2013-06-25, 11:11 AM
Sephie Wrote:It's terribly late but I want to get this out before I sleep.
Theory: The current way EXP is calculated (Additive separate bonuses and 20% Party Play bonus compared to Multiplicative combined bonuses and 50% Party Play bonus) is a somewhat sophisticated solution to the "5 leech, 1 attacks" party line up that plagued LHC and HoH all this time.
I'm thinking that because the Party Play bonus is 20%, the maximum bonus (6 person party) would be 100% which is just below the full exp penalty for having 5 party members. This means that if a party followed the "5 leech, 1 attacks" line up, the attacker would be hurting way more than if they were to just solo, even if they were getting HS. The only benefit is that the 5 leechers still get EXP for doing nothing but this solves the older problem where the attacker wouldn't have cared as the party play bonus was still way faster than soloing (without a party).
The other part is that the current EXP modifiers (HS, 2x Events, EXP Buffs, Item EXP buffs, etc) are additive now so as not to disrupt the above solution. If Party Play EXP was multiplied by our current EXP modifiers, it would then suddenly create the incentive for a "5 leech, 1 attacks" party as it would be faster for the attacker to leech a party. Currently, EXP modifiers are solely modifying the base EXP of the mob with Party Play EXP as a separate bonus. By doing it this way, it will still impede solo attackers that leech their party members. I'm not certain as I haven't done the math quite yet... but this would also mean that having a 6 person party isn't imperative and that having fewer party members might actually be better assuming they are active. The system benefits stronger players that only require a few people to train on a map and it benefits weaker players that can't kill as fast but can remedy that by having a larger party.
This is quite brilliant (if it was true) as the way to counteract these penalties is if everyone in the party is actively attacking which would then make it faster than solo play, thus promoting true party play.
If someone can be so kind as to help me do the math and calculations to support this theory, I'd greatly appreciate it. Tell me what you think in the mean time. I could be wrong but it was a nice thought :v. Anyway, going to bed...
The real math shows that partying is a total waste of time. The party bonus is only calculated on base, but the other standard bonuses are still multiplicative but separated. Here is a fast comparison.
The party is 2 people of equal level killing a 1000 exp mob with HS and a 2x event
Old:
1000 * 1.5 * 2 = 3000
Party bonus in LHC would be 5% per party member plus 1 50% bonus for a total of 60% = 1800
party split - attacker gets a total of 60% and the leecher gets a total of 40% (math pre-done)
Attacker Display -
1800 base
1080 Party bonus
NEW -
The calculations of for HS and 2x are still the same, but the display separates the original base. it then calcs the party bonus ONLY on that base
Attacker Display -
600 base
1200 bonus
360 Party bonus
The total of the base and bonus is still the same as the old base. But since the primary base is separated, a TON of exp is lost in the party bonus.
Now, on to your theory. The 20% party play bonus is a total joke. It is not nearly enough to offset the loss from the primary party split. The true Exp split formula in GMS is 20% by damage and 80% by level. (This works out to be a total of 60% attacker/ 40% leecher if you have a party of 2 of equal level. This is the reason it is VERY erroneously called a 60/40 ratio, a pet peeve of mine). Just in the scenario of two people, you lose 40% of the mob's exp just for having a party member. the 20% bonus doesn't cover that. With the 20/80 split, even HS doesn't cover the loss. You need a 40% party play bonus to cover your losses as an attacker. And now that the party bonus does not apply to a good portion of the Exp, it's far, far worse.
The problem with nexon's current solution is that the 20/80 split doesn't work with it. If they reverted back to Chaos ratio (60% damage, 40% by level) then it would work. The 20/80 split favors leeching. THe best way to kill that is to give us the old ratio. In fact, if they gave us the old ratio AND they instituted the exp penalty by level for all party play mobs (like they do now) then leeching would not be an issue at all. Yes, as you state, it is a sophisticated solution to leeching, but unfortunately it wipes out ANY desire for party play at all. With this in place, there is NO set of circumstances where partying actually gains you anything. (You would have to DRASTICALLY increase your party kill rate over your solo kill rate to make it pay off.)
NOTE - The math used tends to only account for equal level parties. There is a big factor when considering higher level attackers and lower level leechers. But since party play mobs are no longer excluded from the Exp penalty, the attacker will never break even in that scenario. If he is all about pure leech (where you don;t care about the attacker's exp) then high-level leeching in Stronghold is still viable in the new system. It just doesn't pay off quite as well because of the party bonus change. I am adding functionality to my Exp calculator page to show the comparison of the new to the old. Once it's done, the numbers will be easy to see in any real world example.