Monthly Development Update – 31st July, 2013

[Poko]

As awesome as new engine update from 5 years ago?

Naw, about as awesome as one dude making you, and your whole org ragequit

[fakiiri]

Naw, about as awesome as one dude making you, and your whole org ragequit

If that one guy is Funcom employee then yeah ur right.

[Mastablasta]

Like, really really? Or just an FC kinda really?

Stop trolling and come back to IRC!

[Murskaink2]

The Treatment Transfer nano can.. Can lowbies use it?
If that's the case, this game has finally turned completely into pay2win. One more reason to never resub again.

[Shareida]

The Treatment Transfer nano can.. Can lowbies use it?
If that's the case, this game has finally turned completely into pay2win. One more reason to never resub again.

TT is level 201.

And please. Leave your negativity outside the forums, the fact that you even post here clearly identifies you as a hypocrite.

[Iriche]

The Treatment Transfer nano can.. Can lowbies use it?
If that's the case, this game has finally turned completely into pay2win. One more reason to never resub again.

If it was like that, which I am pretty sure the developers thought of, then it would be the first pay2win item out there. So how did you think now?

[Murskaink2]

If it was like that, which I am pretty sure the developers thought of, then it would be the first pay2win item out there. So how did you think now?

There is already Neuronal Stimulator nanocan that froobs can use. So the pay2win element is already here. They can pay real money for an item that is impossible for them to use any other way.

TT is level 201.

The perk is locked to 201, but the buff it gives isn't. That made me concerned.

[Demoder]

There is already Neuronal Stimulator nanocan that froobs can use. So the pay2win element is already here. They can pay real money for an item that is impossible for them to use any other way.

Although I too dislike people getting access to things via the item store which they wouldn't otherwise have access to... I kind of have to admit that Neuronal Stimulator is a little bit special. What's the difference between paying on a on-needed basis, and paying for a subscription? In both cases you have to pay real money to have access to this buff.

Let's just hope that the item store version of Treatment Transfer isn't giving any more advantages than the increase in duration.

[Leetlover]

The buffstuff in itemshop is a bit antisocial imo. It's an mmo! They could put a doctor in surgery-clinic tho.

For god's sake or for the empty blackness of atheism,

Or by odin's holy ravens.

[Murskaink2]

Leave your negativity outside the forums, the fact that you even post here clearly identifies you as a hypocrite.

I really don't understand this. How does posting in the forums make me hypocrite?

[Psikie]

The perk is locked to 201, but the buff it gives isn't. That made me concerned.

Target Level >= 201 for Treatment Transfer

[Armus]

Naw, about as awesome as one dude making you, and your whole org ragequit

Except he wasn't the reason, nor did anyone ragequit. Yes the principal reason is the official endorsement of multiboxing, as well as how unprofessionally FC handled certain events lately.

Ofcourse one could argue that we should all just tough it out and wait for FC to wake up and realize what the implications of some of their decisions are. But.. looking at FC's history, that's not going to happen any time soon. Remember SB+OS? It took me about 5 seconds to figure out what a disaster it would be for tl7 NW. But it took the pro's at FC 3+ years.

Regarding multiboxing, here's a msg from the very top of FC:

"When it comes to multiboxing, it would take time for us to investigate each case of this. I would rather have customer service actually helping people rather than just tracking down people who own multiple accounts and plày them at the same time. The difference between dual logging and sending the same beyboard commands to all accounts you have logged in is minimal."

We can read at least two things out of that message.

1. The GD of ao has no clue of how exactly multiboxing "enhances" your ability to play multiple accounts. She believes the difference between alt tabbing 6 accounts and multiboxing is "minimal".
2. FC has no resources to track this.

So this is to me conclusive proof that the ppl in the wheelhouse are just not knowledgable enough to make correct decisions as well as it is a testament to the dire state of FC's financials, when they have to pick and choose what to pursue ig.

You can call me a ragequitter for making the decision to not keep pouring money into this company at this time all you like, feel free. Just as I could call you names for supporting this seemingly hopeless cause.

One more thing, since you are kind of attacking my org directly. Which other org on clan side held fields during the 2006-2009 omni reign? Not many, I can tell you that. But EQ at least had tl5 for most of that time. So yeah, we toughed it out during those years.

But not this time. It's just no fun any more and there's no hope of FC changing it's mind because they just don't know any better, and even if they did, they have no resources to fix the problem. So unless there is some kidn of major miracle, see you in some other game maybe.

