TOPIC: End the Combat and Puzzle Variations in 2014?

I'm still planning on 4 runs (5 if you count grind), 1 run though with the fam, one with team synergy hopefully on nightmare and a grind. That way I can be relatively confident Ill see everything and get max xp.

Not sure if it was mentioned. But what if we go back to one adventure a year? Then have combat and puzzle for it ?

lazlo_hollyfeld1985 wrote: Not sure if it was mentioned. But what if we go back to one adventure a year? Then have combat and puzzle for it ?

While that would help with ticketing (since I'm assuming you mean have 2 each of the same combat and puzzle runs simultaneously), I think that would feel like a major step backward for token buyers, particularly if you maintain the current xp style where combat and puzzle do not yield xp separately. Of course, we could start receiving xp separately for combat / puzzle but the amount of new material for the year will be significantly less.

I agree that for particularly newbies, the combat / puzzle designation really causes more confusion than anything else. Oftentimes tickets are in such demand that even the people that know they prefer one or the other are stuck with the one they don't want. Players will wander into the wrong side (combat vs. puzzle) as well.

I personally would rather we drop combat vs. puzzle, have at least one room that is flippable based on preference (but all the cool stuff is still seen) and have 2 identical dungeon runs for each dungeon. Yes, you'll have veterans that will still run a total of 4 or more just because they want to get their token purchase money's worth or to run with specific friends, but it will reduce the pressure that you *have* to find a minimum of 4 different runs just to see everything.

We've always made sure that we got every variety on Nightmare, plus a run with a group of friends that prefer normal mode (although we did get them to try hardcore this past year). Because of all of the friends we've made that we love to run with, in past years we've tried to organize a lot of full slots trying to catch everyone, but every year we still miss a few friends and end up with very little outside TD time between the runs and being full time volunteers. Last year we had 9 scheduled initially, but dropped one because of lack of availability of our friends due to the golden ticket run.

As for having full slots available for purchasing, I like the idea conceptually, but in practice it may or may not work.

lazlo_hollyfeld1985 wrote: Not sure if it was mentioned. But what if we go back to one adventure a year? Then have combat and puzzle for it ?

I'd be a bit worried if there were four copies of one Dungeon (two combat, two puzzle) that demand would drop so much that it wouldn't sell out. I think there are a lot of people that only want to run each Dungeon once.

Chelsea Phillips wrote: I'm a fairly new player, I love the true dungeon as a whole and don't really have a preference between the two. My best and worst runs of 2013 were because of veteran players. I felt like many of the veteran players kept getting frustrated with less experienced players (such as myself) in the heat of combat or a timed puzzle...players also like to claim classes based off of the tokens they have (I can't say I'm against this because I have gear specifically for druid and don't plan on budging from my class decision). So to accommodate everyone, what if dungeon runs were split based on a true dungeoners xp level, sort of like the adventurers guild exclusive run idea. So that way we have slots specifically for people who want to try out true dungeon and for those hard core collectors who are looking for a challenge for their artifacts, relics, and ultra rares. I'm not sure what the ratio of new and returning players are and scheduling may still be an issue even if this idea was implemented, but I think it might be a good thing to think about trying to accommodate players new and veteran.

This is a really interesting idea, I wonder how well something like this would work. Then again it would be a scheduling nightmare since there was so much trouble with new people getting into nightmare with no idea what they were getting themselves into.

Mekra wrote:

Chelsea Phillips wrote: I'm a fairly new player, I love the true dungeon as a whole and don't really have a preference between the two. My best and worst runs of 2013 were because of veteran players. I felt like many of the veteran players kept getting frustrated with less experienced players (such as myself) in the heat of combat or a timed puzzle...players also like to claim classes based off of the tokens they have (I can't say I'm against this because I have gear specifically for druid and don't plan on budging from my class decision). So to accommodate everyone, what if dungeon runs were split based on a true dungeoners xp level, sort of like the adventurers guild exclusive run idea. So that way we have slots specifically for people who want to try out true dungeon and for those hard core collectors who are looking for a challenge for their artifacts, relics, and ultra rares. I'm not sure what the ratio of new and returning players are and scheduling may still be an issue even if this idea was implemented, but I think it might be a good thing to think about trying to accommodate players new and veteran.

This is a really interesting idea, I wonder how well something like this would work. Then again it would be a scheduling nightmare since there was so much trouble with new people getting into nightmare with no idea what they were getting themselves into.

True Grind says you need to be Level 3 to play..new people sign up anyway.
People dont read and sometimes the slots dont fit so they take what they can get

lazlo_hollyfeld1985 wrote:

Mekra wrote:

Chelsea Phillips wrote: I'm a fairly new player, I love the true dungeon as a whole and don't really have a preference between the two. My best and worst runs of 2013 were because of veteran players. I felt like many of the veteran players kept getting frustrated with less experienced players (such as myself) in the heat of combat or a timed puzzle...players also like to claim classes based off of the tokens they have (I can't say I'm against this because I have gear specifically for druid and don't plan on budging from my class decision). So to accommodate everyone, what if dungeon runs were split based on a true dungeoners xp level, sort of like the adventurers guild exclusive run idea. So that way we have slots specifically for people who want to try out true dungeon and for those hard core collectors who are looking for a challenge for their artifacts, relics, and ultra rares. I'm not sure what the ratio of new and returning players are and scheduling may still be an issue even if this idea was implemented, but I think it might be a good thing to think about trying to accommodate players new and veteran.

