We need a new world

[dageir]

Yes, a test server with other rules for combat, skilling, stats and permadeath would be interesting.
I also agree with another active thread (viewtopic.php?f=48&t=56965) that the combat system should be revamped severly like I have suggested earlier.
Go for a "Mount and blade" type combat with less convoluted and strange mechanics.

[ven]

The granger server idea was intended to test how significant changes in death and alting would influence player retention, and it could be used to test a simplified combat system too. A bunch of people already confirmed they would participate. I suppose it just needs a green light from the devs.

[dageir]

I think some of the skills needs redoing. We should be able to murder anyone right after char creation.

[Granger]

I think some of the skills needs redoing. We should be able to murder anyone right after char creation.

Result: New world bloodbath on hour one.

[ven]

You mentioned mount and blade and I think that would be interesting. I like it how you can theoretically kill anyone right from the start regardless of your stats, and how type and quality of equipment is a much more important and strategic issue.

[dageir]

I think some of the skills needs redoing. We should be able to murder anyone right after char creation.

Result: New world bloodbath on hour one.

So what? All you lost was your worthless character.

[Potjeh]

I'd rather keep permadeath but massively reduce investment, which is why I was and still am for stat caps. That requires a real endgame, though. I think PvP could do the job, it just doesn't have a real reason to happen. I think something like a territory control contest could be it, ie kingdoms taking over each other's territory to gain control of regional resources, which instead of (or in addition to) providing rare items would provide realm buffs. Especially combat stat/skill buffs that take you a bit over the cap (or just raise the cap a bit). Of course, there'd need to be some kind of a limit on realm size to prevent one realm from snowballing and taking out everyone else with superior buffs. Attacking and defending cairns would be a good reason for PvP, as losing territory might be worse than losing a couple of combat characters (especially with reasonably low caps). So more PvP means death would be a lot more common, creating a resource sink for food and curios and driving the crafting side of the game. Admittedly the meta here would become stockpiling lots of combat alts which isn't exactly ideal, but I reckon it's still better than the current state.

[Sevenless]

I'd rather keep permadeath but massively reduce investment, which is why I was and still am for stat caps.

Kills a notable amount of the game content for crafters that way though. But it's a similar risk to taking out permadeath: You jenga out a notable piece of the known functional formula in order to try and fix the sum.

But didn't stat caps get tried and rejected already?

[Potjeh]

Yeah, because stat caps can't stand on their own, there needs to be a sink for crafts, and making death a lot more common could provide that sink.

[Jalpha]

I had thought of using a stat cap in conjunction with a "fountain" or something that would occasionally spawn randomly on the map. Drinking from the fountain could provide a temporary buff which would allow a character to exceed the stat cap. Effectively this would create real titan characters while keeping most players within a fairly even playing field, and would also create a highly desirable world PvP objective.

However... I think the end-game is the endless grind, as it has always been in Wurm, it's just that the pacing of player progression and quality grind is out of kilter. I'm not a huge fan of the stat cap because it creates a wall which players hit and then can go no further and then what do they do? There's too little reward and too much risk in PvP currently for most people to want to participate. Stat imbalances aren't the real issue, although the perception that they are is.