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Thread: Monthly Development Update: March 2012

  1. #1

    Funcom employee Monthly Development Update: March 2012


    Monthly Development Update: March 2012
    I spent a few days in San Fransisco at GDC this month, attending talks and panels. The best ones touched on ideas I've had for a while without being able to put words on them, and I felt really inspired when walking out of there.

    One thing especially that I will bring with me home to my team was a talk covering tutorials by George Fan, the man behind Plants versus Zombies, who said something like "if you have a mechanic that is really complicated and you fear not being able to teach it to the player in a good way - add it to the vendor. Most players really enjoy reading up on how a mechanic works when they are making a concious decision how to improve their weapons."

    This, combined with another quote from one of this years speakers Sid Meier, who said something like "A game is a series of interesting decisions," really pinpoints something we are working towards with the new starting area and systems changes.

    New Global Market Interface
    We've felt for a long time now that you should be able to trade to others even if you don't have an organization city, and a few really intense weeks I can proudly present your new global market – a powerful interface that enables you to use the in game browser technology to buy and sell items to other players.

    Full feature list:
    • The items and credits will be delivered to your in game email inbox (please note emails still times out after 2 weeks)
    • Accessible through terminals in the main cities
    • Includes Item-search featuring all tradeable items
    • Cross-dimensional trade system
    • You can buy existing items directly, or create buy orders with a prefered price
    • You can sell items directly to an existing buy order, or create sell orders with a prefered price
    • You can sell and buy more than one of an item at a time
    • You can sell and buy unique items
    • A small fee will be deducted when creating a buy or a sell order and a small tax will be deducted from the seller when an item is bought to prevent players from abusing the system
    • The Portable GMS Terminal and Portable Shop Interface items will still be usable to access the market from anywhere


    Requirements:
    • You don't need an organization to use the market!
    • You need to be a subscriber to do transactions (Alien Invasion)
    • Free players can browse the market


    We all think that it's really cool with outdoor cities and we may come to re-purpose them, but once we're ready to migrate to a new server we're going to disable the outdoor cities. We are currently determining the best way to reimburse org leaders. However, this is not going to happen suddenly, we will announce it at least a couple of months before and we are not there yet.

    The outdoor cities are providing a very nice way to travel for tired explorers that just want to get home and take their sturdy boots off after a long day out in the wild, and we're going to consider new ways to provide this service.

    We're getting ready to ship it to Test Live and do some serious testing before we're ready to release it, so don't expect it before May – but it will be included in the next scheduled Live update.

    The Engine
    The Engine Upgrade Video was released this week, and I am very happy for the feedback and support that we have gotten!

    Originally, my scope was only to show it to all of you since you have waited for so long, but looking back I don't regret the decision to reach further, and I hope you can see that we're spending time and effort in making sure that AO gets back on the radar.

    Producing this video improved not only the engine itself, but also our human knowledge of how we can work with it to get the best result. I need to leave the team alone so they have time to get some more work done before I can justify making another video, but I will keep you posted once we have made more solid plans.

    In March, we successfully rewrote the code that converts our playfields from the old engine to the new engine. Things like ground now display correctly in the internal world building tool, something that is crucial for our artists to be able to add dynamic grass and other neat things. You may have seen in the video that the jobe location didn't include the new grass, and this was why.

    We've progressed to a point where it's time to make the new engine work outside of our internal development environment. This is quite a large task that I don't expect to be completed on the first try, nor do I think it will be done before the next newsletter, so I will revisit this to give you an update on the progress next month.

    Once we have a version that's compatible with our patching and deployment process we will not automatically be ready to release a beta, but it will allow us to start testing more extensively and integrate the engine into our regular build pipeline.

    The New Player Experience
    Having finished most of the ground work for the new starting areas, we're moving on to implementing the profession specific bit where you pick a weapon and get all the essentials.

    Meanwhile, the artists are building these new areas with the engine upgrade in mind, and we are re-making as much of the old art assets as possible to get a ”free” upgrade in other locations in the world so it's a very efficient use of their time – and it will be supported in both engines.

    There have been many questions regarding whether we're going to upgrade the graphical interface and the character creation, and the team feels really strongly that we should do this.

    The character creation shows some of our oldest assets, and with the new heads and bodies in place we will be able to make something that looks much better and feels much more intuitive.

    The current GUI leaves much to be desired, however it's built in a very rigid system that doesn't allow for much improvement so we are considering ripping it out completely and rebuilding it, although we've not made any time estimates on when this will happen.

    So short answer, for sure!

    The Systems Changes
    I'm going to start refering to the profession balance as ”systems changes” from now on, because this better indicates what we are doing. While balance is important, I view the it as an effect of our systems changes, and so you'll start seing parts of this in most scheduled updates from now on, and it may take the form of a formula change or a general improvement. Three of these general changes will appear in the next update, that will give us consistency and pave way for more significant changes.

