for how loong does funcom think we can play without changes?

[Le-Quack]

funcom isnt realy getting new subscribers.. so my question is.. for how loong does funcom think they can keep this game unchanged before more and more leave?

so when will balance come so pvm, pvp, duels will be diffrent and fun agein?

i suggest that its time for funcom to tell us exactly where they are in the balance progres.. becose my patient and joy for this game after 10 ish years is more or less over when evrything has stayd unchanged since alien invasion.. xan i wouldnt say count becose it barly changed anything.

[untame]

Totally agree.... So how about that graphics update? I think the game could have been comepletely built from scratch at this point considering how long it has been since the orignal announcement. Unfortunately, the lack of players has just brought this game to near hault. I suspect that the server merge was a way to try and bring more players into 1 dimension for a better mmorpg gameplay, but it really didn't seem to help very much. As for myself, I have been a devoted player for many years but my account expired last month and I do not plan to renew until the "graphics update" launches.

Has Funcom forgot about AO? Will there be a drastic update that draws mmorpg gamers back to the game? Only time will tell....

[Merit]

The engine will not mean better graphics.

It could, perhaps maybe have the ability to, but (and a big but here) with no new models/textures/art, things will look the same.

AO has no staff/money/support to justify the artists it'd take to do such a thing. Ever.

~~~~//~~~~

They could show game some love in other ways (content, balancing, real patches, communicating with player base.) But meh, am new'ish and already beyond jaded when it comes to FC and promises...

[McKnuckleSamwich]

Effort for rebalance = 1 unit
Effort for new engine = 65 units

Actual gameplay improvement for rebalance = 150 units
Actual gameplay improvement for new engine = 12 units

Number of people starting new sub for rebalance = 18
Number of people starting new sub for new engine = 61

Number of people who continue to resub due to features of rebalance = 2500
Number of people who continue to resub due to features of new engine = 0

Sort of hard to understand why they are using so much resources for new engine when the reward for the rebalance will keep the hamster wheel going for so much longer per unit of investment.

[Khlin]

Number of people who continue to resub due to features of rebalance = 2500
Number of people who continue to resub due to features of new engine = 0

Sort of hard to understand why they are using so much resources for new engine when the reward for the rebalance will keep the hamster wheel going for so much longer per unit of investment.

Where did you get that 2500 number from?

[MassDebater]

Put me in the "quitting when rebalance comes" column please.

[Ciex]

I see no reason to do any rebalance. Things are fine as they are today.

[Wyoming]

I see no reason to do any rebalance. Things are fine as they are today.

Sir, I respectfully disagree.

[Ciex]

Sir, I respectfully disagree.

Yeah i like those on my atrox engi.

[Wyoming]

and I'm sure everyone who's not an Atrox Pistol support class would appreciate a change.

[Raggy]

and I'm sure everyone who's not an Atrox Pistol support class would appreciate a change.

My Crat is Atrox.

I want a change, the only reason I rolled a Crat was to get stuff done.

[Wyoming]

My point was that if you're on the receiving end of OP stuff then it's not so fun.
Ciex would QQ into a bucket if he ever lost.

[Obtena]

My count is ... 4 years since we heard about re-balance. I wouldn't be surprised given the merge, graphics and new player experience, we won't see talk of re-balance until end of this year. It's not hard to see how the priorities have been put in place. Silly threads won't impact that.

What's more relevant is to simply understand the mission of the AO group at FC. Seems to me at this point in the game, it's about sustaining reliable levels of players, not flipping things on it's ear to entice a different breed of player to come back. I hate to say it but as engaging as the PVP can be, it isn't a motivating factor to play AO so it doesn't seem sensible to making it a priority.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

it's about sustaining reliable levels of players

Number of people who continue to resub due to features of rebalance = 2500
Number of people who continue to resub due to features of new engine = 0

Yessah!

[doctorgore]

I got about 90 days before i re-enter retirement from ao again. I want to see results in that time. I've said it before and I will say it again ao has cancer and that cancer is class balance. I don't have fun in this game all the toons I play are third class citizens they are pariahs. I am sick of what this game has turned into. I don't like to be treated as a pos cause the prof I play is inferior and inferior by numbers no amount of gear or player skill can compensate for. The math doesn't lie.

Fix it or close it for good.

What is the difference between a lump of dirt and an agent or mp?
Farmers will find the lump of dirt more useful in a team

[untame]

The engine will not mean better graphics.

It could, perhaps maybe have the ability to, but (and a big but here) with no new models/textures/art, things will look the same.

AO has no staff/money/support to justify the artists it'd take to do such a thing. Ever.

