Tethering Discussion

[Pennry]

They wanted us to test out "tethering" so I thought I would with the family:

Tethering [Public Evaluation]

• Tethers are a new way for players to group up and share XP and loot. Each tether gets an icon and name, and by default these appear in nameplates and in the upper left corner of the UI.
• To create a tether, just use the Tether hotkey and look at another player to automatically invite them to a tether. The same hotkey can be used to leave an existing tether or kick another player. (Only the tether’s leader can kick a member.)
• By default, the tethering hotkey is Ctrl-E on PC. On Xbox and PS4, tethering actions can be performed by holding down the button used to switch between adventure and build mode.
• XP and loot from killing NPCs is now distributed only to individual players and members of a tether that have dealt damage to that NPC.
• Players who move 500 blocks away from the tether’s leader will automatically be kicked after 30 seconds.
• Options for Tethering can be found under Settings > Social. Tethers can be automatically rejected from all sources, automatically accepted from friends and club members, automatically accepted from anyone, or set to always manually accept or decline. The display of Tethering icons can be set to show only the player’s icon on the nameplate, everyone’s icons, or no one’s icons.

Notes:

1) There are different icons with different colors and your tethers are named to match. For example "The Gold Bees" has a golden bee icon next to your names. A star next to that icon means that that player is the leader.

2) Changing worlds breaks a tether.

3) Glim from plants, ores, objective XP, and Club Adventure quest credit are shared outside of tethering.

4) Drops and XP from mob kills are not shared outside of a tether. Chests are considered enemies and thus work just like mobs. Mods that reset also reset who has hit it.



Feedback:

1) There doesn't seem to be any notification of leaving the tether when changing worlds. "You invited ___" is in the chat box, but "joined" and "left" are in the loot messages (bottom right). Could use all messages in chat so they are persistent.

2) Should show message for disband when changing worlds. Sure, the icon disappears from under your sigil, but the added chat note would be helpful.

3 & 4) I'm not sure I like this mixed results of what's shared or not. I really don't like that if a nearby tether is less than 8 people things are still not shared to the remaining people (to the cap of 8). Allowing loot to still go to 8 people, with hitting tethers counting first, would be so much better. It would allow for all those "oops didn't invite to tether yet" moments.


Questions:

- Are tethers capped at 8 people?

- Is there any benefit to being in a tether? Or is everything the same as long as you're getting hits in?

- If there isn't already, could some added benefit(s) be added to tethering with people from your Primary club?


Official Dev Response - Removal of Tethering

[TheMassa]

I absolutely dislike this system...The BEST thing about Trove until now was NOT grouping up!

[Arctech]

Tethering sounds like a good way to prevent unwanted leeching, but it currently has a major flaw. By default, people who don't belong to a tether cannot share XP and loot with others who also don't belong to a tether. I believe the system would work much better if, by default, they did share XP and loot. This eliminates the constant need to invite people to your tether. Suppose you don't want to be part of a group, and you don't want anyone to leech from you. Then you should add the ability to be in a tether with yourself or add some other way to do this.

[CDM135]

I can foresee some issues with tethering regarding the hourly challenges. How will it interact with the dungeon completed score? Will challenge swarms have to become one massive tether? Will it still count the dungeon completion even if you're not able to get to the boss in time? Or will it mean that anyone who's not one of the first/closest players to the boss (but within the range of a standard completion), is screwed for the challenge? It can be hard enough to keep up with a large group as it is.

[Pennry]

Tethering sounds like a good way to prevent unwanted leeching, but it currently has a major flaw. By default, people who don't belong to a tether cannot share XP and loot with others who also don't belong to a tether. I believe the system would work much better if, by default, they did share XP and loot. This eliminates the constant need to invite people to your tether. Suppose you don't want to be part of a group, and you don't anyone to leech from you. Then you should add the ability to be in a tether with yourself or add some other way to do this.

I think there should still be the 8 player cap. Tethers first, then fill in the rest with those not tethered as before.

I can foresee some issues with tethering regarding the hourly challenges. How will it interact with the dungeon completed score? Will challenge swarms have to become one massive tether? Will it still count the dungeon completion even if you're not able to get to the boss in time? Or will it mean that anyone who's not one of the first/closest players to the boss (but within the range of a standard completion), is screwed for the challenge? It can be hard enough to keep up with a large group as it is.

All objectives are shared, tethered or not. So that's Challenge, events, Club Adventures, all that.

Completing a dungeon shares the XP from the dungeon too. You just don't share the XP from the mob or the mob's loot - that includes the chest.

[CDM135]

Ah, gottcha. So then what about AFK farms during invader events? I'm guessing tethers will be needed there then.

[Arctech]

Ah, gottcha. So then what about AFK farms during invader events? I'm guessing tethers will be needed there then.

That is an interesting situation because if there are 2 tethers of different sizes, and the invader dies from lava, does the larger tether have a higher chance to get the loot? Or maybe nobody will get loot?

[CDM135]

The tether system might disable AFK farming entirely, which would kinda stink. It was nice to be efficient in-game while doing work at the same time.
Also, can you be a part of multiple tethers simultaneously?

[Pennry]

The tether system might disable AFK farming entirely, which would kinda stink. It was nice to be efficient in-game while doing work at the same time.
Also, can you be a part of multiple tethers simultaneously?

Since you are AFK, you're not doing damage to the mob and then would not count for loot.

And you can only be in one tether at a time.

[phagy]

previously i was suggesting a new class using tethering ablities didnt expect them to be using it as a group grind system.

trion other game defiance has such a weapon that does healing and dmging tethering.