Scalability suggestion, just an opinion 😉

Conan Exiles PC Discussion Public Beta Client
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I realize that everyone and their mother has an opinion on how the new Purge system should work, and for the record, this is my opinion. If you would like to comment on my opinion or share your own, you’re welcome to, but please keep it civil. After all is said and done, no opinions are wrong. I apologize in advance for the following wall of text.

First let me say that I really enjoy how the new system works, it is SOOO much more fun than the old system (currently on Live). Having to grind for a week straight just to get the purge to pop was very discouraging, especially when there was a good chance it was going to bug out, requiring me to start the grind all over again. Being able to spawn in a purge on demand in Chapter-2 means that it will work with my schedule, no matter what my schedule is, and that I LOVE.

Obviously there are a few major problems with the new system in it’s current form. Most of these problems I have seen posted already, so I won’t file a bug report on each of them, but I will bullet a few of them below for reference.

Below is seen on a private server (PvE) running no mods and default settings to match official servers.

  • The tents within the FOB spawn randomly and often block their own entrance/exit.

  • The main (decorative) chest cannot be interacted with after achieving ‘Victory,’ so there is no real reward that helps you achieve a higher Purge threat as it was suggested on the live stream.

  • The thralls in the cages are not rescued into the player’s clan and therefore cannot be interacted with (or killed on PvE).

  • Banner rewards (with thralls) are not part of the player’s clan and are immediately attacked (as enemies) by the player’s thralls.

  • The Banner rewards can be ‘picked up’ after being placed which leaves the thralls behind but allows the player to place the banner again gaining more thralls (effectively a duping exploit).

I expect all of the above problems will get addressed before Chapter-2 is officially released. However, even with all the problems mentioned above, I am enjoying the new system MUCH more than the current one. I realize that I’m repeating myself now but it was worth saying twice because the new system is twice as good :+1: :star_struck: :+1:

I did have a suggestion for how this system can be improved on which will make it more relevant and increase repeat playability at the same time. In fact, this is the real reason I chose to write this, so if you’re still reading, I thank you.

I propose that the threat levels go up infinitely (or at least dramatically higher, perhaps to level-100) but we should be required to access those threat levels in order (numerically). For example, a clan is required to start at threat level-1, and must complete it to get to threat level-2, which it must complete to get to level-3, and so on. Each level would get tougher but by an almost trivial amount. Perhaps each level adds one additional combatant per wave and every five threat levels the NPCs get a small increase to their damage modifier and an extra 50 hit points. Perhaps every ten levels the NPCs get an additional boost to their armor rating (100 extra armor). Long story short, a clan will eventually hit a purge that is too tough for them to complete, creating the need to use better build strategies or more advanced fighting tactics in order to progress. It will also promote cooperation with friends (and strangers) on the server. If it’s possible for a purge to get too tough, than we also need a way to stop the purge, currently, there is no way to stop an existing purge, not even logging off. Perhaps a button that says ‘I concede defeat’ should be added, and the cost of defeat would be to lose all treasure items within the coffer’s radius, including everything in the coffer itself.

Example:

  • Threat level-1 is ten waves of ten enemy combatants per wave with normal T1-T2 NPCs attacking.

  • Level-2 is the same as above but with eleven enemies for each of the ten waves. Level-3 is again identical but with twelve enemies and level-4 consists of thirteen enemies per wave.

  • At threat level-5 (and every five levels after), the waves shrink back to ten enemy combatants per wave for ten waves total but all of the enemies have an additional 50-HP and deal 5% more damage.

  • Threat levels 6-9 again increase one enemy combatant per wave, still only ten waves total.

  • At level-10 the waves shrink again, back to ten per wave but the enemies get an additional 50-HP, another 5% damage increase as well as an extra 100-armor.

  • Levels 11-14 increases the number of attackers per wave again by one each time.

  • Level-15 gets another increase to HP and damage.

  • Level-20 boosts HP, damage and armor.

  • By the time we reach threat level-30, each of the attacking NPCs have an additional 300-HP, 300-armor, and deal 30% more damage.