~~~~//~~~~

They could show game some love in other ways (content, balancing, real patches, communicating with player base.) But meh, am new'ish and already beyond jaded when it comes to FC and promises...

Yes, I realize a new game engine won't magically bring along new graphics (models/textures/art), that is why I said new graphics update and not engine update.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGIMS7E3ugU

That was posted over a year ago, and how long was it before that they originally announced these updates? I can't remember.

My whole point is I've tried to attract at least half a dozen people to the game with best efforts and all responses regarding their failure to play was the game just looked far too out dated and this alone was the disappointment. First impression is always the "look of the game". I would think attracting new players would be a giant advantage for future progress. For example, I can't count how much time I'd sit around and wait for a TOTW team, or a Heckler team, or an Inf mission team. Drawing old people back to the game and new people to the game with promised enhancements will ultimately increase Funcom revenue, increase AO staff/money/support, and then give Funcom the ability to create content and rebalance. Personally, the last thing I care about is toon rebalance when you can't even play a mmorpg with other people.

Don't get me wrong, AO I think is the most in-depth sci-fi mmorpg I have ever played and there is so much more you can do in this game than many, many others. I just feel like it's on a down hill slope because of all the empty promises. My hope is things improve and maybe next month or in six months or at least in the near future I'm given a reason from Funcom to reactivate my account and continue to play.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

Graphics don't mean squat.

Look at some of the best games in history:

tetris
super mario brothers
Baldur's gate 1/2
final fantasy 1

People will play anything as long as there is a challenge that they can identify with and it's fun and the controls are reasonable/intuitive.

But if you want people to continue to pay for a game, it has to be DYNAMIC, and the challenge must CHANGE occasionally in order for people to stay interested.

Adding a bull**** lolgun to make half the profs OP as hell and make any prof who can't use it prone to failure is not the appropriate method to achieve this.

What DOES achieve dynamic gameplay is for every 2-3 months, implement small changes to nanos, perks, specials, based on game metrics.

This creates an environment to which those who are the fastest and with the most equipment/stores can adapt quickly, and, often, those without must adjust, or just enjoy or detest the latest adjustment.

At the very least, what this does is keep those who want to be the best, WORKING TO STAY THE BEST... and not just rest on their laurels as their toolset hasn't changed in the three years since they refined their alpha to kill every single prof using a scripted macro that initiates every attack within a fraction of a second of optimal sequencing or whatever (yes enforcers I'm looking at you).

[MassDebater]

Sir, I respectfully disagree.

Mongo Rage isn't being removed in rebalance.

Adding a bull**** lolgun to make half the profs OP as hell and make any prof who can't use it prone to failure is not the appropriate method to achieve this.

NT, Trader, Enforcer, Fixer, Soldier, Engineer, Shade are all perfectly viable without Tro.

Slight below them I would add melee adv, tiger/crat pistol+OH crats, tiger/doc pistol+oh docs.

Removing Tro will not fix what you think is broken.

Ironically a dedicated AS weapon like Tiger is more effective versus the toons that you imply are weak against Tro.

The last thing you should be pushing for is driving Support classes towards Tiger or similar.

[McKnuckleSamwich]

You can tell troa'ler isn't OP by the number of profs who don't use it who could.

O_o

[MassDebater]

You can tell troa'ler isn't OP by the number of profs who don't use it who could.

Again, removing Tro will not fix anything for the fights you consider unfair (Tro users vs Tro non-users).

Enf, Keeper, MA, Zset MP are all easier to kill with Tiger instead of Tro.