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Jan-25-2007 13:32

Wow, Ben! You don't waste any time! I logged off for a bit and when I came back on there was a new line with "transfer your retired subscription" (at least, I haven't seen it before now)

Jan-25-2007 18:16

Why not implement the system of increasing the allowance of FA's based on Exp points?

Jan-25-2007 18:23

I think that would be a better solution also. One more FA for every million or do you think thats too little?

Jan-25-2007 18:34

I am not sure what the levels should be, people want to maintain a challenge.

I suggest:
0 - 1 million points = 3 FA's
1.01 - 6 million pts = 4 FA's
6.01 - 20 million pts = 5 FA's

I think the more experience you have, the harder it is to come up with money to pay off shady. Once you have 2 FA's, you are too afraid to work on cases and your opportunity to make money is limited

Jan-25-2007 19:28

I think it's great that all the people who've been retired can come back.

Even all the people who in a moment of whimsy retired their detective now have that option too :D

And we'v all been whining long enough about a rule change of sorts to help out with Shady.

This may not be perfect, but it in the short term it serves it's purpose, and maybe in the long term Ben will come up with something that incorporates game play & Shady.

Badass's basic concept in the other thread was a good start for a resurrection feature. And SAL2 & biggies points per FA isn't bad either, though I'd like to see 4FA's kick in at 5mil.

Thansk Ben :D

Jan-25-2007 20:35

well, some of us have actually had detectives 2 years ago and retired shortly after activation, but i have since made several detectives that got retired, i'm not sure i want to bring them back as i have had far more experience in this detective than any others in the past... and if i ever had to retire... i'm not sure what i would do then... but it would be my decision to make at that time... but i'm glad i do have an option.

Jan-25-2007 21:21

I have relaxed a little from my knee-jerk reactions and thought more about the concept of "resurrection" since its initial implementation. I realize that it is ultimately a positive change to the game, IF it is managed correctly. With all due respect to Ben and his well-intentioned idea, I strongly believe the current penalties for bringing back a character from retirement are still far too mild for players, young and old alike, to still have the same reverence and necessary fear as before for Shady and the 3 FAs rule, which I believe are vital to players' respect and intelligent caution within this absolutely wonderful game and its community.

Since the subject of limiting number of possible resurrections was essentially closed by Ben, I'll offer an alternative method of increasing the penalty for coming out of retirement.

Basically, it would be Sleuth's version of "resurrection sickness".

When a player brings their character out of retirement, the one-time penalties for cash, experience, etc. would still be in effect. However, that character would also be penalized for a time frame (my suggest would be 1-2 weeks) within the game itself.

Cases would only give 50% experience and 50% cash reward (not affecting item rewards for game mechanic reasons).
Favors would take more solves to activate (currently it's 4, I suggest 6)
Your character would suffer a -5 stats bonus to Tough, Smarts, and Charm.
Your character would not be allowed to travel outside their current city if subscribed.

These are just a few examples of sickness penalties that could be implemented. If anyone has additional ideas, feel free to share.

Jan-25-2007 21:47

I think another penalty that could be added to reactivating your detective is the loss of one or both Townie Contacts. I also think the penalties should be more severe. The risk involved with 3 FA's, for me anyway, is one of the things that gives this game its "edge." Additionally, If you "retire" and "reactivate" in other games, you come back significantly weaker and have to rebuild . . . this means it takes longer to build your character to a high level and keeps the game challenging longer.

Possibly a much easier solution to all of this would be to simply make Shady's prices lower so that it's more possible for a detective with millions of XP to pay him off rather than having to keep playing with 2 FA's to come up with the money and risk retirement in the first place.

It's unfortunate that detectives feel as though when they have 2 FA's and can't afford to pay them off, that they feel they can't reach out to the Sleuth community to help them . . .

Jan-25-2007 22:36

I am all for the idea. If people want to retire their detective over and over again, by all means go right ahead. Doesn't affect my gameplay.

If you do have to resurrect your detective I think it should be marked on your detective page though. A black mark of shame on your permanent record. It's bad enough seeing my failed villain hunts on there, I would be so woeful to see the ulitmate black mark!

As far as tougher penalties... on top of the other stuff, maybe the resurrected could permanantly gain experience/skill points at a slower rate each time they resurrect. 5% or 10% slower is a lot of motivation for me to be careful. (It would have to be capped at some point, obviously, lol.) It already takes me long enough to get skill points!

This might not be motivational for those who have every skill and all, but at that point, I assume the game isnt about gaining skill points anymore, its more of a community that you enjoy being a part of.

Congrats to all those who have been able to get their retired detectives back!! Good for you! Ben, thanks for this wonderful new option that alleviates the grief of losing our detective!

Jan-25-2007 22:41

or maybe the fortune tellers would be less cooperative or youd have to pay more for their help because they can sense you were brought back to life by some mystical voodoo. lol.

Jan-25-2007 23:10

I can already hear the objection to a person losing their Townie Contact: People will deliberately retire their agent to get a different Townie Contact. Well, that may be the case, but if they're willing to sacrifice hard earned XP and possibly skill points, money and equipment (although it has already been discussed how those items can be gotten around), then I say more power to them. I think it would actually be a plus as it would give that detective a new goal and keep their interest in the game that much longer. As to Ben's concern regarding taking away skill points, I think only young detectives make choices about skills that they might later regret, and at that stage skill points come fairly quickly, so I think that concern may not be that large of an issue.