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Thread: Friday with Means - May 14th, 2010 - Multipatch

  1. #1

    Funcom employee Friday with Means - May 14th, 2010 - Multipatch

    It has been a very busy couple weeks and I am slowly starting to recover my basic shreds of humanity. At least in these last couple weeks when the team has been here LATE at night working on issues we haven't been lacking for company from other projects . There have been more than a few issues recently...but for the sheer size of the last update we released that touched on many sensitive areas of the game and changed vitually every single RK playfield it has gone remarkably well. Thanks to everyone who helped us identify problem areas so we could adjust them as soon as possible. From an operational standpoint it was amazing that the support and operations team were able to help us deploy multiple updates as quickly as they did with as much as they currently had on the go with the Conan launch. I owe some people beers. The smart thing to do would have been to delay our update until the Conan launch was over but they told us to run with it and helped us despite being a trifle overworked at the time. Planning to have two products requiring this much attention at the same time was brave...but they certainly pulled it off.

    Things people might be wondering about:

    The Engine

    Sergey the magical Russian coder came in on yesterday's vacation to do more work on the engine optimization. For the first time he managed to get the new client to run FASTER on old hardware than the old one. This is spectacularly good news. We had currently been planning on a "dual" client that would include everything for BOTH clients...if things continue to improve we might be able to do away with the old one entirely. We don't want to shut anyone out if we can at all help it...and this was a great day. It feels like it is really coming together. We will be working next week to try and build a "complete" client that will be NOT using any internal resources. Should be fun 100+ hours of exporting...fun for coders.

    Strafe Running

    Some of you may have noticed that strafe no longer offers a small speed benefit. This was playing havoc with positional sync...and it is important to mention here that it always has. This was not a new development at all. We will be rescaling runspeed in the coming months to make sure that the stat "matters" and that the network can handle the positional updates that are necessary to accurately depict where your opponents are. The current system is the system that came with the release of AO and runspeed numbers have climbed significantly since then. Some adjustments were going to be needed...this is a first important step.

    Have a great weekend everyone. The whole team will be drinking at my house tonight
    Colin Cragg
    This "Means" Cake
    Past Game Director (2008-2011)

  2. #2
    First!

    and nice and easy Friday with means good weekend to you means, and of cause to the rest of the team
    Last edited by lazarus; May 14th, 2010 at 17:06:48.

  3. #3

  4. #4
    still here
    Niles73 220/30/70/s/p/(-and (preLE/Alba/DB)Guide) - Trox way => can't make life? Take life!
    Phoeniles 200/30/60 - reborn ranged opi adv!
    Nilose 220/30/68 /s - plays for team alt gear farm
    Nilbit 220/30/70 /s - parked gimptast
    Nilo 220/27/68 /solo pvm/pvp - parked DD

    Duke Nukem Forever is out.. now what?

  5. #5
    4th
    Sometimes, you just have to charge in with both hands blazing and hope they drop before you do.

    I won't join your org, but I may join your cause...for a price
    .

    All must bow before receiving my blessings

  6. #6
    team funcom, fernet branca is a mighty fine herb drink
    Last edited by Junttius; May 14th, 2010 at 17:04:58.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post
    Have a great weekend everyone. The whole team will be drinking at my house tonight
    You should have been a responsible adult and started drinking before posting this.

    And what does a " 'complete' client that will be NOT using any internal resources" mean?
    Last edited by Berinda; May 14th, 2010 at 17:07:53.
    Quote Originally Posted by kesh View Post
    I heard black troxes have a huge nothing.
    Berinda: Assault rifle

    Wenona: SMG

  8. #8
    Last
    Ekarona 220/30 Female Solitus Engineer, long term member of Northern Star and proper "poor" gimp.
    Ekaslave 220/low Female Solitus Trader, FLAT(TM) pricing TS, almost all can do!
    Ekaros almost there/almost there too Male Solitus Martial-Artist.
    Ekadv gimp/gimp Female Opifex Adventurer

  9. #9
    Means,

    I have a couple questions:

    1. Any chance that there will be any adjustments done to the research caps for level 220's.. especially for level 9 and 10 research. This question is more specifically regarding the daily missions but if you can comment on the inferno mission rewards also that would be great.