The above pattern can be repeated at high as the player/clan can continue to fight them off. I suspect this type of increase in purge difficulty will feel better to the players and encourage people (even strangers) on a server to play together. It will also give those that want more challenge a reason to continue playing. Additionally, there should be an achievement that hit’s your Funcom profile stating the highest Purge you have completed, kind of like a makeshift leader board for bragging rights. I think it would be cool to brag to my friends that I was able to complete a level-42 purge solo, only to then run into a stranger on the server that has completed a level-55.

Anyway, this is only my opinion/suggestion, if you stuck around to read the whole thing, then I thank you and look forward to any (civil) comments regarding this, or any other opinions. It would also be nice if someone in the @Community wanted to forward this on to those that matter. :wink:

Until next time, happy hunting.

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Fyi, there’s only 10 levels, not infinite. They may add more later, but currently your idea will not work since it only goes up to 10.

Edit: never mind… I read “I suppose” rather than “I propose” in your comment.” Disregard my reply. :sweat_smile:

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Yes, it was Dennis’s comment on stream, that he had not yet totally decided how many threat levels to include, which inspired me to make this proposal. :wink: I realize there will be almost no changes (if any) to the current purge system being tested before it goes live. However, they may choose to make some tweaks in chapter-3 if people start making some positive suggestions that make sense. I’m curious, what are your thoughts on the matter?

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I love the idea @DaVice .
They would have to look on those rewards though. It seems the rewards from purges are a bit disappointing. We might lose a lot to gain meager rewards and that doesn’t do.

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Since i don’t have access to it just yet, I can’t say anything for certain until I try it. I’m admittedly most concerned over the potential lag it may cause with multiple purges on the server though, especially since I’m on PlayStation.

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I’m hoping Chapter 3 Purges will give us those high end challenges. Level 1-10 purges just want to steal your loot. Level 11-20 purges want to wipe you off the map. Full-on total annihilation siege!

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Yes, for PvE the rewards are useless.
For PvP it’s another source of bombs.
Ridiculous in both cases :notlikethis:

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Sounds like a cool idea!

Would you start from Level 1 again if you fail a higher purge? Or would it just stay at the highest level you’ve successfully completed?

I noticed in all the dev stream and content creator streams, that not a single T4 thrall has been found during any of the purges, regardless of the difficulty. A level 10 Purge should bring some seriously good loot, that includes special unique thralls (in my opinion).

The level 10 Stygian purge doesn’t look like it’s anywhere close to as difficult as a Cimmerian Berserkers three wave purge, so I definitely could see them increasing the difficulty or cap level for the purge.

Really I just want them to make the rewards worth the risk and effort. I spend all week trying to get the purge on officials, sometimes two weeks. It’s very satisfying to work hard for it and be rewarded with a brand new T4 fighter thrall that is stronger than any other thrall I can find in the North. That is what motivates me, so I really really really hope they make these ‘rewards’ more rewarding!

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I’ve never done a purge for the loot that drops, only for the unique named thralls and the challenge of completing it. The new system seems broken in some regards, as mentioned in the (main post) bullets above. The decretive chest in the FOB cannot currently be interacted with. Once Funcom fixes that, we will have a better idea of what the rewards will be. I don’t think the rewards should scale infinitely though, perhaps just the first 10 (or 20) levels could scale, beyond that seems excessive to me.

I wish there was a console beta for people to test, but unfortunately, I don’t think there ever will be. As far as lag, I agree with you, server lag is likely going to be a bigger issue than it ever was, since everyone can run a purge simultaneously. However, I think my suggestion keeps the lag to a minimum with only 10-14 NPC (AI) per wave and the total waves never exceeding 10.

There was (Dev) talk about siege weapons being used in previous streams, and I know most of us jumped to the conclusion that they meant trebuchets, since those were the only siege weapons in the game at the time. However, some of the new purge thralls carry battering rams and those may have been the siege weapons they meant. :cold_sweat: I personally hope more siege battles can be fought in chapter-3, with trebuchets and possibly ballista or scorpions. We will have to wait and see with our fingers crossed. :wink:

My thought, which in hind sight wasn’t articulated well, is that you are forced to proceed through the threat levels one at a time (sequentially), preventing someone from skipping straight to level-30. However, once a level is complete it is unlocked and that clan can then choose to do whatever level they wish out of the unlocked levels available to them. Perhaps a drop-down selection box can be added. Being able to select the level (from unlocked levels available) is important, but most of all for large clans. A large clan may have achieved a level-75 while all 10 clan members were online, but if a single clan member wants to do a purge while his buddies aren’t available, he needs to be able to select a lower level.