    The first change is that all nano damage, including nukes and some of the perks, will be affected by the Damage Modifier stats. Currently, only the Nano Attack Damage Multiplier stat is affecting nano damage, but with this change nano users will get the same benefit from the Damage Modifiers as weapon users, allowing more options when it comes to gear.

    Naturally, a multiplier stat is very difficult for us to control, so we've adjusted a dozen of items that currently uses the this stat to reflect this. The Nano Attack Damage Multiplier stat will still be available on certain items that we feel are special.

    We wish this to affect damage over time damage as well, and we're doing some testing internally to see how we best can introduce this.

    The second change is that Meta-Phycisist pets and Bureacrat robotic pets will no longer time out, a feature that previously only have been available to engineers! At the same time we are also disabling pets' ability to hunt by themselves, a feature that in it's current state technically borderlines breaking the EULA policy regarding unattended gameplay but more importantly without this feature we can better justify improving the pets themselves.

    The third change is that friendly AOE auras will no longer run on people in the vicinity, but instead on everyone in your team and your own pets. With this change you as a caster will control who gets the benefit of your buff and who doesn't, this means you no longer will get accidently flagged by someone random in your vicinity!

    "Report a Bug/Exploit" forums
    These forums have been very successful, and we've been able to track down and fix some of the stuff that you've reported already!

    I want to take a moment to thank everyone who is assisting us in improving AO, and to show our appreciation we're making a couple of unique social items that are intended to be given out as rewards on the Live dimensions!

    I also wish to thank our volunteers – the ARK community and the Council of Testers, individuals whom we could not do this without.

    The Next Update
    In addition to the new trade market, we're releasing a bunch of changes, some available already on the Test Live server, and others coming in the next version. Preliminary patch notes are already available in the Test Live section of the forum.

    And Vhab is back! so we will see his graphical character selection screen make it into the game in the next update, and along with this a more streamlined launcher. Release date to be announced (:

    Thank you for reading!

    Kindly,
    Fia ”Lindelu” Tjernberg


    Waldgeist edit: German Translation
    Last edited by lindelu; Mar 30th, 2012 at 12:03:03.
    Former Game Director of Anarchy Online.

  2. #2
    First!
    Jihnna 220/30/80 Shade
    Underworld

  3. #3

  4. #4
    nice to see things progress
    keep smiling
    Najade s, Najengi s, Najngi s, Najmp s, Shadysannz, Toccata, Frobos, Chaodoc, Najcrat, Najtank
    sannz - ENL - NR01-GOLF-11
    a time of changing has begun; the leaves are fallen and undone; inside my spirit starts to run; and all my fears are overcome. - Chiasm, Rewind, 2005

  5. #5
    last page!

    1. Will you PLEASE, rework Rome? If possible combine it to one zone and remove walls or make more holes in them. The daily agency is not optimaly reachable at the moment...
    2. What about other unattended gameplay options, punish everyone not only pet professions, /pet hunt isn't realy that usefull...

    PS
    Fates hasn't given out my hat yet...
    Last edited by lindelu; Mar 30th, 2012 at 12:22:14. Reason: I edited instead of quoting I am sorry Ekarona
    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

  6. #6
    wow first page!
    Equilibrium may refer to: The condition of a system in which all competing influences are balanced, in a wide variety of contexts
    Infinity may refer to: The state or quality of being infinite. A number greater than any assignable quantity or countable number (symbol ∞).
    Vengeance may refer to: Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance

    AO Item Assistant+ :: https://sourceforge.net/projects/aoiaplus/::

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dream ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    "Not a rant, not a flame. Just another perspective."

  7. #7
    First page... You're early this month Linde ^^
    Former President of Unlimited High Society - We're recruiting 220/30/66 Eternalist Mardonge - Equip 220/25/70 Savior Bioth - Equip 220/22/64 Dictator Cratzi - Equip 220/22/58 Mogul Stressed 199/22/45 Don Riksmongo - Equip 194/19/52 Spetsnaz 176/18/42 Master 5th Dan Maofex - Equip 100/10/28 Biomare - Equip Foremans Twink ************************************************** Be vewy vewy quiet, Im hunting whinomen

  8. #8
    "Cross-dimensional trade system" - is this between servers?
    220/30 Ranged Advy, Neut 'n proud of it. Moxet
    220/25 NT Moxilla
    220/29 Moxdacrat
    150/14 Doc
    200/18 MP
    various other bits n bobs

  9. #9

    first page

    first page yaay


    PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE DONT ADD ANY DIMONDS/CRYSTALS OR OTHER CRAP TO ADD TO OUR WEAPONS OR ARMOR.
    Last edited by Typeon; Mar 30th, 2012 at 12:32:32.

  10. #10
    Will the trade system remove orders onces you go frozen, so you don't end up losing any mail or items?