This is a really interesting idea, I wonder how well something like this would work. Then again it would be a scheduling nightmare since there was so much trouble with new people getting into nightmare with no idea what they were getting themselves into.

True Grind says you need to be Level 3 to play..new people sign up anyway.
People dont read and sometimes the slots dont fit so they take what they can get

I work in the petroleum industry, and have learned one fact. 99% of the people out there don't read descriptions, warnings, or even pop ups that require them to hit a button to continue. So putting together somehting in TD that requires people to pay attention when they are buying tickets will not work.... KISS is the best forumla. Keep is So Simple (or my favorate Keep it simple stupid).

Making 2 of each dungeon would allow for more people to see it as the crazy people like myself that did 14 runs (10 was going to be max next year) won't have to do as many runs to get their group Nightmare run for each of the 2 dungeons, thus freeing up more tickets for newer players.

Also this will make it hopefully easier to do XP and end of adventure stuff.

On a side note - who things XP will be fixed and if they will get the database ready to scan your gencon ID badge to bring up your account ready this year?

True Grind says you need to be Level 3 to play..new people sign up anyway.
People dont read and sometimes the slots dont fit so they take what they can get

Maybe there needs to be a private block where you must sign up for runs on the TD site, and put the level limit there.... once the XP issue is fixed.

Mekra wrote:

Chelsea Phillips wrote: I'm a fairly new player, I love the true dungeon as a whole and don't really have a preference between the two. My best and worst runs of 2013 were because of veteran players. I felt like many of the veteran players kept getting frustrated with less experienced players (such as myself) in the heat of combat or a timed puzzle...players also like to claim classes based off of the tokens they have (I can't say I'm against this because I have gear specifically for druid and don't plan on budging from my class decision). So to accommodate everyone, what if dungeon runs were split based on a true dungeoners xp level, sort of like the adventurers guild exclusive run idea. So that way we have slots specifically for people who want to try out true dungeon and for those hard core collectors who are looking for a challenge for their artifacts, relics, and ultra rares. I'm not sure what the ratio of new and returning players are and scheduling may still be an issue even if this idea was implemented, but I think it might be a good thing to think about trying to accommodate players new and veteran.

This is a really interesting idea, I wonder how well something like this would work. Then again it would be a scheduling nightmare since there was so much trouble with new people getting into nightmare with no idea what they were getting themselves into.

I think my group is a good example of why this would have problems. We have several high XP players on the team (including a couple in the top 10), but we also almost always have a new player or two on the team also. Like many groups, we are usually a mix of very experienced players and new players, so a rule where we weren't able to be in the same slot would be problematic.

Yes it would be horribad to drop content by an entire module.

SO, everyone is going to keep going on multiple runs. Why not allow for room alterations so the runs are different enough to maintain some interest or replay value. Sure let everything be sceen so one trip through each module and you've sceen it all, but have in room choices of puzzle or combat and the group makes the choice at the time, this way if you've done it before you could do it again and it would play differently.

You'll always come across a group that will say "Man we should be able to talk the monster down"
and you'll always come across the group that says "Why can we just kill the guardian instead of solving this puzzle"

The choice is in the hands of the group. The group will Love it. There will be no more or less arguments in a group then already exist. Yes people currently spoil runs and there is no changing that, so don't let that play a factor here.

People currently get really annoyed they can't use their tokens in a creative way, (while this is some what of a topic nonsequator) Ultimately this is a feeling players have that they don't matter. They are just a wallet. Players want to feel like their experience is unique and that they personally can make a difference. Allowing an actual in room choice would help down that path. They could see their input actually matters.


As to the topic of someone buying the $440 full run ticket and not knowing... well they get what they deserve. If you are willing to blindly dump that much money on something you know nothing about I'd think you're in the minority. In this seriously unlikely event it would be easy enough to fill the run with waitlist people. But if you find this guy send him my way I have some tokens to sell him

Mekra wrote:

True Grind says you need to be Level 3 to play..new people sign up anyway.
People dont read and sometimes the slots dont fit so they take what they can get

Maybe there needs to be a private block where you must sign up for runs on the TD site, and put the level limit there.... once the XP issue is fixed.

From what I understand there isn't really a way to do this.
Trying to limit folks by XP just won't work without getting very convoluted.


Experienced people should just form groups here on the boards.
The $440 ticket slots would help this out greatly.

I am okay with there being the option to buy the $440 full runs but don't make them strictly nightmare runs or at least have some nightmare runs that can have individual tickets. I don't know enough players personally to fill out a full run, and I have always had a great time meeting other top level players while on nightmare runs. I suppose we could always advertise on the forums to help fill any open slots.

On the other side I know there are groups of players that have a full team ready to rock and roll. So being able to buy a full run makes perfect sense.

Just my 1.5 cents