I agree, the loot should scale for the first 10 levels, and I suspect it will once they fix that bug with the decretive chest. Named thralls should also be part of the loot though, as you mentioned, I haven’t seen any named thralls yet. :expressionless: Perhaps every 10 levels you get a guaranteed (random) named thrall in one of the cages, up to a maximum of 3 guaranteed.

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And that’s why, even though I liked your idea, I don’t think they’ll do it. It’s the Age of War, and they’re trying to add something a lot of players were asking for: big battles. It’s not much of a war, or even a raid, if there’s an enemy army camped in front of your castle but they keep sending 10-14 dudes at a time.

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Point taken, I agree.

I took my NPC count from the existing NPC counts on beta. Currently they are sending roughly 10 per wave and after roughly 10 waves, the Commander challenges you. However, the waves don’t stop at 10 in the beta, if you don’t go confront the Commander, the waves continue indefinitely. Additionally, there is no way to stop the purge, if you are disconnected and can’t rejoin (due to power outage), the purge continues until server restart. Although, if there are no players nearby, the AI is dormant. I figured putting a cap on it would be wiser. Perhaps if the waves were 20-24 NPCs each, but still limited to 10 waves total, that would feel more like a ‘war?’

BTW ~ If anyone needs a beta server to test things for themselves (restarted daily), you are all welcome to join mine: DaVice - TestLive (no pass).

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They are? My apologies, I haven’t been playing on TestLive. When I watched the dev stream on YouTube, it looked like there were more enemies than that.

At any rate, I wasn’t really criticizing your idea as much as being pessimistic about Funcom doing something like that :slight_smile:

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With the lead times necessary to get the code for consoles approved, the “beta” release is most likely the probable release candidate. It is possible they may get fixed before release, but we will more likely see them addressed in Chapter 2 hotfix one or two. By the end of October if we are lucky.

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No apology necessary, I didn’t take it as overly critical, nor was I under the delusion that my proposal was perfect. :crazy_face: The fact is, these new waves (as seen on beta) don’t work the same as the current purge on Live. With the new purge, they are more like volleys of NPCs, they are not announced. Roughly 15-20 seconds after you kill off a volley the next one is sent, and because the FOB is so close, it gives it more of a ‘constant battle’ feeling. :muscle:

Sadly, I knew this was true even as I wrote otherwise. I think the reason I wrote it up the way I did, was me clinging to hope. :wink: In reality, I think they will put out 1 patch at most while it’s still in beta, and despite knowing there are more issues, they will release it in a state that’s unfinished, solely so they can release it to all platforms simultaneously. It’s a shame it has to be that way, but that is Funcom’s modus operandi. :sleepy:

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As it stands now, it seems levels dictate the types of thrall factions you see. I think every purge should have named thralls as a chance… just as they always have. If a level 10 purge proves too difficult for some, they shouldn’t be prevented from getting at least some exile or lemurian or pirate T4s imo. The only difference is that they’ll unlikely be getting any berserkers or something.

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I wasn’t suggesting that we should only be entitled to a named thrall at level 10+. I think the named thralls should continue to be RNG as they are, but at level 10, regardless of whether or not any named thralls attacked us, we should have 1 named thrall waiting for us, like loot in a cage.

If people can’t do a level 10 purge then they still get whatever RNG allows, and it might not include any named thralls. Don’t forget, you have to do the highest level surge on Siptah to be eligible for named thralls. The way it is currently in beta, a level 10 purge is the highest and can be easily completed by a solo player with a handful of (leveled and geared) thralls.

I suggested the loot rewards be capped at level 10 because I was trying to include as many people as possible in the maximum reward, and I think named thralls are the most important of all the rewards. Perhaps a guaranteed thrall every 5 levels (to a maximum of 3) is more appropriate? I’m still only referring to the guaranteed aspect, they may get a named thrall (that they have to KO) in addition to the guaranteed 1 in the cage.

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