Resolved Huge XP Gain on Beta Update

[TheMadman0980]

Just updated to the beta version on Steam and got a log notification that several skills had boosted an extreme amount. It looks like the skills were riding and leadership for me, and walking for other followers in my army.

I know the beta says that xp increase is boosted ("Reduced XP required to learn higher level skills"), but I guess I'm not sure if it was meant to be this big a change? Also, no change for followers that are managing cities, and no change for any of my other skills.

Anyone know if this is intentional?

 

[Leto Aus]

Can confirm for myself and my friend having the same problem. Clearly gamebreaking, so for now we'll be waiting until the next beta patch and playing on a temporary new game to continue testing.

Edit: Can confirm that companion skills are still balanced in a new game. It looks like the beta conflicts with existing saves.

 

[TheMadman0980]

Also just went up 17 skill points in Medicine while travelling on the map (with 0 wounded troops). Up to level 70.

 

[TheMadman0980]

Can confirm for myself and my friend having the same problem. Clearly gamebreaking, so for now we'll be waiting until the next beta patch and playing on a temporary new game to continue testing.

Edit: Can confirm that companion skills are still balanced in a new game. It looks like the beta conflicts with existing saves.

I mean, to be fair I did feel like skill progression was reallllly slow considering how many perks there are, so it doesn't feel "game breaking" to me. Just not sure if this is what the beta meant by increased XP haha.

 

[greifjaeger]

It could be because of the + 120 skill points you're given when you create your character. So they are giving it now for existing character

 

[TheMadman0980]

It could be because of the + 120 skill points you're given when you create your character. So they are giving it now for existing character

That kinda makes sense, but I don't see why I wouldn't be able to select what skills they go into. And if level increase isn't linear, rather than giving 120 levels, give the equivalent in XP for existing players.

 

[Shibayan]

They reduced the EXP requirement for all skills. It makes sense it levels up at once now. Its not gamebreaking, i think it is to Equalize what skills you would have gotten if you got the exp requirement reduction.

 

[Leto Aus]

They reduced the EXP requirement for all skills. It makes sense it levels up at once now. Its not gamebreaking, i think it is to Equalize what skills you would have gotten if you got the exp requirement reduction.

It's an interesting thought, but how can we rationalise the screenshot above where athletics for a companion rises 111 skill points to level 294? Or my friend whose swordman companion went up to the skill cap in two-hander. It is impossible to find any vanilla companions with that kind of skill, so it is clearly cheating. My scout showed the same thing; skill rose above the learning limit in excess of 100; clearly consistent with a bug an not balanced progression.

This would be okay if there was an option to reset all the companions in taverns so we could get rid of the glitchy ones and acquire fresh ones. Alas there's not.

Edit:Upon further inspection, I think you might be right.But clearly the patch is raising skill levels and not adding the EXP. It should add the exp ontop of the current level, which for our already-high characters should make a very small difference. Still, not gamebreaking, as you say.

Edit: continued testing the old save. Skill levels have gone from~200 that companions started with to extremely high levels ~340, which to my knowledge should not even be possible? It seems very much like a bug. I would have never attained that during normal play.

 

[TheMadman0980]

Yeah, adding XP as opposed to levels might be better for existing players, however it kinda isn't that simple as if you invested all the levels into one skill the XP gain would be different to investing say 5 levels in each skill.

I noticed that my different skills are increasing in jumps as XP is added. Eg. first time gaining Medicine XP after the beta update it jumped levels, and same with a few other skills the first time I updated. It hasn't gone beyond the 120 total level gain though, that's for sure. I imagine it only checks/updates the level when XP is gained, hence the delayed level ups.

 

[zwien]

They never added any xp and there was no boosting. They just changed the requirement for the levels to balance the game. Not sure how exceeding 275 is cheating... This is taleworlds saying "You've played this much. So this is what your level should be."

 

[TheMadman0980]

Right, so my XP isn't changing, it's just the level updating due to the changed level xp requirements. And the level change only happens the next time I get XP for that skill (I assume that is when level up checking occurs).

So really, this isn't an issue at all and is just the level req's changing. Thanks for clarifying

 

[zwien]

Right, so my XP isn't changing, it's just the level updating due to the changed level xp requirements. And the level change only happens the next time I get XP for that skill (I assume that is when level up checking occurs).

