(See my reply to Kali above for reasoning on moving to the percentage points system -- it's not so much to "eat up more points" so much as it is to balance things for players.)
To address the part about more in-depth plot rewards, we've always constructed the plot rewards to lead to new things to follow up on, so they're never simply "one off" scenarios. We like linking existing plots together, because it leads to new CR for players. Plots cross paths and run into each other. Different characters have different pieces of the same puzzle!
Something I personally have noticed (not speaking for Am or Pur here), and to be clear this is not pointing fingers or implicating blame on anyone, but that sometimes characters who receive plot information... don't do anything with it. Generally we want to see the information they receive be made public to the other Foreigners in some way or another, so that it can be spread around. So this could be network posts, or open logs for investigations, that sort of thing. The network post that Yuri made about the worldwalking kedan, that's a perfect example, and it's generating interest in those missing kedan again. That's what we want to see. But, from someone who reads basically every post and log in the game, a lot of the reward requests that were handed out over the last year, particularly over the summer, really never seemed to see much follow up ICly.
So we'll definitely keep an eye on making sure that plot rewards have enough engaging material to work with, but I feel that the follow-up is where the real discovery is going to happen.
RE: Action-based plots - This is something that was brought to our attention a few months ago, and I apologize that we haven't had time over the holidays to really implement any notable changes in this area! Rest assured, starting with landfall in Tavimbi, there will be a wider spread of plots that better accommodate all the types of characters we have in game, including action-based characters, techie characters, and plots geared for characters of various age groups. In hindsight, a lot of the events from last year did heavily skew to the magically-inclined, so that's something we'll be more conscientious of going forward.
( Li )
To address the part about more in-depth plot rewards, we've always constructed the plot rewards to lead to new things to follow up on, so they're never simply "one off" scenarios. We like linking existing plots together, because it leads to new CR for players. Plots cross paths and run into each other. Different characters have different pieces of the same puzzle!
Something I personally have noticed (not speaking for Am or Pur here), and to be clear this is not pointing fingers or implicating blame on anyone, but that sometimes characters who receive plot information... don't do anything with it. Generally we want to see the information they receive be made public to the other Foreigners in some way or another, so that it can be spread around. So this could be network posts, or open logs for investigations, that sort of thing. The network post that Yuri made about the worldwalking kedan, that's a perfect example, and it's generating interest in those missing kedan again. That's what we want to see. But, from someone who reads basically every post and log in the game, a lot of the reward requests that were handed out over the last year, particularly over the summer, really never seemed to see much follow up ICly.
So we'll definitely keep an eye on making sure that plot rewards have enough engaging material to work with, but I feel that the follow-up is where the real discovery is going to happen.
RE: Action-based plots - This is something that was brought to our attention a few months ago, and I apologize that we haven't had time over the holidays to really implement any notable changes in this area! Rest assured, starting with landfall in Tavimbi, there will be a wider spread of plots that better accommodate all the types of characters we have in game, including action-based characters, techie characters, and plots geared for characters of various age groups. In hindsight, a lot of the events from last year did heavily skew to the magically-inclined, so that's something we'll be more conscientious of going forward.