The Robot Devil wrote:ZDub 303 wrote:The Robot Devil wrote:So whenever they decide to add content or change anything we should get a respec? No. It's not that bad. I don't want to see anyone "punished" but there has to be a stopping point or there is no need for SP.
SP reallocation creates bad data by allowing things to change too quickly and skewing what gear is used in what way.
Repecs exacerbate the flavor of the month problem and cause more nerfs than are needed.
Refunded SP also hurts the point of the game and the premise set by New Eden and the idea that choices have consequences.
Re specialization also creates more respecs buy setting precedent.
Last but not least HTFU because this is New Eden and choices count. It is just a game.
flavor of the month is caused by CCPs inability to rebalance weapons in a timely manner.
Choices don't have consequences when a game is in this much flux, how can you make a meaningful choice on what to spend your SP on when everything you choose to or not to spec into will not be the same in 2-3 months time?
You proved my point. Nothing can be balanced if the game is in constant flux, doublely so if respecs are given out like candy. This is how CCP works, we all knew it or should have learned it a long time ago. To have meaning balance we first have to have a baseline and reallocating SP ruins the baseline.
Its honestly quite the opposite.
How long was the flaylock out before people started calling it OP? Almost two months?
And even after it was finally found to be OP, a lot of people still wouldn't spec into it, knowing the SP would be wasted come 1.3 after CCP drops the nerf hammer 9000 on it.
Reallocations have nothing to do with a meaningful baseline and in fact, FOTM chasing would technically be beneficial to rebalancing everything.
If you could respec at any time... how many people you think we'd see using cal logis and flaylocks? Probably close to everyone. This would help CCP see exactly which items needed rebalancing.
The reason they can't rebalance quickly is two-fold.
First this system inhibits quick specialization into weapons... so for most people it takes 2-3 weeks just to get the prototype variant and a couple points of proficiency, this throws off metrics already. They also have to divert SP away from their already planned path of progession, causing certain people who would use a weapon to not use it, as they don't have the spare SP for it.
Next, there is a 2 month lag time before CCP can even implement a fix to anything. First they have to recognize it, and then they have to implement it two patches from now (as they are now always content locked on the current patch).
Imagine how many scouts there would be in this game if you could have respecs? Probably a lot fewer, the fact that they have to 'live with their choices' when the scout they are using now is not the scout they skilled into in 1.1 is causing bias in the
wrong way, making it look like there are more scouts than there should be and causing ccp to think there isn't as much of a problem with scouts as there actually is.
How about tankers? Could you imagine how many fewer tankers there would be right now if they could spec out of tanks? No they are forced to 'live with their decision' even though tanks are receiving a huge nerf 'in a future update'. Should they have seen the armor rep nerf coming like cal logis and chosen accordingly?
The only way CCP can get any sort of meaningful data is from QQers on the forums. And we all can see how well thats working out
.
So no.. I don't see how refusing respecs hurts anything. Maybe you can explain a little better how refusing respecs establishes a better baseline? All it really does is force people like OZAROW to deal with be screwed over by unnecessarily implemented mechanics cause he 'made a choice and has to live with it'.
Right now there is only one way of specing out of your current choices... and that's quitting the game. Seems bad for business to me?