So really, this isn't an issue at all and is just the level req's changing. Thanks for clarifying

I'm not sure how the logic works but that makes sense. I didn't experience the issue as I started off on a clean save... too much snowballing xd Anyways I feel the leveling is much better than it was before. However, I am seeing steward level up beyond the learning limit. So there are definitely bugs but it's apart of the game at this point. haha

 

[Kimmaz]

If previously you required 10000 exp to get level 70 and now with the new change you get to level 110 after gaining 10000 Exp. This would make loading an old save suddenly gain 40 levels in that skill if you were level 70 in 1.0.10. I suggest starting a new save and this is not a problem. (just example numbers)

 

[Carabus]

It is ok for the player who had to train skills by getting xp in them, but still quite strange with companions and other characters who start with "generated" skill levels, for example level 100 in some skill, but then suddenly they jump to 130+ level after update. Probably all characters in the game will get +30% skill level the moment they use any skill.

 

[TheMadman0980]

Continuing my game with these increased levels, I noticed that I don't have the focus points to back it up, and as a result most of my skills are now maxed out I dunno if this is just because it's an existing save, and it might not be an issue on new games, but has kinda made me hit a brick wall with perks/levelling up right now. Personally, I feel like they should get rid of the level cap, and make focus points just increase your ability to learn faster.

 

[Carabus]

It is only issue with existing saves, they changed skill level xp requirements, so effectively you get much higher skill level for the same xp. However level caps are all the same so it may happen that you max the skill with the experience you already had.


Also you may have not noticed, but after loading an older save in the Beta, the skill experience display shows huge accumulated xp for any skill above level 20 or so:

This accumulated experience gets turned into skill levels once you use the skill, this is what causes these big skill level increases.
Your companions also get this accumulated experience, and most likely all characters in the game do. And they get these skill level jumps as well.

 

[Leto Aus]

I think I understand the problem now.

You get an EXP based on a multiplier. If your skill level is low and your focus points high you get heaps of EXP (e.g. 10x). Slow progression allowed our old saves to accumulate lots of EXP, because our multipliers were high and stayed high for a long time, which would not have been possible if had we been levelling up.

In a new game it is not possible to keep an exp multiplier that high for that long, because you progressively get closer to the skill cap. That's why you won't hit 399 skill in a new game without serious cheating.

The fix here is for the developers to shave off existing saves' excess EXP ( for example in Carabus' screenshot we could set exp to 2686). Personally I'll just tweak with my save file and shave off enough EXP to bring my party to its balanced place where it was before the beta patch.
Edit: this was easy with character import/export mod on the nexus. Just requires two clicks to export and import your stats while ignoring exp (if you're wondering how to do that, shift-click the import button)

 

[Von Rosenhart]

I think I understand the problem now.

You get an EXP based on a multiplier. If your skill level is low and your focus points high you get heaps of EXP (e.g. 10x). Slow progression allowed our old saves to accumulate lots of EXP, because our multipliers were high and stayed high for a long time, which would not have been possible if had we been levelling up.

In a new game it is not possible to keep an exp multiplier that high for that long, because you progressively get closer to the skill cap. That's why you won't hit 399 skill in a new game without serious cheating.

The fix here is for the developers to shave off existing saves' excess EXP ( for example in Carabus' screenshot we could set exp to 2686). Personally I'll just tweak with my save file and shave off enough EXP to bring my party to its balanced place where it was before the beta patch.
Edit: this was easy with character import/export mod on the nexus. Just requires two clicks to export and import your stats while ignoring exp (if you're wondering how to do that, shift-click the import button)

Can you tell us the exact name of the mod you have used please?

 

[Leto Aus]

Can you tell us the exact name of the mod you have used please?

Sure: Character Export Import Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/mountandblade2bannerlord/mods/16?tab=posts

Performing this fix is easy. The mod creates import and export buttons in the encyclopaedia. Load your pre-patch save (before running around or doing anything) and press the export button. Then shift+click the import button, and voila! Do this for your whole party, which you can right-click on the party screen.
PS: Be double sure that you Shift+Click the import button, otherwise it will not solve the problem.

 

[Carabus]

You would need to do this for all characters in the game to keep balance. For example companions that you haven't recruited yet, but eventually will, will have the problem too.