing effort to clean up the FFXI community and remove players in violation of the users' agreement.


At the heart of the feature is the new ability for members of a party to "power down" to the level of a designated target player. Now friends will be able to adventure together and gain experience as if they were all the same level!

With the introduction of this system, there will also be major changes to the way equipment is handled in regard to level restrictions. Rather than automatically unequipping items if a player's level is reduced below the item's minimum level, the attributes of high-level equipment will be scaled down proportionally to the reduced level.
This will apply not only to the Level Sync system, but to all level-restricted areas and missions. This means that players will now be able to participate in various battlefields, Assault missions, and Ballista, and also to adventure in level-capped areas such as Riverne without the hassle of having to switch equipment!

Read on for more details about how the Level Sync system will work, and examples of how equipment and experience-gaining will be affected.

How it Works

When Level Sync is activated, the level of all party members will be temporarily reduced to that of a target player designated by the party leader. For as long as the Level Sync remains in effect, all party members � regardless of their original level � will be able to gain experience as if they were actually the lower, restricted level.

e.g. With a party containing characters of Levels 75, 48, 46, 30, 12, and 11:
If the target character is Lv. 11, everyone will become Lv. 11.
If the target character is Lv. 12, the Lv. 30-75 party members will become Lv. 12.
(the Lv. 11 character will remain Lv. 11)
* If the target character gains a level while Level Sync is in effect, the other characters' levels will automatically adjust to reflect the new target level.
* Level Sync cannot be used in areas or events where a separate level restriction already applies.
* The Level Sync settings are easily accessible from the main menu.

Three simple restrictions will be implemented to ensure that the Level Sync feature is not abused and does not provide an excessive advantage over traditional leveling.
1)The minimum target level that can be synchronized to is Level 10.
2)The party leader and target player must be located in the same area.
3)There will be a buffer period of thirty seconds when deactivating Level Sync.

Gaining Experience

When Level Sync is in effect, players will gain 100% of the experience and limit points possible to gain at their reduced level. Be aware, though, that no EXP will be gained if the target player is unconscious, removed from the party, too far away from the battle location, or otherwise unable to receive EXP at the time the monster is defeated.
In addition, the amount of EXP lost when rendered unconscious will be calculated based upon the player's reduced level.

3600_9.jpg


Equipment

As mentioned above, equipment will also be temporarily powered down to match the player's reduced level. Attributes that will be affected include: DMG, DEF, HP, MP, Status Effects, Accuracy+, Attack+, Ranged Accuracy+, Ranged Attack+, Magic Accuracy+, and Magic Attack+.
* The current plan is for other special properties (including Evasion, Enmity, enchantments and ability bonuses) to be negated entirely.

Ex. 1) Centurion's Sword (Lv. 30)
DMG: 19 Delay: 225 Accuracy +3 Attack +4

Ex. 2) Askar Zucchetto (Lv. 75)
DEF: 23 STR+4 DEX+4 VIT+4 Haste +4%
Set: Max HP Boost

Ex. 3) Goliard Clogs (Lv. 75)
DEF: 19 DEX+4 INT+4 MND+4 CHR+4 Evasion +5
MP recovered while healing +3 Magic Accuracy +2

* The attributes in red will be scaled down relative to the player's level.

Also, low-level players need not be discouraged! Statistics on higher-level equipment (including HQ and rare items) being scaled down will be comparable to those of common items at the target level. This means that lower-level characters who have obtained special equipment via quests, notorious monsters, or HQ syntheses will still have the best gear available at their respective level!

There are still more exciting new changes that will be introduced, so keep an eye out for the full details to be posted on the day of the version update. Until then, happy adventuring!
 

Zerine

Enpi Enpi Enpi Enpi Enpi Enpi /gasp
This is similar to the EQ2 mentoring system - basically scales down your equipment and skills and abilities to the level you mentor to. If I'm reading it right if it scales down your skills so the higher level abilites won't be available, rather than just scaling down the ability. So no Raise or Tachi: Gekko at L12; whereas in EQ2 you retain all skills, they're just scaled down. So not sure if this is going to be really helpful to the lower levelled character (EG L12 in Valkrum Dunes will still have no access to raise from a grouped L75 WHM), but will still allow friends to group and xp together - a step in the right direction! :cool:
 

Vigilia

Mrs. Scudley
Well if you need a raise in the dunes you can always opt to un-cap your party after the fight, cast the raise and then re-cap everyone. And FFXI had before a similar system with the "mandragora hats" that you could get as a special reward when you introduced a friend to FFXI, but then you were limited to one hat for you and one hat for your friend. I'm just glad they're expanding the idea to everyone now.

I doubt this'll be a big difference for lowbie parties below 37 as generally finding peeps for the subjob range parties isn't that hard, but it will be awesome for:
- level capped missions since you don't need to get different gear anymore and
- for XPing in the 60+ range where certain jobs like tanks are hard to come by. How awesome will it be that for our static for example now me, Moorey and Scudley can take turns coming in a tank job? :)
 

Mkm73

Monkeh
<waves>
Hmm, place looks a lot more sparse than I remember ^_^;

Cool idea...if only they'd done this ages ago.
Hope everyone is still doing well!
 

Vigilia

Mrs. Scudley
Hi Gouke! Yeh few of us old ClanUKers are still playing but in different linkshells atm. Me/Scudley/Moorey/Ritter are in a fairly end-gamey crowd atm, Feyla/Sorran/Jediboy are in a more social/event kinda guild.

You can find some of us at www.mychroma.de/ls . :)

How's things for you? Hope all is well and oh and in case you haven't heard, me and Scuds are expecting our first baby due soon! :D
 

Vigilia

Mrs. Scudley
Thanks guys. And hiii Morg, how's the house renovations going? Not seen you around in ages either. :)
 

Mordrec

chimp
all finished thankfully :D we got moved in on the 20'th of dec.

haven't been online much lately been really busy,also got more games than i can wave a stick at atm so not really bothered abt playing mmo's :)
 

Flight

Full Member
Hi Gouke! Yeh few of us old ClanUKers are still playing but in different linkshells atm. Me/Scudley/Moorey/Ritter are in a fairly end-gamey crowd atm, Feyla/Sorran/Jediboy are in a more social/event kinda guild.

You can find some of us at www.mychroma.de/ls . :)

How's things for you? Hope all is well and oh and in case you haven't heard, me and Scuds are expecting our first baby due soon! :D



Yayyy, I didn't know.


Huge grats :)
 

Mkm73

Monkeh
Awesome news, congrats! :toast:

It's nice to see familiar names are still playing. Is Ritter still doing mystery tours? ;)

I still miss FF from time to time, but my circumstances have changed to the point where I don't think I could make time for an mmo these days. I tend to spend what gaming time I have on the 360 these days! (well, that and trying to track down Madcatz SFIV peripherals...)
 
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