Friday with Means - March 20th, 2009

[animaly]

Speaking of apartments (not sure if this has been brought up lately or even in this thread; I'm to lazy to check, get over it :P)....

Can we look forwards to furniture that we can actually interact with instead of walking through...because my "This "Means" Bar", just doesn't have the feel of a real bar considering I can walk through it at will. That and after slaying aliums all day, it would be nice to actually be able to sit in my "This "Means" Couch"

Being that they have YOUR name on them I feel it is right you get to address this issue

Thanks in advance for any replay to this,

-- Ani

(Sil is gone WTB Old n00bie Island back or at least a revamp of it :P)

[Tryqz]

And, you can't honestly tell me from looking at the examples I listed earlier in the thread that those don't represent different ethnic "looks" for the same Opifex race, can you?

Considering how many of us either idn't see the same similarities you did, or saw DIFFERENT similarities to DIFFERENT ethnicities than you did, I am saying EXACTLY that...

Can we look forwards to furniture that we can actually interact with instead of walking through...because my "This "Means" Bar", just doesn't have the feel of a real bar considering I can walk through it at will. That and after slaying aliums all day, it would be nice to actually be able to sit in my "This "Means" Couch"

This one's tough because there are players who will stick them down outside the Borealis shop doors.
They would have to add a flag making them solid only if a certain variable was met (Say, if playfield= <a certain range of numbers that apartments fall within> then itemsolid=1 else itemsolid=0)

[Kaylinne]

Some of you people just love to nickpick.

I noticed something new coming with lag spikes. And dont tell me its my ISP because my entire org has the same lag spikes at the same moment I do.
So after the lag is gone I cant use any of my specials or cast hostile nanos. I get informed that "action is not available" for 20-30 second, even longer sometimes. Nanos cant be cast for the same *insert silly explanation that explains nothing here* reason.

Now for me that is something new and can sure be classified as bug.

[Hacre]

Some of you people just love to nickpick.

I noticed something new coming with lag spikes. And dont tell me its my ISP because my entire org has the same lag spikes at the same moment I do.
So after the lag is gone I cant use any of my specials or cast hostile nanos. I get informed that "action is not available" for 20-30 second, even longer sometimes. Nanos cant be cast for the same *insert silly explanation that explains nothing here* reason.

Now for me that is something new and can sure be classified as bug.

It isn't new for me.

Specials/nanos/perks etc have a running clock both client and server side. If they don't match up, the server side clock takes precedence.

So you've just pressed Burst. Client side, your 9s timer starts.
Commence lag spike.
12 seconds later, the lag spike clears. On your screen, Burst should be available, however the server has no knowledge of this because it was told "Burst pressed" 12s ago, but received no further syncs. So the timer continues at 8 when everything catches up.

Sorry for the fuzzy explanation, I'm tired. This is an approximation of how it works. I've often had perks/stims/specials not be available when they should be after a lag spike.

[IHaveHugeNick]

Certain countries have very strict laws about people under the age of 18 gambling therefore a casino is unlikely to ever happen, its been suggested a few times in the past and while its a realy nice idea, stupid laws apply.

Would that apply to charity lottery in church? Just curious.

[Kaylinne]

It isn't new for me.

Specials/nanos/perks etc have a running clock both client and server side. If they don't match up, the server side clock takes precedence.

So you've just pressed Burst. Client side, your 9s timer starts.
Commence lag spike.
12 seconds later, the lag spike clears. On your screen, Burst should be available, however the server has no knowledge of this because it was told "Burst pressed" 12s ago, but received no further syncs. So the timer continues at 8 when everything catches up.

Sorry for the fuzzy explanation, I'm tired. This is an approximation of how it works. I've often had perks/stims/specials not be available when they should be after a lag spike.