    What are limits for amount of orders? ETC...

    An other last page post!
    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

  11. #11

    Funcom employee

    Quote Originally Posted by GrumpyMox View Post
    "Cross-dimensional trade system" - is this between servers?
    Yes between servers (:
    Former Game Director of Anarchy Online.

  12. #12
    Such a great read. Restored my faith!
    One comment tho:
    "Cross-dimensional trade system"

    Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Might influence the economy a lot.
    Also it looks like people can now "transfer" from one server to another since they can move their assets. Intended?
    "The Tessargi Oppressor" 220/30 RK1 - P E

    Lazy: down with Tessargi The Oppressor! he is literally a Frankensteinian monster made from combining Gadaffi Sadam Hitler Stalin and George Bush into one powerhungry oppressor of the free world.

  13. #13
    Early one this time
    One profession to RoO them all, one profession to proc stun them, one profession to calm them all and in the darkness Exp perk them!

    Crataiken 220/30/70 General - Primal Evolution - 3rd AI 30 'Crat on RK 1 Setup
    Calms 220/30/70 General - Primal Evolution
    Medicaiken 220/30/70 General - Primal Evolution Setup
    Newen 220/30/70 President - The Galactic Milieu
    Mettagirl 220/20/** General - Primal Evolution
    Krataiken 150/18/40 General - Primal Evolution Setup

  14. #14
    Yay.
    'The problem with the gene pool is that there's no lifeguard.' - Steven Wright

  15. #15
    peek-a-boo

  16. #16

    Funcom employee

    It's been a month already?!
    We need to have a talk, time.

    So, everyone get to TL and find all the broken things
    We'll be working hard to get them fixed as the reports roll in.
    My posts are my own and do not reflect the views of my current nor former employers/clients

    Remco "Vhab" van Oosterhout
    Former Anarchy Online Game Programmer


    Live Chat Support | E-mail Support | Forum Rules | AODevs | Vha.Chat

  17. #17

    Funcom employee

    Quote Originally Posted by Ekarona View Post
    last page!

    1. Will you PLEASE, rework Rome? If possible combine it to one zone and remove walls or make more holes in them. The daily agency is not optimaly reachable at the moment...
    2. What about other unattended gameplay options, punish everyone not only pet professions, /pet hunt isn't realy that usefull...

    PS
    Fates hasn't given out my hat yet...
    1) We are discussing this. We want to either rework Rome, or make improvements to another OT city and redirect new players there instead.
    The most important for me is that the shops should be easy to find, with signs, and that they should be closer together. A bonus is to have the grid and the whom-pa more accessible too, and in Rome this is sort of.. not ideal. Even if it looks cool.
    2) We are removing auto attack.
    Former Game Director of Anarchy Online.

  18. #18
    Hey, Vhab, you all mighty creater of all good (new char selection)...

    It was said that you didn't need to log out to switch char with that new interface.
    Will there be any change so you get to char selection instead of windows when you hit ALT-F4 as we are used to? (I know I can do it with CLTR-F10, but... you know... habits...)
    Last edited by Maofex; Mar 30th, 2012 at 12:26:05.
    Former President of Unlimited High Society - We're recruiting 220/30/66 Eternalist Mardonge - Equip 220/25/70 Savior Bioth - Equip 220/22/64 Dictator Cratzi - Equip 220/22/58 Mogul Stressed 199/22/45 Don Riksmongo - Equip 194/19/52 Spetsnaz 176/18/42 Master 5th Dan Maofex - Equip 100/10/28 Biomare - Equip Foremans Twink ************************************************** Be vewy vewy quiet, Im hunting whinomen

  19. #19

    Thumbs up Encouraging Read!

    Thanks for the update, lindelu. Glad to know that GDC helped recharge your batteries and offered some new perspectives on player behavior. I'm looking forward to the changes and enhancements!
    Don't mind me. I'm just passin' through.
    ::CLAN ADV :Chairman's Prize for Holy LOL recipient: RK-I::
    The Red Brotherhood
    If this is gonna be that kind of party, I'm gonna stick my leet in the mashed potatoes.”


  20. #20
    in RL i hate it when you buy from Amazon or ebay and they "sell more expensive, cause of additional fees"...like the bills you get from doctor's office, etc.

    I can see people saying "i was selling this "X" for this price "Y"..but since i'm including the taxes and set up charges it's really costing you "Z" price.

    i still like it that you can see the prices in the store & you know how much you want to sell it without calc taxes, etc so you can get your profect, etc. or you go and buy the item like the way it used to be..without saying.."wait..i forgot i've ot pay taxes..darnish..don't have that much on me" ^_=
    Last edited by Hokutonoken; Mar 30th, 2012 at 12:28:30. Reason: cause i forgot to add the "taxes" ^_=
    "Don't think...feel, it's like a finger pointing towards the moon"

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