[fakiiri]

Moderator strikes again

[Poko]

Except he wasn't the reason, nor did anyone ragequit. Yes the principal reason is the official endorsement of multiboxing, as well as how unprofessionally FC handled certain events lately.

Ofcourse one could argue that we should all just tough it out and wait for FC to wake up and realize what the implications of some of their decisions are. But.. looking at FC's history, that's not going to happen any time soon. Remember SB+OS? It took me about 5 seconds to figure out what a disaster it would be for tl7 NW. But it took the pro's at FC 3+ years.

Regarding multiboxing, here's a msg from the very top of FC:

"When it comes to multiboxing, it would take time for us to investigate each case of this. I would rather have customer service actually helping people rather than just tracking down people who own multiple accounts and plày them at the same time. The difference between dual logging and sending the same beyboard commands to all accounts you have logged in is minimal."

We can read at least two things out of that message.

1. The GD of ao has no clue of how exactly multiboxing "enhances" your ability to play multiple accounts. She believes the difference between alt tabbing 6 accounts and multiboxing is "minimal".
2. FC has no resources to track this.

So this is to me conclusive proof that the ppl in the wheelhouse are just not knowledgable enough to make correct decisions as well as it is a testament to the dire state of FC's financials, when they have to pick and choose what to pursue ig.

You can call me a ragequitter for making the decision to not keep pouring money into this company at this time all you like, feel free. Just as I could call you names for supporting this seemingly hopeless cause.

One more thing, since you are kind of attacking my org directly. Which other org on clan side held fields during the 2006-2009 omni reign? Not many, I can tell you that. But EQ at least had tl5 for most of that time. So yeah, we toughed it out during those years.

But not this time. It's just no fun any more and there's no hope of FC changing it's mind because they just don't know any better, and even if they did, they have no resources to fix the problem. So unless there is some kidn of major miracle, see you in some other game maybe.

Its all funny! but life stories ftw. wanna know what clan org other than you that has held feilds for 06 - 09? None, because they all went outside, and enjoyed life from 06-09.

[Armus]

Its all funny! but life stories ftw. wanna know what clan org other than you that has held feilds for 06 - 09? None, because they all went outside, and enjoyed life from 06-09.

Not true, they went pvm, most of them anyway. But.. saying that, I think you'll agree that dumping the game before it goes into another ice age, caused by FC itself, is probably a good idea this time.

[Esssch]

Its all funny! but life stories ftw. wanna know what clan org other than you that has held feilds for 06 - 09? None, because they all went outside, and enjoyed life from 06-09.

Suddenly an expert on RK1 towers appears!

[Poko]

Suddenly an expert on RK1 towers appears!

Suddenly a quote that doesn't even make sense appears! If you wouldn't mind pointing out where I said I even do towers/or care about them. I would gladly like to see. I have no intrest in such sillyness

[Esssch]

Well I assumed you were an expert, since you sure sounded confident of your position about Clan RK1 towers between 06-09.

[Reacon]

This kinda sucks.

I've remained faithful that the game of my childhood would make a triumphant return since 2007. That's about 6 years that I've religiously read weekly/monthly/wheneverly developer community updates. It's been 6 years since they announced they would be redoing AO's engine based on Ogre. It's been 6 years, but I remain faithful, because even Valve is beginning to show signs of Half-Life 3.

But the grounds have changed.

AO is no longer retaining its subscribers. Even with the dimensions consolidated, it still does not compare to RK2 of a mere two years ago. AO is treading dangerous ground of being more effort than it's worth, and so it feels the need to resort to more sleazy means of getting money.


Levelling the playfield with instanced cities, P2W model, standard auction house, and the deconstruction of Notum Wars.

What will make the game truly unique after the former are completed? Why will new players feel compelled to explore the world when they can see naught but an undetailed forest in the distance? What will become of the dungeon crawling and teamwork AO is known for when people could pay their way through it (we already knew this in the form of kiters)?

We all know the kind of backlash developers receive when they take a game in a new direction for the sake of market availability. We, the players of this game, like AO not because it's great; everything about it content-wise is mediocre or worse by today's standards. We like it because it's unique. Remove the uniquity and you have a generic game subject to review on the level of other MMOs.

[Psikie]

I don't really have a problem with the pay 2 play. The only difference we are talking about here is time versus money. Anything can be obtained in game with enough time. If people are willing to pay to save time more power to them. I have always believed time=money so to me it's subjective.