    2. When will the new playfield be fully functioning (messages to let you know whose city you're entering.. no more unknown pf)?
    Last edited by Traderjill; May 14th, 2010 at 17:12:53.
    You can find me at:
    Battlenet @ Marilata#1680
    Steam @ http://steamcommunity.com/id/marilata

  10. #10
    Sweet, good news on the engine progress!
    Last edited by Theft; May 14th, 2010 at 17:08:58.

  11. #11

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post
    Strafe Running

    Some of you may have noticed that strafe no longer offers a small speed benefit. This was playing havoc with positional sync...and it is important to mention here that it always has. This was not a new development at all. We will be rescaling runspeed in the coming months to make sure that the stat "matters" and that the network can handle the positional updates that are necessary to accurately depict where your opponents are. The current system is the system that came with the release of AO and runspeed numbers have climbed significantly since then. Some adjustments were going to be needed...this is a first important step.

    Have a great weekend everyone. The whole team will be drinking at my house tonight
    'Coming Months'?

    So what are Fixers supposed to do in PvP, when our Evades run out, for the next few months?
    Pricecuts - 220 Trader
    Feel free to contact me via PM or in-game.

    Raggy - 220 Bureaucrat || Raggeh - 220 Fixer | Back as 'Raggys' - Shade for the time being. | Nuclei - 217 Nanotechnician || Nanobiology - 214 Doctor

    Tip #743: As noted in Tip #244, tea bags have an infinite variety of uses. However, there's always one jerk who will want to give you crap over drinking tea. Particularly if in a new town, use this as an opportunity to assert yourself. Any drunken idiot can win a bar fight. It takes a real man to win a bar fight while enjoying a cup of Earl Grey.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Means View Post
    The Engine

    Sergey the magical Russian coder came in on yesterday's vacation to do more work on the engine optimization. For the first time he managed to get the new client to run FASTER on old hardware than the old one. This is spectacularly good news. We had currently been planning on a "dual" client that would include everything for BOTH clients...if things continue to improve we might be able to do away with the old one entirely. We don't want to shut anyone out if we can at all help it...and this was a great day. It feels like it is really coming together. We will be working next week to try and build a "complete" client that will be NOT using any internal resources. Should be fun 100+ hours of exporting...fun for coders.
    ETA still "this year"?
    Autohead 220/30/70 Solitus Soldier - Synergy Factor
    Auron 220/25 Keeper ::: Shadowslave 220/23 Shade ::: Radius 211/21 Nano-Technician
    Sunza 207/21 Martial Artist ::: Voss 182/15 Engineer ::: Shadowhead 150/16 Agent

  14. #14
    first page?
    Ipewpewu Director of Omni Org Pack of Noobs.

  15. #15
    Hey!
    Interesting news about the engine's performance!
    Last edited by Nocharges; May 14th, 2010 at 17:24:57.

  16. #16
    1st page
    Kintaii: Genele is more hardcore than you, your guildmates, and anyone else you've ever played with...

    My pvp stats: Duel wins: 945 / losses: 368 - Solo kills: 5632 / team: 7511

    My org mate: Solo kills: 24 933 / Team: 683

  17. #17
    The engine sounds really good.

    Any chance that you will officially recognise (you not Kintaii) that many of us want the new player experience fixed?

    Would it not be prudent to do that before releasing the new engine and doing all the advertising?

    Oh and hope you don't get any new scars from our interrogations ... or blinded by our attempts to get your attention (or each others. -.- *Glares at the "1st tards"*)
    Have a good weekend and rest well Means.
    P.S. I think you should lurk in the IRC channel like Kintaii does. Would get you interrogated in a less overwhelming fashion and people might just start chatting with you more socially too.

