Wipe!

[Dallane]

It would need to be ONE server only, but it must be much larger in size than the servers currently are, with a much much larger darkness, so people can go hide in the deep darkness in churches. (At least x12 the current map size, with the way the server is designed to load specific segments at a time, there should be no limit to the size a map can be once generated)

agree 100%. The server needs to be like HnH where the edge can expand out as the server progresses.

[jcwilk]

It would need to be ONE server only, but it must be much larger in size than the servers currently are, with a much much larger darkness, so people can go hide in the deep darkness in churches. (At least x12 the current map size, with the way the server is designed to load specific segments at a time, there should be no limit to the size a map can be once generated)

+1, this would make me super happy, though I'd feel bad for those that have put in so much time so it seems like at least opening transfers or combining the old servers so they can keep playing with those that want to remain behind would be at least small consolation. Though of course they would still be able to quickly get ahead on a new server even with a wipe given their familiarity/dedication/minions/bots/whatever, as they should, so maybe it wouldn't be worth the effort.

[Judaism]

combining the old servers so they can keep playing with those that want to remain behind would be at least small consolation.

Duhh, but I am wondering how long the fun last

[MagicManICT]

The server needs to be like HnH where the edge can expand out as the server progresses.

The servers already have this capability. The question is how big is too big for the game. Too small, and the little guys get ran over all the time, too big, and nobody interacts with each other (HnH vets that were around w3 can remember some of that).

I think you guys missed my point with my bringing up EVE. EVE is a released game, Salem is not. One can only stretch a comparison so far between the two. My comparison with EVE is that it is a game that has ran for 10 years. There are characters that have in excess of 200M SP and tons of characters in excess of 100M. There could be characters in excess of 300M at this point*. There are players and corporations worth trillions of ISK. How's a noob supposed to compete with those people? Maybe CCP should wipe the EVE servers!

When the core mechanics are set as intended, should there be a wipe? I'm undecided. On the one hand, you start everyone back off at square one and all players have to scrabble their way up the ladder on "equal" footing. There aren't legacy items potentially influencing game world progression. On the other hand, there's already a few dedicated players that have said if the game wipes, they won't be back. It's too much work for the reward expected.

There's an old saying--"A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." Will it be worth a wipe and lose a few dozen dedicated players that have stuck with it through thick and thin for a few dozen potential players that might not even stick around? It's a fine balance, and not one I'd want to make, especially after the statements that have been made in the past of no planned complete wipes.

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*This figures 2.5M SP a month over 120 months. It's a bit high, but with some of the changes in the past, and where some of the characters were when I last played, it should be possible, but not likely. I did look up the top characters on eveboard.com, and top players reporting are at about 230M.

[Dalix]

I like the EVE comparaison but permadeath is a major difference. Even if you get sometimes gank by rats in EVE, you always have hope to get back on your feet. Now, I'm not advocating for no permadeath, I like that aspect. I'm just saying that EVE and Salem cannot totally compare.

[Darwoth]

permadeath is why it balances perfectly, even more so than eve. the remnants of the old purity system are all but gone already,( which is why i now have several hundred tier 3 fields which will allow me to bang out a "titan" every 2 weeks or so using no legacy **** at all if i am in a mood to farm. ) and unlike eve you also have the option to remove those characters from the game.

[Potjeh]

Is that 14h/day two weeks? Farming up the stuff sounds doable enough, but cooking it all up would take ages because cooking is so damn slow. Unless you run 3-4 cooks in parallel I guess.

[dageir]

A total wipe and the introduction of just one server would bring alot of people back. For a while... But when the games starts feeling like a second job again, people will quit. The game lacks an element of fun and does not cater to the more casual players.

[Jalpha]

Stuff.

You know it's refreshing, and positive, to hear someone saying things like this instead of "harr harr u can never achieve my level of superiority, i broke the game".

[Thor]

Most of the noobs I meet in game play for a month tops and then quit. ("this game is too hard - I died and I quit - etc")
Wipe would probably make most "core players" quit too. I don't want that.