Monthly Development Update: March 2012

[Leetlover]

I see they are a little inspired by an idea I had for starting-experience, I think it's a rather bad idea (who said we'd ever twink?) now I think it will do little, but who knows...I'd start the game with char-customation, a crash and maybe an encounter with termileetz0r before you get to the mainland via arrival hall...Improve WA, Rome and Borealis (vendor-content fx, NPC's etc), and then start making the whole game to a more cohesive gaming-experience that is more friendly to new players.

Afaik it's mostly Genele who's in charge of the design documents,

She is responsible, but not the instigator or perpetuator, unless I am wrong. I think it would be horrible if they simplify AO and make it less complex and advanced, or delete the existing professions while replacing them with their own ideas as if those two is mutually exclusive....AO is the consecutive work of several individuals during 10+ years, not one person.

They have made several mistakes regarding professions already, f.x the BS-changes...it was a bad idea from the start to add xp-rewards to battlestation cause then the feedback from the encounter will come from players who's main goal was NOT to pvp in the first place anyway.

Er, I have to disagree here. At hecks, you'd do 1-160 in what, 1 day of playtime ? In a game that has 220 levels, I found it stupid to level up to 160 in 24 hours.
Especially because of the mechanisms of AO, eg twinking. The faster you level, the less desirable twinking is, because the "value" you added to your character through twinking becomes unsignificant sooner.
I think everyone agrees that twinking is one (if not THE one ?) of the great features of AO, and to me enabling fast leveling (because what you are describing here is lightning fast, seriously) makes that feature weaker, that is why I don't agree.

Yeah, and the lack of proper team-content is horrible. Another thing is the implementation of ofab armor which was ment to 'shorten the gaps' between veterans/experienced and lesser advanced/casual players...but you can't just exhange a level 175 set of ofab with a level 200 on the fly like with any other storebuyable armor...which I believe was the intention and the requirement from the targetgroup.

Maybe create one (1) AI-encounter for the levelgroup that rewards you with most the AI-database which was the norm pre-le? The upgrading-system could be reworked too, not only to see the diferent designs of the weapons from mk1 to mk6 for a longer period, but to make AO more friendly to new players.

The marketing system inc is probably good, but it won't change so many things unless there is more items produced into the world. As for now, AO is several seperate grinds and less fun.

Omni-1 needs some love. I miss the days of sitting in trade or entertainment. It's hard to believe just how long ago that was!

Also, West Athen is a dead city.

Remove the vanguards from there, give it the bs-signup and put the dailie-npc's there?

I agree at your disagreement. Im an NT, and I honestly think that team kiting should be nerfed. Takes a lot of fun and challenge out of the game. Think of all the new players that will (and have) discover(ed) this and missed out on an entire gaming experience (I know I know, their fault, right?). The fact is, you dangle a carrot in front of a rabbits face, they're likely to take a bite.

I would propose (and I don't know how hard this would be to implement) a code be initiated when an NT is in team mode. If there are more than say, 5 kills within a 1sec time frame, all successive kills for the next 15 sec would give no team XP. This would not impact NT leveling solo-wise, as this would only come into effect in a team instance.

Bring the hate. I know its out there.

Kiting in itself isn't such a bad thing when teaming w nt, it is the current xp-reward from it and how it currently is acted out in the game. I like how professions do things diferently

[MidgarClan]

I just wanted to get my 2 cents in while I Can. It's bad enough your taking the fun out of Player Cities by removing shops and creating a vacuum to be filled by certain "Web Sites" to take advantage of the market in a real-time fashion with an "Item Shop" like interface, but instancing all player cities is going to drive what's left of the community that has stuck around AO for the last 11 years now out of the picture for good. Cities in the World map are fun and enjoyable. I enjoy holding my org meetings by the river in Agean in my custom built park, where i don't have to hand out passes for all in attendance. It may not seem like much, but in these cases we have a lot of outsiders from allied orgs that come for fun. Handing out 30 passes or however it's gona' work is just no fun at all. Not to mention the saviors that had been going to an org shop, who just so happened to see you getting your arse pwned by an AI gen and teamed up just to help. Removing the Real world cities is by no means helping the "Team Spirit" drive that built AO. You are in fact going to make it more Introverted and non-community oriented. It's not like removing the cities is going to help even out tower wars, those have been outdated since way before Alien Invasion Came Along. Lag .. perhaps. Why not Make the cities have a random timer and attack-able like towers but much more difficult to take? Say if one org declares war on another. Do something fun for a change and don't make things more cut off then they already are. Open up teams, open up the world, Diversify and think outside the box Pl0x. Not even the engine will save the game if you do this much. Start taking a "Q" from other games as far as world building goes and make to be AO unique! They built their games off of Anarchy Online, why not use them for a stepping stone of ideas? If this is part of the new Content Funcom had in mind, count me out. I want Community; because there is nothing more important.

The path of least resistance is the hardest path to enlightenment.

[Notcrattey]

juIt's bad enough your taking the fun out of Player Cities by removing shops

And here I thought the fun of player cities was doing stuff in them with your org.

Just saying.

[Gunforhire]

And here I thought the fun of player cities was doing stuff in them with your org.