    Edit:
    Quote Originally Posted by Dagget View Post
    Means has already explicitly said that a rework of the New Player experience -will- happen and be in place and debugged on live before they go live with the engine.
    Edit2:
    Quote Originally Posted by JenShay View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Traderjill View Post
    "what's wrong with these dumb noobs?" while the newbies are going "WTF is up? I don't get it? It's not being spoon fed to me.. I quit"
    ... I recognize that the newer generation of gamer is going to need more guidance than we had...
    Actually, when you put it that way ...
    It got my brain juices going. I think that I was an "inbetweener."

    There was so much that I didn't figure out. I ran from ToTW to New Land City more than once. I was somewhere between ~120 and 144 when I found out about evades and inits. I had just teamed so much that people tanked, healed and so forth, compensating for that hole. I didn't figure out why it was so difficult to solo.

    However, I was taught something, "If you don't know. Ask! You have a tongue in your head."

    Way I see it? Give them their shinies, let them feel this is a good game. Spoon feed them a bit at the beginning but subtly get them to work the puzzles out themselves. Give the game an altruistic purpose of helping people think, socialise and work things out.

    Challenges, puzzles and such. It empowers people and gives them a sense of accomplishment to over come it. As long as you scale up, so they take it in steps and stages. One day they will look back and go, "Whoa! That low levels stuff was so easy but now look at what I can do?!"
    I think that is so much better for people. AI that changes, puzzling maps and dungeons that give clues and you have to work out ...

    ... SO much potential that could be realised.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kingbling View Post
    Sounds like a good idea.

    Show how the game works at beginning lvls and hint to how the mechanics work, but still make people think and figure it out themselves after the basics (with help from friends of course).

    I hate a game that gives it all away, probably why this is the only one that has held my attention for so long. And I still really don't play that much.
    Quote Originally Posted by Gunfytr View Post
    I really like this. Definately worth a bump
    Last edited by JenShay; May 19th, 2010 at 20:43:49.
    Anarrina is just doing her job. Way nicer in IRC.|| High aptitudes in some things != social skills.
    "Don't debate with a troll. They are impervious and will bring you down to their level; in height range to beat you with their thick little skulls."
    Audible taste of Africa.
    One string.| How to bring a sense of accomplishment back. "Fr00bs play AO; sl00bs work it."
    Why so serious?
    Stick What? You mean there are not enough PvP-ers ... to get the BS running? ... how come ...
    Aeliniyah : Where exactly? ... it requires only 6+6 people to start a round of BS, yet they never run ...

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Berinda View Post
    And what does a " 'complete' client that will be NOT using any internal resources" mean?
    If I had to guess I would say they're currently cheating with their versions of the clients and they're not stand alone versions like the ones we currently use to connect to the servers. I presume the " 'Complete' client that's not using any internal resources" is the stand alon thing which they'll be releasing to the players once it's ready.

    As a result it sounds like the optimization phases are coming to an end and delivery of the new engine and clients for it may be very very soon.

    At least that's how I interpret it.
    Ebondevil - Omni Level 220 Agent on Atlantean, Feel free to contact me any time if you have questions, in game or out.
    Varinox - Omni Level 220 Meta-Physicist on Atlantean
    Yamarra - Omni Level 150 Shade on Atlantean

    Feel free to send me any tell in game or a Private Message if you require anything.

  19. #19

    Funcom employee

    This is my post, my post is awesome.

    That is all. *heads over to Means' place*

  20. #20
    Thank you Means for writing things people would like to hear about in this FWM.
    SOON™coming back...
    Neosh 220/20 Shade | Neokirurg 220/21 Doc crit setup | Neoc 216/18 Crat
    Shades are really invisible (from FC point of view)
    Patterns/symbs SALE ----- Refined imps SALE

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