Progression The Problem With Csst

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So I've been taking a hiatus from the Wynn server itself as I wait until the next update, However that doesn't mean I cant complain about factors of the game like the ungrateful scrub I am! So in this thread today, I'm going to go after by far the most run dungeon in Wynncraft, The corrupted sand swept tomb.



PART 1: So what makes CSST different from any other dungeon

Alright so lets get to the root of the problem before explaining the problem shall we? So, what makes csst so frequently used? Well, we can boil it down to 2 simple concepts

1. Its really damn short

2. The stuff that is in csst is mainly combat, with no puzzles and very little parkour, if you can even call it that


So, lets go a little more in depth into them, shall we?

Note: If you are unfamiliar with then dungeon as a whole, read this for reference: https://wynncraft.gamepedia.com/Sand-Swept_Tomb

1a. It's really damn short

When you do a dungeon, you do a certain amount of objectives, or phases. csst, like other dungeons. has 4 of these. Phases 1 and 3 are of normal length. However, phases 2 and 4 take only a few seconds to complete, essentially taking a lot of playtime out of the dungeon. This allows it to be run incredibly quickly.

1b. Csst is mainly combat

When you do a dungeon. phases can be boiled down to 3 different types. Combat, Parkour and Puzzle. CSST is mainly of the combat variety, with next to no parkour and zero puzzles. This wouldn't be a problem if you are running it alone, but this makes running it with a group very easy.

These factors factors make group running the dungeon incredibly quick and easy, letting people easily shoot through the endgame by participating in csst party's. Now that we got that out of the way, lets get into why this is an issue.

Part 2: "Endgame? Whats that?: How csst disrupts the progression curve

Alright, time to get into game making philosophy shall we? Now lets get into how csst disrupts the progression curve.

First of all, this is an example of how I think progression for this type of game should go (please note that A. This is subjective but so is this thread and B. I just google imaged "inverse exponential function graph" and this graph has nothing to do with wynncraft as a whole because I'm to lazy to make one.)

(To get the point across, ignore the numbers, imagine the y as "levels" and the x as "time spent"




as you see, early progression is very quick, while getting slower and slower as you go up in levels. This was how wynncraft was before csst, and I believe base system worked. (I had some issue's on how it was implemented, but that's a thread for another day)

But after Csst occurred, The progression was changed fundamentally to have endgame go just as fast, if not faster, than mid game. This caused endgame to be reached much faster by more people, essentially destroying the prestige of 100/101 and significantly reducing the playtime of people who play to 100 and leave/reduce their playtime

So after all that, lets get further into how this disruption of progress negatively affects the game, and into a question that may have no right answer.

Part 3: So what?: the negative effects of CSST

Now lets go over why this is a problem by going from point to point with no transition!

Problem 1: The longevity of the game

Alright, so when a semi new player csst's up to 100, they are left broke with no items except csst rewards, as doing csst isn't the most profitable endeavor. This could cause players to quit, which harms the server by reducing the amount of top players and lowering word of mouth spread.


Problem 2; its a no effort way to get xp.

When you do csst, what most people do is hug the wall and hold w. This significantly reduces the enjoyment of the game, and makes grinding, although much quicker, much more boring.

Problem 3: Is it right to have the most profitable xp farming technique be locked behind a paywall, even if only one player needs to pay for everyone to use?

This question is based on your opinion, and I'm not sure if it does have an answer. But it is certainly a point of discussion.


Part 4: How would I fix this?

Alright this is going to be quick, but I believe that csst and sst should be reworked to be longer, instead of nerfing xp gain. Maybe add some parkour to the falling floor phase, or get rid of the arrow part and add more combat/parkour


alright I don't know how to conclude this, so lets get right into a small unrelated thing. I have more ideas for mini series this is turning out to be, but I'm not sure if I should continue. So please let me know on this https://strawpoll.com/p69z11zy

 

I feel like CSST should definitely be made longer. There are only 4 stages, 1 of which is easy (the falling floor) and one seems so minor (Arrows falling). If CSST eventually stops being abused, then some players might decide to run it on their own for rewards and XP. I feel like the XP reward shouldn't be decreased just because it was abused. Besides, longer dungeons are less boring.

One argument that can be made is that getting to level 100 is too hard otherwise, and CSST stops having to grind. But CSST is absurd. This isn't just not grinding, it's literally skipping parts of the game. Not to mention that while grinding can be considered repetitive, so is doing the same dungeon endlessly. Hopefully the next update does something to alleviate that. The whole point of Wynncraft is to explore the world and stuff, not instantly jump from level 71 to 100.


Also, I find these threads interesting. I won't mind if you make more.

 

but more money for the server so it lives longer

 

It'd be good if they added a parkour section to it, that way you'd spread out the swarms of players that just run endlessly

 

*Switches the IB Invisible Maze with the falling floor section*

 

they should really add raids that give items as well as a large amount of exp to replace ccst
(as in people migrate to raids instead)

 

preparing for CIB i see

 

To be fair, CSST is honestly their main source of income at this point