New Level System Q&A

Posted By: Sanya Thomas 2004-08-11 18:30:24

Our new system (http://www.camelotherald.com/patches.php) is simple in essence, a tiny bit complicated to explain. We hope this Q&A with most common scenarios explained will help. If in your testing travels you find the system working differently, please report each example as a bug. Read on: As you all know, we’re putting in a free level system for our players. Once a week, assuming you’ve earned enough experience to gain a level (a “natural level”), you’ll get a pop up message that tells you that you have the option to gain an additional ("free") level. Or, put another way - all characters will be granted a free amount of experience every seven days, enough to take the character to the next level, if the character has attained a level by regular play in that time. To take advantage of the free level, you need to visit your trainer. That’s the basic system in a nutshell. The devil is in the details, so they say, so what follows is a quick Q&A of all the possible scenarios that could apply. But before we get to that, let’s be sure we’re all on the same page. Here are the three questions our system will answer every seven days before you see the pop up message: * When did you last USE the free level? (The seven day period is measured from this time stamp.) * Did you get a natural level in the last seven days? (Yes/no – a simple flag) * How many experience points will it take to raise you to the next level (at the moment that the system measure seven days from the last use)? That last one sounds much more confusing than it really is. Check out the examples below. ******************************************************************** Okay! First, let’s look at a question that will ONLY apply to the first week that this system is live. Then, a question that will only apply to people logging in for the first time after the system goes live: Q: The system went live yesterday, and I earned enough experience to level. Will I get a free level? A: No. The system needs a seven day “history” to check, first. The very first time stamp was measured as the day and hour you first logged in after the new patch went live. If you logged in the exact minute we brought the servers back up, you can be eligible for the free level no sooner than 168 hours (seven days) after that moment. Q: The patch went live last (week, month, quarter). Today, I logged in for the first time since then, and earned enough experience to level up. When am I eligible for my free level? A: Exactly 168 hours (seven days) of real time after you first logged in. While the system will count real time (not actual playing time) from now on, the free level system takes its first time stamp at the moment you first log in after the patch. **************************************************************************** Now, let’s look at scenarios that will apply after the system is established. Specific dates and levels are ONLY for the purposes of illustration. For the purpose of these questions, let’s assume the people asking the questions all logged in and started their timers on June 1st: Q: I am a brand new player. I leveled up (by getting experience) from level 1 to level 2 on June 1st, which happened to be my first day of playing ever. Under the new system, did I get a free level on June 1st? A: No. You don’t have a seven day history yet. Q: I leveled up (by getting experience) from level 1 to level 2 on June 8th. I’ve been playing since June 1st. Under the new system, did I get a free level? A: Yes. Your character has a history of at least seven days. Q: I leveled up (by getting experience) from level 1 to level 2 on June 1st, my first day of playing ever. I did not level again for the rest of that week. Did I get a free level when I logged in on June 8th? A: Yes. When the system’s “odometer” hit the one week mark, it checked to see if you gained a natural level during that week. Since you got a level, you got the pop up announcement the moment you were eligible for the reward. Q: I leveled up (by getting experience) from level 1 to level 2 on June 8th. I started my character on June 1st, but I didn’t get the chance to log in between June 1st and June 8th. Under the new system, did I get a free level? A: Yes. The system uses real time hours. Q: I leveled up from level 1 to 2 on June 8th (by getting experience), got the pop up, and used my free level, which took me from 2 to 3. I leveled up from 3 to 4 (by getting experience) on June 12th. Did I get a free level on June 12th? A: No. The system took note of the exact moment you told your trainer that you wanted to use your free level, and started the seven day clock over again. You will get a pop up on June 15th (or whatever day it is exactly 168 hours after you used your last freebie) that awards you your next freebie. Q: I leveled up from level 1 to 2 on June 8th (by getting experience), got the pop up, and used my free level, which took me from 2 to 3. I leveled up from 3 to 4, and then from 4 to 5 (by getting experience). On June 15th, or whatever the date is when I hit the 168 hour mark, how much experience will my free level award me? A: The system will give you enough experience to go from 5 to 6, because it’s looking at the level you are at the exact 168 hour mark, counting from the moment when you used your previous freebie. Q: I leveled up from level 1 to 2 on June 8th (by getting experience), got the pop up, and used my free level, which took me from 2 to 3. I leveled up from 3 to 4 (by getting experience) on June 12th. When I got my pop up window on June 15th, I decided not to use my free level, and I kept playing. I then leveled from 4 to 5 by getting experience. Then I went to my trainer to use my free level. How much experience will I get? A: The system doesn’t allow you to hoard free levels, and doesn’t record any past the first freebie. In this example, your trainer will award you free experience – but only equal to the amount of experience it would take to move you from 4 to 5, because the last level it recorded was what level you were at the 168 hour point. Therefore, in this example, after the trainer gave you the free experience you would be almost 6th, but not quite. Q: I leveled up from 1 to 2 (by getting experience) on June 8th, and got my free level – taking me from 2 to 3. I leveled up (by getting experience) again on June 12th which took me from 3 to 4, and did not get a free level. I did not log in between June 12th and June 15th. I leveled up (by getting experience) again on June 15th. Did I get two free levels at once? A: No. But the very minute you logged in on the 15th, you got a pop up box telling you that you had a free level coming to you. See the question and answer right above this one. Q: I got the pop up box telling me I was eligible for a free level. Will my trainer say anything to me about it? A: No. As soon as you click on your trainer, you will be awarded any free experience you are eligible for. Do not click on your trainer if you do not wish to get your free experience at that time. Q: I got to level 20 by getting experience. I got the pop up saying I was eligible for the free level. I forgot about my free respec, and I clicked on my trainer – and therefore automatically went to 21! Have I lost my respec? A: As currently designed, no, you have not. Q: I leveled up (by getting experience) on June 8th, and got my free level. I get experience at a very slow rate, and didn't level by getting experience again until June 20th. Did I get a free level? A: Yes.