Just saying.

It is but I like being able to check GMS , find the item I need and then going to the city to get it. That goes away with instanced cities. I particularly agree that the need to invite others to your city now so they can be at a meeting is not user friendly at all. Just saying

[Kauh]

Kiting in itself isn't such a bad thing when teaming w nt, it is the current xp-reward from it and how it currently is acted out in the game. I like how professions do things diferently

Aye. I think you may have misinterpreted me? I wasnt talking about nerfing AoE's, just the PL kiting aspect by implementing some sort of code that would be triggered if x kills has surpassed y in z amount of time.

I just wanted to get my 2 cents in while I Can. It's bad enough your taking the fun out of Player Cities by removing shops and creating a vacuum to be filled by certain "Web Sites" to take advantage of the market in a real-time fashion with an "Item Shop" like interface, but instancing all player cities is going to drive what's left of the community that has stuck around AO for the last 11 years now out of the picture for good.

Thanks for speaking for and representing the entire AO community.
/rage quit after 7 years ><

The realistic fact is, they are making the necessary adjustments to the game to accommodate the server merge. Im sure they will address issues like outside org players wanting to enter ones city (perhaps by something as simple as just teaming said people?), and others that may arise. You must see that this is the only way to do things other than add double the amount of cities on RK. What a horrible mess that would be...
You could still house your org meetings by the river in Agean, you'd just have to bring picnic tables instead.

[Mastablasta]

Plus the whole problem with new spots is that you'll have a gold-rush of people with loads of money just running out there claiming them for themselves, then placing them up for sale at a handful of billions.

[Dragocze]

I hope, that they remove 3 craters west / east and coast of peace / tranquility zones. Coasts could stay, if they add some content there. Three craters zones really ruin Rubika map.

[Mastablasta]

Well, they could put actual content in there instead.

[Gridpain]

Apparently some missed the point. For the last few years almost every change to the game has been to encourage/allow/enable more pvp activities at the expense of other content/aspects of the game.

What ?

There was NW ...

Then there was BS ...

Then, the PvP pf with forgatable name... and unplayble map.

So, mainly, NW and BS... that's .. 2 !

[Melcom]

Will to fight ? ^^

[Cogline]

PvP? Will To Fight is empty. No one has a bar brawl in the Hope Bar. I'm the only one killing Rogue Notum Miners on my daily. Even though I do PvM I can't help but notice that PvP only takes place when there's a reward other than boasting/fun. As to Org Cities don't you dare get rid of our sauna...

[Liwa]

What ?

There was NW ...

Then there was BS ...

Then, the PvP pf with forgatable name... and unplayble map.

So, mainly, NW and BS... that's .. 2 !

There have been many updates that changed aspects of the game to suit complaints by pvp players. Not just full expansion changes. For example, nerfing LE mission vp drops because "no one was going to battlestations' and changing a variety of damage formula's to suit pvp concerns, I don't remember them all ... just that it seems each patch has changes to correct an issue for pvp that makes it harder to play pvm.

Kinnik

[Lazy]

have you considered that maybe some of the devs aren't pvm cupcakes and actually enjoy pvp?

[Socrattes]

I think the cities add to the landscape of RK and would hate to see them go. Just because the players are moving out of the cities doesn't mean city raids need to stop or the cities have to go. How about anyone with the Alien expansion be able to start a city raid in any of the legacy cities. 1 alien for each person in your team even if in raid mode.

Then add mini raids in the city that use the existing buildings. It can't be that hard to develop quest lines around buildings that already exist. Not dailies but things that small groups can do. Something to do because it's fun.

[Windguaerd]

I think the cities add to the landscape of RK and would hate to see them go.

Please list any RK architecture that matches the AI cities in look. I don't think there is any, those cities have been a sore thumb since they were added, no real difference in appearance between factions, their main appeal was shortcuts to playfields and the convenience of having a shop to sell your things.

[MrMojoRisin]

So I've not been following the forums recently.. so what's the gist? Lol

[Thorneee]

Then, the PvP pf with forgatable name... and unplayble map.

OMG, I had totally forgot about this one ! Thanks for reminding me.

Among all the things that made it to live, this pf must be the biggest waste of dev time in AO's history, unfortunately

[heilt-do]

Deal with cities, replace them with faction specific outpost (not all). Make a few more tower sites, and perhaps some player own outpost (grid exit, guards, fancy stuff), make these become disputable every 72hrs. etc etc

[Psikie]

Deal with cities, replace them with faction specific outpost (not all). Make a few more tower sites, and perhaps some player own outpost (grid exit, guards, fancy stuff), make these become disputable every 72hrs. etc etc

Not everything must revolve around pvp and faction. Why not more outposts like harry's with bronto herder, maybe he expands new bronto pens. Or give the tsuoshi weapon smith a building somewhere.

[Liwa]

have you considered that maybe some of the devs aren't pvm cupcakes and actually enjoy pvp?

Have you and/or FC considered that maybe some of their customers do not enjoy PvP? Perhaps even most of them ... otherwise it would be easy to keep BS running.

And where does it say that if a player prefers PvM they are a 'cupcake'?

Kinnik