I understand that but what about nanos and perks? I cant cast LICC because it "cant be cast on particular target" and I cant perk because "it requires target to be in fight" or something. I should get few screenies and study those strange messages I am getting while in the middle of the fight with some mob on 50% hp. Like server completely forgot I was in fight during the lag spike or something. I do maintain aggro though.

Oh, and go get some sleep

[gergiskoo]

According to the EULA, iirc, you technically have to be 18 to play AO, so underage gambling shouldn't be a problem.

[vadagget]

Certain countries have very strict laws about people under the age of 18 gambling therefore a casino is unlikely to ever happen, its been suggested a few times in the past and while its a realy nice idea, stupid laws apply.

Browser-based games like Star Pirates are accessible world-wide and allow both gambling, as well as playing a 'stock market' with in-game currency. I would be interested to hear about any country that has a law that effectively blocks a game like AO from including such gambling with fictional credits.

[vadagget]

As for 'solid' furniture, I imagine that the code to allow for non-stationary objects with collision-detection is several orders of magnitude beyond what AO is able to handle - to date, that capability lies only with AoC and no other MMO.

[Watermoose]

Solid furniture is a horrible idea.

This means that Players can't walk through them, which will lead to putting in front of doors, so players can't get though. Or any thing along the lines of just pissing people off.

[Ebondevil]

Solid furniture is a horrible idea.

This means that Players can't walk through them, which will lead to putting in front of doors, so players can't get though. Or any thing along the lines of just pissing people off.

Solid Furniture outside is a horrible idea.

Solid Furniture in your own apartment would be a great idea as long as the owner of the apartment could pick up anything that was put down.

[egadsrk2]

But theres too much leeway on whats outside and whats inside.

I'd totally use a line of couches to block a Cha Admiral in its hole. Then pwn it from range.

Not only would it require new code to give these items collision, but it'd also require devs to visit every kind of zone there is, and set permissions. All so a few players can afk on a couch in an appartment.

[Klodovik]

I'd totally use a line of couches to block a Cha Admiral in its hole. Then pwn it from range.

Now, that would be awsum. It would require a new code that will limit amount of couches you could carry around in your pocket tho.

[ArienSky]

it'd also require devs to visit every kind of zone there is, and set permissions.

actually it is rather easy:
Apartment flag

is set to 1 in apartments
and is 0 or NULL in the rest.


I wonder where you got the "need to visit every zone" from, this is a database, not a physical world, you can just use coding. In the easy version you just have a flag on apartment zones and no flag on others. when the flag isn't there you can not place it.

Zones already have inside/outside flags, so it is doable.

further more the code for letting things rot are different in apartments than other places, so they indeed already are different.

Kind Regards
Ariensky

[Ayria]

I say players should collide with players, that'd be hilarious fun.

To any org mates that may read this I preemptively deny any accusations that I pushed our president into a closet while she was afk in another game that has this...

[bungerman]

3 questions:

1. What should we expect with the new balancing overhaul and when?

2. I believe I read in some Friday with Means you mentioned more pvp areas like the battlestation, any clue when we might see these and can one of them be a revamped will to fight?

3. I asked on the first question session if you like doggies and you said you had one, can we get a pic?

[egadsrk2]

10 bucks says theres no such thing as an apartment flag, just an inside and an outside. And that adding such a flag would cause some sort of crazy almost unrelated bug.

No, changing permissions all so Ebondevil can sit on a couch would be an undertaking of epic proportions.

Havent you worked this stuff out yet? All of this old code was made by insane norweigans with crazy blinky eyes and cotton balls in their mouths.

[sultryvoltron]

Here's my question.

Neutral balance, when?

[Rktim]

Here's my question.

Neutral balance, when?

Yeah good question, when DO we get 221 application forms usable only by neutrals? -.^

[Keldros]

While we're asking for things like indoor/outdoor furniture, and solid furniture...


...will we ever get a working elevator for the skybars?

Other things I'd like to see in AI cities are:
Froob access to the meeting room and bar in the org hq
bartenders in the skybar and org hq